The following morning, William made some breakfast for himself and Carl, wanting to keep their strength at the peak for the upcoming battle. He wanted to get outside the walls as quickly as possible, but William insisted he eat first, to which Carl had no retort.
Despite how good the food tasted, Carl ate quickly. The aluminum forks made from William's Earth Magic diced apart the omelette into small pieces that were almost inhaled.
"Slow down, you're going to choke." William warned.
"How can I choke? I'm a C- Cough. Cultivator." a piece of food got stuck in Carl's throat as he tried to reply to William. The incident finally convinced him to slow down, swallowing each bite carefully.
William nodded, "Are you nervous?"
Carl swallowed the last bite and shook his head, "How can I be afraid? They're only Golden Core Beasts, more than I've ever seen in my entire life."
He continued, "It's not like I only have a thousandth of their strength or anything. Or that I could be swept away by a single attack if I make the wrong move. Me? Scared? Not at all."
William patted his friend on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm strong. I can protect you if anything happens. Just stay with me and you'll be fine."
Inwardly, William was also a bit anxious. Not for him, but for his friends and family, Blue Moon City, and even Fowley, who he was sure still remained in the City. If he didn't limit the casualties this time around, how could the Cultivators stop the next Beast Tide?
He wished more than ever that he could stop the Beast Tides at their source, but the System said it was useless. He already absorbed the Veins, and they couldn't be restored without the assistance of the World. For that, William would need to become much, much stronger.
All he could do was prepare for a fight, and better prepare others before the next attack. If he failed here, and too many people died, it was likely the City would fall when he wasn't around.
———
System Quest: An Elemental Beast Tide is about to attack Blue Moon City. Eliminate the Magical Beasts and limit the casualties to less than 10%.
"Mr. Yuming, we Cultivators at the peak of the World tend to remain in seclusion because of three reasons. The first one is to not step on each other's toes when they are preparing to Ascend in the next few thousand years.
If I cause a ruckus in your region while someone else is Cultivating, it may cost them years or even decades of time depending on their level of immersion. If I accidentally break someone's enlightenment, it might become a war between me and the other party.
The second reason is because of the World itself. Our attacks are so powerful that we would tear apart the levels of space in an instant. Are you willing to have me come deal with some Golden Core Beasts for the sake of an entire swath of land? I think not.
When we do go out, we tend to limit our abilities to the Soul Formation Realm or below, so that we don't accidentally ruin the ecology of a region. If I had a Domain, it might be different, since I would have incredibly precise control over my power, but I don't." he explained.
William nodded, "Then why don't you just come and use the abilities of a Soul Formation Cultivator? That should be enough to deal with a Beast Tide like this, right?"
"You didn't let me finish, Mr. Yuming. It seems you are younger and less experienced than I thought." Rodger replied with a smirk.
"The third reason is because we choose not to get involved with these things. A mere Beast Tide can't wipe out Humanity. There will always be someone else that appears to take them on. A few hundred thousand deaths can't sway our withered hearts.
If something truly serious does happen, only THEN will I take action. This is for the best, for both me and the World." Rodger finished.
How insensitive. William thought to himself. On the other hand, didn't he think the same way when dealing with three thousand Cultivators in the Gravitas Ruins? He thought of them as nothing more than a means to unlock the seals on his Mana Gathering Staff.
Other than that, human deaths were only a matter of Potential Points. A way to increase his own strength past its previous levels.
Why am I thinking this? My Humanity stat has gone down, shouldn't I be more uncaring?
William didn't know the answer. He looked at Rodger with a hint of anger, but it faded away quickly as he understood the position the man was in. No matter what William said right now, it wouldn't force Rodger to provide assistance.
"The battle is about to start, Wil- Yuming. Let's go." Carl said from afar.