The Oracle Paths-Novel

Chapter 940  Poor Vincent

[Space Link: Allows each member to establish a space link with other faction members of their choice. Once established, it is possible to teleport to the side of or summon the designated faction as space stability or Aether density. Each additional level allows for the concurrent establishment of an additional Space Link.]

This Faction Skill adeptly complemented Vitality Link and United We Stand, conveniently allowing Myrtharian Nerds with the means to afford its services to congregate. One should not be misled by the limited number of Space Links.

At first glance, at level 12, they could establish only 12 simultaneous Space Links, and there was a 24-hour cooldown before they could change them. However, the key was that a loophole within the skill could easily be exploited to perform a rally if the situation demanded it.

If, by misfortune, a beleaguered Myrtharian Nerd found themselves compelled to establish 12 Space Links with other Myrtharian Nerds to summon them to their side, and they consented, the previously solitary Evolver would form a group of 13.

But this did not account for the Space Links of the twelve companions who had teleported to the summoner's side. One of their twelve respective Space Links would be automatically locked for the next 24 hours, connecting them to their summoner, but their remaining 11 Space Links were still at their disposal.

Since there was no delay in activating these Space Links, save for the response time of the contacted companions, it was indeed possible, through a simple chain reaction of summons, to rally millions of separate Players across vast distances in the blink of an eye.

The only true unknown was the amount of Aether points that would be consumed during the process. This cost increased proportionally with the distance separating the two connected Evolvers and could, in theory, become an insurmountable chasm.

After all, not all their comrades were as wealthy as Jake; most had only a few tens or hundreds of millions of Aether points after saving for many months. Sometimes, they had only a few Aether points left, especially after spending everything to survive or seize various opportunities during their last Ordeal.

Jake, Will, and the others were naturally aware of this uncertain factor, but it was better than nothing. Had it been the pre-Fourth Ordeal Jake, he might have thought twice, but now that he was flush with resources and a veritable money factory, he was not entirely powerless against this problem.

To enable the poorest Myrtharian Nerds to use the Space Link as well, whether to flee or request reinforcements, they simply needed to be allowed to use the Aether points stored in the Faction Aether Storage directly. To prevent some fool on the other side of the cosmos from draining their treasury with a single Space Link, they would need to set up an AI to monitor such actions, but with their Oracle AIs, it was not difficult.

Heck, with his supercomputer-like intelligence and the year he had spent studying various sciences and technologies, Jake was relatively confident he could code an AI capable of handling this responsibility himself. And he could do it all in just a few hours if he really put his mind to it. Chat GPT and its clones had better watch out!

Continuing this line of thought, Jake transferred 10 of his Sextillions of Aether points into the Faction Aether Storage to replenish their faction's coffers. Reviewing the new Faction Status, he couldn't help but nod with satisfaction.

[Faction Name: Myrtharian Nerds]

[Faction level: Lvl12 (Promotional conditions: 100 Qa Aether pts, Oracle Rank Brigadier General or higher)]

[Number of members: 135839/419 430 400]

[Faction Aether Storage: 10S pts]

[Aether production: 0 pts/s]

[Faction Skills:]

[Permanent Passive Skill lvl12: Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body (45% (40>65% or +5% per level) of the leader's capacity)... Due to the estimated cost of 1 Septillion Aether points per person to simulate a Grade 10 Energy Body, it is temporarily inaccessible. To access all the features of Cosmic D Starfeyrves Body, each faction member can finance this amount at their own pace, starting by simulating a lower-grade Energy Body first.]

[Faction Space Vault lvl12: 20400 (double with each level) cubic meters of shared storage space, accessible to authorized members and compartmentalizable into several blocks depending on the level of authorization and trust. Activation cost: 100 000 Aether pts/day. The daily cost can be shared by the faction's members.]

[Vitality Link lvl12: Allows the temporary transfer of member vitality to the Skill Activator. An injury can also be transferred to another member with their agreement. Cost: Free. Starting at level 10, each additional level enables an additional simultaneous Vitality Link, allowing multiple faction members to share injuries. Maximum number of Vitality Links activatable simultaneously per person: 3.]

[United We Stand lvl12: For each member present within 1200 meters, Aether, Body, and Soul stats will be boosted by 1.2%. For each additional level, the range increases by 100 meters and the boost by 0.1%. Aether Cost: 1M Aether points per minute.]

[Megafaction lvl12: Allows the faction to exceed its member limit, normally restricted by faction level. Each additional level equates to an additional faction level concerning population limit.]

[Space Link lvl12: Allows each member to establish a space link with other faction members of their choice. Once established, it is possible to teleport to the side of or summon the designated faction 12.]

[Main Floating Island affiliate: 46] [Subfactions: Myrtharian Scavengers, The Aristocats, Myrmidian member with their consent by paying the required Aether points for travel. Following the establishment of a Space Link, it remains immutable for 24 hours. One can decline a Space Link request. The number of Aether points required increases with distance and other local factors such as space stability or Aether density. Each additional level allows for the concurrent establishment of an additional Space Link. Maximum number of Space Links activatable simultaneously per person: 12.]

[Main Floating Island affiliate: 46] [Subfactions: Myrtharian Scavengers, The Aristocats, Myrmidian Nerds.]

As the Myrtharian Nerds received the Oracle System notification announcing the changes at the same time, reactions quickly flooded the faction chat.

[Aurum: This Space Link is great, but I fear it may not be as practical as some imagine. What really gets me is... WTF! Where did these 10 Sextillions of Aether points in the Faction Storage come from?!]

[Vincent Wilderth: ... After being captured by Lost Divinity, I was toyed to death by a damned firebird named Flend. My body and a good portion of my Spirit Body were completely incinerated... I have precisely 1 Aether Point left, and now I'm supposed to pay 1 Septillion Aether points for a Faction Skill? Anyone want to help me die again?]

[Lord Phenix: I don't recall that event. But anyway, this Overlord is more than willing to assist you in dying again.]

[Vincent Wilderth: @&#$! You bird-brained idiot! I'm not talking about you!]

[Gerulf: Sorry, buddy. I couldn't save you because of those two hooded blue deities. But if it's any consolation, your two brides from the Water Elf Tribe are doing well. They're still waiting to consummate the marriage.]

[Vincent Wilderth: !!! I had forgotten I was about to become a king. Maybe there's still a slim chance for me to bounce back...]

[Kevin Wilderth: Hehe... Cousin, have you already forgotten the rather peculiar customs of the Water Elf Tribe? If I remember correctly, the marriage must be consummated... in public.]

Jake, who was lurking in the shadows, reading the chat, nearly choked on his own saliva when he read Kevin's comment. Poor Vincent... His radio silence after that reminder only confirmed Jake's suspicion.

Soon, reactions began pouring back into the faction chat as if nothing had happened.

[Haynt: I was wondering how you were going to solve the member limit issue. I'm reassured now.]

[Xort (The handsomest goblin husband of the Mirror Universe): If I'd had this Space Link in the last Ordeal, I probably wouldn't have died so miserably. Screw you, Lost Divinities!]

[Niss (The most beautiful goblin bride of the Mirror Universe): Shut up, shameless bastard! It's true for the other Myrtharian Nerds who were ambushed against their will, but if I recall correctly, it was you who attacked that female Player who didn't even notice us!]

[Xort (The handsomest goblin of the Mirror Universe): Ahem, darling, did you forget the mission? We were supposed to steal liquid alloy and Aether from isolated Players... I was just following orders!]

[Tim Paradis: Just out of curiosity, who did he attack?]

[Xort (The handsomest goblin of the Mirror Universe): Hmm, let me check my log... Ah, here she is.]

The old goblin, now as handsome as a royal elf in his own opinion, if one ignored his greenish skin, immediately shared a screenshot in the faction chat showing a woman figure as black as the darkest moonless night.

[Ingranus The Bold: Are you sure your log is recording properly?]

Those who had died before the final battle seemed to agree, but Jake and the other finalists immediately recognized that female alien.

Neri!

Alright, it really wasn't Xort and Niss's fault for dying. Jake could count on his two hands the number of Myrtharian Nerds capable of surviving an encounter with Neri.

And that was after they'd received their rewards from the Fourth Ordeal.