Chapter 427: Safe House

As he listened to the twins’ account all the way to the end, Priam considered every possibility. It didn’t take long for him to come up with a viable plan in his mind. However, he needed to make some rigorous preparations first.

When they finished speaking, he nodded.

"You two did a good job. Now, you need to prepare for the inner sect entrance test, which will take place in a little over eight years. Unfortunately, changing the official date is against the rules. However, this time will be extremely valuable for all of you."

Priam took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. He soon turned to Dandara.

"I plan to stay around here for a few months and then attempt something extremely dangerous."

She smiled and readily nodded. "Great. In the meantime, I want to give these soldiers some more forceful ’guidance.’ Since they’ll be joining our Ylisse Alliance in eight years, it’ll be good to whip them into shape right from the start."

Dandara’s words sent a cold sweat trickling down the twins’ backs.

Dandara slowly turned toward the two of them, wearing a smile laden with dark implications.

"And you two as well. Everyone respects you deeply, but you’re still undisciplined and let your emotions run wild without proper authorization. That could cause serious problems in the future. As for their average strength..." She turned to Priam.

He nodded. "You can teach everyone the basics. But be careful not to move too fast and end up traumatizing them."

Hearing this, Dandara chuckled softly. At that moment, even Priam felt a little sorry for what awaited the soldiers.

"Let’s go!"

Dandara stood up from the table and grabbed both girls by the hand at once. They looked at Priam with pleading eyes, begging him for help, but he merely shook his head and silently wished them luck.

When it came to teaching someone how to fight and survive—and considering just how important those two were to Priam—Dandara became worse than any bloodthirsty demon during her training sessions.

Back when the twins had trained under her, Dandara had already pushed them to their physical and mental limits every single day. However, she’d still been going easy on them back then, since they were far too young and immature. Now that they’d matured, they would be treated like actual adults.

’If she’s already like this now, imagine what she’ll be like when she has a child... Wait? Why the hell am I thinking about that?’

Priam abruptly cut off his own thoughts, feeling a slight jolt of surprise.

He got up from the table and walked through the mountain’s interior, looking for an empty room. After finding a quiet chamber, he went inside, locked the door, and calmly sat down on the bed.

He took a deep breath and focused his attention on the system.

[Total: 490,000 Germination Points]

His points had increased again as soon as the three thousand new Sages had mastered their first celestial bodies. However, despite there being three thousand of them, they had earned Priam significantly fewer points than his soldiers had in the past.

Simply mass-producing Sages to conquer small comets in the secret world wasn’t the true path of evolution. The reduction in the points awarded was the system’s way of indicating that he should focus on greater achievements.

[9 Transcendental Knowledge Options Available:]

[2,000 GP] [Complete Ancestral Art of One of Your Bloodlines]

[30,000 GP] [Combat Mastery] [Level: Transcendental]

[30,000 GP] [Natural Elements] [Level: Transcendental]

[30,000 GP] [Synthesis] [Level: Transcendental]

[5,000 GP] [Holy] [Level: Divine]

[5,000 GP] [Arcanist] [Level: Divine]

[5,000 GP] [Physical] [Level: Divine]

[5,000 GP] [Fighter] [Level: Divine]

[5,000 GP] [Catalyst] [Level: Divine]

Priam was extremely satisfied, since the divine knowledge options for the classes had appeared right after he’d acquired the mid-level ones. Most likely, after advancing through several ranks, he’d already unlocked access to the transcendental tier.

He wasn’t absolutely certain, but he assumed that once he acquired all the Divine-level knowledge, the Transcendental level of these classes would immediately become available.

Without hesitation, Priam purchased all nine knowledge options at once.

[- 117,000 GP]

[Confirm?] [Yes / No]

After confirming, the validation window for the Ancestral Art materialized before him.

Since he had only one bloodline left without its corresponding Ancestral Art, all he had to do was accept the transaction.

’Vekil Race,’

Priam murmured the name of the bloodline he’d absorbed during the Celestial Event. Now that he could freely manipulate the thunder of destruction and life, he needed to hone his abilities with this element to the absolute limit.

After purchasing everything, he focused on the main item.

[-27,000 GP] [EX Training Amplifier]

Now that he had points to spare, he would thoroughly study all the knowledge he’d acquired.

Priam was absolutely convinced that, with this knowledge, he would be able to formulate a solid plan to save the Pristine Wild-Spirits. After discovering which sect had captured them and what they were doing to them, Priam simply couldn’t think about anything else.

With every passing day, another Pristine Wild-Spirit could be dying in agony. He had to act immediately.

How? He genuinely felt that he already possessed everything he needed; he just had to figure out how to use each trump card correctly. His newly acquired knowledge would grant him that mastery.

***

One week passed in the real world.

During those days, Priam used the Training Amplifier six times. For him, those seven days were equivalent to roughly twelve years.

It was a strange and profound feeling to have spent so much time studying nonstop. However, at his current level, time already flowed differently, stretching out in ways it hadn’t before. He never felt excessively tired.

After each mental study session, he always took a break to see Dandara. This happened practically every other day. Still, he couldn’t help missing her after spending the equivalent of more than a year immersed in his studies.

As for her, she didn’t complain at all—quite the opposite. She would spend one day training the soldiers mercilessly and the next by Priam’s side.

In this way, he perfectly assimilated all three Transcendental knowledge options he’d acquired, along with the Ancestral Art of his new bloodline and a portion of the knowledge from all the classes.

[Total: 166,000 Germination Points]

He looked at his point total and nodded in satisfaction. He still had a considerable amount left. Enjoying such abundance was truly reassuring.

Priam had already had more than enough time to become absolutely certain about every step he needed to take next.

He closed his eyes and activated his direct connection to the Secret World.

Now, he possessed the knowledge and ability necessary to accomplish countless things.

One hour later...

Priam opened his eyes, and a tiny point of absolute darkness materialized in the air before him.

It was the entrance rift to his Secret World. Previously, Priam hadn’t been able to manipulate this anchor to make it move and appear before him. Now, he no longer needed to rely on the sect’s inscription to take him to the Celestial Cloud so he could access that space.

He could simply cross over physically on his own, and even bring his army along in the same way to conquer new celestial bodies.

And that wasn’t the only new ability he had gained...

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, physically entering his domain.

Priam floated through that ever-expanding firmament, dominated by two dozen radiant suns that bathed the cosmos in light and warmth.

[Use Genesis Energy?] [Yes / No]

Priam nodded. Within his own Secret World, he had already accumulated a fraction of this energy, even without possessing a planet teeming with abundant life. And now, he had fully understood its properties and how to use it.

With a wave of his hand, Priam directed his Secret World’s entire reserve of Genesis Energy toward one of his planets.

The Genesis Energy manifested as a dense, mystical, grayish mist.

Within seconds, it enveloped the entire globe, penetrating the rocky crust before disappearing into the planet.

Priam exhaled.

[Activate?] [Yes / No]

"Burn it all."

With his confirmation, that desolate planet began to glow from the inside out, blazing with a pulse of life.

Priam watched everything from a safe distance, taking in every tiny detail of the miracle unfolding before him.

Within minutes, a thin, vibrant aura teeming with life began to emerge and flow across the rocky surface. The cracked ground trembled as an aura of nature sprang forth, reorganizing the very fabric of matter.

Within a few hours, the gases released by the planet condensed into a delicate atmosphere. A gentle morning mist enveloped the valleys as the first traces of emerald green emerged from the previously barren soil.

Within two days, embryonic plants and ancestral mosses burst from the rock in an indescribable profusion. The atmosphere grew dense, pure, and rich in oxygen and vital essence.

After another seven days, the transformation reached its peak. Lush shrubs more than a meter tall already covered vast regions, while great rivers of crystal-clear water cut across the newly formed continents, winding through the valleys.

Priam smiled, deeply satisfied. The rate of progress within his Secret World was absurdly monumental. Thanks to the Genesis Energy, he had finally shaped his first truly habitable and self-sustaining planet.

Too bad he’d burned through everything he had to do it.

’I’ve already got a safe house to shelter them. Now, it’s time to go out and cut some heads off.’