As Ajitha reached the door of the palace, the elven guards opened it for him. He and Aricen entered, stepping into a throne room that was nothing short of a masterpiece, showcasing the finest elven artistry. Intricate carvings adorned the walls, depicting ancient tales of heroism and harmony, while the ceiling was a mosaic of shimmering crystals that reflected the light in a spectrum of colors.
Ajitha walked toward the throne, his eyes taking in the splendor of the room. When he reached the front, he was about to bow when he saw the elven queen. He was momentarily dazed by her beauty and majesty but suddenly went into a dilemma as he thought he had seen her before. He couldn't be sure, as when he first saw Althaea, she had her face and features covered, and even identifying her by his spiritual sense was impossible due to her immense power.
But Althaea had identified him as soon as Ajitha entered the room. She inwardly thought, "He really is the one I saw that day." Althaea saw Ajitha looking at her, lost in thought, and noted that he was quite bold to look at her like that in a room full of elders and commanders. A grin appeared on her face.
Aricen, now behind Ajitha, was bowing but noticed that the queen hadn't ordered him to rise. He sensed something was wrong. He slightly raised his head to see what was happening but was shocked to see Ajitha still standing there in a daze. He cleared his throat to signal Ajitha to come out of his reverie.
An elder in the throne room couldn't hold back and berated Ajitha, "How dare you look at Her Majesty so brazenly! Not only are you not bowing, but you stand there like an idiot."
Ajitha snapped out of his daze at the elder's shout. He knelt down, about to apologize, but Althaea cut him off, saying, "Don't worry, Elder Thalorin. It's not what you think. I met him a few days ago while returning and gave him a few pointers. Since I was disguised, he is trying to associate me with the person he saw before."
Hearing that, not only was Ajitha shocked, but everyone in the room looked astonished. Ajitha inwardly thought, "It's really her." Althaea then ordered both of them to rise.
Aricen, full of fear, went near Ajitha and whispered in his ear, "You are quite lucky. Her Majesty has a kind personality. If it was any other Overlord, they would have just wiped out the person."
Ajitha stared blankly at him and said, "She really is an Omniscient Overlord?"
Aricen, looking at him, replied, "What else could she be? To be a govenner of a high level galaxy one has to be an Overlord. Not only her majesty is the governor of this galaxy, but she also looks out for the neighboring galaxies."
Ajitha absorbed this information, a mix of awe and respect filling his mind. He looked at Althaea, who stood gracefully on her throne, her presence radiating power and wisdom. This was no ordinary meeting; it was an encounter with one of the most formidable beings in existence.
Althaea, her regal presence commanding the room, looked intently at Ajitha and Aricen. "Lord Ajitha, before we take you to Yggdrasil, I would like to have a conversation with you to test you," she declared, her voice carrying an air of both authority and grace.
Ajitha, understanding the gravity of the situation, bowed deeply. "Overlord, you can just call me Ajitha. I am ready for your test," he responded, his voice steady and resolute.
Althaea surveyed the assembly, her gaze sharp and discerning. "I would request all the elders to go attend to your business, as you all must be busy. And everyone else, you may go about your duties. There is no need for your presence here," she announced.
One by one, the elders and commanders bowed towards Althaea before disappearing, their forms dissipating like mist in the morning sun. The remaining individuals quietly exited, leaving the hall empty save for Althaea and Ajitha. The silence that followed was profound, the air thick with anticipation.
Seated on her intricately carved throne, Althaea gazed down at Ajitha. "Ajitha, you wish to exchange your life force for a heavenly-tier cultivation technique. Is that correct?" she inquired, her tone probing yet measured.
Ajitha nodded. "Yes, your majesty. As you have seen, I have at most three years left – a star cycle's worth of time. I cannot stop my leaking nebula-core, but by ascending new levels, I can delay its effects. Through hard work, I hope to continue ascending until I find a cure," he explained, his voice tinged with a mix of determination and desperation.
Althaea nodded, her expression contemplative. "It is true that the universe holds many miraculous things, and there are indeed cures for your nebula-core. However, their price is high, even for an Overlord. An Overlord would hesitate to pay such a price merely to heal the nebula-core of a divine lord," she remarked. Her eyes then softened, and she added, "I can help you heal your nebula-core, even though you lied about failing to ascend to Divine Lord."
Ajitha felt a flush of embarrassment at his deception being exposed. He had hoped that by lying about his true cultivation level, he could offer more life force to Yggdrasil than the elves anticipated and, in turn, receive an even better cultivation technique. The elves never questioned the techniques provided by Yggdrasil, out of reverence for the sacred tree they considered their deity. Ajitha had employed a mystic art to conceal his cultivation tier, but now he wondered if Althaea had seen through it because she was an Overlord or because she had observed him revealing his strength while battling the space pirates. He dared not ask.
He moved to kneel in apology, but Althaea raised her hand, stopping him. "Everyone says that cultivation is 99% effort and 1% luck, but sometimes that 1% holds more value than the 99%. I will not condemn you for trying to deceive us. But as I said, I can heal you. However, you must pay a price in return," she stated, her voice both firm and kind.
Ajitha contemplated her offer but then shook his head. "I don't want a cure, but please allow me to have a cultivation technique of Supernal tier," he requested, his resolve unwavering.
Althaea's eyes narrowed slightly. "I can give you a Supernal tier cultivation technique, but in exchange, along with your life force, I also want the mythic beast's blood essence that you possess," she demanded.
Ajitha was taken aback. How did she know about the blood essence he had acquired from the Galactic Commerce Guild's items? A sudden realization dawned on him, and he asked, "Are you the one who destroyed the Galactic Commerce Guild?"
Althaea nodded. "I sensed the presence of a Sacred Imperator on the ship from which you acquired those items. I believed the items belonged to that Imperator and that he would seek you out to reclaim them, potentially harming you. Therefore, I decided to lend you a hand, as you were doing a commendable job of eradicating the space pirates," she explained.
Ajitha now understood why she had destroyed the guild and how she had known about the blood essence of the mythic beast. The realization brought a sense of clarity and a renewed respect for Althaea's foresight and protective measures. He bowed deeply, not out of obligation, but out of genuine gratitude and newfound trust in the Overlord before him.
Ajitha said, "I am thankful for your help, for saving my life. But I also need the blood essences. You can ask for anything else, and I promise I will deliver it to you."
Althaea replied, "It's not for me but for Yggdrasil. The lifeforce provided can definitely extend its lifespan, but to strengthen it, it needs nourishment. The blood essence of mythic beasts is excellent for this purpose. In its place, it may require a large amount of blood." She paused, then added, "You may have thought it was an evil thing, but it's not. Yggdrasil comes from a dimension above this one, something that has surpassed the level of an Omniscient Overlord. The dimension it came from may have the energy to sustain it, but this dimension does not, so we discovered this way to sustain it."
Ajitha said, "I have a way to provide it with a large amount of blood." Althaea was shocked and asked, "Are you going to kill a large number of beasts for that?" Ajitha thought to himself, "I can provide it with the blood of Chronos's worshippers." Then he looked at Althaea and said, "I have a large number of beasts. I can provide Yggdrasil with their blood."
Althaea looked at him, concerned. "You will carry a huge sin energy around you if you do that."
Ajitha calmly replied, "I know."
Althaea then rose from her throne and asked Ajitha to follow her. They left the throne room and flew towards the roots of Yggdrasil. As they soared through the air, Ajitha asked, "From afar, the palace looks like it's covered in gold, but up close, you see it's made from Yggdrasil's wood. Why is that?"
Althaea smiled and explained, "It's precisely because it is crafted from the sacred wood of Yggdrasil. The wood appears golden from afar due to the magical properties imbued within it. When touched by sunlight or moonlight, the natural enchantments cause it to shimmer with a golden hue, giving the palace an ethereal and majestic appearance."
Soon, they reached the base of Elsinore, the majestic palace rooted deeply into the heart of Yggdrasil. Althaea instructed Ajitha to follow her steps closely, warning that he might get lost otherwise. They walked through a labyrinthine maze of roots until they reached a wall formed entirely by Yggdrasil's roots. Althaea, moving with practiced grace, disappeared behind the wall. Ajitha hesitated at first but then decided to trust her and submerged himself into the wall.
As he passed through, he was greeted by a blinding light. When his vision recovered, the most breathtaking sight unfolded before him.
Ajitha sensed he had traveled to another dimension. The sky was filled with stars twinkling all around, and in the center of this dimension stood a tree. It resembled Elsinore, almost like a miniature version of Yggdrasil.
Seeing Ajitha's expression, Althaea explained, "This is the true Yggdrasil, its true form. From here, the ritual is conducted to gain a cultivation technique. Yggdrasil needs to grow stronger to contend against the threat the universe is facing, but even now, its strength is above that of an Overlord."
Ajitha nodded, feeling the aura of Yggdrasil. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This strength... It's unlike anything I've ever felt. Just standing near it feels like I'm carrying a mountain over my head."
Althaea nodded, "You are currently in a separate realm where Yggdrasil dwells. You can only feel this much because it has retracted its aura; otherwise, you would have been obliterated even by coming close to it. The queen of the elves has the power to maneuver Yggdrasil to attack and defend with it, so it can also be considered our secret weapon."
Overwhelmed with this information, Ajitha asked, "Can it stop an attack of the Sovereigns?"
Althaea replied proudly, "Stop? It can even kill a Sovereign."
Ajitha was taken aback, "Didn't you say there was a huge gap between a Sovereign and other Overlords? If this is true, aren't you the strongest Overlord? Why aren't you also titled along with the Sovereigns?"
Althaea shook her head, "You don't know the true horror of the Sovereigns. It's true that with this, I can kill a Sovereign, but Yggdrasil doesn't move from its place. It comes along with the whole Elsinore. And will a Sovereign willingly come near Yggdrasil for it to attack them?" She sighed and continued, "Also, the Sovereigns are a bit different from what you imagine. They control the ten pillars of the universe, the ten supreme daos. They were born from the universe itself when it was created and are considered the Guardians of this universe. When one of them is in danger, they all come to his rescue, and the main horror is that they combine to form a new being whose strength somewhat exceeds Yggdrasil. Because of this, having the strength to kill a Sovereign instantly but practically doing it is impossible."
Ajitha began to comprehend all of this information. He started to sweat profusely, wondering if his plan of time travel would be successful with all these abnormalities in the universe. But then he recalled Althaea saying that her strength was almost equal to the Sovereigns when they were in combined form.
Ajitha asked, "Aren't you then one of the strongest Overlords?"
Althaea nodded and calmly said, "I'm called the 'Celestial Empress.' The ruler of Elsinore and the governor of Aetheria Galaxy, overseeing fifty-six other galaxies."
Ajitha, still in a daze, asked, "Then why is a powerful entity like yourself the ruler of our Milky Way galaxy when you could easily be living in the Andromeda Dominion? I've read in ancient records that it is the strongest galaxy in our local group."
Althaea laughed, "What can I say other than your knowledge is quite outdated? Currently, Aetheria Galaxy, what you call the Milky Way galaxy, is the strongest of them all."
Ajitha was shocked, "How is that possible?"
Althaea explained, "The Andromeda Dominion was the strongest because we elves used to live there, but as we traveled from that galaxy to this and settled here, this galaxy naturally became the strongest."
Ajitha was puzzled, "Why would such a mighty race leave their domain to live in this weak galaxy?"
Althaea gave a shocking reply, "Because of you, the humans."
Near the grand Sovereign Palace, Astrionis the Celestium had completed the monumental task assigned by Lord Ajitha. His work had involved the creation of a temporal stargate, allowing him to traverse time, combine planets, and craft the majestic floating island. The vastness of space now framed the floating island in all its glory.
The island, a colossal three-tiered pyramid, floated serenely against the backdrop of distant stars and nebulae. Its lower tier, the residential area, was a bustling hub of activity. Elegant homes and lush gardens created a vibrant community, their subtle glow reflecting the island's natural light. The automated systems that powered this zone worked seamlessly, ensuring that every home was self-sufficient and comfortable.
The middle tier was a marvel of industry and alchemy. The production forges roared with controlled flames, their heat tempered by precision enchantments. Elixir synthesis chambers sparkled with a myriad of colors as they churned out vital concoctions. The rhythmic hum of these facilities blended with the occasional burst of magic, a testament to the intricate design and functionality Astrionis had achieved.
Ascending to the upper tier, the academy zone rose as a bastion of enlightenment and martial prowess. The Ethereal Wisdom Pavilion soared with delicate spires, its surface glistening with enchantments. The Essence Forge and Alchemy Nexus were alive with scholarly activity, their luminous arrays of magical energy illuminating the surroundings. The Martial Echo Hall reverberated with the sounds of rigorous training, while the Celestial Library stood as a repository of ancient knowledge. A tranquil lake, reflecting the soft light of a distant star, added a serene touch to the environment. The grand palace, surrounded by weapon and medicine storage facilities and an administrative hall, commanded respect and awe.
Astrionis stood at the edge of the island, his gaze sweeping across the expanse of his creation. The mana gathering array, a network of radiant lines and nodes, bathed the island in a warm, golden light. Mana concentration surged as one approached the central palace, enhancing the island's power and the inhabitants' cultivation.
His face softened with a mix of relief and pride. "It's finally complete," he murmured, his voice echoing softly in the stillness of space. "Lord Ajitha's vision has come to life."
As the twilight sky reflected in the serene lake, Astrionis felt the weight of his labor lift. "All the effort was worth it," he continued to himself, his exhaustion palpable but overshadowed by satisfaction. "I just hope this island serves its purpose and meets Lord Ajitha's expectations."
With one last, appreciative glance at the floating marvel, Astrionis took a deep breath, savoring the tranquil beauty of his creation. "This is only the beginning," he thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "But it's a good start."