"Oh! Calm down, Little knight. Me neither. I come in peace. You know, I don't want to end up like that headless guy over there. Hmm... I know it's true that we support the demons, but we don't have a direct conflict, right?"
"Excuses. Your people also participate in the war and help the demons with resources and magical technology. Many have died both directly and indirectly because of you."
"Well! What choice do we have? We're only connected to the demons. You know, it was either that or start a war. We're very pacifist, you know?"
"You are lying. I've seen it myself and it didn't look like they were obligated."
"Hmm... I'll be honest: I don't know much about that, since I haven't seen it myself. But my Mother said that, at most, it's isolated groups or mercenaries who participate in the wars. You know, there are always those kinds of people. Well... now that the new era has begun, things will change a little."
"..."
Valeriane fell silent. What she said made sense. Originally, she had hostile intentions toward her, since—as was a known fact—her species... no, her world, supported the demons, her sworn enemies.
But the words of the mermaid made her reflect, it was true that her words made sense and really things should not always stay the same.
"Yes, maybe now we can be good allies, right? You know, my family is an important entity... do you want to ruin that possibility? And between us, I personally don't like demons."
"...Fine. Just don't do anything funny. Your species is problematic."
In the end, Valeriane decided to take a step back. It was true that this was now a possibility, and she really didn't want to start an unnecessary conflict. Still, she would keep her eye on her; she was not yet someone to be trusted.
"Yes, hahaha... Well, now let me examine that male human. You know, I've never seen a real one. Only silly drawings. I want to feel it properly and test if everything is really hard. I also heard that there's a part that's soft and then hard. I want to see how it works..."
She quickly changed the tense atmosphere and threw it aside as if it had never existed, focusing her attention on Cassian.
She looked at him with a predatory expression that filled him with dread. He could already feel her tongue on him.
He was having a strong feeling of déjà vu. That woman was too much like Nora. Cassian was beginning to seriously question whether she was an even more perverted parallel version, and he cursed his luck for having found her.
Really, one person like Nora was more than enough for him.
"No! Stop it, he doesn't want to!"
But curiously, Ellys, who seemed shy, stood up bravely and spread her arms and her single wing in a protective gesture.
"Yes! That's right, I don't want to."
Honestly, it would have been the first time anyone had defended him, if it weren't for Valeriane, who had already defended him before... from the person who was now defending him.
hmm when I get the chance, I run to her.
But since Ellys' combat power seemed to be zero, he was seriously considering asking Valeriane for protection again. Cassian felt sorry for Ellys, but his integrity was at stake.
"Oh, come on... just a little. You know? All the boys in my world have soft, smooth bodies. Only my father, because of his skill, has a hard body... because of him, I have expectations that my world cannot satisfy. Ahem, I mean..."
"[Oh, everyone's here already!?... Are they already killing each other?... Hm, three down. That'll be problematic... well, it's my fault for not thinking about the conflicts that could arise... Oh, what's this! How bright!]"
Just then, interrupting them, a loud voice caught everyone's attention. From the center of the room's ceiling, just below the large glass that was the main source of light in the place, what looked like a three-sided holographic screen was projected, showing a person.
They were truly beautiful, but difficult to identify as male or female due to their androgyny; they could have been either, and their voice was also neutral.
Like the three brothers, they looked like an orange-haired demon... but suddenly, with the same appearance, they no longer looked like a demon, but rather an angel.
Then, they appeared with pink hair, and then—in the same instant—they looked like a platinum-haired elf.
Cassian was intrigued. This being changed race, but their face and features remained the same.
He didn't understand when the change occurred. It wasn't that he blinked and missed it; it was simply that by the time he noticed, they were already another race.
It was a strange person who came in saying nonsense. Anyway, Cassian thought he would think of him as a man in case it was a trap.
[Ahem, okay! Let's get to the point that time is money, I guess no one understands what's going on, right. Starting with me: my name is Plouthys, the god of Prosperity and Generosity. and as the generous god that I am, I'll explain it from the beginning! probably you, before coming here, saw the beasts, the cracks, and maybe the trees, right?]
"... "
This caught Cassian's attention. He didn't know what that thing was—which now looked like someone shorter and stockier—but he would be grateful if he finally got clear answers to this situation and everything else.
"[Okay. For those who don't know, this is not an invasion or an apocalypse. In fact, it is the beginning of a new era. Your world was fortunate enough to be one of the twelve worlds that Varnorr has linked to itself, thus opening up the opportunity for all of you to climb it and become 'Ascendents'. And that's why I brought you here.]"
Cassian, who was listening attentively to the explanation, understood that the person on the screen in front of them was responsible for bringing him here.
But Cassian was more interested in what this self-proclaimed god had to say. equally there seemed to be no room for questions as he continued as if he didn't care what anyone in the room had to say.
[I have brought you here out of my divine generosity. This is a great opportunity for you and for your worlds. It is not a kidnapping; in fact, you will be returned to the place and time you knew before coming here. Time flows differently in this place...]
"..."
Well, to the point: yes, Varnorr has joined your worlds. It's an opportunity, yes, but if you don't know how to handle it, only eventual destruction awaits you. That's why I'm here: to show you how to avoid that. Starting with this.]
Plouthys gestured, and suddenly, from the floor in the center of the room—just below the screen—ten pedestals appeared, each with a white fruit on top. They were all identical.
[These are the fruits of Varnorr. Varnorr is not just a colossal tree, it is a world and a dimension in itself, of incalculable proportions. Now that your worlds have been linked to it, they will gradually be influenced by its laws.
For worlds with gods, you probably already know this through your prophecies and such. Eating this fruit will break the limits your worlds had, making them stronger. Varnorr only respects the strong, and if you fall behind, you and your world will simply become fertilizer.]
"Let's see... a tree that connects worlds... like Yggdrasil. Yes, if it works like that, then it linked twelve worlds, and those beasts come from there because of that connection."
Cassian began to make sense of the explanation. In a way, he understood. Although even with the explanation, he still didn't have a clear picture of what Varnorr was.
But he imagined it as that giant tree from Norse mythology, or something similar.
Once he thought about it that way, he didn't dwell on the matter and continued listening to the explanation of this self-proclaimed god....
[when you eat the white fruit you...].
Cassian was also a bit skeptical, but he paid close attention to everything Plouthys said. The latter continued speaking, explaining that even just eating the fruit helped reinforce synchronization with Varnorr.
And that the further one advanced, the stronger one had to be. One had to find more fruits of higher rank, as they were necessary to increase power.
Although it seemed that it wasn't as simple as finding and eating that fruit, he didn't go into details.
He only said that the white fruit was the exception, being the most common, and that anyone with some strength or power could eat it.
Plouthys said that with that information alone, they could guide their worlds down the right path and that anyone, with enough effort, could become strong.
In this new world, regardless of race, level of civilization, or magic, everyone started from the bottom.
Even those who already had magic in their worlds before synchronizing with Varnorr were included.
Everyone was at the lowest level of the Varnorr hierarchy.
Hmm, but that doesn't seem quite right.
Cassain thought that even though Plouthys said they were equal... they obviously weren't. In his world, there wasn't even magic, or gods, or anything like that.
If everyone else was already at the bottom, then his world lay even beneath that — the lowest of the low...