Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Following their arrival in the 'Hidden Star Village', Vahn, accompanied by Fenrir and Ryun, found themselves seated within the largest of the stone structures that served as abodes for members of the Asteria Tribe. All of the villagers had already been treated, but, rather than abandon them to their fates, he decided to offer them sanctuary within the Little Garden.

Unsurprisingly, though he had liberated them from their curse, the Asteria Tribe weren't particularly enthusiastic about the idea of abandoning their home. It might not be much to look at, but, for the last ten-thousand-years, it had safeguarded them against extinction. It had become their ancestral home, the place where they buried their dead and raised what few children fate had allowed them...

Understanding the importance of 'home', Vahn didn't waste time trying to convince the Asterian people to abandon their own. Instead, he proposed transplanting the entire village into the Little Garden while explaining the many benefits associated. Even this, however, wasn't enough to sway the rather obstinate Elders. They claimed that it wasn't just the village that was there home, but the entire Floor beyond.

Fortunately, there were a few voices of reason among them, the previous and current Matriarchs being the most vocal. They knew the pain and heartbreak of stillbirths far greater than the males of their tribe. Since Vahn had already explained the benefits of residing in the Little Garden, they were in favor of entrusting several members of the younger generation to his care.

Though most of the Elders were against the idea, Vahn managed to swing things in favor of the Matriarchs by mentioning how time flowed differently within certain regions of the Little Garden. He told them he would stay in the village for a total of three days. During that time, a number of couples would be allowed to reside in the outermost ring of the Little Garden. There, time flowed at a rate of 700:1, so, while a mere three days would pass in the outside, nearly six years would pass from the perspective of those within.

With the Law of Progression heavily influencing everything within, six years was more than enough time to produce several dozen children. If said children were allowed to stay in the outermost ring, they would even grow to maturity in as little as five years. This could be remedied by moving them to a ring with a slower passage of time, but, as an endangered species, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to have the younger generation mature over a shorter period of time.

By the end of the discussion, the Elders agreed to send a total of two men and four women into the Little Garden. This included Gaute, his three wives, a handsome young man named Magnus, and an inordinately beautiful woman named Trine.

Magnus and Trine were easily the youngest members of the entire tribe, but, due to the extremely low rate of birth, the former was 191 while the latter was 116. This wasn't considered particularly old from the perspective of the long-lived tribe, but it really put into perspective how rare it was for even a single child to be born. This was in spite of the fact that more than half of the women in the tribe were pregnant, a clear indicator that there was no lack of effort on the part of the few males present.

With Trine being the youngest in the entire tribe, this meant more than 116 years had passed since the last successful birth. This realization was more than enough to turn Vahn's 'indifference' towards Jahad into full-blown hatred. The man hadn't simply touched Vahn's bottom line, he had stooped to a level so low that it was difficult to even grasp. All Vahn knew for certain was that, for the first time in his life, he couldn't imagine himself giving his enemy a merciful death...

---

With three days passing in the blink of an eye, Vahn proved the veracity of his claims by producing, not the original six, but a total of twenty-three members of the Asteria Tribe. This included quite a number of young men and women, many of which possessed extraordinary features and perfectly sculpted physiques.

Even the 'average' members of the Asteria Tribe were inordinately attractive, so, thanks to the Law of Progress, those born within the Little Garden were even more striking. Several of the males had even inherited a trait that was considered 'extremely' rare among members of their tribe, a dragon-like skull that grew naturally from their foreheads. In the ancient past, this peculiar protrusion had only manifested in their greatest warriors so it was quite jarring to see more than half of the males in possession of the unique racial characteristic.

Wasting no time, Gaute immediately made his way towards his father, one of the Elders of the tribe named Halvard. Then, before the latter could say anything to recover from his shock, a massive grin spread across the face of the former as he wrapped his father in a bearhug and exclaimed, "Father! I have missed you dearly! Come, let me introduce you to your grandchildren!"

With Gaute having grown much stronger during his time in the Little Garden, Halvard could do little more than grunt as the air was expelled from his lungs. Despite this, he still managed a wry smile as he returned his son's embrace, patting the former's back a few times as he groaned, "You did well..."

Laughing in response to his father's words, Gaute released his hold on the man before guiding him over to the growing crowd surrounding the newest members of the Asteria Tribe. It was only at this point that he seemed to realize Vahn was present, his expression becoming somewhat solemn as he bowed his head low and said, "Thank you..." in a sincere and respectful tone.

Smiling in response to the man's words, Vahn returned a curt nod before gesturing to the crowd and saying, "Go. Be with your people. We will have plenty of time to talk later."

Nodding his head in understanding, Gaute guided his father towards the crowd as the remaining Elders gathered around Vahn. This included the two Matriarchs, both displaying radiant smiles that made them appear decades younger. Then, at the behest of the current Matriarch, a woman named Oleanna, each of the Elders took turns offering their apologies.

Though he could have used their previous skepticism as leverage against them, Vahn just accepted the apologies of the Elders with a smile. Some of them had been pretty rude, but, considering how long they had suffered as a result of Jahad's curse, it was understandable that they would be a little jaded. If he had sired hundreds of stillborn children, his mind would have broken a long time ago, so, rather than blame the victims, he decided to shift all his enmity towards the person responsible.

With this in mind, Vahn took advantage of the festive atmosphere to invite everyone into the Little Garden for a banquet. This was a little underhanded of him, as it put the Elders on the spot, but, in the end, even the most obstinate among them capitulated. There was nothing more important than the survival and prosperity of their people; so, with Vahn promising he would return them once the banquet had ended, they had little choice but to accept...

---

Having experienced the wonders of the Little Garden for themselves, more than half of the Asteria Tribe made the decision to become permanent residents. There was nothing the Elders could do about this as the conditions were simply too enticing for the long-suffering people. Just the night sky was enough to convince the majority, as, for reasons even they didn't understand, the Asterian people had always possessed a strong connection to the stars.

Though there were a few exceptions, virtually every member of the Asteria Tribe possessed a Shinsu Quality related to the stars. As a result, vibrant stars formed from Shinsu constantly lingered around them, drastically enhancing their already extraordinary beauty. Even the men were no exception to this, the majority possessing light-blue hair, matching eyes, and pointed ears that closely resembled those of Elves.

By appearance alone, the Asterian people were one of the most beautiful races Vahn had ever laid eyes upon. Their affinity with the stars also meant they were extraordinarily powerful, and, if not for the suppression of the Jahad Empire, their members would have dominated the individual Rankings for Wave Controllers. The stars around their bodies were actually a nascent form of Baang, harmless in their idle state but monstrously powerful when wielded to their full potential. They just needed a bit of training before even the most 'average' among their tribe could naturally form between three and five Baangs.

Had he any use for an army, Vahn could, very easily, just leave the Asteria Tribe to their own devices in the outer rings. They had a 'very' strong desire to increase their numbers so it was only a matter of time before their original 83 members grew into a substantial force. Instead, he allowed them to reside within the Second Layer, entrusting the land to them and adjusting the flow of time to a ratio of 10:1.

Though he understood their desire for revenge, Vahn's condition for allowing the Asteria Tribe to reside within the Little Garden was that they entrust the matter of dealing with Jahad to him. They might have a 'very' powerful claim against the tyrant King, but, in the grand scheme of things, they were just one group of Jahad's victims.

Instead of focusing on revenge, Vahn wanted the Asteria Tribe to focus on rebuilding their culture and providing support to the other tribes he would invariably rescue during his ascent. This didn't sit well with some of their older members, but, with Gaute and Magnus serving as voices of reason, the vast majority were convinced relatively easily. As for the rest, including most of the Elders, they chose to stay within the village, not to seek revenge, but to safeguard their ancestral home so that future generations could return to pay their respects.

Understanding how difficult it could be for some people to change, especially after long periods of suffering, Vahn didn't blame the Elders and their supporters for choosing to remain behind. Instead, he gave them a surplus of preserved food, a variety of edible plants, and, most importantly, a seed produced by the central island's World Tree. This would serve as a spatial waypoint, and, so long as they had his permission, people could transition between the Little Garden and the outside world thanks to the trans-dimensional properties inherent to World Trees.

Though he didn't explain this function to them, as it would be extremely troublesome if someone found a way to forcibly access the World Tree's network, Vahn promised the Asterian Elders that he would personally return their people once Jahad had been defeated. By then, the World Tree would have grown into the mountain, and, though it might not compare to the Little Garden, it was bound to become a serene and pleasant place to live...

---

Having completed the Guardian's Test, Vahn found himself floating in front of a massive creature that resembled an Oarfish. It had a silvery body that was easily several kilometers long, and, though it had two eyes on the side of its head, the ones staring back at Vahn were the six protruding from its forehead.

Similar to their first meeting, the Guardian broke the silence by plainly stating, "You always smell so delicious..."

Chuckling in response to the massive creature's remark, Vahn pulled out a rainbow-hued crystal, tossing it towards the former's multi-mawed mouth as he said, "Accept this as both a parting gift and an expression of gratitude. I got to save an endangered species and even gained a stronger motivation for climbing the Tower."

Without any hesitation whatsoever, the monstrous oarfish opened his mouth, devouring the tiny crystal in a single bite. This caused a contented tremble to run through its body, and, though it was incapable of showing an actual expression, its voice sounded satisfied as it replied, "You are the greatest anomaly that has ever appeared in this Tower. We look forward to seeing how far you will go. Good luck, delicious one..."

Understanding he was about to be kicked out, Vahn performed a casual wave in the Guardian's direction as his body faded into particulates of bluish-white light. Immediately thereafter, he found himself on the viewing deck of a massive structure, that loosely resembled a winged chesspiece. He couldn't actually make this out from where he was standing, but, based on the structures floating in the distance, it was a pretty safe assumption.

Since there was only one place where such structures were common, Vahn didn't need Ryun's help to confirm that he was currently on the 21st Floor, specifically the 'Garden of White Cichlids' that was owned and operated by the Yeon Family. This was an area in the Middle Tower that was traditionally reserved for Regulars, and, so long as you had the Points to spend, there were a number of famous restaurants and shopping centers located within the gravity-defying structures. Vahn, however, had absolutely no interest in these things, so, after briefly taking in his surroundings, he manifested his Pocket and said, "Contract with the Guardian..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Hypibolic Crying Chamber is OP...','Delicious...','Vahn embracing his inner speed-runner xD...')

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