Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2320: Steps, Both Large and Small

"It's pretty rare for you to come to me first. Are you feeling guilty about what happened with Sala?"

Adopting a faint smile, Vahn replied, "Something like that..." as he reached up to caress Shiroyasha's neck and chin. She gave him a slight prick with her horns, but that didn't discourage him from tracing the line of her neck and collarbone as he added, "Though the situation has changed since our last meeting, I've more or less concluded my business with the North and South Sides. All that remains is collecting Sun Authorities, supplanting a few discordant deities, and ensuring our allies are well-protected during my ascension..."

As the current Laws of the Little Garden prohibited residents of the 1-3-Digit Gates from interacting 'directly' with people outside, Vahn needed to ensure his enemies wouldn't be able to strike in the brief period where he was pushing for the peak of the Little Garden. He could leave an 'Avatara' behind in the form of a Template, but, as Wu and others had shown, they didn't inherit the 'tenacity' afforded to him by his unique constitution and Innates. He could grant them power 'identical' to his own, but they would still lose against the more famous/infamous Gods.

Understanding Vahn's concerns, Shiroyasha exhaled a sigh before softly muttering, "I suppose it's about time I introduce you to an old...'friend' of mine. You know the one..."

As there were actually a few people that came to mind, Vahn muttered, "I'm assuming you're referring to Queen Halloween, but I'm unsure as the two of you aren't exactly friends..."

Rolling her eyes, Shiroyasha replied, "She has in her possession the Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Capricorn Authorities. If you can 'convince' her to join us, we will have eighteen of the twenty-five Sun Authorities. Nineteen if you decide to stop dallying and obtain the Ophiuchus Authority..."

"Right..."

Though he hadn't forgotten about his promise to Leticia, Vahn had placed her 'liberation' on hold at her request. She was currently in the process of gaining the power to free her sister while simultaneously helping care for the various children residing in the Sage Dragon's Hearth.

"If I took action directly, everything could be resolved in one fell swoop. However, Leticia, her sister, and the vampire race would become indebted to me in a way I'm not entirely comfortable with..."

Exhaling a slightly exasperated sigh, Shiroyasha adopted a mock deadpan as she remarked, "This would be a lot easier if you weren't so sentimental. I understand your desire to have people choose their own paths, but that doesn't mean you have to course-correct to give them time..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn replied, "I still have 722 days to complete my current objectives. Besides, if you and Queen Halloween agree to work together, we don't even need the Ophiuchus Authority. Setting it aside, for the time being, hurts no one."

Feeling a little annoyed, Shiroyasha poked Vahn with the tip of her horns as she grumbled, "You're being unreasonable...while I do trust you, asking me to lend you multiple Sun Authorities places me in a difficult situation..."

Squeezing the pouty Sun Goddess's body, Vahn casually replied, "Then let's not worry about it. I told you before, but obtaining a majority of Sun Authorities is optional. I trust you not to betray me and side with the other Gods once I start taking action, so not having them doesn't really change anything."

Since he only needed a majority of Sun Authorities to prevent the Gods from abandoning the current Little Garden and creating a new one, Vahn didn't actually require them. Shiroyasha currently possessed fourteen, so unless she suddenly decided to betray him, he didn't have to worry about the Big Three attempting to flee once he began aiming for their thrones.

Instead of feeling relieved by Vahn's words, Shiroyasha's brows furrowed as she gave him another firm prick with her horns. She didn't like that he was basically saying he didn't need her help to achieve his goal, so, after jabbing him hard enough to draw blood, she turned around and straddled his lap before leaning forward to lap up the crimson liquid.

Realizing he had inadvertently upset her, Vahn allowed Shiroyasha to do as she pleased while habitually massaging her butt. He was tempted to point out that making concessions for her was functionally the same as making 'detours' for others but promptly decided against it. Instead, he waited until she was finished drawing his blood before muttering, "Tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to make it a reality..."

Licking the blood from her lips, Shiroyasha took a moment to look Vahn in the eyes before narrowing her own and answering, "You know damn well what I want. An enormous harem, revenge against those who harmed my friends, and changes to the current system. Beyond that..."

Linking her hands around Vahn's neck and shoulders, Shiroyasha licked her lips a second time before playfully appending, "Unequip your pants, and I might just scream the rest..."

Punctuating her words, Shiroyasha silenced any potential responses with a kiss. She was feeling a little frustrated after Vahn's earlier remarks, so she intended to have him relieve her stress before they returned to their original conversation. As for Queen Halloween, Indra, and everyone else she needed to arrange meetings with, they could wait. After all, it wasn't like Vahn 'needed' their cooperation...

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After pacifying Xysteria with a significant amount of belly rubs, Vahn had her explain 'exactly' what she had in mind for her colonists.

Contrasting Vahn's initial expectations, the 'insects' Xysteria had in mind weren't actual insects. Xysteria simply hadn't known the appropriate word for what she was attempting to describe: automatons.

Not wanting them to succumb to thirst, starvation, and the influence of her power, Xysteria intended to populate both the interior and the area around her 'nest' with purely mechanical lifeforms. Those inhabiting the interior would be known as Guardians, beings tasked with observing and cataloging the various creatures produced by her power. Those occupying the surface would be known as Keepers, predominately humanoid robots that would tend to the surrounding forests and establish infrastructure to accommodate people from the outside.

Using a bit of clay, Xysteria was able to give Vahn a pretty good idea of what she had in mind for both groups. The Guardians would be outfitted with enhanced sensors, borderline indestructible armor, various types of excavation equipment, and armaments capable of incinerating just about any form of biological life. They needed to be able to deal with outbreaks such as the mushrooms that had nearly overtaken one of Gaia's textures, so their incinerators weren't mere lasers; they were molecular disruption devices that forcefully separated electrons, converting virtually all other molecules into an inert form of atomized ash.

Contrasting the rather fierce-looking Guardians, the Keepers were made to be a lot more unassuming. The 'males' of the species had tanned skin and dark hair that vaguely resembled younger, child-like versions of Vahn. As for their female counterparts, they unsurprisingly ended up resembling Xysteria. However, instead of four arms, white fur, and multiple tails, they only possessed two arms and a single tail, ensuring they would always be 'lesser' in terms of adorableness and appeal.

Understanding there was a chance that creatures could escape her nest and run rampant on the surface, Xysteria decided to outfit male Keepers with a lesser variant of the 'Incinerator,' one that specialized in eliminating single targets. As for the females, they were to be blessed with enhanced senses, incredible strength, and the ability to discern creatures adversely affected by Xysteria's power.

Though he didn't mind the existence of a race of child-like automatons that vaguely resembled him, Vahn made a few tweaks before finalizing Xysteria's first experimental population. He gave the males pointed ears and bestowed both Guardians and Keepers with the ability to 'hibernate' for extended periods. It could be anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand years before outsiders showed up on their island, so being able to 'sleep' for years would be a boon in their exceptionally long lives. After all, unless they were damaged beyond repair, they were effectively immortal.

With the designs largely finalized, Vahn acquiesced to Xysteria's demand to give the males an 'affinity with all things fluffy' before creating a total of twenty males and females to populate the surface. Xysteria was still in the process of excavating her nest, so he didn't want to overburden her with having to look after hundreds of people when she still depended on others to care for herself.

As each Keeper was given form through a combination of her and Vahn's power, Xysteria became increasingly excited. If Vahn hadn't warned her about inadvertently destroying them, she would have pounced upon and cuddled each and every one of them. Instead, she waited until all twenty had been formed before tentatively approaching and examining them up close.

Though she was a little bothered by their blank, ostensibly emotionless expressions, Xysteria took the time to nuzzle and mark each of the male Keepers. She eventually did the same with the females, but only after a lengthy explanation on imprinting and a bit of 'encouragement' from Vahn. When she was finished, they worked together to come up with names for each of them before commencing the long process of 'programming' them via demonstration and verbal instruction.

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Seeing Xysteria's reaction to her 'children' from the perspective of his other self, Vahn couldn't help smiling. This was immediately noticed by Black Rabbit, who, after breastfeeding their six children, was enjoying some much-deserved cuddles.

Narrowing her eyes into an affectionate smile, Black Rabbit playfully inquired, "What's got you in such a good mood~?"

Returning an affectionate smile of his own, Vahn replied, "I'm watching Xysteria take her first significant steps toward maturing as a Primordial Deity. She now has a small population to supervise, one that isn't entirely comprised of other versions of herself."

Though she had only met and interacted with Xysteria a few times, Black Rabbit couldn't help feeling happy for the inordinately cute yet aggressive ball of fluff, responding, "Wow, that really is a major step forward for her. I hope everything turns out well."

Nodding his head, Vahn, somewhat shamelessly, replied, "I'll make sure it does. I've been anticipating this kind of development for a long time, so I won't let things fall through before Xysteria learns a lesson or two..."

"Mmm...how reassuring..."

Since she didn't want her cuddle session to become a discussion about Xysteria and her development, Black Rabbit ended the conversation by resting her head against Vahn's chest and nuzzling against him. His scent caused her body to feel hot, but it was nowhere near as 'agonizing' as it was before her pregnancy.

Understanding Black Rabbit's intentions, Vahn promptly left the matter of Xysteria to his other self, planting a kiss on the pink-haired beauty's head before squeezing her tightly. It was only a matter of time before someone came along to 'interrupt' them, so he didn't mind spending the moment in peaceful serenity. Things were going to get pretty busy in the weeks and months to come, so it was important to savor each and every moment he had with his loved ones...

Feeling Vahn's warmth fill her body, suppressing the heat radiating from her abdomen, an exceptionally contented smile developed across Black Rabbit's face. She wouldn't mind if he wanted to have sex, far from it, but, after becoming a mother to six seemingly insatiable kittens, she had come to realize just how precious moments of peace and quiet could be...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shiroyasha showing her Tsundere side...','Akihito Tsukushi would like to know my location...','Every mother in the multiverse just nodded their heads in agreement xD...')