[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage":3,"chapter-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-544":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},148257,246,"Chapter 543: Wildlands Grand Formation II","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-544",544,"\u003Cp>CH543 Wildlands Grand Formation II\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s wrong?\" Alex asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud swallowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If my calculations are correct... then a Maze Grand Formation surrounds the mountain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud continued carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Contrary to what we’re seeing, the berserk humans aren’t simply standing there out of their own volition. They’re likely trapped within a layered composite array.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed to overlapping formation symbols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A combination of illusion, continuous spatial displacement, spatial confinement... and possibly even temporal distortion... amongst others\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In other words... from their perspective they may be moving. It is only from ours that they remain exactly where they appear to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned with scepticism clear in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That can’t be right. None of the formations you mentioned are easy to construct—never mind combining them into a single Grand Formation. For that to be possible, this array would have to be pushing—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The peak of Tier V... if not Tier VI,\" Sugud cut in quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men locked eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grave understanding passed between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was one thing if a potential Tier VI Grand Formation had been erected around the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true problem was that this suspected Tier VI formation appeared to be merely a component—just one part—of something vastly larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Sugud’s deduction was correct, then the Grand Formation spanning the entire Wildlands might itself be a peak Tier VI... or even Tier VII.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tier VII formations—never mind Grand Formations—were little more than myths even on Pangea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sheer quantity of resources required to establish such an array would bankrupt even the greatest superpowers of the plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the expertise needed to construct it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex couldn’t think of anyone capable of such a feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, there was one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single being he suspected might possess both the knowledge and the means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His master, an Elder of this universe’s Dragon Race... the Ancient Dragon, Uthvaazgol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex pushed that thought aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" he said, refocusing, \"how do we break through it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud shook his head immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can’t break it. That’s impossible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured to the formation scribbles beneath them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our only option is to move through the formation the way its creator intended.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s brows furrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From what little I can infer—and I emphasise little—this formation does not appear to contain a dedicated killing array.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is designed primarily for containment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perpetual containment,\" he clarified. \"At least... for an indeterminate duration.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s gaze drifted briefly toward the trapped berserk humans below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So it isn’t meant to kill intruders?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not directly,\" Sugud answered. \"Which means the lethality comes from circumstance, not design.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tapped the diagram again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That implies its intent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Explain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the formation isn’t meant to eradicate everything that enters it,\" Sugud said slowly, \"then it likely serves a screening function.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A test.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It traps intruders... while allows a specific individual to pass through.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up at Alex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In other words... it isn’t built to kill everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s built to filter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If the creator could establish such a complex trapping array,’ he mused inwardly, ’then setting up a killing formation would have been far simpler—and far more energy efficient.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing arrays were straightforward in comparison. Brutal, direct and highly efficient in their purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Which means Sugud is likely right. This formation isn’t meant to indiscriminately kill.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He folded his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if I agree with you,\" Alex said calmly, \"that doesn’t mean we should step into it blindly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We need to understand how to pass through it,\" Alex continued. \"Otherwise, whether it’s designed as a killing formation or not becomes irrelevant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured toward the berserk humans below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You mentioned spatial confinement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we can reasonably assume each of those berserk humans is trapped within an isolated spatial partition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud’s expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we’re careless,\" Alex continued, \"we might step into one of those partitions and find ourselves sharing a confined space with a Class 4 berserk human.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Or worse, multiple.’ Alex intentionally left that unsaid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would make the formation effectively lethal, even if it wasn’t designed that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex closed his eyes briefly and began modelling the formation in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Sugud’s deduction was accurate, then the visible terrain was an illusion layered over a structured confinement system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He imagined it as a massive maze superimposed over a checkered board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maze represented the illusion and pathfinding component.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The checkered board represented spatial confinement—each square an independent pocket of space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now add spatial distortion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those squares weren’t static. They shifted and repositioned constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant navigating it wasn’t simply a matter of finding the correct path—it was about timing movement between shifting confinement grids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moving maze on a dynamic board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To advance, they would likely have to transition from one confinement square to another. And each transition carried risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might enter an empty square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might enter into the same confined partition as one—or several—berserk humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s like a two-dimensional Rubik’s Cube,’ he muttered to himself, eyes sharpening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Except every wrong turn could put us face to face with something that wants to tear us apart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just imagining being trapped within a spatial confinement partition alongside a Class 4 berserk human was enough to make Alex’s spine prickle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our only option,\" Sugud said with a weary sigh, \"is to understand the theme of the formation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex glanced at him. \"And how do you propose we do that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sugud gave a helpless smile. \"I don’t know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These kinds of large-scale formations,\" Sugud continued, \"especially Grand Formations of this magnitude, are rarely random. They are usually constructed with a specific intent or purpose.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured toward the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can understand the creator’s rationale—why this place exists, what it was meant to do—then we might be able to deduce a key. A guiding principle. Something that allows safe traversal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A logic embedded within the maze,\" Alex murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" Sugud nodded. \"No matter how complex the mechanism, there is always a core concept holding it together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do we know about this place?\" he muttered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mountain surrounded by a distortion field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suspected peak Tier V—if not Tier VI—Grand Formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Berserk humans drawn here like moths to flame. Yet none is able to advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not by choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps... not without permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do we actually know...?\" he repeated softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Alex and Sugud wrestled with the mystery of the suspected maze formation, change was quietly unfolding elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fortuna party believed they were the only sane humans present near the Formation-Eye Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opposite side of the mountain—far beyond Alex’s current perception range—another group stood upon a cliff overlooking the same congregation of berserk humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where Fortuna had approached from the south, this group had arrived from the northeast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten figures in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were two individuals the Fortuna party would have recognised immediately—had they seen them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the two sorcerers who had stood atop Dragonstone Oasis’ gate during the beast tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them stood others dressed in similar robes, their attire marked with intricate arcane embroidery that denoted their affiliation without words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sorcerers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike Alex, Sugud and the Fortuna party, they did not look confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked... prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1225,"2026-05-29T03:49:35.273Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","2b4fcc8af9b8f028d69722da06f6403b576cd83784eeb217218e95af482dc1df","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-545","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-543",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]