Chapter 268: Prelude to the Second Expedition

Just as Gao Jie Ming finished uploading the report on his exploration mission and the collected spatial data via the Magic Net terminal, a calm, ripple-free voice sounded beside him:

"Highly efficient. I didn't expect you to find what I wanted so quickly. It seems my luck is indeed quite good."

The voice appeared without warning; every hair on Gao Jie Ming's body stood on end instantly, and he reflexively shot backward.

Two Black Giants roared as they rushed out from the side to block before him, energy flowing rapidly between their rune-inscribed witchcraft artifacts as they entered maximum alert status.

However, once he clearly saw the newcomer, his tensed nerves suddenly relaxed.

Waving his hand to signal the Black Giants to stand down, Gao Jie Ming nevertheless felt a stormy turmoil rise within his heart.

The newcomer was none other than the Level 7 Wizard Dionysius Spencer.

When had he arrived?

How could he locate Gao Jie Ming, who had just completed his mission and held no fixed position, with such precision?

Amidst his shock, Gao Jie Ming's mind raced at high speed.

Combining the other party's earlier words—"It seems my luck is indeed quite good"—with the vague hints dropped during their previous audience,

Gao Jie Ming inexplicably recalled the information he had previously investigated: Dionysius Spencer was a Level 7 Fate Wizard renowned for peering into and manipulating the trajectories of destiny!

Scattered clues instantly connected, and a chilling conclusion surfaced in his mind.

Gao Jie Ming's expression instantly darkened, his tone carrying suppressed rage and disbelief: "You... wove my fate?!"

Unauthorized interference with a wizard's fate trajectory was a grave crime within the Star Orbit Arbitration Court!

This was not merely a trampling of individual wizard freedom; it could also trigger unpredictable chain reactions.

Hearing this, Dionysius Spencer immediately waved his hand, his face still bearing that gentle smile, though his eyes were as deep as a sea of stars: "Relax, young one. I would never do anything that violates the Iron Laws of the Arbitration Court. The price is one even I am unwilling to bear."

He paused, examining Gao Jie Ming with keen interest, as if admiring a fine work of art: "I merely... borrowed a little force."

"Your fate trajectory stood out as particularly 'prominent' and 'bright' among countless possibilities. I did not forcibly alter your course; I simply noticed that your ship was already sailing toward the eye of the storm, so I hitched a ride to ensure you reached the coordinates I needed faster and more accurately."

Although Gao Jie Ming did not fully understand the specific mysteries of Fate Wizardry, he roughly grasped the other's meaning: Dionysius Spencer had not forcibly controlled him but had exploited a certain "trait" or "trend" within Gao Jie Ming's own fate to execute a precise "speculation."

It was like a fisherman by the river who, without changing the river's course, simply cast his net where the school of fish was bound to pass. A surge of annoyance at being used welled up in his heart; no one would feel pleased upon discovering that their seemingly autonomous actions might have been guided by a higher existence.

However, just as Gao Jie Ming furrowed his brows, preparing to argue his case, Dionysius Spencer, as if fully prepared, lightly snapped his fingers.

A stream of information transmitted directly into Gao Jie Ming's sea of consciousness via the Magic Net terminal.

"A small gift of apology; I hope you can feel my regret," Dionysius Spencer said with a smile.

Subconsciously "flipping through" this information, Gao Jie Ming found his anger replaced by immense surprise within mere moments.

This "gift of apology" was none other than Dionysius Spencer's personal notebook of insights from his ascent to Level 7 Wizard, covering everything from fundamental cognition of the Fate school, realization of its rules, and construction of witchcraft spells, to the acquisition of resources!

For any wizard aspiring to the higher ranks, its value was priceless, far beyond what mere military merit or origin essence could measure!

I originally wanted to shout him down, but he gave just too much—

"It is my honor to be of help to you—" Gao Jie Ming took a deep breath, ultimately able only to mutter these words helplessly.

This generous gift was enough to offset the unpleasantness of being "used," even making him feel as though he had profited enormously.

Hitching a free ride was fine; after all, it had caused him no actual harm.

Moreover, after carefully inspecting the "quality" of the knowledge Dionysius Spencer had transmitted, Gao Jie Ming even felt an impulse to propose another transaction with him.

Wasn't it just about hitching a ride on fate?

No problem; I am very good at that!

After a moment's hesitation, Gao Jie Ming used his willpower to suppress this tempting thought.

Of course, the main reason was that Wizard Dionysius Spencer seemed to have already found what he wanted; even if Gao Jie Ming proposed it again, the other party would likely not agree to a deal.

Dionysius Spencer paid little attention to Gao Jie Ming's thoughts; having delivered the compensation, he spoke no more, turning his gaze instead toward the area ahead that appeared ordinary but actually hid spatial folds.

He did not cast any witchcraft spell, merely gazing quietly.

Those deep eyes seemed capable of piercing through all illusions to directly perceive the essential texture of space, rendering those complex spatial folds transparent in his sight.

Suppressing his excitement over obtaining the notebook, Gao Jie Ming cautiously suggested: "Lord Spencer, if there is nothing else here, may I take my leave?"

"No need," Dionysius Spencer said without turning around. "Next, there happens to be a place where we need you little ones to exert your efforts."

No sooner had his voice fallen than 【Ding! Highest priority mandatory mission received!】

【Mission Number: Expedition-001】

【Mission Requirement: All Expedition Army wizards receiving this mission must assemble at the designated coordinate area within three standard units of days. Violators will be treated as deserters.】

【Mission Coordinates: ———— (Current Location)】

Gao Jie Ming's Magic Net terminal vibrated violently, the screen filled with bright red warning symbols.

Looking at the content, he instantly understood this was not a mission sent solely to him, but a general mandatory conscription directed at all Expedition Army wizards across the entire spatial plane!

At that very moment, Dionysius Spencer slowly turned around.

His usual gentle smile vanished, replaced by a calmness so indifferent it seemed to look down upon all living beings.

Beneath this calmness, Gao Jie Ming sensed something even more terrifying—the unrestrained and tyrannical aura emitted when a predator at the very top of the food chain finally bared its fangs at its prey.

The surrounding space seemed to tremble slightly under this invisible aura.

"Prepare yourself, Gao Jie Ming." Dionysius Spencer's voice was no longer gentle but carried a metallic coldness and unquestionable majesty. "Appetizer time is over; your true 'feast' is about to begin."

Benefiting from the assembly coordinates being right beside him, Gao Jie Ming did not need to rush like the other wizards.

Heeding Dionysius Spencer's reminder before departure, he quickly withdrew from that distorted region containing hidden spatial rifts.

By the time he stepped out of the distorted boundary, dozens of agile wizards had already arrived at the periphery.

Some rode strange constructs, others relied on witchcraft spells, and still others depended on their modified bodies to arrive so quickly.

At this moment, these individuals hovered in the air, casting suspicious and wary glances at Gao Jie Ming, who had walked out unharmed from the interior.

Although curious about Gao Jie Ming's situation, no one dared to approach and ask questions rashly under such grim and killing-filled atmosphere.

After all, it was obvious that although this mandatory mission issued by the camp carried no stated penalties or rewards, it was absolutely of great importance, even more so than the first mandatory mission.

Therefore, regardless of what they had been doing at the time, upon receiving the mission, the wizards had dropped their tasks and rushed toward this location as quickly as possible.

After sizing up Gao Jie Ming carefully, the wizards suppressed their astonishment, silently adjusted their own states, and joined the ranks of those waiting.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Streaks of light continuously swept down from the horizon, like a swarm of bees returning to their hive.

More and more wizards appeared, riding all manner of mounts, golems, and even tamed creatures from other worlds.

With a certain unspoken tacit understanding, they spread out around that unstable region of spatial distortion, establishing layered defenses.

Soon, the periphery of what was once a desolate area became filled with densely packed wizards and their retainers, each emanating distinct auras, as a suppressive and powerful force quietly coalesced.

Just as this silent wait was about to reach its climax...

Hum!!!

From above the sky came a low hum that shook the very soul.

The entire firmament seemed to transform into a curtain stirred by an invisible giant hand; the atmosphere displayed visible spiral distortions, while clouds were torn and spun by violent energy.

Under the awestruck gazes of countless wizards, the magnificent floating city, serving as the core base of the expeditionary force, slowly emerged forcibly from the center of the spiral energy vortex!

A massive shadow cast down, blanketing a vast area, as if a deity had descended upon the mortal world.

Feeling the surging chaotic energy currents and the visibly unstable spatial patterns around him, Gao Jie Ming was also somewhat startled.

He had not expected that Wizard Dionysius Spencer would actually teleport the entire floating city here!

Most importantly, teleporting something so massive had not caused even greater turmoil.

It seemed that besides being proficient in Fate-related knowledge, this Wizard Dionysius Spencer was also quite well-versed in Spatial knowledge.

Just as Gao Jie Ming was pondering this, the figure of Dionysius Spencer appeared silently at the pinnacle of the floating city's highest tower.

He looked down upon the wizard legions below, which resembled a swarm of ants, his gaze calm and unruffled.

"It seems many have already arrived, so I shall keep this brief—"

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every wizard, carrying an unquestionable authority: "At the core of this spatial distortion lies a 'rift' connecting to another plane."

Upon these words, all the wizards present stirred, but constrained by the pressure of a Level 7 Wizard, this unrest quickly subsided.

Dionysius Spencer paid no heed to the changes among the wizards below: "I presume some of you have already guessed it. Yes! Next, we shall attack another world!"

Although many wizards had already inferred clues from Dionysius Spencer's attitude toward this plane, when this Level 7 Wizard personally confirmed it and explicitly pointed to "another world," an uncontrollable fervor instantly erupted from the wizard collective!

Heavy breathing merged into a single chorus, and pairs of eyes emitted greedy glints so intense they seemed almost tangible.

Conquest, plunder, knowledge, power...

A brand new, unknown world meant a massive amount of resources!

The Sky Domain Plane had already allowed the wizards present to reap huge rewards, but that did not mean their greed had been satisfied.

On the contrary, the gains from the Sky Domain Plane had made their greed even greater!

Above the entire wizard legion, an intangible yet incredibly heavy will seemed to coalesce—that was the vast desire of the wizard civilization, greedy enough to swallow, analyze, and possess the entire world!

This terrifying collective will even caused some soul slaves and bio-beasts with lower intelligence to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling and daring not to look up.

Turning a blind eye to the surging emotions below, Dionysius Spencer slowly raised his hand.

Complex and dazzling giant formations lit up at the bottom of the floating city, with runes flowing and combining like living creatures.

A pillar of pure energy, of immeasurable diameter, silently slammed down onto the spatial distortion region below.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as one might expect; under this precise energy impact, the violent spatial chaos subsided and dispersed rapidly in a "gentle" manner that defied common sense, like wrinkles being ironed flat.

In just a few breaths, that daunting region of distortion vanished, revealing its true core form: a massive spatial rift hundreds of meters long, stretching across the mid-air, its edges flickering with unstable dim light!

Inside the rift, light and shadow were bewildering, and one could faintly sense completely different energy auras emanating from the other side.

However, at this moment, the rift was clearly still unstable and could not be used for planar teleportation.

"According to my observations, in approximately three standard days, the energy intensity of this rift will reach its peak, and its structure will be most stable," Dionysius Spencer's voice rang out again, suppressing all noise. "That will be the optimal time for us to step into the new world."

He paused, swept his gaze across the entire assembly, and issued a new command:

"So make your preparations. After this, your mission is to breach the defenses on the other side and hold the frontline!"

"Before the spatial rift is fully stabilized on the camp side, ensure the stability of this passage at all costs; absolutely do not allow the natives on the other side any chance to close it! This is also a mandatory mission!"

Once the order was given, no further mobilization was needed.

All the wizards, regardless of their rank, had flames of fighting spirit and desire burning in their eyes.

Alchemy workshops were rapidly deployed, defensive towers sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, warning barriers were layered one upon another, and various war golems and bio-beasts were deployed in organized formations around the rift—a highly efficient, cold-blooded wizard legion born for conquest constructed an ironclad army before the gates of this otherworld at an unprecedented speed.

(Having some writer's block; only this one chapter for today.)