Chapter 130: The Gateway to a New World
Lannis recounted the story of Rebecca and the machine.
Rebecca had always been fascinated by spatial magic, her research beginning at a young age.
Although her magic level was only fifth-tier, considered mid-level, her understanding of spatial magic surpassed that of any mage on the continent. To compensate for her limited magical power, she utilized potions, machines, and magic arrays.
Spatial magic was considered a useless field, too niche to even be considered a proper school of magic. A mage of average skill, after a month of studying spatial magic, could maybe teleport a cat stuck in a tree to the ground, risking leaving its tail behind. Abyss, considered one of the most skilled spatial mages on the continent, had accidentally shaved off a dwarf’s beard while performing a short-range teleportation earlier.
No sane mage would dare teleport themselves or their companions using spatial magic. The existing techniques were unstable, each spellcasting carrying significant risks and uncertainties. And spatial magic required close proximity, preferably direct contact, with poor accuracy. Even Abyss could only guarantee that the dwarf had been teleported within the graveyard’s boundaries. These limitations made it impractical for combat or escape. It was easily disrupted, and attempting to use it under such circumstances could result in spell failure at best, or a messy self-bisection at worst.
This was why spatial magic was considered useless. It had no practical applications. Mages valued efficiency. No one wanted to waste their precious magical power on something so unreliable.
But Rebecca had never given up on spatial magic. Lannis had questioned her reasons, but Rebecca remained tight-lipped, focusing on her research. At the age of seventeen, she proudly announced to Lannis that she had achieved a breakthrough. She had discovered a way to travel to another world and had even conducted preliminary explorations. She then drew two blueprints, one for the “World Conduit” that Abyss had just dismantled, and another for the archway before them, called the “Gateway to the New World,” and began construction immediately.
Lannis hadn’t anticipated that her mistress intended to use spatial magic not for transportation, but for interdimensional travel. She had tried to dissuade Rebecca from experimenting with such an unstable device, but Rebecca was determined. She completed both machines. Then, she created five special magic crystals.
She embedded two crystals into the World Conduit and the Gateway to the New World. The World Conduit remained inactive, but the Gateway activated with a flash of light, a shimmering portal appearing within the archway.
This was a technology that existed only in legends, never before realized in Hai-Teweru. Rebecca tossed a pile of equipment through the portal, then turned to Lannis with a final instruction.
“I’ve discovered that this other world might contain a natural source of high-quality alchemical solvents. Once I’m there, I’ll activate the other end of the World Conduit. If all goes well, simply pouring a bit of magic into this end will produce an endless flow of solvents. It will be invaluable for my research,” she said. “I’ll explore this world further, but I know very little about it. I might even die there. If I don’t return within a week, announce my death. I’ve written my will. You must follow my instructions. Lannis, don’t try to stop me. This is something I have to do, something I must accomplish.”
With those words, Rebecca, carrying the remaining three magic crystals and equipped with various tools, stepped into the portal, vanishing in a flash of unstable magical energy. The crystal embedded in the Gateway shattered. That night, when Lannis poured magic into the World Conduit, it successfully produced high-quality alchemical solvents. But Rebecca never returned.
Lannis, following Rebecca’s instructions, announced her death and burned all her notes and most of her inventions, as per her will. However, hoping to see her mistress again, she secretly kept the Gateway to the New World and the World Conduit. She disguised the Gateway as a statue of herself, but before she could conceal the World Conduit, a group of gangsters, learning of Rebecca’s death, stormed her laboratory, looting everything of value, seeking revenge for her constant interference in their affairs. Lannis lost an eye during the attack. When she woke up, cared for by a few people Rebecca had helped in the past, the World Conduit was gone.
For the next thirty years, the World Conduit changed hands numerous times, its previous owners meeting unfortunate ends due to their rivals’ envy. It eventually ended up in the possession of the Goat Eyes Gang—their leader was cunning, ruthless, and well-connected. He guarded his treasure jealously, using it to amass a fortune. Recently, rumors of the Goat Eyes Gang’s possession of this miraculous machine spread, attracting the attention of various factions and rekindling Lannis’s hope. It contained the last remaining magic crystal that might be useful.
She wanted to rescue Miss Rebecca, or at least find her remains, even just her bones. Lannis had nothing left to lose. She was willing to risk her life for this one chance.
“Let me see the portal,” Abyss said, looking at Lannis. “Simply embedding the crystal won’t affect its lifespan, right?”
“That’s right. Go ahead. I’m placing my last hope on you. And you should thank that Gray Elf who vouched for you,” Lannis said, nodding, her voice resigned.
Abyss retrieved the magic crystal from his catfish’s mouth and, following Lannis’s instructions, carefully embedded it into a slot within the Gateway to the New World, then channeled his magic into another designated spot.
Hummm
Despite being inactive for over forty years, the portal remained functional. A shimmering, multicolored curtain of light appeared within the archway, a faint magical hum filling the air.
As Abyss marveled at the ingenuity of this invention, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Several scenes flashed through his mind.
A desolate wasteland, abandoned factories, crumbling city ruins…
A vast graveyard stretching for miles, dominated by a towering altar…
Finally, the images settled on a clear pool of water.
A young woman, her face obscured, lay at the bottom of the pool, her bare feet pale and delicate, her white dress swaying gently in the current, her hands clasped on her chest. The surface of the water, rippling with light, hid her features.
In her slender hands, adorned with jade-white nail polish, she clutched a piece of paper, a short phrase written in ancient language.
“Kiss me.”
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