NOVPUB--
A couple of years passed by in peace...
Cedric stayed at home with his wives while his clone did his work at the Border Patrol Office. Sometimes, he would take his wives out on a date. They would either visit the mortal world below, disguising themselves to blend in. There, they would often marvel at how the world greatly changed over time. They would go to places they'd been before, reminiscing about the past and concluding that everything was much better now than in the past.
They also visited the other worlds that are now colonized by humans, most of which are still underpopulated but offer a great amount of natural scenery for them to enjoy.
Once Solaris Prime got too boring for them, Cedric brought them to other commercial planets in the Alliance for a change.
All in all, Cedric was making up for the years he's been away from them, reigniting the passion of their marriage.
As for their kids, they're off doing their stuff. Godwyn still works as Solaris Prime's governor, Gilderoy was out travelling with his wife and disciple, and Gerald went adventuring with his friends.
The boys have reached the 2nd stage of Void Refinement over the years, expanding their Inner World to 99 miles in diameter. They're stronger than ever, so Cedric wasn't all that worried anymore. Besides, they always brought his protection with them, albeit without them knowing.
Despite being idle for the most part, Cedric's strength still rose significantly over these years.
His inner world expanded to 12 billion miles, and his comprehension of concept laws became deeper and more intimate. To say that he's at an unfathomable level now would certainly be a statement.
Also, recently, Cedric received some good news from the Wise Dragon Chancellor.
Previously, the old dragon filed for a sabbatical to take care of clan stuff, which was rescinded after Cedric shared the secrets of making a clone. The reason why the old dragon wanted to return to his clan was his desire to try again with his wives and concubines.
The old dragon, even with his exaggerated lifespan, never had a descendant. It wasn't for the lack of trying; it's because of balance. Strong creatures like Wise Dragons had naturally low reproductive abilities, especially after the decline of the Ancients.
Now that Chancellor Igor had fulfilled his wish to become an Ancient just like his predecessors, he had a hunch that maybe, just maybe, attempting to conceive with his ladies would produce better results now at this stage.
The good news Cedric received wasn't just sent to him, it was forwarded to the Chancellors and the Paragons too. It was a video clip that showed the transformed old dragon roaring and crying with tears of joy.
[Roar! Roar! ]
You guys! I'm going to be a dad! Fuck! I'm going to be a dad! ]
My wives are nesting! My concubines too! Fuck! Fuck! I'm so fucking happy! Roar! ]
[Uuuu! I'm so fucking excited! I'm going to be a papa! Holy shit! Finally! ]
The scene was comical because you can see a big-ass dragon rampaging within some distant and abandoned asteroid belt, slamming his head and his body on rocks, breathing out fireworks, laughing, and crying with tears of joy because of his jubilant mood.
As hilarious as this was to everybody, nobody mocked him. They can't. They all know how difficult it was for the old dragon, so now that he made it, all they felt was joy and relief. Only those who came from races that faced difficulty with reproduction can truly understand what the old dragon felt.
Igor venting his emotions this way wasn't strange at all. In fact, they'd find it weird if he could still keep his calm after receiving this news.
'Oh, his children are going to be so pampered.'
This is what Cedric thought after receiving the news. Considering that there's literally tens of thousands of years of age gap between the unborn wise dragon children and the latest youngster their race had, adding the fact that these were the children of their beloved Chancellor, it wouldn't be surprising if the entire race doted on his children.
Hell, Cedric could actually see signs of it now. Because around the time the news got out, the adult males of the wise dragon clan became more protective of their home.
The security became stricter, patrols happened more often, weapons were primed, etc. They also began collecting resources, which caused a slight shift in the alliance market all of a sudden.
Moreover, Igor's wives and concubines were guarded and tended to at all times. Even the slightest bit of threat to their safety and pregnancy was not tolerated.
All of this occurred in an unspoken manner. Igor did not order them to do any of this. They did it on their own.
The message was clear. If anybody wants to harm the new generation of Wise Dragons, they'd have to step over the dead bodies of the old ones first.
The entirety of the Wise Dragon Clan was currently untouchable right now, and everybody knows and respects it. Nobody would foolishly provoke their ire; they're not considered the strongest race in the alliance for no reason.
Cedric was happy for the old guy, truly. The old man has suffered a lot. He lost his adopted son and bore the weight of responsibility for so many years. He deserves this at least.
To this extent, Cedric dared to peek at the heavenly secrets. He didn't look for much; he just inquired if Igor's children would be born alive and healthy. Well, the results aren't surprising. There's a 99% chance that every egg will hatch with a strong and healthy baby.
Surprisingly, Cedric could feel Igor's willpower swarming this particular trend. Signifying that he deliberately interfered with it, and if there's even a slight shift in this trend, Igor will certainly notice it.
'Yeah, I don't blame him at all. He must've gone here first and foremost after learning that his wives and concubines were pregnant'.
Interfering with a Fate Trend like this was far from being simple. If it were that easy, then the Wise Dragon Clan could have had more people now.
The only reason why Igor succeeded in manipulating the odds was because of his karma with his wives and concubines. Additionally, the Fate Trend was still young and impressionable. Had Igor delayed even for a few days, he wouldn't have been able to subdue it with his methods.
But even after doing all of this, Igor can't push the odds to 100%; the maximum is stuck at 99%. That's an inviolable rule that not even he could change. He already pushed his luck by interfering; if he pushes some more, he'd risk reversing the odds, and that would be devastating.
Messing with the Heavenly Secrets and Fate Trends is just that finicky.
**
"Oh, it's you…wait! Aren't you at the office?" Silas' clone tilted his head in confusion after staring at Cedric's clone.
"I'm Clone Two, actually. Nice to meet you." Cedric's second clone greeted him.
"Clone Two? Why would he make more? Is one not enough to handle the work here? That shouldn't be, right?"
"Yeah, that's not it." Clone Two nodded. "He sent me here for another reason."
"And that is?"
"To explore the void," Clone Two revealed, making Silas' clone silent.
Since the changes that happened to the Border Patrol Office and its stabilization, the void gates had been opened once more. As horrible as the void was, they can't deny that the materials it could offer were rich and useful, meaning they can't keep the gates locked forever.
Throughout the years, the technology of the Border Patrol Office improved explosively. Their surveillance capabilities in the void had gotten much better compared to the past, so now they could more accurately predict the rise and fall of void density and any possibilities of horde forming.
With these improvements, they were able to more efficiently gather resources to empower the camps even more. They also handled invasion attempts better, even with the chancellors or paragons taking the lead.
At this point, efforts to explore and map out the void had been increased. They placed great importance on understanding the void better to eliminate any element of surprise from them.
"I assume you're going to be going out alone," Silas' clone boldly stated.
"And you'd be right. Congratulations, no prizes for you though." Clone Two chuckled.
"Hmm," Silas' clone hummed to himself, "Well, I certainly can't stop you. Besides, you're just a clone, so the risks aren't too high. Just make sure to not let them harvest this piece of your soul, alright? Blow yourself up if they catch you."
"Already planned to do just that, but thanks." Clone Two stated, "I'll go suit up now, later!"
"Go slowly."
Clone Two didn't face too much resistance in his mission. Some definitely tried to stop him, but after learning that he's just a clone, their resistance faded.
Having geared up as much as he could, Clone Two made his way to the gates. The guards there still found it weird that he'd be going out alone, but it's not their business to pry, so they let him through.
And as soon as Clone Two made his way to the other side, a strange expression appeared on his face.
'Ugh, this place still stinks.'
