Advanced Cultivation Civilization

              ACC Chapter 30 Aftermath

"That was a thrilling form of entertainment." Spoke Livia, searching the paper bag for more popcorn, only to come up empty, causing her to tilt it and shake to see whether a piece had escaped her hands, only to come up short.

Ultimately, a sigh escaped her lips and the bag vanished from her hands, having been turned into individual atoms within my divine sense.

"Thank the Heavens that the Deity Maker wasn't destroyed by stray lightning bolts." A pent up breath left my mouth as I straightened up from my forward leaning position.

"There was absolutely no need to waste your brain power on such pointless worry. We had already accounted for everything when we had constructed it. Why would such a calculated variable cause problems? The more likely debacle would have been its failure to work as intended."

She slapped my shoulders after those words before making it out of the room, pausing at the door to ask, "Don't you wanna listen in to the reaction of the crowd?"

"For now, no."

With that, I was left alone, with my room returning to its previous whiteness. The syncing with the ship's sensors had been retracted the moment the ring had created those blue wards, turning itself back into a sphere filled with whiteness that was preventing any attempt at spying.

Even if I had managed to reach closer, putting some corner of the sphere within my divine sense range, the endeavor wouldn't have achieved any results. The reason was simply because the unattuned spiritual energy within was at a concentration so high, that all sensory data would be corrupted.

The tribulation had been an eye-opening experience. The president had availed all of us taking part in the project with tomes of what to expect when taking on the Deity Transformation tribulation, but this... Had been too intense.

My plans had to shift. The three lightning dragons were mostly the cause. Their combat prowess was astounding enough that only those who were geniuses at combat could win against them. Anyone lesser would die!

As long as you could survive the attempt at possession by the Devil during the Nascent Soul tribulation, all the other tribulations below the Deity Transformation stage were passable by any random chaff.

But stepping into the higher stage, one that denoted a level of power akin to a cosmic being, you had be better than any random cultivator, a true beast.

My fingers tapped at the desk as I absentmindedly considered my plans for what to do next. Right now, every project I had was still further away from showing any sort of result, making me essentially free at this time. I had even managed to clear my schedule.

That's why I was now considering what to do. Maybe I could try to search for ways into getting what I needed from the Demon Empire. My symbiote had to have an acknowledged bloodline. And if I was lucky, I could even push it to an equivalent realm to mine.

With my thoughts in order, I stood up and walked outside. Though it would be a pain to merge into the crowds, I had to gauge the public response. We had gone against their trust after all. I wasn't a leader, but even I knew that such things would lead to many problems down the road if left unchecked. Of course, it wouldn't be my turn to solve the problem even if there was mostly negativity. That task would thankfully be left to the governing AI, the one that took over the job of managing the Federation incase of the President's absence.

The crowd was mostly excited about the prospects. There was some dissatisfaction here and there, but mostly, it was all positives. Even online.

"I thought you the type to never mingle with the crowd." Lily's form appeared, probably having tracked me down because I had let my location slip as a means to attract her.

"I wanted to get a read on the crowd." I spoke while occupying one of the benches on an artificially made park. The trees, birds and all other manner of flora and fauna weren't virtual, but real.

She sat beside me, thankfully having given me some space. I didn't want to have to deal with her advances at this time.

"I must say though, I wasn't surprised that you were in league with the President's faction."

"That's hardly news. Anyone with a normal brain could see that. Though I try to stay out of the public eye, there are many that can ferret out my views on certain matters by looking at my movements and actions."

"So, how do you suppose we arrange your schedule? Everything that you had to do has been done, leaving behind a void. Unless of course, you want to manage all your enterprises... That is a hellhole I suggest you leave to me."

There was something within her eyes as she awaited my words. Her expression was unreadable, yet I decided to stop invading her privacy by stopping myself from reading her soul aura.

(I want you to try and get me someone as a liaison to the Demon Empire.)

I sent through divine sense. After all, there was quite the crowd and you could never tell whose ear was strained within your direction.

(Why?)

(Secret.)

My answer brought a cute pout to her face before she ultimately let it go, releasing a sigh in its place.

(I will search through them. But, what will you be doing to fool the masses out in the open?)

That was something I was still thinking about. My garden was still a few years away from harvest. My company, the one producing the Auto-Cul was almost entirely automated.

(ALERT!)

The moment that spiritual message blared within my mind, all my attention was shifted towards it.

(The President will be in seclusion for another 2 years, 7 months, and 12 days. Would you like me to add the exact time?)

My body must have jerked uncontrollably, or my expression had to have somehow cracked, because I could feel Lily's attention on me turning into worry. Not to mention the fact that some of those within the surrounding crowd had noticed my odd behavior.

(Lilith! What's this?) The alarm in my voice wasn't something that could be suppressed. The alert must have been sent to dozens of people already... And that was enough to get those with ideas moving!

(Its as it is. Through my sensors, I managed to calculate the amount of energy the President's body is taking in, and then I produced an accurate duration of his seclusion.)

"This is bad!" The words were simultaneously uttered through both divine sense and mouth.

"What do you mean?" The riot of emotion I was exuding must have been vivid enough to even cause Lily's gaze to turn a little fearful as she neared me, vigilantly gazing at the nearby crowd as if some of them would turn into monsters the next second.

(The President's seclusion is going to last almost 3 years!)

The moment I revealed that, I felt her energy levels drop precipitously as she ran calculations within her mind, causing her face to pale with each passing second.

(This is bad!)

"Attention all passengers! An address from the President's office requires your attention."

The moment we heard that voice, the both of us gazed into each other's eyes, mirroring the same grave expression.

Someone had acted! No one was supposed to have enough authority at this point in time. Could it be, Ming?!

Wait!? Now that I thought about it, I started to feel the clues. All the material about those that had attempted their Deity Transformation tribulation had lacked one key component, especially those who had managed to survive the lightning and Devil! The duration of the transformation into red crystal because of a lack of sufficient spiritual energy!

A screen materialised in my vision, taking up most of it. This was a pompous display of power. And what made me frown even more was the fact that the President's minimalistic office had been altered to become so... Glamorous?!

"Good evening, dear citizens..."

My eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets at the figure on screen. Never in a million years would I have suspected her! No! I just hadn't bothered to care! The signs must have been there, but I had ignored them!

"My name is Livia Petersons. I am currently the person temporarily in charge of office, with the President out of commission for the next few years to focus on his breakthrough..."

She was clad in black this time, with matching pupils, hair, eyebrows and lashes. Because her core was related to light, this must have been a trick of the eyes.

My mind had frozen at that very moment, with the rest of her words passing over me.

By the time I regained myself, I was back within my room, with the door closing just behind me, with Lily trailing just behind.

"We were duped." She spoke. Even without turning my head, I was certain that her teeth were grinding against each other, because of the faint sounds my enhanced hearing was picking up.