In the Source of Knowledge:
"Wow, the Source of Knowledge has become stronger!" Atlas muttered in amazement.
Having condensed his Path of Will from the Source of Knowledge, he still remembered its previous appearance.
In just a few million years, it now seemed to expand infinitely.
"It's all thanks to the individuals who joined me in forging the path of knowledge," Maximus said with a smile.
His family wasn't the only one working to build the Source of Knowledge, there were also other walking the same path.
At present, the Maxim of Order had four Masters of the Absolute of Law, the Etherium Realm had three, and the Eryndor Race had one.
Along with Maximus and his family, there were fifty-six Masters of the Absolute of Law supporting the path of knowledge.
In terms of sheer size, the Source of Knowledge was the largest, even when compared to the Overlords'.
Unfortunately, the advancement of so many paths of law to absolute didn't directly benefit the Absolute of Knowledge. Otherwise, Maximus might have already reached the peak of the Absolute Realm.
In fact, having so many powerful paths but only a single source even slowed his progress.
Although it made the Source of Knowledge stronger and larger, its supply was becoming strained.
Without the support of multiple seeds of law, ultimate treasures, materials, origin energy, and strands of causality, it might have already collapsed under the weight of so many paths.
As Maximus explained the advancement of the Source of Law to Atlas, his family finally noticed them.
"Father, you're back! How did the negotiations with the Overlords go?" Liam asked in concern.
"How is it?" the others also asked in worry.
Before the negotiations, Maximus had shared them his outrageous conditions with the Overlords.
At first, they thought he was seeking death. But because they trusted him, they calmed down, believing he had a plan.
Worst case, they would retreat and go into hiding.
Fortunately, the worst didn't happen. Seeing Maximus intact and feeling the wave of law earlier, they concluded he had sealed the contract.
"It's a success. From now on, we can walk sideways in the Aeon Plane!" Maximus grinned.
Perhaps the most important condition he proposed was that the Overlords must never harm him, his family, or the interests of the Aeon Plane.
With that condition, his family's safety was guaranteed.
Although the Overlords shouldn't be foolish enough to attack his family, it was still better to be cautious.
"That's great, Father! What do you plan now?" Lux asked excitedly.
He already knew what his father had exchanged, and he was eager to get his hands on the Virtual Realm.
"I know, didn't you want to manage the Virtual Realm? I'll give it to you."
"In exchange, you must promise to connect every being in the Aeon Plane and multiply our efficiency against the dark beast."
The greatest use of the Virtual Realm was its ability to connect anyone, anywhere, at any time.
As the central communication hub of the Aeon Plane, it was the biggest driver of efficiency.
From communication, exchange of goods, knowledge, to transactions.
It was even the number one hub for entertainment, helping cleanse the spirits of battle-hardened individuals.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll make sure everyone, no matter how remote, can connect with each other!" Lux vowed solemnly.
Lux's dream was to build a business empire that spanned the entire Aeon Plane and surpassed even his father's wealth.
Unfortunately, his abilities were still lacking. Even with his business spreading across the Virtual Realm, it wasn't enough.
Much less surpassing his father, his business was even smaller than some of the major commercial alliances.
But now, with control of the Virtual Realm in his hands, it was time to dominate the market, setting the rules in ways that favored him and the Shadowcrest family.
"Don't get carried away. The most important thing is still dealing with the Dark Beasts," Maximus warned, noticing Lux's strange smile.
"Don't worry, Father. I've got a plan."
"Good. As for the Rules Stone… Neo, you and your wife will be in charge of setting it up to an array."
"What? Me? Why me?" Neo muttered, complaining.
Integrating seeds of path into the Source of Knowledge was dull, sure, but it was also comfortable.
Thinking of having to work such a tiring job, Neo felt his body weaken.
"Neo, don't be so lazy. This is the first time our Father asked you to do something," Aria, Neo's wife, said as she took his arm.
Truthfully, Aria was starting to get bored with integrating seeds of law into the Source of Knowledge. Since she didn't want to fight the Dark Beasts, she'd had no choice but to stick with it.
Now that she had a different task, she felt a little refresh, thinking she finally had something new to do.
"Alright, alright. I'll take the job," Neo sighed helplessly, seeing the sparkle in Aria's eyes.
"It'll be too slow if Neo and Aria build the array alone. I'll help too," Lilith offered, also bored out of her mind.
"Me too!" Denice, Emma, and Jane chimed in.
"What about us, Father? We want to do something too!"
Looking around at his family with eyes eager to escape the place, Maximus finally came to his senses.
Because of the looming Dark Disaster, he'd been too focused on getting things done.
For over a million years, they'd been working on the Source of Knowledge with barely any rest.
Even though the plane origin energy helped purify their fatigue, the unfeeling passage of time was still torturous.
Second after second, minute after minute, day after day, all they ever did was train or fuse seeds of law.
That kind of endless work had to have worn down their spirits.
"You... if you were tired, why didn't you tell me?" Maximus sighed, guilt tugging at his voice.
He was so used to the work, he didn't even feel the fatigue anymore.
As long as he was making progress toward his goal, Maximus barely noticed time passing.
But his family wasn't built the same. The intense, constant pressure was starting to wear them down.
"We just didn't want you to shoulder everything alone, husband."
"We didn't want to leave you working by yourself, Father."
"You don't have to worry about us, Grandpa we're not tired."
Seeing their eyes, full of love and quiet sacrifice, Maximus could only sigh.
"Alright. No more work for now. Let's take a break for a few thousand years…"