283 True Purpose

Realizing Minos didn't want to chat, the Chess Grandmaster cleared his voice before speaking, finally getting to his main point.

"To be honest, I actually came here for two reasons. First was to give you the money I owed you, but the second was to talk to you about the truth behind this event."

"Truth?" Minos asked curiously, his eyes still not opening.

"Yes, while it was partially the case that I organized it to sharpen my skills and find capable players, the bigger reason was because of the Eternal Enigma."

"Eternal Enigma?!" Jena and Old Man Joyata exclaimed at the same time, clearly being well aware of this so-called Eternal Enigma.

"Eternal Enigma?" Minos also said, though his voice wasn't shocked like Jena and Old Man Joyata, but rather confused.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Eternal Enigma? My heaven's, how have you reached such an age with so much ignorance, and yet you still beat me!" The Chess Grandmaster said, grabbing at his hair in frustration at the thought of such an unknowledgeable old man beating him.

After calming down for a moment, the Chess Grandmaster took a deep breath before finally explaining things to Minos.

"The Eternal Enigma is a mystery that has plagued our planet since time immemorial, no one's quite sure when it first appeared, and some even speculate that it was here even before humanity itself."

"Of course it's true age isn't the mystery being solved here, rather the Eternal Enigma is a large cube inscribed with a strange puzzle, one that people have analyzed that if solved, will allow one entrance into the structure."

"Some people have lost patience trying to solve the Eternal Enigma's puzzle, so they used force instead, but everyone's failed, even the strongest cultivators on the planet couldn't leave a scratch on it."

"This is the true reason why I've come out. I wanted to gather the smartest minds so we could finally solve this puzzle once and for all!" The Chess Grandmaster exclaimed, causing Jena and Old Man Joyata to once again gasp in shock.

"What makes you think you can solve this puzzle that hasn't been solved for so long?" Minos asked, not feeling confident in the Chess Grandmaster's ambition.

No generation was lacking its own geniuses, and yet despite thousands of such generations, the puzzle still hadn't been solved, which makes it clear this may simply be something beyond humanity.

"This time is different, after all based on the signs, the Golden Generation is coming! This is a special time in history, one that we're incredibly fortunate to be alive to see."

"Are you serious, the Golden Generation is finally coming once more?" Old Man Joyata asked the Chess Grandmaster, even more shocked then when he mentioned the Eternal Enigma.

"My heaven's does that mean we're finally going to see another Emperor!?" Jena asked, her eyes shining like little stars.

"You guys may be unaware of this, but I've got an old friend at the Star Seeking Sect who gave me the news, in fact that's the biggest reason I started this venture in the first place."

"Hold on a minute, what even is the Golden Generation?" Minos asked, causing everyone to go silent for a moment, astonished at the length of his ignorance.

"...Considering you didn't even know about the Eternal Enigma, it makes sense you wouldn't be aware of the Golden Generation either."

"To explain in simple terms, the Golden Generation is a special time in history when the planet's Nux becomes much thicker than usual, causing all sorts of geniuses to pop-up."

"People who were normal one second may end up awakening special physiques due to the increased Nux, turning what were once regular people into geniuses."

"All sorts of treasures will start appearing, herbs and plants that were incapable of growing properly due to the lack of Nux will now spread like weeds, and all sorts of mythical herbs with incredible properties will appear as well."

"Cultivation will become much easier and the limit will be raised, allowing the entire planet's cultivation to reach whole new heights."

"People who were stuck at bottlenecks will break through with ease, as for those cultivators at the top of the world, they'll be able to enter new realms entirely, finally seeing a path that was otherwise forbidden to them."

"But most importantly, the large amount of Nux will finally allow a new Emperor to be born, a person who only comes once every ten-thousand years!"

"Long story short, the Golden Generation is an incredible time, not only for the main characters at the center stage, but even for the regular people at the sidelines. Everyone benefits!"

"No wonder it's called the Golden Generation, it truly is a miraculous time." Minos said in amazement, even finding himself excited by the picture the Chess Grandmaster painted.

"Miraculous doesn't do it enough justice, you'll only ever be able to understand what it's like once you're in the midst of it all!"

"One more question, what is an Emperor?" 

"An Emperor? An Emperor is one who can flatten continents with a single swing of their palm, one who can travel seas with a single step of their foot, one who can change reality with a single word from their mouth! Rather than asking what an Emperor is, it's easier to answer what they aren't."

"Are they really that powerful?" Minos asked in astonishment.

"Only more so. Everytime one appears, they gather the entire planet under their control, usually forming what are called 'Emperor Sects' which dominate the planet until their deaths or disappearances."

"Even once these Emperor Sects lose their Emperor's, they still retain a large chunk of their power, in fact three out of the current top five sects were all once Emperor Sects."

"Interesting… It looks like I've decided to join the world at the right time." Minos couldn't help but say.

"It's only unfortunate we're both too old, otherwise we may be able to join those youngsters and try to become Emperors ourselves." The Chess Grandmaster said with a sigh.

"Who said old men can't become Emperors?" Minos said, his withered body not at all affecting his ambition.

All he knew is that he wanted to be reunited with Rinka, and such a thing required incredible strength, strength he would acquire no matter what.

"Be serious now, at our age our potentials have already dried up. We simply won't be able to keep up… There's a reason no emperor in history has ever been over a hundred years old at their time of ascension!"

"Well I'm not even a hundred years old yet, so what's stopping me?" Minos said, everyone just looking at his old withered body awkwardly, his walking cane still at his side, not wanting to say anything to break his spirit.

"... Well I'll wish you luck then. But back to the main point, I want you to come and try to solve the Eternal Enigma with me. I've already recruited a few others, and with you as our final addition, I truly believe we'll finally be able to achieve the impossible!"

"What do I get if I help you?" Minos asked, still not too interested in this so-called Eternal Enigma.

"What do you get!? For heaven sakes you get to help solve the Eternal Enigma! Such an act will make you even more famous than the emperors of the past, after all they will always come and go, but the Eternal Enigma is one!"

"I'm not interested in fame, I want something real." Minos responded.

"... Fine, go ahead and list your demands."

"I want resources, as much as you can supply me."

"Deal, but I'll only give you One Million Nux Stone's worth to start, and if you can help further the puzzle's solution, I'll give you more. Anything else?"

"I also want you to pay for my treatment, I want the best care available until I get better."

"No problem, that much goes without saying. I'll have the best doctors look at you, and I'll give you the best medicine available."

"Good, that's everything then."

"Alright then I'll come pick you up in a week's time, I've still got a few more things to deal with. Until then." The Chess Grandmaster said, waving goodbye before quickly making his way out of the room.

"Eternal Enigma, Golden Generation, Emperor! So much is happening, what a time to be alive!" Jena said with excitement once he finally left.

"It's good to be young. If only I was your age, I may have to try for and fight for that Emperor position myself." Old Man Joyata said with a laugh.

"Don't worry Grandpa, I'll try on your behalf!" Jena said, slapping her chest in confidence.

"No no no! It's far too dangerous, besides I was just joking." Old Man Joyata quickly said, not wanting his only granddaughter to risk her life on something so foolish.

"You don't think I'm strong enough?" Jena asked.

"Of course not!" Old Man Joyata immediately responded, not even bothered to try and spare her feelings.

This wasn't a game, it took the bones of thousands before a single Emperor could be crowned, and Old Man Joyata didn't want his granddaughter to be among the pile.

"Hmph, who says? Just wait and see, I bet I'll awaken my physique and become a Blessed, by then you won't have anything to say!"

"Well if that really happens I'll let you do as you please, but until then, you better not do anything stupid." Old Man Joyata said, not believing his granddaughter would be one of the lucky ones.

Meanwhile on the side, Minos was listening without much focus, his mind much more interested in the Golden Generation, and more than that, the Emperor who held so much power and influence.