Chapter 413: Regression

Following Elliot's description, Luo En began to understand the reason for his haggard state.

The "Listening Wind" talent allowed its possessor to perceive the flow of information within the magic network, but this ability was also a double-edged sword.

When the entire environment was filled with negative information, the talent holder was often the first to bear the brunt of the impact.

"What exactly did you hear?" Luo En asked.

Elliot closed his eyes, as if recalling some painful experience:

"Chaos... endless, boundless chaos. I can hear the sound of metal clashing from afar; that sound is so sharp it's like someone is hammering nails into my brain.

And screams, countless screams, some of which don't even sound like they were made by humans."

His voice began to tremble:

"The most terrifying things are the whispers. I can't hear the specific content, but that tone... that tone reminds me of the echoes of the abyss. And these sounds are all coming from the direction of the other worlds."

Elliot's description caused an ominous premonition to rise in Luo En's heart.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A full week." Elliot's answer confirmed Luo En's worries:

"These abnormal signals started appearing seven days ago. At first, it was just occasional noise, but now... now it is almost continuous."

He added with a bitter smile:

"I haven't slept properly for three days. Every time I close my eyes, those sounds become even clearer. I've even started to wonder if I'm going insane."

Luo En looked at his friend's pained expression, sympathy and worry welling up in his heart.

But at the same time, he realized that what Elliot brought might be extremely important intelligence.

"Can you determine the source of this information?"

"Most of it points to the Zephyr Star Sector in the Seventh Quadrant, the very civilization that Tower Master Cassandra is currently conquering."

Elliot's tone became even more solemn:

"But there are also some... some more distant echoes. As if they are coming from other worlds, or... or from even deeper places."

He paused for a moment, deep fear appearing in his eyes:

"Speaking of the Vital World..."

Elliot's expression became unusually serious, and his voice dropped even lower:

"I intercepted some fragments of official internal communications through the 'Listening Wind.' Luo En, what is happening there is far worse than anyone has publicly admitted."

He paced back and forth in the secret room, every step filled with anxiety:

"According to the information I heard, Cassandra's expeditionary force encountered an ancient god who calls himself the 'Star Sector Lord' in the Vital Republic.

Note, I am not talking about the mythological legends of an indigenous civilization, but an ancient god in the true sense."

Luo En's heartbeat involuntarily accelerated.

Ancient god level—that was said to be a terrifying existence capable of briefly contending with a Wizard King.

"That 'Star Sector Lord' seems to be the true ruler of the Vital Republic, or rather... its protector. The collective consciousness network of the Vital people was very likely constructed by Him."

He took a deep breath, as if organizing his language to describe a terror that transcended understanding:

"Among the communication fragments I intercepted, one was an emergency report from a fleet commander. He used terms like 'reality tearing,' 'dimensional misalignment,' and 'distortion of existence itself.'"

Elliot's voice began to tremble:

"The specific details of that battle were sealed at the highest level, but the fragments I heard indicated that the expeditionary force lost at least one-fifth of its strength."

He paused for a moment, deep fear appearing in his eyes:

"For those fallen wizards, their deaths were not the end of life in the ordinary sense, but... but the dissolution of existence itself."

Luo En felt a chill rise up his spine.

The dissolution of existence meant that even a Void Husk could not be preserved, and the soul was completely annihilated outside of reality.

For a wizard, this was a fate more terrifying than death.

"There must have been important figures on the casualty list this time, right?"

"Yes, just this brief clash with the 'Star Sector Lord' has already resulted in the deaths of two Dark Sun-level detachment commanders: Adrian and Serene, and countless other Dark Sun-level wizards were severely wounded."

Elliot's voice was unusually heavy:

"Adrian was a candidate for Deputy Tower Master of the Elemental Garden; Serene was a rune expert from the Tower of Resonant Sound, capable of creating stable spatial channels by combining her own Void Husk prototype."

He shook his head with a bitter smile: "The importance of these two people..."

Elliot didn't finish, but the implication was already clear.

Dark Sun-level wizards were already high-ranking members once they reached the Central Lands, second only to the Great Wizards who served as school leaders.

With two such important figures lost, the expeditionary force was likely in an uproar.

"So, the subsequent impact is very terrifying."

Elliot continued:

"This disastrous defeat completely shattered the morale within the expeditionary force. The communications I heard were filled with questioning, anger, and fear."

He began to describe the internal division of the expeditionary force in detail:

"The Elemental Garden is now publicly demanding a reassessment of the conquest strategy.

Their leader, Great Wizard Elizabeth, has already issued a formal protest to Cassandra, demanding a suspension of the offensive against the Vital World."

"Great Wizard Mervis of the Tower of Resonant Sound is even more radical.

In an internal meeting, he directly and publicly questioned Cassandra's command ability. The terms he used were 'reckless,' 'irresponsible,' and 'treating allies as consumables.'"

Elliot's expression became even more worried:

"The 'Star Hammer' clan and the 'Mithril' clan have already begun to secretly discuss the possibility of withdrawing from the expeditionary alliance."

Hearing this information, Luo En suddenly realized that Cassandra's conquest plan might be facing the danger of total collapse.

And once the expeditionary force split apart completely, the development trajectory of the entire wizard civilization might change as a result.

"But the most unsettling thing is the rumor about the Tower Master herself."

Elliot's voice became extremely faint, as if afraid of being heard by something:

"Witnesses described her state during the battle, and the term they used was..."

He paused for a long time, as if gathering the courage to say a terrifying term:

"A trend of 'regression' may have appeared."

This term struck Luo En's heart like a heavy hammer.

Regression was one of the forms of alienation that high-ranking wizards feared most.

It meant the complete collapse of reason, the total loss of humanity, and becoming a puppet of the will of one's own object of contemplation.

Luo En remembered Professor Professor Yute's warning about the side effects of *The Whispers of the Star Eater*.

"What is the morale of the expeditionary force now?"

"It has almost hit rock bottom." Elliot answered without concealment:

"Many wizards have begun to question the meaning of this conquest. They have begun to doubt whether so-called 'civilizational development' is worth paying such a huge price."

He added with a bitter smile:

"What's more, some wizards have begun to discuss in private whether to sneak away on their own."

This internal division and suspicion were fatal for any army.

And for an expeditionary force that relied solely on Cassandra's authority to maintain itself, it was even more catastrophic.

"How has the Tower Master responded to these questions?"

"That is the most terrifying part."

Deep fear appeared in Elliot's eyes:

"She seems completely indifferent to these questions.

In the record of the most recent commander meeting I heard, what she said to those protesters was: 'The weak have no right to speak; either obey, or become nourishment.'"

"Moreover, she has already begun to implement a certain... purification plan.

Those wizards who publicly express dissatisfaction are being gradually reassigned to the most dangerous frontline missions.

It is called 'atoning for crimes through meritorious service,' but in reality, it is a disguised execution."

This information outlined a terrifying picture:

An expeditionary force spiraling out of control, a commander gradually becoming alienated, and a war of conquest that might end in disaster.

And the consequences of all this would eventually backfire on the entire wizard civilization.

Having said this, Elliot sat back down in the secret room.

"The problems of the expeditionary force are just the tip of the iceberg."

His voice became even lower:

"What truly makes me feel fear is the change in the entire Central Lands. Luo En, the world we are familiar with is disappearing."

Elliot reached out and gently stroked his temple:

"Do you know? You can hardly find any Moon-level wizards in the Central Lands now. Except for those who must hold their posts like my father, everyone else has basically run away."

His tone carried a certain absurd helplessness:

"Among the seven major schools, at least 60% of the Moon-level wizards in each school have 'applied' for otherworldly research projects. Note, I said applied, but in reality..."

Elliot shook his head with a bitter smile:

"Some were directly conscripted, some were trying to avoid possible liquidation, and others were purely out of fear."

He began to list the specific personnel losses in detail:

"Two-thirds of the associate professors at the Crystal Spire have joined the 'Spell Development' project, ostensibly to provide technical support for the expeditionary force.

But the internal news I heard is that they are actually being forced to develop more lethal war spells."

"These are all the impacts brought about by technological leaps..."

Elliot's voice became even heavier:

"The Tower Master's improvements to the otherworldly channels are indeed groundbreaking.

Her improved 'Dimensional Anchoring Technique' allows otherworldly channels that originally required Dark Sun-level power to open to now be successfully traversed by Moon-level wizards."

He sighed in a low voice:

"But this 'convenience' has completely changed the entire academic environment.

Suddenly, everyone can access otherworldly resources, and everyone has the opportunity to achieve rapid improvement."

"The result is that everyone is pursuing quick results, and the basic research that requires decades or centuries of accumulation has been completely ignored."