Published at 19th of July 2026 7:35 am

Chapter 4324: Affirming Path

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Ria found her father’s logic compelling. Indeed, capturing a leader of their enemy would give them access to a lot of valuable information that could prove to be the difference between success and loss, and survival and death.

She heaved a deep breath, recollecting her composure. "Did you want me to see that?"

"Of course," Rui replied. "I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t want you to."

He directed a deep gaze at his daughter with his ethereal eyes.

"You have chosen to play a greater role in our civilization. You have chosen to contribute something very valuable to all of humanity. That earns you power. That earns you a seat at the grown-ups’ table."

The sound of that was very appealing to her. She wanted to be treated seriously like she was her own person with agency and respect, not just a teenager. It frustrated her when the adults in her life still treated her like a child very often, even if they were mindful enough not to be too obvious about it.

What EsoQuest Solutions truly represented to her wasn’t just her opportunity to help human civilization and to grow older. It was also an opportunity to gain respect, true respect.

"So why is Uncle Julian here? Are you also working on gathering information?" She turned towards her uncle.

"No, not quite," the man chuckled. "It’s not my area of expertise. Your father brought me on board for a specific reason."

He tapped his tablet several times, causing a hologram to rise from the screen.

It featured a blueprint of a very familiar structure.

"...Web technology," Ria recognized it immediately. "You’re working on reverse engineering Homoarachnoid web technology?"

"Reverse-engineering it, yes, but more than anything, I want to understand how to combat this technology when the time comes," Rui remarked. "Our opponents are a civilization that has mastered web technology to a level that is truly extraordinary. It is a field of extreme material sciences and engineering that far exceeds ours, it is unlikely that we will be able to use it anywhere near as well as they can, even if we tried, since this technological path was something they pursued because it was what they had the highest affinity for."

"You’re looking for its weaknesses," Ria realized. "So that you can handle it better for when the war does come."

"It will be one of the asymmetries that we will have in our favor," Julian said with a serious tone. "For our civilization to survive, we must grasp at everything within our reach. And this is my way of contributing to humanity."

Of course, Julian had already contributed tremendously to human civilization. The man had created hybrid technology that allowed the technologies of the Panama Continent to be effectively merged with the technology of the true world, leading to a much greater combination that became the foundation of all modern technology in the Era of Expansion.

Since he was largely finished with that major project of his life, he had plenty of time to undertake a new project, and one that could save human civilization was as good as any other idea.

"We all have our part to play, Ria," Rui spoke with a wise tone. "I cannot save human civilization by myself, which is why I allowed our world to accelerate in its growth the way that I did, to ensure that human civilization grew stronger so that it could protect itself. We have many who contribute to our survival, and you are going to be among them. In the coming years, we will need your gifts. Your ability to give us more esoteric matter will be highly crucial in our ability to produce powerful machines and pathwalkers that will ultimately help us survive."

Ria grew more serious at those words, nodding.

"Now that we have gotten the Stellarch, I’m ready to get started any time soon. I’m thinking we shall head out immediately once our crew has gotten used to the ship and has gained more familiarity with it. And once Runark comes back from his training."

Rui smiled at her proudly. "That’s my girl."

He had always made sure to dial his expectations down from the kind of life that he had led. Even if she was extremely talented, it was not fair for him to expect the kind of, well, greatness, for lack of a better word, from her. Especially when her drive was nowhere nearly as strong as his own when he was her age, even if it was disciplined enough to get her to progress faster than anybody else with her talent.

However, seeing how she had turned out by the age of eighteen, ready to help human civilization by undertaking operations at great personal risk, made him truly feel like she was his daughter. They were different in many ways, but there were commonalities as well.

Ria left the laboratory shortly after at her own request, eager to make sure that they got started with their operations as humanly soon as possible, leaving only Rui and Julian standing in the laboratory.

Julian turned towards Rui with a raised eyebrow. "Throwing your daughter into the manifolds of infected worlds beyond the frontier. That’s a bit much, isn’t it?"

Rui simply shook his head.

"She can handle it. She’s strong. She has taken the necessary precautions and preparations. She’s smart. And she has good friends that she can trust."

"You’re putting a lot of faith in those things for an environment and a matter where anything could go wrong," Julian warned.

"That’s a risk that every father has to take to some extent," Rui remarked with a calm tone.

"And you’re just okay with that?" Julian raised an eyebrow. "That doesn’t sound like the Rui I know."

Rui knew from how heavily his heart beat at the thought of anything happening to Ria that he was never okay with that. But ultimately, he needed to allow his daughter to choose her path.

"I will do everything to ensure that the worst doesn’t happen, but beyond that, she will control her own destiny," Rui remarked with a serious tone of voice. "And perhaps all of ours with hers."

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