Chapter 1206: Converting Astral Matter, Defective Products

However, regarding the Dream Ruins, Xia Duo still needed to ask carefully; after all, knowing a little more now would mean having a bit more certainty when arriving there.

"Teacher Iolum, how much do you know about the Dream Ruins? Is the Time Loop truly impossible to break? If that is really the case, then if one is always unable to find the target within the time of a single loop, wouldn't it be impossible to ever find it?"

After speaking, Xia Duo looked at Iolum expectantly; if he could truly obtain some method to break the Time Loop from the other party, then the subsequent exploration would be much more certain.

Kelifu said the Dream Ruins were similar to a Projection Plane, but Xia Duo almost immediately thought of a possibility.

In the most extreme case, the Time Loop could be less than a second, and he might even be trapped inside before he could react, then cycle endlessly within it, unable to escape.

That situation was truly too terrifying; if the number of loops was high, even if he could eventually escape, he would likely have already exhausted his entire lifespan.

Then he would only be able to stay in the Astral Plane forever and be unable to return to the Main Plane.

Although it was unlikely for the extreme situation he imagined to occur in reality, he still had to consider whether the loop time could support a complete exploration.

If he had just entered the Projection Plane and was about to leave, only to encounter a Weimian Chongzhi and a Time Loop, that would be miserable enough, and it would be almost impossible to achieve his goal.

It would be best to have a means to break the loop, or at least be able to avoid being affected by the Time Loop, similar to being "outside the Three Realms and not within the Five Elements."

Yet after Xia Duo finished asking, Iolum shook his head repeatedly, "This is the second time I have heard the name 'Dream Ruins'; the previous time was only when Kelifu asked me about it. I know no more than you do. You don't think that just because I have lived longer than others, I know everything, do you?"

"Then what other advice does Teacher have?"

"My advice is, since the Dream Ruins are also a Projection Plane, then prepare to go to a Projection Plane. As for the duration of a single loop, I don't think there is any need to worry too much; if the time were too short, perhaps that Projection Plane would have long since been dissolved by the Astral Plane."

After speaking, as if thinking of something, Iolum suddenly took a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant from his Dimensional Bag and waved his hand to send it to Xia Duo:

"This is a little trinket I made in my spare time that can convert astral matter; take it with you if you are going to the Astral Plane!"

Xia Duo hurriedly took the necklace with both hands and examined it carefully; this was a Magic Item of a protective nature, and it seemed to possess some functions he could not discern in a short time.

Perhaps it was what Iolum called "converting astral matter," but Xia Duo did not see any essential difference between it and ordinary Magic Items.

If one doesn't understand, one must ask. Facing a very easy-going teacher, Xia Duo naturally would not miss such an opportunity, and he immediately asked while holding the necklace.

Regarding Xia Duo's question, Iolum did not explain too much, but like just before, he waved his hand, and a thin booklet on the bookshelf behind him flew down and landed directly in Xia Duo's hands:

"This is the Astral Plane Overview written by Teacher Aien; finish reading it right here!"

Written by Kangjienio?

Xia Duo could not bother to put away the necklace and immediately opened the pages; the handwriting seemed to be a hand-copied version, though of course, it could also have been written using a spell similar to 【Copying】.

The booklet was only a dozen pages long, and Xia Duo flipped through it all in a few moments. Compared to the books about the Astral Plane he had read in the Giles Tower Library, this book was not more profound; on the contrary, it was very superficial.

It only outlined some characteristics of the Astral Plane and matters to note when traveling to the Astral Plane.

The vast majority of it was already known to Xia Duo, but there was a small portion he had almost never come into contact with before, which was the situation regarding one's physical body traveling to the Astral Plane.

Just now in Leisen Territory, Kelifu only said to set out from Giles Tower, but did not say that one had to take one's physical body to the Astral Plane. However, judging from Iolum's attitude now, it seemed that entering the Dream Ruins required the physical body to enter the Astral Plane!

Xia Duo had not considered this point before, thinking that the Dream Ruins might just be a collection of Projection Planes, and that consciousness could be projected directly through the Plane Exploration array.

Now it seemed it might not be that simple.

This thin booklet mentioned that matter from the material world would be automatically converted into astral matter upon entering the Astral Plane, possessing some of its original properties while also gaining some properties unique to the Astral Plane.

And so-called "converting astral matter" refers to retaining the original attributes of the matter as much as possible, such as the hardness of Adamantine, the energy conductivity of Mithril, and so on.

General Magic Items usually only possess their original appearance after entering the Astral Plane, but no longer have their original Magic Effect; in the hands of an ordinary person, they are useless.

Even in the hands of a Spellcaster, the effect presented is merely a manifestation of the Spellcaster's will within the Astral Plane, which is a special spiritual world.

Only some extremely powerful Magic Items, as well as Magic Items with the property of converting astral matter, can retain more of their original effects.

In addition, there are some special spells that can create physical projections in the Astral Plane; in such cases, Magic Items with the property of converting astral matter can also be projected simultaneously and possess the same functions and effects as the original.

Regardless of which method is used to head to the Dream Ruins next, it seems that equipment capable of converting astral matter is needed.

Then can the Magic Equipment and items he currently has still be used?

Kangjienio's Astral Plane Overview mentioned that most Magic Items created by Magic Permanence directly possess the property of converting astral matter, but at the very least, they all need to involve the third layer of the Magic Net.

As for Magic Items created by way of Mithril Components, unless they are extremely powerful and involve the tenth layer of the Magic Net, they do not possess the property of converting astral matter at all.

If both manufacturing methods are used, only the portion of the effect created using Magic Permanence can be relatively completely projected into the Astral Plane.

That is to say, the 【Crimson Shelter Robe】 currently on Xia Duo's body would be a defective product if worn to the Astral Plane, and most Amulets would lose their effects entirely.

The 【Pioneer Scepter】, the Magic Item Xia Duo was looking forward to most, could not be spared either; although Xia Duo had never cracked it, he could determine that it combined both manufacturing methods.

This would be the same as the 【Crimson Shelter Robe】; it would also be a defective product once in the Astral Plane.

In a spiritual world like the Astral Plane, if the 【Pioneer Scepter】 could be used normally, it would simply be the most suitable Magic Item for use in the Astral Plane.

And it might even possess some incredible special effects due to the special environment of the Astral Plane!

What a pity!