Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1958 Conditioning

Though he didn’t exactly require support, Vahn knew the quickest way to break the Lo Po Bia trio’s delusions was to introduce them to the existing members of his harem. More specifically, he invited Artoria, Fenrir, and Yoruichi to accompany him, each representing one of three distinct sub-factions that had gradually formed among the residents of the Emerald Grove.

As both a Dragon Goddess and his official Empress, Artoria had the highest official status among the women comprising Vahn’s harem. She also had to most regal bearing among his women, and, despite the many setbacks she had faced early in life, her leadership capabilities and understanding of Authority were second only to Vahn’s. This, combined with the fact she was excessively kind and dutiful, made her the de facto leader of the faction that supported the existence and stability of the Empire. In layman’s terms, she was the leader of the Imperial Faction.

A close second to Artoria’s Imperial Faction, largely due to the fact they didn’t care about status and authority, were the members of Fenrir’s ’Pack’. This was a group comprised of so-called ’good girls’, or, more specifically, women with animalistic features who had embraced their instincts and desires as a result of Fenrir’s teachings. In many ways, this was the group most loyal to Vahn, as, rather than caring about more complicated matters, their primary focus was self-improvement, receiving praise, and supporting him to the best of their ability.

Due to their animalistic features and the substantial influence their instincts had over their behavior, it was safe to assume that any members of the Lo Po Bia Family, Pram, Iifa, and Nio included, would most likely become a member of Fenrir’s Pack. They simply lacked the selfless perspective required to enter the Imperial Faction, so, with the third option being Yoruichi’s faction, a group comprised almost entirely of Templates with no particular ambitions, it wasn’t difficult to imagine where they would end up.

The most important thing was that Artoria, Fenrir, and Yoruichi were all remarkably powerful, and, while they might not care about official status or titles, the members of Fenrir’s Pack adhered to a strict hierarchy. At the very top was Vahn, and, due to her standing as his most faithful and beloved companion, Fenrir represented the pinnacle of what every pack member endeavored to become. As a result, she set the example for everyone else to follow, and, unless Vahn superseded her authority, stepping out of line would quickly earn you the label of a ’bad girl’.

Though there were no serious consequences associated with the label, it did result in a noticeable decrease in the amount of pampering and praise you would receive. This might not seem like much of a penalty from the perspective of an outsider, but, for the members of the pack, it was one of the most severe punishments they could imagine. Many of them had become irreversibly dependent on the pampering and praise they received, and, while it might not compare to an actual addiction, just the thought of a life without Vahn’s affection made them anxious. Fortunately, no matter how great their mistakes, they could be certain their Master would always be willing to forgive them so long as they apologized and made a sincere effort to learn from their mistakes...

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Despite being the weakest among the three faction leaders, Fenrir was still more powerful than the average High Ranker. Her unique bloodline and advanced mastery over various laws also provided an absolute advantage against those who relied on their instincts, so, after some expected tension, both Pram and her daughters had begun referring to the former with the suffix ’sama’.

Observation of the established hierarchy was one of the most important things taught to members of the Lo Po Bia Family. Thus, after recognizing that even the weakest among Vahn’s followers was stronger than them, it was only natural that they lower their heads. Pram even went as far as setting the example for her daughters by defaulting to a support role and offering no resistance even when Yoruichi decided to tease her. This greatly perturbed her daughters in the beginning, but, after a bit of careful guidance from Fenrir and a fair amount of pampering from Vahn, they quickly adapted to the peculiar situation and became noticeably more servile.

Truth be told, Vahn wasn’t particularly fond of women with servile natures, but, understanding the impossibility of attending to the countless women who would readily throw themselves at him the moment he took over the Lo Po Bia Family, establishing a precedent like this was necessary. Though it might come across as a little scummy, he had no intention of letting individuals such as Pram and her daughters become official members of his harem. They were far from truly loving him, so, while he was more than willing to appease them for the sake of a peaceful transition, he had no desire to become something like a Grand Chieftain or a Great Father.

Though it wouldn’t actually be that difficult, Vahn had no intention of siring dozens of children just to appease each branch of the Lo Po Bia Family. He might sleep with quite a number of their Elders and chosen representatives, but, unless something drastic were to occur, he would most likely leave Templates behind to advise and protect each respective branch as he continued his ascent up and beyond the Tower. This method had worked with the various Tribes he had consolidated within the Little Garden, and, while it wasn’t a ’perfect solution’, it provided him with valuable perspectives and experiences that might aid in his future governance of all reality.

As selfish as it might seem, the goal Vahn was aspiring towards was, perhaps, the most selfish thing anyone could ever hope to achieve. He was effectively trying to subsume all of reality just to placate his desire to reunite with his family and loved ones. This ultimately put him at odds with the current Order of Creation, and, most importantly, everything responsible for maintaining the current order. Thus, regardless of how guilty it made him feel at times, he could continue pushing himself forward following the notion that any and all experiences he could gain prior to his ascent would make him a better ruler.

In the end, Vahn was aiming to become what some referred to as ’Chaotic Good’. He understood that ’balance’ was one of the fundamental forces of reality, and, as a result of free will and intrinsic need of the Soul to experience new stimuli, the natural state of creation was chaotic in nature. Thus, the more he leaned towards any particular side of the spectrum, the greater the forces opposing him would become.

Simply put, if Vahn decided to become a being of ’Absolute Good’, a being of ’Absolute Evil’ would naturally come into existence in order to counteract his influence. This would potentially result in a never-ending conflict between good and evil, so, rather than representing either extreme, the least destructive path seemed to be skirting the boundary between the two forces in order to enforce his own form of balance. This would also ensure the relative neutrality of his counterpart as a Tier 7, so, even if he was labeled as scum by some, Vahn would continue accumulating experiences in order to appease his personal desires and ensure the stability of the future...

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With Iifa receiving training from Fenrir and Pram departing to personally express his intentions to Lord Lo Po Bia, Vahn was enjoying a bit of leisure time in a suite prepared for him by the Lo Po Bia Family. At his side, purring contentedly like a cat despite the beads of sweat covering her face and body, Nio could be seen staring off into space with a dazed expression on her face. He had agreed to Pram’s request to help her prepare for her impending ascent, so, for the past few weeks, most of which had been spent in the Little Garden, Vahn had been training her rather exhaustively.

Gently smacking the dazed girl’s spats-covered backside, an action that caused her tail to spiritedly flick, an amused smile spread across Vahn’s face as he teasingly inquired, "How long do you intend to rest? Your mother wouldn’t even struggle to lift a mountain. How do you intend to surpass her when you can barely do more than a hundred pushups without taking a break...?"

Groaning in response to Vahn’s words, Nio did her best to right herself before adopting a princess-like pout and complaining, "You’re so cruel, Vahn-sama...I can’t even use Shinsu outside of the Little Garden. How can you expect me to compete with my mother under these circumstances...?"

Ruffling the pouting girl’s ashen-silver hair, Vahna adopted a stern tone as he said, "When it comes to personal ambitions, never blame others for holding you accountable to your own words. This is a path you decided upon after learning about forms of energy other than Shinsu. If you think it’s hard now, you should give up trying to develop your Ki and wait to gain access to Shinsu along with the rest of the ’Regulars’. I won’t be there to pamper and encourage you during your ascent, so, if you aren’t going to take this seriously, don’t expect me to continue pushing you forward..."

With Nio’s ears twitching in response to the emphasis he had placed on the word ’Regulars’, Vahn knew his words had had the desired impact. Emphasizing this, Nio grit her teeth as she forced herself to a standing position despite the strain placed on her by the weighted compression suit covering most of her body. Its total weight was only 500kg, but, without the blessing of Shinsu, it was a substantial sum for a petite girl of only 34kg to lug around. She also had to fight against the resistance of the suit itself, so, despite her heritage, Nio had to strain herself just to be able to move around.

After finally rising to her feet, Nio took several deep breaths, an action that was, fortunately, directly supported by one of the suit’s functions. Then, with her icy-blue eyes firmly fixated on Vahn, she did her best to perform a series of one hundred star jumps. She had yet to realize his ’fascination’ with the backsides of various races, so, in the hopes of appealing to him and receiving a greater reward, she did her best to maintain eye contact as her modest breasts bounced up and down with each of her movements...

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At the very center of a massive forest, which, from the outside, looked like a giant briar bush, Pram could be seen bowing before a man with leaf-green hair, cat-like ears, and pale-yellow fur covering much of his body. This was none other than Lo Po Bia himself, the greatest Anima in existence and the man responsible for the name and creation of the entire Lo Po Bia Family.

With a distinctly cat-like smile, Lo Po Bia retracted his hand from the head of the blue-haired who had been lying across his lap, waiting for the latter to move before rising to his feet and musing, "It seems the King’s suspicions were, once again, correct...unfortunately, it would complicate things if I were to personally seek out the Sage Dragon Emperor. Instead, you will guide him here once he has finished with his business inside of the Nest. If he is unwilling to agree, tell him the entire Lo Po Bia Family will stand against him during his attempt to free the Princess..."

Bowing her head even lower, Pram adopted a highly reverential tone as she unhesitantly replied, "I will carry out this duty without fail. Thank you for entrusting my Snow Leopard Family with such an important task..."

Though the truth of the matter was that Lo Po Bia had been planning to sacrifice the Snow Leopard Family in order to appease Vahn’s wrath regarding the events related to the Name Hunt Station, this kind of outcome was far more preferable than culling an entire branch. Thus, with a ’genuine’ smile on his face, the inordinately tall Lo Po Bia approached Pram before kneeling low enough to pat her on the head as he said, "You’ve done well. Depending on the outcome of these events, the status of the Snow Leopards may become second only to the Forest Cats..."

Hearing his father’s words, the dark blue-haired man sitting near the base of the throne couldn’t help glaring at Pram, his peculiar green and red eyes glimmering with apparent envy. At the same time, however, Pram’s own were expressing minor doubts, as, despite looking forward to receiving her father’s praise more than anything, his caress felt strangely lacking...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Yourichi’s faction sounds lazy...’,’Nio-chan, fighto~!’,’Pram be like, *anxious snow leopard noises*’)

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