The Ninth Floor's Reward

"You know about the outside world?" Minos asked, not aware that other beings were also aware that there was more out there.

"Of course, you didn't think I reached this realm just to remain in ignorance, did you? Besides, this planet is filled with little hints that point towards the truth, but it's only as you reach higher realms can you finally start stringing them together and making sense of them."

"There's also that Star Seeking Sect that's been making big strides in this regard. I'm afraid it won't be long before the entire planet is aware of our position in this grand universe."

"You know about the Star Seeking Sect?"

"Heh, it may seem like I'm imprisoned here, but I have my ways of acquiring outside news. Either way none of that is important, let's get back to the main topic."

"Do you recall what I told you about earlier, the blossoming?"

"I remember, but you still haven't told me exactly what that word meant." Minos replied.

"I was originally going to wait until you could at least reach the Avatar Shadow Realm first, but your strength from before convinced me that I can tell you now."

"The blossoming is a rare event, one that only happens when the Nux of the entire planet is revived and reaches its peak."

"At that point, the Blue-Stemmed Lotus has a chance of evolving, turning into the Crystalize Eternalus Lotus."

"Crystalize Eternalus Lotus?"

"Its name doesn't matter, what's important is its effects. This lotus is capable of re-creating one's body, and not just an ordinary one, but a Blessed one!"

"Such a magical treasure really exists?" Minos asked with wonder.

"The miracles of the universe are endless, and Nux itself is the ultimate representation of this miraculous nature."

"When so much Nux gathers at once, amazing things are bound to happen, and this is on our planet that suffers from Nux exhaustion."

"One could only imagine the miracles that exist beyond our small planet, out in the stars where the Nux flows endlessly…" Nine said, his eyes unconsciously looking upwards, seemingly peering through the tower itself.

"More reason to leave this planet behind." Minos said with some longing.

Of course the wonder of the universe was only a small reason he wanted to leave, the much bigger one was to find his daughter and acquire the strength to revive his wife and loved ones.

"Leave this planet? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed…" Nine replied with a sigh, his stare breaking as he looked back down at the earth beneath him, a reminder of the fact that he'll never escape.

"What do you mean?" Minos immediately asked, Nine's words worrying him a little.

"You can't think you're the only one to ever have such thoughts? Every single Emperor past and present have had the same ambition, but without fail, not a single one managed to escape this isolated region."

"Isolated region?"

"I don't think I need to explain just how vast our universe is, a single look at the night sky will reveal as much."

"As powerful as Emperor's are, they're but a grain of dust in that vast space, akin to mortals thrown in the dark."

"Not to mention those areas are even more lacking in Nux than our planet, and without Nux, even the most powerful Emperor will only be reduced to a stronger mortal."

"From the records I've read, most Emperor's have only ever made it a few months at most before being forced to turn back, mostly due to the lack of Nux."

"Running out of Nux out there is a death sentence, even for them. On top of all that, even Emperor's need oxygen, albeit far, far less than normal people."

"In short, escape is impossible even with all the abilities of an Emperor. The simple fact is we exist in the middle of nowhere…"

"Since that's the case, why not rely on technology?" Minos asked.

"Who said we haven't? Only problem is technological advancements are slow, and even now we have yet to create a space craft capable of even coming close to matching an Emperor's speed, much less surpassing it."

"If even an Emperor needs thousands if not tens of thousands of years to reach the closest star, you can only imagine how long those inferior space crafts would take."

"But it also seems to be your last option." Minos responded.

"Some things can't be forced… I can only wait and pray that the technology can reach a certain standard before my soul completely dissipates."

"This is also the reason why I want you to help me acquire that Crystalize Eternalus Lotus, with it I'll be able to renew my lifespan, and if I enter a deep hibernation, I'll last even longer!"

"I can help, but I need to know more about this Crystalize Eternalus Lotus." Minos said.

"To be honest, even I don't know much about it, but what I do know is that the Blue-Stemmed Lotus only appears in the Ever-Blue Lake, which exists in the heart of the Demonic Beast Continent."

"Demonic Beast Continent? I'm afraid I don't have the strength to go there, much less reach the core."

"Relax, no one said you had to leave now, besides it'll still take a few more decades for the Nux to reach its peak again, time which you can use to cultivate."

"That's good… Then I promise I'll do my best, but I don't dare guarantee anything."

"Hahaha don't worry, I've already gotten a taste of your strength, so I'm quite confident in you. Your promise is all I ask for."

"Anyways, my soul has already been out of hibernation for long enough, any more talking and I'll just get weaker, so we'll have to cut our conversation here."

"Before you go, let me give you your reward for passing all the floors." Nine said, his fingers gesturing, causing a strange glowing orb to suddenly appear from nowhere and fall into his hands.

As the orb appeared, Minos immediately felt something strange, and without even having to think of it, his Soul Vision automatically activated.

Looking towards the orb now, he saw something completely different, a massive soul fire that nearly encompassed the both of them!

"This is my old friend, Towery, or as you call her, the Nine-Tailed Tower. Say hello, Towery."

"H-hello." A shy innocent voice said.

"Don't be shy, take your real form." Nine encouraged with a smile.

"O-okay." Towery replied, the orb suddenly shifting and morphing, turning into a small cute girl.

She had incredibly pale skin, almost translucent, and her eyes were a vibrant green, which paired well with her similarly green hair.

Most interestingly was the pagoda-like tattoo on her forehead, which looked exactly the same as the Nine-Tailed Tower itself.

"Your name is Towery?" Minos couldn't help but ask.

"That's right, my Master himself gave me this name!" Towery said proudly, the shyness from before seemingly vanishing as she talked about her Master.

"It's a very… Unique name." Minos managed to utter after a moment's pause, somewhat pitying her for having a master with such poor naming ability.

"Hahaha, that's exactly what I was going for. Took me an entire day to think of it, glad the time was well spent."

"That took you an enti- Never mind, anyways it's nice to meet you Towery."

"You as well-"

"Minos." Minos smiled, reaching out for a handshake.

Looking back at her Master, it was only when Nine nodded his head did Towery return the handshake.

"It's good you two are getting along, you'll be spending a lot more time together in the future." Nine suddenly said, confusing Towery.

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Don't call me Master, from now on Minos will be your Master."

"Huh? Impossible! You can't abandon me Master, please don't abandon Towery, I beg you." Towery cried, her mood causing the entire tower to begin shaking.

"Who said I'm abandoning you? It's just that I'm getting old, and I'm afraid I won't live much longer."

"Don't say that Master, you can't die, you can't leave Towery behind. Besides, what about the Crystalize Eternalus Lotus!"

"That's only a gamble, one that may fail. In the worst case scenario, I want you to have Minos, that way you'll still have someone to take care of you."

"Bu-"

"No buts. Besides, if I really do survive, I'm sure Minos will be more than happy to give you back."

"Is that true?" Towery said, her teary eyes looking back at Minos.

"Naturally." Minos replied.

"O-okay then, but first you have to promise on your soul that you'll transfer ownership if I ask you too!"

"Of course, after all I don't want to be your master, I want to be your partner, and partners have equal say." Minos smiled, his gentle words extremely effective.