Chapter 301: Invitation, Metamagic, Turmoil

The beacon bridge ignited, the planar rift yawned wide, and from the colossal ring of gold and iron stepped the figures of Wang Yu and his companions, freshly returned from the realm of the undead.

"Who would have thought the undead plane was essentially a box with boundaries? That impenetrable edge is truly a marvel."

Wang Yu chatted with Zig as they walked; while in the undead realm, he had been struck by a whim to see what lay above its firmament.

He had wondered if there was a dissociation layer or if it was a planet, only to be told by Aivia and Zig that the realm was strictly bounded.

Yet, having only read of such things in books, the group had been just as curious as Wang Yu to see what that boundary truly looked like.

Thus, Zig had transformed into a dragon, carrying them toward the dim ring of fire that crowned the sky of the undead world.

The undead realm was indeed unlike their own; it lacked a dissociation layer. At an altitude of ten thousand meters, the space began to solidify, and Zig found it increasingly difficult to press on.

At twelve thousand meters, the space had nearly materialized into a solid; an invisible wall, much like a barrier of air, halted their ascent.

According to the analysis of Zig and Aivia, this was the embryonic form of a planar barrier; any further up, and this solidified space would have fully manifested as a wall.

"All known planes are like this, including the elemental realms and the hells. As far as we can tell, the only world without a definitive boundary is our own."

"But because of the dissociation layer, we have no way of knowing what kind of sky lies beyond that veil. As a scholar, if the opportunity arises, I would dearly love to obtain the Sky Mechanical City's records on the stars."

Zig replied, his curiosity as a dragon scholar piqued by the thrill of having touched the very edge of a world.

Even knowing that many scholars who studied the stars met with misfortune, that thirst for knowledge was something the intelligent races could never abandon.

"These planes are essentially space bubbles that grew to a certain size, forming their own systems over eons and hardening into solid barriers. Ultimately, these planes are merely appendages to the world we inhabit."

Aivia, whose study of space was deeper than Zig's, held a more profound perspective on the nature of these realms.

"This world must be a planet, no doubt about it. At the very least, the earth has a curvature—after all, when people disappear over the horizon, it is their lower halves that vanish first."

Wang Yu muttered to himself; this simple verification was enough to confirm the nature of their world for the time being.

"Wait, Icarus is contacting us."

As they strolled toward the urban district of the Sky Mechanical City, Zig suddenly sensed something and produced his identity card. A number flashed upon it—a signal from the magic net. It was Icarus, of the Truth Supervisory Council.

"Mr. Icarus? Does that Feather-folk have business with us? Let's go see."

Wang Yu didn't know why the man was reaching out, but as a friend who had helped them before, he saw no harm in a meeting.

Zig channeled his mental energy into the card; the number representing Icarus vanished, replaced by an arrow pointing toward his location.

The identity cards connected to the magic net were quite versatile, with simple functions like communication, positioning, and messaging proving highly practical.

Following the arrow into the district, they found the streets of the Sky Mechanical City unusually bustling today.

Scholars and alchemists hurried about, most wearing the badges of their respective societies. Usually, these individuals preferred the solitude of their laboratories, yet today, they had all chosen to venture out.

In the distance, a figure beating wings above the street caught Wang Yu’s eye—it was Icarus. But it was the object beside him that truly drew Wang Yu’s attention.

It was a massive pillar, standing in the street and occupying a vast space, radiating intense magical fluctuations. Icarus and several mages were circling it, seemingly inspecting its state.

"You've arrived? I was looking for you earlier, but I couldn't get a connection. I figured you had either left the city or traveled to another plane. It seems I guessed correctly."

Icarus, possessing keen senses, spotted Wang Yu’s group from afar. He beat his wings, swooping down to land before them.

"Mr. Icarus, is there something you need from us?"

Zig asked politely, getting straight to the point.

"If I'm not mistaken, that little shop called the 'Level 8 Machinist's Store' is yours, isn't it? I never expected your claim about processing materials for funds to be true. It truly exceeded my expectations."

Icarus said with a smile.

"Yes, that is our shop."

Zig nodded in confirmation.

"We are currently conducting a vital piece of research that requires components of extreme precision. If you are willing, I would like to represent the Truth Supervisory Council in a partnership with you."

"I wish to entrust the processing of these materials to you. The pay will not be discounted; in fact, it will be higher. You need only ensure that our designs are not leaked to other societies."

"If the final theory is verified, your names will be added to the list of participants submitted to the Central Council. By then, the weight of this research should be enough to upgrade all of your identity cards to the level of Mentor."

Icarus laid out his request with earnest sincerity.

"No problem. Those are very generous terms. As long as our capabilities are sufficient for the task, we have a deal. If I may be so bold, what is this research about?"

Zig pondered for a moment; he saw no issue with the proposal. It was an excellent opportunity. After exchanging glances with Wang Yu and Aivia, he agreed without hesitation.

"I am delighted you have agreed to cooperate. As for the research, you can learn the finer details at the Truth Supervisory Council once this task is complete."

"I have neglected your status, of course. If you wish to participate in the research itself, that is also fine. Many elven scholars from Liahim already serve at the Council; they would welcome you."

"As for the name of this research, after much discussion, we have decided to call it 'Super-Magic'."

Icarus shook hands with Zig, welcoming them and revealing the name of the project.

"Super-Magic..."

Aivia and Zig both chewed on the implications of the name, their previously casual thoughts turning serious.

"We are now off to complete a task assigned to the societies by the Central Council. Would you care to come along and see?"

Icarus glanced toward the "pillar" that seemed ready for transport and extended an invitation.

"A task?"

Wang Yu asked, slightly puzzled. Did the Sky Mechanical City actually issue tasks to the societies?

"Yes. The Central Council provides exclusive districts and material supplies to each society. In return, the societies must complete certain tasks. For instance, this one involves dealing with a Chimera created by a rebellious shaman in the Orc Kingdom."

Seeing their interest, Icarus led them toward the "great pillar," explaining the nature of these "tasks" as they walked.

The Sky Mechanical City traveled along a fixed orbit above the continent, stopping at specific locations to take on new members and raw resources.

These resources were provided by the intelligent races near the docking sites. In exchange, the city helped resolve disasters—a trivial matter for a fortress equipped with vast alchemical armaments.

Whenever a disaster was not overly severe, the Central Council delegated the resolution to the various societies. This time, while passing through the Orc Kingdom, they had received a request to deal with a runaway Chimera.

"Dealing with a runaway Chimera? I recall someone already went to handle that," Wang Yu remarked. Lilia had mentioned that the leaders of the Spellbinder Wizard Tower had gone to the Orc Kingdom for exactly that purpose. Why were they dealing with it again?

"A batch was indeed dealt with, but this time, those rebellious orc shamans have somehow produced another group of synthetic beasts—more numerous and far more powerful."

"The Orc Kingdom struggles to handle these stronger beasts on their own, and since the Sky Mechanical City happened to be passing by, they requested aid according to the treaty."

"Things have been chaotic everywhere lately. The giant worm attack on the elven capital of Liahim, the fire demons appearing in the underground veins of the Dwarf Kingdom, the riots in the Orc Kingdom, and even in the human realms, it seems several kingdoms have declared war on one another."

"In short, the continent is far from peaceful. It is as if an invisible hand is stirring the entire pot, throwing the situation into disarray. It isn't entirely obvious yet, but I have a nagging, perhaps inaccurate, premonition that the coming days will be a year of turmoil."

Icarus sighed, lamenting the recent chaos and sharing his outlook on the future.

His words made Wang Yu and his companions realize that the continent was undergoing changes that were difficult to describe. The events in Alastair and Liahim could be seen as mere microcosms of the continent-wide unrest.

"Damn, there's no peace anywhere, is there?"

Wang Yu cursed under his breath, then ceased dwelling on matters that held little necessity for further thought.

"What is this thing?"

Approaching the "great pillar" set upon the street, Wang Yu voiced the question that had piqued his curiosity.

"This is a gargantuan staff; you might view it as an ordinary staff magnified many times over. There were originally plans for gargantuan longswords, bows, and alchemical bombs, but they all ended in failure. This remains the Truth Overseers' sole achievement regarding 'gigantism' thus far."

Icarus patted the massive column beside him and pulled away the cloth covering it, revealing a colossal magic crystal at its apex. Viewed in this light, the object was indeed nothing more than an oversized staff.

Yet, what on earth was a gargantuan longsword? Wang Yu felt bewildered by the litany of "gargantuan" items mentioned. What exactly were these alchemists and scholars aboard the Sky Mechanical City researching all day long?

"Are the Truth Overseers particularly fond of these oversized things? It sounds as if you enjoy magnifying ordinary objects."

Wang Yu asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"One might call it a philosophy. Magnifying simple things can lead to a qualitative change in their effects. Our society's founding president was, in truth, a rather simple and direct fellow."

"In fact, the 'Truth' in our society's name held a different meaning back then. It corresponded to a phrase the president was quite fond of..."

Icarus replied, making no effort to hide his amusement; it was clear he held his own opinions regarding these massive contraptions.

"Bigger is better, and better is bigger?"

Wang Yu blurted out the words instinctively.

"Precisely, that is more or less the gist of it. The president was inspired by that 'Morning Star' alchemical bomb—the one that cracked the continent during the final Abyss War."

Icarus, interrupted by Wang Yu, confirmed that the sentiment was indeed much the same as what Wang Yu had suggested.

Wang Yu smacked his lips. So, this was the true meaning behind the high-sounding name of the Truth Overseers. After all that, one of their core tenets was simply brute force.

"Oh, we have arrived. Prepare yourselves. Have Lancer operate the gargantuan staff to bring down those flying chimera chimeras."

Glancing at his identity card, which had suddenly flickered to life, Icarus turned to the alchemists who had been inspecting the staff alongside him.

A metallic clanging echoed, and Wang Yu finally noticed that the ground beneath their feet was not like the ordinary street; it was a structure of metal plates joined by mechanical linkages.

The ground recessed like an elevator, carrying the gargantuan staff and the group as they descended into the depths.

Descending through the main body of the Sky Mechanical City, the metal platform brought them to the base, providing a solid footing.

The scene below was laid bare: the Orc Kingdom. In the sky, swarms of chimeras were in flight, their artificial bodies a grotesque amalgamation of various beastly traits.

The orc army was locked in combat with these monsters, but the chimeras' endless array of special abilities had thrown the orcs into chaos, inflicting heavy casualties. The orcish attacks struggled to harm these flying, resilient synthetic beasts.

"Attack. Prepare the wind blade."

Icarus’s command rang out. Magical energy surged violently around the gargantuan staff. Though the mage in charge cast only the simplest first-tier spell, a terrifying gale, compressed into a blade over ten meters wide, manifested above the staff.

The next instant, the massive wind blade whirled and shot forth. Its speed was so blinding that the targeted chimera had no chance to react; it was severed clean at the waist, scattering flesh and viscera across the sky.

The Sky Mechanical City had entered the fray.