Chapter 196: The Changing Era

A chance encounter might be nothing more than a small detour for both of them, each with work to attend to.

But Li En also received some good news from Miss Shaliman.

"Mirror sprites? Lady, you really are generous."

The mirror sprite's combat power is negligible, but its ability to traverse space clearly enters the domain of deities—it's a rare and precious spatial-type ability.

These seemingly comical little mirror sprites have virtually no combat strength, yet they are divine beings. Don't imagine divinity as lofty and distant; a single drop of water and the ocean are both water, yet they are utterly different in level.

In the realm of deities, in divine lands and independent planes, their essence—their divinity—pervades like the local air and water; life that grows in such an environment often develops special abilities derived from the deity.

Once they leave their homeland, they inevitably weaken. Celestial beings, demons, devils, and elemental life-forms are, in a sense, all included.

But their respective planes or deities are so powerful that even after leaving their original plane, these beings retain considerable power—though they inevitably weaken over time and will eventually return to their native plane.

And within certain deities' divine realms, the more a divine being relies on "local rules," the more unique its authority becomes.

For instance, the wax-melt maidens of the former Dark Elf chief deity possessed legendary, ever-shifting traits.

Mirror sprites embody both "shadow" and "mirror," granting them the ability to tear and link space—a rarity even across the multiverse.

Yet they remain beings that can only live within the Mirror Goddess's divine realm; living in the main plane causes them to weaken naturally, even to the point of death.

If they constantly use their innate abilities, they weaken faster. Thus, to deploy mirror sprites for the entire underground exploration, these "divinely favored beings" must be continually replaced.

Merely repeatedly opening doors to the shadow plane to let them return for rest and recovery, then reopening to send them back for more work, consumes the deity's power.

After all, in a sense, these "derivative beings" are part of the divine realm itself.

They are the deity's kin; outsiders cannot compel them—you can't expect a deity's own cells to betray Him.

Even if a few occasionally defect, without the divine realm's nourishment, they die quickly. Theoretically, these mirror sprites are entirely the exclusive domain of the Silver Bottle Mirror Goddess.

"They should significantly accelerate exploration. At the current pace, clearing this ruin of unknown depth within two years is simply too difficult."

But Li En knew reality was even harsher than estimated—the area surveyed by surface dwellers was merely a fraction of the entire underground ruin.

The deeper you go, the more crucial logistics and order become—and normal methods cannot solve this.

"They can shorten the distance between the surface and the underground."

Compared to other teleportation arts, this "divine authority"-based space teleportation is far more stable (unless interfered with by an equal-level entity) and requires nearly zero cost for round-trip transit.

The mirror sprite's teleportation is its fundamental trait—it requires no mana expenditure whatsoever, a natural, instinctive innate ability.

Clearly, this could greatly accelerate the conquest of the underground ruin and even aid in reinforcing the Evil God Seal.

Dai Niya idly fiddled with the ring in her hand; she'd tried several fingers but always felt a subtle wrongness. It wasn't that she couldn't wear it—many high-end magic rings auto-adjusted.

It was just that no matter which finger she wore it on, it felt off.

"Click." She switched fingers again, growing annoyed. She noticed the knights' strange glances, but when she glanced over, each was busily polishing his sword.

So, with her maid's help, she took a necklace, hung the serpent-pattern gold ring around her neck, and tucked it inside her clothes.

Behind her, someone kept breathing on Li En, occasionally extending an empty left hand, while the young man pretended not to notice.

The pure are pure—I truly meant nothing else!

Dai Niya didn't truly believe in the ring's efficacy; she saw it more as a comforting deception. When your neighbor's boy casually pulls out a rotten stone and claims it's a divine relic of some god, any sane person would disbelieve it.

How could it be so coincidental? She'd just mentioned her need, and he immediately produced a corresponding supreme relic. To Dai Niya, something that could so easily deceive a deity wasn't even worthy of being called a relic.

And the deity's name he mentioned? She'd never heard it before.

Especially that last name—so absurdly whimsical—it looked like nothing but a comforting joke or prank.

"Hmph, did you ask my father if he asked my mother?"

In Dai Niya's view, Li En probably thought she had no choice and was just trying to comfort her.

"Since we're doomed to walk this path of no return, at least walk it smiling."

Carefully tucking the ring against her chest, Dai Niya smiled sweetly.

At least someone genuinely cared for her—after becoming a chosen of the gods, she shouldn't have problems. She'd treat this as a joke, and try it later.

"Let's continue. When we reach the Trader's Hall, we'll return."

Coming down here isn't easy. Now that they confirmed the mirror sprites' ability works, Dai Niya and the knights planned to proceed as scheduled.

"Trader's Hall? You mean that underground giant's banquet hall?"

It was a notably spacious area within the underground ruin, said to resemble a giant's dining hall, later cleared and repurposed as a temporary transit point. Some merchants sold supplies or offered appraisal services there, naturally turning it into a gathering trade zone.

But rumors claimed supplies there cost thirty times the surface price—truly a haven for black-market traders.

"Yes, we plan to turn it into a permanent outpost with direct teleportation to the surface."

This was undoubtedly excellent news. If a direct teleportation point existed midway through the journey, it would drastically shorten travel costs and allow far easier movement of supplies in and out of the underground ruin.

Meanwhile, if the outpost housed soldiers and knights from the kingdom, it meant surface order was beginning to seep into this underground world.

"So these tents and wooden planks are for setting up camp there?"

The knights also protected some craftsmen who would establish camps and shops in open areas, fully transforming the temporary encampment into a permanent town.

Normally, reaching this point might take over a day, with enemies encountered en route. If a large mirror sprite established a teleportation point here, elite squads could depart and return directly from here.

And if supplies could be sold directly within the ruin, it would provide strong support to frontline warriors.

"Wait, you're just using them as a transmission gate and communicator?"

Li En, however, was slightly surprised.

Since they were going down anyway, they naturally traveled together.

"What's your opinion?!" The good mood from receiving the gift ended instantly—her "idea" being questioned, Dai Niya instantly scowled.

Li En considered for a moment, then spoke out. No one was stupider than another; some things were simply unfamiliar, requiring time to adapt and explore.

But right now, what they lacked most was time! Wasting a few more months could change everything.

"I thought you planned to have the small mirror sprites accompany elite squads, maintaining real-time communication," Li En finally spoke.

"That's exactly what we planned," Dai Niya said proudly; she'd already thought of it—the small mirror sprites could serve as long-term communication tools.

"We can transmit the squad's battle footage and strategies directly to the rear, allowing specialists to analyze, provide intelligence support, and guide the squad in real time." What Li En described had precedents in another world.

"For instance, if Team A encounters a tough opponent while Team B is nearby, they can be deployed. If they face an unbeatable foe, they can be guided along an escape route. For example, if a certain location has a particularly formidable demon, several squads can be summoned for a sniper operation, and that Mirror Demon can be sent to deliver counter-measure supplies."

"Uh, we... are still considering it." Dai Niya pondered for a moment; it actually seemed feasible.

The appearance of such a bug-like Little Mirror Demon made real-time battlefield command systems via instant communication a reality, and even allowed for "airdrops" of supplies and weapons.

Li En did not intend to be too clear about certain points, yet they were crucial. With the Little Mirror Demon's live broadcast, those "underground bandits/ambushers" and "team traitors" would all tone it down a bit.

Deeper underground, seeing human figures was even more terrifying than seeing monsters.

A lack of trust meant most adventurers dared not venture too far or recruit recklessly; who knew what would happen down there?

"Indeed, it can effectively reduce crime. Do you have any other suggestions?" Dai Niya nodded; since this concerned a major current issue, she quickly set aside her minor personal emotions.

Li En pondered for a moment; perhaps he could push the boundaries slightly and accelerate the progress a bit more.

"Adventurers going down to explore often do so not just for money; what they fear most is dying silently down below. Ultimately, they do it to build a reputation. For many young people, honor equals future status, equals recruitment by other organizations, equals a bright future."

The Kingdom has repeatedly increased the bounties on underground demons, but the actual effect has been quite mediocre, because this is truly trading life for money, and it is too unstable (the cycle is too long, and one must rely on luck to find targets within it).

At this moment, it was not only Dai Niya listening to Li En; the knights and attendants around them also noticed Li En's words.

"Set up a large Mirror Demon in the most crowded area of Radiant City to broadcast the combat situations of those underground ruins, letting ordinary people and surface warriors observe their current battle status..."

Li En shrugged; this sort of thing was quite common in his past life. Some countries not only broadcast wars live but also engaged in various propaganda wars and public name-calling.

Actually, the situation here is even better than that, since this is PvE rather than PvP; there is no need to worry that during a live stream online, a "condolence visit" or a "big surprise" might suddenly descend from the sky.

Yet making this choice was not solely for the immediate gains.

"... If they want fame, then let us give it to them."

Similar dueling tournaments and gladiator arenas are opportunities for young people to make a name for themselves, involving life-or-death PvP, but often there are only a few per year, and few nobles bother to watch.

"And when the mirror brings fame, profit, and opportunities to the victors, those watching others below get rich will naturally join in."

Li En had already seen the future.

"Heh, perhaps even very powerful high-level professionals will travel thousands of miles just to come here and get rich and famous."

"And they might become the free, ready-to-fight combat power we need most."

(End of this chapter)