In The Silver Philotimo Observable Existence.

Inside a Primordial Realm countless Gigaparsecs away from The Primordial Realm of Rasatala-loka.

This Primordial Realm was known as THE Eonic Bazaar.

It was a place that had existed since before most civilizations within the Silver Philotimo had learned to cultivate, a nexus of commerce and exchange that had grown organically across eons until it became one of the most significant gathering points for lifeforms seeking resources, entertainment, knowledge, or simply the experience of witnessing diversity that no single Domain could provide.

The ancient layout of this Primordial Realm showed construction that had occurred in layers across countless generations, with newer structures building upon foundations that predated the memories of even the oldest beings currently dwelling within its boundaries.

Toward its center, a massive Planar Landmass stretched across an entire light year. It was surrounded by floating Vessels of every conceivable design, ships and platforms and more that housed beings from across the entirety of the Silver Philotimo Observable Existence.

Billions of Lifeforms at THE First Scale and lesser Scales crowded the various districts and markets and entertainment venues that comprised this central territory, while a sparse few tens of thousands at THE Second Scale moved through designated areas.

Achilles and Rose and THE Watcher were here.

A domain where countless lifeforms converged for entertainment and exchange of resources was known as THE Convergence of Ten Thousand Wants, and it lived up to its name with thoroughness that exceeded anything Achilles had witnessed in his own stunted Observable Existence.

Different regions served different purposes with organization.

The District of Breathing Metals housed forges where Primordial Architects crafted weapons and armors infused with Observable Force at concentrations that would have been impossible in less developed realities.

The Gardens of Consumed Potential offered rare herbs and plants that had been cultivated across millennia to produce effects ranging from temporary power amplification to permanent foundation restructuring.

The Flesh Markets displayed the preserved bodies of Second Scale beasts whose meat could grant those who consumed it fragments of the authority those creatures had wielded in life.

Antediluvian Ones drifted through crowds in forms that ranged from floating grimoires to crystallized consciousness given geometric shape. Formless Terrors shifted between configurations.

Undivided Ones moved with the deliberate patience of beings who had rejected differentiation while somehow still participating in structured reality. Countless other races of Bounded Lifeforms converged here with diversity that made categorization impossible.

From humanoid to animalistic to bacterial and viral, all types of lifeforms gathered in this place, each with their own spectacular uniqueness and levels of power within THE First Scale or below.

Some communicated through sound while others exchanged information through chemical signatures or direct Civilizational resonance. Some walked on legs while others floated or crawled or teleported between locations.

In a corner of THE Convergence of Ten Thousand Wants, a grand structure akin to an ancient restaurant rose up. The establishment was known as THE Feast of Ascending Appetites, and its interior combined luxury with functionality.

Currently, Achilles stood at the head of a table that was filled with an abundance of Sacred Herbs and Meat from Second Scale Beasts in a private room- a place they came and chose because of the memories he had obtained from those he devoured!

All of the Sacred Herbs and Meat had been purchased with the Ego Crystals he had gained from the many Scale 1s and Scale 2s he had Assimilated in THE Last Stand.

He ate some of the items on the table, savoring flavors that carried echoes of the authority these ingredients had possessed before being harvested and prepared. He Assimilated others just to see what potential effects there could be, his Inner Dominion processing the consumed materials with efficiency that grew stronger with each passing hour.

Some herbs offered temporary boosts to perception. Some meats carried fragments of Civilizational authority that could be integrated into his own foundations. Some resources held properties he could not immediately identify but filed away for future examination.

He looked toward Rose and THE Watcher as he finished his current sampling of the abundant spread before him.

"This place is unique, and we can look at it however we want."

His voice emerged calm.

"If we choose to look at it like some foreign Observable Existence where we have to be careful at every step, we can move around slowly and cautiously, treating everything as potential threat and every interaction as possible ambush. Or we can treat it as an extension of existence itself."

He gestured toward the window that displayed the endless crowds moving through THE Convergence of Ten Thousand Wants.

"Our Observable Existence was stunted. It produced one native Absolute across its entire history. It never birthed Primordial Architects naturally. It remained isolated from the broader landscape of reality until Mansa Zulu saw fit to connect us to this place."

His purple-gold eyes gleamed with calculation that held anticipation beneath its surface.

"But now we have a path leading to another part of Existence that holds an overabundance of opportunity. Resources that would have been impossible to obtain in our reality are sold openly in markets mere minutes from where we sit. Beings whose knowledge exceeds anything we could have encountered at home walk past this establishment every moment. We can gain a tremendous amount of power in a very short period of time."

He looked toward THE Watcher as he finished his words.

"What will you do?"

The question was directed specifically at the Singular Cognizance because Rose had already told him her plans. She intended to explore this Primordial Realm and other areas of the Silver Philotimo Observable Existence, to Assimilate things freely and learn more about the landscape of power that had suddenly become accessible to them. Her fiery nature demanded action rather than contemplation!

THE Watcher’s platinum singularity pulsed with light that seemed dimmer than it had been before their journey to this place, golden lotus petals rotating slowly as that ancient awareness processed the question with the thoroughness that defined his nature.

His reply emerged heavy with implications.

"I...will go find other Singular Cognizances and see what I know and what I do not know."

...!

In their own Observable Existence, THE Watcher had been unique, the only being of his kind to emerge from the age of nothingness before THE First Cause. Here, he had already seen multiple other Singular Cognizances! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He needed to understand what that meant for his nature and his future.

Achilles nodded at this response with understanding that required no further explanation.

He took out The Gilded Ticket. The golden Möbius strip pulsed with authority that exceeded most things he had encountered, its surface twisting through dimensions that made perception struggle to maintain coherent observation.

"And I...will go see what an Engineering by a Gilded One is all about."

BOOM!

His words landed with weight that made Rose’s flaming green eyes sharpen with interest!

He planned to Assimilate whatever Engineering was done to him, to integrate the modifications that THE Gilded Ones performed upon favored beings into his own existence rather than simply receiving them as external blessings. He waited to see how the amplification of Ego that THE Gilded Ones provided would interact with his unique Civilization.

Whatever Pride or Wrath or other deadly sin they chose to enhance within him would become fuel for his continued advancement.

Just like everything else he had ever consumed!