Chapter 520: Chapter 489: Colossus of the Domain of Void (2/3)
"Huaâan?"
When Ian and Huaâan found the purple sphere nestled in the misty sofa, Morphia also expressed surprise in her voice, "Arenât you... supposed to be on a mission in South Ridge? How come youâre back in the Imperial Capital? The mentor will scold you, you know."
"And this one is..." She turned her headâor truth be told Ian couldnât quite grasp how a sphere would turn its head, but instinct told him she indeed turned and conveyed a âtilting head in puzzlementâ sort of feeling.
"This is a wild kinsfolk I encountered on my way through South Ridge!"
And Huaâan was not the least bit afraid of the mentorâs punishment; she said confidently, "On the road, I also met a wild, native junior, and I enlightened her with the form and spirit-awakening ritual... Humph, I didnât delay the mission, because that wild, native junior happened to come from the Great Labyrinth of the Southern Sea!"
"Oh? Thatâs quite a coincidence."
Morphia must be a rather gentle Fae; she spoke softly while sizing up Ian and Huaâan, "Indeed, a different presence from the Fae of other regions... It looks like we will have many more kinsfolk in the future."
"And... Mr. whoâs yet unknown to us by name, you must be... Humans, right?"
She asked curiously.
"Yes. My name is Ian, and indeed I am a Human who took the Fairy Potion. I thank Miss Huaâan for leading me here."
Ian replied simply. In this place where one could only see spheres, a real formal visit would probably require a trip back to reality.
"Congratulations to you. Itâs been almost several decades now since someone besides Fae arrived in the Domain of Void, and it was under your guidance... As expected of Huaâan, one of the earliest geniuses among us to get a qualification certificate. The community will definitely celebrate you grandly, even throwing a banquet in your honor!"
Morphia chuckled in appreciation. The purple sphere nudged against the golden-brown sphere, and although Huaâan initially spun around happily, she eventually seemed puzzled, "Eh, where are the others? Lanlei, Chenyao, and Huan Lan?"
"Morphia, how come itâs only you left around here?"
Huaâanâs tone sounded like someone who had wanted to meet a bunch of friends to show off her recent achievements, only to arrive at the usual spot and find everyone missing, leaving her utterly aloneâa tone filled with a mix of regret, loss, and a slight sense of being wronged.
Ian actually wasnât so skilled at detecting so many meanings and emotions, but mainly because the Domain of Void was purely a spiritual realm, all of this information was displayed before his eyes, making it hard not to notice.
Itâs no wonder Fae are always so sincere, accustomed to this form of communication; they couldnât possibly accept the secretive nature of Humans.
"They all went west."
Morphia pondered for a moment, seemingly unconcerned, and then recalled to provide a concrete answer, "You know, in a little while, thereâs a big banquet at the Seven Cities Alliance. In the winter, thereâs also a big banquet at the City of Knowledge. Theyâve obviously gone ahead to secure their spots."
"Oh, I forgot about the banquet."
Huaâan bobbed up and down, a look of realization dawning on her, "What about you?"
"Iâm waiting for the results of the Solitary Mountain conference here... Plus, you know I like to read at home..."
Morphia didnât seem to mind, "Moreover, the banquets in recent years have become less interesting... The situation of the world has grown tense, and many traveling bands and performance groups canât gather."
"One of my favorite Dwarf Heavy Metal Bands is locked in their country because of the war with the Azure Sky Royal Court."
"Indeed."
Apparently, Huaâan was also not very interested in the recent banquets. She continued to talk about Fae topics with Morphia, then suddenly realized she might have neglected Ian, quickly turning to him.
Then, she saw Ian picking up a book next to Morphia with interest.
"Like reading?"
Seeing this, Morphia also seemed quite pleased, raising her voice, "That is a good habit indeed. Iâve always said that reading can purify the soul, expand oneâs experiences, and elevate oneâs spiritual realm... Itâs a pity that Fae donât quite understand."
"We just need a spiritual transcription to learn."
Disagreeing with Morphiaâs view, Huaâan shook her head slightly, "Whatâs really important is mastering practical operations and forming the habit of acquiring knowledge. Reading is just one way to master knowledge, not the whole of it, so donât mistake the focal point."
"I think,"
At this moment, Ian spoke up, looking at the two Fae, "that the very process of reading slowly is itself a form of advancement, akin to meditation. Of course, not many people can cultivate such a habit."
"Well said." Morphia laughed softly, while Huaâan huffed and bounced, "What kind of Wind Fairy are you, you should just be a Book Fairy!"
"Without the wind, how would I turn the pages for the books?"
The Fae continued to banter and chat lively, while Ian looked at Morphiaâs book.
The books that Morphia read were mostly concerning history and folk tale research, among which were many records about archaeological studies and explorations of the civilization from the previous era... Many of these contained precious information about The Lost Age, the kind that was unlikely to be released by libraries in general.
They must be the private collection of this Fairy Miss.
âIt seems I really should find an opportunity to meet this Fairy in reality.
If Ian could copy these books with the Silver Chip, he would have many more texts to read on his journey... He should think about what gifts to bring over.
However, it was at this moment that Ian suddenly felt a bit of fatigue.
The pale blue sphere that constituted his body began to wobble slightly, as if suffering a poor connection.
"Hmm, for such a long time... Ian, you really are more of a Fae than the actual Fae!"
Huaâan noticed this and couldnât help but nod in admiration, "To only start feeling fatigued now, your spiritual strength is incredibly resilient. I myself could only stay for about five or six minutes before leaving, yet itâs your first time and youâve managed nearly half an hour!"
"But since youâre tired, letâs head back."
However, it was at this moment.
A sudden burst of ice-blue flames descended from the starry sky, like thunder, or perhaps a falling star.
The sky of the Domain of Void was instantly torn apart by the dazzling lightning, creating a rift of nihility, from which thousands of flames and electric arcs burst forth, intertwining and flickering, eventually tearing open a flickering gate in midair.
Boom!
The roar of the thunder resounded in all directions.
Crack.
A clear sound, as if something shattered, came through.
Following that, a hand, an enormous hand forged from steel, reached out and pressed against the edge of the thunderous gate.
The first to appear was a huge and fearsome horn, like a blade rising high and pointing straight at the sky.
What then stepped out from the gate was a silver-blue metallic head,
The ferocious mechanical giant emerged from the gate, making its three pairs of eyes, each resembling a miniature star, appear in the heavens and the earth.
This was a Colossal Divine Soldier.
A God of carcasses constructed of steel, wreckage, fierce flames, and thunder.
It had sharp blade-like horns, three pairs of eyes that burned everything in sight, and a pair of muscular arms that humans found hard to comprehend, both arms as massive as its torso, filled with destructive power.
Its towering body was fused together from myriad broken machines, cruel metal structures protruding from the damaged gears and shells, mixed with countless ice-blue sparks spilling from inside.
[ââFinal Deleter·Deletedisââ]
When this Colossus of the Void, built from countless codes, bizarre information, Spirit Energy, and souls materialized, Morphiaâs eyes suddenly brightened.
"It finally appeared."
The purple orb, fearless and instead excitedly exclaimed, "Final Deleter·Deletedis! After waiting for five months, Iâve finally encountered the Mech Deity of ruination that has been wandering the virtual realms around the Imperial Capital! My thesis material is finally here!"
"Sorry though."
The Fairy Miss said apologetically to Huaâan and Ian, "I probably canât escort you back, I need to start Dream Academyâs observation work!"
Huaâan seemed unfazed by this, "Good luck! Such a Fourth Energy Level peak Voidrealm Machine God is rare, be sure to record everything well!
"Goodbye, Morphia. Iâll take Ian back first."
"Mmhmm!" The purple Spirit Energy orb, still excited, nodded with a smile toward the two of them, "Then, you two, see you again in the real world next time."
"Mm... Goodbye, Miss Morphia." Ian, gazing at the distant Mech Deity, mustered up the strength to say his farewell.
The boy didnât even have time to be surprised at the Faeâs nonchalant attitude, merely doing his utmost to observe the miraculous sight in the distanceâthunder and flames sweeping across the sky, yet clearing away all the dim impurities and mosaic-like objects âcompletely.â
The somewhat hazy sky instantly became clean and clear.
ââIs this... some kind of self-checking device? A system garbage clean-up?
He looked into the distance at the Colossal Divine Soldier, shimmering with a dark silver glow and even a golden core, taking a step forward, and suddenly had a realization.
ââIs this what Huaâan alluded to, the form of the intelligence from The Lost Age civilization that had been wandering the Domain of Void for over a thousand years?
Incredible. Extremely dangerous and yet immensely powerful.
"Indeed..." He murmured, looking at the Mech Deity, which paid no attention to them and simply patrolled its route, clearing the garbage of the virtual realm, "This is very dangerous... a labyrinth indeed."
Then, he disappeared from the Domain of Void together with Huaâan.
The mist began to disperse.
Ian felt his spirit and soul returning to his own body at a steady and soothing pace, vaguely aware that this was Huaâan trying to help him maintain a relatively normal speed.
If it had been left up to him, he might have ascended too quickly and resorted to a harsh method of breaking out of meditation, which would have caused spiritual trauma.
"Thank you."
He said quietly, while Huaâan responded with a smile, "No need to thank me... actually, without you, I wouldnât have been able to do thisâthis is quite an important research project for us Fae as well! I should be thanking you for your cooperation!"
"Then itâs a win-win situation!" the youth smiled.
"Yes, a win-win!" the Fae nodded happily.