Time Game?"
"Yes," nodded Cori. "The Space Elder God is ambitious yet capable. He knew that anyone who successfully broke the laws of the space-time continuum was talented or lucky in some way. So, he devised a method to use their knowledge for his own."
The great elder paused as he swirled the drink on his glass; it was probably wine, but the dark purple color was somewhat eerie.
"He created the Time Game to give these Time Criminals a way to escape imprisonment. Well, that's the official reason.
"To survive the game, any criminal only needs to defeat him by showing him an unknown or unique understanding of Time. You should be able to understand the implications behind such a method?"
Edward nodded; this approach was similar to how he created the Empire to use other individuals to help him gather magical knowledge.
"I have to say, you're unlucky. To be precise, all time criminals in this day and age are unlucky," continued the Great Elder. "In ancient times, it was much easier to survive the Time Game. But now, after billions of years of gathering the knowledge of Time Criminals, nothing can truly impress him anymore."
Edward frowned as he realized the problem's core. The Time Guardian has lived too long and has access to the Multiverse, allowing him to communicate with his variants.
After so long, this man should have mastered all the secrets and knowledge about Time Authority, making it almost impossible to impress. Even knowledge from other planes might be useless to him.
'My first instinct is to use Void Energy and its Space-Time Characteristics. However, there is a high chance that the Time Guardian also had access to Void Energy.'
The reason he concluded such a thing was due to how he first encountered Void Energy–the tear in space-time discovered in Rowena's timeline. After the Magus Race departed this universe, Edward did not doubt some Void Energy entered this world.
As someone who can navigate the Multiverse and has lived for so long, he should have experienced that era and gotten his paws in Void Energy.
'In that case, we need to change strategy,' thought Edward. 'He wants a unique understanding of Time? I can think of a few: the Time Stone in Marvel, Doctor Who's Tardis, the speed force from The Flash, and many others.'
Edward internally sneered, 'The Time Game is a perfect opportunity for me to get close to him. If I play my cards correctly, I can make him pay and use him for an experiment.'
Edward knew that as long as he could create a method to break the Soul Limit, he would reach Tier 10 quickly. His only concern is achieving Tier 11, which seems to be an even more difficult task.
A perfect example of the difficulty is this Space Elder God. Such a brilliant man who has mastered Time Rules to the pinnacle has not achieved Tier 11, showing it's not a simple feat. Let alone Edward, who plans to become the perfect Tier 11.
"So, are you confident?" asked Cori.
"Confident? No. But it's better than when I had no information to go from."
"It's good not to be overconfident. In the worst-case scenario, you can run away to other planes or this layer of the Quantum Realm. Although it will not guarantee safety, you can prolong your life."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Edward.
"He's not a simple man. He has countless powerful clones scattered all over the Astral Realm. So, even if you ran away to another plane, he would track your Soul Imprint and kill you.
"Your best chance without the game is to defeat him in the Quantum Realm, using the rules to your advantage. But even that is not a guaranteed plan."
Edward took a moment to digest the information. If he ran away to another plane, he would have to deal with countless Tier 10 clones of the Time Guardian.
'No, he doesn't have to use such a stupid method. He only needs to reveal my identity, and these top planes will hunt me down,' analyzed Edward. 'As for the Quantum Realm, it would be a battle of attrition and foundation.'
Battle in the first layer involves not strength but a faction's power due to the limitations and rules. For example, if Edward wanted to invade this place, sending people whose power maxed out at Tier 4 was not the best idea. The best way to fight would be to use ships or magical artifacts.
However, the Savant Race has been in this place for who knows how long, so the Empire could not compete with their arsenal of weapons. So, if he wanted to conquer this place, he would have to spend years manufacturing Tier 6 ships and sending them to attack his opponent, hoping to wipe them out slowly.
In other words, the situation would be the same for him if he chose to hide in the Quantum Realm. However, the Space Elder God is probably even more ancient than the Savant Race, so Edward could not fathom the resources available to him.
'In other words, if I don't want to move the entire Empire to another universe, I must win that Time Game,' summarized Edward.
"Thank you for your information."
"My pleasure."
"If you don't mind, I have some doubts," continued Edward.
"Ask away."
"Why do I feel you don't want to mention his name out loud?"
"Quite observant," nodded the great elder. "Some things are taboo, and his name is one of them."
"So, he will know once it is uttered?"
"Yes, especially for time criminals like you."
"Can it be written?"
"Yes," said Cori before writing something in the air: [Cosmus].
Edward took a moment to remember that name.
"Second question: why did you reveal this information so easily? You did not ask anything in return and easily offered this piece of information. Something tells me it's not because I solved your previous puzzle."
"You're correct in your observation," said Cori. "We are showing you kindness because you're also a member of the Akashic Record."
Edward frowned before relaxing. He guessed the Savant tried to research him on the record, but like him, they could not get any information since he was also a member.
"Is this truly the only reason?"
Cori did not immediately answer, sipping from his glass. "Have you heard of the concept of luck and destiny from the Heavenly Dao Plane?"
"I know a little."
Edward lied as he had only learned very little about that plane. However, he guessed the concept was similar to Qi Luck, which he had learned from reading novels in his past life.
"We have done research on this concept, so we can see many things. For example, you are a man blessed with great fortune or luck."
As Cori said this, his eyes could see a golden dragon above Edward's eyes with spots of purple.
"We can tell you're a man destined for great things–especially after seeing Cronai's blessing. Our race suffered tremendously at the hands of the Magus Race, and we do not want the same thing to happen again.
"So, after seeing your destiny, we made the unilateral decision to make friends, even invest in your future. Maybe we can achieve our dreams after associating with you."