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"Well, I knew that this would eventually happen. I just didn't expect that it'd be this early." Cedric sighed while looking outside the window. "But I suppose it's much better for you to be informed of what we're dealing with so that you'd know what to do moving forward." Experience tales at empire
He turned around and saw the faces of the High Marshals and other important people of the Prime Earth Federation.
The clues he and Acala left behind, hinting at the existence of other races and civilizations out there, had all been collected and analyzed for a while now, but it wasn't until today that they all came to him seeking answers.
"Yes, there are many other lifeforms out there," he confirmed, which didn't really surprise anybody since they've met demons after all. "And yes, I have met a lot of them personally; I even befriended a handful of them."
"Your Excellency, does that mean that you've been out there?" One of the staff hesitantly asked.
Cedric turned to this person and said, "Well, technically yes. But not really."
"My mind, and recently my body, had gone somewhere far beyond our Solar System. You see, I was scouted by one of the organizations there and had been doing well so far. In fact, since after the Origin Energy Storm that happened, which revitalized the small territory of Azure Terra way back then, I was already a...participant of that organization."
"It's why I was able to increase my strength way beyond your conceptions. Weren't you all wondering where I got all of the cultivation methods I've placed in the depository? Well, I can tell you that the majority of those came from there. I bought them and brought them back here."
Again, most of them already suspected that this was the case. The hints all pointed to it, and they've made several conclusions on their own already, so it wasn't truly that surprising.
"Are they a threat to us? Should we prepare for another invasion?" Raven Armstrong, one of the High Marshals, asked.
"No. There's no need for any of you to go that far." Cedric shook his head. "The alliance isn't a threat to us, and even if they are, we simply are way too powerless to make them treat us seriously. In front of them, the Demon Race wouldn't even be considered as ants. In fact, they call demons Space Pirates there because it's an apt description for them. Even the Demon God himself didn't dare to get anywhere close to the place since he would be killed before he knew anything that happened."
Cedric then proceeded to reveal everything about the alliance to them. He started the story at his first contact with Big Han, then his participation in the Tower of Prodigies. He also told them the heirarchy of races within the Scarlet Dust Alliance as well as the sheer disparity between their civilizations and prosperity.
"Anyways, that place calls for me, and I must respond." Cedric stated, "I will keep guarding our home while I still can, but eventually, I will step down from these responsibilities. I can't babysit us forever; I have my own goals to pursue as well, and I've done more than enough for our race. The rest is up to you."
"So while I'm still here, don't be shy. Be bold and make as many plans as you could to prepare for the future. Don't worry about anything else while I'm still around. Take your time, but don't take too long either."
After saying his piece, Cedric left it to them to digest everything that was revealed to them. He guessed that it would take some time for them to wrap their minds around these new revelations because that's what happened to him.
Truthfully, Cedric never planned on abandoning this world. This was his home, and he would always prefer this place more than everywhere else.
He only said those ominous words to forge their independence. He has given all of them a vague time limit of his protection before he eventually 'disappears', giving them enough pressure and forcing them to move forward faster.
Sure, Cedric did think of passing down his responsibilities to other people eventually to free himself so that he could pursue his personal matters. It's only natural for him to do so since he had worked too hard for their sake. But this doesn't mean that Cedric plans on turning his back on his world and his people.
He isn't thinking of changing his race, appearance, or nature, no matter how tempting it was. He was proud of who he was and never thought that humans were any less than other life forms out there. Every race has its own pros and cons, after all.
But at the same time, humans can't rely on him forever. While it might seem that he's forcing them into this situation, they're actually way better off being inducted into the alliance this way instead of facing another invasion.
At the very least, this way, Cedric was there for them and could offer them immense protection.
Cedric had faith in his people. They've been through a lot and are certainly resourceful. He's just giving them a push in the right direction.
Speaking of the right direction...
Cedric returned to the sky castle. He discovered that his wives just put their children to sleep so they had some free time.
"Well, this conversation was going to happen sooner or later anyway. It might as well happen now."