Chapter "385"
At this point, leaving so many people in the Qianyuan Realm served no purpose. On the contrary, releasing all the Origin Energy they had absorbed to enhance the potency of the poison was the best course of action.
Adam’s temporary position as commander was automatically dismissed, and Timothy Super Dimension took over command. This meant that it was time for Adam, along with all mages not belonging to the Third Holy Tower, to withdraw.
In the end, it was only the Third Holy Tower that would face the danger.
No one raised objections. After all, it was merely suicide—nothing significant.
The mages one by one bowed to Timothy Super Dimension and the others, and then, without hesitation, self-detonated their magic cores, returning to the Magic Net to await resurrection within the Legion.
Adam remained behind until the very end. Timothy Super Dimension gave him final instructions:
“Adam, when you return to the Legion, you must report everything we are about to do to His Excellency Prometheus.”
“The situation is like this: the very moment the crystal wall system weakens is the best time to act.”
One day later, aboard a massive starship emblazoned with the radiant sigil of Aether, Adam sat face-to-face with His Excellency Prometheus, recounting everything that had transpired in the Qianyuan Realm over these years, as well as what he intended to do after capturing the divine creature.
Prometheus flicked his finger, and four indistinct will-projections appeared before Adam—five True Spirits in total, one more than Timothy Super Dimension had mentioned.“You all heard him. From this moment onward, be ready to act at any time.”
The three nodded. His Excellency continued:
“It seems our prior preparations may not be sufficient. Randolph, I need the Second Holy Tower to fully seal this region of void. Ensure that when the remnant appears—or if it lashes out in desperation—not a trace of Origin Energy can escape your magic. If things spiral out of control, you are authorized to annihilate this void completely.”
The True Spirit Archmage Randolph replied:
“No problem. I can descend with my true body at any moment.”
That was the greatest strength of the Second Holy Tower. Masters of gravitational control, they could maneuver far more freely than the other True Spirits.
“Meier, looks like this time we’ll finally see your True Spirit magic in action.”
Though the projection remained indistinct, Adam sensed Meier True Spirit turning toward him.
“Adam,” she said, “I’ve noticed that wherever you are, accidents seem to follow.”
“You flatter me,” Adam replied awkwardly, unsure of how else to respond, and could only take it as a compliment.
Meier chuckled. “That wasn’t praise. The Mage World has discovered many remnant planes, but only this one contains such a powerful residual presence. If your plan fails, our losses will be considerable.”
“As long as Your Excellencies capture it—so long as we obtain a complete magic core—my plan cannot fail.”
Meier laughed again. “Let’s hope so. Whether we capture it is our responsibility. But remember—your Mage Tower has caused us plenty of headaches already. If you can’t deliver after the capture, you’ll have to pay the price. Trust me, you’ll go from one of the wealthiest Super Dimensional Mages to the single most indebted one, without exception.”
Prometheus ignored their banter and addressed another will-projection:
“Kratos, this time we’ll need your strength to restrain it head-on. But you must not kill it. Can you do that?”
Meier explained to Adam: “Kratos is the True Spirit Mage of the Fourth Holy Tower—the strongest among the reinforcement path.”
Kratos answered:
“No problem. But I’ll need access to the True Spirit Transport Array.”
“Of course. The First Holy Tower has already prepared everything for the teleportation.” Prometheus then turned to the last projection.
“Laura, where are you now?”
“My true body is nearby. My avatar has already entered the Qianyuan Heaven Realm. The youngsters had a decent idea, but their methods are lacking. I’m helping them improve the poison.”
Prometheus concluded:
“By the time-flow calculation, the Qianyuan Realm will open on the morning of the fourth day. Prepare yourselves. We must end this battle as quickly as possible. After all, the uproar caused when five True Spirits act simultaneously will be immense.”
What followed had little to do with Adam or the other mages on this mission. The Legion placed no restrictions on them—aside from the confidential departments and the quarters of the True Spirits, every part of the starships was open to them.
Adam noticed that the mages valued this operation even more highly than the campaign against Dirus. The fleet was extraordinarily complex: all seven Holy Towers had dispatched numerous Super Dimensional Mages. Thousands of starships gathered within a single day at the designated location, surrounding the Qianyuan Realm. Their main cannons stood ready to fire at any moment, the radiance of Super Dimensional strikes blazing brilliantly in the vast, dark Aetheric void.
The exploration mages grew idle again, congregating in a chamber aboard one of the starships. They shared their gains and food, turning the gathering into a leisurely banquet.
After leaving the Qianyuan Realm, Sandy used the Magic Net and her chip to learn what Adam had been doing in the Mage World. Envy and jealousy welled up in her, and she complained sourly:
“We’re all exploration mages, so why are you so different from us?”
She downed a cup of some high-energy liquor of unknown ingredients.
“I want to start a research institute too! I want industries too! Hmph. But what can elemental magic even do?”
Elemental magic could accomplish much. With the Mage World’s massive population base, even the smallest useful invention could explode in value—if only they turned their gaze to the ordinary folk who had long been ignored.
What the Mage World lacked was bottom-up change. Infrastructure, wherever it was, always turned a profit. The only difference lay in how fast the investment returned.
Adam wasn’t foolish enough to spell it out for them. If they could figure it out themselves, good. If not… Adam had no intention of becoming the most indebted mage alive. He would take care of it himself.
Instead, he shifted the topic to something Sandy cared about.
“After this mission, your source power will be sufficient, won’t it?”
Sandy nodded excitedly.
“More than sufficient! I’ll even be able to replace most of my alien-plane source power. I should also have enough resources to construct my Mage Tower after advancement. But I didn’t expect that even after promotion, we’d still have to do exploration missions… Seems my earlier tower designs won’t really apply.”
At that, Adam replied with a mysterious smile:
“Not necessarily…”
Two days later, light flared across the void as the teleportation array activated. The True Spirit Archmage Prometheus tore open the void and stepped through the portal.
His true body was several times larger than the pyramid-shaped Qianyuan Realm. Wreathed in tangible Aether, every gesture radiated terrifying magical power.
Then Adam saw His Excellency’s Mage Armor expand from his body in an instant, enveloping the entire region of void.