Chapter 265: Appetizer

The study’s heavy door closed silently behind him, sealing off the Level 7 wizard’s aura.

Jie Ming stood in the radiant corridor, exhaling softly.

Despite Dionysius Spencer’s affable demeanor, the invisible gap in life essence still exerted an indescribable pressure.

A few steps later, he spotted the Level 1 wizards.

They hadn’t left, instead whispering excitedly at the corridor’s end, their faces alight with irrepressible joy.

Seeing Jie Ming, they rushed over, their eyes brimming with gratitude and a touch of awe.

“Lord Jie Ming!” The lead wizard bowed respectfully, clutching a crystal vial with a shimmering strand of light—the source of their elation.

Dionysius Spencer, true to his Level 7 status, was generous, granting each wizard a strand of Plane Origin.

“Thanks to you! Without you, forget this opportunity—we might not even have our lives…”

The others echoed, their gratitude overflowing.

The glowing origin in their hands was a beacon in the dark for these struggling wizards, a hope to change their fates.

Theoretically, wizards could borrow to buy origin for advancement, but many lacked even the qualifications to go into debt.

Only a few lucky ones could amass enough merits quickly or show potential to attract investment; most low-tier wizards perished on planar conquests before earning enough.

Now, with a pure strand of origin, they glimpsed a chance to reach the Level 3 threshold.

In the perilous planar wars, such an opportunity was life-altering.

Jie Ming nodded calmly: “You earned this. You chose to follow me back, not the other possibilities.”

His words carried weight, reminding them of the danger they’d faced, sending a shiver through them.

Indeed, in that situation, a ruthless Jie Ming could have sacrificed them alongside Levin Mills for Plane Origin, and no one would’ve known.

A few wizards hesitated, as if wanting to exchange contact information.

Befriending a powerful, well-connected, principled genius like Jie Ming would be invaluable.

But recalling his composed demeanor before a Level 7 wizard and the vast gap in strength and potential, their courage faltered.

In the end, they only thanked him again, leaving with excitement and a hint of regret.

Jie Ming watched their retreating figures, fully aware of their thoughts.

He didn’t mind connecting with promising low-tier wizards; the wizard’s path was long, and more allies meant more paths.

But if they lacked the courage to try, he wouldn’t lower himself to offer.

Different paths led to different circles—without the drive to strive, their futures would diverge.

His thoughts returned to Dionysius Spencer’s casual phrase.

“Appetizer…” The word echoed in his mind.

Brief as it was, it carried immense implications.

Could this resource-rich void plane be merely a prelude for higher beings?

What, then, was the “main course”?

A chill crept down his spine, but Jie Ming quickly suppressed these thoughts.

As he’d reasoned, probing too far now was pointless and could invite trouble.

His priority was to digest this harvest and ensure enough strength for future explorations.

The haul was substantial.

Twenty strands of pure origin, refined by a Level 7 wizard, were worth far more than natural ones, equivalent to two hundred million merits.

Even for Jie Ming, this was significant.

Though his “Self-Stabilizing Field Regulation Protocol” patent brought steady income, its growth had slowed, soon to stabilize at a hundred million merits annually, as he’d predicted.

This time, in just two months, he’d earned two years’ worth of income.

This didn’t include the rare creatures and unique resources collected, their research value incalculable.

The mutated spider-snake alone, if sold, would tempt even Level 4 or 5 wizards.

But before diving back into the void plane, Jie Ming prioritized boosting his survivability.

The plane’s dense wind elements caused ubiquitous spatial distortions, and his recent ordeal underscored their danger.

Without effective detection and protection, exploring distorted zones was like a blind man riding a blind horse.

He pulled out his magic network terminal, scanning the camp’s latest announcements and supply lists.

A welcome update caught his eye: spatial fluctuation detection artifacts, previously scarce or tightly controlled, were now open for exchange to all exploring wizards, requiring only merits at the affairs center.

This was clearly to meet the growing demand for exploring spatial distortion zones.

Though spatial rule knowledge required at least Level 3 to grasp, limiting artifact production, the camp subsidized prices, making them affordable—just ten thousand merits.

A hefty sum for individuals, but manageable for a well-equipped wizard team.

With such a tool, exploration efficiency and safety would soar, far outweighing the cost.

Jie Ming headed to the affairs center, using his identity and merits to smoothly acquire a palm-sized, compass-like spatial fluctuation detector from the alchemical puppet.

He injected mental energy to test it.

The compass’s center glowed, a cool energy stream flowing into his eyes.

His vision shifted, revealing subtle “folds” and “ripples” in space.

Though far less detailed than his All-Purpose Eye’s rule analysis, it clearly marked stable and distorted spatial boundaries intuitively.

And it carried almost no mental load, sustainable for long periods.

“A solid tool,” Jie Ming nodded, satisfied.

It was like a simplified, always-on spatial vision aid, ideal for wide-range scouting and avoiding hazards.

Leaving the affairs center, he returned to the central square.

Compared to two months ago, it was livelier, with more wizard stalls.

Rare spatial-attuned materials and basic artifacts, once scarce, now appeared on stands.

Though quality varied, prices were steep.

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Clearly, word of the distortion zones’ rich resources had spread, igniting exploration fervor.

Jie Ming blended into the crowd, quietly listening to wizards’ chatter, gathering data on danger levels, resource distributions, and unverified rumors.

Simultaneously, via his terminal, he locked onto and accepted a mission to explore an unknown biological cluster.

Located at the edge of a newly discovered large spatial fold, initial scans suggested a unique ecosystem with research value, perfectly suiting his needs.

“Before that lord’s ‘main course’ begins, I need to stock up on enough ‘provisions.’”

Muttering to himself, Jie Ming transformed into a streak of light, leaving the floating city and speeding toward the mission’s unknown region.