Yanxia refused to leave Liam's side. The newborn Three-Legged Golden Crow nestled herself against his shoulder, feathers shimmering faintly with living flame.

Her warmth radiated across his neck and cheek. It was soft like basking beneath a newborn sun that had yet to decide whether to burn or nurture.

Liam smiled faintly as he rubbed her head. The firelight reflecting off her feathers cast golden ripples across his face, flickering like dawn through his calm eyes.

Her tiny claws flexed, gripping gently onto his sleeve as she chirped contentedly and nuzzled closer into the curve of his neck.

He could feel her heartbeat, steady and strong, syncing with his own through their spiritual bond. For all her divine heritage, she was still just a child — one born of the sun, but seeking warmth from him.

Yanxia had already devoured her shell the moment she hatched, swallowing it whole in a swirl of molten light that melted into her aura.

The system had explained that it was instinct — the shell contained the condensed solar essence she needed to stabilize her flame-born body.

Liam rubbed her head again gently. "You're quite the clingy one," he murmured, smiling. "Guess I'm stuck with you now."

Yanxia chirped softly, her golden eyes half-lidded as if to say, you were mine the moment you named me.

Liam chuckled lightly, but then his gaze turned distant.

"System, tell me everything I need to know about the Void Beasts — and how to capture and tame a Voidling," he asked.

[The Host need not worry about being attacked. Void Beasts are not predators.]

Liam frowned slightly. "Not predators?"

[Correct. They spend most of their lifespan in slumber, passively absorbing dark energy from the cosmos. They are functionally immortal and feed on nothing else.]

[Void Beasts exist to maintain balance. They are drawn to areas of excessive dark energy or dark matter — regions on the brink of cosmic instability. Their presence restores equilibrium over millennia. Once balance is achieved, they drift onward to the next unstable zone.]

"Then they're… caretakers?" Liam asked quietly, eyes narrowing in thought.

[Correct. They are not destroyers, but regulators. The universe depends on their existence to remain stable.]

Yanxia tilted her head, as if looking for who Liam was talking to.

[The places they inhabit are divided into two categories: newborn regions of the universe — where dark energy accumulates faster than it can disperse — and ancient, dying regions, where entropy has long overtaken creation. The first births light; the second devours it.]

Liam blinked slowly, his brows furrowing. "Newborn regions… and ancient deadly zones."

He fell silent for a moment, then frowned in realisation.

"Wait. The Milky Way is in a newborn region, isn't it?"

[Affirmative.]

Liam rubbed his temple as he processed that. He understood the system's nature well enough by now to know that its definitions weren't human. When it said something was "deadly," it didn't mean dangerous to mortals. It probably meant lethal to gods.

And when it called something "newborn," that could still mean billions of years old.

For a being — or whatever the system was — that could manipulate entire reality like data files, "young" and "old" were relative. And that realization made his stomach tighten with awe.

He exhaled slowly, as he asked, "System, how old is my universe? And… how young is the region I'm in compared to it?"

[Your universe is as ancient as the other two. It is boundless, and its true age exceeds quantifiable time. The difference lies not in its years, but its laws.]

[Unlike the others, your universe lacks higher entities to maintain its equilibrium. There are no Gods, no Grand Dao — only the Void Beasts, who serve as its natural regulators. But their influence is limited. In such a vast and restrictive cosmos, they can only balance, not guide.]

[The region that contains the Milky Way is barely one hundred billion years old. Your galaxy itself — the Milky Way — is roughly forty billion years old.]

Liam froze. "Forty… billion?"

He felt Yanxia stir slightly, her warmth grounding him as his mind tried to grasp the scale. He couldn't even fully comprehend the number. His throat tightened.

He had read scientific theories about the universe's age — thirteen to fourteen billion years, according to human cosmology. But the system's words made that sound like the age of a child compared to the reality of the cosmos.

His home — the galaxy that housed the solar system that Earth is in, the stars, and everything humanity had ever known — was barely a blink in the life of the universe.

A chill ran down his spine, as he spoke in a low voice, "Scientists would kill for this information," he murmured under his breath. "And I'm just… hearing it like it's trivia."

Yanxia chirped softly, nuzzling his cheek as if to comfort him.

He gave a small, humorless laugh. "Yeah, I know, little one. Perspective hurts."

But that faint feeling of dread slowly gave way to realization.

If the system was right, and his universe had no divine management, no supreme beings pulling strings… then maybe that was the point.

Then maybe he...

The thought immediately sent a chill through him. It was heavier than fear or awe. It was like a pressure that settled on his shoulders like invisible chains.

He shook his head sharply, forcing the thought away.

"No," he muttered. "No. I'm just overthinking."

[Host is advised not to overthink. Focus on the immediate objective — taming the Voidling.]

"Right," Liam said, exhaling. "How do I do that, exactly?"

[You have the necessary resources. Entice the Voidling with spirit stones and mana stones — as many as you can spare.]

He blinked. "Entice it… with spirit stones?"

[Correct.]

"Explain."

[Void Beasts absorb dark energy passively and they love dark energy. However, they are also attracted to exotic energy signatures — unfamiliar forms of condensed power. Spirit stones and mana stones are filled with concentrated spiritual and elemental energy. To Void Beasts, these energies are a delicacy — rare and enticing.]

[If you offer sufficient quantities, the Voidling will approach of its own accord. Once it recognizes you as a consistent source of sustenance, taming will be achievable.]

Liam raised an eyebrow. "So I'm bribing it."

[You are establishing dependency.]

He couldn't help but smile faintly at that. "That's one way to put it."

Yanxia chirped, clearly uninterested in whatever Liam was talking about. She spread her small wings and yawned, a flicker of gold flame escaping her beak before she settled again. Liam chuckled and stroked her head gently.

He leaned back, thinking. "If these creatures are as massive as the system described… I'll probably need millions — maybe billions — of spirit and mana stones. Enough to light up a solar system."

He sighed, rubbing his temple. "That's going to take time."

And time was the one thing he felt slipping through his fingers. Each passing day, he was growing stronger and wealthier but still not cultivating. Still standing at the edge of something vast, waiting.

He clenched his fist. "System… should I really wait until I tame the Voidling before starting cultivation?"

[Yes. If you begin cultivation now, you will only be able to progress through a single system — Qi cultivation or mana cultivation. That path will eventually limit your growth. Combining the three energy systems — Qi, Mana, and Dark Energy — will create the only perfect foundation.]

Liam exhaled slowly. The logic was unshakable, but it didn't quiet the hunger stirring within him.

He wanted to move. To ascend. To stop waiting. But he knew the system was right. He knew that he has to wait to enjoy the full benefits.

He sighed once more and called for Lucy, as it was time to start building his spacecraft. He would build the world's first starship and a huge one at that.

He was probably about to add more chaos, in addition to his private A380 and Lucid.

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