Damon's Ascension-Chapter 57: Divine Weapon

[Essence Augmented Reality (Earth) - Pra River Instance 1 (Clear!)]

[Objective(s):

a. Survive the encounter at Pra River by any means necessary - Completion Grade: EX

b. Repel an enemy force attempting to ambush your delegation - Completion Grade: EX

c. Escape with as many allies as possible if the battle turns against you - Completion Grade: EX

d. Seek an alternative resolution that shifts the power balance in your favor - Completion Grade: EX]

[Remarks: Tsk, tsk, just how long do you think your clever little ploy will last? Even if the British Parliament is foolish enough to believe Sir Garnet, the fear of this African ’Kakai’ who claims to be a messenger of the Gods will fade in time. You have only delayed the inevitable.]

[Rewards: 200 units of Worldly Essence, B-Grade Item: The Golden Stool.]

Damon furrowed his brows as he came out of the instance, returning to Pra River, which had changed with the passing of time compared to what he had experienced. Looking at the populated area, which had even developed a small market for people coming and going from the instance, Damon felt his heart settle.

Why did the localized Essence instances even exist? Was it to challenge the known history of a race compared with actual happenings? To tease those who entered with a pretense of being able to change the past? Or perhaps their purpose was far more unforgiving, to prove, with undeniable certainty, that no matter how intelligent or powerful an individual was, history could never be rewritten?

According to what Damon had learned during his studies, it was the IUAS who had pushed for the localized Essence instances to be like this. As for the argument for it, it was actually summarized in one phrase, a unanimous decision by the whole Senate at the time, small as it had been.

’A species ignorant of its past cannot advance to the future.’

So yes, in a way, the purpose of these localized Essences was to educate the newly discovered species about their true history and let them experience it. Breaking the shackles of planetary-based thinking and readying themselves for the galactic playground.

If you were still harping on about past social issues between sub-divisions of your species, you would not last even a second under the brutal exploitation of the Universe Will and the political battlefield of the IUAS.

Damon understood this, but he doubted many others would. In fact, in his personal opinion, this method was far more likely to tear open old wounds and spark a new wave of resentment and hostility within the species than achieve the intended purpose.

However, this was precisely why the Prime Representative was given such extensive power by the IUAS. If the species in question couldn’t solve this problem during those two decades while advancing to a stable civilization at the galactic scale, then they would forever remain at the bottom.

For Damon, it was good enough that he alone understood. He did not expect others to, not yet anyway. Not to mention that things were not all rosy and peachy; there had been a great pushback against his appointment as Prime Representative.

At first, as the only being with three EX-Grade talents and the only politician among the first 100, it seemed just right for him to take on the role. However, as people learned more about the human race’s ’specialness’ and the galactic situation, they began to have different thoughts.

It was mostly fine for the common man worldwide, but for those who had ruled human society for generations through their families in the shadows, using countries and nations as their fronts, how could they tolerate having to answer to a young man of dark skin from the poorest continent in the world?

They had spent generations upon generations implementing plans that slowly put the world under their control, with a few rebels here and there who they planned to squash in due time, when Ambrose appeared over the planet.

Damon wasn’t the only one who felt lost and betrayed, their life goals falling to the wayside. These families almost erupted into internal war many times this past month over what step to take next, only recently stabilizing because they were uniting against a common foe.

Damon.

We’ve seen how Felicia was represented in the media. They established her as a figure of wisdom who had informed the public of countless things these past few weeks and even tagged her with the affectionate name of ’Deputy Prime Representative.’

Naturally, the IUAS recognized no such position, and neither did the Universe Will. Still, Felicia was a better option for them because her bloodline was that of the main Rothschild line, which did not need explaining as to why they were happy with that.

It was unfortunate that she was a female, but they would make do. Besides, this could be a prime opportunity to marry into the family...

Did you think Damon’s press presentation was as good as Felicia’s? Dream on!

Putting aside legacy media, many bloggers and internet news outlets had put out multiple posts and articles about Damon, all trying to dissect his character through his past. They had dug out everything they could about him, but thanks to his carefully nurtured upbringing, there were not many potholes, if any.

The only one was the recent massacre at his club, which conspiracy theorists had a field day with. Ironically, many had rightly guessed that the event might have been orchestrated by Damon to boost popularity, while some stated that it was an attempt by hidden forces to take him out before he could grow.

Apart from African-based media happily promoting him as a paragon of the new age, most foreign media outlets were lukewarm at best and slightly negative at worst. After all, the shift in opinion had to be subtle; otherwise, people would find resistance to it.

Damon did not mind this. It was not that he did not care about being disparaged, nor was it because he did not value public opinion. He was not a sigma male who thought the world revolved around him; he was a politician who carefully curated his public image.

The reason Damon did not mind was because these problems were easy to solve in light of the advent of the galactic society, so much so that after the auction tomorrow, he would begin implementing his plan.

Thinking like this, he walked through the bustling throng and entered his car’s backseat, prompting his driver to take the trip to the hotel. Since two instances had appeared in this region, he decided it was best to stay here one night rather than go back home.

While he was having dinner at the hotel, which was a rather fancy and expensive affair, Damon finally decided to check on the item he had acquired, frowning deeply when he saw its details.

[Golden Stool (Sika Dwa Kofi) - Divine Weapon.]

[Rank: B]

[Details: A sacred artifact said to have descended from the heavens, imbued with the authority of kings and the will of the ancestors. More than a mere symbol of power, this legendary throne radiates an indomitable aura, bolstering the strength and resolve of its chosen ruler. Those who sit upon it gain heightened wisdom, unyielding presence, and an innate connection to the spirits of past leaders.]

[Effects:

A. Divine Imbuement: Pay a minimum of 100 units of Worldly Essence to randomly draw one of the authorities of the Akan pantheon and possess it as a skill. The more Worldly Essence imbued, the better the quality of the skill.

B. Divine Summoning: Pay a minimum of 1,000 units of Worldly Essence to summon one of the Gods from the Akan pantheon to perform one action for you. The more Worldly Essence imbued, the stronger the power of the deity.

C. Heroic Ascension: Sacrifice 50 units of Worldly Essence to forcefully ascend your level by 10 grades, gaining the requisite stats and abilities from the upgrade. This skill cannot be enhanced with more input, and its duration is limited to 10 minutes.

D. Heroic Summoning: Pay a minimum of 10 units of Worldly Essence to summon one of the Heroes from the Akan Pantheon to fight by your side for a duration of one day. The strength of the summoned hero is directly linked to the user.]

And now, you could see why excavation was a huge industry in the IUAS. The Akan pantheon was one of the most popular and strongest among the native African tribes in West Africa, with more than a few deities, including the famous Anansi.

Damon had done some research and knew that item classifications were strict. With the effects, it seemed like the legendary Golden Stool of history should at least be S-grade, so why was it all the way down at B?

The reason was due to the fact that all Divine Weapons started at the B rank, which meant that the stool was somehow ranked lowest, which was why Damon frowned. However, for Divine Weapons, what mattered was not their effects or even their history, but the cost of utility.

It might seem overpowered, but the Worldly Essence costs for this Divine Weapon were outrageous when considering other Divine Weapons of the same type, costing more while giving less.

No matter the creature, even Alexander, King of the Dragons, Worldly Essence was a precious resource linked to their growth and power, something they never had enough of. Who had time to imbue it into an item to summon other beings?