In the Shadow Void Land, Order of Maxim Headquarters.
"This is the Order of Maxim? It's changed so much…" Atlas sigh, his eyes filled with reminiscence.
Millions of years ago, before he left, the Order of Maxim was still situated in the Etherium Realm.
Back then, it had just been established. The strongest among them was only Valoros, a Master of the Ocean of Law.
Looking at it now, with just a sweep of his gaze, Atlas could already spot hundreds of Masters of the Ocean of Law.
Atlas could only wonder how many more powerhouses were fighting on the frontline.
"What do I do now, Master?" Coming back to his senses, Atlas asked what he should do next.
"You have to create an outpost of your own. The one built for the Order of Maxim is already occupied."
The Order of Maxim had only created two Void Outposts.
With four Absolutes taking turns using them, adding Atlas to the rotation would only create chaos.
Furthermore, Atlas hadn't helped build those outposts, forcing him into the mix would only trigger unnecessary conflict.
"But I don't know how to…"
Hearing he had to build his own Void Outpost, Atlas wilted.
With his simple mind, what could he do besides fighting and training?
"Letting others help you is enough…" Maximus smiled, waiting for the top master he called from the Order of Maxim.
Soon, a familiar face appeared, bringing a rare smile to Atlas's face.
"Gustavo! You're already a Master of the Ocean of Law!"
"You're even better—you're already a Master of the Absolute of Law," Gustavo replied with a helpless smile.
The two came from the same generation of talented seedlings nurtured by the Order of Maxim.
Both had been personally recruited by Maximus, along with dozens of others, to train as elite warriors and professionals.
Back then, Gustavo thought he was one of the strongest in their batch.
Who would've thought Atlas, who was a little stupid, would become a master of the Absolute of Law before him?
"My strength is thanks to Master Maximus and my teacher. Without their help, I might be weaker than you," Atlas said sincerely.
Though he had tremendous talent, his mind was like that of a child, unable to grasp things on his own.
Without the external help, he might still be wandering aimlessly in the void.
"Alright, you two, stop being humble. Being fast or slow doesn't matter. As long as you keep moving forward, you'll reach the same destination," Maximus said, watching them compare themselves.
"Lord Maximus, you're here! This humble Gustavo greets you!" Seeing Maximus nearby, Gustavo quickly bowed in greeting.
He hadn't realized his master was standing to the side.
Fortunately, seeing no anger on Maximus's face, he calmed down.
"Alright, enough chatter. I called you here to help Atlas build a Void Outpost."
"Help Atlas build a Void Outpost? But… what about my other tasks?"
Although Gustavo was only a Master of the Ocean of Law, he was the top alchemist in the Order of Maxim, surpassing even the Absolutes.
The tasks he handled were usually critical projects within the Shadow Void Land or the Etherium Realm.
He was so busy with his work that he hadn't advanced to the Absolute Realm, despite all the resources Maximus had invested in him.
Otherwise, he might have already stepped into the realm of Absolute Law.
"You don't need to oversee the Void Outpost's creation full-time, just assist from time to time," Maximus clarified.
The Void Outpost had a complete blueprint, allowing even Tier 10 professionals to handle most of the work.
However, for the core component, crucial for Atlas to fully harness the Power of Will, Gustavo's help was still essential.
"I understand. Leave it to me!"
"That's good. Atlas, I'll leave Gustavo with you. If you need anything, just talk to him. After you've completed the Void Outpost, you can venture into the Dark Void Domain. No need to inform me."
After settling Atlas's affairs, Maximus finally returned to the Etherium Realm to meet the Overlords.
Having gathered all the ultimate treasures and materials and exhausted their supply of Plane origin, they were back to follow up on the negotiations.
Unfortunately, Maximus had postponed the meeting to spend time with his family, leading them to wait.
If not for the contract binding them, they would want to drag Maximus to quickly do his work.
Arriving at the Shadowcrest Castle, the Overlords glared at Maximus with obvious resentment.
"You're finally here!"
"Damn brat, you made us wait forever!"
"It's only been a few thousand years. I had important matters to handle," Maximus said, shrugging his shoulders.
Under the terms of the contract, he could delay the delivery of the Plane origin by up to a million years, depending on the circumstances.
If the Overlords agreed, the delay could even extend to several epochs.
"Important matters? You mean playing around with your family?"
"The Aeon Plane was already on the brink of destruction, yet you still had time for a vacation?"
"Anyway, it's up to me to use my time. I'm just a weak Absolute. What could I do?"
"Alright, no more excuses! But this time, you have to give us more Plane origin. A thousand years of supply isn't enough."
"That's right! At least a million years' worth!"
Worried he'd disappear again, they wanted to secure more plane origin.
"That's impossible. The most I can offer is a hundred thousand years' supply."
A million years of supply equaled to about 18 billion units of plane origin.
That kind of quantity would drain him completely.
Though he could produce 500 units of plane origin every day, roughly 180 billion over a million years, his expenses were massive.
Just operating the Void Outposts to kill Tier 12 Dark Beasts costs a fortune.
Then there were the plane origin needed for the creation of the Tier 11 Rings of Origin, Source of Knowledge, Architectures, Training, Experiments, and all sorts of miscellaneous items.
At the moment, he didn't even have 10 billion units of Plane origin. How could he give them such a large amount upfront?
"Alright. A hundred thousand years of supply then," the Overlords finally relented, realizing he couldn't meet their full demand.
"Before that, aren't you forgetting something?"