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"Nice to meet you, old man. You better behave, alright?" Cheng Xie laughed freely.

"Tch..." The old Viking Warlord sighed, clicking his tongue and glaring away. Despite Cheng Xie’s carefree demeanor, the aura radiating from him and the raw power within were unmistakably real.

"Conflict, lots of conflict, huh?"

"Soft people are prone to conflict..."

"Yes..."

A towering giant of glowing crystals spoke to a giant carved from granite—Rulers of Gemmetria and Grainhold.

"Ah, you guys are made of non-organic matter too, right? Nice to meet you!" Quick Hare greeted them warmly.

"Yes, yes, you’re a good girl."

"It is good to see you too, Quick Hare. We have heard of your great feats. I am glad Zodiacron is finally under a worthy ruler."

"Hahah, you’re embarrassing me! I’m just doing my best!" Quick Hare giggled.

"Hmm, so noisy," the Crimson Emperor sighed, glancing around. "From the moment that robot spoke, everyone started talking without restraint... now it’s chaos again."

Just as the Emperor began considering splitting the table in two to silence the room, Maria appeared out of thin air, teleporting directly to the center.

"Welcome, everyone! Sorry for being late—I was checking a few things and handling some others," Maria laughed awkwardly. "Anyway, shall we begin?"

Maria took her seat, and the first meeting of the Allied Worlds of the Tower officially started. She discussed a range of topics with the gathered leaders, beginning with trade: sharing resources and creating opportunities for everyone to grow stronger and obtain what they needed.

Throughout the discussion, the group tackled important matters—mostly political. The animal people of Faunaterra asked her to end ongoing wars in parts of their world; the Viking King requested more fertile land. Various inter-world conflicts were resolved peacefully through Maria’s mediation, revealing just how far she had come. Once someone reluctant even to build a simple village, she had become a leader willing to shoulder problems and seek real solutions for everyone.

As the meeting neared its end, Maria finally addressed the question everyone had been waiting to hear.

When does it begin?

What is the plan?

She spoke plainly about what she had foreseen.

"We have twenty years," she said. "No—nineteen years and two hundred thirty-one days. After that, the Administrators will descend upon various worlds and accelerate their destruction to feed the Heavenly Father."

"...What?!"

"Why?!"

"They’ve never done this before!"

"Is this because of our alliance—our plans?"

"No. I’ve used my System to block their sight," Maria explained. "But they have been planning this for some time. They intend to sacrifice the fifty worlds, starting from here and moving downward... something unprecedented. It seems the Tower Master has gone mad, just like Odin here."

"Twenty years..." Cheng Xie sighed. "Can we really prepare in that time? It doesn’t feel too short, yet it doesn’t feel long enough either..."

"To beings who live for thousands of years, twenty years can vanish in the blink of an eye..." the Queen of Atlantis murmured nervously. "It’s definitely not enough time to train and grow strong enough...!"

"It is short," Maria agreed, "but I have a plan." She met their eyes with quiet certainty. "Over these twenty years, all of you—and your strongest warriors, heroes, soldiers, whoever you choose—will train personally under me. I will grant you power and guide you toward the strongest forms I can forge. I will share Dream Hearts, Martial Arts, Technology, Divine Magic, and everything else I have." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The room fell silent for a moment, struck by her resolve. She was ready to give everything she possessed to ensure they would stand ready when the time came.

"The Upper Floors will likely ally against us to prevent us from reaching the top," Maria continued. "That is why we must grow as strong as possible before the war begins."

"Very well," the Viking King said, a fierce smile spreading across his face. "It is finally time for Valhalla to reclaim its golden age."

"I suppose it is a solid plan," Susanoo nodded. "But I wish we had more time."

"Don’t worry—there will be," Maria said with a reassuring smile. "I will open gates to my Soul Realm in every one of your worlds. Time flows faster there—at least three times as fast."

"Sixty years?!" Cheng Xie gasped. "Woah..."

"You won’t age as though sixty years truly passed," Maria laughed. "And you won’t stay there constantly, right? So it shouldn’t feel endless... unless you’re truly dedicated to growing stronger."

With that, the meeting concluded. Maria traveled from world to world, leaving gates and embedding enormous soul fragments directly into each realm. She also left a "living piece" of herself behind—sometimes an eye-shaped moon, sometimes a small star, a giant black tree, an azure ocean, or a vast swamp of miasma, tailored to each world.

This was part of a deeper plan she had already set in motion—an insurance policy against the worst possible outcome.

Time slipped by in the blink of an eye. A full year had passed since the meeting, and every member of every world had grown accustomed to the intense training regimens.

Maria was not the only teacher. Her family, friends, allies, and masters from countless worlds had joined forces, instructing others while sharpening their own strength. By now, nearly everyone had manifested a Dream Heart and begun nurturing it, cultivating in their own unique ways. Even Living Toys, Brick People, Zodiacrons, and more had awakened Dream Hearts and learned to harness the energies of Heaven and Earth.

Meanwhile, Maria had broken through to the Fourth Stage of her Unique Cultivation. The internal nebula within her had transformed into a radiant firmament filled with countless stars, each one a compressed core of pure, rich essence from all her energies. She named this realm "Myriad Dream Soul Firmaments." So far, she was the only one to reach it; not even the genius Darkbound had matched her yet.

With nineteen years remaining, she had ample time to climb higher still.

Her level had stalled at 900, so self-cultivation became her sole path forward. Yet she also cherished the quiet, precious moments with her family.

This was another reason she refused to charge ahead recklessly. Before the end began, before the final battle, she wanted to live well with those she loved, for as many years as possible.

If the worst came to pass and they lost, if she fell, she knew she would regret nothing more than having rushed through the time she could have spent with them.

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