Chapter 307 Plans and preparations.
The council meeting came to an end and Sam returned to his lab, leaning back into his seat and heaving a long tired sigh. Wolf and Elina looked at each other in silence, the female scientist's brows furrowed by the uneasiness weighing down on her. Her eyes seemed to pleading him to do something so after a while the old man let out a resigned sigh and asked.
"How did it go?"
There was no answer at first.
"Well, it's too early to tell."
It was quite a surprise when Sam told them his plan of taking control over what was left of humanity. They were sure he wasn't the power hungry kind and he was always reluctant to climb the ranks as he hated the responsibilities that would be thrown at him, however a lot has changed during the week he spent in the Nephilim world.
Before he had no problem letting the other Generals do their thing while he chased after Loki, but after learning about the Primordials, the Fallen and the Awakened he simply couldn't do that anymore. The source of this content can be connected to n0v3lb!n★
"We will be holding the Ritual in a few days." He said. "Unlike those from the Sanctuary we still have a few million survivors. Even if only 50% of them are infested with Madness, they might end up pushing us closer to extinction."
Picking up her cup, the female scientist stared at her reflection in the dark liquid.
"It's still difficult to believe." She said. "An ancient alien whispering something directly into people's minds and driving them crazy, but some of them could learn magic because of that..."
"According to Atropos those under fifteen are less likely to contract Madness, though it's not guaranteed that they Awakened. As for adults it's only a question of when. We need to isolate them inside a Purification barrier until we create the second Key."
He understood what Wolf was trying to say, however he wasn't about to take his advice on the matter, not after he brainwashed the Valkyries into absolute obedience.
Sensing the rising tension Elina quickly searched for something to say.
"Still, don't you think it's a little inefficient?" She said. "Once you create the second Key there won't be any way for us to create a new Awakened, right?"
She was addressing a very important point. The Olympians, despite being from a supposedly higher realm, had no way of forcing their soldiers to Awaken without a Primordial's influence. Because of that they always bring mondaine soldiers with them whenever they invade a world in order to create a new Key. They also rely on the survivors of the worlds they destroy to increase their numbers, recruiting those that are left after the Ritual is done.
Once the Ritual is done and the second Key is created they would reach a standstill. Not only would they have to find other Primordials, they would also have to increase their population.
"According to Atropos..." Sam paused for a moment, thinking it was a bit unsettling how Nino's sister was their only source of information on the matter. "Having two Keys in one place would be like lighting a beacon. While the anti-inter-dimensional barrier might stop Fallen worlds from invading ours, the same can't be said about Primordials from other dimensions."
With the ability to move between plains of existence barriers meant nothing to the ancient entities. Once they sense the accumulated Aether it would be only a matter of time before a few would decide to pay them a visit.
"So the more Key we create the more of those Lovecraftian beings we invite?" Though she has already concluded that a while ago it didn't stop the female scientist from feeling uncomfortable.
"Enemies as well," Wolf added. "I'm guessing your competition has some way of locating each other."
"The barrier might stop them from opening portals on the planet itself, but we can't do anything about space." Sam took his glasses off and massaged his temples, feeling a ghastly headache. "We have no choice but to fight off anyone who tries to invade, or we could try hiding it on other worlds."
Even Atropos' ability Limited Rift is incapable of isolating Aether. Their only option was to try and keep the concentration of the element to a minimum if only to buy time. The Olympians have dimensions designated specifically to store Keys, however they could afford to do so because they have the numbers.
"In the end we won't get anywhere without increasing our numbers first."
Sam had an idea, however he was a bit hesitant to go ahead with it. For the time being he would have to deal with the Resistance as well as the Thor and the Nephilim. Once the Ritual is completed and the second Key is created, only then would he give it a try.