Way of the Knights

Chapter 726 - Terraform!

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He didn't notice this before since he was pre-occupied but when he inspected this place closely, the platform with the obelisk on is now elevated from the ground.

Raven doesn't remember this being like this when he first arrived here so he figured that it might have something to do with hoe many trials he completed, after all its called the Celestial Ascension Platform.

Now that he was rested and back to his peak condition, Raven thought that it was about time he take on the next trial, the earlier he finish, the better. 

"Administrator. I'm ready for the next trial." 

When Raven said this, the Trial Administrator appeared in front of him like a phantom with the stone steele in hand. He handed the stone steele to Raven and stepped aside. 

"Touch the Obelisk and you will be sent to the next trial grounds. The stone steele will be updated and inform you your next task." The administrator said. 

Raven took a deep breath and nodded. He held the stone steele on one hand and walked closer to the obelisk. He then touched it with his free hand and the moment he did, he instantly disappeared from this place. 

He found himself travelling through a space vacuum. Despite his knowledge about Spacetime Laws, he still felt the pull really strong and disorienting. He didn't know how long this transfer went on, all he knew was that when it was over, he was extremely dizzy and can't even stand straight. 

Raven can't even open his eyes because whenever he did, he felt strong nausea. He just sat in place and regulated his breathing, taking the time to calm down first before doing anything. 

Once he calmed down, Raven sighed and opened his eyes. He was greeted by a vast empty star, inhabitable and completely desolate. It looked like there was nothing but death and decay in this world, making it seem like it was a dead or at least a dying star. 

This caused Raven to frown. He sank his perception to his consciousness and searched for the stone steele to figure out why he was transferred here. The stone steele was there and was releasing a soft brilliance. He approached it and read the contents for his second trial. 

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[2nd Celestial Ascension Trial - Terraform!]

*  You are sent into a distant star, something far away from Divine Realm. The star might look pretty much dead but don't be mistaken, this is a new born star that had some issues with its birth, causing it to be reduced in this state.

*  Your task, is to help this star survive. It's in its incomplete state, you need to Terraform it completely with all of the methods you have available. Your fate is connected to this star so if its dies, then you will as well.

*  There is no time limit, you fail when the star dies, you succeed when the star transforms into an Independent Star.

*  Of course, you may continue to improve the state of the star, evolving it even further to become a Small World or even a Great World. This of course, depends on you.

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"Well, shit..." 

Raven rubbed his face as he finished reading the contents of his second trial.

The administrator wasn't kidding, the trials truly do spike in difficulty the further up he goes. Who would've known that just for his second trial he's already tasked to Terraform an entire freaking star. 

"What the hell is wrong with these trials? I'm not even a Knight Monarch yet and they're already making me terraform a freaking star! Ugh!" 

It was clear that Vendrick didn't like this. The trial was too hard for him to complete. He doesn't even know where to start! 

All he could see around him was a dying star, how can they say that this a newborn one? Even if it is a newborn star, why do they care? There's literally billions of stars in the Divine Realm! Millions of small worlds and thousands of Great Worlds! Why would they care about the well being of a failed star?

He just doesn't get it. 

Still though, whining won't make this disappear or allow him to switch trials. He's stuck with this and is expected to clear this unless he wants to die. 

Thankfully, Raven can survive in the vacuum of space without any problems. He has his Spacetime Laws to thank for this.

Speaking of laws, at least they didn't seal any of his stuff for this. He had all of his equipment with him which can hopefully be of help with this trial of his. 

Raven released a sigh and said: "Okay, let's see what I have to work with here." 

Instead of moping around and complaining about the difficulty of this trial. He chose to just accept it and see what he's working with. He started flying around, getting a clear view of the...'stillborn star'. Checking to see if there's anything he can do to at least keep it alive or just any information he can use actually. 

As he flew around, he saw the terrible state this star was in. It's outer crust is cracked in all places, not a single stalk of vegetation can be seen, the pulse of the star is very weak and faint, Raven almost can't feel it. It's really looks like a dead star from all angles. 

Raven's face was dark as it was painfully obvious that he's in grave danger here. This star isn't going to last long and if it dies, he dies with it. This is something he cannot allow. He has too many things left to do, he can't fail here. 

He did several rounds of investigation, making sure to remember everything there is to learn about the state of this star. He had the whole and very detailed image of the star on his mind as he meditated for an answer. 

Raven employed the help of his Avatars for this. They're not sealed so he can use them. With this many minds working together, there should be hope for this. 

He spent several days in meditation, simulating methods to preserve and then later improve the quality of this star. Unfortunately, since the state of the star is so bad, he has very little to work with here. 

Terraforming is a method to transform a land into a habitable place for one's self. In Raven's case though, he needs to Terraform this land until it becomes and independent star. Meaning that he had to Terraform the entire star for that to happen. 

It would've been fine if its in a slightly better state than this but its not. 

There's no semblance of Laws here, the life signs are very weak, the star itself is just clinging on to dear life. 

But, just as they say...'If there's a will, there's a way'. 

This task might've been easier if he was at least in Knight Monarch Stage since at the time, he could simply release his Domain which would cover the entire star and penetrate to its core. With that, his influence over the star will increase and he can use simpler methods to terraform it. 

Unfortunately, he isn't at that stage yet. Far from it actually. Therefore he can only do his best. 

Raven had a way, but this step is very risky so he had to be careful. 

He scanned the entire star and searched for a sturdy areas, ones that won't collapse and cause a chain reaction. Thankfully, there was one nearby. He went to it and scanned it again just to be sure. 

Once he confirmed that this land was stable enough for his purpose, he immediately went to work since there's no time to waste. 

He took out the Brush - yes, it's a brush again but it can transform into a spear whenever he wants to, the Brush of Wisdom and started drawing a massive rune on the area he's standing on. 

The moment his aura erupted, the star shook which almost gave him a heart attack. Seeing as it didn't set off a chain reaction, he calmed down and proceeded to draw the rune he had in mind. 

This rune is made out of millions of intersecting golden and silver lines. Each lines is formed by combining tiny yet sturdy basic runes. 

It's been months since the last time he drew a rune like this but his skills didn't get rusty, in fact he's better at it for some reason. 

It didn't take long before the massive rune was created. The rune was written in an ancient character which meant 'Vitality'. 

The moment it was finished, the rune immediately began working its magic. The rune he made was akin to a life support for the star but this isn't the end of course. 

He made another rune, this one meant 'Stability' and it does what it says. This rune will stabilize the condition of the star. 

With the Vitality Rune, it has a steady supply of life support and with the Stability Rune, leakage would be sealed slowly but surely. This should extend the longevity of the star and thus extending his time to do more improvements as well. 

But of course, this is just the beginning. There's still tons of work he has left before the star become and independent one...