Chapter 21: The Beginning of Interdimensional Exploration
The airship Gran Salfa, commissioned by the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia in the Northern Territories, designed by the Northern Helgamos Empire's Royal First Military Factory, and assembled at the Mana Engineering Department of Winterfell Academy in Nissier, is one of fewer than ten 'Emperor-class' super-massive aerial warships across the entire Mycroft Continent. Rumors claim that multiple Legendary experts personally blessed this airship, granting it an energy source that could almost never land.
In truth, this statement wasn't entirely wrong. The ship's core was indeed designed and calibrated by several Legendary mages, after all, shrinking and simplifying a 'Fusion Core Heart' into an ordinary warship engine was not something just anyone could accomplish. The Gran Salfa, with a total length exceeding 1,300 meters, was equipped with two 'Fusion Core Heart'-class power furnaces.
However, even though the Gran Salfa possessed a nearly inexhaustible power source, it carried no weapons whatsoever. It was called an airship rather than an aerial warship precisely because it was a pure means of transportation—the Gran Salfa was a large-scale scientific research exploration vessel specifically designed for void exploration. It bore a space-time teleportation array personally inscribed by the Legendary mage Nostradamus, armor and energy core hardened by the Legendary warrior Joshua, and an energy conduction system designed by the Legendary mage Baniel. Thus, aside from a theoretical triennial overhaul, it could travel through the void almost permanently.
Now, the fully crewed Gran Salfa was tearing through streams of space-time turbulence, heading toward a target in the void known as the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.
The Fairyland was a plane orbiting the Mycroft World, and so was the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. Although their rotational speeds were similar, as time passed, the Fairyland—originally used as a forward base—grew increasingly distant from the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, eventually becoming unsuitable for departure. All major factions had long prepared for this, and the Gran Salfa was one such solution. It could accurately locate the coordinates of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground in the void and reach its destination within 2 to 5 hours.
At this moment, the core members of the Imperial Foreign Exploration Department were all aboard the Gran Salfa, and the Elite Squad leader, Priest, was naturally no exception.
Priest was no stranger to the Gran Salfa. He had ridden this airship many times traveling to and from the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, and had tested his adaptability to various gravity conditions inside the ship's 'Gravity Chamber.' In fact, as a scientific research exploration vessel, the Gran Salfa was also equipped with an 'Element Chamber' for testing various elemental concentration environments, a 'Critical Chamber' for testing Steel Particle concentrations, and even an 'Ether Chamber' for simulating pure energy worlds.
After undergoing numerous tests, Priest and his team were finally informed that they would soon receive their first official exploration mission.
"Finally! If I had to keep training like this, I'd really lose my mind!"
The speaker was the knight of the team, a tall, powerfully built young man. Upon learning from his Psychic Terminal that his first official mission was imminent, his first thought wasn't 'nervousness' but rather a sense of 'surviving a disaster' after escaping the long training regimen. "Hahaha! Goodbye, twenty-kilometer full-speed runs before every meal! Goodbye, miserable life of only eating nutritional meals! I can finally become an official explorer! I can finally eat big chunks of meat!"
"Wah... it's finally here. Haha, I've been waiting for this!"
The team's Alchemist was even more unhinged. He alternated between crying and laughing, as if he had lost his mind. Clutching his Psychic Terminal tightly, he stood up and shouted, "I will never again drink the potions I concoct during my daily experiments! At least eighty bottles a day—even a slime couldn't drink that much!"
Nearby, the team's Mage and Clergy member had relatively stronger mental fortitude and didn't show any wild expressions or postures for the moment. However, judging by the Mage's trembling fingers and the Clergy's vacant gaze, it was clear just how harsh the trials they had endured during training were, and how stirred they felt now about the official mission.
Priest found it hard to understand his teammates' elation. He barely had time to pay attention, as he was currently holding a copy of *Advanced Rune Analysis* and studying on his own in his seat. When the other four exploration team members saw their leader remain unfazed upon receiving the news—even continuing to study a book thicker than a brick—they all simultaneously showed expressions of disbelief, fear, admiration, and respect.
Those who could join an exploration team were mostly geniuses, and a few were geniuses among geniuses. When geniuses gathered, naturally none would look down on the others. The four present had all encountered this situation at the start of team formation; everyone felt they should be the leader, the number one, while the others were merely insignificant. But in the end, they had willingly and sincerely acknowledged Priest as their leader—and this was not without reason.
"By the Seven Gods, he can finish two advanced math exercise books in a single day!" This was the Clergy's low-voiced admiration.
"That's not all," the Mage said succinctly. "He can even write three additional rune study exam papers!"
In short, Priest's position as team leader was unquestionable. So after receiving the news, everyone turned their gaze to him, waiting for his opinion.
"My opinion is: be cautious and careful."
Facing his teammates' expectant looks, Priest had no choice but to put down his book. He looked up and said seriously, "This time, our mission is not to explore civilized alien worlds rich with life reactions, but certain dead, lifeless alien worlds where perhaps no life exists at all. Our goal is to search for special space-time fluctuations—specifically, the existence of a 'semi-plane' called the Grand Database."
Then came the leader's briefing, and this scene played out for every team waiting to depart on the Gran Salfa.
Priest encouraged his teammates, telling them that as long as they followed orders and completed the mission, both exchange points and permissions would be plentiful. They might even be able to bring back some specialties from the alien world as their own trophies. None of those present showed any sign of fear, because when they chose to join the interdimensional exploration team, they had already made the corresponding resolve.
Or rather, some of them had joined precisely for the thrill of adventure between life and death.
"Ah, they're starting to distribute equipment."
As the briefing ended, a ship crew member directed a steel box truck to the Elite Squad's rest room. He silently nodded to everyone and then turned to leave. The knight happily approached the truck, pulled it over to his companions, and opened it.
The rear doors of the truck swung open, and immediately, the distinctive smell of steel and strong mana fluctuations surged out. Priest took a closer look—inside were indeed their five-person sets of equipment and supplies: various weapons, five sets of renewable life-support suits and their outer armor, three sets of enhancement potions (standard configuration: Dragon Strength Potion, Mana Burn Potion, Lightning Potion, Iron Armor Potion, and Holy Healing Potion as one set), simple transportation tools (foldable mana-driven four-wheel off-road vehicle), energy detectors, and numerous other odd gadgets.
These were all standard equipment for the Foreign Exploration Team. After long training, Priest was thoroughly familiar with them. Beside him, the Alchemist's expression turned somewhat abnormal when he saw the three sets of potions, as if he wanted to vomit. But Priest had no time to pay attention, because he spotted something entirely new—something that had never appeared on their equipment list before.
A silver steel cylinder.
"Restorative... Pillar?"
The Clergy curiously tried to pick up the cylinder, which was only 30 centimeters long and 8 centimeters in diameter. But as soon as he touched it and began to exert force, his expression suddenly changed: "No, this thing is too heavy! Knight, you take it!"
"Told you to exercise more and not slack off during physical training... Watch me!"
Casually mocking his friend, the knight strode forward, ready to lift the silver cylinder in one go. But the moment he touched it, his expression also changed: "Wait, this little thing weighs three tons?!"
Three tons wasn't actually much for a knight about to step into the Gold Realm, but the weight was still terrifying. No wonder the Clergy, who had also undergone extensive physical training, couldn't lift it. And if it had to be carried long-term during operations, even the knight couldn't manage it.
"So heavy? Could you be operating it wrong? Let me check the manual."
Hearing his teammates' interaction, the Mage—who was currently fondly stroking his newly ordered [Quad-Core Linked Rapid-Charge Burst Staff]—frowned. He picked up the Restorative Pillar's manual from the side, read it carefully, and then announced loudly: "This item is an experimental product from the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia. Due to various reasons, it could not be lightweighted and is not suitable for widespread use. It is now being distributed free of charge to all exploration teams for testing and data collection."
"Specific usage method: Place it vertically on a flat surface, input three standard units of energy to activate, and mentally input the password 'Wisdom Endures, Order Eternal.' After waiting three minutes, the Restorative Pillar will automatically activate, transforming into a silver pillar of light with a radius of two meters and a height of 7.5 meters. Place the injured inside it, and deliver the corresponding energy and materials as indicated by the pillar of light; it will automatically heal the injured person's wounds."
"The pillar of light cannot be destroyed or moved. Once its position is confirmed, unless the password is input again and three hours are waited, it will not revert to its original metal pillar state, which can then be moved. The pillar of light can provide Gold-rank energy barrier protection for personnel within its range. Please do not place the pillar of light carelessly; place it at the safest base location. If a team member dies during exploration, use the Restorative Pillar's attached device, the 'Soul Abyss Sphere,' to collect the deceased's soul or soul fragments, then place them into the pillar of light."
Upon reading this, the Mage raised an eyebrow. He looked up and said somewhat surprised to his four teammates: "It's actually something made by the Lord? Then it might indeed be useful!"
Basically, everyone on the Mycroft Continent knew that the ten characters 'Product of the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia' without any prefix or suffix meant that this creation had been personally involved in development and research by the Northern Lord, Count Radcliffe. Items bearing these ten characters—such as 'Mana Armor,' 'Liquid Crystal Screens,' 'Continent-Level Real-Time Communication Arrays,' and the recently hot-selling 'Psychic Terminals'—were all, without exception, true masterpieces.
Mana Armor was now used in a very wide range of applications. Whether for engineering work or combat adventures, a good set of Mana Armor could double one's efficiency. The mechanical prosthetics and exoskeleton armor derived from it had restored limbs to many disabled individuals and even granted them greater strength. Liquid Crystal Screens had basically become a necessity in the homes of nobles and wealthy families, and even major publications—like the Mage Weekly—had joined in. They had set up a program team dedicated to producing various news programs that played on loop on the screens.
As for Psychic Terminals, there was no need to elaborate. This mana creation, jointly developed by several Legendary experts, was the hottest magical item in the history of the Mycroft Continent. It possessed all sorts of miraculous functions that couldn't be described in just a few words. But without a doubt, the Psychic Terminal had permanently changed the living habits and thought patterns of everyone in the Mycroft World. The diversified exchange and rapid spread of information had swiftly broken down the ignorance and misunderstandings caused by magical beasts and the Black Forest across the continent. As long as one paid the corresponding price, anyone could obtain the information they wanted on the Information Terminal.
In short, the ten characters 'Product of the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia' had basically become a guarantee of quality—and not just simple quality, but universal quality that could spread across the entire world without any barriers. Knowing this, the knight no longer complained about the silver cylinder's weight. Instead, he silently hung it on his 'Anti-Gravity Belt,' and this single cylinder occupied 90% of the belt's load capacity.
"It seems to be some kind of automatic healing method similar to Holy Light... For interdimensional exploration, it's indeed very useful. As for this Soul Abyss Sphere..."
Priest stepped forward and picked up a black-red sphere about the size of a normal person's fist placed next to the cylinder. He couldn't help but find it strange: "An item that can automatically preserve surrounding souls? Isn't that within the realm of necromancy? And if we really die in an accident, the situation would certainly be very critical. How could we have time to preserve... and what use would preserving it be?"
"Exactly, what use is it? People are still dead."
The Alchemist nodded, feeling that perhaps the Lord had overthought this and made an unnecessary move. But then he reconsidered: "Maybe it's for us to carry on our persons, so that if we die, our souls are immediately preserved. That way, if we're all wiped out in a sudden incident, the higher-ups can learn the cause of our annihilation through our souls and then avenge us?"
"Possible," the Clergy said, finding the idea quite creative. He turned to the knight and said, "How about you die once and test the effect of this thing?"
"No thanks. I'll leave that opportunity to you."
After confirming their respective equipment, everyone headed to the changing room to swap gear. Soon, the group, already thoroughly familiar with this procedure, emerged from the changing room.
At this point, the entire Elite Foreign Exploration Team looked like a squad of mechanical warriors encased in silver tin cans. Their outermost layer was a fully enclosed mana armor designed for alien worlds, forged from 'living metal' synthesized through various means, inspired by a certain Steel Elemental. These armors had self-repair capabilities and could even grow stronger over time.
Beneath the silver living metal armor was an inner armor made from self-healing materials developed from the Insect Demon Lord Saruka. It possessed extremely strong flexibility and could greatly reduce impact force. With the combination of inner and outer armor, even an ordinary person without any transcendent power could withstand several full-power attacks from a Gold-rank. And if a transcendent with decent original strength wore it, they could even endure the heavy blows of a Gold Peak.
Five armored humanoids held various equipment. Priest carried a warhammer at his waist and a 'Gravity Shield' made of semi-transparent, crystal-like material on his back. This was a high-level transcendent creation worth 4,000 exchange points and a C-rank exchange permission in the Exchange System—a new piece of equipment he had just traded for recently. Faint white ripples could be seen spreading outward from the shield in all directions.
The Alchemist held a sleek, streamlined Dwarven firearm. This firearm had been named by the Lord as the 'No. 4 Fully Automatic Arcane Missile Launcher,' but because the name was too awkward and hard to remember, everyone simply called it the 'Big Dwarven Firearm.'
The Mage, of course, held his 'Quad-Core Linked Rapid-Charge Burst Staff.' This staff's name was also given by a certain Lord and, due to its awkwardness, was simply called the 'Burst Staff.'
The Clergy held nothing, but seven crystal spheres orbited around him like satellites. This was the latest creation from the Church of the Seven Gods and had nothing to do with Moldavia. The seven spheres flickered with holy white light of varying brightness, leaping and spinning nimbly.
As for the knight, his equipment was the aforementioned 'Foldable Four-Wheel Off-Road Vehicle'—otherwise, why call him a knight? Although it was hard to ride horses in alien worlds, driving a car was also a form of 'riding.' His weapons were also stored with the off-road vehicle, so he didn't need to carry them on his person for now.
The five exploration team members were armed to the teeth. With their equipment, it wouldn't have been surprising if, a dozen years ago, they could have overthrown a small country in the Western Mountains. These five tin cans, driving mana off-road vehicles in a full assault, could even smash through some not-so-thick city walls. If everyone's strength advanced to the Gold Realm, they could even fight an Ultimate-rank together.
"Are you all ready?"
Seeing that everyone was fully armed, Priest stood in the center of the rest room and said seriously in a low voice: "Soon, our first official exploration will begin. The Empire's investment in nurturing us has been nothing short of generous, and we must repay that trust with our full effort—even our lives!"
"Naturally!" The remaining four responded in unison.
Similar responses echoed throughout various parts of the Gran Salfa. They came from the other seven exploration teams that had completed their training. This time, they would be teleported to eight different alien worlds for rapid exploration and screening, searching for specific 'space-time fluctuations' and even the lost semi-plane 'Unified Grand Database.' Everyone knew that their purpose was closely tied to the future of the entire Mycroft Civilization, and everyone had a sufficient sense of honor about it.
Soon, the Gran Salfa's ship spirit issued a clear, gentle female voice broadcast: "The Gran Salfa is connecting to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground... Mana connection successful. Beginning energy resonance. Progress: 1%, 2%, 3%... All exploration team members, please prepare for teleportation."
Upon hearing the broadcast, all exploration team members stood on a row of circular array platforms. It could be seen that these deep blue array platforms were charging in sync with the numbers broadcast, and a vast, profound fluctuation began to emanate bit by bit from the arrays, calming all the still-excited exploration team members.
This was the power of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. It was also a force capable of connecting any two points in the multiverse in an instant.
"100%."
The gentle female voice stopped counting down. She said, "Energy resonance complete."
*Hum*—a low humming sound rang out. In that instant, all the array platforms expanded into a pitch-black domain, swallowing the exploration team members whole. Within the domain, a low, clear voice could be faintly heard.
"Multiverse Quadrant Teleportation begins."
Year 838 of the Era of Falling Stars, March 11th, 17:21:44. The airship Gran Salfa connected to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, launching the first official interdimensional exploration operation in history.
Meanwhile, in the void, a tall man stood near the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, watching the arrival of the Gran Salfa and the countless space-time fluctuations that rose and then ended within it. A faint, indistinct silver serpentine shadow coiled around his right arm, seemingly conversing with the man.
"I didn't expect you humans to find the target faster than I did."
The Steel Serpent Carlis said to this man with some emotion: "It took me quite a while to confirm that your lost semi-plane is roughly located at the center of the 'Dark Domain.' And you, relying on a vague signal, also managed to feel your way into the Dark Domain."
"But it was still you, Carlis, who confirmed that the target is among the dozen or so worlds at the center of the Dark Domain."
The man—that is, Joshua—nodded heavily and said sincerely in thanks: "I appreciate your trouble. Thank you for doing so much for our Mycroft World."
"What need is there for thanks between you and me? The dozen or so Restorative Pillars you gave me have already been deployed among those Grandia survivors. Many of the severely wounded who lost body parts or even internal organs while fighting the Death Shadows have been healed by them. The morale of the entire survivor group has soared. Even if it were just for those children, I should do my utmost to help you."
Speaking of the Restorative Pillars, Carlis's tone carried a hint of surprise and admiration: "I truly never imagined that Steel Force could be used this way, with such precision... This is probably the difference between individual lifeforms and World Wills like us. I can never wield my authority down to such a microscopic level... In your application of Steel Force, you have already surpassed most Steel Serpents."
Joshua naturally accepted Carlis's sincere praise with pleasure. But he didn't linger on this topic and instead brought up another matter: "Speaking of which, Carlis, why do you call certain areas near the Void Great Maelstrom the 'Dark Domain'? What makes them different?"
"The Dark Domain refers to the space-time boundary zones where many life worlds have had their First Flames severely damaged but not completely extinguished."
Carlis couldn't help but smile bitterly at this point: "In fact, the original Mycroft World, myself, and the surrounding destroyed worlds once formed a Dark Domain. In these worlds, life may still have remnants, but the vast majority are barely surviving, only one step away from falling into the Abyss... The environment is very harsh. If your little ones weren't so well-equipped, I would have stopped you from sending people to those worlds."
"Is that so."
Joshua had already guessed as much, so he didn't say much and fell silent. But after a moment, he shook his head and sighed: "Well, what does danger matter? I've already prepared comprehensive preventive measures for them. Now, it's up to their true strength."
"That's right. Why worry about their experiences? Every life has its own trajectory. Being able to change some trajectories is already enough. There's no need to ensure that every life succeeds in the end—that's impossible. They have their own paths to walk."
Hearing Carlis's words, Joshua shrugged helplessly. He knew that this mindset of his wasn't quite right—after all, he was someone who often ventured alone into alien worlds for exploration, so he had no right to talk about others taking risks. But even so, concern was inevitable.
However, he truly didn't need to worry, because the warrior had long prepared a backup plan.
"Don't underestimate the Restorative Pillars, little ones," he murmured softly to himself in the void. "They are not just a convenient tool for healing injuries..."
With that, he closed his eyes.
In a certain corner of Joshua's mental sea, there had originally been a chaotic, empty darkness.
But now, all chaos and emptiness had receded, leaving only a hazy black mist... And within the mist, one silver star after another was lit, eventually turning into shining celestial bodies.
It could be seen that eight more stars were rapidly flying into the distance, plunging into the hazy black mist.
Joshua opened his eyes and said softly to Carlis beside him: "Let's go back."
"Take me to the Carlis World for a look... It's been a long time since I last visited your place."
"Most welcome, Rekindler of Flames. All worlds will open their doors to you."