Chapter 448 Relics of the Stars: Stars Change
As Sterl observed the scene around him, tears streamed down his cheeks. An overwhelming sorrow enveloped him, wrapping around him like a shroud. Suddenly, a wave of joyous emotion surged from deep within his heart.
What was it…?
He looked up and saw it: the formation spoken of earlier by the warriors of the Starry Clan had successfully manifested. Countless life forces of the fallen members of the Starry Clan were being drawn up into the sky, while the magnificent palace rapidly dissolved into a massive orb of light, soaring into the clouds!
Then, countless beams of light burst forth from the formation in the sky, transforming into points of light that shot out in all directions. At that moment, the entire main world resembled a map, and under the surge of these light points, flowers began to bloom everywhere!
Each point of light concealed a resource that Sterl could sense was incredibly precious, and the outer shell of these resources took on the form of a small, ethereal underground palace.
The glorious spectacle left Sterl in shock, and just then, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
"Hello, future descendant."
Sterl turned and looked, his pupils constricting in surprise; he had been caught off guard by someone standing so close. However—
In the illusion, everything could be erased at will.
Sterl analyzed the situation and concluded it wasn't his fault. Yet, as he gazed at the person who spoke, he felt something was off—the robe the figure wore was identical to that of the one who had sat on the throne outside the illusion!
Earlier, when he had observed the figure's skeletal form, he thought the Starry Clan on the throne resembled a Frost Giant, and now that the skeletal form had been restored to flesh and blood, the resemblance was even stronger!
However, this should not symbolize the Frost, but rather another type of giant, one whose eyes were filled with wisdom…
Unlike that powerful individual outside who was devoid of substance!
"Hello."
Sterl cautiously replied, his mind racing with thoughts.
What connection could there be between the Frost Giant and the former Starry Clan…?
He had spoken out of courtesy, not expecting a response, but the giant of the Starry Clan nodded earnestly.
"Hmm, indeed."
"It seems that the inheritors of my clan have not yet devolved into savage beings; there is still some intellect."
The giant's voice was warm and gentle.
Sterl looked up again, realizing that the giant existed within the illusion, yet spoke as if he were a real person.
"Who exactly are you…?"
"Me? I am merely a long-dead specter."
"You need not pay too much attention to it."
The giant waved his hand and settled into a nearby crevice, positioning his head level with Sterl's, making their conversation much more convenient.
"I am among the Starry Clan…"
He struggled to articulate, and then his form flickered as if he were about to fade away, prompting the giant to quickly change his words.
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"Apologies, it seems I cannot mention my name yet; the curses from those clan families upon the Starry Clan are still in effect."
"Our lineage is destined to be forgotten."
As the giant spoke of the curse, he exhibited no anger, merely an overwhelming calmness.
The atmosphere became awkwardly still.
After a moment of contemplation, Sterl finally spoke, "I felt a summons."
"And then I found myself trapped in this environment."
"What do you wish to convey to me through this illusion?"
The giant did not respond immediately; instead, he closed his eyes and sensed the atmosphere before revealing a smile.
"I never expected that the luckiest one would be me.
"The first inheritor is one of my own!"
"Descendant, listen closely. Our Starry Clan may have long since perished, but before our downfall, we mobilized the formations of the Celestial Stars and melded all our legacies into the stars, scattering them across various locations in the world."
"There are a total of 108 pieces, known as the Relics of the Stars."
"Each treasure is guarded by an underground palace. Once, our Starry Clan occupied the entire continent, and the number of astrological palaces was countless."
"But to preserve the Relics of the Stars and to maximize the inheritance of the Starry Clan's power, all palaces other than those guarding the relics have been melted down to enhance the quality of the relics and ensure that the secrets of the Starry Clan do not leak out."
"You have unlocked the palace where I reside."
"I shall bestow upon you the fourteenth treasure of the Relics of the Stars—Stars Change."
"This is an extraordinarily special treasure."
"It can open highly stable spatial passages across various worlds."
"That's right; it's not just in this world where we find ourselves—there are other worlds beyond."
"This Stars Change can assist your forces in traversing different worlds; merely selling resources could allow you to nurture transcendent-level soldiers."
As the giant spoke, a pale blue, spoon-like jade artifact fell into Sterl's palm.
This must be Stars Change.
The wondrous relic melted away instantly, melding with Sterl's being.
Sterl felt a surge of fear.
He hadn't even had time to react before Stars Change suddenly integrated into his body!
Had the giant intended to kill him, Sterl wouldn't have had time to use the Law of Time.
Was the Starry Clan a bit too exaggerated?
Clearly, when he had scanned the area earlier, there had been no powerful forces present in the illusion.
However…
After Stars Change integrated, Sterl felt a subtle resonance and couldn't help but smile.
He realized the immense power of this Relic of the Stars.
In simple terms, it could open a spatial passage and close it at will; the only limitation for opening the passage was one thing: Sterl's existence.
This existence didn't mean that Sterl had to be at that place.
Rather, someone in the world where the passage was opened needed to know "Sterl."
This was an incredibly domineering method of arrival!
For example, in the layer of hell of Licitris, where several Succubi had spoken with Sterl, it would have been quite troublesome for him to travel anywhere. Now, he could directly activate Stars Change to open a stable and permanent spatial passage.
Sterl himself incurred no cost whatsoever.
The Relics of the Stars could be charged by any creation that formed a concept.
In the world of [Transcendence], the night sky was filled with stars, so the spatial passage Sterl constructed would have one end in [Transcendence], without requiring any additional expenditure.
Moreover…
He sensed slightly and thought, "I want to return to my hometown."
Stars Change was highly precise in its judgment, capable of discerning what Sterl meant by his hometown.
"If the timeline hasn't shifted too much since I transmigrated, there should still be people who remember me."
"If I'm fortunate, it hasn't been more than 20 years since I transmigrated here, and if only 20 years have passed in my hometown, my parents should still be there."
Sterl, for once, lost his composure slightly; he found himself missing… his mom and dad.
Even though he had already gained unparalleled power in this other world, he still longed to return home.
Linna, Rayna, and the countless girls he had met later, they were all just lovers…
And not parents.
Sterl had never forgotten that before he transmigrated, he had been an ordinary person, but he had experienced warmth. On Christmas Eve, he would sit by the fireplace, holding his family's Samoyed, "Coco," while the sound of crackling from the fire filled the air.
Upstairs, his overly energetic little brother was playing with his toys.
From the kitchen, the delicious aroma of his parents cooking wafted through the house…
For a moment, Sterl's vision blurred with emotion.
However, he quickly felt disappointment.
Stars Change provided no explanation, remaining silent for a long time before finally responding.
[Unable to open the spatial passage.]
It did not specify whether it was because no one remembered him in his hometown, or if there was another reason altogether.
During this period, the giant maintained his composure, patiently waiting.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," he said. "There are situations in which the Relics of the Stars cannot be activated. For example, if you want to open a passage back to your hometown, but the distance to your hometown is simply too great."
"The good news is, if you can become the true leader of a new era for our Starry Clan, you can activate the Relics of the Stars and strengthen them."
"You will have a chance to fulfill your wishes."
The giant's words sparked a flicker of hope in Sterl's eyes.
However, he was also a bit puzzled…
A leader of a new era?
The leader of the Starry Clan?
Hadn't the Starry Clan already faced annihilation?
He voiced his confusion.
The giant chuckled softly.
"Do you know why we went to such lengths to melt down numerous underground palaces and countless lives to preserve our legacy?"
"Because the Starry Clan was on the brink of destruction, surrounded by attacks from other races?" Sterl tentatively answered.
"That was indeed the case."
"I lived in the era when the Starry Clan faced a brief period of annihilation; at that time, an unprecedented calamity descended…"
The giant sighed.
"Prior to that, the Starry Clan had endured countless calamities against other races."
"To us, they were merely bizarre beings that would devour everything."
"While they were difficult to deal with, as long as we could unleash attacks far exceeding their devouring capabilities, we could defeat them."
"Our generation of the Starry Clan had already survived 173 such calamities."
[Your 'generation'?] Sterl found the term a bit strange, but he refrained from interrupting the giant's tale.
At that moment, the environment shifted.
It showed the many soldiers of the Starry Clan confidently hunting the Devourer of All Things, wearing proud smiles on their faces.
"Even as calamities approached, our clan continued to conquer other races, gathering their elite warriors."
"We of the Starry Clan do not take inherent races into account because star power exists as an innate force across countless worlds."
"Anyone can cultivate, and our clan has pushed the methods of cultivating the stars to their utmost limit."
"As long as there are talented individuals who join our clan and practice the methods of the stars, we can communicate and continue to refine those methods together."
"Moreover, those who cultivate the methods will produce offspring who are better suited for the cultivation of star techniques."
"Thus, we are indeed a race."