Time continued to slip by.
Following their agreement, the top forces within the Dimensional Alliance began delivering set after set of ultimate treasures.
With the crucial resources needed to consolidate their foundation, each member of his family went into seclusion.
They were preparing to raid the Virtual Tower of Trial; thus, the stronger they became, the better their chances.
This time, their plan wasn't just to gain meager benefits; they aimed to each have an ultimate treasure.
Such a grand ambition—even if they had just come back from the source of knowledge or were on a rare vacation—they couldn't procrastinate.
Instead, they began their training in earnest.
Meanwhile, having already absorbed a set of tier-10 ultimate treasures, Maximus continued to monitor the Library while working to deduce the Tier-11 Origin Manual.
Year after year, the Dimensional Origin Library achieved one milestone after another.
From quadrillions, Maximus's balance reached quintillions of origin coins.
In just a few years since the Library's opening, Maximus's wealth had caught up to those of the top families.
With so much wealth and nothing immediate to spend it on, Maximus felt compelled to quickly convert it into strands of causality.
Maximus could no longer trouble Iris to handle the conversion for him.
Iris had already entered seclusion, preparing for the moment when he accumulated enough Ether Forge.
Aiming to reach the Absolute of Law in a single attempt, she couldn't afford any distractions.
Another way to obtain strands of causality was by purchasing them directly.
However, after inquiring about the price, Maximus could only back away.
Whereas Iris could exchange 1,000 origin coins per strand of causality, others charged between 3 and 10 million.
The Ashura Sect, Elfalhn Family, and Fritz Family could only lower their prices to about 1.5 million per strand.
It wasn't that they were being stingy, but the sheer quantity Maximus required would deplete their foundations.
Without something equivalent to fill that gap, they couldn't exchange a significant amount.
Aside from discussing alchemy and mechanics, the two never talked about anything else.
They seemed to treat each other as peers and rivals, honing their skills rather than forming a romantic connection.
When it came to relationships, judging by their interactions, even if they were naked in the same bed, absolutely nothing would happen.
Praying for his sons' steady relationships, Maximus launched into another creation spree.
...
Meanwhile, in the Interdimensional Council Headquarters, Akuji, the Lord of Souls, was deducing the soul signature of 'Magnus.'
After his massive defeat in the Silent Void Expanse, Akuji was sent back to headquarters to face severe punishment.
Not only was he fined for the loss of two Dimensional Void Ships, but he was also held responsible for the death of a Master of the River of Law, Kares.
Enduring tens of thousands of years of punishment and with his assets drained by all the compensations, Akuji swore revenge.
Holding onto Magnus's soul signature from their last encounter, he begins comparing it against all individuals named Magnus within the Virtual Realm.
After countless failed searches, he recently stumbled upon a new lead: Magnus, the owner of the Dimensional Origin Library.
Initially, this 'Magnus' wasn't one of his prime suspects, as other individuals named Magnus possessed far greater strength.
However, with the rise of the Dimensional Origin Library and learning that the true identity of this Magnus was Maximus Shadowcrest—one of the Primordial Candidates—his intuition was triggered.
Securing a copy of Maximus's soul signature as registered in the Virtual Realm, Akuji started comparing it to the soul signature of 'Magnus' from the Silent Void Expanse.
At first glance, there was no similarity.
But trusting his intuition as a Master of the Ocean of Soul, he began to rearrange Magnus's soul signature, attempting to match it with Maximus'.
After billions and trillions of trials and failures, the light in Akuji's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
The previously incomparable soul signatures were becoming more and more similar.
Finally, after a sudden spark of inspiration, with a click, the two soul signatures became a perfect match.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"It's you! It's you! I finally found you!"