Chapter 655: Arrival at the New Continent

New Era Calendar 2532, early winter.

Flower Mist Island lies on the sea east of Gela Morgan, about one hundred thirty miles from the coastline, opposite Mo Du across the water. Seen from the sky, the island—less than two square miles in area—looks like an irregular misty flower, hence its name.

A teleportation gate opened on the street outside the island's port, and a man and a woman stepped out.

The two walked side by side.

On the left was a young man, barely over twenty, with black hair and black eyes, skin so pale it seemed abnormal, a plain face that could at best be called handsome.

He wore an indifferent expression, dressed as a Wizard, his loose black magical robe unable to hide his gaunt frame, and he carried a mithril staff that matched his height. The straight shaft resembled a simple rod, devoid of rune markings, and its head was set with a red "Crimson Flame Stone," a fist-sized rhombic crystal that faintly radiated warm fire element power, confirming it as a magical item.

The Wizard's stamina seemed poor; he used his staff as a walking stick, leaning on it as he moved.

Besides the magical robe and silver staff, the young Wizard wore a jet‑black iron band on his left hand, apparently an enchanted ring, yet it gave off no detectable magical aura.

This made him look exceedingly shabby, like a Wizard apprentice on his first outing.

By contrast, the young Wizard's female companion drew far more attention.

She was tall and lithe, over one‑meter‑eighty, a bit taller than the Wizard beside her; even though a gray‑white fur cloak covered her body, her silhouette revealed a round shield on her back and a dark‑blue sword hilt protruding from her shoulder, leaving no doubt that she was a powerful transcendental.

The rare female warrior possessed long legs, but what caught the eye even more was her appearance.

Her hair, golden as metal, was tied into a ponytail; a bright silver headband rested on her forehead, her features sculpted with exquisite precision, bright eyes clear and confident, a radiant yet heroic aura, and on her well‑proportioned tall frame she seemed like a Valkyrie from the heavens—stunning at first glance, then impossible to keep one's eyes on.

Walking the road, she was the brightest focal point, causing people to turn their heads repeatedly to watch.

Under the halo of beauty, few noticed the young Wizard beside her, and he was outright ignored.

However, a few seasoned transcendents gave the Wizard a second glance, a hint of wariness flashing in their eyes, and hurriedly pulled back a teammate who had been drawn in by the beauty and wanted to approach.

This unremarkable Wizard, walking alongside such a powerful and striking beauty, indirectly attested to his own strength.

Moreover, the female warrior seemed to regard the Wizard as her leader, making her far from simple.

Among transcendents, there is no shortage of such wolves in sheep's clothing.

Especially casters, whose tricks are endless, can easily conceal their presence. Some Wizards appear youthful but may be centuries‑old veterans; if angered, they could casually unleash a spell of six or more rings, leaving the victim clueless about how they die!

The two headed toward the island's largest building, a solid fortress not far from the port, which housed a long‑range teleportation array.

Axi Na gazed at the teleportation hall, where people came and went.

The passersby beside her were almost all transcendents; whether entering or exiting, they moved briskly. The few ordinary people were also extremely robust laborers, driving carts from the teleportation hall to the dock, loading cargo onto ships.

"Lei…"

Axi Na called out, then stopped.

A few days earlier, she had already learned that Reslin was Lei En's split, and would accompany her to the New Continent, but she still felt uneasy despite the wonder.

She knew powerful Wizards and mages often create splits with spells, but a split like Reslin, completely opposite to its original, was truly rare.

The original possessed Titan divine power, an invincible hand beneath the Holy Soul.

The split, however, was frail, gasping after only a few steps.

Such a huge disparity often gave Axi Na the illusion that the Reslin before her was not a split but a truly existing legendary Wizard with an independent personality.

So she still misnames him to this day.

"Reslin," Axi Na asked softly, "Why build the teleportation array on an island so far from the sea instead of on the mainland?"

"You can guess," Reslin replied calmly.

If it were Lei En's original speaking to Axi Na, a smile would inevitably appear on his face, but Reslin was different. This split was fashioned by the Mysterious Touch, its magical soul nature making its emotions far steadier and its feelings more bland, like a wooden figure devoid of the seven emotions and six desires.

That is why Axi Na felt Reslin was another person, as if he possessed a different personality.

Lei En sensed this was a bad omen and was already striving to change it.

Axi Na thought for a few seconds, then guessed uncertainly, "Is this to guard against an Abyss invasion?"

"Yes," Reslin's mouth twitched slightly upward.

Traveling from the Old Continent to the New Continent, tens of thousands of miles away, the most conventional means is by ship.

Departing from Mo Du, the vessel sailed north along the Old Continent's coastline, passed through the Gokuli Strait, turned northeast, traversed Hai Tok and Thousand Islands Sea, and arrived at Kangjiatuo. After resting there, it continued northeast for several days, then turned east to cross the Ice Wind Strait that separates the two continents; about half a month later it reached the New Continent's first human outpost—Bear Island.

Bear Island is vast, comparable to a province of the Empire.

It lies adjacent to the New Continent, less than a hundred miles from the coastline; from the island one can see the northern New Continent's snow‑capped mountains, ice fields, and endless barren tundra, perpetually covered in ice and snow.

On this island of towering mountains and dense forest lives a famed magical beast called the Codyes Island Brown Bear. They are among the most robust and powerful low‑tier magical beasts; almost every bear's magical soul carries the Elements "Frenzy" and "Strength," easy to fuse, thus becoming the first Main Soul for berserkers.

Leaving Bear Island, the ship sails southeast for about ten days before docking at Queen Port.

After centuries of expansion, humanity has established dozens of settlements along the New Continent's western coast; Queen Port is one of the largest, having grown into a sizable city.

Continuing south from Queen Port along the western coast for another week leads to the destination of this journey, Albert Bay.

This mid‑coast bay has become the New Continent's pearl!

The route from Mo Du to Albert Bay, when drawn on a map, forms a parabola; the whole journey exceeds fifty thousand miles, taking at least two months at best, and three to four months if mishaps occur, which is normal.

Traveling by magical airship could shave off about twenty days.

However, the most convenient and swift method is direct teleportation to the New Continent; with good luck, it might take less than half a day.

Just as ships cannot cross the Wu Jin Zhi Hai when shuttling to the New Continent and must detour from the north, teleportation arrays are the same.

Two long‑range teleportation arrays cannot be placed directly on the opposite shores of the New and Old Continents to form a bridge‑like teleportation corridor.

Doing so is extremely risky; if disaster strikes, there are only two outcomes.

Either luck is good and the teleport is snatched mid‑journey into the Wu Jin Zhi Hai's great vortex, instantly devoured by the shattered void and disintegrated into energy, or it lands in an unknown realm with no way home.

Or luck is bad, and the teleport lands in the divine realm of Kusura, one of the world's most powerful deities, lord of oceans and storms, where His divine servants tear the traveler to pieces, or the intrusion awakens Him, prompting immediate divine retribution that annihilates both body and soul.

Avoiding teleportation danger is simple: teleport along the ship's route.

Back then, Master Lu Yin did not teleport directly from Mo Du's offshore to the New Continent; he built another teleportation array as a relay, bypassing the Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

After years of negotiation among all parties, nine long‑range teleportation arrays were erected between the New and Old Continents, each array a node; the nine nodes linked into a line that aligns closely with the sea routes, avoiding the risk of crossing the Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

The first array stands in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng, on White Stone Island over a hundred miles from the coast, a solitary island whose ownership belongs to the city lord Blackstaff.

The second array sits on Flower Mist Island, closest to Mo Du, established by the Pumoer Family, who run the shipping business.

The rear teleportation arrays are, in order, at Heitoke City of the Barshi Sea Kingdom; Crab Port of Kangjiatuo, which is the domain of Duke Feishe; the previously mentioned Bear Island; Queen Port; Albert Bay; Laba Zi City on the southwest coast of the New Continent; and the farthest place reachable by human forces, the Wind and Thunder Archipelago.

The nine teleportation arrays share one common trait: they are built on islands, near or far, and never directly on the mainland.

The reason is simple: to prevent the arrays from falling into the hands of Abyss demons and being used to teleport into the Old Continent.

Reslin gave a brief explanation.

He walked while whispering, "The teleportation arrays are single‑point links; even if demons seize the first few, as long as one remains under human control, the demons cannot teleport to the Old Continent. The worst case is all arrays are lost, but the islands provide a buffer to buy time for a counterattack."

Asina nodded, a sudden realization in her eyes.

The Demon army's greatest terror lies in its endless numbers, yet most cannot fly; confining them to islands can curb their assault.

The ocean is the domain of the Storm Lord; a demon legion's seaborne assault ends only in death.

Not even requiring the Storm Lord to act.

His mighty Sea Tribe alone can heavily damage a demon legion ill‑suited for naval warfare.

At the same time, the ocean and Sea Tribe trap the Demon army on the New Continent, holding the Icewind Strait; even if a few demons slip through the Abyssal Gate to the Old Continent, they cannot achieve numerical superiority and are swiftly eliminated.

As they spoke, the two entered the teleportation hall.

The spacious, bright hall spanned over a thousand square meters, split in two, each side housing a twenty‑meter‑diameter teleportation array. A guard of over a hundred Transcendents patrolled inside and out, most followers of the Storm Lord, led by a Legendary High‑rank male Storm Priest.

Reslin did not recognize the other, likely a strongman the Pumoer family hired from the Storm Church.

Before entering the array, a High‑ranking Wizard pointed his staff at them and performed a detection spell on each.

As long as one is not a black wizard, a cultist of an evil god, or tainted by Abyssal aura, anyone can teleport by paying the fee.

The High‑ranking Wizard found no issue.

He glanced at Asina once more, then nodded and allowed them passage.

The two arrays led to different destinations—one to Heitoke, the other to Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng. Such a design is clearly illogical; one must pass through every point without skipping. Yet it is evident that the Pumoer family intended this, as do other array owners.

Anyone wishing to reach the New Continent or return must teleport repeatedly, allowing the operators of each array to profit.

Constructing a long‑range teleportation array requires at least one Astral Crystal Pillar, making it extremely costly.

The Astral Crystal Pillar is among the rarest gems, priceless on the market.

Yet however high the cost, this monopoly recoups quickly; the fee per teleport is 300 Gold Shields. The Pumoer family's ownership of Flower Mist Island is like keeping a hen that constantly lays golden eggs, collecting money daily.

Reslin paid the fee and entered, with Asina, the teleportation hall bound for Heitoke.

A few people were already waiting there.

The long‑range array consumes massive mana crystals; the more people teleport at once, the lower the per‑person cost and the higher the profit. Thus, to save costs, the Pumoer family mandates a minimum of ten participants to activate the teleport.

Sometimes, even after a long wait, they never reach ten, and the people can only endure, daring to be angry but unable to speak.

When Reslin and Asina arrived, a Transcendent beside the array urged, "We have exactly ten now, hurry up, I've been waiting over two hours."

The Wizard in charge of activation remained calm; after the two stepped onto it, he activated the teleportation runes.

Within seconds, the group appeared in another teleportation hall.

Reslin's eyes saw through the wall to the outside; they were on a sea island not far from Heitoke. He and Asina walked to the neighboring teleportation array; some departed, some remained, and a few of this group were also bound for the New Continent, soon to gather enough numbers again.

The next stop was Crab Port of Kangjiatuo; the two stayed only a few minutes.

Another teleport brought them to Bear Island.

The air temperature dropped sharply; outside the hall, a biting wind howled as if winter had arrived instantly—this was already the New Continent.

Bear Island serves not only as a teleportation hub but also as a major port; many ships returning from the New Continent unload there for final repairs before braving the perilous Icewind Strait. The island is generally a safe adventuring spot, offering the famed Kodiess Island brown bear, as well as unique magic souls and alchemical ingredients—those lucky enough can earn a hefty sum.

Many Transcendents leave from here, making it hard to reach ten people at any given time.

"Let's go explore too," Asina said, curiosity shining in her eyes; though they hadn't yet set foot on the New Continent's soil, she was already excited.

"Alright," Reslin smiled and nodded.

The two exited the hall and found the teleportation array built within a narrow canyon stretching ten li, flanked by sheer cliffs hundreds of meters high, studded with guard posts; the rock faces bore massive rune formations, forming a dense defense.

The canyon floor was leveled to over three hundred meters wide, with a single broad street running through it; houses of varying heights lined both sides in continuous blocks, pedestrians bustling like a hidden small town.

The teleportation hall sat at the canyon's midpoint; at each end, the innermost terminus housed a castle.

"That is the castle of Count Molmon, who rules Bear Island," Reslin whispered. "The title of count was self‑appointed by a legendary berserker who formed a berserker legion, but he died years ago; the current count is said to be a ten‑year‑old girl, and no one knows how long she has held Bear Island."

Asina showed little interest in the details, looking toward the canyon's exterior.

It was a coastal port stretching over a dozen li, constantly bustling with ships docking and departing.

The two strolled the pier for a while, sampling the local specialty, smoked bear steak, then returned to the teleportation hall and waited until the numbers were just right to activate the teleport.

The next stop from Bear Island was Queen Port.

Queen Port also sits on an island, but it's very close to the New Continent—less than half a li of sea apart, with a climate far more suitable than Bear Island's.

Reslin and Asina didn't stay long at Queen Port; before they could even step out to tour, a mercenary band of dozens prepared to teleport, so they immediately joined them.

In an instant, the teleport concluded.

Reslin instantly heard many voices and the sound of waves lapping the shore; the air grew warm, as if returning to a pleasant autumn.

He and Asina stepped out of the teleportation hall together.

A city built along a bay unfolded before them; afternoon sunlight bathed it in a radiant yet gentle glow. Across more than twenty li of sea, a massive wall rose along the shore, its ends disappearing from view, an awe‑inspiring sight.

The human holy city of Albert Bay on the New Continent—arrived!

Today took another seven or eight hours, finally succeeded!

Volume Six begins, stepping onto a new journey!

(End of chapter)