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CH389 - CH390
🕑 Added 2025-02-13 13:14:06 +0000 UTCCH389
Typically, Helag would spend four to five months on the airship, with a standard room costing around 1,000 magic stones.
A luxury suite for such a duration would normally cost tens of thousands of magic stones.
However, due to vacancies and Brad’s connections, Helag secured the suite at a discounted rate.
The luxury suite spanned over 200 square meters, fully equipped with all amenities.
It included personalized service, with staff available at any time.
Inside was a large, comfortable bed.
Beside the bed was a massive floor-to-ceiling window, offering views of the airship’s surroundings.
Most importantly, the window’s view could be changed.
Helag stood there, appearing to look outside the airship.
In reality, the suite was inside the airship, not outside.
The window displayed views transmitted via a magical array.
A button beside the window allowed switching between different angles or turning it into a wall.
Helag moved to the stove, taking the kettle of boiling water to brew coffee.
Pouring a cup, he sat by the window, contemplating.
Helag browsed information stored in Deep Blue about the polluted zone.
The zone lacked detailed maps, only a general overview.
Specific conditions within the zone were absent, as the area constantly changed, defying accurate mapping.
Even seasoned explorers needed to frequently update their maps.
Explorers marked areas with powerful creatures and dangerous zones.
However, these were unreliable, as creature territories could shift.
While powerful creatures had territories, they didn’t stay put, often roaming.
Conflicts among creatures, like the giant spider hunting, were possible.
More daunting than creatures were the dangerous zones, essentially ancient ruins.
These ruins were so perilous that they were marked upon discovery.
Some dangerous zones weren’t fixed, appearing anywhere in the polluted zone, rendering maps ineffective.
Helag absorbed this information, expanding his knowledge.
While reading about creatures, he recognized a familiar one: the Great Demon.
Helag realized the Great Demon was more terrifying than he thought.
It was akin to a colossal crawler, essentially an immortal creature.
The realization sent chills down Helag’s spine; a powerful, immortal creature was daunting.
Great Demons were rare, seldom encountered; Helag’s encounter was either fortunate or unfortunate.
Without the Great Demon, Helag might have perished at the hands of the Eye of the Storm’s second-level wizard.
Helag recalled the city of crawlers, not far from the Great Demon’s resting gorge.
For the Great Demon, it was practically next door.
Helag suspected a connection between the city and the Great Demon; a city full of crawlers was unusual.
However, this was beyond Helag’s current concerns.
Most cities in the Land of Dawn weren’t closely connected, separated by distances often occupied by the polluted zone.
These zones once housed powerful creatures, like Great Demons, frequently attacking cities.
Eventually, the Land of Dawn formed a task force to eliminate or drive out these creatures.
With these threats removed, the Land of Dawn became relatively safer.
While creatures remained in the zones between cities, few were third-level or higher.
Third-level creatures typically had some intelligence, avoiding the Land of Dawn due to its powerful wizards.
Wizards didn’t fight such creatures alone; they worked in groups.
They used magical tools, arrays, and strategies, easily overpowering creatures.
Thus, it didn’t take long to expel many powerful creatures from the Land of Dawn.
The vast polluted zone outside provided ample territory for them.
Helag also found an old acquaintance in the creature data: the Earth Core Devourer, his “high-speed train.”
The Earth Core Devourer was a first-level creature, primarily underground, occasionally hunting surface prey.
According to records, it was considered beneficial.
It consumed polluted soil and rock, excreting normal soil.
Though its purification method was unknown, it was invaluable to wizards.
Explorer teams rarely hunted them, only retaliating if attacked.
Its purification ability slowly mitigated pollution.
However, the zone’s vastness and the creature’s scarcity limited visible impact.
Helag, having spent time inside one, noted its frequent consumption of soil and rock, unaware it excreted normal soil.
Helag spent a day reviewing polluted zone information, gaining deeper understanding.
He stretched, ran a hot bath, and prepared to relax.
After a tense period, he could finally rest easy.
The airship’s route closely followed cities, with fewer dangers in the Land of Dawn’s zones, reducing risk.
CH390
Five months passed quickly.
During this time, Helag focused on compressing his mental power, which had noticeably decreased in volume.
The airship stopped at several cities, staying two to three days at each.
Helag only disembarked during these stops; otherwise, he remained on the airship.
Silver Beach was far from Silvermoon City, located in the southernmost part of the Land of Dawn, requiring multiple stops.
Standing on the deck, Helag watched Silvermoon City grow closer, relieved to finally return.
Franz’s array activation had flung him into the polluted zone’s depths.
Surviving the ordeal felt like a narrow escape from death.
As the airship docked at Silvermoon’s port, Helag spotted Reese waiting.
He’d only informed Reese of his exact return time; others knew the general timeframe but not the specifics.
As Helag disembarked, Reese rushed into his arms.
“It’s okay, I’m back,” Helag comforted, patting her back.
Silvermoon’s port was at the northern edge; they took a carriage home.
A few hours later, Helag stepped off the carriage, recognizing the familiar yard and King Street.
It was evening, nightfall.
Entering the house, Helag and Reese immediately embraced.
Reese wrapped her arms around Helag’s neck, tiptoeing to kiss him.
After so long apart, their reunion felt like a honeymoon.
***
The next morning, Helag surveyed the messy room. Though not fully satisfied, Reese was exhausted, so he let her rest.
Feeling energized, Helag didn’t sleep, holding Reese and meditating.
He planned to focus on compressing his mental power, aiming to become a crystallized wizard soon.
His experiences in the polluted zone highlighted his weakness.
The Land of Dawn’s comfort had softened him; the polluted zone was the real world.
There, no one ensured safety or created a secure environment.
Helag’s sole focus was growing stronger.
Checking his communication stone balance, he had 130,000 magic stones, with 40,000 more in his spatial ring.
This was enough for a few months of meditation at the wizard tower, though it was no longer necessary daily.
The tower accelerated mental power growth, but Helag had reached a bottleneck, unable to grow further before advancing.
Thus, the 300,000 magic stones sufficed for daily life.
His bloodline imprint stored the Divine Core’s energy, uncertain if it would last through the compression process.
Helag meditated until afternoon, when Reese awoke.
For the next few days, Helag stayed home with Reese, day and night.
A few days later, Helag visited Pruis.
During their communication, Pruis had mentioned wanting to talk after Helag’s return.
Taking a carriage to city hall, Helag noticed no significant changes.
The slum incident’s impact had faded, seemingly forgotten, with no one discussing it.
Entering city hall, Helag found Pruis.
Noticing Helag, Pries smiled, “You’re finally back. You’re lucky to survive in the polluted zone.”
“Just luck. A bit worse, and I wouldn’t have made it,” Helag replied, smiling.
Pruis patted Helag’s shoulder, knowing his return was no small feat.
Pruis understood the zone’s dangers; even he might not survive.
“Here’s a document. Sign it for a 1,000-point contribution reward,” Pruis said, producing a parchment from his spatial ring.
“1,000 points? What’s the reward for?” Helag asked, surprised.
Contribution points were hard to earn; Helag had previously earned 870, with 500 from breaking the roulette array.
Receiving 1,000 points at once left Helag stunned.
Pruis explained, “The points reward you for disrupting Franz’s scheme. It’s low, given your contribution. If not for opposition, you’d have more.”
“Opposition?” Helag asked, puzzled.
He’d thwarted Franz, eliminating a threat and saving Silvermoon.
Such a significant achievement deserved substantial reward, yet there was resistance.
Pruis explained, “The incident’s impact reached Seranthiel’s top levels. Opinions were divided: reward or punishment.”
“Punishment?” Helag was baffled; he hadn’t provoked anyone.
“Those advocating punishment believed your actions were reckless, risking Silvermoon. Analyzing the situation, they found Franz’s plan beyond a first-level wizard’s ability to stop. You succeeded by luck, disrupting Franz.”
“Calculations showed a high failure risk, potentially endangering Silvermoon,” Pruis explained.
Helag understood.
Franz nearly activated the array; only the Divine Core’s absorption saved the day.
Helag’s success relied on his ancestral bloodline, impossible for other wizards.
Seranthiel’s leaders viewed his actions as reckless, understanding the high risk, discouraging such behavior.
