The Oracle Paths

943 He Finished First. Again.

As Oros and his steadfast sidekick Garos returned to their Oracle Palace, a foreboding aura clung to them, so chilling that the Oracle Guardians tasked with welcoming them were petrified.

What abominable news had they learned to be in such an icy mood? Had they lost a relative? Merely entertaining this improbable possibility, the Khaanul warriors averted their eyes, swallowing nervously.

Regrettably, in a certain way, the truth was far worse. At least for someone like Oros, who cherished material comforts, tranquility, and loathed exertion.

Soon after passing several security perimeters, they were teleported directly into Oros l office or rather, his relaxation chamber—a small metallic gray room as oval as an egg's interior, furnished with every conceivable technology for his amusement. To an alien of a different species, the place would seem as entertaining as a slaughterhouse's cold storage, but Garos had grown accustomed.

Once alone and away from prying ears, Oros heaved a long sigh, while Garos, no longer able to contain himself, bombarded his superior with questions, wearing a constipated grimace.

"Boss... What do you plan to do about what we just learned? Will you reveal it to the Evolvers of B842? Will you shoulder the costs formerly mostly covered by the Oracle System, or will you absolve yourself of responsibility by charging the Evolvers themselves? And what about the Ordeals? The affordable cost of numerous Oracle Skills was only possible due to Lure's rapid energy transmission. The Oracle is powerful, but it cannot provide such a service to the entire Mirror Universe simultaneously. Does this mean it will start playing favorites? That would be the end of..."

"The impartiality of the Oracle System," Oros completed ominously, his voice weary and clearly irritated. The consequences of Lure's death were already making themselves felt.

For instance, the Aether fee for using a Yellow Cube. The Oracle System usually bore most of the expenses through its vast, efficient Aether network that reached every corner of the Mirror Universe.

As long as long-distance teleportations were limited to B842 1 s vicinity, the powerful Aether Cores powering the local Yellow Cubes sufficed most of the time. But when it came to traveling from one planet-ship to another...

Their journey to AO had cost them a modest sum of 100Qi Aether points each, even considering all the privileges and discounts bestowed upon them by their eminent status and Oracle Skills. It seemed like a lot, but the Oracle System still bore the brunt of the energy requirements.

Over such distances, measured in billions upon billions of light-years, even the Aether Cores sustaining the giant Yellow Cubes of their Oracle Capital were no longer enough. The far-reaching energy network designed by Lure provided the missing energy by drawing from inactive Yellow Cubes' Aether Cores or other sources.

On a more local scale, each Oracle Overseer could, to some extent, influence the various Aether fees charged to the Evolvers under their jurisdiction. Some unscrupulous high-ranking officials didn't hesitate to overcharge their citizens to pocket the excess Aether produced and unused by the Oracle Cubes in their territories.

The residents of B842 were unaware of these details, cursing the Oracle with each price increase. But Oros was one of the most benevolent Oracle Overseers. Expertly managing his planet and its resources, he had minimized the fees charged to his population, strictly adhering to the guidelines set by the Oracle.

Alas, this fiscal shield was on the verge of collapse. Even for the little alien, there were things beyond his means.

Garos and Oros had experienced the consequences firsthand upon their return to B842. Xantheo, the first to be informed and with authority over the entire ZZ831 System, had acted decisively by eliminating all financial and energetic aid for interplanetary and intersystem travel. Simultaneously, Oracle Governors from other systems were enacting similar measures.

It was a race to see who could respond the quickest.

The reason was that the Aether network had suffered severe damage. Whoever the bastards were that killed Lure, they had been thorough. They had also searched her memory to discover all the primary nodes of the Aether network under her care.

The enemy attack had been surgically precise, destroying the most crucial "pipelines" of the Mirror Universe while stealing or destroying the most valuable Aether Cores and energy generators that maintained the delicate balance between need and expenditure.

This operation was of an unprecedented scale. According to Xantheo, the enemies—likely Digestors—had struck all these strategic locations simultaneously, the time between their appearance and disappearance lasting no more than a millionth of a second.

It was only in attempting to understand how such a flawless attack could have occurred that the Oracle and the other Ancient Designers and Oracle Sovereigns discovered that Lure was unreachable. Their hearts had tightened in fear of another betrayal, but instead, they found her lifeless body.

As a result, Oros and his subordinate had each paid an Aether Fee of one nonillion Aether points to return home!

Even though most Overseers were filthy rich, the small alien still developed stomach ulcers just thinking about it. Especially since he had to pay for Garos too. The pathetic salary of an Oracle Guardian Captain was far from sufficient for such travel. When not on duty, they tended to remain stationary.

"To answer your questions," Oros hesitated, pinching his chin thoughtfully, his faceless head still inscrutable. If the alien could have had a human expression, he would likely have had furrowed brows and a creased forehead as he faced this enormous puzzle.

Still, Garos waited patiently, having unwavering faith in his superior's ingenuity. That's why he was happy to follow him everywhere, even though he was mostly humiliated and tormented. Once again, his faith in Oros was rewarded.

"As for revealing the news to the Evolvers of B842, let's be vague, but we must give them a somewhat real reason to appease them.

Interplanetary travel won't concern them for the next four years, but entering a Red Cube often equates to intersystem travel since Ordeal Worlds are generally designed far away from numbered systems. Aas, the Ancient Designer of the Cubes, has promised to temporarily cover the transportation costs of the Players, but only the Oracle knows how long he can keep that promise. In this case, we must also prepare for the worst and accumulate energy before the Aether network is drained. Otherwise, not just these little Evolvers, but the entire planet B842 will be in danger if we don't have enough Aether to maintain our defense systems."

Garos nodded gravely, signaling his agreement with this analysis. Like a pipeline transporting gas, localized rupture would not immediately halt the supply. The gas that had already passed the area of destruction had a good chance of reaching its destination.

The Mirror Universe was vast, and the amount of Aether in the network encompassing B842 and even their System was large enough to maintain their planet's normal operation at full capacity for years, decades, and perhaps even centuries, depending on where the attack on the network had occurred.

Locally, each planet also had its own sources of Aether supply, but they paled in comparison to the nearly infinite flow of Aether they had once freely enjoyed.

For instance, in place of planet B842 1 s core resided a massive black hole spanning billions of light-years. During the amalgamation of various universes that allowed the creation of B842, all the black holes from those realms were merged together in one location to form the planet's primary and perpetual energy source.

Oros was a competent Oracle Overseer, as this wasn't the case for all the planet-ships in their System. Harnessing such a black hole and connecting it to the local Aether network was no small feat and required colossal resources, both material and technical.

In the meantime, Oros had finally made a decision. Carried by his serene telepathic voice, a barrage of orders burst forth like a machine gun, "Let rumors circulate that the Aether resources of the Mirror Universe are beginning to dwindle, and that Aether fees will gradually increase over time. Concurrently, for what was once free and will become charged, start with ridiculously low prices to acclimate the populace to the heavy changes ahead. Though I trust Aas, impose an entry fee for the Red Cube starting today, even if it's just a symbolic Aether point. The first two Ordeals can remain free of charge for now. Meanwhile, I'll contact Cekt and a few Aetherists who owe me a favor to help me fortify B842's Aether network. We may need to capture other black holes in outer space or even force them to mass-produce high-grade Aether Cores, but we're all in the same boat. 1 1m willing to bet that aside from Cekt, most don't have enough to return home now that Lure is dead.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Oros paused, massaging his cranium. "Also inform all Evolvers with an Oracle Rank of Lieutenant General or above about the truth while monitoring their reactions to this news. I will take care of informing the Nobles."

"Speaking of Nobles," Garos suddenly remembered. "The new batch of Oracle Knights promoted over the past week have all received the message and will be present at the ceremony scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. One of the Players you recommended for the Fourth Ordeal on Quanoth is among them. He finished first. Again."

The small alien's undulating neck, akin to a stalk caressed by a gentle breeze, suddenly stiffened. With a thought, he accessed the files of all the Players he had recently recommended. He soon found the one Garos was talking about. Upon seeing the extraordinary feats that Jake had accomplished, and that one of his Oracle Guardians was currently tasked with watching him, Oros let out a small laugh, his mood significantly brightened.

The latest disciple of Cekt Mogusar. For once, he had a good reason to hold this ceremony.