Tower of Heaven

The Earthly Acquisition Token could be used to exchange for 10,000 Tower Points worth of anything available in the Tower Shop. Ten thousand was a considerable number. If he used it for himself, there were several things Atlas wanted to get.

However, he wanted to save his friends, so he offered it to the God who was willing to provide him information without a second thought.

[Treacherous Phoenix looks at you.]

[Treacherous Phoenix says they will accept your payment, however, as it is more than the price of the information, they will give you something in exchange.]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

[Treacherous Phoenix asks if there is anything you desire.]

Atlas furrowed his brow. It was nice to know that he was being reimbursed for the extra money he was giving up, but there was nothing he could think of at this moment.

"I will ask for something at a later date. For now, I will take the information."

Treacherous Phoenix seemed to accept his proposition, as the Earthly Acquisition Token in his hand burned up. In return, a holographic window appeared before him.

Firstly…

[It is true. Artemia Tatsuya and Horus are currently trapped in the underworld. If you wish to reach it…]

For the first time, Atlas got an explanation as to what he was actually trying to do.

'This entire time, I thought the underworld was something like a Neutral Zone, a world attached to the Tower.'

In a way, he was correct, but he was also completely wrong. The "underworld" was so much more than that.

'There is a concept in the Tower known as "interconnection."'

There were certain planes connected to the body of the Tower that were unique compared to the ordinary worlds. They were "hidden floors" that could only be entered by people with certain qualifications.

What different were they from the ordinary planes connected to the Tower?

Simple.

Gods could reside in these planes.

The "underworld" was such a plane. It was a unique place where the manifestations of death and afterlife connected to every Society Legend could manifest. They existed side by side, completely separate but part of the same organism.

For an Ascender to enter these realms was to partially leave the influence of the Tower. This meant that they were considered halfway into the God Realm, lessening the amount of inherent protection they had. Gods could exert their will to a greater extent within these realms and the ones who oversaw them had access to their full power.

'In other words, I will come in contact with one or more Gods of Death as I attempt to find Aria and Horus.'

And, he wouldn't be able to save them quickly.

'The conditions are too strict. To gain the qualifications rapidly is almost impossible, so I have no choice but to move as fast as I can.'

In the meantime, he had to find a way to contact the Gods of Death and secure the safety of his two companions.

'The second part might be impossible.'

Still, he had to try.

But, the main focus was to gain qualifications nonetheless.

'Firstly, I need the backing of a Society Legend.'

No matter how small it was, he needed a Legend that was greater than himself, as without it, he could not possibly contact forces whose Legends so far outstripped him.

'I need to either join a Society or create one of my own.'

The problem was that once one joined a Society, it wasn't easy to leave. Ars Goetia was a bit different as Demons were quite relaxed about things like allegiance, but the other Societies were quite strict about keeping those who joined them.

If Atlas became a part of a Society solely for the sake of this quest, he would be tied down by it for a very long time before he found a way to escape.

'In that case, the only solution is to form my own.'

To create his own Society Legend and use that as his backing. Perhaps it wouldn't have as much immediate strength as the Legend of a larger Society, but that wasn't important.

Legends were not measured purely based on strength. There was a measure of "potential" as well. As long as Atlas could form a Society that showed promising results and expanded rapidly at the beginning, the assumed potential of his Society Legend would be enough to support him.

'Secondly, I need a token or tribute of high value.'

In order to open the doors to the underworld, he had to sacrifice something of value. A yin-attributed ingredient or resource was enough, but the quality of the sacrifice heavily influenced the amount of time one could safely spend in the underworld.

'Then, I must attain a recommendation from a God of Death.'

He was hoping there was one among the Gods that watched him. He was willing to strike a deal if they had agreeable terms.

'And finally, when all three are gathered, I must find and challenge an Underworld Guardian. If I win against them, I can enter the underworld and vie for an audience with the Death Gods.'

It was not easy by any means. It would be much, much easier for someone like Alaric or one of Artemia's brothers to act in his place.

There were only two problems with that kind of approach.

'If anyone from the Tatsuya Clan enters the underworld, it is the same as declaring defeat. And, if someone else takes this duty, there is no guarantee that they will save Horus as well.'

The Tatsuya Clan members only cared for Artemia, after all. If they could make a deal where they could only save one of the captives, they would happily take it.

'My first step, as the person who declared confidently that I will save them…'

He had to make his own Society.

'Let me gather the people that I know. I don't have many connections because I've been climbing so quietly, but there are still some comrades that I think will be willing to join.'

If they were not willing to join, then they'd be willing to help. Really, all Atlas needed was some help.

'Realistically, I only need to recruit people for appearance's sake. I alone am enough to build the Society Legend.'

However, if he was going to make a Society, he had to ensure that it would be a good one.

So, as he contacted the people he wanted to see, he also researched the hub cities of the four Neutral Zones he had access to.

Along with existing cultivators, he could also recruit amongst new talents who had not yet started climbing the Tower.

'A Society Legend is created by the grand deeds of its members. Recruiting is only a matter of building power. In reality, what I personally need to do is something else.'

To grow the Society rapidly, the best solution was the same as it always was.

'War.'

A war between Societies that engulfed everything.

If there was a Society that Atlas wanted to declare war on…

Well, it was already decided.

Now, everything just needed to come together before Atlas could begin.