Chapter 1: The Beginning of Death
What exactly is death?
The body losing its vitality, the heart ceasing to beat, the brain no longer functioning, the soul completely annihilated... These are all signs of death's arrival. If just one of these appears, in ninety percent of cases, it signals the countdown to death.
But are these absolute?
Not necessarily. A Lich's body has no vitality, a Treant doesn't have a heart at all, a Headless Knight's head is merely a decoration—on a good day, they might even put a pumpkin on top—and some beings don't even need a soul to live comfortably and even be immensely powerful.
However, in this cruel and dark Multiverse, death is something no being can avoid. Even Transcendent Beings need to step over one high threshold after another to temporarily escape its pursuit.
"Priest, I need to tell you something."
In the underground sterile laboratory at the headquarters of Winterfell Academy, a man with a deep voice calmly spoke to his disciple, who was kneeling before him: "The entire 'Watcher' Elf tribe has been corrupted by Chaos, and their souls have been attacked by the Plague Evil God. The situation is dire. They are currently receiving treatment in the ancient elven lands of the Far South, and their time of awakening is completely unpredictable."
"However, thanks to the Mother Tree using its last vestiges of power to protect their souls and bodies before its destruction, although they have suffered severe damage, their lives are not in danger. At the very least, their survival is guaranteed."
As he spoke, the man noticed his disciple's body tremble.
"But... Su Er was not connected to the Mother Tree."
"In that case, she should be dead."
Hearing this, the gray-haired young man immediately clenched his teeth. The man narrowed his eyes, observing his disciple, then said in a low voice: "Priest, why are you so sad?"
He chuckled lightly: "You are a Transcendent Being. Do you truly believe that death is the end?"
"Death is only the beginning."
Year 840 of the Era of Falling Stars, March 7th, 7:00 AM, Second Floor of the Lord's Mansion in the Inner City of Moldavia.
Humans like to use the word "unique" to describe precious and rare things, and "commonplace" to describe things that are ordinary and abundant.
In the Mycroft World, ordinary humans without supernatural power are common and abundant. Out of ten people, roughly eight or nine are ordinary people with no supernatural power whatsoever. The remaining one might not even be a proper professional; perhaps they just know a simple magic trick or a bit of Battle Qi.
In contrast, Transcendent Beings are undoubtedly rare. In this high-magic world of Mycroft, perhaps everyone knows of the existence of magic, but those who can truly cross the barrier of Black Iron Mid-rank and become a proper professional like Black Iron High-rank are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. It's like how everyone knows how to lose weight, but only a few succeed.
However, although there is this clear distinction between 'ordinary humans' and 'Transcendent Beings,'
In this world, there is no such thing as a 'predestined ordinary person.'
Lin, the Grand Steward of the Moldavia Territory Lord's Mansion, Super Administrator of the Winterfell Academy Magic Net, Honorary Vice President of the Northern Territory Lord's Mansion Official Chamber of Commerce, who might once have been a weapon but has now fully become a butler, sat at his desk in his room, his expression serious as he browsed the forums in his Psychic Terminal, then launched the second large-scale net-cleaning campaign of the year.
"These people must live on the internet! How do they have so much energy every day!"
The black-haired boy mercilessly deleted all spam posts, ad posts, and water posts in the forum, and successively issued bans of varying lengths to many students who posted improperly, causing numerous students in the forum to be on edge, trembling in fear.
"A good deed for the day."
After finishing these tasks, a refreshed Lin clapped his hands and logged out of the Magic Net.
As a seventh-generation Divine Mechanism created by the Empire's Artificial Fairy Project, Lin and his sister both possessed a spiritual-energy body similar to that of Fairies, which meant they didn't need to use a gem-like Psychic Terminal like ordinary humans to log into the Magic Net. In fact, their very existence was a giant Psychic Terminal; with just a thought, they could easily connect to the Magic Net in any environment.
Because of this, along with Miss No. 3 and Ying, he became one of the Super Administrators managing the Magic Net, providing an ever-increasing number of Psychic Terminal users with a clean and quiet online environment—official rhetoric, take it as you will. In truth, the black-haired boy just had a bit of OCD; he couldn't stand any non-standard posting formats.
Standing up from the desk, Lin briefly organized the notes and books he had been reading the previous night. He set aside unfinished books like 'On Empire,' 'City of Faith,' and 'Advanced Contemporary Magic Runes: Aether Chapter,' neatly arranged his notes, and placed finished books like 'How to Please Your Leader: The Path to Promotion,' 'Thirty-Three Key Points for Raising a Dragon,' and 'Social Movements' into the bookshelf, aligning them neatly.
On the side of the bookshelf, two pictures could be seen. One was Lin's monthly schedule, densely packed with key points and red circles. The other was a magical photograph depicting a black-haired man taking a black-haired boy for a ride on a Black Dragon through a blizzard.
After finishing the organization, the meticulous Lin turned off the desk lamp, straightened his collar, and prepared to go out for a new day's work.
Some time ago, the Master had awakened from his slumber and caused quite a stir upon returning to the territory. Because the Lord was safe and had successfully advanced, many old friends from around the world came to celebrate. His Holiness the Pope came personally with his adopted son Loranda. Brandon, who had been honing his swordsmanship in the Abyss, also visited with his family. Not to mention those Legendary experts—for over a whole month, the people of the Northern Lands were under the pressure of the revived Legendary expert's aura. Local Magical Beasts that hadn't managed to flee were basically tamed on the spot. Seeing people, they not only dared not bite but would even lie down and wag their tails, putting on a pitiful look.
Those days were truly busy enough. Lin recalled that month, couldn't help but purse his lips and shake his head. If the Master hadn't given them the cultivation materials from the Fairyland, allowing him and his sister to learn by analogy and further improve their strength, he might really have been dizzy with work.
But now it's much better. The Master's exchanges with the various Legendary experts have concluded, the fervor of advancement is gradually cooling down, and everything is returning to its normal track.
Just as the black-haired boy was walking out of his room, he passed by a statue.
The statue's appearance was exactly the same as the boy himself; one could even say that an ordinary person would be completely unable to tell the difference between the two when they were still. Lin stopped, looked up and down at the statue, and couldn't help but show a hint of a smile.
This statue was made by the Master when he was practicing creation, one for everyone in the Lord's Mansion. Sculpted on an atomic scale, it perfectly restored everyone's appearance and expressions, with a level of detail that was simply astonishing. The first time he saw it, Lin himself felt the illusion of looking at himself.
The statue of Lin wore a butler's uniform, nothing particularly distinctive, just sitting quietly on a chair, holding a book, reading peacefully, his expression seeming contemplative, as if he had gained some insight.
Very detailed, but nothing very special or memorable. Unlike his sister and Miss No. 3, who were beautiful and striking, nor like Hei's majestic dragon form, this statue at first glance was just an ordinary, unremarkable boy reading a book.
This was only natural.
Lin knew that he was not a particularly distinctive person.
He only worked meticulously, obeyed orders, commands, and completed the tasks entrusted by the Master. He had no other superfluous thoughts and no complaints.
He did what needed to be done meticulously, kept instructions in mind, carefully took care of his somewhat scatterbrained sister who had been abandoned since the beginning of her forging, fed a certain Black Dragon when the Master was away, took her and Xiao Guang for walks, and if necessary, sometimes assisted Miss No. 3 with some technical problems, while using his exquisite Fae Cards skills to confirm his leadership position at home... Not conspicuous, hidden behind the scenes, seeming just an ordinary person.
But he was not ordinary. He was not a plain, common, and ubiquitous butler character.
The black-haired boy knew and firmly believed this.
He was the perfect Divine Mechanism, the best weapon, attendant, and butler.
This was his unique identity.
Thinking this, he opened the door, walked through the corridor, exited the Lord's Mansion, and headed towards the nearby Chamber of Commerce headquarters.
Along the way, traces of the recent celebration and carnival could still be seen. Street broadcasts and LCD screens were playing melodious morning music. Faintly, the sounds of businesses opening in the nearby commercial district could be heard. In the surrounding residential buildings, many residents could be seen opening their doors, clearing snow and icicles from under the eaves. The races of the residents were diverse, from Dwarves to Elves, from Halflings to Gnomes, and even a human auntie preparing to go to the trade district to buy ingredients could be seen chatting with a neighbor Fishman, making sounds that only the heavens knew who could understand.
A residential building opened its door. A man with platinum-white hair, holding a snow shovel, prepared to clear the snow outside. He inadvertently looked up and saw the black-haired boy who had already walked past this street.
"Oh? Isn't that Steward Lin?"
The man was slightly startled, then shook his head and sighed with emotion: "Out working early in the morning, truly conscientious and responsible."
"Brother, what are you doing?"
A somewhat lazy female voice came from inside the house: "Hurry up and finish shoveling the snow, then come in for breakfast. We still have to go to the personnel department of the Royal Mage Association today."
"Yes, Amira, I know." Smiling as he responded to his sister's words, Ivan Makarov rolled up his sleeves and began to bend over to shovel snow.
In truth, with his strength as a Gold-rank and top graduate of Winterfell Academy, he could control his Arcane Power with a single thought and clear the snow from his house, or even the entire block. But doing some physical labor once in a while wasn't bad. Besides, there were regulations in the city center prohibiting the use of any power equivalent to or exceeding Silver Low-rank. Violators would be thrown into a Mana Factory to serve as a human Mana engine for a period of time.
Like to recklessly use supernatural power? Then use it to your heart's content, contributing to the public.
Although it seemed like just a rule to ensure the safety of ordinary residents, Ivan, who had begun to gradually enter the Empire's management layer, knew that things were not that simple.
Because the number of Transcendent Beings was gradually increasing.
Over a decade ago, before the Great Magic Tide arrived, the density of free energy in the entire world was not high, and the inheritance of Transcendent Beings was generally spread through small academies and master-disciple models. Thus, the number of Transcendent Beings was very scarce. Even counting the most widespread military training methods and the simple witchcraft of folk spellcasters, the number of Transcendent Beings was very small.
But now, with the Great Magic Tide descending, and recently, large-scale Transcendent academies opening all over the world, the number of Transcendent Beings was increasing at a noticeable rate.
From Ivan's own perspective, the matter was even more obvious. Ever since he and his sister Amira graduated from Winterfell Academy, moved out from their grandfather Edward's place, and bought a house in the city center, every day he heard news of neighbors' children or relatives entering Winterfell Academy. There were even parents who signed up for the 'Advanced Practice Training Class' specially opened by the Lord's Mansion for adults, learning a trick or two of magic or Battle Qi.
In just half a year, the number of Transcendent Beings, originally one percent, one-tenth, had rapidly expanded to the point where three or four out of ten people were Transcendent Beings.
Although the vast majority of newly advanced professionals were only the most basic, lowest-level Transcendent Beings, even so, they could use Mana-powered devices, activate Rune arrays, and exert not-inconsiderable power through magical artifacts... It was precisely because of this that, as the number of Transcendent Beings increased, many special decrees regarding Transcendent Beings also multiplied.
After shoveling the snow, Ivan returned indoors, put the snow shovel behind the door, and headed to the kitchen to prepare for breakfast. When he sat down next to a girl who also had platinum-white hair, Ivan casually asked: "How's our dragon doing?"
"Still sleeping. Probably won't wake up for a few days."
Amira spread jam on Ivan's bread and replied somewhat nonchalantly: "Speaking of which, brother, do you think we can really go to the Abyss?"
"Why not?"
Ivan poured a glass of milk for Amira. Hearing this, he shook his head in slight confusion: "Do you remember what Teacher said to us disciples a few days ago?"
"The Mycroft World has reached a critical moment. In the past, we were imprisoned in a dark, ancient cage, but now, we must break free from these rusty, decayed shackles and leave this cage. Clearly, Teacher and the others have made some great discovery during their adventure, and resources are shifting towards the 'New World' Teacher mentioned."
Saying this, Ivan took a bite of his jam-covered bread and said somewhat indistinctly: "I know what you're thinking. If resources are starting to favor the New World, why do we need to go to the Abyss? It's simple, my sister. To secure peace abroad, you must first secure it at home... The Mycroft World is adjacent to the Abyss, so before we advance towards the New World, we must first eliminate the threat beside us."
He swallowed the food in his mouth, looked at his sister, and said with a smile: "The people of the External Exploration Department love adventure. What we, who don't like to move around, need to do is to make our homeland more stable while they are adventuring. Besides, even without this reason, wouldn't we still be looking for an opportunity to go to the Abyss?"
This was only natural. The siblings, who had sworn to hunt the Five-Colored Dragons for life, exchanged a smile, then lowered their heads and quietly ate their breakfast.
Wherever the Five-Colored Dragons were, they would be.
Of course they had to go to the Abyss.
"Of course we have to go to the Abyss!"
The Dragon Girl Lisa loudly announced her newly confirmed plan at home: "It's time to send Mr. Syndicate back to his hometown for a visit!"
Lately, the Dragon Girl's words had become increasingly direct and straightforward, with no hint of euphemism. No one knew who she had learned that from.
"Zzzt, zzzt." (Support)
In the hall, a silver alarm clock on the table rang twice, emitting a sound of support. Chu Hao's clone dutifully turned the stopwatch and continued: "Zzzzzt, zzzzzt?" (When do we leave?)
On the other side, a Dragonman sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, with a face somewhat similar to Lisa's but a slightly taller and more masculine build, blinked and couldn't help but mutter: "What do you mean by 'sending me back to my hometown'?"
"Huh? Mr. Syndicate, don't you want to go back?"
The Dragon Girl who had announced this news had originally thought the Flame Demon would be very happy, but she didn't expect him to have this attitude. She immediately looked a bit disappointed and lowered her head, her expression unclear.
"No, Lisa, look, I'm not a Flame Demon anymore!" Seeing Lisa's somewhat sad expression, Syndicate immediately became nervous. He quickly put down the newspaper, stood up, walked over to Lisa, and took her hand, trying to explain: "After my life form changed, I'm no longer a Demon. Besides, the Abyss... Hey, you're not crying?!"
"Of course not." Seizing Syndicate's hand, Lisa looked up, her face radiant with sunshine, not a trace of disappointment. She shrugged, then stood on tiptoe and whispered softly in the Flame Demon's ear: "I just want to see the place where you used to live... What, you don't want to?"
"I... can't... really say..."
Syndicate really wanted to say 'I don't want to,' because the Abyss was indeed not a good place, and his life there was just ordinary fighting, killing, eating, and drinking, with nothing interesting. Life in the Mycroft World was so comfortable and pleasant, people spoke so nicely, he loved it here and really didn't want to go back.
But in the end, he compromised: "Alright, if Lisa really wants to go... then let's go. My experience here might be of some use."
"Mr. Syndicate is the best!"
At the same time, next door to Lisa and the others.
In a small house also in the Southern District residential area, the atmosphere was completely opposite to the joyful one next door.
The winter wind beat against the windows, frost gradually spreading on the inside of the glass. By the fireplace, on the sofa in the hall, a little gray-haired girl bit her lower lip, staring blankly at two pots of different flowers in front of her.
One pot of flowers was like a dandelion, with fluffy flower bodies, but golden in color, and the fluff was hard to detach. This plant, called 'Dawn Dandelion,' was a special fire-type magical herb. Its roots had a good effect on nourishing the body and strengthening constitution, but most importantly, it felt great to touch, very soft and warm, perfect for playing with in winter.
The other pot of flowers was much more magical. It had seven translucent, geometric petals like ice crystals, each petal surrounded by a different magical glow. The light rotated, and the six free elements and Aether in the atmosphere gradually gathered around it, making the concentration of Arcane Power in the room increasingly dense.
Brandy looked at these two pots of flowers that Priest had sent her, feeling a bit worried.
"Brother hasn't smiled in a long time..."
Ever since Priest returned from the distant Star River, Brandy had rarely seen her brother genuinely smile.
The two pots of flowers. The Dawn Dandelion was originally a gift her brother had planned to give her. He had hidden it in the attic, thinking she hadn't noticed, but he was away for so long that she had to water it herself... Brandy had originally thought she would be angry with her unreliable brother, but in the end, seeing Priest's exhausted appearance, Brandy found she couldn't say any words of blame. She could only hug her only relative's waist and thank the Seven Gods for bringing him home safely.
The other pot of flowers was called 'Seven Colors, Seven Hues.' According to her brother, it was a gift from the Elf clan's Legendary expert, the Nature Mentor. It was a rare, high-grade magical herb whose fragrance could effectively speed up a Druid's perception of Nature's Force.
But even after receiving such a precious gift and even being publicly commended by the Lord, her brother still didn't smile. He seemed weighed down by worry.
"You look very sad."
Brandy had asked directly at that time: "Brother, why?"
"Because your brother is too weak."
Priest had answered just as directly. He sighed and said: "All anger and sadness stem from one's own powerlessness. Brandy, you must train hard, so you don't end up like your brother, making such an ugly scene."
Brother has already done very well, the gray-haired girl thought. But it's definitely not enough. At least, brother doesn't think it's enough.
Being a little greedy isn't a bad thing. Desire brings motivation. Just like herself, if the school didn't give out little red flowers or reward candy, who would study so hard?
But sometimes, when you encounter a problem you can't solve, you can ask the teacher.
Even elementary school students know that!
"If there's a problem you can't solve, brother, why don't you ask the Lord?"
This was what little Brandy had said to Priest not long ago: "The Lord is your teacher after all... The Lord is so powerful. A problem you can't solve, the Lord can definitely solve it. At the very least, he can tell you the way to solve it."
Then, her brother really went to see the Lord.
And he still hasn't come back.
"Sigh, brother is so sad every day, it even makes my meals taste bad."
Thinking this, Brandy stroked the Dawn Dandelion, feeling a little better: "If this time it's still not resolved... then I'll lend him the dandelion to stroke for a while."
But just as Brandy was reluctantly thinking about how many days to lend the dandelion to Priest, she suddenly heard familiar footsteps outside the door, and the sound of her brother talking to someone. And! Although his tone sounded very calm, Brandy could tell that her brother was no longer radiating negative energy like before!
"...This is my home... Your father and the others still have their bodies and are receiving treatment in the Far South. Next time, I'll take you to see them..."
"Priest! The buildings here are so tall! So amazing! So beautiful! You lived in a place like this?"
She could also hear an unfamiliar girl's voice.
"Brandy, I'm home!"
The sound of the door opening came with a click.
The gray-haired young man, holding the hand of a green-haired, golden-eyed Elf who looked very curious and enthusiastic, walked into the house.
However, it was faintly visible that this Elf's body had some imperfections. There was a huge, ethereal wound on her back, and her body was somewhat illusory, appearing a bit ethereal in the raging wind outside, only becoming more vivid upon entering the house.
Undoubtedly, this was an Undead, an Undead with its own will.
And this Undead saw a little gray-haired girl who came trotting over, looking at her with curiosity. She immediately broke into a big smile, then crouched down and greeted very seriously: "Hello, you must be Priest's sister, Brandy? My name is Su Er!"
"Don't be afraid. Although I'm dead, I won't harm anyone."
This is a very cruel world.
War, destruction, disaster, Chaos... Death follows like a shadow, like a bone-deep gangrene.
This is also a very gentle world.
Because if you are strong enough,
Even death can be overcome.