Chapter 2259: Lab Setting

Naked, but happy, Wise Star Order stretched himself out, feeling exuberant. He got to experience life again, that much was a small bit of happiness. But then he sighed, remembering how much work he had to do.

"That brat surpassed me again, I really have to figure out how he does it. Something's not right with that little monster."

He had experienced over 1300 lifetimes due to this quirk of time and his status as a God Childe. It was an oddity in the timeline that was caused for reasons that he still wasn't completely certain of. He was sure that disciple of his had an explanation, but what kind of master asked their disciple for pointers? He would rather die...

Again.

Every time he was revived, he would find new insights, and he would tweak his progression path just a little bit to increase the efficiency. But there was only so much he could do, honestly. He was already in the Eighth Dimension in this body, so to say that his foundation had already been laid was a huge understatement.

But there were obviously ways to overcome this, if not Leonel wouldn't have been able to become so strong either. And he, who had taught and raised that brat a bit, obviously knew his fair share as well. He just had to do it all again.

Plus, between now and when he would meet Leonel next, thousands of years would pass, and that was just in this Incomplete World. The true first time he met Leonel, the time that occurred before Leonel's first attempt to save his father, happened even longer after that, and it didn't occur in this Incomplete World at all.

He laughed to himself. He was looking forward to it. Beating down that arrogant little boy was one of the many guilty pleasures he would get to enjoy in this lifetime again.

"But this time, I won't let you surpass me so easily," Wise Star Order thought to himself, a flash blazing in his eyes.

He had been carefully preparing himself for this lifetime. There were certain things that those at the very top couldn't see but those pitiful people at the bottom could see clearly. Of course, if his enemies heard him describing himself in such a way, they'd have him stripped naked, hung upside down, and whipped, and his beautiful, pert bottom would be swollen red.

Wise Star Order subconsciously grabbed his own butt, shuddering. "I should get to work. I'll need to be strong enough to stop that brat from destroying the world."

Years from now, Leonel would most definitely try to trigger that Timeless Event, and he wouldn't care about the casualties at all. In fact, that was also the first time he met Leonel on the original timeless.

There were some burdens that an elder would have to alleviate from his juniors, and he was determined to take this one on.

He shook his head. "Where did that brat find an Infinity Beast, though? My work is cut out for me."

With that thought, Wise Star Order put his hands on his hips. It was time he got out of there.

As for why he had chosen to change so much about the Luxnix family's true history... maybe only he and that annoying disciple of his knew.

...

The Segmented Cube shuttle appeared above Earth, and Leonel stepped out. Down below, the Pluto Race was still building the pyramids, and up above, the corpse vessel of the Void Beast was still floating aimlessly, the Void Race members that had stayed behind waiting for judgment to be cast on them.

Leonel looked toward the Void Beast's corpse and took a leap forward, landing on it.

The Void Race reacted to this quite violently, but remembering how Leonel had been with El'Rion, they hesitated. One part wanted to shred this human apart, and another part wanted to appease the Pluto. The two sides of themselves crippled their own movement entirely.

"Anastasia."

The little floating spirit appeared, a hint of surprise. Leonel's voice sounded... brighter.

"You know, you never really explained to me how you work. The fact you're a World Spirit makes sense to me... somewhat. But the Lab Setting and Abode Setting? Not to mention that odd vessel? What does that have to do with... what you are?"

Anastasia fell into silence for a long time, and then just chose to explain things simply.

"I'm the World Spirit of a Complete World that was destroyed by the God Beasts of Destruction. I should have fallen with my world, but I was saved by the Minerva Race."

"Minerva Race?"

"They're similar to the Pluto Race but... they were destroyed a long time ago..." Anastasia fell into another silence before she continued. "They Crafted me into this vessel, and the hope was to help their Race live, but I wasn't enough and ended up being crippled. I've passed through many hands, dormant, until I was lost and forgotten, eventually falling to this world."

"Falling, huh?" Leonel said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, just sounds suspicious. A treasure like you-"

"I'm not a treasure!"

"Yes, okay, okay, a beauty like you-"

"Much better."

"-Wouldn't just casually fall to a world like this one.

Feels like a scheme."

"What a stupid scheme, do you not see how valuable I am?"

Leonel chuckled.

That explained his question. The Lab Setting and Abode Settings were just add-ons. The main function was probably to turn the power of a Complete World toward Crafting. In that case...

There was a workbench within Anastasia, one the most valuable tools at a Crafter's disposal outside of their World Spirit, but he had never realized that...

Anastasia herself was probably one of the greatest workbenches in all of existence.

"I haven't paid nearly enough attention to all the special quirks of the Lab Setting, especially after your evolutions.

What do you have in there that can dissect a corpse?"

Leonel grinned ear to ear.