Chapter 282 – Accumulate

A month after Dream officially spread his business, word spread like wildfire. 

Dream knew it would take a while for publicity to reach him. In truth, he had actually expected a month to be all he needed for his business to explode. And sure enough, it happened exactly as he thought. 

Dream's bots were too useful. They were manufactured power, something unseen in the wider universe. Dream didn't know of any others, god or otherwise, that could make use of physical energy and arcane transmutation to create bots capable of crushing anything above the class 3 level. 

After all, normal power was individualized. A person had to increase the power of their souls through skills and levels, opening up larger energy reserves that could be used to move magic with greater power. But these bots didn't need the energy reserves of a soul. They could use energy from physical sources and convert it into magical power. 

While this conversion wasn't infinite, relying on enchantments to transmute, Dream made it so that the bots could be powered by anyone of any level. Even a class 2, given enough time, could bring a class 4 bot to full power. Or one could bring the bots to the armory and recharge them for a low price in mana crystals. And with their self-sustaining systems, the bots wouldn't decay even across thousands of years. 

Such a thing had never been seen before, and when all the functions of these bots were discovered, all the asura worlds went ballistic. 

These bots were powerful servants! Who didn't want one of those? And all it took was a few stacks of wealth. Or a soul. 

Dream wasn't stingy when it came to selling his bots. He could easily make trillions with the planet sized factory known as Tersa Prime. But after his bots began to pick up in popularity, he rapidly increased the mana crystal price for them. After all, he primarily wanted souls, so he increased the incentive. With his price changes, souls became an even more valuable currency. 

But there was a catch. Only class 4 souls and above could be used for purchase. Anything below that was too weak and not worth Dream's time. 

And Dream's expectations were met. At the end of that first month, he had received an influx of class 4 souls, even a few class 5 souls. All of these were dumped through the portals and shipped to Dream's doorstep. He giggled like a child when the package formed of crystal was handed to him by Aegis. It was like a Christmas present. 

And he quickly tore them out. Dream lacked Dust. There were too many things he needed it for. And while class 6 souls were the best sources of Dust, technically, all souls had it. Class 4 and 5 souls were merely the only lower level souls that contained decent amounts of it. And in large numbers, it would add up. It wasn't like experience that increased exponentially after every level, making it impossible to garner a lot from those with significantly lower levels than you. 

With that, Dream had effectively succeeded in his business plans. Not only that, but Dream was pleased by how his new city was prospering. 

Dream hadn't built the mechanical city for nothing. He wanted it to act as a hub where higher level bots could be bought. More than that, he just wanted people to flock to this world, increasing its prosperity. To do this, he actually gave a discount to those who bought the bots from within the city. This led to a great many people not just travelling to his city, but permanently residing in it. Many could naturally see the opportunity, and Dream didn't prevent anybody from just walking through the portals he built. Thus, while the city was crowded by any means, there were still almost a million that frequented the place. This number would only grow, and with it the residents.

All it would take was time. Everything Dream had put out was too attractive. Manufactured power and the convenience of a mechanical city. His city was a paradise compared to many worlds, and his products were potentially the most revolutionary items in the universe. 

Of course, all of this popularity naturally garnered the focus of certain gods. 

...........

Dream no longer resided on a desolate mountain. He resided within the most magnificent spire in his mechanical city. His repose was the top floor of this spire, a massive floor that spanned 2 miles in any direction. But this floor was entirely empty. Dream sat in the center all alone, a single chair under his person that he pondered while relaxing in. 

And he wasn't just staring off into space. Dream frequently focused on his conceptual worlds, comprehending their vast mysteries. As for any experiments, while he could do them in the conceptual worlds, in order to hide his identity, he only did experiments within the real world. Specifically within his inventory where everything could be manipulated with his absolute control. 

Now though, Dream was suddenly disturbed. A circular plate on the floor opened up, and a platform rose in its place. The platform carried 6 people, all of whom were demigods. In fact, they were all more powerful than Dream himself. 

Dream spun on his chair, turning to them with a smile. 

"Hello! How can I help you all?"

He tapped his arm rest as the 6 drifted over to him. 4 men and two women. They lined up in front of Dream. Each carried vastly different auras as well as weapons across their backs or on their waists. 

A bow, an axe, a mace, a dagger, a scythe, and a spear. 

"We are envoys for the Reverend Majesties of the 7 god clans. We have come to relay a message to you."

"Their Majesties request your presence."

Two of them spoke, specifically the one carrying the spear and one carrying the bow. 

Dream bobbed his head, understanding what they wanted. 

"Alright. I'll meet with them. Except for that one."

Dream pointed to the man who carried a spear. The man frowned. 

"I can't visit Vursoid, at least not right now."

"...It is rude to directly call a god by his name, let alone refuse their request. What reason do you have?"

"One that's beyond your pay grade. Just tell him that he'll know when I'm ready, and that there will be no need for me to visit at that time. Besides, he's a smart man. There's no way he demanded I be there. He can't afford that just yet."

"..."

The spear envoy frowned even deeper hearing Dream's words. It was humiliating not just for this person who was weaker than him to seemingly stand above him in importance, but for him to speak of his god that way. 

But he didn't want to start conflict. Or, it was more like he disdained to. He collected himself, narrowing his eyes at Dream. 

"I'll relay your message. But a word of advice, correct your manners before someone does it for you. You may be a demigod, but there are differences in infinite power. Don't get arrogant."

"Don't worry, I have no reason to be arrogant. But I will also caution you."

Suddenly, Dream raised his hand. In it appeared a marble, one that didn't even glow with power like his fusion marbles. But Dream still smiled at it. 

"...Don't think that infinite power trumps the finite. Your power may be infinite, but its output is limited. What if something explosive, a finite source of power, surpassed your rate of power output? It may only be for a moment, but that moment would be enough to annihilate you. Don't think for a moment that just because I have a lesser infinity, you can trample over me. And next time, watch yourself when you step onto someone else's home turf."

Dream's eyes bored into the spear envoy. At that moment, the man felt all his instincts scream at him. He felt like the entire planet had aimed weapons of atrocious power at him. Even space seemed to tremble, just waiting to lock him up and tear him to shreds. 

In fact, while none of them felt it as severely as the spear envoy, the other envoys realized that they were sitting ducks too. Then, they all remembered Dream's business.

What did it mean to manufacture power? Most took it at face value. Dream produced bots capable of spiting out laser beams or swinging swords with vast amounts of power backing them. Nobody had bought anything more powerful than a class 5 bot. Naturally, none of these bots could harm a demigod. 

But those who looked a bit deeper realized something. A soul could only contain so much energy, and the methods to store that magical energy within external tools were extremely limited. What then would happen when someone learned to store the energy levels of a demigod across potentially trillions of devices? 

The answer just showed itself. Dream might not have a large infinity backing his power, but he was the best at accumulating. His entire planet was filled with weapons packed full of his energy. One of them might not be much, but trillions? If all that power was expelled all at once, there would be nothing left of even a demigod. 

This was the horrifying reality of Dream's ability. Through physical sources of power like fusion reactors, he could generate magical force. This allowed an unprecedented ability to accumulate power. Given enough time, who would be able to stand up to him?

And he was still growing, his comprehensions deepening by the day. He would only get stronger. 

The envoys quickly realized the person they were dealing with. Dream only seemed like a great craftsman who liked machines, but behind that nice suit and smile was an unfathomable mind and skill. At least on his planet, none of them were safe from him. 

The planet was a deathtrap, and nobody knew it. 

"Anyway!"

As the mood deepened, Dream suddenly clapped, snapping them all out of it. 

"It would be a shame if all you guys came for was to relay messages. There are a great many sights and things to do in my city, more entertainment for a lifetime. You all are welcome to spend some time here. And, as a small token of my appreciation, take a few bots with you. At least for now, I have more than I know what to do with."

With a snap of the fingers, 12 class 5 bots appeared behind the envoys, two for each of them. Dream was gifting them these bots, totally free of charge. 

With that, the two parties said their goodbyes, the bots following their new masters. Dream went back to sitting atop his chair. Even as they were talking, he had been immersed in his thoughts. It took but the tiniest fraction of his mind to focus on engaging with those envoys. 

Dream was wholly concentrated on his conceptual worlds. But now, he had been going about things differently. 

In his concept of Physical Reality, Dream usually sat stop one of the branches of his tree. The tree gradually grew to spread throughout the world, but compared to the vast concept, it was but a drop in the ocean. 

Now though, Dream had jumped off his tree, walking off in the direction of a mountain. Each of the people in this concept had a mountain, tall ones at that. 

"Hey Ziji!"

Dream shouted upon approaching one of the mountains. Right after, Ziji's figure appeared in front of him. He was even older than Dream last saw, now in his thirties. He was a grown man with greater maturity than his previously teenage self. 

"It's you. What can I help you with, glass man?"

"I was wondering if you could teach me about some of the things you know about this concept."

"Teach you?"

Ziji was surprised. This could be said to be a stupid question. And it was a bit out of nowhere. 

First, who wanted someone else to gain more power than them? Second, Dream was now taking over the concept. The more he knew, the less others would. Dream could directly ban others from learning the parts of the concept that he had control of. Not even gods could do such a thing, and this was the primary reason why he was being hunted. Third, Dream was effectively an enemy of Heaven. Finally, if others found out that Ziji was assisting Dream, what would they do to him? Ziji would also become public enemy number one. 

There were too many personal and logical reasons for Ziji to refuse. But Dream definitely knew all of this. None of them were stupid. 

"Are you asking me to teach you out of the kindness of my heart? To give up knowledge that you could potentially take away from me?"

"...Yea."

"And I thought Asmodeus was shameless."

"Ziji!!"

"Can it, demon!"

After hearing an enraged roar from across the world, Ziji shouted back in disgust. After shaking his head, Ziji rested a blank gaze at Dream. 

"Let's see, if I'm found out to have helped you, information Asmodeus would gladly give up, then I could be hunted myself. There's a schism in Heaven, and I'm currently neutral. But this would force me to pick your side. And when the highest Choirs make their move, I would be doomed. There's no question that doing this would be nothing short of signing my death warrant. I'm only lucky that making such a choice would forsake my values..."

Ziji rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. Then, he sighed. 

"I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Alright. I understand."

Dream nodded before walking off. Ziji was a bit surprised by how easily he accepted it, but shrugged anyway. 

After Ziji, Dream went to go visit Disalya. He found her atop her mountain, shifting through her garden. Dream's eyes sparkled when he saw her plants and the way she altered them with her power. 

"I'm sorry."

She spoke when he arrived. What he saw under her loose robes was a bit tempting, especially with her bent over, but he didn't pay it any mind. 

Without any more words, Dream walked off, Disalya sighing. She was also of Heaven, and she was in the same boat as Ziji. 

Then, Dream went to Quanta. Her mountain was riddled with all kinds of dead steampunk equipment. Some looked ancient, becoming more and more advanced the higher the mountain one rose. They all gave glimpses into her progress, until they finally reached the top. 

Dream was like a mortal man as he hiked up these mountains, climbing over crevices and large boulders. At some point, Quanta's mountain turned into a huge warehouse. Dream entered this warehouse, finding all kinds of machines and robots roaring in unison. 

"Step to the right, please."

A voice echoed through across the metal walls. Dream did as he was instructed, and the next instant, a small bot with a helicopter top popped into existence beside his head. It beeped before flying off, teleporting across space spontaneously.

"I have a bit more freedom in Heaven."

He heard that feminine voice echo again as he strutted amongst the thousands of contraptions. He was only slightly concentrated on the words, and wholly concentrated on understanding the equipment around him. 

"Unlike Ziji and Disalya, I'm only a resident in their territories. Upon arriving in this concept, I was careless with my words, and Asmodeus found me in the real world. He hunted me to Heaven, and I've never been able to travel freely since, not that Heaven is a small place. But my life is still tied with Heaven's blanket of safety."

Eventually, Dream found a woman working on a bench. She assembled a tiny little robot butterfly comprised of various gears. It flew despite being made of metal, fluttering around the workbench. 

Quanta turned to Dream, seemingly analyzing his glass body. 

"I've always wanted to work with somebody, but nobody has ever been interested in mechanical hardware as much as I am. The others all focus on more conceptual things, like life, celestial physics, and entropy. Not that those things aren't important, but what use is it if you don't make something utilizing those concepts?"

"Inde-"

"Don't talk."

Just as Dream was about to respond, Quanta threw up a hand. 

"Don't say anything. A single wrong word might give you away. Unless you're intent on starting this war, just stay quiet. Believe me, as stupid as he seems, Asmodeus has a sinister mind. He'll pick up on anything."

"I heard that!"

"Nobody cares, demon!"

Quanta screamed back when the demon roared across the world. After giving him the bird, she sighed and turned back to Dream. 

She didn't say anything else, just looking at him with an expectant gaze. Eventually, Dream nodded.

"Alright."

With that word, he turned and walked out, seemingly understanding something. 

He walked down Quanta's mountain, making his way toward one a bit further away. Above this mountain were 9 stars, and atop the mountain sat Houyi. 

Dream made his way up, eventually finding a large clearing that was perfectly flat with white marble. In the middle sat Houyi, meditating in silence. 

Dream sat beside him, spending some time in silence. 

"...Do you know what kind of influence concepts have on the wider universe?"

Houyi broke the silence with this question, keeping his cross legged posture and eyes closed. 

"You likely don't come from anywhere near where I did, and yet you've heard my legend. Now, did I personally arrive on your world and shoot down nine suns? No, I didn't. But I did shoot down nine suns, and my legend has gone beyond just words. Through my ascension to godhood, my legend has been cemented into the concepts. Now, all the denizens of the universe become aware at some point of my legend. Whether by mystical visions, dreams, or pure imagination, the concepts make others aware through any means. While this might not work in Heaven's territories, it definitely works outside of it, where no influence is dominant."

With those words, Houyi opened his eyes, his gaze boring into Dream's transparent body as if trying to find the flaws in his transparency. Dream just sat there though, unshaken. 

Still, he had a bit of an enlightenment. Didn't that mean that all of the religions of the world or ancient legends were actually true? Well, Heaven was certainly real, as were angels. Hell was also there, and Dream had personally laid eyes on Asmodeus, the demon prince of lust. Now, there was Houyi, a man of ancient legend. 

Turns out, the concepts had buried these legends into the subconscious thoughts of Earth's people. It didn't come from nothing. Like the small event of Dream's Ascendancy forming, he was yet again made aware of the nature of concepts. 

Houyi smiled, eventually sighing. 

"Unfortunately, I can't help you. I represent the Immortal Faction, and helping you would pit us against Heaven and Hell. Such a thing can result in our annihilation, and we've almost always been a neutral party. But I really am neutral. I won't stop you from keeping me company on this desolate mountain top. I just won't give advice. So feel free to stop by as you wish."

"Thank you."

Dream smiled a bit before standing and descending the mountain. Then, he made his way over to the next mountain. 

Before he even got to the top, he could feel the potent aura of demons and sex. Still, Dream ascended all the same, eventually crossing into the abode of Asmodeus. 

"So you've come!"

Dream heard a shout. At the same time, he got a clear view of exactly what the demon did up here. 

In simple words, it was a sex dungeon. A place of carnal desire, and although he knew they weren't true beings, Dream was surprised when he saw people walking about the place. All of them nude, of course. 

And Asmodeus was in the middle of it all, only ceasing his indulgence in carnal desire when Dream appeared. 

"...Maybe I should just leave."

"No! You've come to learn from me, right? Well, I can teach you everything you want to know."

"No, I don't want to know that."

Dream backed away as the demon sauntered over, hiding nothing. While Dream was a man of pure knowledge and science, and he was sure the demon knew a lot about this concept, he was rethinking actually learning anything from him. 

Dream shook his head. 

"I just figure this part out myself. Nevermind."

"Hey! Don't walk away when you have me on edge like this!"

"Blegh..."

Dream's transparent face scrunched as he rushed out even quicker. Really, why did he think this was a good idea?