Having just returned from his meeting with Eleanora, he made use of Kiran's network to inform everyone of importance about the change in plans. Then, the next morning, he set off with Xie Mei, Han Junqiao, Cheong Suhyeon, Vigdis, Navya, and Satoru in tow.
By now, due to his abundance of Subordinates and the years that had passed, almost all of them could take over the Compound Arrays in the worlds under his control without an issue. This allowed him to bring his most reliable and treasured people with him wherever he went. Still, he had chosen to come with a 'small' party first, as the goal was to simply scout out the place.
Due to their stealthy teleportation, upon arriving in Enki XVII, the Guarding Eyes didn't take note of their presence, allowing Theodore to spread his perception throughout the majority of the world without an issue. That was when an indecipherable glint flickered in his eyes and the corners of his mouth rose in amusement.
'It's the territory of another empire, and one that has blended scientific technology with cultivation to an extent. Their individual worlds are far better and closer connected than the Han Empire, so conquering them one by one is going to be a lot more difficult. We'll have to move swiftly, and coordinate well. It appears Eleanora has not yet personally scoped out these worlds, as she wouldn't have agreed to meet up again in a month otherwise.'
In the Heavenly Court, worlds which focused on scientific development rather than on cultivation, or on integrating these two, were not many. After all, in the great scheme of things, the ceiling which their technology could reach was not considered particularly high. Destroying worlds and the universes contained within might sound impressive to a layperson, but to Named Families, it was all mere child's play.
Of course, this didn't mean that the strongest of the Heavenly Dao looked down upon science or the scientific method itself. They instead preferred to pick and choose some interesting innovations, developments and concepts from the worlds mainly dabbling in them, enriching their own lives and providing their own people with more conveniences. Therefore, the ones benefiting from it all the most were the regular citizens at the bottom of the pyramid.
The World's Will which had tormented John in the past had influenced the majority of all civilizations in its universe to focus on science, as it didn't have access to enough Energy to allow its lifeforms to embark on the path of cultivation.
To encounter an interworld empire like the Enki Imperium was quite good news to Theodore. For one, they should have some Voidfaring Vessels at their disposal–whether those be relics that they had discovered, or their own creations. That aside, those primarily treading upon the path of science instead of delegating it to the supportive role which it ideally should play usually looked down on and felt superior to cultivators like him.
They believed that they had understood all worlds the best and were noble figures deciphering their secrets, whereas those not doing the exact same thing were lowly foolish brutes. Even though they might have considerable power, what could bring them closer to the truth than science?
Naturally, not everyone thought this way. There were plenty who advocated for taking the best of both paths, but especially when a civilization was restricted to worlds with relatively low Energy concentration–like the ones that were a part of the first round's event venue–scientific advancement seemed more promising. Well, if it was judged from the perspective of a civilization as a whole. For individuals, cultivation would always be the better choice.
The ones most eager for the path of science to prosper were usually the rulers of their worlds. As the ones with all of the resources, they could personally strengthen themselves via cultivation, while keeping the majority of their population ignorant and under control. The people saw the benefits which science brought them and devoted themselves to its study, turning into exactly the kinds of useful idiots that their rulers wanted and needed.
Of course, in a way, all powerful forces treated their civilians similarly. As long as they were fed, distracted and led reasonably fulfilled lives, all was well.
All of this combined with the fact that those lording over 'lesser people' would tend to desperately cling to their thrones in the face of danger made the Enki Imperium such a great find.
To Theodore, what he needed most were those willing to underestimate him and fight him to the death. Whether that be the ones personally motivated to slay him, or unfortunate soldiers sent to their demise by their rulers, it didn't matter to him. As long as someone lifted their blade against him, they were his prey.
'I'll need to stir up the hornet's nest while simultaneously appearing just terrifying enough for them to think that they could possibly tire me out and defeat me. All potential escape routes need to be cut off as well. But before I can do any of that, I have to let Eleanora know.'
The nature of any cooperative partnership was that both parties had to be kept up to date when new developments occurred. Now that he intended to completely overthrow what they had discussed before in regard to this bunch of worlds, reaching out to her was to be expected.
"The situation has changed. I'll bring you all back home first, then I'll set off for another discussion–and afterwards, we'll return here."
It had only been a few seconds since the group of seven had arrived in Enki XVII, when his words entered the other six' ears. Before they could do more than send him questioning gazes, he had already begun to teleport them back.
Knowing that even though he had introduced this trip as a casual excursion, he wouldn't joke around like this and instantly send them back if there wasn't a good reason for it, they stayed silent and waited for him to explain it all to them.
When Theodore reached out to Eleanora this quickly after they had last met, she was flabbergasted as well, but unhesitatingly invited him over. Sending her clone to entertain him as usual, she was then confronted with his newly acquired intel, as well as his plan.
Because it wouldn't make much difference to her whether or not she eradicated all life in her half of the worlds earlier or later, she readily agreed. With Theodore and his people attracting a lot of attention, she could move a lot more unhindered.
All that was required of her was to provide him with some materials and place the Compound Array Disks which he would fashion out of them in her half of their target worlds, then activate them. This would allow for a Lesser Void Sealing Array to be created, cutting off their prey's sole possibility of retreat.
With both of them in agreement, they didn't fool around with each other for long, and soon Theodore departed again, with 29 finished Compound Array Disks in his possession. Eleanora had been given the same number, therefore they would each need to visit one of the two worlds that they had joint ownership of.
Just like he had promised, once he returned, Theodore explained his exact plan to his Subordinates, causing many to fall into a stunned silence. Then, they each went forward and grabbed at least one of the Array Disks, lining up next to the Teleportation Array.
Because they needed more numbers on their side, for the first time, all of his guards were mobilized as well. Outfitted with strong concealment measures and with access to Kiran's network, they simply needed to hide away in an unremarkable part of the worlds which they would be sent to, then activate their respective Array Disk and wait patiently. In the meantime, the maids would take over the Compound Arrays at home.
As the materials to make them were relatively scarce, Theodore hadn't produced too many Teleportation Array Disks, therefore only his more treasured Subordinates had access to them at this point in time. All of them would need to visit at least two or three worlds, then set up and activate the Compound Array Disks there. But because even the weakest of them were now at the Dawning Numen Stage, he didn't particularly need to worry about them.
There was a chance that they might run into a dangerous Heaven's Chosen, but it was extremely unlikely, especially because they would try to stay hidden during the entire operation. However, if it did happen, then they could always send him a request for help.
"Everyone, stay safe out there and lie low. I want every single one of you to return in one piece at the end of this."
Sternly speaking some words of encouragement, he sent them off one by one. Initially, he had planned to use the original excursion to allow Xie Mei and Han Junqiao to gather a bit more experience, but now it had turned into a whole and proper training exercise.
Whilst he did stay on guard, he was not too anxious either. Everyone would be taking a risk, but it would be manageable. He couldn't coddle them all forever. In the future, he would be sending them out on legitimately dangerous missions, therefore this extremely simple and safe assignment could serve as a first small step in that direction.
'But enough of that, I too should be going.'
Entering a new set of coordinates into the Teleportation Array, he soon silently appeared in Enki I, the capital world of the Enki Imperium. It was also the largest out of all of them.
Despite having chosen an extremely remote corner, he could still see skyscrapers reaching all the way into the clouds all around him. The people passing him by didn't take any notice of him, as he was expertly hidden away from not only them, but also the Guarding Eyes in the sky.
'... so this one is a Universe-type? And one with such a high Energy concentration? That's quite outstanding.'
A casual, small scan by his perception revealed an entire solar system to him, yet he could tell that there was still a lot more to this world than merely that. But now was not the time to rejoice or indulge his curiosity, he first needed to find a good spot to activate the Compound Array Disk.
'Over there should be fine.'
Glancing at a particular point far away in space, he teleported there immediately. Although he now found himself in an environment without air and with cosmic radiation bearing down on him, neither could bother him in the slightest. Breathing had long ceased being a constant necessity for him, and shielding himself from harm was far too easy.
His reason for choosing this particular spot was that a lot of Energy Veins were condensed here, but not enough of them for the Enki Imperium to especially take note of them.
Placing the Array Disk in the middle, he activated it, silently connecting it to the veins around it. In a matter of a few heartbeats, it linked the rest of this world's Energy Veins together into a network, spreading its influence all across the entire universe. Once it reached the Lesser True Void beyond, it followed the same method and utilized the veins sporadically found throughout to weave its inescapable net.
With closed eyes, Theodore patiently waited. Then, approximately five minutes later, a slight smile graced his lips. He had just made contact with another net that had originated from one of the Compound Array Disks that he'd given to the others. They seamlessly combined together, then continued expanding from that point onward.
One by one, over the course of another half a day, they all merged into a greater whole. At that point, he sent out a command, and an invisible yet remarkably robust barrier began to erect itself in the Lesser Void, cutting off the part which contained these 58 worlds from the rest of it.
Directly travelling through it was next to impossible, making most Voidfaring Vessels pretty much useless, and even Teleportation Arrays couldn't be utilized to reach beyond.
Both the Enki Imperium and his side were now trapped here together.