The Oracle Paths

959 What Do You Expect From Us?

Jake, along with the other disciples, found themselves utterly speechless at the nonchalance with which Epsilom delivered his words. He didn't seem intrigued by the knowledge he was gaining, his actions borne merely from a sense of obligation to his master.

Yet, the reality couldn't be ignored. According to Cekt, the Zephyrim was indeed the only disciple who could claim such a title. At least, that was true a year ago. Since then, much had changed, and not solely on Jake's side.

If Cekt failed to recognize this, it would be a disgrace to his status as a Rank 3 Aetherist. Tapping the ground with his cane to regain their attention, the elderly Wendok cleared his throat and declared sternly,

"Now that introductions have been made, let's cut to the chase. I've gathered you here for a reason, and it's not merely to break the ice among you."

His seven disciples and the three outsiders (aka Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar) became grave, their ears pricking at his words.

Satisfied with their seriousness, Cekt didn't keep them in suspense for long, swiftly moving on to the central issue,

"Those among you who are Oracle Knights have likely already heard the news, and so it won't be much of a surprise. But I will repeat it once more for the others." With a brief pause to heighten the suspense, the alien announced ominously,

"The Ancient Designer Lure has been murdered."

Jake, previously uncertain of who among Cekt's disciples were also Oracle Knights, was abruptly enlightened by this shocking revelation. It was obvious from the impassiveness of Epsilom and Drakon that they were already aware.

The others were not particularly devastated, but that was because they were yet unaware of what this implied for them. Regardless, the assassination of an Ancient Designer was grim news enough to crack their indifferent facades. If Oros had been there, he would have commended Jake for picking all the microexpressions betraying the emotional turmoil that rocked them upon hearing the news.

The only one given the benefit of the doubt was Siri. Being an android, the news was processed as a mere data stream, her electric-blue pupils flickering rapidly for a moment. Still, a single glance at her aura allowed Jake to assert with nearly 100% certainty that she was not adequately equipped to attain the rank of Oracle Knight.

Seeing their lack of reaction, Cekt sighed and repeated what Oros had told Jake and his companions just a short while ago - the short and long-term consequences of the death of the Ancient Designer of Energy. When the gremlin mentioned that Lure was of the same race as Epsilom, the latter finally showed a reaction.

He had never encountered another of his kind, and knowing that the oldest and most respected among them, a Zephyrim nearly as old as the Mirror Universe had perished, he couldn't remain indifferent.

In comparison, Jake and the other disciples saw him in a new light upon learning that he was of the same race as Lure. No wonder Cekt was so confident that his potential was the greatest among them. It wasn't just because of the talent he had demonstrated so far.

Once everyone was on the same page, a silence descended upon the laboratory, which Syrbarun quickly broke.

"Forgive me, Master, but why should this concern us?" He asked innocently, wearing his most bovine gaze. "Sure, the Aether Network being compromised is indeed an unprecedented disaster, but what can we do other than accept paying fortunes for what was once free. Being isolated from other planets and Systems is indeed regrettable but it doesn't concern us yet."

This time, Cekt did not bring down his cane on the skull of the Vrusug to correct him. His questions were legitimate, albeit he was a bit slow on the uptake.

"Where do you think the Aether Network comes from?" The small alien launched calmly. "Do you think it built itself? As powerful as Lure and the Oracle may be, they cannot create an Aether Network of this magnitude."

Before his disciple could utter another folly, Cekt stated matter-of-factly, "It is the role of the Aetherists and other competent life forms to take care of its maintenance and expansion. Whatever the energy network, you need a source of energy and conductors to transmit the energy where it is needed. Those who commissioned the assassination of Lure had everything planned and destroyed or stole the most important energy sources of the Aether Network. They then blew up all the main Aether channels connecting the Systems to each other. The Aether Network of our System is intact, but we have lost our main Aether supply source. The Aether Cores and other energy sources that each planet-ship sets up are sufficient to maintain the basic operation of the Oracle System, but anything involving communication or long-distance travel will quickly drain the Aether from the network before it renews. This includes purchasing items in the Oracle Store, accessing the Ordeals via the Red Cube, using the Faction Vault, long-distance communication, and so on... No one knows if the Aether Network can be repaired and how long it will take. In the meantime, each System must prepare for the worst."

Cekt then raised three fingers. "There are only three ways to cope with this prolonged shortage of Aether. The first is Aetheric sobriety. All tax shield aids that each System and Planet provided to its citizens will be reduced to a bare

minimum, if not completely stopped. Xantheo, Our System's Oracle Governor did not delay and has practically closed the Aether taps of our System, choosing to favor AO where he resides. We cant blame him, I would have done the same.

Planet AO is the most important bastion of our System. We cannot afford to see it fall into the hands of the Digestors. In response, the Oracle Overseers of each planet must also take drastic measures to maintain the operability of the Oracle System in their territories."

"The second course of action is to develop our own Aether sources and strengthen our local Aether Network so that at least on the scale of B842 we are not as affected, the ideal being to become totally autonomous. We are far from that. However, thanks to Oros' good management, we are faring much better than most of the other planet-ships in our System."

"Finally, the last lever we have is at the level of each individual. Despite all the efforts and means that the Oracle Overseer and his Guardians will put in place to cope with the

Aether shortage, in the end they will probably not be enough to restore the situation to what it was before. For this, if you do not want to be too heavily affected by this situation, the Evolvers of B842 must in turn find ways to enrich themselves. Not only will the taxes and fees collected support the Aether Network of B842, but you can also continue to enjoy the same services as before."

"Any questions?"

This time, Syrbarunl s reaction was starkly different, his face a mask of palpable distress. Lyra's fluctuating luminescence, the stony grinding in Rigel's jaw, and the flickering of blue light in Siri l s pupils all bore testament to their shared unease.

"H-how much Aether are we talking about?" Lyra blurted out, extracting a miniature Oracle Store from her Space Storage. Her earlier sprite-like levity was nowhere to be seen.

She immediately attempted to purchase one of her favorite beauty products, a pure light ointment crafted from Light Slime excretions. However, the glow radiating from her dimmed abruptly upon discovering the new shipping charges.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Syrbarun rapidly turned ashen, finding that even the most common materials he regularly utilized in his laboratory had become prohibitively expensive.

"Goddamn it, what kind of fucking rip-off is this?" The Vrusug swore under his breath, but this was just the beginning. "5000AP for an adamantium nail, plus 60 trillion AP for shipping. FUCK YOU, ORACLE STORE!"

The mechanical minotaur had finally lost it. His once innocent and guileless demeanor was nothing more than a distant memory now.

Jake and his companions had already had a taste of this bitter pill the previous night, especially Jake who had footed the bill for everyone. They were not as affected, but that was simply because Jake was filthy rich.

Nevertheless, this was still a colossal problem. Jake hadn't tested the extent of his teleportation abilities, relying only on his Energy Body and the Aetherdream, but he seriously doubted he could traverse even a thousandth of B842 in a single leap.

He was ignorant of what kind of Aether Cores and other fantastic energy sources had once made all those instant long-distance travel possible at such affordable rates. But what he knew was that their absence wouldn't be easy to replace. No Evolver, no matter how wealthy, could truly function without the Aether Network entirely.

Aware that the crux of the issue rested on the second course of action outlined by Cekt, Jake asked somberly, "What do you expect from us, Master?"