250: Father and Son

Saint Stratos, the capital of the Kingdom of Asriel, is a massive city with a permanent population of over a million, and it is exceptionally busy every day.

In the royal court, the magnificent palace complex occupies the most central location of the capital.

Holden stood in mid-air, looking down at this bustling city.

To the side, several Golden Radiance Guardss clad in golden armor stood silently behind Holden.

A moment later, Holden flew straight back into the court.

In the palace garden, Bjorn was tending to the flowers and plants he had grown; having been too busy lately, he hadn't come to care for them in a while.

"You're back. It looks like everything went smoothly!"

"Yes, Father. Everything went well; I've successfully made a breakthrough."

A hint of a smile appeared on Bjorn's lips as he felt the powerful aura behind him. Putting down the watering can, Bjorn turned around and was sincerely happy to see his son's high-spirited state.

"Not bad!"

"An Extreme Realm King at one hundred and thirty years old; you've reached this realm more than twenty years earlier than I did."

Holden lowered his head slightly to express his respect and gratitude to his father.

"It is all thanks to your guidance, Father, that I am where I am today."

"Becoming a King isn't something achieved through simple guidance; it also involves your own hard work."

Bjorn stepped forward and gently patted his son's shoulder.

"Too many things have happened lately, and the situation is developing in a bad direction. Your successful breakthrough comes at just the right time and can relieve a lot of my pressure."

Holden frowned, looked at his father, and asked:

"Father, are things really that bad? Those spatial rifts aren't hard to handle, and the pollution brought by chaos corruption can be cleaned up with a little more time. The rest are just minor issues; do they really require so much of your concern?"

"It's not that simple, my son."

"The world is changing. This change has both good and bad aspects, but regardless, change means turmoil."

Bjorn sat on a nearby stone chair and signaled Holden to sit as well.

"You might not be able to feel it since you're not in my position, but I have vaguely felt that the coming torrent of the times is rapidly gathering strength. It won't be long before this torrent completely erupts."

"A few years ago, that massive Spatial Storm from the depths of the Sea of Stars annihilated countless Sub-planes within the starry sea, and the Noah Continent was also somewhat affected."

"The collapse of these Sub-planes is a grand opportunity for the Main Plane. law crystals, treasures that were rarely seen once in hundreds of years, have suddenly appeared in large numbers over the last few years."

"Many creatures in the Main Plane have relied on the treasures born from the collapse of these Sub-planes to break through to the Legendary realm. In just these past three to five years, more Legendaries have been born than in the previous several hundred years combined, and this number is still increasing."

Bjorn paused and looked up at the sun shining with endless brilliance in the sky.

"My son, do you feel it? This sunlight is much warmer and gentler than before."

"As the Spatial Storm passed, the Main Plane absorbed many Sub-plane core essences. The once-damaged World Essence has been repaired, and the Source Power between heaven and earth has been strengthened. This has caused both Battle Qi and Magic Power to be much more active than before, and this process will continue."

"During the ancient War of the Gods, our world suffered heavy damage. It was only after countless years of recovery that it slowly regained some vitality. Then, the evil god turmoil more than three thousand years ago injured the world once again."

"According to the records of the Tamriel Empire back then, after the top powerhouses of the Main Plane led by the empire made continuous efforts for thousands of years, our world was on the verge of fully recovering more than three thousand years ago, restoring it to its state before the Twilight of the Gods."

"But at the last moment, the long-scheming Extraterritorial Evil God disrupted this process, and the time for the world's recovery was prolonged."

This was the first time Holden had heard this secret history.

"Father, do you mean that our world is about to fully recover now?"

Bjorn nodded and said, "Yes. The Main Plane of the Noah Continent is different from ordinary Sub-planes. Our world possesses a powerful foundation and once gave birth to many incredibly brilliant and powerful civilizations. Even the War of the Gods did not destroy our world."

"Although the evil gods caused some destruction more than three thousand years ago, it did not affect the overall situation of the world's recovery. The world's power is repairing itself, and after three thousand years, she is now about to fully recover."

"Do you know what this means?"

"It means that breaking through to Legendary will be easier than before, the threshold for stepping onto the path of Professionals will be lowered, and a golden age of the extraordinary is coming."

Bjorn spoke of a golden age, but his expression showed no joy.

"Father, you don't seem happy about this. Is it not good for us that the world is returning to its original state?"

"Such a massive change in the world is both an opportunity and a challenge. The recovery of our world will bring a series of chain reactions, the most obvious being the outbreak of spatial rifts in recent years and the sudden activity of the Chaos Demon Abyss."

"The Chaos Demon Abyss is just one of the troubles. After the Main Plane recovers, the hidden cards left in the Main Plane by the powerful existences of the ancient gods who have long since passed away are about to slowly reveal themselves."

"The gods? They will be resurrected?"

"Those who were heavily wounded and fell into a slumber might be resurrected, and the power left behind by those who completely perished will also awaken. Those things might be the root of all chaos."

"Father, I don't understand?"

"Do you think mortals can become gods?"

Bjorn asked Holden in return.

"Becoming a god?"

"It should be possible, right? Aren't gods just more powerful beings?"

Holden hesitated for a moment before giving his answer.

"Theoretically, it's as you say—mortals can become gods. But in the at least hundred thousand years or so that have passed since the Twilight of the Gods, including the history of lost civilizations, who has truly ascended to godhood again to become a god-level existence?"

"The Legendary Arcane Civilization had them, but those are all legends. At least in the history of the last few tens of thousands of years that I know of, not a single existence has successfully ascended to godhood."

"Even the greatest human emperor during the era of the Tamriel Empire was only a Demigod and did not ultimately ascend to godhood."

"Becoming a god, immortal and undying—who can resist such a temptation?"

"Father, do you mean that after the world recovers, the power left behind by the ancient gods will appear, and there will be an opportunity to become a god?"

As Holden spoke, his breathing involuntarily quickened; becoming a god—who wouldn't be moved by that?

"Perhaps. This is all still speculation. Maybe the opportunity to become a god hasn't arrived yet, and the four Demon Gods of the Chaos Demon Abyss might wake and return first, or perhaps the Extraterritorial Evil God will descend once more."

"No one knows what the future holds, but one thing is certain: we are about to face immense challenges. Once we can't hold out, our Human Race will suffer immense hardship."

"My son, being a King is not that easy; I hope you can understand this."

"A King should stand in front of everyone. Regardless of the challenges and threats, the King is the first to bear them. A King is the banner that leads the Human Race forward, the high wall that blocks the wind and snow!"

"It has been over three hundred years since I put on the crown. In these three hundred years, I am confident that I have been worthy of the oath I made and have guarded the Human Race until now. I hope you can remain the same in the future."

Holden stood up, nodded solemnly, and said earnestly to his father, "Yes, Father. I will become a qualified King and not let you down."

"Very good, I believe you won't let me down either."

"Future matters can wait; let's talk about the matters at hand."

Bjorn brought the topic back to the present, but what Holden didn't expect was that the most important matter at hand was actually related to the Dwarves.