Chapter 1291 – Venus(?)

As Jake stared down at the toxic atmosphere, he realized that the “treasure” his Sense of the Malefic Viper had picked up from across space wasn’t any treasure at all. Instead, it was this very atmosphere that had reached such a high level of toxicity that it gave a huge response.

Curious, Jake started floating towards it, as he surprisingly felt Villy reach out, something he very rarely did, especially not in situations like these.

“What’s up?” Jake asked, assuming that the snake god had something to say about the upcoming system event or something like that.

“That’s a question I’m also asking right now,” the Malefic Viper said, sounding quite curious. “Why is something like this here?”

“Venus? Pretty sure the planet has been there all along. As for why it’s got a toxic atmosphere, I reckon it’s related to Venus being a very nasty place even before the system. Definitely not a candidate for colonization,” Jake answered. He remembered reading about Venus on the internet during a late-night binge of random facts, and he recalled that the atmosphere was filled with gases, making it very dense and the planet itself incredibly hot.

“Yeah, those things are all very true, except for one minor detail… that’s not a planet. Not anymore,” Villy said, leaving little room for argument.

“Not a planet?” Jake frowned, tilting his head. “It very much still looks like one.”

“Oh, it does have the appearance of one, and unless observed up close, will pass as one. However, it’s most certainly not,” the Viper said. “Instead, it’s something you’ve encountered before. Places like these have many names, but I believe the most common one you know them as is minor worlds or dimensions.”

“Like what Yalsten was?” Jake asked with confusion.

“Precisely like what Yalsten was,” the Viper answered, sounding annoyingly proud that Jake remembered.

Jake frowned even more at that as he inspected the toxic atmosphere more closely. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Villy said casually. “These things can appear entirely randomly throughout the multiverse with no rhyme or reason, and there is little one can do to find out what’s inside without actually entering. Even if I were there in person, I wouldn’t be able to see anything amiss unless right up close. Which does make me curious: what do you detect with your Bloodline-empowered sense?”

“Just a dense wall of never-ending toxic energy,” Jake shook his head. He had already released a Pulse of Perception, but all he saw was pure energy that flooded his mind. Perhaps, given enough time, he could filter it and look to see if there was anything odd about the place, but he doubted it would feel weird, given Villy’s explanation.

“Makes sense,” the Viper said. “It may also look like a planet to you, despite not being one. Now, it’s more of an entrance than anything else, perfectly disguised as a planet. That’s how minor worlds like these are constantly discovered throughout the multiverse, even in the oldest of universes. They are so hidden that one must practically stumble upon them. Which does make them great places to hide away, especially if you destroy their entrance. Like what happened with Yalsten.”

“What happens if one blows up Venus?” Jake asked.

“It explodes,” the snake god cheekily answered. “But in all seriousness, it disappears, leaving a spatial fracture leading into the minor world. If this fracture is then also removed, the minor world becomes entirely sealed off unless someone on the inside can find a way to re-establish a connection to stable space. Finding the minor world again from the outside is multiversally considered impossible, though I won’t go as far as to say someone like the Wyrmgod wouldn’t be able to do it if he really tried. Oh, and Eversmile, if he has a powerful enough karmic bond to latch onto.”

Hearing that answer, Jake immediately had another thought. “Is that also how that unknown faction that likes to ambush people in the void and get eaten by Oras hides itself?”

“Definitely a part of their strategy to stay undetected, though these minor worlds aren’t perfect hiding places, especially not for gods. The reason why is a bit complicated, but it pretty much boils down to every god’s Divine Realm being a minor world of its own, making the two come into conflict,” the Viper briefly explained. “Anyway, enough about that. Back to why this being here is odd in the first place. While there are many minor worlds in the multiverse, and while there’s plenty of precedent for planets being turned into ones during integrations, I do find it highly peculiar that one so close to your homeworld became one.”

“I definitely agree it’s quite a coincidence,” Jake said. “Though it does leave the question: is this a good or a bad thing?”

“Depends, but I’ll lean towards good, but again, the only way to find out is to see what’s inside,” Villy answered. “As for it being a coincidence, I doubt it’s one. A better explanation would be the high density of Records on your planet. During the Tutorial, as your universe was being transformed, your planet, and subsequently surrounding celestial objects, benefited from all its inhabitants, Tutorial-attendees naturally included. Your planet’s Tutorials were quite a show with many outstanding individuals. It was already weird that your planet had a Wood Meteor hit your moon and create a B-grade, and that so many powerful items granted by the system spawned there, so this really doesn’t strike me as out of expectations.”

Jake slowly nodded, not having really questioned all things, but now that he considered it, the Viper did have a point. Jake had been to quite a few planets during the Prima Guardian event, and when it came to native monsters and whatnot, Earth was definitely at the top.

“Thanks for the explanation, and I guess it does leave one final, all-important question… should I go in?”

“Duh, of course you should,” the Viper said without any doubt. “Granted, it may be risky, but I trust your survival instincts to pull you out if you can’t successfully get in there. There is also a chance you could get trapped inside, which is just another reason now is the best time to check the place out. Even if you do get stuck, the system event will pull you out.”

“That is a very good point,” Jake said with a small smile. “Anything else I should look out for?”

“If the minor world has any peculiar traits. Like with Yalsten, these minor worlds may carry certain traits or aspects, making them either beneficial or detrimental places to be. Perhaps you gain extra experience within, or maybe your lifespan is consumed twice as fast. There’s really no way to know unless inside. Though if I had to guess, I would say that if it does have a trait, it’s related to the toxic atmosphere in some way. Maybe it’s a paradise for growing toxic herbs or creatures, or for gathering an extreme amount of certain natural treasures. These can even be unique items that can only be found in the minor world and nowhere else throughout the multiverse.”

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“Yeah, alright, I’ll definitely check the place out,” Jake nodded, slowly floating even closer to the toxic atmosphere. He tried to reach out with his energy, but found it instantly dissolved, making him move even closer.

Putting his hand inside, he felt his hand sizzle, making him pull it out again, only to see his skin had turned slightly red. Seeing this, Jake did have one more question.

“How exactly do I enter?”

Having not encountered a minor world before, and having only heard about the one Casper had constructed using the World Core of Yalsten, Jake assumed he would just have to touch the atmosphere to enter or something like that. Evidently, that wasn’t the case.

“Fly into it until you pass through. That’s how these tend to work. It’s effectively a spatial tunnel leading you into the minor world. Do be warned, though, from your brief interaction with the toxic energies, it isn’t exactly a pleasant way to enter. Or maybe it is for you, but it definitely wouldn’t be for most people,” the Viper said jokingly.

“I guess there’s nothing else to do but enter,” Jake shrugged.