Chapter 4663: THE! IV
Chapter 4663: THE! IV
Mysteries were infuriating.
They gnawed at the mind like parasites. They kept one awake during moments that should have been restful. They whispered questions without answers and dangled truths just out of reach.
From a certain perspective, mysteries were the cruelest aspect of existence. They reminded everyone that knowledge was incomplete. That understanding was always partial. That no matter how much one learned, there would always be something hidden, something obscured, something deliberately kept in shadow.
Some entities spent their entire existences chasing mysteries only to die with more questions than they started with. Some went mad from the pursuit. Some simply gave up and accepted ignorance as a form of peace.
Some would say that mysteries were existence’s way of mocking those who sought truth. A reminder that the Existence owed no explanations to anyone. That reality was under no obligation to make sense.
And yet.
As much as some hated mysteries, they kept existence churning.
Because that pristine moment when everything comes together. When every little piece fits a larger puzzle. When the fog lifts and the truth stands undeniable before you...oh!
That was a moment that could give a high even the strongest drugs could not replicate.
It made all the frustration worth it. All the sleepless nights. All the maddening speculation. All the dead ends and false leads and moments of despair.
One moment of truth could redeem a lifetime of confusion.
And that was why mysteries, despite being infuriating, were also beautiful.
Noah loved to solve mysteries.
He routinely thought about THE Creature and THE Primordial Chaos and THE Living Paradox and how all of them fit in the Weavings of this Observable Existence. The connections between them. The conflicts that stretched back to the moment of differentiation. The truths that had been hidden beneath layers of legend and misinformation.
When the pieces came together, and they eventually did, the satisfaction was immense.
Not long ago, he only knew the legends and the Stories of the Earliest Folds. Vague tales of primordial conflicts and ancient powers. Names spoken with reverence but little understanding.
Since then, he had uncovered the truth of what truly happened all those eons ago.
He knew about Ginnungagap. About THE Creature, THE Primordial Chaos, and Temporal. About the coming of THE Living Existences and the creation of THE Loom. About the betrayals and alliances and schemes that had shaped everything.
Not all of it. Not yet. But more than he had known before.
So everything eventually would be solved.
Because at this moment, as he was thinking about many things, he was looking at the Principles of Existence that had helped get him exactly to where he was right now.
They were being elevated to the Genesis Stage.
To a Philology of The First Tongue.
Perpetual Harvest and The Cheating Architect were the first. They had already transcended their previous forms and become something grander. Living expressions of The First Tongue woven into the very fabric of his existence.
After the Logos of his other three Principles were broken down, their meaning and what they stood for seemed to be more inclined with Undifferentiated Mana. Their workings would likely fall under that umbrella and allow Noah to obtain more of their benefits through Undifferentiated Mana itself.
Sometimes having too many concepts and abilities did not mean strength.
Making things simpler led to even greater power.
Consolidation over accumulation. Unity over multiplicity! One perfect tool instead of a hundred mediocre ones.
As he was doing all of this, he looked over to the entity opposite him.
THE Infiniverse.
Her entire body was currently filled with swirling Logos of The First Tongue. They spiraled through her form like galaxies being born, each one a perfect expression of meaning given structure. An air of power buzzed around her that seemed heavy and terrifying for even THE Surface Depth of Absolute Sovereignty.
She was transforming and becoming something that matched his own elevation!
Noah asked her lightly, "How is everything proceeding?"
THE Infiniverse opened her eyes.
They looked like multicolored jewels, like colors that held meaning and colors that were themselves a form of language.
"For me, it is different," she said. Her voice was calm and imposing, resonating with authority that came from being the literal foundation of a Primordial Civilization. "I am the object of The Civilization. I am the actual construct that supports your Civilization. So I gain the boons since you have advanced your Way and your Civilization."
She paused, her jeweled eyes shimmering with contemplation.
"But I also gain the boons from myself. Because I, as a construct that has consciousness, am also experiencing the elevation into the Depths of Absolute Sovereignty. Since I house countless Universes, Existential Domains, Omniverses, Wheels of Existence, and budding Transcendent Folds... all of these are now being elevated from a lower Scale of Existence to reach THE Level One Scale of Existence."
Her hands moved as she spoke, twirling seamlessly with Logos of The First Tongue. The letters formed and dissolved around her fingers like living things responding to her will.
"When this transformation is complete, THE Infiniverse will not be like it was before. Whatever happens on the outside with The Fallout, I will be able to elevate the inside of myself to eventually exceed even THE Loom."
Her expression held quiet confidence.
"Unless that construct is also similar to me. Unless it also has a consciousness. Which I doubt."
Noah smiled and nodded at her words.
THE Loom was impressive. A structure that housed THE Living Existences and their domains.
But it was built by others. Designed by committee. A collaborative effort between beings with conflicting interests.
The Infiniverse was his. Built from his authority and grown from his Civilization. Animated by consciousness that was loyal to him absolutely.
That made all the difference.
He looked at the blue-gold illusory figure of Ruination, who was also being elevated. Her form seemed more solid than before. More real. As if the advancement into THE was granting her greater substance in addition to greater power.
Even before he asked, she answered.
"My computational abilities," Ruination said. Her voice was calm but held undertones of something that might have been wonder. Or perhaps concern. "Well, they are entering a scale where things seem a bit scary, even for me."
She paused, processing her own advancement with the same analytical precision she applied to everything else.
"But the summary of it is that I can take care of quite literally everything for you. If you give me the permission to, I may even be able to do it faster than you could yourself."
Her illusory form flickered with cascading data streams as she continued.
"Decoding and elevating your Principles. Designing your own Core Phonemes. Monitoring and increasing the Logos and Phonemes running across your body and refining your existence. Writing more on and expanding the Chapters of THE Grimoire of Infinite Lexicons. Increasing your Mastery of The First Tongue with constant practice. Monitoring THE Infinite Desmoterion."
She wasn’t finished.
"I can even take over one of your bodies and perform the teaching duties in the Early Veiled Shore. Laying out THE Faraday Cage. Handling the new Civilization Specializations. And I have already begun a database for THE Axioms of Observable Existence. If any Weavings relating to them are mentioned across the Folds and Wandering Territories, I will detect them."
Her jeweled eyes met his directly.
"I could basically do everything for Master, should you give me the permission to do so."
...!
Her words were filled with brilliance.
Noah smiled even more after he heard them. When he thought about the many things she could do, possibilities unfolded like flowers blooming in accelerated time.
He began giving her directions on which things she could directly get started on.
"Handle the elevation of remaining Principles into Philologies. Coordinate with THE Infiniverse on Faraday Cage placement. Continue the database for Axioms..."
Ruination absorbed each instruction with perfect precision.
"Maintain passive refinement of my existence through continuous Phoneme and Logos circulation. Expand THE Grimoire of Infinite Lexicons with new insights as they emerge. Monitor THE Infinite Desmoterion and advancements from it..."
More instructions. More delegation. More efficiency!
After all, efficiency was key in existence. All the countless background processes of advancement could be taken care of while he continued to unceasingly move forward.
Existence was a struggle and almost always unfair.
But he had the tools to cheat existence and make the playing field tilt slightly to his favor.
Others had to do everything themselves.
But what was a Civilization? It was not singular. It was made up of many!
So he would put the many to work. He would even put Tor and THE Living Origin and The First Farmer to work!
Everything working together. Everything contributing to his advancement. Everything tilting the playing field in his direction!