Chapter 500: The Threefold Alliance

Dareth's vessel approached the defensive base inside Teralis, passing beneath a row of supply ships waiting to dock. Beyond them, a vast artificial structure spread across the void, its connected sections extending over a span large enough to hold several planets. Lines of blue light marked the approaches to its docking regions, while departing vessels rose from other levels and followed separate routes into the surrounding traffic.

Adrian stood beside the forward window with the elder. Thick supports of reinforced void alloy joined the larger sections, and defensive formations covered the spaces between them. Through the open docking entrances, he could see rows of vessels being unloaded beneath broad transport platforms, with more ships approaching from elsewhere in the galaxy.

He had seen sect headquarters built on a similar scale before. The materials, formations, and space needed to maintain them represented an enormous investment even for the larger powers he had encountered. Here, that investment supported a defensive base serving one part of Azure Ascendant's war effort. Adrian watched another group of transports disappear beneath its outer structure, briefly wondering how much larger the Upper Major Sect's own headquarters would be.

Their vessel settled onto an assigned platform, and the three descended together. Stoneveil disciples were directing the arriving crews toward adjoining passages when the elder turned to Dareth. "Go and check the expedition's return. Make sure the wounded are brought through as soon as their ships arrive."

"I will, Elder." Dareth bowed to him, then turned toward Adrian. "Thank you again, Senior." He left through a passage beside the platform while the elder led Adrian toward the War Service Office.

A short while later, Adrian sat across from him in a room overlooking another docking section. The elder opened a record above his desk and moved a flat, rune-covered plate toward Adrian. "Senior, please send some mana into this. I have prepared your registration."

Adrian placed his hand above the plate and released a thin current of mana, maintaining the altered signature he used as Aeon. The runes brightened beneath his palm, and his name appeared within the record. The elder checked the details, including the Astral cultivation and Anchor consciousness he had entered after witnessing the battle, then confirmed the registration.

"Your profile now has access to the Threefold Alliance's private network," he said. "Open it through your UNI-OS. Your service record and the available missions will be there."

Adrian took out his token and sent mana through it. A projection opened above his hand, and he selected the network the elder had named.

› Threefold Alliance Private Network Selected…

› Connecting…

› Identity Verified: Aeon

› Access Granted

The connection completed, and the display changed to his newly registered profile.

— SERVICE PROFILE —

› Name: Aeon

› Registered Through: Azure Ascendant Sect

› Service: Independent Mission Service

› Cultivation Stage: Astral

› Consciousness Stage: Anchor

› Contribution Points: 2,400

Adrian's gaze paused on the final entry, and the elder spoke before he could ask. "I included your help in both battles. Dareth sent the expedition's recordings during our return, and I confirmed the death of the Astral who stopped me. The points have already been added."

Adrian nodded and opened the contribution points credit entry. Most of the amount came from killing the Chime-level Astral, while his help against the Rule cultivators accounted for the smaller share. Thousands had fought around the supply ships, and Dareth's expedition had nearly been destroyed. Even so, the reward was small compared with what larger operations earned in the memories he had recovered before coming here.

Those fragments had also shown cultivators exchanging contribution points for resources. He recognized the exchange option beside his service record without opening it.

"The details are correct," Adrian said. He returned to the main page and selected the mission board. Its heading appeared, but no assignments followed beneath it.

— MISSION BOARD —

› Selected Board: Astral

› No Missions Available

› Access Awaiting Headquarters Approval

"Your registration has been sent to headquarters," the elder explained. "Once they approve it, you can use the Astral board. The missions there are shared with other registered cultivators. You can choose any that are open to you."

Adrian nodded and left the page open beside his profile. The elder touched the desk, raising a larger projection between them. Points of light spread above its surface and gathered into clusters, each carrying the name of a galaxy. One broad region shone red, while blue, gold, and violet marked the territories facing it.

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"Bloodfang controls forty-eight galaxies," the elder said, moving his hand across the red region. Its boundaries brightened, revealing an uneven spread with several outer holdings extending toward the other colors. "Their forces are spread throughout those territories, but most of their strength is gathered along the fronts facing us."

He shifted the projection, and twenty-four galaxies lit up in blue. "These are Azure Ascendant's holdings. Teralis is here, near the outer edge." A marker appeared over the galaxy before he moved to the gold region beside it. "Radiant Aegis controls these nineteen galaxies. Evernight Spire holds the remaining sixteen to the other side."

The violet markers brightened in turn, then all three allied regions remained visible together. "Our three sects formed the Threefold Alliance. The network you have joined serves the forces fighting under all three."

Adrian studied the positions as the elder enlarged the space between the opposing territories. The galaxies were scattered at different depths within the projection, with some lying farther behind their neighbors and others extending toward enemy territory. A wide, uneven band ran through the region where the red holdings approached the three allied colors.

"This is the central front," the elder continued. "Most of our stronger Astrals are fighting here. Bloodfang has placed its strongest forces opposite them, so we cannot move many of ours away without giving them an opening."

The elder enlarged one section, revealing several separate battle zones along the front. Adrian studied the routes leading into them and the positions of the galaxies supplying those forces.

The elder moved the map back toward Teralis. Its blue marker lay well beyond one end of the central front, beside routes extending through the surrounding void. One of those routes brightened near the position where Dareth's expedition had fought.

"Bloodfang gathers troops and supplies around these outer routes as well. We send forces to destroy those gatherings when we can, but they also attack our transports and try to cut off reinforcements. The expedition you helped was sent to stop one of their groups from growing larger."

He indicated another route passing farther outside the line of galaxies. "They can come around from here too. We watch the main approaches, but we still need bases and cultivators ready to respond throughout these regions."

Adrian looked from the highlighted routes to the base's position within Teralis. The elder had left from here to help Dareth and had been intercepted before reaching him. The elder and the Beastborn had both reached Chime, and their fight had kept the expedition's support from arriving.

"Will the board include missions in the neighboring galaxies?" Adrian asked, moving his gaze toward the other outer holdings.

"Yes, Senior. You do not have to remain in Teralis. There are escorts, attacks on enemy supply groups, and requests to support forces already fighting. Each mission shows where you are needed and what you are expected to do. You can read the details before accepting."

The elder brought the central front back into view. "Work here is more restricted. Some assignments give access to our fleet movements, defensive positions, or planned attacks. We need a record we can trust before sharing those details with someone from outside the alliance."

Adrian glanced at the contribution entry still visible beside the map. The elder followed his gaze and continued, "As your completed missions are confirmed, more assignments can open to you. You may spend the points on resources whenever you wish. Spending them will not remove your completed missions from your record."

"I understand," Adrian replied. He studied the central band for another moment before closing his profile. The route he had pieced together from the recovered memories matched the alliance's actual process.

The elder lowered the map and opened a smaller view of Teralis. "There are places to stay for registered cultivators throughout the galaxy. You can find them on this map and choose whichever suits you. Your UNI-OS will notify you when headquarters approves access to the mission board."

Adrian saved the map and rose from his seat. "Thank you for arranging this. I will check the board once it opens."

"We are glad to have your help, Senior." The elder stood as well and walked him to the door. Beyond it, disciples were crossing the passage with supply records open above their tokens, while an officer waited near another room. Adrian gave the elder a final nod and continued toward the docking areas.

His own projection remained open beside him. He moved past the profile and exchange sections until he found the alliance's war forum. New discussions were appearing as he scrolled, some posted by sect disciples and others marked as fixed-term or independent service participants.

Adrian opened a report about a supply group that had returned after an attack. Several transports had been damaged, and the crew responsible for bringing them back had attached an account of the fighting. Below it, cultivators discussed the enemy's choice to strike after the escort had split to cover two separate groups. One of the returning disciples answered a question about how the damaged ships had escaped.

Farther down, an independent cultivator had posted about an escort that came under attack between two outer bases. The supplies had reached their destination, but several ships needed repairs before the return journey. Replies discussed the damage and referred other crews to an updated route notice from local command.

He moved on to a discussion about losses in another engagement. A disciple was asking whether anyone from a missing group had reached a neighboring base. Two replies directed him toward recovery records, while another said that ships were still returning. Adrian read through the latest answer before closing the post and selecting a report from the central front.

› Selected Entry: Central-Front Operational Report

› Access Restricted

› Your Current Clearance Does Not Permit This Record

The report remained closed. Adrian returned to the list and continued through the entries he could open. Some contained brief accounts of completed battles, while others discussed changing conditions along the outer routes. More detailed reports remained beyond his access, but the available posts already gave him a much clearer picture than the scattered information he had found on Teralis's public networks.

The passage opened onto a broad landing concourse as he reached another section of the interface. Among the available options was a page named War Merit Rankings. He selected it, revealing separate lists for Rule and Astral cultivators, then opened the Astral division.

Three choices appeared beneath it: Awakened Consciousness, Chime, and Anchor. Adrian moved through the selection and found no visible category for Weave. He selected Anchor and brought its list into view.

— WAR MERIT RANKINGS —

› Cultivation Division: Astral

› Consciousness Division: Anchor

› Ranking Basis: Total Earned Contribution

› Top 100

› 1. Vhorakel

› 2. Ozharek

› 3. Ilyxar

› 4. Qezrith

› 5. Nhalveth

› …

Adrian glanced through the unfamiliar names, then closed the ranking page without opening their profiles. He continued past the last docking passages and reached an outer platform, where the base's defensive formations glimmered against the void. A line of supply ships moved toward the bays below him while several larger vessels departed in the opposite direction.

He checked the mission board once more. Headquarters approval was still pending, so he left the token ready to receive its notification and stopped beside the platform's railing. Beyond him, the traffic of a war involving more than a hundred galaxies continued moving through the base without pause.

For now, he had reached the first step of the path he wanted.

All that remained was for the missions to appear, and then Adrian could decide where his war would begin.