chsdbacks Chapter 268 The Prelude to Another Expedition
Chapter 268 The Prelude to Another Expedition
Chapter 268 The Prelude to Another Expedition
Just as Jemin uploaded the report on the completion of the exploration mission and the spatial data collected through the magic network terminal, a calm and even voice sounded beside him:
"Very efficient. I didn't expect you to find what I wanted so quickly. It seems I'm really lucky."
The sound appeared without warning, and Jemin's hair stood on end instantly. Without thinking, he retreated rapidly.
Two black giants roared and charged out from the side to block his way, energy rapidly flowing between the runes and magical artifacts, entering a state of maximum alert.
However, his tense nerves suddenly relaxed when he saw who it was.
He waved to signal the Black Giant to lower his guard, but a storm raged in his heart.
The newcomer was none other than Dionysius Spencer, a seventh-level wizard.
When did he arrive?
How can one so accurately locate oneself after completing a task, when one's location is not fixed?
Shocked, Jemin's mind raced.
Combining the other party's words, "It seems I'm quite lucky," and recalling the subtle hints they gave during the previous audience, I realized that...
For some reason, the information he had investigated earlier came to mind again: Dionysius Spencer was a seventh-level wizard of fate who was famous for spying on and manipulating the trajectory of fate!
The scattered clues connected instantly, and a chilling conclusion emerged.
Jemin's face instantly darkened, his tone filled with suppressed anger and disbelief: "You—you wove my destiny?!"
Unauthorized interference with the fate of a wizard is a serious crime in the Star Orbit Tribunal!
This is not only a trampling on the individual freedom of wizards, but may also trigger unpredictable chain reactions.
Upon hearing this, Dionysius Spencer immediately waved his hand, his face still bearing that gentle smile, but his eyes were as deep as the starry sea: "Relax, young lad. I will not do anything to violate the ironclad rules of the Arbitration Court. The price I would not bear is something even I would not want to pay."
He paused, looking at Jemin with great interest, as if admiring a fine work of art: "I just—used a little bit of leverage."
"Your destiny stands out particularly brightly among the many possibilities. I didn't forcibly change your course; I simply discovered that your ship was heading straight for the eye of the storm, so I hitched a ride to ensure you reached the coordinates I needed faster and more accurately."
Although he didn't fully understand the specific mysteries of fate-based witchcraft, Jemin roughly understood what the other party meant: Dionysius Spencer was not forcibly controlling him, but rather using a certain "trait" or "trend" in his own destiny to carry out a precise "speculation".
It's like a fisherman on the riverbank who, without changing the course of the river, simply casts his net where the fish are bound to pass. A sense of being used wells up inside him. No one would feel happy if they discovered that their seemingly autonomous actions might be guided by a higher being.
However, just as Jemin frowned, preparing to argue his case, Dionysius Spencer, as if he had been prepared, flicked his finger lightly.
A stream of information was transmitted directly into Jemin's consciousness via the magic network terminal.
"This is just a small apology; I hope you can feel my remorse," Dionysius Spencer said with a smile.
Jemin subconsciously began to "browse" the information, and in just a moment, his anger was replaced by immense joy.
This "apology" turned out to be Dionysius Spencer's notes on all his insights into the fundamentals of fate, his understanding of rules, his construction of magic, and even his acquisition of resources during his advancement to the sixth level of wizardry!
Its value is priceless to any wizard aspiring to a higher level, far exceeding what can be measured by mere military merit or origin!
I wanted to yell at him, but he gave me way too much—
"It's my pleasure to be able to help you—" Jemin took a deep breath and could only utter these words helplessly in the end.
This generous gift was enough to offset his displeasure at being "used," and even made him feel—? He'd hit the jackpot.
I might as well take a rideshare; it won't have any real negative impact on me anyway.
After carefully examining the "quality" of the knowledge Dionysius Spencer had transmitted, Jemin even felt an urge to make another deal with him.
Isn't it just about hitching a ride on fate?
No problem, I'm very good at it!
After a moment, Jemin managed to suppress the tempting thought with sheer willpower.
Of course, the main reason is that the wizard Dionysius Spencer seems to have already found what he wants, and it is highly likely that even if Jemin makes another offer, the other party will not agree to the deal.
Dionysius Spencer didn't pay much attention to Jemin's thoughts. After giving Jemin the compensation, he said nothing more and turned his gaze to the seemingly ordinary area in front of him, which actually concealed spatial folds.
He did not use any magic; he simply gazed at it silently.
Those deep eyes seemed to pierce through all illusions, directly discerning the essential texture of space; the complex folds of space appeared transparent to him.
Suppressing his excitement at obtaining the notes, Jemin cautiously suggested, "Lord Spencer, if there's nothing else here, may I take my leave?"
"No need," Dionysius Spencer said without turning his head. "Next, there's something we need you little ones to do."
He had barely finished speaking when [Ding! Received highest priority mandatory task!]
Mission ID: Expedition-001
[Mission Requirements: All expeditionary wizards who receive this mission must assemble at the designated coordinates within three standard unit days. Those who disobey will be considered deserters.]
【Task Coordinates: ———— (Current Location)】
Jemin's MagicNet terminal vibrated violently, and bright red warning signs filled the screen.
Looking at the contents above, he instantly understood that this was not a task assigned to him alone, but a mandatory conscription of all expeditionary wizards across the entire space plane!
At that very moment, Dionysius Spencer slowly turned around.
The usual gentle smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a detached and indifferent calm that looked down upon all living beings.
Beneath this calm, Jemin sensed something even more terrifying—the unrestrained and savage aura emanating from a predator at the top of the food chain, finally baring its fangs at its prey.
The surrounding space seemed to tremble slightly under this invisible aura.
"Get ready, Jemin." Dionysius Spencer's voice was no longer gentle, but carried a metallic coldness and unquestionable authority. "Dessert time is over—your real 'feast' is about to begin."
Thanks to the fact that the coordinates were right next to him, Jemin didn't need to rush like other wizards.
He remembered Dionysius Spencer's warning before he left and quickly withdrew from the distorted area containing the spatial rift.
As he stepped out of the distorted boundary, dozens of swift wizards had already arrived on the outskirts.
They were able to arrive so quickly by either piloting strange machines, relying on witchcraft, or using modified bodies.
These people were now suspended in the air, looking at Jemin, who had walked out unharmed from within, with surprise and suspicion.
Although they were curious about Jemin's situation, no one dared to step forward and ask in the tense atmosphere.
It's quite obvious that this mandatory mission issued by the camp, while having no penalties or rewards, is extremely important, perhaps even more important than the first mandatory mission.
So no matter what they were doing at the time, the wizards would put down what they were doing and rush in this direction as much as possible after receiving the task.
After taking a close look at Jemin, the wizards suppressed their astonishment, silently adjusted their state, and joined the ranks of those waiting.
Time passed second by second.
A continuous stream of streaks of light swept across the sky, like a swarm of bees returning to their nest.
Wizards are becoming more and more common, riding all sorts of mounts, golems, and even tamed otherworldly creatures.
Following some unspoken understanding, they spread out around that unstable, distorted area of space, deploying defenses layer by layer.
Soon, the once desolate area was filled with countless wizards and their retinues, each with a different aura, and a suppressed yet powerful force was quietly gathering.
Just as this silent waiting was about to reach its peak.
hum! ! !
A deep yet soul-stirring cry echoed from the sky.
The entire sky seemed to have become a curtain being stirred by an invisible giant hand, with the atmosphere exhibiting a visible spiral distortion, and the clouds being torn apart and swirled by violent energy.
Under the astonished gazes of countless wizards, the magnificent floating city, which served as the core base of the expeditionary force, slowly emerged from the center of the spiraling energy vortex!
A massive shadow fell, covering a large area, as if a god had descended to earth.
Feeling the turbulent energy currents around him and the visible unstable spatial patterns, Jemin was also somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected that the wizard Dionysius Spencer would actually teleport the entire floating city over!
Most importantly, the transmission of such a massive object did not cause any further commotion.
It seems that this wizard Dionysius Spencer is not only proficient in the knowledge of fate, but also has considerable knowledge of the knowledge of space.
Just as Jemin was pondering, Dionysius Spencer appeared silently at the tip of the highest tower in the floating city.
He looked down at the wizard legion below, which resembled a swarm of ants, his gaze calm and unwavering.
"It seems a lot of people have already arrived, so I'll keep it short—"
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of every wizard clearly, carrying an undeniable authority: "At the core of this distorted space, there is a 'rift' connecting to another plane."
These words caused a stir among all the wizards present, but the commotion quickly subsided under the pressure of the level seven wizard.
Dionysius Spencer remained unfazed by the changes in the wizards below: "I'm sure some of you already suspected this. Yes! Next, we're going to attack another world!"
Although many wizards had already deduced something from Dionysius Spencer's attitude toward this plane, when this seventh-level wizard personally confirmed and clearly pointed to "another world," an uncontrollable fanaticism instantly erupted from the wizard community!
Their heavy breathing blended together, and their eyes gleamed with an almost tangible greed.
Conquest, plunder, knowledge, power
A completely new and unknown world means a wealth of resources!
The Void Dimension has already made the wizards present extremely wealthy, but that doesn't mean their greed has been satisfied.
On the contrary, the gains from the airspace dimension made their greed even greater!
Above the entire wizard legion, an invisible and intangible yet incredibly heavy will seemed to gather—a vast desire belonging to the wizard civilization, so greedy as to devour, analyze, and possess the entire world!
This terrifying collective will even caused some of the less intelligent soul slaves and bio-engineered beasts to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling and afraid to raise their heads.
Ignoring the commotion below, Dionysius Spencer slowly raised his hand.
A massive, intricate magic circle illuminated the bottom of the floating city, its runes flowing and combining as if alive.
A beam of pure energy, its diameter immeasurable, silently struck the distorted space below.
Contrary to expectations, the violent spatial turbulence subsided and dissipated rapidly in a defying logic, like wrinkles being ironed out, under the precise energy impact.
In just a few breaths, the dauntingly twisted zone disappeared, revealing its true core: a massive spatial rift, hundreds of meters long, stretching across the sky with its edges shimmering with an unstable, eerie light!
Inside the crack, light and shadow flickered, and one could vaguely sense a completely different energy aura emanating from the other side.
However, this rift is clearly unstable at this point and cannot be used for interdimensional teleportation.
"According to my observations, the energy intensity of this rift will reach its peak and its structure will be most stable in about three standard days," Dionysius Spencer's voice rang out again, drowning out all the noise. "That will be the best time for us to step into the new world."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, and issued a new order:
"So get ready. From now on, your task is to break through their defenses and hold the line!"
"Before the spatial rift is completely stabilized at the camp, ensure the stability of this passage at all costs. We must not allow the natives on the other side to have a chance to close it! This is also a mandatory mission!"
Once the order is given, no further mobilization is needed.
All the wizards, regardless of their rank, had a burning desire and a thirst for battle in their eyes.
The alchemy workshop was quickly set up, defensive towers sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and layers of warning barriers were stacked on top of each other. Various war golems and bio-beasts were deployed systematically around the rift. An efficient, ruthless wizard legion, born for conquest, built an iron-clad army at the gates of this other world at an unprecedented speed.
(I'm having some writer's block, so this is the only chapter I'll write today.)