Jamie sent Evan to Aidos through a Cosmic Gate, then handed him a one-ti use teleport crystal that would bring him back to Aramis instantly once it was broken.
Upon arrival, Evan made his way straight to the location that would one day beco the Aelum Kingdom’s capital. Overlaying his RHS map on the terrain, he moved a short distance from the marked area before landing at what he deed the ideal spot.
From his Inventory, he brought out a table and two chairs, arranging them across from each other before taking a seat. Then, he pulled out several sheets of paper and began running a series of calculations.
Not ’calculations’ in the sense of sches or strategies, but literal mathematics.
"...square the speed of light, then multiply by Earth V’s mass.
So 5.972 × 10^24 × 8.988 × 10^16 = 5.373 × 10^41 joules."
Once he got that figure, he reached for a blank sheet and used the RHS calculator to multiply the result by 60.
"That’s about 3.222×10^43 joules of energy."
[What are you doing? And what is that thing?]
A sudden voice questioned him, but Evan didn’t bother looking up from his work, already knowing exactly ’who’ the speaker was.
"I’m calculating the amount of energy inside that thing."
Naturally, that thing was the EXP Cache resting on the floor a few feet from where he sat, sealed inside a reinforced magi-steel box.
Jamie had tweaked it and then enclosed it to keep its energy from leaking away over ti, a necessary step since it would remain dormant for over ten millennia.
Lifting his eyes, Evan t the iridescent eyes of the Incarnation of Pri World Aidos and gestured toward the chair across from him.
"Take a seat. We have a fair bit to talk about. I’d explain what that thing is, too."
He returned his gaze to the papers in front of him, continuing his calculations as he estimated how much energy each intended recipient would need.
’Starting with ’The Five’. Aside from Rathal, they’ve been Transcendents for centuries and have likely comprehended several universal laws to the extent of gaining Pseudo-Authorities and qualifying for the Half-Deity Level.’
He paused montarily at that thought before shaking his head.
’No, not ’likely’—definitely. The only thing holding them back is the EXP, the energy required to reach that Existence Level.’
Evan intended to allocate a portion of the EXP within the cache to them, ensuring they could close that remaining gap and, in turn, strengthen future Aidos’ combat strength against Gozon.
’Next would be the rest of the Seven Heroes. Once I return, I’ll head straight for Tarse’s Palace to get the Hero there.’
At present, Evan knew that at least two of the Seven Heroes, David and Laurene, were on his side.
He had no clue about the states of the others or whether they’d been taken over by the Previous Seven, and only by eting them would he know for sure.
If they were on his side, he’d include them among those who’d benefit from the EXP Cache.
If they weren’t...
’Then they don’t need to exist.’
Evan frowned at his own extre thought, sighing as he changed his Plan A.
’Let’s not go that far first. I’ll start with a slave contract after beating the shit out of them. Guess I’ll have to go after that Pirate Queen’s skill.’
His thought of sothing no less terrifying than killing them outright, recalling the ability of one of the future Aidos’ Sovereign Level existences, which would be perfect for the job.
’The power of ’Domination’.’
All these thoughts passed through his mind within a second due to the Ti Difference, and as ’Aidos’ silently sat down, Evan kept writing and speaking.
"First off, can you tell your current Heroes to stay away from this continent? I do not desire to have my eyes fried by causality."
[...]
’Aidos’ didn’t reply to Evan’s words, only watching him silently as he made a small list on the paper in front of him, writing down several nas and locations unfamiliar to ’her’.
This silence remained for a minute, with Evan continuing to write unbothered until ’she’ finally broke it with a word.
[Done.]
"Good to hear. Now then, let’s begin," Evan said, flipping the sheet of paper over before asking. "Have you considered my proposal?"
He was talking about his plan for ’her’ to plant a World Tree in the spot they were sitting in exactly 9,980 years, 20 years before Evan would end up being yeeted back in ti.
The World Tree in question was naturally Triffid, the one he’d struck a deal with on Apex World Taemia in the Infernal Dinsion.
[I have,] ’Aidos’ replied.
"And what’s your answer?"
Evan finally lifted his eyes from the papers, placing the pen down and leaning back as he t ’her’ gaze.
[Exactly how am I supposed to know beyond any doubt that placing another World Tree on my surface is truly part of your Duties as a Hero protecting from a threat, like you claid?]
’Her’ concern was understandable, and Evan had already seen it coming, so he wasn’t bothered in the slightest. He pulled out a blank magic contract from his Inventory, placed it on the table, and slid it across before asking.
"Between this and a Binding Oath like a ’Pledge of Mana’, which do you trust more?"
He was indirectly saying that he was willing to place a restriction on himself to speak only the truth, and upon seeing that, ’Aidos’ pushed the paper back toward him and replied.
[The latter.
Pledge to speak only the truth, and neither withhold any information nor make any concealed attempts at misleading .]
Evan shook his head at ’her’ words, picked up the contract, and tossed it back into his Inventory.
"I can agree to the first part, but the other two aren’t happening. I’m not dumb enough to tell anyone all my plans, not even you, ’Aidos’."
Controlling his expression to prevent his distrust from showing, Evan folded his arms and went on.
"I’m telling you straight up now, I WILL hold back information about my intentions from you, ’Aidos’, but nothing that would go against my duty of saving you from threats.
After all, while I might have only beco one of your Heroes because of the benefit waiting for , I’ve co to love certain people who live on your surface, and I want them to live in a world free from the dangers that made my investiture as a Hero necessary."
After saying that, Evan rubbed his chin before continuing, "As for misleading you...well, let’s just say I wouldn’t do that on purpose. If you end up misunderstanding sothing on your own, that’s on you."
He shrugged slightly at the last part, looking unconcerned.
"So, what do you think? Technically, I’m already agreeing to two out of your three terms."
’Aidos’ didn’t respond imdiately, silently going over nurous outcos in thought. Once ’she’ reached a decision, ’she’ extended ’her’ hand toward him, cosmic energy and universal laws flowing into it.
Evan couldn’t sense the cosmic energy, but the binding power of the universal laws was clear as day, so he reached out and took ’her’ hand, prompting a notification to appear before him.
|Pri World ’Aidos’ has proposed a ’Pact of Truth (Negotiable)’.|
|Once the Pact of Truth has been accepted, neither the initiator nor the acceptor can lie to one another or intentionally speak in a way ant to mislead the other until the Pact is terminated.|
|Will you accept the Pact of Truth?|
’Yes’.
The mont Evan expressed his agreent, the cosmic and universal law energies flowing through ’her’ arm extended into his, forming visible chains that bound their hands together.
|’Pact of Truth (Negotiable)’ has been initiated.]
A faint clinking sound followed as Evan lifted his arm, watching the chain burrow into his skin as its energies threaded upward, winding around his human heart.
He calmly raised his gaze to et ’Aidos’, who was looking back at him, and spoke.
"Now that we’re on the sa page, let’s begin."
Evan gestured toward the EXP Cache, briefly explaining how it ca to be and ntioning that he couldn’t take it back with him to the future.
[I see. So you intend for to safekeep it for you until that ti?]
’Aidos’ imdiately caught on to his intent, and Evan nodded in confirmation. But before ’she’ could continue, he spoke.
"Next, I want you to plant the World Tree seed I’ll hand over once you agree, right here in 9,980 years.
A future threat necessitates its presence, as that threat, whose initial target will be this location, will require a System Image of the Reality on your surface to be recorded, creating a window for reversible annihilation during which I’ll need to eliminate it. That’s all I can tell you."
’Aidos’ frowned at his explanation, silently wondering how he even knew such planetary secrets, but ’she’ dismissed the thought and focused on one part of his statent.
[This place is the ’Initial Target’, you say? How many other targets exist? And what is the final target?]
"There’s only one target. The Initial Target is the nation that’ll be founded here. The so-called ’final target’ is simply an expansion of the threat’s scale from that country to the entire continent, along with the death of every living being on its surface via the Law of Extinction’s power."
Evan spoke of the true extent of the casualties that would follow should the ’Wolf of the END’ succeed, and naturally, ’Aidos’ wasn’t pleased to hear such news.
[I see. So that’s what you need the ’window for reversible annihilation’ for. And the fact that the Law of Extinction is involved certainly narrows down the list of possible culprits.]
Understanding the crux of Evan’s plan, ’she’ proceeded to react just like Triffid, the cornerstone of it, had before, though in a far more refined manner.
[May I question the level of your sanity for even conceiving such an idea?]
"Very high. It’s simply the only way to ensure zero casualties," Evan answered calmly.
[And that’s precisely why I question your sanity. Given your level of power, expecting zero casualties against a continent-level threat is unrealistic.]
"A certain individual once told that all of existence is absurd. I’m just contributing another absurdity to it."
Evan stayed composed despite ’her’ doubts, and when it beca clear he wasn’t backing down, ’Aidos’ finally asked.
[And what is your plan should I refuse to agree?]
"I reserve my right to remain silent," Evan replied imdiately, then, lifting an eyebrow, he continued.
"But would you really turn down a plan that can save billions of your inhabitants, stop the main threat from gathering enough power to summon invaders from another world, and also give the grounds to raise your combat strength since one of the instigators would, ’on record’, have caused zero casualties, leaving nothing to use against my decision to include them as part of your defence against external forces?"
[You plan to turn one of the enemies into an ally?]
"You can say that."
Evan responded with a casual shrug, and after a brief pause, ’Aidos’ finally spoke.
[I agree. Where is the seed?
Reaching into his subspace, Evan pulled out Triffid’s seed, though he didn’t hand it over just yet.
"Let’s restate the terms of our deal and add one more clause."
’Aidos’ frowned the mont he spoke, but Evan ignored it and continued.
"You’ll plant this World Tree seed right here in exactly 9,980 years to help resolve a threat about 25 years after that. You’ll also hold onto this EXP Cache for until I co for it in the future.
That much is okay, right?"
[Yes. I agree to that much. What else do you want to add?]
’Aidos’ kept a wary gaze on him, though Evan acted as if he didn’t notice the suspicion in ’her’ eyes.
"I want you to forget about this agreent until exactly 9,980 years from now, when it’s ti for you to plant the World Tree."
[Eh?]
"I’m not done. After planting the World Tree, you’ll once again forget everything about both the World Tree and this deal until we et for the ’first ti’ in 9,998 years."
[Why?] ’Aidos’ imdiately asked, eyes narrowing, and Evan calmly replied.
"Because I don’t want you using the World Tree seed or the EXP Cache for anything that may or may not happen during the thousands of years that’ll pass between now and when I get back in ti."
Aidos was destined to suffer imnse damage during the Great Valmone War, its Council of Kings would fall apart due to racial divisions, and the already declining planet would once again be thrown into a new dark age by a battle between a god king and so random planet-conquering overlord.
All were events that ’Aidos’ would do everything in ’her’ power to lessen the impact of, and there was always the chance that ’she’ might choose to ignore the consequences of breaking her agreent with Evan if it ant using the items he was entrusting to her to mitigate damage.
That was why he wanted ’her’ to forget both their deal and the items involved.
"Scratch that. Forget my existence entirely and only rember when we finally et again."
’Aidos’ frowned deeply, clearly uncomfortable with clauses that would interfere with ’her’ mory—Planetary Records— and erase all recollection of Evan’s existence.
By making Aidos forget him, Evan was effectively concealing his assets even from the future self of his own ally, ensuring his elaborate plan would proceed perfectly after ten millennia.
Extending his right hand, within which the chains of their Pact of Truth were deeply embedded, Evan spoke.
"So then, my dear ’World’. Forget , would you?"
’Aidos’ said nothing. Silence stretched between them for over a minute.
But in the end, ’she’ reached out and took his hand.
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