# Chapter 19: Memories and Construction
Year 841 of the Falling Stars Era, April 15th, Northern Lands of Moldavia, Great Aias Mountains.
The original Great Aias Mountains were surrounded by lush cold-zone black forests, inhabited by countless magical beasts and dragon creatures. It was a paradise for adventurers and explorers, and also the origin of the Black Tide that all surrounding territories needed to guard against. The Radcliffe Family's Black Forest Fortress was located at the edge of the Moldavia Territory and the mountains, once the boundary between civilization and wilderness.
But now, ever since the Lord of Moldavia advanced to Legendary-rank, exterminated the magical beasts, and purified the Central Black Forest, this black forest in the far north had begun to wither. Only at the mountain's center remained a patch of primordial dense forest that, while no longer mutating, was still lush enough to nurture numerous magical beasts. The Black Forest Fortress at the mountain's edge no longer needed to guard against the Black Tide; it had nearly become a large trading city, day and night processing the precious ores and magical beast materials brought out by adventurers from the mountains.
And the Radcliffe Family's ancestral cemetery was located on a peak in the edge region. That Legendary Lord had fulfilled the family's long-standing mission; he had brought his ancestors out from the sunless foreign time-space, allowing them to once again gaze upon the world they had sacrificed their lives to protect.
Perhaps precisely because of this, the area below the peak where the Radcliffe Family cemetery was located gradually became a public cemetery. Many adventurers who died unexpectedly, and soldiers who had died in previous Black Tides, were buried here. More and more people considered it an honor to be buried here after death... Soon, this place became a vast expanse of continuous graves. The local municipal government even began building walls and dispatching grave keepers to patrol, tacitly acknowledging this state of affairs.
Whoosh
The wind blew across the low hillside, stirring up ripples among the pine trees. Ivan Makarov looked up at the tall conifers not far away, then silently lowered his head to gaze at the tombstone before him.
Edward Makarov
SF775~SF837
The tombstone was carved from black iron rock. Beside this tombstone stood two others of identical shape.
Andrei Makarov
SF802~SF832
Xina Makarov
SF807~SF832
At Ivan's side, Amira Makarov, dressed in a black formal gown, was praying with her eyes closed before the tombstones. Naturally, as mages, the two did not specifically believe in any gods, but at times like this, aside from prayer, there was nothing else to do.
The simple memorial service quickly ended. Ivan slowly crouched before the tombstones of his father, mother, and grandfather. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but for a moment no sound came out. After a long while, this Gold-rank mage with platinum-blonde hair spoke softly: "Grandfather, Father, Mother, nine years have passed. I have become a member of the Imperial Royal Mage Association, working in the 'Giant Mana Armor Design Department.' Compared to the hunter and mage you initially wanted me to become, I have exceeded expectations."
"Grandfather, it's a pity you didn't make it through that winter, didn't see my graduation, didn't see me shine during the examinations... You even specifically instructed Mrs. Deni to conceal your death, to avoid disturbing us... That really shouldn't have happened. Not seeing you one last time is my greatest regret."
After speaking, Ivan was momentarily dazed, but soon this spellcaster, who had long since traversed multiple foreign worlds and possessed an unshakable will, recovered. He turned to look at the two adjacent tombstones, and with a hint of a smile in his voice, said: "Father, Mother, Moldavia... no, the entire Mycroft World no longer has any Five-Colored Dragons. The dragon leaders around Moldavia have either been wiped out or turned into tamed beasts."
"Although the former was done by the Lord himself, and can't be counted as my revenge for you, the latter was done by me, Amira, Faina, and Ni Ke together. We spent a month killing all the dangerous dragon leaders. Ah, right, our squad even raised a white dragon as a mount—the very race of the chief culprit who once plotted the dragon calamity and killed you!"
"Now, at last, I can say that I have avenged you."
When he said this, Ivan's voice did not tremble at all, because there was no need. He was a success. He had successfully avenged his parents and fulfilled his grandfather's wish. As a child who survived the dragon calamity, this former hunter's son knew he had done everything to the best of his ability. There was no reason for cowardice, no reason for inferiority. He should calmly and proudly recount his achievements to his departed loved ones, and they would surely be proud of him.
On the other side, Amira, who had been praying, opened her eyes. She also stood up, took her brother's arm, and gazed at the tombstones before her. With equal pride, she said softly to them: "Tomorrow, Ivan and I, along with the other squad members, will board the Empire's first 'Dreadnought-class Void Battleship' as 'Shipboard Mages.'"
"Brother is responsible for confirming how many 'Giant Mana Combat Units' the battleship can carry and designing a mana armor that can complement the battleship. I am in charge of the energy system's operation. Although being able to enter such an important department so soon after graduation is certainly because we are disciples of the Lord, if our skills weren't up to par, we would never be allowed on board."
Nine years had passed.
The former hunter's son and hunter's children had become the most elite Gold-rank mages in the entire world. They could board the Dreadnought-class battleship, representing the technological crystallization of the Falling Stars Era civilization, and contribute their efforts to the future of civilization. What supported them through countless hardships and obstacles to reach this point was the expectations of their loved ones and the most stringent self-discipline.
The gentle mountain wind passed by, the fragrant air refreshing the heart and mind. The siblings simultaneously lowered their heads, closing their eyes before the tombstones of all their loved ones.
"Please, be proud of us."
A similar scene was taking place in the Chronos World.
The dragon girl Lisa stood in a monitoring station outside the world, gazing at her homeland. Behind her, the flame demon Syndicate and a smaller version of Chu Hao's clone looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
"I say, Lisa, are you really not going to take a look?"
After a long pause, Syndicate carefully asked: "Tomorrow is when we board the Dreadnought-class battleship as test personnel. If you don't go back to see it now, it'll probably be a long time before you can come again."
"Zizi, zizizi, zizizizizi!" Chu Hao also nodded in strong agreement, making sounds of approval.
In response, the dragon girl turned around, revealing a faint smile. Lisa said lightly: "No need, thank you."
"The reason I don't want to go back is simply that I'm a little afraid... I'm afraid that if I go back, it'll be hard to return to the teleportation array within the allotted time. This is a hard-won opportunity for us to board the ship for testing. It would be a waste to miss it."
"..."
Even without using his eyes, Syndicate could hear the loneliness behind the girl's smile with just his ears. He understood, of course, why Lisa didn't want to go back. Part of it was what she herself had said—fear of delaying time—but more than that, she was probably afraid of facing that familiar world again, a world without her parents or anyone she knew.
Every time she returned to the Chronos World, Lisa's stay in her homeland grew shorter. This wasn't because she hated her homeland, but because she loved it too much. She was too greedy for the wind of her homeland, the scent of her homeland, and the increasingly torrential rain of her homeland. So Lisa, who had greater goals, had to resist this desire more firmly.
Until she succeeded, until she could, like her teacher and the Dragon God, change the entire world and transform her ignorant kin into civilization, she had to endure. And with this enduring heart, she would become stronger.
But Syndicate stepped forward and grabbed Lisa's hand, who seemed about to turn back.
"Alright, stop hesitating here."
The former flame demon said quite forcefully, pulling the somewhat bewildered Lisa toward the teleportation passage leading to the Chronos World: "If you want to go back and see, then go back and see. Boarding the Dreadnought-class battleship is a joyful thing—why not go back and report it to your father and mother?"
"Besides, Lisa, if you're afraid you won't be able to resist staying, afraid of losing to your desires... isn't there me?"
Standing together with the dragon girl in the teleportation array, Syndicate smiled carelessly: "Don't worry, I'll always be by your side, reminding you."
"...Mm."
---
Year 841 of the Falling Stars Era, April 15th, Banert Plateau, southeast of the Void Warship Dockyard, on an extremely wide and flat plateau.
Large groups of Imperial mages were bustling about on the plateau covered with runes and steel infrastructure. They gathered in small groups, nervously watching various light screens, seemingly analyzing data and running simulations. Construction teams wearing building-type mana armor were busily digging channels and redrawing runes across the vast plateau.
At this point, most of the work was already finished. The mages and engineering teams were only conducting a final inspection and correction of the already-prepared arrays, so while the atmosphere was tense, it wasn't particularly busy.
"What do you think, Nostradamus?"
In the center of all the mages and construction teams, Legendary Mage Baniel, while processing the waterfall-like stream of runes on the light screen before him, smiled at another screen showing a frowning Legendary Mage: "Feeling nervous? Tomorrow is the day your long-planned super battleship takes to the sky. A bit anxious in your heart?"
"What do I have to be nervous about?"
In response, Nostradamus, sitting on his observation throne controlling the Sky Net system, dismissed it with disdain: "I'm not responsible for it. This was entirely something Israel ordered to be researched and built back then."
"Hmph, then I can only say that His Majesty, the future God of Might and Justice, was truly far-sighted."
Baniel let out a scoff. Looking at the light screen before him, he shook his head and said: "The entire ship, not counting the bow, exceeds a kilometer in total length. Even with the energy suspension system running, the total weight exceeds three million tons. This kind of inconceivably massive behemoth could build dozens of normal void warships. And this fleet flagship you designed doesn't even have in-world cruising flight capabilities installed—from start to finish, it's entirely designed for void supremacy."
"Honestly, this thing can only be built in a place like the Vanguard Fortress, which is already located in the void. Without Joshua, this Dreadnought-class battleship couldn't even fly through the world barrier. In that case, even if it's claimed to have destructive power surpassing ordinary Legendary-rank, if it can't 'set sail,' it's completely useless."
On the other end of the screen, the old mage shrugged indifferently: "But Baniel, we do have Joshua, don't we?"
"You're right." Without refuting, Baniel continued manipulating the runes before him, smiling as he said: "So I say, this makes it not a failed design, but rather a far-sighted one."
"Ah, he's coming!"
As this Rune Master's voice sounded, he closed the light screen before him. And seemingly because of this action, a series of seven-colored mana rainbow lights suddenly lit up across this vast, flat plateau.
All the mages and engineering teams who had been bustling about the plateau, inspecting the arrays and runes, immediately evacuated rapidly upon seeing the rainbow light that had appeared during drills. As they withdrew, layers of shimmering, radiant runes began to appear on the outermost edge of the seven-colored rainbow light.
One could see that this seven-colored rainbow light, covering nearly half the Banert Plateau, formed an extremely regular 'circle' on the ground. The appearance of the shimmering runes was like a domino appearing at the outermost edge of the circular array. Soon, dominoes filled every area of the circle.
Then, the dominoes fell. One by one, the shimmering runes were activated and linked by Baniel's power. Instantly, an immensely vast energy was drawn from deep within the earth by this enormous runic array and channeled into the formation. At that moment, a bright white pillar of light, dazzling to the extreme, suddenly erupted. Like a reverse-falling meteor, it shot rapidly toward the end of the world, the highest layer of the sky!
Baniel looked up, smiling as he watched this bright guiding light pillar. All the runes had been set, all the foundations laid, and even the energy system had been filled with the earth's core energy he had drawn from the world's foundation. The old mage's work was completely done. Now, he just needed to wait for the strongest, fastest, and most 'massive' construction worker in this world to enter the scene.
In truth, Baniel didn't have to wait long.
Rumble, rumble
As the sound of something immensely heavy approaching with slow steps echoed, a shadow suddenly appeared in the sky.
The clouds began to move unnaturally upward, and dust and gravel on the ground began to float upward, defying gravity.
Seeing this shadow, all the mages and construction workers present, except for Baniel, swallowed hard in unison. This was, of course, not out of fear, but out of reverence for the existence behind the shadow. Precisely because they knew the shadow was not an enemy, they could admire the greatness of this power.
After a moment, the shadow stopped.
At this time, even the sunlight seemed to dim slightly, as if more light was being absorbed by the enormous shadow.
And the next instant, accompanied by an immensely heavy impact sound that made everyone's hearts stop, it rang out at the highest point of the sky. A massive shockwave spread in a circular pattern, shaking the sky and scattering the clouds.
At this moment, whether it was Baniel or Nostradamus, all the Legendary-rank experts and deities watching the Banert Plateau witnessed what happened at the edge of the sky.
A crack had opened in the world barrier.
And a giant hand, entirely forged from steel, immensely large, immensely slender—more like a metallic long-boned limb than an arm—followed the guiding light beam emitted by Baniel and reached into the Mycroft World.
Then, just like that.
Gently, it 'pressed' down onto the giant array on the Banert Plateau.