Izroth's party entered into the large Travellers Sphere along with Kryxelsia and Sorval. The Travellers Sphere had a simple yet comfortable interior design. There was plenty of space inside, as well as, silver cushioned seats which were stationed on the outer walls that acted as a seating area.
The excitement could be seen on Mirage's face as she entered into the Travellers Sphere. From the moment they arrived in Everpeak she had wanted to ride in one of these things! Who would have thought that she would get the chance to do it so soon?!
Located in the middle of the Travellers Sphere was a strange puddle of a clear-colored liquid that levitated around one meter off the floor.
Kryxelsia held out the palm of her hand as the clear-colored liquid expanded in all directions. By the time it stopped expanding, it formed a perfect circle that was 1.5 meters in diameter.
A gentle yet powerful and concentrated stream of mana flowed into the clear-colored liquid from Kryxelsia's hand as the outer edges turned silver and something amazing appeared on the surface of it. The scene of the entire city of Everpeak showed on the surface of the liquid as it acted similar to some type of water-screen.
Izroth had read that the Travellers Spheres, due to the monstrous rate at which they consumed mana, could only be used to travel within city limits or they would barely last one minute. Therefore, the fact that they were using one to make a trip all the way to the magic capital city meant one of three things.
One, this was a perfected version that could self-sustain itself. Two, it was running off some kind of battery like object that could generate a boundless source of mana. Or three, as a member of the Trephasia race who naturally possessed a larger pool of mana than normal individuals, Kryxelsia was using her own mana to power it!
'Proximus sure knows how to live up to its reputation as the leading kingdom of magic. However, I didn't expect to meet another one so soon.'
NPC Name: Kryxelsia, Wiseman of Everpeak(???)
NPC Level: ???
NPC Knowledge Level: 999.994
Without a doubt, Kryxelsia definitely held the title of Grand Master. With such a high knowledge level, it was nearly impossible for her not to be a Grand Master. Not only that, but her knowledge level was even higher than that of Orion's! Although it was only by 0.001, Izroth knew just how difficult it was to gain a higher knowledge level as one progressed.
He felt that even if he read the books in Amaharpe's public library, his knowledge level would only go up by five to ten levels and that was being generous. Therefore, he understood just how challenging it must be for those with the title of Grand Master to accumulate even the smallest of points towards their knowledge level.
"Amazing!" Mirage exclaimed as she witnessed the view on the water-screen.
Ying Yue was also dazzled by the sight. If one looked directly into the water-screen it would seem as if they were floating on air!
〈System Alert: You have left the vicinity of the magic formation.〉
〈System Alert: Your skills have been enabled.〉
〈System Alert: Your stats have returned to normal.〉
As everyone enjoyed the ride inside the Travellers Sphere, Kryxelsia had her gaze locked onto Izroth who sat there with a carefree expression on his face. Likewise, Izroth's gaze had not left Kryxelsia from the moment they entered the Travellers Sphere.
〈System Alert: You have been affected by the skill «Spoken Thoughts».〉
"It seems that something is weighing on your mind. Do you wish to discuss it?" Kryxelsia asked. However, her lips did not move when she spoke and no one around appeared to be aware of her words. At least, no one except Izroth.
'Is this a form of telepathy?'
Izroth immediately noticed the skill that affected him and knew that it had something to do with Kryxelsia. However, when he tried to respond to her by thinking of his reply, there was no answer.
"How inconsiderate of me. This is probably your first time experiencing Spoken Thoughts. You can speak just as you normally would, however, instead of words leaving your mouth they will be transferred directly to the other person's mind. In this case, of course, that person being me." Kryxelsia explained.
"I see. An interesting spell. Any reason for using this particular method?" Izroth replied. Just like Kryxelsia, his lips did not move as he spoke and only she could hear his words.
"I find that one's true self tends to become somewhat lacking when around others. Besides, you are more aware of the overall situation than the other members of your party. Having personally journeyed to both the Shadahi Realm and the Chaotic Dogma Realm, not many individuals are capable of obtaining such achievements at your age." Kryxelsia stated.
To be quite honest, Izroth was not surprised that Kryxelsia knew that he ventured to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It would not be difficult for someone with her influence and knowledge to come by that kind of information. However, her knowing that he visited the Shadahi Realm was unexpected. After all, there were only a handful of people who knew of that journey.
"You seem to know quite a lot about me and yet I know next to nothing about you. It is an unfair advantage, would you not say?" Izroth said.
Kryxelsia knew about his name, the journeys he took, and probably even much more than she was letting on. But, Izroth doubted that someone with the title of Grand Master would be bored enough to stalk him.
"My disciple admires you a great deal." Kryxelsia replied as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Oh? Who might your disciple be?" Izroth asked.
"You will come to know, eventually. After all, they are currently within the magic capital city." Kryxelsia said.
As Izroth and Kryxelsia exchanged a few more words, Izroth finally asked the question that was on his mind.
"How long does the Mortal Realm have?" Izroth questioned.
Kryxelsia remained silent at first, but she soon replied, "Anywhere between six months to two years."
'It's even shorter than I expected.'
Since the current time ratio was 3:1, that left players with two to eight months to prepare for what lied ahead.
'It seems I can't put it off much longer…'
Izroth decided that after this quest was over, he would no longer wait to take care of something that had crossed his mind many times. Previously when it did cross his mind, he knew that it was not an unsustainable idea given his lack of funds. But, with the Mystical Realm Palace in place, that previously unsustainable idea had transformed into a real possibility!
"I'm afraid the matter this time is quite serious. In the past, the threat was always there, but it was within a certain range of control. The question no longer remains about how, but only when." Kryxelsia stated.
There was already the shadahi to be concerned about, however, it seemed that the shadahi were simply one of the numerous groups moving in the shadows and manipulating players, as well as, some events behind the scenes. The Netherworld, the League of The Eidolon, and even a kingdom like Tempest were probably only a few of the various groups.
Even Gear and Tererestiaa had appeared back when Izroth arrived before the envoy of the Netherworld. How could it be a mere coincidence that they just happened to be nearby at the time? Most likely, the two of them were moving behind the scenes as well.
'Something big is going to take place that will toss the Mortal Realm into a state of chaos. But, no matter what lurks ahead, I'll make sure that I'm more than ready for it.'
…
Around twenty minutes later…
Izroth and his party were currently in front of a grand and marvelous castle. Thanks to the Travellers Sphere controlled by Kryxelsia, they had arrived at the magic capital city in no time at all.
When Izroth looked up into the sky, he saw ten massive rings that were similar to the ones that were over Everpeak.
'The difference is night and day.'
The magic weapon's array of the magic capital city was leagues above the one over Everpeak. If the magic weapon's array in Everpeak was capable of annihilating one thousand individuals like Zephyr, then just how powerful the one in the magic capital city was. It was possible that it could even subdue legendary beings that wielded immense power!
Kryxelsia walked right past the guards that were stationed at the main door entrance that led into the castle. The guards were shocked to see the Wiseman who rarely ever left the confines of their abode. Not to mention, Sorval was also with her. Although his fame could not compare to Kryxelsia's, he was still the highly respected captain of the Evercrest Knights.
As for Izroth and his party, since they were accompanying Kryxelsia and Sorval, they were able to bypass all the complicated procedures and enter directly into the castle.
"This place is huge!" Mirage cried out as her voice carried an echo throughout the spacious region.
"It is the home of a king. It would be strange if it was not as grand as possible." Qi Jiguang commented.
A few moments later, the group reached two connected large doors with various complex magic symbols inscribed onto them.
Kryxelsia tapped the crystal on her staff against the center area of the doors as they slowly opened up and revealed a majestic throne room. At the moment, there was a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Zendai who sat upon a throne. However, this man was slightly more aged from a daily level of high stress as streaks of grey could be seen running through his hair.
There were a group of wealthy-looking individuals lined up in an orderly fashion below the throne area who were most likely nobles of the kingdom. But, there was an intense and heavy atmosphere as both sides seemed to be on edge about something.
"You're speaking a bunch of nonsense without any evidence to back it up!"
"You-! Do you think I won't deal with you myself?!"
"I'd like to see you try! Do not think that my Oras Family will be threatened into submission!"
"Hah! Your Oras Family magic is only good for watering plants!"
"You dare say that again?!"
The two sides looked as if they wanted to rip each other apart and an endless stream of insults were being sent out from each side.
Izroth and his party were a little surprised when they stepped into the throne room. Not only due to the argument that was currently taking place, but by the fact that this was the king's throne room! Kryxelsia, however, simply barged in without any warning.
When the middle-aged man on the throne saw Kryxelsia, he held his hand in the air as both sides who were arguing with one another immediately went silent. They still gave each other death glares, but none of them were willing to anger or disrespect the king. However, when they too realized just who it was that had entered into the throne room, there was a bewildered look on their face.
Kryxelsia had instantly become the center of attention and completely shifted the atmosphere in the room just by appearing! She approached the middle-aged man who sat upon the throne before halting her steps a few meters away.
"My king!" Sorval said as he kneeled after coming into a certain distance of the throne. He was not like Kryxelsia who could casually walk before the king and stand tall. Their standings were simply too far apart!
'The king of Proximus and younger brother of Zendai Proximus one of the seven heroes, Zenrou Proximus.'
Zenrou swept his gaze across those who had just entered into his throne room before giving a slight nod to Sorval's greeting. It would be a lie if he said that he was not shocked by the appearance of Kryxelsia. It was not often she made a public appearance, especially without any prior warning.
"Honored teacher, I receive you. What brings you from your abode?" Zenrou asked.
