Chapter 1204: Time-Loop Plane, Returning to Seawinton

Since he had already made his choice in his heart, Xia Duo did not keep the other party in suspense any longer, but readily agreed:

"If Your Excellency Kelifu insists that I am the 'Crimson Hero' from the prophecy, then I am willing to go to the Dream Ruins to investigate, but I cannot guarantee whether I will be able to find the so-called 'Death Authority'."

Although Xia Duo said he could not guarantee success, he had at least agreed. Hearing this answer, a flash of joy crossed Kelifu's eyes, and together with his previous excitement, it transformed into a trace of strange fanaticism.

At this moment, even the Sun Scepter resting across his knees seemed affected by his state of mind, blooming with flickering radiance.

He looked straight into Xia Duo's eyes, struggling to control his tone, and said as calmly and cordially as he could:

"Lord Xia Duo just needs to do his best; I believe the Crimson Hero will certainly be able to find the Death Authority!"

"I hope so!"

Xia Duo nodded, then decisively asked Kelifu about the specific situation of the Dream Ruins. Although he guessed it might be very similar to a journey to a Projection Plane, it was, after all, still different.

Having more understanding now would mean having more certainty once he went there.

Regarding this question, Kelifu did not hesitate at all, and even began to explain right in front of Telemen and his son: "The Dream Ruins is a collection of countless Projection Planes, but it is not a normal Projection Plane; rather, it is the remnants of Projection Planes, perhaps what could be called an 'Echo' or a 'Projection of a Projection'."

"The situation inside is also very different from a normal Projection Plane. Time does not flow downstream, but appears in a very strange state. When time reaches a key Node, it will instantly return to its original state and then start over, constantly looping!"

"What needs to be noted is that this loop is not infinite. When it reaches a certain limit, this Projection Plane will instantly dissolve and merge into the Astral Plane."

"In other words, the time left for you to explore is limited, and none of us can determine this specific time; you must seize the time!"

After hearing Kelifu's introduction, Xia Duo suddenly had an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. Isn't this just the plot world of some infinite-genre novels on Earth!

Could the Dream Ruins be filled with things like this?

Or perhaps normal Projection Worlds can actually loop as well, but because their essence cannot withstand the dissolution of the Astral Plane, or their internal history is too long, they simply cannot survive a single loop?

If that were truly the case, then for the civilizations inside the Projection Planes to truly transcend, it would indeed be harder than ascending to heaven!

Unless there were those kinds of Projection Planes that could exist permanently, allowing the time within to move forward infinitely, only then would it be possible to transcend.

But in that case, would it still be a Projection Plane?

That would be more like different branches of the Main Plane on the Time Line, similar to parallel worlds, but is that really possible?

For some reason, Xia Duo suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, as if the existence of a parallel world was stealing his power and essence.

*Cough—*

Xia Duo hurriedly cast these bad thoughts out of his mind. Parallel worlds and such were still too far away from him; he hadn't even figured out the Main Plane yet, and thinking about those extraneous things would only disturb his will.

Returning to the question of the Dream Ruins, Xia Duo asked Kelifu the question he cared about most: "How does time pass in the Dream Ruins?"

"The same as in a Projection Plane!" Kelifu replied.

If it is the same as a Projection Plane, that means every second spent in the Dream Ruins would truly consume one second of his lifespan.

Of course, for the Main Plane, because it is an expedition to the Astral Plane, the real-world time can be ignored; this second passes, and perhaps he will return the next second.

Therefore, when going to the Astral Plane or any other location in the Astral Plane (such as a Projection Plane) to explore, one must calculate the return time well.

If one stays too long and exceeds the lifespan limit, it would be better not to return at all, as returning would mean immediate death.

Generally speaking, the lifespan of an Astral Mage in the Main Plane is much shorter than that of a normal Mage, simply because they need to project their spirit into the Astral Plane for long periods to search for new Projection Planes or other special existences.

It is equivalent to constantly overdrawing their future lifespan.

However, for Xia Duo, occasionally going on an Astral Plane exploration can also serve as a diversion in life.

With his current lifespan, whether it is the natural lifespan brought by Bloodline Awakening or the use of a Life Extension Spell, he would not lose his life because of one or two Astral Plane explorations (including Projection Planes).

"Then, Your Excellency Kelifu, when do we set off? How do we get there?"

"If you don't need to prepare anything extra, we can set off now! As for how to get to the Dream Ruins, we must, of course, go to Giles Tower!"

"Giles Tower?" Xia Duo was suddenly a bit confused.

He had already prepared himself to be forcibly taken to a Mage Tower by Kelifu, but he hadn't expected it to be Giles Tower?

Was Kelifu not afraid that he would run away halfway?

In fact, don't look at how readily Xia Duo just agreed; if he had been forcibly taken to Kelifu's Mage Tower right there, he would definitely have turned against him halfway.

If nothing else, he at least needed to let him contact Iolum. Compared to Kelifu, with whom he had no intersection and had never dealt with, Xia Duo still trusted Iolum more.

But if it were going to Giles Tower, then there wouldn't be too many problems.

Sure enough, after Xia Duo expressed his confusion, Kelifu immediately gave an explanation, though this explanation was not complete: "Yes, Giles Tower. This involves secrets; we will discuss it on the way."

After speaking, he returned to the state he was in when the two first met—his face slightly tight and his expression solemn—and said to Telemen and his son, who had been playing the quail sitting on the side until now:

"Lord Xia Duo and I are leaving; you may do as you please!"

Upon hearing this, Telemen and his son hurriedly rose from their chairs, bowed in a salute, and then retreated with their heads lowered.

Seeing this scene, Xia Duo couldn't help but feel a bit amused, and couldn't help but steal a glance at Kelifu. Is he really that scary?

However, seeing how cautious Telemen and his son were when facing Kelifu, even in their own Mage Tower, Xia Duo increased the importance he placed on this exploration by another level.

If by any chance he didn't find any "Death Authority," wouldn't Kelifu go crazy?

Thinking of this, while the two had not yet set off, Xia Duo hurriedly spoke up: "Your Excellency Kelifu, I would like to go to the Arcane Union to prepare some things first. Let us meet at Giles Tower!"

Kelifu was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Very well."

Having received Kelifu's affirmative reply, Xia Duo felt much more settled. Regardless of anything else, going to get on the same page with Iolum first would at least eliminate the vast majority of conspiracies.