Chapter 1333
The ogre hoisted Walker Carter onto its shoulder, swinging its massive club and grinning as it trudged toward the nest. The cat-headed plant chattered on incessantly...
"Human mages need to chant to cast spells. So, cut out his tongue first—the meat is the most tender, best eaten raw. I learned a new roasting method from my last prey. Did you get the hang of it?
Later, slice a chunk from this transcendent lifeform’s thigh, roast it, and eat it. I recall there’s a flower near our nest—after you carve off the meat, cover his wound with it. Soon, the flesh will grow back on its own...
See? This is fate’s blessing. Take your time—he’ll last us for ages. Ah, I want some meat too! Idiot, remember to fry me a steak—medium rare, you know? Damn, you probably don’t even know what that means...
The ogre kept grinning, drooling foul-smelling saliva like a waterfall onto Walker Carter’s head. Listening to the cat-headed plant’s chatter, Walker’s eyes glazed over, filled with despair, wondering why he’d fought so hard to end up here—maybe dying outright would’ve been better...
Now he was being raised like livestock by an ogre and a bizarre cat-headed plant. His blood, flesh, and soul—all just food...
Meanwhile, the Gilded Rose continued to expand. This latest smear campaign against the Gilded Rose—anyone with a bit of influence or wit could see it was all about the Universal Core. Its profits were so immense, they threatened to shake up the entire magical artifact market.
The laws of space had already begun to take shape, though still incomplete. Dark and light laws were also forming, especially since the appearance of a true moon. With the moon, the dark laws developed faster than the light ones. Soon, Leon would be able to comprehend the laws of darkness in the demi-plane.
After this, all those with schemes gave up the idea. In every market, no one truly dominates; every power has its rival. The stalemate has lasted for years—sometimes one side is stronger, sometimes the other. In the end, it all balances out.
Now, if anyone dares to move against the Gilded Rose, the Gilded Rose will side with their rival. With that leverage, they might not destroy their enemies outright, but suppressing them becomes easy. After decades of pressure, even the biggest powers can collapse.
Lately, the Gilded Rose’s expansion has gone much smoother. Past events have tightened bonds with every partner, weaving a network that makes it easy to secure their foothold in the Odin Kingdom.
On top of that, Farrow, representing the Gilded Rose, has started connecting with several noble houses in the Odin Kingdom. The collaborations aren’t major yet, but it’s a good start. At this point, trying to suppress the Gilded Rose through business means is almost impossible...
Returning from a banquet hosted by one of the noble families, Farrow sat in the alchemical carriage, unable to hide a sigh.
Archmage Leon Merlin thinks far ahead. Just by selling the Universal Core, the Gilded Rose has already weathered so much. If they fully entered the magical artifact market with the Universal Core, they’d be crushed on all sides...
With the Gilded Rose’s current strength, trying to expand further in the Odin Kingdom under such conditions would be nearly impossible.
But by selling only the Universal Core, without fully entering the magical artifact market, the Gilded Rose keeps its bargaining power. Everyone wants to cooperate with them.
As Archmage Leon Merlin said, we’ve made the market bigger and more profitable, but haven’t jumped into the fray directly—just profiting on the edges.
They fight over profits, but it has little to do with the Gilded Rose. The Gilded Rose just supplies the Universal Core, which brings in far more profit than competing directly in the magical artifact market—and it’s much better for the Gilded Rose’s growth...
Farrow recalled how, at the banquet, almost everyone treated him kindly. No one shunned him for being an outsider; instead, they regarded him as an equal. Just at the banquet, he secured five new collaborations.
Thinking of this, Farrow couldn’t help but smile...
The Gilded Rose keeps growing. The third batch of branches is already being prepared and will open soon. For now, their main business remains alchemical potions and the Universal Core.
Alchemical potions have almost claimed the top share in the northern Odin Kingdom. They’re still second for now, but that’s just because the Gilded Rose’s network isn’t fully established. Once all thirty-eight branches are open, with Neverwinter City as the core, the Gilded Rose will undoubtedly dominate the northern market.
Production of the Universal Core is tightly controlled to keep the market in permanent shortage. The reserves of Black Vein Silver are enough to make three million more Universal Cores, and since Black Vein Silver doesn’t exist in Northend World, it’s all stored in Leon’s demi-plane—no worries about theft.
The Gilded Rose’s headquarters houses a path to Leon’s demi-plane. Technically, it’s just a projection; unless Leon personally grants access, no one else can enter.
Of course, if anyone did manage to get into the demi-plane, Leon would sense it instantly. In a fight there, even a Sky Rank Level 5 could be crushed by Leon. Even Level 6 would be easily suppressed—a little effort, and they’d be dead in the demi-plane.
The Natural Semi-Plane is evolving faster and faster—growing larger, with higher skies and thicker earth. With more Runes of Truth inscribed into the Sky Pillar, the rate of evolution has outpaced Leon’s own progress.
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The laws of space had already begun to take shape, though still incomplete. Dark and light laws were also forming, especially since the appearance of a true moon. With the moon, the dark laws developed faster than the light ones. Soon, Leon would be able to comprehend the laws of darkness in the demi-plane.
With the Gilded Rose running smoothly, Leon didn’t need to intervene. He headed to the hill where Agalon resided.
After Agalon’s training, Leon’s mastery and use of the Natural Semi-Plane had reached Sky Rank Level 4, maybe even Level 5. Even the things he couldn’t grasp yet, he understood would come with greater strength.
The Natural Semi-Plane’s rapid evolution meant its laws were outpacing Leon’s own comprehension, making insights come easier.
With his understanding of the laws at their peak, magical power became almost negligible. His control over power surpassed his current rank, naturally reaching the pinnacle of Sky Rank Level 3—ready to break through to Level 4 at any moment.
With nothing pressing, Leon made his way to Agalon. In Northend’s history, Agalon was the greatest in mastering and developing a Natural Semi-Plane. Others who acquired one might be stronger, but none understood it like Agalon did.
How many future mages studying Natural Semi-Planes have truly seen one? How many have witnessed its evolution firsthand?
Their theories might be worth considering, but believing them blindly will only lead you astray. Ever since Agalon’s training, Leon was sure of this.
If those obsessed mages really researched something, that was truth. Anything recorded and stored in the Desolate Archive could be trusted.
But when it comes to Natural Semi-Plane research, there’s no such certainty. Without firsthand experience, it’s all just theory...
Reaching the hill again, the spatial laws shifted more intensely. Leon had to exert himself fully just to set foot on the peak.
The surroundings were still a star-filled sky. Agalon lay on a recliner, gazing at the stars. There was a faint, obscure aura about him; his eyes grew deep, as if he saw something else in the night.
Leon walked forward, standing quietly to the side, waiting. Though there was no formal relationship, Agalon had become his mentor in practice—teaching him so much, and earning Leon’s deep respect.
He waited quietly for over an hour before that obscure, mysterious aura finally faded from Agalon.
"You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you?"
Agalon smiled—a clear sign he was pleased with Leon’s progress.
Leon stood respectfully to the side.
"Not long, only an hour."
Agalon nodded, still gazing at the stars. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally spoke.
"Does your Natural Semi-Plane have a corresponding coordinate established in Northend World?"
Getting lost in the Endless Void is all too common. During Northend World’s age of great planar colonization, countless explorers vanished forever in the void. Some Sky Rank mages disappeared for millennia, only to have traces of them found by later generations in newly discovered planes.
One of the greatest alchemical achievements of the planar colonization era was the Stellar Lighthouse. At their peak, every major force built one. As long as you possessed the corresponding magical device, even if lost in the Endless Void, you could sense the lighthouse and find your way back to Northend World.
Yet so many still never returned. The main reason: too many things interfere with the signal—void storms, elemental tempests, solar flares, chaotic time-space currents...
If you’re unlucky, and the interference between your magical device and the Stellar Lighthouse is too strong, you’ll be lost forever...
But with a Natural Semi-Plane, it’s completely different. Leon’s semi-plane is now utterly stable—the rules of earth, fire, water, and wind are nearly fully evolved. Space, darkness, and light laws are also developing.
It’s almost the embryo of a complete world. And a complete world must have a fixed spatial coordinate. By linking the Natural Semi-Plane to Northend World, Leon can build a coordinate and, through it, open a planar path—appearing directly in Northend World!
Even if lost in the void, Leon could use the Natural Semi-Plane as a stepping stone to return, never truly lost in the Endless Void!
No matter where he was, Leon could always return to the Natural Semi-Plane. That’s its true strength.
Leon paused. He’d known this in theory, but never thought it through. After all, everyone who’d obtained a Natural Semi-Plane in the future had vanished forever in the Endless Void...
Records say Agalon would head for the stars in ten years, only to vanish forever. If Agalon hadn’t told Leon he’d die in ten years, Leon would’ve assumed Agalon was lost too...
Anyone with a Natural Semi-Plane who disappeared in the Endless Void—there’s only one possibility: they all died...
What’s really in the Stellar Battlefield? Countless powerful beings have died there.
Leon looked up at Agalon. Agalon gazed at the stars, his expression calm.
"Leon, you’ve always wanted to see the Stellar Battlefield. Right now, it’s at its calmest—perfect timing to take you there."
With that, Agalon traced a circle in the air. The circle rapidly expanded into a screen of starlight. Agalon stepped through and vanished.
Leon followed Agalon, stepping into the shimmering curtain of starlight.
It felt like passing through a curtain of water. When Leon emerged, he found himself in the endless void.
Explosive energy and radiation filled the starry expanse. There was no air here, and corrosive forces gnawed at everything, every moment.
Leon raised a shield, floating in the void. Agalon stood nearby, and with a wave of his hand, a five-hundred-meter-long iron warship materialized. Agalon led Leon inside, and the sense of drifting finally disappeared.
The warship, five hundred meters long, was pitch-black with no reflected light. In Northend World, it would be a colossal steel behemoth, but here in the starry void, it was less than a drop in the ocean.
The warship sailed silently through the void. Inside, squads of alchemical automatons operated the vessel. Agalon led Leon to the captain’s cabin, where all barriers vanished, making it feel as if they were standing directly in the starry expanse.
Far away in the starry sky, a blazing sun hovered—no bigger than a dish. Not far off, an ugly, honeycomb-like asteroid at least a hundred kilometers across drifted by. In Northend World, such a giant could destroy a kingdom, but here it floated silently, just another stone in the void.
The warship sailed on for half an hour, and the number of giant asteroids grew—some hundreds of kilometers across, others just a few kilometers.
After eight hours, they saw countless asteroids forming a ring, orbiting a massive one several thousand kilometers wide. Its surface was scarred and pitted, like a rotten apple core.
Within the asteroid belt lay countless broken corpses of strange creatures. Leon could tell there’d once been a massive planet here, shattered by some unimaginable force...
Agalon pointed toward a patch of pitch-black starry sky.
"This is already the edge of the Stellar Battlefield. Lately, it’s been calm—no wars—but it’s still extremely dangerous for you.
Invisible star currents, if strong enough, could swallow even me if I didn’t escape.
And then there are Stellar Behemoths, Void Beasts—each one deadly. To come here, you have to travel by warship. Opening a spatial gate is far too dangerous.
Not only could it trigger unpredictable spatial changes, but it might also attract powerful Void Behemoths.
I once saw a Void Behemoth over a hundred kilometers long, its power rivaling the peak of Sky Rank and its defenses utterly terrifying. Fortunately, it feeds on stars—so as long as you don’t provoke it, you’re relatively safe.