Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

912. The Right Thing To Do

In the end, Frost had to think about what the right thing was to do. Whilst sending Healers was irresponsible, there was a correct way to do it. A Moon would have to be sent alongside a Healer.

Additionally, Frost didn’t want to capitalize on a Kingdom’s grief. The young King of the Faragone Magicracy was more likely to accept Frost’s demands. She could gain anything she wanted from him, including his Gift, resources and knowledge.

But Frost did not wish for that.

I came into this world as a Healer. In the past, I believed in my mission as a Nurse to administer care regardless of who they were. I remember how much I loathed seeing people abandoned.

Divas Pass came to mind. Ignis stared at Frost as well. She had the same thought. Scarlet Logic had the capacity to help but didn’t. Frost and the Nexus as a whole was in the same position.

If she refused to send a Healer, then would she be any different from the ones she had sworn to destroy?

Frost deeply sighed. It was an unsightly look for her, but she didn’t care. She dropped her act for a moment, giving them a glimpse of who Frost really was.

“Have a drink. Please, have something to eat. If you feel like I’m demanding something from you, then I’m sorry. That isn’t my intention. What I meant by commitment was more in line with us becoming allies. I’m not asking for your land, your treasures, your people, or for you to abandon traditions.”

Frost sincerely apologized, going as far as to lower her head.

The room immediately burst into a frenzied commotion.

“A-Amalgam –!”

“A Healer can be arranged.” Frost silenced them, raising her head again. “However, it will not be permanent. They’ll be there for as long as they need to stay. A Moon and an Aspiring Moon will accompany them. You can always return to apply for their services. I don’t plan to let innocent people suffer.”

Leaving them there permanently meant that those Healers would be pulled away from the Nexus. It’d be hard to find a Healer who’d willingly live their life in another nation. The only way to fix that was the ‘commitment’ part of her deal.

“But, if you were to become allies of the Nexus, then that can change.”

* * *

Allies of the Nexus.

This was what Frost was ultimately after. She had conducted background checks and gained the reports from her Stars just days prior to their arrival. Each of them was virtuous by the fact they were not preoccupied with wars, expansion, or greed.

Furthermore, they were also victims of their neighbors rather than perpetrators – which a large consideration for Frost, alongside their moral standing. In addition to this were testimonies submitted by the Blessed.

They were all Kingdoms that were greatly endorsed by the Blessed. This meant that there was a workforce ready to pounce at the opportunity to lend their hand and defend the Hyperlink Sites, as well as develop the host nation.

It all boiled down to which nations she was comfortable in installing Hyperlink Sites as well as Atelier-grade installations.

Isolation Spheres (Time Reverberation), Injector Sites (Inflow Direct), Reality Manifesters (CogitO), Soul Anchors and Blood Reservoirs (The Head), Gravity Forges and Gravity Engine-based machines (Caldera Industries), and even outposts for Justica Arms to enforce the law.

The Bellum Empire housed much of this in Frontier already, which accelerated its growth and greatly strengthened the presence of the Nexus and its Ateliers within Grandis.

It was no wonder why the Moons believed that Frost wanted to conquer the world.

To become an ally of the Nexus meant gaining all of this.

And the price was no more than the ‘commitment’.@@novelbin@@

* * *

They were interested. A glimmer of hunger appeared in their eyes as Frost explained this to them. Gerina further vouched and confirmed this as the first and currently only ally of the Nexus.

The commitment was the requirement needed to become an ally of the Nexus.

“The Code of Sovereigns, and a piece of your Gift. These are my conditions of your commitment.”

Frost announced as the rulers silently sipped on their drinks, no longer wary of being poisoned. The Code of Sovereigns already aligned with their motivations, but granting a piece of their Gift caused them to wonder if the Amalgam meant a physical piece, products, or how it worked.

“What I mean is for you to bring me a product of your Gift and allow me to inspect your Gift. I assure you that I will not interfere with it.” She promised, adding:

“Think of it as a formality, as I will be personally paying your nation a visit. I’m not in any rush either. I can wait until the Hyperlink Sites are installed and the Golden Middle’s Guilds are operational. The Blessed and my Healers can immediately begin working in your territories long before I come to claim a piece of your Gift.”

The way Frost described it was that they could establish their Kingdom ahead of time in case they were afraid of losing their Gift and thus, losing their place as a Kingdom. Investing their Gift into the Amalgam was like leaping into the sea without knowing how to swim.

What she offered was security in case something did happen to their Gift. Either way, their Kingdoms were poised to prosper regardless of whether they had a Gift or not due to the Blessed.

Gerina then spoke:

“If it provides any reassurance, my Gift is operating better than before the Amalgam allied with us. She may discover a more effective method to handle your Gifts. Wouldn’t it be nice if you found out that your Gift has untapped potential waiting to be found?”

“We’ve had that thought before…” Perla murmured. “But Gifts are Gifts, no? I’ve never heard of a Gift improving.”

“But it has happened.” Frost claimed. “It’s best if you think of the Gifts as a Corrupted.”

“A living thing?” Perla asked.

“A puzzle. Now then. What do you think? Emvita is connected to Caldera Industries’ railways. We can begin sending Hyperlink Crystals effectively immediately. A week from now you can expect to have the Blessed at the heart of your cities.”

If they were to deny this golden opportunity, then they’d be written down as laughing stocks in the history books. There was no downside to becoming allies of the Nexus. They’d have access to Healers, Moons, Blessed, resources and Atelier installations.

But still yet, one had to ask what was in it for the Nexus.

The commitment was too good to be true because it did not entail a cost.

Nothing good was ever free.

“What do you gain from this?” A Dark Elven prince from the Faelong Sanctuary bluntly asked.

“We are in a war of a scale that even I find difficult to comprehend. Our priority is to expand our reach. Do you know the term ‘Impuritas’? They are what we call the ‘impurities’ of this world. The Hungries (Crimson Hunger), the Pages (Librarians), the Gears (Sect of Gears), the Scourge (Fractured Nilhim), the Hearts – They’ve grown to the point where even Ateliers struggle to deal with them. What occurred in Grandis was the result of our first engagement with the Impuritas.”

The ’first’, and it was an engagement that the world witnessed. Shock filled their eyes as fear gripped their hearts. For a moment, their worldly worries disappeared as they paled in comparison to the existential nightmare the Nexus faced.

No… that they had always been facing. Realistically, if the Moons and the Beholders did not exist, then their world would have been overrun by Corrupted.

“That involved the Dozen Winged Bird… as well?” An old woman, whose skin was made from bark, uttered.

Frost nodded.

“You’re correct. Corrupted beyond the limitations of the world are involved in this war. You can imagine the type of threat this world is facing if not even the Dozen Winged Bird was able to unite the Nexus. To say it bluntly: we are protecting the world.”

Suddenly, becoming allies of the Nexus was viewed as not only necessary, but a noble cause. Becoming a part of the Nexus’ mission instilled a profound sense of reverence. What were supposed to be purposeless nations simply living to survive suddenly had a goal to strive towards.

A purpose was granted to them.

“Squish! Awa!” The Slime Queen raised her hand energetically.

“Mn. She’s wondering if that means they’ll be protected.” Ignis translated, patting the Slime Queen’s head as if to say: “Don’t worry. The Nexus has your back.”

“Indeed. Protected, but also a valuable and secure way for us to move. Elysia is a large world. How much we can do is limited by how far we can reach. Most Corrupted right now are being dealt with within the neighboring Regions. My Moons cannot move further away without risking their lives to non-Corrupted threats.”

The biggest problem right now is travel. Moons had no good way to return to quickly return to the Nexus outside of utilizing Gravity Trains or being launched out of the Nexus. Furthermore, Healers were heavily centralized, meaning that an injured Moon had to return to the Nexus, the Nex Megalopolis or rely on inferior healing Serums out in the field.

“I’ve said my piece. Admittedly, I’d like it if you were all able to join the Nexus. If you cannot, please let me know. I will arrange a Healer, a Moon and an Aspiring Moon to join you on your journey back.”

Frost had finally reached the end of their meeting. It was time to see who was on the Nexus side. Unsurprisingly, not a single person refused her offer.

“Perfect. Cuboza. Please bring Anna.”

“Right away.”