Chapter 797
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Chapter 797
Now that his technique was at a base functional, Devon was going to look quite foolish if it was immediately picked out by Vrelt or if he couldnt sense anything past their barriers. Was it even alright to pry into the business of a planet that just wanted to be left alone?
Going by the best example he had, Devon ultimately decided that the circumstances were different from what they encountered before. And while using an unfriendly attitude as a reason to spy on people might seem like a bit of a stretch, it was exactly the sort of thing they shouldnt ignore if there might be plotting involved. In short, if he ultimately found out that they were just grumpy and isolationist, he would share nothing more from his invasion of privacy than what was necessary.
Devon wasnt the only one with suspicions about the place, of course. The core of the alliance agreed that it was necessary, otherwise Devon wouldnt have continued to go forward with his attempt unilaterally. Most importantly, Anton supported him. That didnt mean it wouldnt end up as a mistake- but his grandfather had helped him avoid many in the past. In several instances, he had been warned and didnt heed his advice or failed to seek guidance when it would have helped.
A ship carried him just outside the system, beyond the range it was expected anyone would detect them. They couldnt be certain, of course, but ultimately the whole point was about discovery. If Vrelt was both much more powerful than anticipated and so easily provoked into hostile action, then they would have to deal with them eventually regardless. It was unlikely a single planet could challenge their alliance, but it wasnt impossible either.
Instead of delaying any further, Devon made his way towards the system, approaching nearly perpendicular to the rotational plane of the populated planet. He kept a slight angle, just to be cautious, but they hadnt previously detected anything stretching beyond the confines of the world. It was mainly in case some bored cultivator stretched their senses to the stars, though they would likely have to be beyond Life Transformation for that to be the case. So far, they had only seen such power originate in two places, the Sylanis Cluster and the core of their alliance.
Once Devon found himself close enough, he negated his momentum relative to the rotation of the planet below. Then he slowly reached out, thin chains growing. Hed tested himself in many ways over the years, but he couldnt help but be nervous. Chains grew across each other and stretched to the far side of the planet, requiring a significant expenditure of energy but not having much presence themselves as each link was minimal in power. The chains then crossed each other in perpendiculars, forming the full nine chains dividing the area among them. Each gap could be the size of a country, but the whole planet was encircled with his technique. And while he might have certain blind spots, there was nothing that said he couldnt rotate his chains later, either when creating them anew or actively as they remained in place.
The entirety of the area inside of his technique became clear to him but at first it was only the outside of the barrier. He still had to push through that no, he needed to be more subtle than that. The barrier would certainly react to force. His main encouragement was that barriers on such a large scale usually had to have uniform strengths and weaknesses, so once he found a vulnerability he could exploit it.
Through his web of chains, a vague image of the planet below filled his head. It was indistinct. Blurred. The energy he was detecting was scattered by distance and the distortion of the planetary barrier. He still needed to find his way through but before that, he slowly tried to adjust his own perceptions. Though he couldnt clearly pick out everything, he felt larger sources of power. Large cities or sect grounds, as well as a few individual cultivators. He didnt actively reach out, so he couldnt learn much except that some were at the peak of Life Transformation or possibly just beyond.
Rather than try to push through to detect more, Devon slowly unraveled his technique, withdrawing the chains into himself and capturing any loose energy he would have unleashed. It was only a few minutes, but he had expended about a tenth of his energy. While that meant he could have continued for half an hour to an hour, he didnt want to exhaust himself and make mistakes. Furthermore, he wanted to make sure he kept his actions subtle. He slowly began to peel himself away from the gravitational pull of the planet, careful not to surge his energy in an easily detectable way. There was little he could do to hide if someone focused on his precise position, but he could at least not sloppily spew energy around himself.
So, a longer term occupation by the Trigold Cluster- and more than just their regular infiltration. It was far too early in the cycle for those involved to have built themselves up from a collective of infiltrators. It made some sense- on Ceretos, the Exalted Quadrants had their own claims. And the Trigold Cluster was expansive enough that their larger sects might try various different strategies to extract the most they could from the lower realms.
If only the World Encompassing Chains had advanced to the level it could be used as an attacking technique but of course, Devon didnt actually want to destroy the planet. He doubted that would ever be the most efficient option. Furthermore he was fairly certain that not all of the planet was beholden to the whims of the Trigold Cluster. If that was the case, he would call upon the alliance to scour the planet of everyone. That wasnt something theyd ever had to do- neither in the war with the Sylanis Cluster nor with Ekict- but they might come upon a situation it was necessary.
Devon slowly withdrew his energy, before his agitation revealed something. He needed to report what he had found, at least. It would explain the unfriendliness, as they wouldnt want their secret revealed. Unfortunately, that also meant that the Trigold Cluster would have more information on how far their reach as a spacefaring civilization had gone. Even if their communication methods were worse, certainly by now they must have transmitted something. They might not have enough information to make the connection to Ceretos and Weos but that was something that the alliance as a whole needed to manage.
-----
After Devons discovery, there were quite a few in favor of more aggressive observation tactics or even a direct assault, but cooler heads prevailed. At the very least, waiting another few months wouldnt make much difference. Devon didnt yet know exactly how many people might be beholden to the Trigold Cluster, but if there were people they could contact that werent part of them, it was better to work with the locals to help them secure their own release. Just stomping onto other planets and clearing them out might ultimately benefit them, but it would probably also breed resentment and fear.
Meanwhile, Inistra had been able to solve their problems with relatively little interference by Anton beyond some knowledge and the detection techniques. The Trigold Cluster tended to conceal the cultivations of more than just the Twin Soul Sect, but they were the ones who were the most deeply embedded and ironically the easiest to reveal with the techniques that had been created. The Trigold Cluster must know by now that their concealment was fallible, but hopefully they wouldnt learn the exact method.
To properly learn more about the planet, Devon needed more than just energy. He needed interactions. Conversations, preferably. The natural energy would be a good medium to transfer that sound- the atmosphere wouldnt reach all the way to him, after all- but it would take a significant adjustment to actually hear anything of use.
The first sounds he got were cacophonic. Noise from the whole planet, or a significant part of it, all at once but also distorted. Perhaps it was better to focus on smaller areas, but Devon was confident he could filter through things to pick out significant conversations if he started at a broad range that was still significantly less than every noise on the planet. Preferably, he would pick out conversations around the strongest cultivators and biggest sects. That could still be hundreds of relevant conversations all at once, but any that caught his attention he could focus on.
If he wasnt maintaining the World Encompassing Chains, he might actually be able to fully listen to dozens of conversations at once. Instead, he thought narrowing it down to a handful of actual focus would be required- but he should at least be able to get a better picture of how the planet was functioning. Like where did they get new resources if they had a planetary formation but werent spreading beyond? That was always a struggle for cultivators.
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Chapter 797
Now that his technique was at a base functional, Devon was going to look quite foolish if it was immediately picked out by Vrelt or if he couldnt sense anything past their barriers. Was it even alright to pry into the business of a planet that just wanted to be left alone?
Going by the best example he had, Devon ultimately decided that the circumstances were different from what they encountered before. And while using an unfriendly attitude as a reason to spy on people might seem like a bit of a stretch, it was exactly the sort of thing they shouldnt ignore if there might be plotting involved. In short, if he ultimately found out that they were just grumpy and isolationist, he would share nothing more from his invasion of privacy than what was necessary.
Devon wasnt the only one with suspicions about the place, of course. The core of the alliance agreed that it was necessary, otherwise Devon wouldnt have continued to go forward with his attempt unilaterally. Most importantly, Anton supported him. That didnt mean it wouldnt end up as a mistake- but his grandfather had helped him avoid many in the past. In several instances, he had been warned and didnt heed his advice or failed to seek guidance when it would have helped.
A ship carried him just outside the system, beyond the range it was expected anyone would detect them. They couldnt be certain, of course, but ultimately the whole point was about discovery. If Vrelt was both much more powerful than anticipated and so easily provoked into hostile action, then they would have to deal with them eventually regardless. It was unlikely a single planet could challenge their alliance, but it wasnt impossible either.
Instead of delaying any further, Devon made his way towards the system, approaching nearly perpendicular to the rotational plane of the populated planet. He kept a slight angle, just to be cautious, but they hadnt previously detected anything stretching beyond the confines of the world. It was mainly in case some bored cultivator stretched their senses to the stars, though they would likely have to be beyond Life Transformation for that to be the case. So far, they had only seen such power originate in two places, the Sylanis Cluster and the core of their alliance.
Once Devon found himself close enough, he negated his momentum relative to the rotation of the planet below. Then he slowly reached out, thin chains growing. Hed tested himself in many ways over the years, but he couldnt help but be nervous. Chains grew across each other and stretched to the far side of the planet, requiring a significant expenditure of energy but not having much presence themselves as each link was minimal in power. The chains then crossed each other in perpendiculars, forming the full nine chains dividing the area among them. Each gap could be the size of a country, but the whole planet was encircled with his technique. And while he might have certain blind spots, there was nothing that said he couldnt rotate his chains later, either when creating them anew or actively as they remained in place.
The entirety of the area inside of his technique became clear to him but at first it was only the outside of the barrier. He still had to push through that no, he needed to be more subtle than that. The barrier would certainly react to force. His main encouragement was that barriers on such a large scale usually had to have uniform strengths and weaknesses, so once he found a vulnerability he could exploit it.
Through his web of chains, a vague image of the planet below filled his head. It was indistinct. Blurred. The energy he was detecting was scattered by distance and the distortion of the planetary barrier. He still needed to find his way through but before that, he slowly tried to adjust his own perceptions. Though he couldnt clearly pick out everything, he felt larger sources of power. Large cities or sect grounds, as well as a few individual cultivators. He didnt actively reach out, so he couldnt learn much except that some were at the peak of Life Transformation or possibly just beyond.
Rather than try to push through to detect more, Devon slowly unraveled his technique, withdrawing the chains into himself and capturing any loose energy he would have unleashed. It was only a few minutes, but he had expended about a tenth of his energy. While that meant he could have continued for half an hour to an hour, he didnt want to exhaust himself and make mistakes. Furthermore, he wanted to make sure he kept his actions subtle. He slowly began to peel himself away from the gravitational pull of the planet, careful not to surge his energy in an easily detectable way. There was little he could do to hide if someone focused on his precise position, but he could at least not sloppily spew energy around himself.
So, a longer term occupation by the Trigold Cluster- and more than just their regular infiltration. It was far too early in the cycle for those involved to have built themselves up from a collective of infiltrators. It made some sense- on Ceretos, the Exalted Quadrants had their own claims. And the Trigold Cluster was expansive enough that their larger sects might try various different strategies to extract the most they could from the lower realms.
If only the World Encompassing Chains had advanced to the level it could be used as an attacking technique but of course, Devon didnt actually want to destroy the planet. He doubted that would ever be the most efficient option. Furthermore he was fairly certain that not all of the planet was beholden to the whims of the Trigold Cluster. If that was the case, he would call upon the alliance to scour the planet of everyone. That wasnt something theyd ever had to do- neither in the war with the Sylanis Cluster nor with Ekict- but they might come upon a situation it was necessary.
Devon slowly withdrew his energy, before his agitation revealed something. He needed to report what he had found, at least. It would explain the unfriendliness, as they wouldnt want their secret revealed. Unfortunately, that also meant that the Trigold Cluster would have more information on how far their reach as a spacefaring civilization had gone. Even if their communication methods were worse, certainly by now they must have transmitted something. They might not have enough information to make the connection to Ceretos and Weos but that was something that the alliance as a whole needed to manage.
-----
After Devons discovery, there were quite a few in favor of more aggressive observation tactics or even a direct assault, but cooler heads prevailed. At the very least, waiting another few months wouldnt make much difference. Devon didnt yet know exactly how many people might be beholden to the Trigold Cluster, but if there were people they could contact that werent part of them, it was better to work with the locals to help them secure their own release. Just stomping onto other planets and clearing them out might ultimately benefit them, but it would probably also breed resentment and fear.
Meanwhile, Inistra had been able to solve their problems with relatively little interference by Anton beyond some knowledge and the detection techniques. The Trigold Cluster tended to conceal the cultivations of more than just the Twin Soul Sect, but they were the ones who were the most deeply embedded and ironically the easiest to reveal with the techniques that had been created. The Trigold Cluster must know by now that their concealment was fallible, but hopefully they wouldnt learn the exact method.
To properly learn more about the planet, Devon needed more than just energy. He needed interactions. Conversations, preferably. The natural energy would be a good medium to transfer that sound- the atmosphere wouldnt reach all the way to him, after all- but it would take a significant adjustment to actually hear anything of use.
The first sounds he got were cacophonic. Noise from the whole planet, or a significant part of it, all at once but also distorted. Perhaps it was better to focus on smaller areas, but Devon was confident he could filter through things to pick out significant conversations if he started at a broad range that was still significantly less than every noise on the planet. Preferably, he would pick out conversations around the strongest cultivators and biggest sects. That could still be hundreds of relevant conversations all at once, but any that caught his attention he could focus on.
If he wasnt maintaining the World Encompassing Chains, he might actually be able to fully listen to dozens of conversations at once. Instead, he thought narrowing it down to a handful of actual focus would be required- but he should at least be able to get a better picture of how the planet was functioning. Like where did they get new resources if they had a planetary formation but werent spreading beyond? That was always a struggle for cultivators.
Chapter 797Now that his technique was at a base functional, Devon was going to look quite foolish if it was immediately picked out by Vrelt or if he couldnt sense anything past their barriers. Was it even alright to pry into the business of a planet that just wanted to be left alone?Going by the best example he had, Devon ultimately decided that the circumstances were different from what they encountered before. And while using an unfriendly attitude as a reason to spy on people might seem like a bit of a stretch, it was exactly the sort of thing they shouldnt ignore if there might be plotting involved. In short, if he ultimately found out that they were just grumpy and isolationist, he would share nothing more from his invasion of privacy than what was necessary. Devon wasnt the only one with suspicions about the place, of course. The core of the alliance agreed that it was necessary, otherwise Devon wouldnt have continued to go forward with his attempt unilaterally. Most importantly, Anton supported him. That didnt mean it wouldnt end up as a mistake- but his grandfather had helped him avoid many in the past. In several instances, he had been warned and didnt heed his advice or failed to seek guidance when it would have helped.A ship carried him just outside the system, beyond the range it was expected anyone would detect them. They couldnt be certain, of course, but ultimately the whole point was about discovery. If Vrelt was both much more powerful than anticipated and so easily provoked into hostile action, then they would have to deal with them eventually regardless. It was unlikely a single planet could challenge their alliance, but it wasnt impossible either.Instead of delaying any further, Devon made his way towards the system, approaching nearly perpendicular to the rotational plane of the populated planet. He kept a slight angle, just to be cautious, but they hadnt previously detected anything stretching beyond the confines of the world. It was mainly in case some bored cultivator stretched their senses to the stars, though they would likely have to be beyond Life Transformation for that to be the case. So far, they had only seen such power originate in two places, the Sylanis Cluster and the core of their alliance.Once Devon found himself close enough, he negated his momentum relative to the rotation of the planet below. Then he slowly reached out, thin chains growing. Hed tested himself in many ways over the years, but he couldnt help but be nervous. Chains grew across each other and stretched to the far side of the planet, requiring a significant expenditure of energy but not having much presence themselves as each link was minimal in power. The chains then crossed each other in perpendiculars, forming the full nine chains dividing the area among them. Each gap could be the size of a country, but the whole planet was encircled with his technique. And while he might have certain blind spots, there was nothing that said he couldnt rotate his chains later, either when creating them anew or actively as they remained in place.The entirety of the area inside of his technique became clear to him but at first it was only the outside of the barrier. He still had to push through that no, he needed to be more subtle than that. The barrier would certainly react to force. His main encouragement was that barriers on such a large scale usually had to have uniform strengths and weaknesses, so once he found a vulnerability he could exploit it.Through his web of chains, a vague image of the planet below filled his head. It was indistinct. Blurred. The energy he was detecting was scattered by distance and the distortion of the planetary barrier. He still needed to find his way through but before that, he slowly tried to adjust his own perceptions. Though he couldnt clearly pick out everything, he felt larger sources of power. Large cities or sect grounds, as well as a few individual cultivators. He didnt actively reach out, so he couldnt learn much except that some were at the peak of Life Transformation or possibly just beyond. Rather than try to push through to detect more, Devon slowly unraveled his technique, withdrawing the chains into himself and capturing any loose energy he would have unleashed. It was only a few minutes, but he had expended about a tenth of his energy. While that meant he could have continued for half an hour to an hour, he didnt want to exhaust himself and make mistakes. Furthermore, he wanted to make sure he kept his actions subtle. He slowly began to peel himself away from the gravitational pull of the planet, careful not to surge his energy in an easily detectable way. There was little he could do to hide if someone focused on his precise position, but he could at least not sloppily spew energy around himself.So, a longer term occupation by the Trigold Cluster- and more than just their regular infiltration. It was far too early in the cycle for those involved to have built themselves up from a collective of infiltrators. It made some sense- on Ceretos, the Exalted Quadrants had their own claims. And the Trigold Cluster was expansive enough that their larger sects might try various different strategies to extract the most they could from the lower realms.If only the World Encompassing Chains had advanced to the level it could be used as an attacking technique but of course, Devon didnt actually want to destroy the planet. He doubted that would ever be the most efficient option. Furthermore he was fairly certain that not all of the planet was beholden to the whims of the Trigold Cluster. If that was the case, he would call upon the alliance to scour the planet of everyone. That wasnt something theyd ever had to do- neither in the war with the Sylanis Cluster nor with Ekict- but they might come upon a situation it was necessary.Devon slowly withdrew his energy, before his agitation revealed something. He needed to report what he had found, at least. It would explain the unfriendliness, as they wouldnt want their secret revealed. Unfortunately, that also meant that the Trigold Cluster would have more information on how far their reach as a spacefaring civilization had gone. Even if their communication methods were worse, certainly by now they must have transmitted something. They might not have enough information to make the connection to Ceretos and Weos but that was something that the alliance as a whole needed to manage.-----After Devons discovery, there were quite a few in favor of more aggressive observation tactics or even a direct assault, but cooler heads prevailed. At the very least, waiting another few months wouldnt make much difference. Devon didnt yet know exactly how many people might be beholden to the Trigold Cluster, but if there were people they could contact that werent part of them, it was better to work with the locals to help them secure their own release. Just stomping onto other planets and clearing them out might ultimately benefit them, but it would probably also breed resentment and fear. Meanwhile, Inistra had been able to solve their problems with relatively little interference by Anton beyond some knowledge and the detection techniques. The Trigold Cluster tended to conceal the cultivations of more than just the Twin Soul Sect, but they were the ones who were the most deeply embedded and ironically the easiest to reveal with the techniques that had been created. The Trigold Cluster must know by now that their concealment was fallible, but hopefully they wouldnt learn the exact method.To properly learn more about the planet, Devon needed more than just energy. He needed interactions. Conversations, preferably. The natural energy would be a good medium to transfer that sound- the atmosphere wouldnt reach all the way to him, after all- but it would take a significant adjustment to actually hear anything of use.The first sounds he got were cacophonic. Noise from the whole planet, or a significant part of it, all at once but also distorted. Perhaps it was better to focus on smaller areas, but Devon was confident he could filter through things to pick out significant conversations if he started at a broad range that was still significantly less than every noise on the planet. Preferably, he would pick out conversations around the strongest cultivators and biggest sects. That could still be hundreds of relevant conversations all at once, but any that caught his attention he could focus on.If he wasnt maintaining the World Encompassing Chains, he might actually be able to fully listen to dozens of conversations at once. Instead, he thought narrowing it down to a handful of actual focus would be required- but he should at least be able to get a better picture of how the planet was functioning. Like where did they get new resources if they had a planetary formation but werent spreading beyond? That was always a struggle for cultivators.
