Chapter 942: Change
The raging Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind outside the demi-plane seemed to vanish in an instant. Within the demi-plane, Leon could no longer sense the wild powers of the void beyond.
Leon hovered in midair, feeling the steadily thinning mana within the demi-plane. Instead of frowning, he let a faint smile slip across his face.
The Four Elemental Rules—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind—had finally stabilized within the demi-plane.
The demi-plane was expanding wildly. The same amount of mana, spread over a larger space, naturally became less concentrated. After all, the growth of a demi-plane itself demanded a staggering amount of mana.
It's not the consumption of mana that's worrying—it's the lack of consumption that's truly concerning.
Lately, the demi-plane's growth had slowed to a crawl. More and more Mana Vines sprouted, drawing ever-increasing amounts of mana from the void. The mana inside the demi-plane had grown almost too dense, and even the Mana Pool had swelled in size.
This wasn't a good sign. It meant the demi-plane was growing far too slowly. If it were developing at the proper pace, mana would always be in short supply, never in surplus.
Just now, the demi-plane's expansion had burned through half its mana reserves. Stabilizing the Four Elemental Rules also devoured a massive amount of mana—over half the Mana Pool was spent.
A faint smile played on Leon's lips. As his bond with the demi-plane grew tighter, his control over it deepened. He could even confirm the feasibility of his most reckless idea, and the excitement was hard to contain.
He had simultaneously used the Four Elemental Rules—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind—as his foundation. Now, by channeling his insights, he stabilized those same elements within the demi-plane, effectively rooting its existence in the Four Elemental Rules as well.
In that moment, mountains and rivers, clouds and rain, breezes and all forms of nature rose up—every aspect of the demi-plane was infused with a balance and cycle of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. This was the first true glimpse of a world taking shape.
Completely unlike any ordinary plane.
Take the Blazeforge Realm, for instance—it could never become a true world. From the very beginning, the Fire Rule was far stronger than Earth, Water, and Wind during its evolution.
That's why, in the Blazeforge Realm, fire spells are always a bit stronger than others, and even the treasures born there are slanted toward the Fire Rule.
So, the Blazeforge Realm can only ever be a plane—it will never evolve into a true world.
But Leon's Natural Semi-Plane was unfolding along a completely different path.
Previously, Leon had planned to use this Natural Semi-Plane as his anchor. Owning such a plane meant a mage would never have to worry about running out of mana, with an entire plane to support them.
Throughout the history of Northend, even at its peak, the greatest use of a Natural Semi-Plane was just that. If it eventually grew into a full-fledged plane, that was already considered a great achievement. No one had ever managed to develop a Natural Semi-Plane into a true world.
Because no one had ever used the Four Elemental Rules as their foundation, nor had anyone possessed a Natural Semi-Plane that hadn't yet matured when establishing those rules.
Keep in mind, Leon had not only fused Constantine's Skull, but his core meditation principle—the Heart of Elements Codex—had evolved from the standard fifteen core formulas to an unprecedented sixteen.
By the time Northend was on the brink of destruction, only one meditation system with sixteen core formulas remained—the Void Furnace.
And that wasn't all—the Heart of Elements Codex was further empowered by the Death Tome, and he wielded the strongest Magus Rune-powered Arcane Gear.
With these unmatched advantages, he should've forged his own Rule Foundation upon advancing to Title Archmage. Yet, it wasn't until he reached Sixth-Rank Title Archmage that the foundation finally took shape. For anyone else, such difficulty would've been utterly impossible.
Now, with the Four Elemental Rules fully stabilized in the demi-plane, its foundation was also formed by those same rules—opening up even greater possibilities for the Natural Semi-Plane.
The possibility of truly growing into a real world...
The Natural Semi-Plane had finally begun to take the shape of a true world. Relieved, Leon left the demi-plane and opened the portal back to Radiance Fortress.
Leon didn't bring anyone else—he returned to Radiance Fortress alone.
Stepping out of the portal, he was greeted by a fortress utterly transformed from before. Alchemical golems crowded every street, and the defensive perimeter was lined with patrolling constructs. At each of the four corners stood massive watchtowers, sending out ripples of mana that spread in every direction.
These watchtowers were also a type of Alchemical Golem, designed specifically for alerting intrusions. With all four in place, no one could hope to sneak near Radiance Fortress unnoticed. The moment anything was detected—be it human, magical beast, or undead—the nearby golems would tear it to shreds without mercy.
Now, there wasn't even a single rat left in Radiance Fortress—everything had been wiped out.
Leon arrived, and Wagner, who controlled Radiance Fortress, sensed his presence immediately.
It had been a while since they'd last met. Wagner no longer seemed awkward—gone was the kidnapped maiden's despair and resentment. Now, he almost enjoyed himself, striding over and kicking aside an Alchemical Golem that happened to block his way.
"Archmage Merlin, you're finally here! I've got a mountain of issues to report. The Alchemical Golem production at the base has started to recover. We've managed to recreate a large number of labor golems.
We're not short on basic materials, and Lord William has delivered plenty of high-grade ones, so that's mostly covered. But we still can't produce the more advanced Alchemical Golems.
The main problem is research—many of the base's facilities haven't been used in ages, especially the ones for making rare components. Most of those are broken and can't produce the precision parts we need.
The power systems are a major issue too, and they severely limit the golems. Without help from alchemists, the base can't advance any further..."
Wagner started complaining right away. At first, he'd been disciplined by Lord Sean countless times, but after taking charge of Radiance Fortress and the underground base, his interest grew. Now, he was eager to learn everything about Alchemical Golems. Seeing production hit a bottleneck, he was the first to worry—even before anyone else.
Leon waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. Unless something goes wrong, your problem should be solved within a month."
Wagner looked skeptical, hesitating as he counted on his fingers.
"Archmage Merlin, it's not that I doubt you, but we need hundreds of Alchemical Golems here—not just one or two. And not apprentice-level helpers, either. Every alchemist you send needs to be a full-fledged professional, preferably master alchemists, with a few grandmasters if possible. If you could find a Creator, that would be ideal..."
Leon just smiled, unfazed by Wagner's demands, as if he'd anticipated them all along.
Wagner was baffled, feeling the world was changing far too quickly.
Since when had alchemists become so common? Did Archmage Merlin really have a way to find hundreds of them?
Hundreds of alchemists—not apprentices, but full professionals, with plenty of masters and grandmasters for research.
Could Archmage Merlin really gather so many alchemists in just a month?
Impossible. This isn't Northend. Even in Northend, it's hard to find hundreds of full alchemists at once. The George Family couldn't possibly spare that many, especially with grandmasters leading and a dozen masters assisting.
Even the George Family couldn't field such a complete team of alchemists—enough to tackle a major project and sustain an entire industry.
In a place like the Blazeforge Realm, even those from Sky City—the ones with the most alchemists—couldn't muster so many at once.
Wagner's mind raced with schemes. He'd just wanted to ask for the moon—listing every need in hopes Leon would deliver as many alchemists as possible. But Leon agreed instantly, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
He didn't voice his doubts, though. Lately, he'd seen too many unbelievable things—and after being disciplined by Lord Sean, he had a psychological shadow. He kept his mouth shut and just followed orders.
Wagner led Leon to a large warehouse, where rows of Alchemical Golems stood neatly. These were the latest products—battle golems, labor golems, all ready for deployment. The labor golems were perfect for managing captured fortresses, mining veins, and excavating ruins—tasks that required massive manpower.
Leon opened the pathway to his demi-plane, letting the massive army of Alchemical Golems march inside.
Including all the labor golems, at least two thousand Alchemical Golems entered the demi-plane—yet it barely seemed affected.
Before the Four Elemental Rules were fully stabilized, just a few hundred Level-30-plus Alchemical Golems could have collapsed the plane.
Now, with two thousand golems, the demi-plane was barely fazed.
This was the benefit of growth and advancement—Leon could now easily transfer his entire Alchemical Golem Army.