MY 10,000× DIMENSIONAL SYSTEM

Hidden Scheme

'Hehe, now I can go back to spyi- gathering information from a distance.' Christopher rubbed his hands like a gremlin at the thought. He never realized just how convenient and entertaining it was to observe your enemies and their possible futures from a distance.

However, he was technically still training, so he wasn't going to observe fate, for himself anyway.

He instructed Aisha to inform him of the various things that would happen with the different fortresses and the hidden realm in general as well as gather information on the Scions as well as the various clans and their movements.

While he had no intention of seeing his possible future, both because of his resistance to fate as well as the fact that he didn't want to give himself a significant advantage throughout this venture, he still wanted to hear the things happening throughout the realm as well as what was going on with his people.

So when Aisha explained to him the full extent of the damage caused by his actions, Christopher whistled a little bit.

'Oof, I might have overdone it...' He thought with some embarrassment. She had told him what was happening with the strongholds previously, but this was the first time she told him just how bad and widespread the damage was, and it was a lot.

Hearing how virtually everyone was affected, he felt a little bad, though it didn't last for long and was just a passing feeling.

'What about Stronghold 1? How are they faring?' Christopher asked and Aisha went silent for a moment before responding.

'Before the situation was tight. It still is, but not as much. There aren't any casualties yet, and while everyone is under pressure, things are still being dealt with efficiently.' Aisha explained calmly and Christopher nodded.

'What about Umbra?' At this, her tone became a bit exasperated.

'He's fine... in fact, he's just playing with his targets and making his fun last as long as possible.' Hearing this, Christopher's mouth twitched, but he did not comment.

'As for the other strongholds, none of them encountered a situation as bad as Stronghold 1. There were still some issues, but otherwise, they are fine.' Christopher nodded slightly. Nothing too unexpected.

'But there's something else.' Christopher perked up when he heard the slight somberness in Aisha's tone and he urged her to continue.

'It would seem that Stronghold 2 where Silver is stationed encountered some ships from one of the clans. Silver destroyed the force, but more of them are coming, and Stronghold 6 where Belladonna is will soon fall under attack as well. Moreover, these clans are vassals to the Corruptionists, and Vazar, the Scion, deems them a threat. Fate states that there is a high chance that all the strongholds will be discovered and will be attacked or scrutinized intently, depending on a varying number of factors.' Aisha expected Christopher to tell her to start steering fate in a direction where they would hold an overwhelming advantage, but to her surprise, Christopher just chuckled.

'Took them long enough. Don't bother yourself too much. Tell me about the Scions and what they are doing right now.' Christopher's voice was devoid of any urgency or alarm. Granted, he was almost always calm, still, she expected that he would be a little concerned, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

'Well, the Scion of the Domitor Clan, Jenny, endured a particularly dreadful blizzard on behalf of her people during the brief period of chaos and is currently unconscious. Constella of the Starwalkers is exhausted due to protecting her entourage as well, but not as intensely as Jenny. Her group is currently resting. As for Vazar and the Corruptionists, they are heading towards the center, though their path is a bit strange, hold on a moment.' Aisha went silent for a moment, then a surprised sound echoed in his mind causing Christopher to raise a brow.

The girl was quite demure, so expressing such genuine surprise was a surprise in itself.

'They... seem to have quite the elaborate plan.' She sounded genuinely baffled as if she was finding it difficult to grasp the audacity of whatever their plan was.

'Care to elaborate?' Christopher pressed and he heard her take a breath.

'Well... for starters, your theory about the Paragon looking for a good enough vessel to reincarnate was on point, and it seems as though you aren't the only one aware of this as the Corruptionists are aware as well. As for their plan... they want to commit a forced hijack.' She sounded a little hesitating, as if unsure of her words.

This time, Christopher paused as he too was slightly stunned, though for a different reason.

'I was right? I thought I was bullshitting.' He thought to himself before dwelling on the matter at hand.

'How would that work?' He asked and Aisha answered a moment later.

'The Paragon is looking for a suitable vessel to control and bring themselves back to life. What Vazar and his people want to do is to hijack the process and force the Paragon to inhabit one of them that has a special technique ingrained in their bodies that would prevent the Paragon from taking control, but allow their power to exist freely, and said power would be corrupted and twisted to fulfill their desires. If they succeed, the power balance between the clans will be shattered and they will no longer need to care about the fragile balance stopping them from fighting one another since they will be beyond all the clans. After all, the difference between a Sovereign and a Paragon is like heaven and earth. A single one would shatter the balance that has existed for millennia.' When she finished, Christopher frowned.

'But how would they even do that? That is, make the Paragon enter the wrong body? Can't they just... not?' It was a valid question. If a Paragon was so strong, they should easily be able to just, not enter the wrong body.

'That would be the case normally, but it seems that the Corruptionists discovered a use for one of the rare treasures in the hidden realm that no one else discovered. Turns out that there are these things called Cryo Cores, and they function like most treasures, being useful for forging, creating potions and formations, and so on, though they have a potency that's unmatched by most ice-type treasures of the same level, making them extremely valuable.

'However, they have another purpose.' Aisha's tone turned grim.

'Master, have you ever wondered why the soul of the Paragon didn't vanish directly after their death? And is instead waiting in this place for a good enough vessel to take over?' Christopher had to pause.

He had wondered that. But he hadn't come up with a concrete answer and simply chalked it up to a strange ability the Paragon must have possessed before they died. After all, the universe was vast, let alone the multiverse and beyond. There were all sorts of miraculous abilities. One that kept your soul grounded after the body was destroyed wouldn't sound all that outlandish if one thought about it.

'It's because these Cryo Cores harbor fragments of their soul. Somehow, the Paragon figured out a way to store small portions of their soul. Enough to keep the biggest fragment of it grounded in this place even after its death. And when the hidden realm was created, it patiently waited for an opportunity where a vessel would come, and all these fragments would converge and join with the main one before taking over the body of the target.' Hearing this, Christopher was surprised, but oddly enough, he thought it was reasonable.

'The Paragon must have predicted its death, and so this was a sort of backup plan in case they died, which would now come into play.' He pondered and he felt Aisha's agreement.

'And by acquiring these Cores, the Corruptionists managed to corrupt the soul fragments inside. That way, when the Paragon moved to possess any of them and fused with its fragments, it would fall into their trap.' After this, Christopher folded his hands and started to think.
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Indeed, if this plan succeeded, there would be a lot of issues.

He didn't care about the clans or their beef. But it was clear that if the Corruptionists succeeded, they would be a hindrance in the future. So it would be in his best interest to get rid of the problem immediately.

'Good thing I decided to restore fate then. Who knows what would have happened?' Christopher sighed. He wasn't sure he could beat a Sovereign at his current stage. But a Paragon? He could just go and sleep.

'But on the flip side...' His frown turned into a scary grin, and he once again rubbed his hands like a filthy capitalist.

'If I can get such a thing for myself, wouldn't the strength of my Dimension rise a notch?' His somberness turned into greed and Aisha shuddered when she heard his thoughts.

She briefly remembered her mother telling her how most humans were very greedy and would do anything to make a profit, even if it came with heavy risks.

'How scary.' Was all she could think.