Transcending Dreams

B2 - Chapter 78

You learned a new trick, Lord Paddlingtons much smaller body floated before him.

William blinked in surprise at the sudden change from having a mountain-sized turtle to one slightly bigger than his palm.

Wait! WheresOh. Kae was snoozing next to his egg.

He should wake in a few minutes, Lord Paddlington glided close to the egg. You have a new trick and a new thing. This one is more interesting.

William snatched his spirit beast egg off the sand and wrapped his arms around it as if that would protect it from the nearly salivating turtle. He couldnt be sure, but he swore that he could feel the beast inside the egg thank him.

This was a gift from William froze, realizing just how bad it would have been if he revealed an imperial prince had given the egg to him. Its important to me.

Lord Paddlington tilted his tiny head in thought before finally nodding. I suppose it wont be too much of a hardship if I dont make myself an omelet. Shame. This one could be one of the best.

William shifted back on his butt instinctively. Go find another egg to eat.

You think its easy? The turtle narrowed its eyes. The last time I found an egg worth cooking, my master was still in this plane. Everything else has been trash!

As uncomfortable as it was to hear Lord Paddlingtons desire to snack on his spirit beast egg, William knew this was a good sign. An excellent sign.

Whatever would hatch from it was almost guaranteed to be a high-tier spirit beast.

Right, William cleared his throat. So you know what this egg is, then?

Why would you think that? Lord Paddlington looked at him like he was stupid. Does it look like I would care to learn about lesser creatures?

The egg pulsed in anger, making William look down at it in surprise. That was the clearest indication yet that it could understand what was happening around it.

Heh, Lord Paddlington floated closer to the egg. What are you angry about, whelp? Give thanks to your human. You would be cracked open and made into a delicious meal without him.

The egg suddenly lost all signs of life as it retreated into its metaphorical shell. He was now confident it understood everything.

Leave it alone, William stood to get the egg away from the turtle. He thought about storing it in his spatial stone since Kae was unconscious, mostly to hide it from Lord Paddlington but also to free up both arms. How difficult is it to remove Empress Sophias avatar?

For the current you? Near impossible.

Why are you asking me to help if thats the case?

Ive seen how quickly your cultivation grows. Its reasonably fast, so I expect you will be strong enough by the time you reach the avatar, Lord Paddlington said sagely. And take the boy with you. That transformation of his will help greatly if youre about to die for being too weak.

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That made it almost mandatory for him to store the egg in his spatial stone. It would be suicide otherwise.

Is it possible for you to block some of Kaes memories? There are some things I dont want revealed, things I suspect will be impossible to hide if this is as difficult as you say.

Matters of the soul are not ones I am willing to touch, Lord Paddlington rejected harshly. If that was an option, I wouldnt have put your friend to sleep.

William nodded slowly in acceptance. He noted in the back of his mind that memories were somehow related to the soul. He supposed that made sense since that made up who you were.

More importantly, he would need to figure out how to keep his spatial stone secret while also using it to feed the egg occasionally.

A problem for future William to figure out.

That makes sense, he placated the angry turtle. Since thats the case, tell me more about what I can expect in this retrieval mission.

Who said anything about retrieve? Lord Paddlington floated to Williams face and used a flipper to pat his cheek mockingly. Remove. Thats what you need to do. Get rid of my masters avatar before it can get corrupted further.

Williams face paled in fear. The word corrupted brought up images of the monsters he met in the Shard, of which even the weakest could cause him serious damage.

The idea of Sophiaeven if it was only an avatar of hersgetting corrupted was the stuff of nightmares. It was almost enough for him to say his prayers to the Jade Healing Sect and walk away from this mess.

And you say Ill be able to do this successfully? William said doubtfully. Empress Sophias avatar will be able to crush me like a bug.

Very true, Lord Paddlington agreed happily. Luckily for you, the corruption seems to have deteriorated the avatars power. I estimate it to be at early Core Formation, perhaps middle stage at worst.

He stared at the turtle blankly. That was terrible news. Im in early stage Foundation Establishment Realm. There is no way I can cross a major realm to fight the avatar of Empress Sophia. The martial skills she must have makes me doubt if thats possible even if I were of the same cultivation!

Very true, the turtle was getting on his nerves. Once again, I have good news for you! The corrupted avatar has weakened the connection it has with my master in the higher plane. That, in turn, degrades the skills and powers it can use.

William nodded slowly in understanding. If that was true, he really did have a chance to do this successfully. Since you claim I will grow in power before I meet the avatar, I assume there are plenty of beasts to fight beforehand?

Ah beasts, Lord Paddlington drew out the word. You could say that. So, whats your decision? Do you want to help me with this, or should I take care of the headache by erasing everything?

[Main Quest: Remove Empress Sophias corrupted avatar]

[Information: A Dao Seeking Realm ancestor of the Jade Healing Sect harnessed the power in Empress Sophias avatar to serve as the power source for the Nine Realms Alchemy Abyss. Lord Paddlington has offered an option to fix this issue without destroying the sect. Remove the avatar from its prison, or destroy it. Either option will work.]

[Reward: ? | The Jade Healing Sect will not be destroyed]

[Penalty: Death | The Jade Healing Sect will be destroyed]

[Accept: Y/N]

An image flashed in his mind when he read the penalty. A turtle the size of multiple cities hovering over the Jade Healing Sect, repeating what he had seen it do in the Shard. Bring a flipper down to shatter the land.

William had resolved long ago to try and avoid anything that laid out his death as a consequence. He was also lamenting very recently about not having a main quest.

Oh, youll die if you fail? Lord Paddlington moved to hover next to his face. You could avoid it and just let me take care of this.

He was reminded that the turtle could see his system. As for its suggestion, that wouldnt happen.

I accept.

[Accepted]

[Main Quest Added | Remove Empress Sophias corrupted avatar]