Chapter 556 - 546: Head-on Confrontation

Meanwhile, hidden away in her pocket dimension, Moira was oblivious to what happened next.

In her eyes, Azurion’s supposed "love at first sight" was just a front; he was really after her ability.

’Love at first sight? More like love at first sight of my talent.’

She patted her chest. That had given her a real fright.

"Patience, organize the assets I just acquired. Focus on the planets."

The number of planets Moira had received from the old man was staggering.

It was obviously unrealistic for Moira to manage so many planets herself. She decided to lease them out, content to be a landlady who just sat back and collected the money.

For now, though, this was just an idea. Before she could proceed, she needed to take an inventory of the planets’ conditions.

She returned from her pocket dimension to Cloudsea Planet, then traveled from there back to Veridian Prime.

Back in her room, Moira gazed at the familiar surroundings and took a deep breath. She then flopped backward onto her large bed and couldn’t help but let out a huge yawn.

She hadn’t had any real time to rest over the past few days, busy as she was with treating the sick and saving lives.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Moira fell asleep just like that.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when a delicious aroma woke her.

She slowly opened her eyes. The sky outside had gone completely dark.

She remembered it being daytime before she fell asleep. She must have been out for hours.

She got up, went to the bathroom for a shower, and changed into fresh clothes before leaving the room.

When she got downstairs, Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch were in the middle of a meal.

Moira yawned as she came down the stairs. "Did you save a plate for me?" she asked.

Moira’s sudden voice made all three of them jump.

"Moira, when did you get back?" Kai York asked.

"I got back this afternoon," Moira said. "You were all in *Divine Soul*, so I didn’t disturb you."

Shane Rhodes went into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of rice for her.

"By the way, Moira," Kai York suddenly said, "Hugh Finch mentioned the game system contacted him. You know about that, right?"

Moira nodded at his words. "Hugh Finch already told me. So what exactly is it about?"

Kai York shook his head. "We don’t know either. He insisted on waiting until you were back to talk. It was useless no matter how we asked."

As he spoke, all three of them turned to look at Hugh Finch.

Hugh Finch silently swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Let’s talk after dinner. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll lose your appetite if I say it now."

’So it’s definitely not good news.’

The group quickly finished their dinner. Afterward, they sat around a table, looking at Hugh Finch with grave expressions.

"We’ve been targeted by the Cosmic Consciousness. The system says it might make a move against us soon."

Having known this for several days, Hugh Finch was very calm as he spoke about it now.

He might have been calm, but Moira and the others certainly weren’t.

"What do you mean we’ve been targeted by the Cosmic Consciousness and that it might move against us soon? What does that mean?" Shane Rhodes asked, his voice agitated.

"It means exactly what you think it means," Hugh Finch said. "We’re on the Cosmic Consciousness’s kill list."

"Wait, I need to ask. When you say ’we’... does that mean all of Caelus, or does it just refer to..."

Moira was tense as she asked the question. She knew that no matter the answer, it wouldn’t be anything to be happy about.

"Just the few of us."

"Are you kidding me? Why?" Kai York complained indignantly. "What did we ever do to it? Why is it targeting just us?"

"According to the system, it seems our power levels are too far beyond the norm. The Cosmic Consciousness has determined that our existence is a threat to the cosmos and wants to eliminate us."

’I get it. It’s trying to nip the danger in the bud.’

’Too bad I’m the danger it’s trying to nip.’

"If the system contacted you, it must have offered a solution, right?" Moira said.

’The very fact that the system came to warn him meant it was probably on their side.’

Hugh Finch nodded, his mind flashing back to the moment the system had contacted him.

It had been cussing up a storm. Nine and a half out of every ten sentences were curses aimed at the Cosmic Consciousness, and he’d had to mentally filter out the profanity.

"The system gave two solutions. First, we can voluntarily give up our player status. If we do that, the Cosmic Consciousness will temporarily lose its targets."

"But that’s only a temporary fix. If we don’t want to be targeted again, we’ll have to live out our days keeping a low profile."

"That method sounds pathetic just hearing it," Kai York said first. "What’s the second option? I choose the second one."

Although Moira and Shane Rhodes remained silent, it was clear from their eyes that they didn’t approve of the first option either.

"The second option is to confront the Cosmic Consciousness head-on. We have to complete three trials it sets for us and, at the same time, prove we are harmless. If we succeed, the Cosmic Consciousness will recognize our status. By the same token, if we fail, we will be mercilessly eliminated."

After Hugh Finch finished describing the second option, Moira and the other two fell into silence.

This second option didn’t seem that great either. It went without saying that those three trials would be extremely dangerous.

But choosing the first option was simply too spineless.

They were all at that hot-blooded, fearless age. And ever since the apocalypse, they had been Tier 0 players. Though they didn’t show it, it was undeniable that they were proud, even arrogant, deep down.

For them to choose the first option... well, that was a mental barrier they couldn’t overcome.

"I pick the second option. The worst that can happen is death. And dying at the hands of the Cosmic Consciousness? That would be worth it," Kai York said, breaking the silence.

"Stop talking about dying. Don’t be rash. Life is precious," Shane Rhodes said slowly.

"Boss, cut the pointless chatter. Just say it: are you with us or not?"

"I’m in."

Shane Rhodes’s reply was slow, but his tone was firm and powerful.

Then, the two of them looked at Moira and Hugh Finch.

Hugh Finch nodded. "I choose the second option."

Moira, the last one left, took a deep breath. "I choose the second option, too."

’She had lived a pathetic, cowardly life in her past incarnation. There was no reason to live this new life in hiding.’

’To put it simply: my life is cheap, so let’s do this.’

Having reached a consensus, the four of them looked at each other and smiled.

"So, did the system say what the trials will be?"

"Oh, and I have something to confess."

Shane Rhodes and Moira had spoken at the same time.

They exchanged a quick glance.

"Answer his question first," Moira said, taking the lead. "I’m not in a hurry."