Chapter 314: Conquest Display

Back to the Material Analysis Department of the observation station.

Luo En's near-perfect performance this time has earned him significant recognition and status improvement in two completely different factions.

In terms of the Research Group, Supervisor Wei En is extremely impressed by the exceptionally keen perception ability he displayed.

"The early warning ability you displayed today is indeed rare,"

Wei En frankly expresses his view in a private exchange:

"I intend to recommend you to participate in the 'Deep Material Characteristic Analysis' project that is about to be launched.

This project will involve samples brought back from the fourth layer of the abyss or even deeper, and the research value is extremely high, but the corresponding risk level is also not to be underestimated."

He pauses and adds:

"In addition, if you agree, I also want to recommend you to join the 'Abnormal Phenomenon Investigation Team' of the observation station.

Specifically responsible for analyzing and handling those abyss phenomena that cannot be explained by conventional means.

With the perception ability you displayed today, you should be able to play an important role in this field."

In terms of the Exploration Team, Team Leader Miller also informs Luo En of some information related to explorers.

"According to the personnel policy of the observation station, the identities of researcher and explorer are completely compatible."

Miller explains in detail:

"In fact, some of our most outstanding core members possess dual identities.

You can continue to focus on material analysis and research work, while participating in some relatively safe missions as a part-time explorer."

He takes out a detailed document from the chest pocket of his uniform:

"Part-time explorers enjoy many extra rights:

For example, priority access to the distribution of rare abyss materials, eligibility to participate in high-value missions, extra danger allowances, and most importantly—legal access permits to deep abyss areas."

This arrangement indeed has a huge temptation for Luo En.

As a formal explorer, he will gain more opportunities to legally contact the deep abyss, which has immeasurable value for his various secret studies.

At the same time, the explorer identity can also provide a perfect cover for some of his "special activities," such as the secret operation of deploying substitute puppets like today.

"I have decided to accept this arrangement."

Luo En makes a decision after careful consideration:

"The identity of a part-time explorer can indeed provide more possibilities for my research."

Besides these explicit gains, today's action also brought an extremely important implicit result.

The substitute puppet was successfully deployed to the "Sea of No Light" area on the fifth layer of the abyss, establishing a key forward observation point for his subsequent deep exploration.

Through the perception information transmitted back in real-time by the puppet, he has already gained a preliminary understanding of the basic environmental characteristics of the fifth layer:

It is a boundless water area shrouded in eternal darkness, and the seawater has strong corrosiveness and some unknown active characteristics.

Various abyss creatures with strange forms swim within it, and some even possess preliminary collective intelligence.

………………

At this time, in the seventh layer of the abyss, extremely far from the main world.

This is the secret gathering place of the Supreme Apostles, a special space that even a Great Wizard cannot easily detect and reach.

The surrounding environment itself is a complete negation of normal reality:

Gravity changes according to the observer's will, colors are converted into sounds, time flows in a spiral here, and thoughts leave visible light tracks in the air.

"The plan failed."

The voice of "Formless Mist" Nas is like the overlapping whispers from countless different spaces:

"This little guy was actually able to precisely foresee the target coordinates of the teleportation."

Its mist-like body rolls violently, and all the eyes inside turn in the same direction, staring at the direction of the observation station:

"I had already replaced the teleportation coordinates of the Chaos Spirit Monster, and even the most advanced detection equipment of the observation station was completely deceived.

But he was able to perceive the threat in advance; this perception ability absolutely transcends the normal category."

"Flesh Sculptor" Bradish emits an angry roar that shakes the entire dimension, the sound like thousands of wild beasts roaring simultaneously:

"I said long ago that this circuitous strategy is too complex! Simply dispatching the Awakened Legion to attack the observation station and capturing the brat back for transformation would be simpler and more effective?"

Its giant flesh tentacles wave crazily in the void, leaving deep red traces with every swing:

"A small character who just promoted to a formal wizard—direct military conquest is the fundamental way to solve the problem!"

"You still don't understand, Bradish."

Nas's tone becomes colder, and all the eyes in the mist turn toward the flesh aggregate:

"This human possesses some kind of special quality that none of us can fully understand.

Not just the purity of the soul of an original wizard, but also some deeper, more mysterious traits."

It pauses, its voice becoming like an echo from the deepest part of the abyss:

"I can feel that if we can successfully transform him into our companion, it could have a decisive impact on the entire grand plan.

So compared to simple and rude capture and torture, I prefer that he 'voluntarily' join our cause."

On the side, "Void Spider" Magus examines the countless possibilities of the distant future with its special perception ability capable of crossing different timelines.

Its voice is like a mixture of echoes from the past, present, and future:

"But the window of opportunity has closed, at least in the near future."

The silk threads controlled by Magus tremble:

"Cassandra has now reached the Star Gate Outpost at the edge of the main world; at most, in a day or two, she will officially return to the Central Land through this transit station.

Before she returns, we cannot conduct any large-scale direct actions."

This news makes the other two Supreme Apostles feel deep frustration.

Cassandra's strength is beyond doubt; even for the Supreme Apostles, she is an extremely dangerous opponent.

And as the main promoter of the abyss observation network, her protection of the observation station and all related personnel can be said to be meticulous.

"Damn Star Gate Outpost!"

Bradish roars angrily, flesh tentacles tearing at the surrounding twisted space: "Those old immortals of the Truth Court!"

The Star Gate Outpost is located in a special space in the "Labyrinth Domain," the sixth layer of the Great Abyss.

It is not only the most important strategic facility of the Wizard Alliance but also a stable channel from the main world to various planes and dimensions.

The outpost is not only deployed with the most advanced defense systems, but also has existences at the Wizard King level paying high attention to this place.

Even the so-called Supreme Apostles would never dare to act recklessly in such a place.

Nas's mist-like body slowly shrinks:

"Since direct action is not feasible in the short term, we can only wait patiently for other opportunities."

Its tone becomes more sinister:

"But this human will sooner or later be driven by needs to penetrate into the core area of the Great Abyss for deeper exploration.

By then... on the absolute home field of the abyss, we have plenty of ways to 'persuade' him."

"Don't forget that there is also that little brat Utel protecting him in the dark."

Magus reminds at the right time, a blurred image of the old man's silver phantom appearing in its special vision:

"His Void Remains have completely adapted to and taken root in the abyss environment, and his ability to backtrack history and perceive crises here is extremely terrifying."

Its voice carries a faint warning:

"Let's stop this attempt for now, and let's each act carefully to avoid attracting unnecessary attention from the main world."

Three shadows begin to dissipate gradually, and this secret meeting also comes to an end.

………………

Two days later, in the largest "Star-Falling Hall" of the Crystal Spire.

The gentle light originally used for academic gatherings is replaced by blazing gold-red magic flames.

Hundreds of floating flame lanterns rotate slowly under the dome, illuminating the entire hall like a war god's palace.

The stone slabs on the walls, originally engraved with the famous quotes of past scholars, have now become three-dimensional reliefs of conquest scenes:

Giant dragons prostrate under the feet of wizards, alien cities burning in magic flames, and various non-human races kneeling to surrender.

Each relief emits faint magic fluctuations, making the scenes in the pictures appear as if they are happening in reality.

Luo En is standing in the queue belonging to the Abyss Observation Station.

Beside him are Supervisor Wei En of the Research Group, as well as a dozen other researchers and explorers from the observation station.

He activates the "Extraordinary Identification" skill to carefully observe the situation of the thousands of attendees.

Everyone is at least a formal wizard of the Morning Star level, and their expressions and postures are all different.

Most of the traditional wizards have serious faces, with worries shining in their eyes;

While those young wizards appear excited and expectant, as if they are about to witness a historic moment.

Most disturbing is the change in the queue of the observation station.

Those members who have suffered from abyss erosion for a long time are actually showing some kind of morbid excitement at this moment.

The petrified half of Wei En's face begins to glow slightly, and the flashing frequency of Mary's artificial eye becomes rapid.

Even the usually steady Martin is unconsciously tapping the instrument at his waist with his keratinized fingers.

"They can feel something I cannot feel."

Luo En analyzes this abnormal phenomenon in his heart:

"The sequelae of abyss erosion make them resonate with a certain specific energy fluctuation?"

Just as he is thinking, the space in the center of the hall begins to twist violently.

The air ripples like water waves, emitting a low humming sound. Immediately, a giant teleportation gate that occupies the entire field of vision slowly opens.

This is a complex hexagram array, with each tip pointing to a different spatial dimension.

The door frame is composed of some kind of living metal that wriggles autonomously, with conquest declarations written in alien script engraved on the surface.

Those characters are constantly changing color and shape, as if telling the sad songs of countless conquered civilizations.

"Truly... an impressive way to appear."

Luo En narrows his eyes; through the special perception of "Hermit's Knowledge," he can detect the terrifying energy contained in this teleportation gate.

Just performing a cross-world teleportation of this scale would likely require magic equivalent to the entire Dawn Port for a year.

And the alien aura coming from the other side of the teleportation gate makes one feel deep unease.

The first to come out is not Cassandra herself, but a giant war flag.

This flag is spliced from small flags of six different civilizations, each representing an alien race conquered by her.

The topmost is a transparent flag surface woven with crystal threads, with active thinking light points flickering inside;

On the left is a silver flag woven with metal fibers, with geometric patterns unique to mechanical civilization flowing on the surface;

On the right is a rainbow-colored flag surface composed of pure energy constraints, constantly changing dizzying colors;

The flags at the bottom are even woven from living tissue.

The surface is still wriggling slightly, as if still maintaining some kind of life characteristic.

"Each flag is a funeral song for a civilization."

Luo En feels the faint energy fluctuations emitted by those flags, complex emotions surging in his heart.

As a rational researcher, he certainly understands the value of conquest and plunder.

But seeing this behavior of reducing an entire civilization to a decoration still makes him frown somewhat.

Cassandra appears in the state of Void Remains, not maintaining a human form.

That is a radiant energy body that is constantly expanding, with a diameter of hundreds of meters.

Inside the Void Remains, complex three-dimensional structures are composed of countless tiny energy particles.

Each particle flashes with light of different frequencies, together forming a dizzying multidimensional picture.

The entire Void Remains is like a miniature purple sun, emitting majestic radiance that makes it impossible to look directly at.

And as soon as Cassandra appears from the teleportation gate, the huge mental pressure instantly sweeps across the entire hall.

Even as formal wizards, facing this level of Great Wizard pressure, they have to exert their full mental protection.

Luo En feels a wave of dizziness, and all the magic power in his body activates autonomously, trying to resist this pressure that exceeds the load.

But at this time, what catches his attention more is the reaction of the observation station members.

Those researchers and explorers who have suffered from abyss erosion for a long time actually show obvious expressions of relief when contacting the light of Cassandra's Void Remains.

The petrified half of Wei En's face begins to regain blood color, the flashing of Mary's artificial eye becomes stable, and even Martin's keratinized fingers temporarily stop worsening.

"Her Void Remains structure... can inhibit abyss erosion to a certain extent?"

Luo En keenly captures this key information:

"No, it looks more like it can produce some kind of coordination effect with abyss energy. This also means..."

His train of thought is interrupted by Cassandra's change.

The radiant Void Remains begins to shrink, re-condensing into a human form.

When the light dissipates, appearing before everyone is a young female wizard who looks to be in her twenties.

She looks like a fully developed Eve, with a head of black hair as deep as the night sky, exquisite and cold features, and a proud figure.

But the most eye-catching are the female wizard's eyes, which are simply two slowly rotating purple whirlpools.

"My colleagues."

Cassandra's voice echoes in the hall; the gentle tone forms a sharp contrast with the pressure she just displayed:

"After decades of intermittent alien conquests, I have brought back precious gifts for the Wizard Alliance."

She waves her right hand lightly, and various shocking existences begin to pour out from behind the teleportation gate.

First to be displayed are the spoils of war from the "Crystal Thinking Civilization."

Six transparent crystal giants with heights reaching tens of meters are slowly pushed out; their bodies are completely composed of some kind of living crystal.

Countless flickering light points can be clearly seen inside, which are the concretization of their thinking processes.

Each light point represents a thinking fragment, and the entire light point network constitutes a complete wisdom system.

"These are 'Thinking Carriers' from the Crystal Civilization of the fourth quadrant."

Cassandra's voice carries obvious satisfaction:

"They were originally the philosophers and scientists of that civilization, mastering spatial theory and energy manipulation technology that we could hardly reach. Now, all their knowledge belongs to us."

Following her words, one of the crystal giants begins to "perform."

Complex light patterns flash inside its body, and countless energy threads intertwine inside the crystal body.

Immediately after, a precise three-dimensional galaxy model appears in the air, showing the Crystal Civilization's unique understanding of the cosmic structure.

The model not only contains conventional stars and planets but also shows the distribution of various hidden dimensions and energy fields.

This knowledge has immeasurable value for wizards, especially those researchers specializing in spatial spells.

Luo En carefully observes the internal structure of the crystal giant; through "Extraordinary Identification," he can see the essence of these existences.

They were once independent intelligent lives, but now they have been completely enslaved and turned into living knowledge storage devices.

"Forced memory extraction and consciousness reconstruction..."

He analyzes the implementation principles of this technology in his heart: 【314-1

"Through special modulation methods, the brain structure of the target life form is completely remodeled, retaining knowledge and memory but eliminating personal will. Although this method is cruel, it is indeed the most direct way to obtain knowledge from other worlds."

The next display was even more shocking as dozens of "Synthetic Hounds" marched in neat formation out of the portal.

They looked like the perfect fusion of machinery and flesh.

Bones and internal organs had been replaced by precise mechanical structures, but the skin and muscle tissues still maintained biological characteristics.

Each hound had a streamlined body, with hydraulic drive devices installed at the joints of its limbs, and deployable energy wings on its back.

The most eerie part was their eyes: one was a blood-red biological eyeball, while the other was a mechanical detector flickering with blue light.

"These are the highest law enforcement units of the 'Iron Federation.' A single one has combat power equivalent to a standard Morning Star-level wizard, and when formed into a hunting squad, they are enough to pose a fatal threat to Moon-level wizards."

Cassandra gently stroked the head of one of them, and the synthetic hound immediately crouched down, emitting a low hum similar to mechanical operation:

"The Iron Federation originally possessed three thousand such war machines; now, they only obey my orders."

To showcase the synthetic hounds, Cassandra signaled for a few of them to demonstrate.

They instantly transformed into different combat forms:

Some extended their limbs, turning into a multi-legged form similar to a spider, with speed so fast the trajectory was almost invisible;

Some unfolded energy wings on their backs, hovering in the air and firing high-energy laser beams from their mouthparts, easily leaving scorched marks on the anti-magic ground;

Most surprisingly, one actually performed a short-range phase shift, its body becoming translucent and passing directly through a solid pillar.

This combination of biological technology and magic technology allowed the wizards present to see brand-new possibilities.

Especially those researchers specializing in bloodline modulation and alchemy already had greedy light flickering in their eyes.

"Modification technology for mechanical life forms..."

Luo En observed the structure of the synthetic hound intently, trying to understand the mysteries within:

"This is not just simple mechanical modification, but deep reconstruction performed at the embryonic development stage.

The biological growth process has been reprogrammed to allow flesh and machinery to fuse perfectly at the molecular level."

The final display was even more practical, consisting of several "Rainbow Spirits" trapped in specially made crystal containers.

They had no fixed form, their bodies composed of pure elemental energy, flowing within the containers like living rainbows.

But even through the thick crystal walls, the wizards present could feel the intense fear and despair they radiated.

These spirits constantly changed colors, from bright golden yellow to deep blue-purple, with every color change accompanied by painful emotional fluctuations.

"These are the natives of the 'Spectrum Plane,' and they are naturally gifted with the ability to manipulate light and various forms of energy."

Cassandra's tone carried satisfaction, as if she were introducing precious art pieces from her collection:

"Each Rainbow Spirit can provide us with energy output equivalent to a magic factory. Moreover, their lifespans are measured in centuries, making them an extremely stable energy source."

To demonstrate the value of the Rainbow Spirits, she tapped the surface of one of the containers.

The touched spirit immediately began to release energy in pain, the rainbow light inside the container becoming scorching and dazzling, and the magic concentration in the entire hall instantly doubled.

This forced energy extraction process was extremely painful; the spirit's light began to dim, and its color gradually shifted toward the deep red representing pain.

But Cassandra's expression did not change in the slightest, as if this pain had nothing to do with her.

Many observers felt obvious discomfort, but more eyes flickered with greedy light.

Luo En's heart also experienced a complex emotional conflict.

As a rational researcher, he certainly understood the value of such an efficient energy source.

The energy output of the Rainbow Spirits was not only stable but also almost pollution-free, making them the ideal condition that any research dreamed of.

"The eternal conflict between morality and practicality..."

He analyzed his own emotions in his heart:

"If these Rainbow Spirits were cooperating voluntarily, providing energy in exchange for protection and resources, I would have no objections."

Cassandra noticed the reactions of the wizards in the hall, a satisfied smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

Fear, greed, shock, awe... various emotions flashed across everyone's faces in turn; this was exactly the effect she wanted to achieve.

(End of chapter)