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After making a decision, Olivier felt relieved; she was truly looking forward to her new life in another world. She imagined that many unknown adventures and new wonders were waiting for her to experience.
Of course, she has to finish things in this world first.
"There is something that I've been wondering for some time now after seeing your small fleet," said Olivier.
"If you want to know something, just ask. I'm a person who rarely lies--unless it truly benefits me."
Olivier did not believe his words, nevertheless, she still asked: "Why didn't you conquer this world? With your power, it should be quite easy."
"What kind of person do you take me for?" replied Edward with an exaggerated look on his face. However, after seeing that Olivier was not buying his act, he smiled before replying:
"There are three main reasons: first, this world does not have anything of value that's worth so much trouble. Alchemy could be argued for, but since I already got all the knowledge I need regarding it, when I return home, with a population of 50 billion people, the Empire can bring the field of Alchemy to heights that people in this world could never fathom.
"Secondly, the Empire is not ready to start conquering other worlds. Maybe in the future, but for now, it is not part of the agenda."
"You seem very cautious," said Olivier. "That's a good thing. However, I guess that the last reason is not the main one."
"Correct."
"So, what is it?"
"Well, your world is protected."
"Protected? By whom?" Olivier could not imagine someone that could protect this world from these terrible weapons of mass destruction.
"God? Or maybe, the universe," replied Edward.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. There is a powerful individual or God in this world that could probably wipe me and my entire fleet out in just a blink of an eye."
As he said that, Edward sighed. Of all the worlds he could go to, he ended up in this one where there happens to be an entity powerful beyond his understanding, making him a little helpless.
Of course, although he is currently safe, he did not stop preparing for the worse. In case of a confrontation with Truth, he has prepared a few methods that could buy him enough time to escape.
The first one is to detonate all five Void Cores that his queen gave him before he left.
The second one also involves void energy. He developed a spell to open a hole in this world's Source Wall and allow massive amounts of Void Energy to enter this world. And with how destructive this kind of energy is, it should be enough to play a role.
According to studies done in the Empire, void energy--just like Obscurus--can also destroy the power of [Authority] or the fundamental rules/concepts that exist in a universe. Unfortunately, Void Energy is very difficult to control, so using them as weapons is currently labeled as forbidden by Edward.
In one of their experiments, he and Rowena almost destroyed planet Earth while studying it. Luckily for them, he reacted in time and sent the massive void energy that was out of control outside of the universe, returning it to its place of origin.
The third plan that Edward made to fight Truth involves the people in this world. Based on when Truth told Edward Elric "I am All, and I am one," he theorized that Truth might be the embodiment of the consciousness of all the living beings in this world.
And even if it is not the embodiment, it might be connected.
So, what would happen if all the consciousness of the people of this world rejected or denied his existence? Most likely, he will either cease to exist, or he will be drastically weakened.
Based on this idea, he created a spell to link the consciousness of all the people of this world, then forcibly have them reject and deny the existence or even the idea of Truth.
Of course, the population of this world is still a few hundred million, and with his current measly mana, he can't cast a spell of that level. However, with the help of the Philosopher's Stone that is serving as the energy core of his Gate, and with Morgana's powerful consciousness, he should be able to execute this plan.
Nevertheless, Edward is also aware that these plans might possibly be useless; in fact, all his thoughts might have already been read by the "opponent". Still, he did not stop planning for the worse.
Truth be told, Edward is just being paranoid. Although he did not know it yet, Merlin's sponsor for him also protected his mind and prevented these powerful beings from reading it.
Of course, this protection is only for beings that way too powerful for him. If he met someone that was on his level, everything would be based on his skill and abilities.
…
After hearing Edward's answer, Olivier was somewhat relieved. Although she promised to maybe leave with him, she did not want her world to be conquered. Additionally, although she was not religious and did not believe in any god, she was glad that her world was protected.
At the same time, she was slightly worried that such a powerful existence also existed without anyone knowing about it. However, she quickly placed all these thoughts on the back of her head; these kinds of things were not things that she should concern herself with.
Just like that, a few days passed by. Events proceeded as they were supposed to. The homunculus, Sloth--who was in charge of slowly digging the nation-wide transmutation circle--appeared in Briggs and fought with the soldiers there.
Under Olivier's command, they used some tactic to freeze the creature, thus rendering his regenerative abilities useless. Soon after that, General Raven soon appeared at Briggs bringing with him a doctor that could heal the Alchemist known as Kimblee--who was released from prison under the order of Fuhrer Bradley and tasked to capture the Ishvalan, Scar.
After a meeting with General Raven, Olivier used her charm to get some information from the latter about immortality and the Philosopher's Stone. Immediately after the conversation, she went to see Edward who was lazing around while so many things were happening.
"Did you achieve your immortality by using the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Olivier.
"Yes," replied Edward honestly. "Do you have a problem with using other people's lives to become immortal?"
She frowned and answered: "Yes. As a ruler, if you cannot even protect your people, then you do not deserve such power."
"Well, you do not need to worry about that as the people's lives are not used in making the stone--at least not anymore."
"Then, what do you use?"
"Mostly clones and other species."
Olivier remembered what a clone was from the information that was placed in her mind. She remembered thinking about how such a technology could be used to mass-produce soldiers for war.
"If you have a problem with using the stone, there are many other ways to increase your lifespan," added Edward. "Just genetic engineering can allow you to live for 1000 years. And with more discovery, the amount will surely increase."
"Wait, I thought genetic engineering could only allow people to live up to 200 years?" She remembered how shocked she was when she learned that every person in the Arcane Empire could live for 200 years.
"That's only the information that is released to ordinary people. High-level members of the Empire have access to better technology and methods," replied Edward.
"That seems unfair."
"It is not. If an ordinary citizen makes the necessary contribution, he or she can slowly rise through the ranks until they reach the level of gaining access to such technology.
"However, if they cannot offer anything substantial to society and the development of the Empire, they can live for 200 years without worrying about food, shelter, and diseases."
Olivier sighed after hearing this, but she did not mention the subject anymore.
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Next Chapter Title: Closer to the Truth