Chapter 101: Ritual and Alternate Dimension

Rod told Kali what he had seen.

The elf looked puzzled.

Though she did not know what means this man had used to investigate, she did not believe he would lie about such a matter.

"How much longer until they arrive?"

"Actually, they are very far away. Judging by their speed, it feels like we are safe for half a month. Do you know what that is?"

Kali's expression grew serious.

She took a huge ancient parchment scroll from her spell satchel.

The scroll was full of the marks of time, its surface covered with fine cracks.

She cast a Floating Spell, causing it to open and float in midair.

"A month ago, I entrusted a companion from my clan to bring me relevant information."

"This is an ancient forbidden ritual called the Dark Vortex Rift Barrier. Its origins are unknown; it is only known to be deeply buried in a dark era forgotten by history. However, it is said that the mage who created this ritual was named Mephisto. He believed that by manipulating the power of the sand vortex, he could break the boundary between reality and the alternate dimension, obtaining endless power and knowledge from cosmic beings."

"He did indeed briefly open a passage to the alternate dimension, but the stability of the passage was far from sufficient to satisfy his needs; it closed in an instant."

Magical technology has always been on the path of progress.

It is not uncommon for high-level mages at this stage to open passages to the alternate dimension; mages of the Arcane path are even more proficient in this art.

But as for a stable passage to the alternate dimension, with current technology, it is something not to be even dreamed of.

Just the constant psychic storms of the alternate dimension and the various ferocious cosmic beings with unknown habits would be enough to cause a major headache.

Rod looked toward the sand vortex in the distance.

It really did look a bit like a spiral electric drill, striking at the limits of the real space.

"What is that black shadow?"

"I do not know. Our records contain nothing accurate about this thing. I suspect this ritual has been modified; many of its details do not match."

After a few words of idle chat.

Kali resumed her research on the sand willow modified by magic.

Little Little Bangde began her archery training.

As for the female orc Amy, she was responsible for night watch; daytime was her rest time.

Rod did not wish to disturb her.

Twenty minutes later.

He arrived at the eucalyptus area.

That is, the territory of the scorpion woman Hera.

After calling out softly twice.

Rod only then realized that Hera was already sitting on the tree branch above his head.

Her pale white feet dangled and swung in the air.

One could only say that, true to her eighth rank, her ability to conceal her aura was the strongest Rod had ever seen.

"Early in the morning, why have you come to disturb me?"

As she spoke, she let out a huge yawn.

Thus, one could see the serrated fangs in her mouth and her pink oral cavity.

The scorpion woman's hair still covered her eyes; not a trace of her true emotion could be seen.

Rod swallowed.

He handed her the souvenirs he had bought in Emerald City and Blazing City.

Of course, they were all treasures that enhanced fire and poison resistance.

These were all things that cost a great deal of money.

Hera's scorpion tail extended, curled, and pulled everything up.

She immediately showed a smile.

She greatly praised him for being sensible.

Taking advantage of her good mood, Rod hurriedly asked about the sand vortex.

"The Dark Vortex Rift Barrier? Hmm, I do not know much about your human mages' things, but I do know a bit about the alternate dimension."

"The alternate dimension, which some also call the sub-dimension, is an infinite dimension constructed of pure ether or psychic energy. It is not a material dimension like our real space, and physical laws do not necessarily exist within it. Everything is composed of the emotions and thought energy of intelligent beings in the real world; it is a spiritual realm."

Having said that, she seemed to think of an example.

"You know the Terror Beasts, right? They are cosmic beings inside the alternate dimension. Their eggs are composed of spiritual energy, which is why even mages who communicate with the alternate dimension often cannot detect them when they are parasitized. Our current magical system has not yet delved deeply into the study of the spiritual aspect."

"The alternate dimension is filled with various violent, inciting, disgusting, and pornographic contents. Ninety-nine percent of the cosmic beings within it carry malice. Never harbor goodwill toward any cosmic being."

Hera jumped down from the tree.

Her tender white feet stepped onto the leaf-strewn ground, startling up a small ripple.

She spun in place like a dancer, the small braids on her collarbone fluttering in the wind.

Rod's gaze could not help but turn toward her.

There was no help for it; the scorpion woman's height was almost the same as his, her legs extremely long, snow-white and straight.

The ultra-short shorts on her hips clung tightly to her body; her symmetrical and perky buttocks were exceptionally eye-catching, not to mention she had a scorpion tail.

"There is one more point: a large portion of Arcane spells consider the alternate dimension an area to be developed. Because of the chaos of space and time within it, they are dedicated to researching a stable passage to perform ultra-long-distance teleportation."

"You know, even the Long-Distance Teleport spell only reaches fifty kilometers, and movement treasures capable of exceeding this distance are firmly controlled by the Magic Control Union. Arcane mages are all like this; they always hope to create legends from within themselves."

Rod rubbed his chin.

Ultra-long-distance teleportation, huh?

He had a fragment of a jade tree branch on him; if it could be planted and survive, it could also achieve this.

It was just a bit too far ahead of its time.

He didn't mind exposing the Nu Yi Zhou because such spells already existed on the continent, but the 【Space Tree Path】 was different.

If others found out, it would be troublesome.

The scorpion woman Hera flipped in place, soared upward, then lightly landed on Rod's head.

Rod felt no weight at all; he even smelled a hint of spicy seasoning.

"Death Desert, the ritual to open an interdimensional channel, long-distance teleportation—it's hard not to associate these with the Yige Clan."

As he spoke, he restrained the urge to look up.

"Indeed, the Yige Clan has always wanted to return to the continent, but there's no need to worry too much. The Yige Clan has always excelled at mental spells, but their technology for stabilizing interdimensional channels is far inferior to ours. Of course, unless we have a traitor."

"Are you referring to the Yige Sect?"

"Don't underestimate them. Do you know why various religions are so numerous on the continent?"

Rod shook his head.

Hera suddenly descended, sitting down on Rod's shoulder, her long legs crossed over his chest.

An unimaginable sense of elasticity and fullness instantly radiated from the skin.

"It's because no true god has ever appeared. What's wrong with you? You've been staring nonstop since a moment ago. Are you poisoned by lust?"

Rod felt slightly embarrassed.

He quickly changed the subject.

"You mean that once the first true god appears, the number of believers worshipping Him will reach an unprecedented peak."

"Exactly. And cosmic beings from the evil interdimensional universe are themselves composed of emotions and spirits from the real plane. When a unified belief reaches its absolute peak, guess what will happen?"

"A cosmic being comparable to a god will be born, that is, an evil god?"

(End of this chapter)