Noah’s eyes lit up with interest as he considered the possibilities. An abode...a private space within his Shore where certain activities could occur without observation.
Yes, this was necessary!
He looked down at the six corpses of Honored Dead Existences that Moiraine had provided, his mind already calculating distributions. "Evaluate and devour," he commanded the Shore itself.
The response was immediate:
|Six Honored Dead Existence Corpses Evaluated|
|Total Nutritional Value: Equivalent to 1500 Eminent Early Living Marine Lifeforms|
|Distribution Parameters Set: 35% to Moiraine for Kleos Glyph formation, 25% to Early Abode construction materials, 40% to personal advancement|
|Distribution Commencing...|
The golden sands beneath the corpses began to shift and churn, drawing them down with the patient hunger of something that knew how to savor its meals. As they disappeared, Noah turned his attention to the broader Shore.
"Henry! Kazuhiko! Emperor Penguin! Liora!..." His voice carried across the expanded territory with crystalline clarity. "Come here and help me build something..."
The named individuals emerged from their meditative positions, their bodies still buzzing with the complexity and purity they had been absorbing. Henry’s features had taken on an almost crystalline quality, while Kazuhiko’s hand rested on a katana that now hummed with barely contained authority.
The Emperor Penguin waddled forward with dignity that transcended his somewhat ridiculous form, and Liora moved with the fluid grace of someone whose connection to primal forces had deepened, her eyes filled with purpose as she thought of her father!
They converged toward the center of the Early Veiled Shore, where something unprecedented was beginning to manifest.
Stone-like materials began to materialize from thin air, emerging gradually like thoughts becoming solid. Each block was unique yet clearly part of a greater whole, inscribed with patterns that suggested function beyond mere structure.
"We can always use more people," Noah mused, his gaze turning toward the mist that marked the Shore’s boundaries.
As if responding to his unvoiced invitation, the mist began to part, revealing something like a doorway...a threshold between the Shore and the greater Infiniverse that contained it. The first figure to emerge made Noah simultaneously smile and question his decision.
The Queen of Matter burst through the opening in an explosion of enthusiasm that seemed to reshape reality around her presence. Her white dress was adorned with jewels that weren’t merely decorative...each one was a crystallized concept, a thought given form.
Books and grimoires orbited her form in complex patterns, their pages fluttering with winds that carried whispers of Fables.
"I HAVE BEEN MADE RELEVANT AGAIN!" she screamed with joy that could have powered small civilizations.
Her eyes locked onto Noah with the intensity of someone viewing their personal idol. "Sir! Thank you for putting me in the main story once more! Even though I was having ridiculous fun observing the transforming Infiniverse Wheel of Existence...did you know how crazy its becoming?!"
...!
She spun in place, taking in the Early Veiled Shore with eyes that seemed to catalogue every impossible detail simultaneously.
"By the way," she continued without pause for breath, "do you know what-...oh my word, is that an aquarium?!"
...!
Noah shook his head with exasperation, wondering if bringing her here was brilliant or catastrophic.
Behind the Queen of Matter, more figures began to emerge through the doorway. Dr. Hall stepped through with his white coat. Erikson followed, his massive frame having to duck through the opening. Ayame, Romulus, the Great Beyonder, the Great Mother, Lilith...and dozens of other beings who had been part of his journey but had faded into the background as powers escalated beyond their ability to participate.
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