Chapter "392"
Just as Adam had foreseen before the personal chip was successfully developed, the mages who mastered the M-language willingly became programmers. They had already handed over complete control of their daily cultivation to the personal chips, while devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the world of programming.
Over the past year, their results had been fascinating in Adam’s eyes — true applications tailored perfectly to the conditions of mages. They had even established an Application Center, where mages could pay to download and update software.
Half of this income went to the developers, while the other half belonged to the Institute. Of the Institute’s share, a full third was Adam’s — a living stream of revenue, endlessly flowing.
For these mages, who were determined to plunge into the boundless ocean of programming, nothing was more delightful than writing more advanced code. With big data and cloud computing having stabilized and only requiring routine maintenance, they usually had little to do. So when they heard Adam was recruiting, they eagerly signed up.
Adam welcomed all of them, without rejection, and appointed leaders:
“Those who were previously in charge of quantum entanglement and quantum communication, step forward.”
These two fields were another key to virtual reality technology. Only with their maturity could mages log into the virtual world at will. In fact, the difficulty of conquering them was even greater than that of the World Engine itself.
Nearly thirty researchers stepped out of the ranks, waiting for Adam’s orders.
“Continue your projects,” Adam instructed. “I believe you should have been in contact with the outside world recently as well. I grant you the authority to recruit talents independently and expand your teams. Of course, whether they have the skills to join is up to you — but their qualifications must be approved by Wendy, Arch-Magus of the Super Dimension.”
This stipulation came as a special requirement from the Third Holy Tower. They had promised not to interfere with Adam’s plans, but the testing of researchers’ mental stability had to be strict. Though they did not fully understand how the virtual reality project would be achieved — nor whether there would be dangers involved — they absolutely refused to see more mages’ perception of the world shatter.Personnel appointments were not complicated. Mages had enough self-control to accomplish their tasks. As for power struggles and scheming, those things simply did not exist. A project leader merely needed to be the most technically proficient, ensuring the plan’s execution and guiding newcomers to improve.
Adam would control the overall direction. The leaders’ role was to carry it out.
After giving his instructions, Adam and Wendy once again entered the Origin Repository of the Third Holy Tower.
Previously, the Tower had still been within the Mage World. But now, because of the captured divine creature, the Third Holy Tower had been assigned the role of warden and core stabilizer of its seal. It had moved far away from the Mage World, into a stretch of void whose coordinates were absolutely confidential.
The fact that Adam could come here meant he had finally stepped into the very core of the mage system.
High-ranking Super Dimensional Watchers, together with the Super Dimensional mages most advanced in energy research, had formed a secret institute. Day and night, they ceaselessly analyzed this precious specimen.
“That thing is stubborn,” Wendy said, pointing to the sealed area. “For now, we can only keep it from committing suicide. Not even Lady Laura can continue invading its body — otherwise, it would collapse.”
“And the extraction of martial cores?” Adam asked.
“That’s not an issue. The martial cores we previously separated have been safely stored. The central martial core in its brain keeps splitting off new offshoots, so we won’t be lacking for vital energy samples.
But for now, they can’t be given to you. They are not fit to appear in the Mage World.”
Adam replied calmly, “There’s no rush. When the third-cycle simulation instance is formed and enters closed beta testing, then we can introduce vital energy. By my estimate, that will take at least three more years.”
In this void where the Tower resided, every action required permission — even a short-range teleportation of a few meters. Only after Wendy took Adam through several layers of identity verification did he obtain the qualification to be transmitted into the Origin Repository.
“What kind do you need this time?” Wendy asked.
Adam responded: “Do you have one with native lifeforms whose essence is will-based, or leaning toward elemental beings of will?”
The reason he asked was that the Origin itself was a precise system. A plane with such special lifeforms would naturally evolve toward a void like state. Having such a template would be of immense benefit in constructing a virtual world. 𝙧Ãℕ𝘖ΒΕṩ
Wendy touched her chin, thinking. “Planes of that form are rare in the Third Cycle. The closest would be devils — but we haven’t yet located their main plane. Let me think…”
Adam said: “If there isn’t one, then I need a completely blank but stable Origin.”
Wendy clapped her palm with her fist. “There is one — but you’ll need to wait. That kind of Origin is very precious.”
“What kind is it?” Adam asked.
Wendy smiled mysteriously. “That’s a secret. You’ll know once the higher-ups approve.”
Adam didn’t wait long. A few minutes later, he once again met Laura’s true spirit. She said directly:
“The type of Origin you requested does not match the lifeforms of the Fourth Cycle. So far, mages have never discovered a plane composed of illusions. In the Repository, there are only two that come close.”
The scene shifted instantly. Adam felt himself pass through hundreds of seals and arrived at the deepest part of the Repository he had never seen before.
Before him floated two masses of light — one large, one small — seeming to exist both in reality and in nothingness at the same time.
Adam asked in puzzlement: “What are they?”
“Relics — evidence of the Second Cycle.”
Laura’s true spirit explained: In the earliest stage of the magical revolution, the true spirits had not known enemies existed in the void. Back then, they fearlessly roamed the vast emptiness. It was during that era that these relic planes were discovered.
They were two unique planes pressed tightly against each other. Enormous — even larger than the Mage World of the time — without crystal wall systems, only surrounded by diffuse mist. No living beings existed within. A true spirit Archmage, curious, descended into the planes.
The moment his aura interacted with the planes, countless illusions appeared before his eyes.
Part of them were scenes from the Mage World, likely drawn from the information carried within the true spirit himself. These were clear. But another part was baffling — all were the tiniest fragments, impossible even for the true spirit to piece together.
These two planes were incomprehensibly ancient, decayed beyond measure. Whether it was the descent of the true spirit or the strain of generating illusions, their Origins expended their last reserves of power. When the visions ended, the planes began collapsing. The true spirit used the Origin of the Mage World itself to preserve these two light masses — one large, one small.
Adam couldn’t help but ask curiously:
“How can you be sure they are relics of the Second Cycle?”