Chapter 298: Ch 298 : Strengthen The Base

"I hope I am overthinking," Sunny whispered, the sound swallowed by the vastness of the hall.He leaned his head back against the comforting solidity of his Throne, closing his eyes.

But behind his eyelids, the map of his territory burned bright.

His thoughts were anchored on the two loose threads he hadn’t found yet even after another half an hour.

Kairos and Mongo. Two rats scurrying in the dark, armed with knowledge that could bring his empire to its knees.

They were sharing information with the Demonic Realm. By now, the demon lords likely know about the City of Gods.

They knew about the benefits that the Gods held, They knew about the removed limiters.

But worse than that, they knew the psychology of his empire.

"They know the Gods are united," Sunny analyzed, his finger tapping a rhythmic beat on the armrest. "And they know that unity is built on the benefits I provide. Sowing discord is impossible through ordinary means... unless Deimos himself uses his Authority of Discord to crack their minds."

Sunny’s jaw tightened.

The Demon Lords weren’t stupid. They wouldn’t attack blindly. They would target the foundation.

They would know that while Sunny was unkillable, his reputation and his people were not.

"I think... no, I am sure." Sunny opened his eyes, the violet-gold irises glowing with grim certainty. "The Demon Lords are going to attack. And it won’t be a minor skirmish. It will be an all out war."

"I need to be prepared."

He had already fortified the city. He had already empowered the Gods. But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

"My weakness," Sunny realized, looking down at his hands, "is the mortals."

If the Demon Army arrived with their infinite swarm of demons, they wouldn’t just fight the Gods. They would flood the planets.

They would destroy the surface of every world under Sunny’s protection.

And if the mortals died, the Faith died. If the Faith died, the Gods weakened. If the Gods weakened, the Empire fell.

"I need to strengthen the base," Sunny decided. "I need my common soldiers, my farmers, my beasts to be strong enough to survive the apocalypse."

He looked at his status panel. He could try to grind his Mage Profession to SSS-Grade, or upgrade his talents, but those were long-term goals. He needed an immediate, systemic upgrade for himself and his lifeforms.

"How do I strengthen the lifeforms across billions of worlds simultaneously?"

He paused, pondering the question. To solve a problem for a mortal, one must think like a mortal. He couldn’t just throw faith and talents at the problem from his throne.

’What is the best way to know what someone needs?’ Sunny asked himself.

The answer came to him with the clarity of a bell chime. ’Dissolve yourself in their lives. Walk among them. See what they lack.’

Sunny nodded, a plan forming in his mind. He would spend the next few hours or days observing. He would play the role of the silent guardian.

"Let’s start with the worlds of my subordinates," Sunny decided. "Veridia is already a paradise; I know its needs. I need to look at the worlds that are lagging behind."

He didn’t need to descend physically. He didn’t need Thea’s sensors. He was the God of Gods. His God’s Domain stretched across his entire territory.

"Let’s start with an old friend," Sunny murmured, a rare, soft smile touching his lips beneath the mask.

He shifted his consciousness, projecting his will across the void to the planetary system of Zir, his first ally. His first friend.

Sunny’s vision blurred and refocused. He was now floating in the exosphere of a lush, green planet.

It was a world, teeming with giant flora and billions of Elves and Mermaids.

From the space, the only thing that stood out from all the other was, A World Tree.

It wasn’t as cosmically large as Veylara on Veridia. It didn’t pierce the atmosphere or drink energies from the cosmos.

But it was majestic in a different way. Its leaves were a soothing, pale teal, and it emitted a visible pulse of mint-green energy that swept across the planet like a heartbeat.

"Damn, Zir," Sunny whistled, impressed. "That is one hell of a tree. Even I can feel it."

Just looking at it through his sense made Sunny’s mind feel clearer. The chaotic noise in his mind faded, replaced by a serene focus.

This tree was the reason the elves could focus on developing magic instead of fighting each other. It was a natural pacifier, a beacon of mental clarity.

"I remember," Sunny mused. "The idea for Veylara originated from Zir’s tree"

He drifted closer, descending through the clouds. He didn’t want to use his faith points by descending himself, so he gathered the ambient Thea Particles in the air.

Swirl.

The particles condensed, forming a semi-transparent avatar of light in front of the tree’s massive trunk.

"Fiora," Sunny whispered.

The name carried the weight of Imperial Command.

Instantly, the giant tree shuddered. The teal leaves rustled violently from recognition.

She didn’t need eyes to know who stood before her. Every root, every leaf, every drop of sap vibrated with the presence of the Emperor.

"Emperor," a voice echoed in the wind. Which was feminine, ancient, and deeply humble.

The massive branches, heavy with fruit and foliage, lowered slowly until they brushed the grass in a deep bow.

"No need for formalities," Sunny said gently, walking up to touch the rough bark. "I am just visiting."

"I am genuinely impressed, Fiora," Sunny continued, his voice warm. "I see what you do here. You produce mana for the soil. You regulate the planetary weather. You calm the minds of both the Elves and Mermaids, allowing them to build civilization instead of just consuming each other. You are the spine of this world."

Fiora trembled. To receive praise from the Emperor... it was a glory greater than life itself.

"You are well-deserved of a blessing," Sunny announced. "Ask. Whatever you desire to better serve this world, I shall grant it."

The wind went silent. Even the insects nearby stopped their chirping. A direct wish from the Emperor? That was a prize Gods would kill for.

"My Emperor..." Fiora’s voice wavered, filled with trepidation. "I... I do not need anything. To serve Master and you is my purpose. I dare not ask for more."

She was terrified of her own greed. She feared that asking for too much would lower her standing in his eyes.

Sunny chuckled softly. "Do not be stressed. Greed for the sake of growth is a virtue in my empire."

He thought for a moment. Fiora needed something that matched her nature.

"I will ask Yggdrasil to transfer a talent to you" Sunny decided.

"Just tell Thea when you are ready to accept it."

The avatar of light began to fade.

"As you wish, Emperor," Fiora whispered, her leaves shivering with gratitude. "I shall serve with my life."

Sunny withdrew from the surface, returning to a high point of view. He spent the next hour scanning the rest of Zir’s world.

He watched the synergy between Elves and Mermaids. But as he wandered, he found a glaring weakness in these lifeforms.

"The difference..." Sunny muttered, frowning. "The difference between Veridia and here is staggering."

On Veridia, the lifeforms were rigged.

The Dragonborn on Veridia had temporary buffs for Fertility and Magic Comprehension.

The Elves on Veridia had Super Strength and Mana Regeneration.

The Humans had Learning Speed and Tech Affinity.

These buffs were temporary and managed by one of Sunny’s clones. They were the reason Veridia was a powerhouse.

But here? On Zir’s world?

The lifeforms lacked buffs to tackle their weakness.

"And it’s not just Zir," Sunny realized, expanding his view to other worlds. "All of the worlds under me are like this. Their growth is linear, while Veridia’s is exponential."

This was a vulnerability. If Veridia fell, the elite troops fell. The rest of the empire was just cannon fodder.

"I need to turn this Territorial Buff into a Racial Buff," Sunny concluded.

He couldn’t visit every planet and buff the lifeforms their. That would take eons. But he controlled the source of the races.

He had a Demigod for every race under his territory.

"I need to give these DemiGods a talent to connect with the lifeforms of their races" Sunny said. "A Link. If the demigod of a race got a buff, then every lifeform of that race in my territory should gain that buff"

"It’s genius."

Sunny snapped his fingers.

"Clone #1," he commanded telepathically.

"Yes, Main Body," the Soulless Clone responded instantly.

"Gather the Racial Demigods. I want you to bestow them with specific Talents that act as race-wide buffs."

"Understood"

Sunny smiled. That solved the problem.

But as he walked accross Zir’s world, he found another wish that almost most of the lifeforms held deeply in their heart.

"This isn’t something that can be done with just a command, I need to personally check all the other worlds to solve this problem" Sunny whispered, as he dissolved and appeared in the world of Nyx.