Adrian shifted his gaze toward Lysandra, "The future possibilities are endless, but those possibilities only matter if we survive this war. Let's handle that first before dreaming of anything else."
Lysandra nodded, grounding herself again. With the revelations of the ink still swirling through her mind, she had unconsciously leapt years ahead, imagining technologies, civilizations, and entire eras reshaped by this discovery. But she understood the truth in his words; there would be no future to build if the Demon Emperor devoured the galaxy.
Adrian continued, "The demons are gathering, but we don't know when they will attack. We can't waste a single moment; our first step is to get the warriors etched with the tattoo."
He held up a finger, "However, to do this on a galactic scale is not simple. First, I will need massive amounts of mana ink to produce the Blackwood Ink."
Alice raised a brow, "The Origin Ink?"
"You can call it anything you want," Adrian replied, "but yes."
Zerathul leaned forward, "How much are we talking about?"
"Millions of barrels," Adrian said flatly, "Possibly tens of millions, depending on how many warriors we're etching."
Drazmir let out a low whistle, "That's half the galaxy's annual production."
"Then we'll produce more," Adrian said, "Emperor Seranth, you mentioned Scaelith's mana crystal reserves. Redirect refining operations toward ink production."
Seranth inclined his head. "It will be done."
Adrian raised a second finger, "Second, not every warrior can adapt to the tattoo immediately. The tattoo contains multiple galactic concepts; to wield it properly, one needs at least basic planetary comprehension of those concepts. Without that foundation, the tattoo is just a burden."
The rulers exchanged uneasy glances; this would be the largest hurdle.
Alice frowned, "Most warriors spend their entire lives cultivating a single concept; Only after you announced the origin path, many even started to try, but still the majority of warriors can't just comprehend dozens of concepts."
Adrian said quietly, "I'm telling you what's necessary."
Lysandra voiced out, "But still, even now, the majority of our forces won't even have basic planetary understanding of half the concepts embedded in the tattoo. "
Adrian anticipated their concern, "The knowledge spheres will speed this up. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible."
Adrian raised a third finger, "Third, after etching, they need training. First to handle the multi-affinity spells, and then the most important part: learning to use the resonance network."
Lysandra leaned forward, "Resonance network?"
Adrian nodded, "The mana-sharing network embedded within the tattoo. It allows warriors to share their mana. This is how our SSS-ranks cast large-scale stellar spells. If they learn to use it as a group, even the cost of stellar spells can be shared."
The chamber fell silent.
Every ruler present knew exactly what he meant. They had seen the formations in Nyseren, the rows of Origin and Duskbane warriors standing in geometric patterns, launching volleys of stellar fireballs that annihilated tens of thousands of demons at once. The devastation had been incomprehensible, and now the mechanism behind it finally made sense.
Drazmir confirmed once again, "So even ordinary warriors can work together and cast stellar-level attacks without much mana consumption?"
"If they coordinate properly, yes," Adrian said, "It requires discipline, synchronisation, and practice. But it's possible."
Alice spoke next, "After they're etched, we should send them to the Edge structures. The time dilation there can accelerate training significantly."
Adrian's answer was immediate, "No."
The firmness in his voice made even the emperors still themselves.
Adrian explained, "The Edge structures are powerful, yes, but they aren't under our control. The Guardian Spirit decides the clearing conditions. If the demons attack while the majority of our warriors are trapped inside trial layers, we will collapse before the war even begins."
Alice countered quickly, "But now that they have tattoos, they can clear conditions faster. Multi-affinity access will let them adapt to any environment the trials throw at them. And we could send special groups inside to inform them if an attack begins"
Adrian tilted his head slightly, considering, "The tattoos will help them finish faster, but it is still risky to send everyone."
He raised his hand.
From the ceiling above, golden essence cascaded downward like falling sunlight. The room rippled, and the sensation of time itself bending around them pressed against their skin.
The golden light expanded into a shimmering dome, encasing the entire chamber.
"This," Adrian said, "is a time field we can create with formation. It holds a four-year dilation; one day outside equals four years inside."
"Veteran warriors should train here. They already have experience, discipline, and combat instincts. They just need time to master the tattoos and resonance networks."
"As for those with little experience at the Edge, they can go to the structures. That way, we maintain a stable backup force and also accelerate the growth of new veterans."
Alice said as she stared at the time field, "You're splitting the forces. Veterans train in controlled time fields, while rookies enter the structures where the trials will forge them into survivors."
"Yes," Adrian said. "The structures are unpredictable, but they're also unmatched for turning inexperienced warriors into hardened fighters. We can afford to send the rookies there. We can't afford to gamble with our veterans."
Everyone stared at the time field. A time formation field was legend these days.
Since the disappearance of Lexaria's last Time Cultivator, who had created the knowledge archive on the Time Concept, no one in the galaxy had succeeded in even locating a Time Crystal, let alone deploying a working time formation.
But now they understood that Adrian was powering the field with the formation above the Origin Capital, which was using pure mana.
Still, something bothered Lysandra.
She finally asked, "How did you etch this formation? Have you comprehended the Time Concept?"
Her question wasn't idle curiosity.
Normally, an inscriber needed direct comprehension of a concept to etch a formation tied to that concept, especially for advanced concepts like time, life, space. Without it, the concept itself would reject the attempt and nullify the inscription.
Even Lysandra knew how she could create a time field formation; she had the knowledge passed in the archives, but she couldn't because she didn't comprehend time concept.
Adrian met her eyes, "I forgot to mention. With my ink, those limitations are removed. Any inscriber, even one without knowledge of time, can etch the formation as long as they know the symbols."
A ripple of shock passed through the chamber.
Before, they had calmed themselves by saying the ink acted as a medium, an artificial essence seed, denying that it broke the law of existence.
But now...
This was annihilating a rule on inscription that had existed since the dawn of cultivation itself. Lysandra was the most shocked; she had lived with these rules for thousands of years, and now the rule being broken shook her, and it also showed her a new path.
Even when she had planned for the future some moments ago, she had been thinking that the initial formation inscribing would still require multiple cultivators possessing the needed concept. But now this shattered that assumption entirely.
And until now, she had believed that the Origin Empire would rise slowly, an eventual supreme empire centuries, perhaps millennia, in the making. But the more she learned, the more she realised her mistake.
The ink, tattoos, resonance network, and even the mind of the formation. These all could not be a single being's discovery; it signified that the Origin Empire also had minds behind it who were not ordinary.
And if a Supreme Empire were ever to be born, such a foundation was exactly what it needed. Not just one genius, a collective of them.
Her gaze swept the chamber, studying the other rulers. They were beginning to understand the truth. They understood that the Origin Empire, which had not even been formally declared, had already surpassed them.
In innovation, in power, in potential.
Adrian continued, unaware or uncaring of the storm unfolding in their minds, "Prepare your inscribers first. Even if limitations are removed, etching tattoos or time formations still requires skill. They still need proper training."
He paused, letting his words settle.
"Once I receive the mana ink, the production of Origin Ink will begin."
All eyes turned to Lysandra.
Lexaria was the only empire with enough inscribers trained to learn this quickly. Billions of warriors would need these tattoos. Lexaria would become the bottleneck, or the spearhead.
Lysandra straightened, gathering her composure, "Give me a portion of the Origin Ink. I will establish a time field in Lexaria's capital and train my inscribers myself. That will accelerate everything."
Adrian nodded, "Good. Let us not waste time. Begin your contributions as agreed. Etch your warriors with tattoos, train them properly inside time fields, and do not send too many to the Edge structures at once. Balance is everything."
One by one, the rulers nodded.
But beneath their outward calm, something unspoken had settled in their hearts.
The rulers of five ancient empires were now following the directives of Adrian, who had not even been crowned.
They didn't even question how Adrian was creating this Origin Ink, or harbour doubts about the methods he employed. They buried it all and were now following his orders as though they were already serving Adrian.
Adrian didn't need a coronation for the galaxy to crown him; the five rulers already assumed he was a Supreme Emperor!