Truthful Transmigration

Chapter 543 543

Though the general state of the war had calmed, it was still difficult to find a time for large groups to meet. John could have gone forward with his plans alone, but it really wouldn't be effective unless he had everyone on board. That included the continental alliance, the Empire of Elements, as well as the Molten Sea and the western islands.

The continental alliance was most in tune with John's desires, and didn't have much ground for objections anyway. After all, his plans were quite similar to the continental unification. If people were capable of not fighting and choosing to avoid trouble… they could be accepted into the fold. Of course, John didn't believe that the various parts of the Sovereign Primacy would easily capitulate to another's control so quickly- at least not seriously. Some would likely be wise enough to openly assent, but if they were still smoldering beneath the surface the flames of war could erupt again before they noticed any benefits.

The individuals missing from the various meetings he had throughout the continental alliance were a harsh reminder to John of the consequences of war. People wanted revenge- even John wasn't satisfied with merely the Triptych- but he also didn't want to spend the rest of his hopefully very long life at war. Nor was it a palatable idea to simply eradicate every possible source of trouble.

Many people desired reparations. John imagined the financial state of the Sovereign Primacy wasn't actually that great, but if things could be settled without more death, that would be for the best. But of course, that included not building up unnecessary enmity from too high of a price. It would take far more than John's own intellect to achieve a tolerable balance.

John sent envoys to the western islands. It was a long trip for him to make in person, especially since he was also needed in the opposite direction. They needed more permanent envoys, strong enough to be respected but somehow numerous enough to go throughout the world. Perhaps they could have some sort of elemental exchange program… it wouldn't be good to stagnate the growth of anyone sent in either direction.

But before they could get to that, they had to stop killing each other first.

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Meeting with Aldara in the center of the Molten Sea without anyone trying to kill each other was a huge improvement from just a few decades prior. Whatever grudges the Molten Sea retained against the Empress, fighting together against the Sovereign Primacy had significantly made up for it. And they had lived next to each other long enough that she no longer seemed to be an existential threat.

John wouldn't have called it friendly, but cordial was good enough. Besides, he would be dealing with far more hostile situations in the near future. He was going to need to bring more forces with him, but not too many people. A delicate balance where he was strong enough not to be challenged but not so much he looked like he wanted to eradicate… most of the world.

But that was a future issue. For the moment, he mainly had to convince Aldara and the others.

The Molten Sea didn't really have anywhere that was cool, but they met in an internal room that was enchanted to minimize the heat. Various refreshments awaited them. Ironically, the ones that were most expensive were common fruits from either continent, and their quality was marginal. Still, John would prefer that over half of the local Molten Sea fruits which threatened to scald his mouth. He was certain if he grew up eating them he wouldn't have a problem, but John didn't like having to defend himself against his food, regardless of how capable he was of doing do. It also dulled the taste, which was the whole point of eating various sorts of lava dwelling fruits.

Tihomir Kelemen, Tajana of the Searing Sarcophagus, and many other leaders from the Molten Sea were present. Aldara carried herself with a presence that was confident but not overbearing. John hoped he came off the same way- though their neighbors would doubtless respect their strength with what they had witnessed. Still, it was best to maintain a good impression.

"In summary…" John said. "I want the least people to die in the long term. Even if we were capable of wiping out two-thirds of the world or so, it would come at a great cost. But I also understand we can't leave true threats behind. Thus, I suggest a policy of… reasonable tolerance. Most likely, some will force us to demonstrate our power. Limiting ourselves to killing those directly involved would be best."

John waited for others to speak, but with Aldara present most were too timid to be the next one. It was only a short few moments, but Aldara gave her own opinion. "If they truly surrender to our might, I will have no issue. But if they bear any falsity, I will annihilate them."

John didn't really expect much else as a response. It was pretty similar to his own position, really. "The most important thing we must do is try to align our definitions," John noted. "It is unlikely to be perfect, but we want the remains of the Sovereign Primacy to have some level of certainty if they see us approach."

Tihomir Kelemen nodded slowly. "I suspect there will be significant differences in the boldness of various groups. Especially depending on who they see. Less respect will be shown to those of us at a seemingly achievable phase."

Ultimately, that meant bringing a stronger force. The same would be true of any continental groups that didn't include John or Aldara, which would be necessary. It would take forever for them to visit every location of note across the planet. Or even just most of a planet. The maps they had gotten from the Sovereign Primacy weren't of the greatest quality. They certainly might have missed some regions. It was possible that the Triptych had higher quality maps, but their gear had mostly been annihilated.

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Splitting up the whole planet was a massive task, no matter how fast they traveled or how many people were involved. But the best they could do was start with the closest areas, minimizing the most imminent threats.

After some time, people agreed to a similar understanding. Posturing or verbal threats wouldn't be considered aggression, but any sort of attack would regardless of severity. Those involved would die. In the cases of John and Aldara in particular, anyone unwise enough to attack them wouldn't have survived long anyway. And if they happened to develop any further Exalted Soul Phase cultivators in the next decade or so, they would likely be involved in the same manner.

John hoped it wouldn't actually take that long, but even the most optimistic math wasn't particularly pleasing. Hopefully their rather generous terms would be properly considered so that there wasn't too much more battle.

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Northwest of John's continent was where traces of the Sovereign Primacy had first appeared. Perhaps they should have launched an aggressive counterattack after the Muted Crags had been invaded, but the continent hadn't precisely been unified at the time. And the full extent of their foe's ability was unclear at the time.

Now it was clear that the area had been part of the Sovereign Primacy's early expansion. The Triptych hadn't been Exalted Soul Phase cultivators at the time, but they were still ambitious individuals of high cultivation.

The last time John had been in the area, he and Aldara had stolen some islands. Wiped out a couple others and their sects, too. They would remember… and they should be better apprised of the balance of power. The Triptych was dead, and it was unlikely that almost anywhere didn't know that for a fact- unless some local region was intentionally suppressing the information.

The first few places they came across had already capitulated to other forces. They were quite nervous for John to be passing through, but they were too afraid to take any sort of action. Ultimately, John wanted them to learn that they didn't need to fight. He wasn't going to go through and sweep up all their elemental resources for himself, nor did he plan to tear down their cities, sects, or clans. Not more than necessary, at least.

John traveled openly, meeting with various leaders and confirming their understanding of the situation. It wasn't entirely necessary, because he trusted those who had come before, but simply passing through wouldn't help reinforce the current state of things.

It was perhaps surprising to some that they weren't being wiped out or robbed of all their resources… but that was how they angled towards a different sort of future. Of course, being too generous might backfire. That was why there was a tribute system being established. Costs wouldn't come all at once, but they also wouldn't be perpetual. It was important that people see an end to things. A few decades, to cultivators, was tolerable.

Some might not believe that anyone with the upper hand would actually give up on enforcing tributes once the time came to an end, but the hope would still be there. It was all part of the balance. Fortunately, John had Viriato to support him. It wasn't quite correct to call anything they were doing a 'trade', but people's continued existence for wealth was at least a negotiation. Viriato would keep John from being too generous. He was excellent at assessing the wealth of an area through various means.

John had picked up a few things, but he still mostly judged by the quality of the strongest cultivators and his sense of the spiritual energy in the region. That provided an incomplete picture, but still a useful one.

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It took several weeks at a leisurely pace to finally reach 'new' territory. John displayed his forces in full. There was himself, of course. Alone, he might be sufficient. If anyone had actually seen Exalted Soul Phase cultivators in a serious fight, they wouldn't even think to make a move. But not everyone would act wisely if they thought he might be weak, so John of course had around a dozen Ascending Soul Phase culitvators from around the continent.

Their numbers included Presha of Silver Breeze Gorge along with both Renato and Deirdre. The club had grown pretty thin on numbers… but that was precisely why they had to continue to spend time together. Besides, there shouldn't be much risk and if there was John wanted some of his most trusted people right next to him.

He was a bit nervous about the fact that his children were generally part of their own groups, but they hadn't been kids in over half a century. Most likely, he and Aldara were the only ones who could reliably defeat any of them. Tirto had Verusha, so he would never be alone, and Melanthina had Nik. Ursel was probably inferior to one of the pairs, but she wouldn't actually be on her own if it came to a fight. Nor was she leading a group. She was far better in the role of stoic bodyguard than negotiator. At least, if people were willing to actually talk and didn't just need to have some sense knocked into their heads.

John thought that at some point he would have seen everything. Perhaps that was true, but a century of life on Earth wouldn't be sufficient for that. It would take far longer for a world such as this with so many unique regions.

At first, John had thought it was sunset. It seemed early, though, and then he realized that the colors on the horizon were coming from the clouds instead of merely reflecting off of them.

John looked over to Renato. "I don't know why I thought that the name of the Flaming Sky was some sort of metaphor."

Renato shrugged. "Oftentimes, it can be. Yet some are simply literal."

Clouds of fire flickered in the skies. Focusing spiritual energy on his eyes, John got a closer look. Just like with typical clouds, there were various different sorts of flaming clouds in the sky. Some were tall pillars that seemed to come from a massive bonfire or the like. Yet other clouds were formed of many small beads of flame, quite similar to the droplets that made up watery clouds.

Flames were flattened by the wind, but instead of bending back to their former positions they lingered like long wisps of cloud.

When the actual sunset came, the reds and oranges were brilliant. Then the clouds themselves lit up the night sky, bathing the islands below in light that was brighter than the night of a full moon.

Their fleet stopped for the night a comfortable distance away from their intended destination. Arriving in the middle of the night wasn't a great way to indicate they came in peace. Or at least with the potential for peace. Hopefully, the locals would recognize that.