Over the past few days, Adam had learned more about the world than he had in the weeks or even months prior. Every conversation with Aiden always revealed additional details about the world that Adam hadnât known before, whether it was the possible Zero War or the Gray Sea.
The Monster Nexuses and the Returned Monsters were also an important part of it, and to some extent, Aiden was connected to what Adam had learned about the Hollow Lands. Without his permission, Gladius wouldnât have given Adam one of the three remaining vials.
That wasnât the end of it. Now, Natta mentioned the Void Transit, which Adam had never heard of before.
"Void Transit, what is that?" Adam was puzzled.
"Itâs a method of fast travel. You have a very long journey ahead of you, and Aiden isnât going to wait days for you to reach your destination."
Adam scratched his cheek as he blinked a few times.
"Yeah, I know that getting to the Tarnished Lands and other territories takes a long time, even if itâs just the edge. But why do we need the Void Transit when there are the Detached Mountains?"
Natta decided the best solution would be to explain everything:
"Because the Detached Mountains are limited. The powerful monsters or factions block their appearance in their vast territories. Usually, the Detached Mountains are effective if the place you need is in the External Ring or Middle Ring, but if you need to get to the Deep Ring, it becomes problematic."
Adam and Silvana exchanged glances. Again, they didnât fully understand what Natta was talking about.
Sano took action.
"Come on, follow us, weâll explain everything along the way." Sano waved her hand as she headed toward the elevator.
Before taking the next step, she glanced over her shoulder at Silvana.
"You too. Aiden said to bring both of you."
"Agh...?" Silvana gasped.
As an Operator, she always stayed at the Citadel. All Operators did this because it was the safest place in the world for humans, and from there they could assist their Phantoms at full power.
"Donât worry. Youâll be fine."
Adam nodded. He didnât mind. In fact, he wanted Silvana to see the Void Transit as well.
Soon, the elevator doors closed as Adam and Silvana stepped into the standard dark car usually used by government agents.
"So? What are these rings you were talking about?" Adam asked Natta as they drove out of the First Ring.
"It indicates how far a particular place is from the lands. Before, you didnât need to know this, but now that youâve grown stronger, you need to learn about it."
Natta continued:
"You remember when you first visited the Tarnished Lands, donât you?"
Adam nodded. "Yeah, I used a teleport and a Spire back then. I fought a monster near the border."
"Exactly, back then you were at the External Ring of the Tarnished Lands. When you were at Izardo, or at the Primal Lands and Hollow Lands, you were at the Middle Ring. In those two territories, the Detached Mountains work perfectly.
"The number of spatial anomalies there is more than enough to get to practically any place in those two rings across these three lands."
Silvana turned to Natta.
"What about the Dark Shore? The Detached Mountains donât work there at all, right?"
"Yes," Natta confirmed. "The Befallen Crown keeps an eye on that. They treat every spatial anomaly as a potential enemy portal. However, thatâs not the only problem. The energy at the Dark Shore is too powerful."
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"The Free End and the neutral lords, they influence this too, donât they?"
"Correct. Even if they arenât as aggressive toward the spatial anomalies as the Befallen Crown, their auras are too powerful for these anomalies. Thus, the Detached Mountains are suitable for travel through two of the three landsâ rings, and thatâs it."
For a moment, Adam fell deep in thought, rubbing his chin.
"I see. So Iâve already been to the External Ring and the Middle Ring. What about the Deep Ring? It seems getting to such distant territories isnât easy at all."
Natta nodded.
"Sure, but technically, youâve been to the Deep Ring once."
"Agh?" Adam was confused.
He knew that the far reaches of any lands were extremely dangerous. He didnât recall this happening on his recent missions. Even in the Primal Lands, he hadnât ventured that far.
Sanoâs voice rang out:
"Sheâs talking about the Pit, Adam. That territory is far enough away to be part of the Deer Ring in the Hollow Lands. However, you were in the safe part of it, which is actually a good thing."
âDoes the Pit have several parts?â Adam muttered to himself before shaking his head. âNo, thatâs not the point. Was the place I went to with Sarka the safe part? What happens in the dangerous one, then?â
After a moment, Adam leaned forward, staring intently at Sano.
"Alright, I get it. Now I need to go to the Deep Ring of the Tarnished Lands, and for that I need the Void Transit?"
"Yes."
"Are there no other ways?" Silvana asked warily.
The corners of Sanoâs lips turned up into a mocking smirk.
"Well, no oneâs stopping you from going there on foot, but to do that youâll have to cross the Dead Lands, the Tarnished Lands, the two rings, and you donât even know the way. Though, thatâs not a problem. The danger is that youâll make Aiden wait, and he doesnât like that."
Lost in their conversation, Adam and Silvana didnât notice that they had already arrived at their destination.
They were still at the First Ring, but the building in front of them wasnât a skyscraper or a fancy restaurant.
It was an unremarkable brick building with locked wooden doors.
Adam doubted that the Void Transit was actually located here, but...
A creak.
The door opened as a girl in casual clothes stepped out. There was nothing unusual about her except that she was wearing only white and her aura didnât resemble that of an ordinary human.
âGamma Division. Huh, these guys really do control absolutely everything, right? Well, letâs see what this Void Transit looks like.â