Chapter Summaries

Lynn, Harov, Vittorio, and Aurora contained a black crow that emerged from the unstable Space-Time Gate, expecting Ella but finding an intelligent creature calling itself the Star Messenger. The crow warned that Lord of Undead Darnatus would invade their plane and urged them to serve the God of Life and Creation, but Lynn imprisoned it while Vittorio suspected the story might be Ella’s deception.

• Harov and the other chairmen left the knighthood ceremony after a warning spell at the Space-Time Gate outside Iron City activated.
• Lynn, Harov, Vittorio, and Aurora reached the mine and worked together to restrain the expanding gate and prepare for Ella’s possible arrival.
• A golden-feathered black crow burst through the gate, evaded Aurora’s lasers, and attacked before the group confined it.
• The crow identified itself as the Star Messenger of the God of Life and Creation and warned that Lord of Undead Darnatus planned to conquer their plane.
• After the crow demanded that they release it and obey its master, Lynn sealed it inside a cage surrounded by Undying Flame.
• Vittorio questioned the crow’s claims and suggested that Ella might have sent it to mislead them.

The Wizard Council learned that the Lord of Undead Darnatus might threaten their world and began preparing nuclear weapons and stronger wizards for war. The chapter ended with four Great Wizards chosen for advancement and Lynn urging the Council to accelerate its mass-production wizard plan.

• Harov, Lynn, Aurora, and Vittorio discussed the black crow’s warning and decided to investigate beyond the Space-Time Gate while Lynn kept the crow in custody.
• Harov convened the Wizard Council, where Lynn, Aurora, and Vittorio described the threat of Darnatus and his vast undead army.
• Raphael proposed using Lynn’s [Skyfall] against the undead, and Harov ordered preparations for at least five hundred casts while Vittorio improved nuclear-fuel extraction.
• Lynn and Aurora cautioned the Council not to rely solely on nuclear weapons and supported increasing its high-end combat strength.
• The Council selected Anthony, Jeffrey, and two other Great Wizards for the next four Legendary advancement slots, and Lynn called for faster mass production of wizards.

Lynn and the Council finalized a plan to stabilize the conquered Empire, avert food shortages, and prepare for war against the Lord of Undead. Afterward, Lynn questioned the imprisoned black crow about the gods and their mission, but their conversation was interrupted when Evina arrived with a Knight from the Divine Punishment Army.

• Lynn proposed turning two hundred thousand square kilometers of the Empire’s central plains into a mechanized agricultural zone, but Vittorio limited the Council’s Wizards and Apprentices assigned to the work.
• The Council finalized its first half-year plan around stabilizing domestic affairs and preparing for war, while Lynn hoped the Lord of Undead would not find the Space-Time Gate too soon.
• Lynn reshaped the black crow’s cage but kept it trapped behind a Force Field Magic barrier, then claimed that keeping crows in cages was a local custom.
• Lynn asked the crow about the God of Life and Creation, cooperation against the Lord of Undead, and how the messenger had found their world; the crow said gods could destroy entire planes.
• A servant told Lynn that Evina had arrived urgently with a Knight from the Divine Punishment Army, and Lynn allowed her to enter.

Evina and Bard reported what they knew about the Foreign Land to Lynn, who learned about its dangerous creatures and unusual flow of time. After rewarding Bard and freeing Evina, Lynn heard that she wanted to find her brother, Lott.

• Evina brought Bard, a former Divine Punishment Army adjutant, to meet Lynn and report on the Foreign Land.
• Bard described the Foreign Land’s darkness, dangerous magical beasts, and the expeditionary force’s trips through Space-Time Gates.
• Bard revealed that time passed differently in the Foreign Land, and the Star Messenger explained that planes’ time flows synchronized after they were captured by the Main Plane.
• Lynn restored Bard’s missing hand with magic and praised Evina for bringing the information.
• Lynn freed Evina and offered her a letter of recommendation, but she asked to use her reward to find her brother, Lott.

Lynn revealed to Evina that her brother Lott had died and that he had borrowed Lott’s identity, leaving her grieving and blaming herself. He then summoned Sean to develop a timer precise enough to measure the difference in time across the Space-Time Gate.

• Evina told Lynn about her missing brother Lott, and Lynn confirmed that he knew him.
• Lynn explained that he was not Lott and showed Evina his memories of Lott’s death and his use of Lott’s identity.
• Evina realized that Lott had died after her cruel words and broke down sobbing; Lynn urged her to live meaningfully and help prevent similar tragedies.
• Lynn left Evina alone and turned his attention to preparing an expedition through the Space-Time Gate and measuring the time difference between the worlds.
• Lynn summoned Sean, praised his improved pendulum clock, and demanded a timer accurate to one millionth of a second.

Lynn assigned Sean to develop a Quartz Clock and an Atomic Clock, then convened the Speakers to plan a reconnaissance mission through the Northern Territory Space-Time Gate. A nine-person team was selected and prepared to enter the other world, with Lynn seeing them off.

• Lynn explained quartz-crystal oscillation and atomic transitions to Sean, asking him to develop quartz and atomic clocks with help from the Magic Research Institute.
• Lynn told Sean to complete the Quartz Clock first and attempt the Atomic Clock afterward, and Sean agreed to try.
• Lynn informed Harov, Aurora, and Vittorio that Bard’s intelligence indicated time flowed at different rates in the two worlds.
• The Speakers chose a nine-person reconnaissance team of one Great Wizard and eight Official Wizards to enter the Northern Territory Space-Time Gate.
• Sean completed the Quartz Clock in six days as construction expanded across the Magic Kingdom and the council struggled to select mission volunteers.
• The council selected nine candidates for the dangerous expedition, and Lynn personally came to see them off.

Lynn visited the northern Space-Time Gate as Raphael prepared to lead an expedition into the other world, where the team would investigate conditions and verify the Star Messenger’s intelligence while avoiding enemies. The chapter left Raphael and the selected wizards equipped for the dangerous crossing, including with a powerful weapon and a mysterious ring made from a melted Corona Medal.

• Lynn found Raphael leading the expedition team and learned that his broad expertise and reliability had earned him the role.
• Lynn was surprised to find Evina among the explorers; she explained that she had joined to help and had little to lose, and Raphael vouched for her combat skills.
• Vittorio explained that experiments suggested the Space-Time Gate could expand beyond fifty meters and that time flowed about 7.25 times faster on their side, though the difference was gradually shrinking.
• Vittorio gave Raphael a sphere capable of unleashing [Skyfall] and instructed the team to gather information while avoiding contact with enemies.
• Lynn gave Raphael a Ring of Secret Magic made partly from a melted Corona Medal, surprising the wizards, but did not explain what the ring might do.

Raphael led the council’s exploration team through the Space-Time Gate into a dark, frigid world, where they survived an ambush by Sand Worms and investigated the surroundings. After spotting locals scavenging the dead creatures, Raphael captured them, and the team discovered that halflings lived in the hostile land.

• Raphael led Yoland, Tick, Evina, and the others through the Space-Time Gate, where they found dense magic, extreme cold, lighter gravity, and no visible light sources.
• Tick prepared Magic Bats for scouting while Yoland sensed underground vibrations, but Sand Worms burst from the ground and attacked the group.
• Evina struck one Sand Worm in the eye, and Raphael cut down another with a laser; the team rescued a wizard swallowed by the creature and collected samples.
• Tick spotted activity nearby, so Raphael led the team away from the valley and extinguished their lightning light source.
• Three short figures returned to butcher the dead Sand Worms, and Raphael doubled back, captured one, and used lightning to stop the others from escaping.
• Raphael identified the captured locals as halflings, and the group realized that people were surviving in the hostile world.

Raphael’s expedition discovered that the halflings watching the Space-Time Gate were scavengers who could lead them to the Lord of Undead, while Lynn and Vittorio received the first report and prepared to use halflings for further intelligence. Back in the Royal Capital, Lynn learned that Lydia was at the Alchemy Research Institute, where Dennis was developing a new propulsion device for fighter aircraft.

• Tika used [Memory Retrieval] on a halfling and learned that the tribe worshipped Moon Goddess Diana and had watched the valley for years to scavenge food after Church expeditions.
• Raphael decided to find the tribe’s High Priest, then sent Tika’s report and a captive halfling through the Space-Time Gate.
• Lynn and Vittorio received the captive and Tika’s report, which described the valley, the [Sand Worm] attack, and the plan to surround the halfling settlement.
• Vittorio stayed behind to study the Space-Time Gate, while Lynn returned to the Royal Capital and briefed Harov and Aurora.
• Lynn learned that Lydia might be at the Alchemy Research Institute and discovered that Dennis was developing an explosive propulsion device for a new fighter aircraft.

Lynn visited the Magic Research Institute and learned that Dennis had abandoned propeller aircraft to develop an explosive propulsor. After hundreds of dangerous tests, Dennis’s latest trial ran successfully for a minute and reached about seven hundred kilometers per hour, leaving the researchers celebrating a breakthrough.

• Tim complained to Lynn that Dennis’s explosive-propulsion experiments had caused frequent explosions and injured many wizards and apprentices.
• Lynn and Tim entered Dennis’s damaged workshop just after an explosion, where Dennis joyfully announced that his research had succeeded.
• Dennis explained that his propulsor mixed hydrogen and oxygen, then detonated the gas to produce thrust, while Tim warned that the design was dangerously explosive.
• Lydia and the alchemists repaired the propulsor, adjusted its fuel delivery, and prepared it for the three hundred and sixty-seventh experiment.
• Dennis activated the propulsor, and it ran for a full minute without exploding as Lynn and the others watched.
• An alchemist reported that the propulsor produced thrust equivalent to about seven hundred kilometers per hour, astonishing Tim and Lynn.

Dennis’s explosive-propulsion engine was upgraded with Lynn’s compression stage and Laval nozzle, producing exhaust close to twice the speed of sound. Lynn had Dennis keep improving the engine and began planning tests and refinements for a supersonic fighter jet.

• Tim admitted he had underestimated Dennis’s research and promised the Institute would provide more support.
• Lynn proposed compressing the fuel gas and improving the engine’s cooling, materials, and nozzle, then helped Dennis modify the engine.
• Dennis and Lynn completed the modifications in under two hours and tested the engine, whose thrust exceeded the measuring device’s limit.
• Lynn identified sound barrier rings in the exhaust and explained that the airflow was approaching twice the speed of sound.
• Lydia wondered whether a fighter jet could outrun a Legendary Wizard, and Lynn warned her that spells such as his Electromagnetic Railgun and lasers were much faster.
• Lynn had Dennis dismantle the engine for further improvements and drew plans for a wind tunnel to study supersonic airflow around the fighter jet.

Lynn advised the Alchemy Research Institute on designing supersonic fighters, provided the formula for mass-producing Chlorine Trifluoride, and recruited halflings for an intelligence mission beyond the Space-Time Gate. Daren and four others agreed to go, while Lydia stayed behind, and the team was set to leave in about a week.

• Lynn showed Dennis and the researchers fighter designs and explained how a Magic Net airspace network and graphene shielding could help protect pilots and identify allies.
• Lynn gave Dennis the formula for making Undying Flame, Chlorine Trifluoride, and left him a book on Fluid Dynamics.
• Lynn asked the halflings to volunteer for a dangerous intelligence mission beyond the Space-Time Gate to assist Master Raphael.
• Daren volunteered, Lydia offered to go but Lynn told her to stay for fighter test flights, and four more halflings joined the mission.
• Lynn promised the volunteers a chance to join the Magic Net and become wizards if they completed the mission, then said they would leave in about a week.

Lynn sought a way to harm the Lord of Undead and used the Magic Net to raise his Mental Power, letting him experiment with a domain that covered the Royal Capital. He sensed that his domain resembled Ella’s power but still lacked something essential to become a Divine Domain.

• As construction spread across the empire, the second Solar Furnace was completed, and Lynn focused on developing a weapon capable of harming a god.
• The black crow told Lynn that only a god could kill a god and advised him to lure the Lord of Undead into this world in his true body, explaining that leaving his Divine Domain would endanger him.
• Lynn connected to the Magic Net’s 35,600 users and raised his Mental Power from the seventh ring to the ninth, allowing him to perceive the curvature of space-time.
• Lynn expanded his domain across the Royal Capital, alarming Dennis, Sanchez, and other wizards before he announced that he was conducting an experiment.
• Lynn sensed the people and surroundings throughout the city, but realized that his domain was not yet a Divine Domain because something crucial was missing.

Lynn discovered that two Great Wizards had died during the Legendary advancement ritual after Anthony’s success destabilized their attempts, and the council suspended further advancements. He joined Harov and Aurora in seeking Altoc, whose laboratory was empty except for a disturbing message suggesting he had merged with elemental ghosts.

• Lynn approved Anthony’s request to use the Magic Net’s computing power and left Muto guarding the caged raven.
• Anthony advanced to Legendary rank, but two Great Wizards died during their rituals, and Jeffrey abandoned his attempt.
• Aurora suspected the failures were linked to the wizards’ fear of the microscopic realm, and Harov proposed pausing advancements until the theory was better understood.
• Lynn, Harov, and Aurora traveled to Greenriel to consult Altoc, who had shut himself away in his laboratory.
• Lynn opened Altoc’s laboratory and found it empty, while Aurora discovered a message claiming Altoc had become one with the elemental ghosts.

Lynn and the others discovered that Altoc had become a fragmented, high-dimensional being spread throughout his domain, and that observing him could make him react. They suspected he had tried to turn his domain into a divine kingdom without the strength or knowledge to control the transformation, and they decided to study his research to learn how it happened.

• Aurora, Harov, and Lynn concluded that Altoc’s domain might be a quantum probability cloud and that he could be present throughout it.
• Lynn used the Magic Net to strengthen his perception, saw Altoc assembled from the domain’s elements, and shared that view with Harov, Aurora, and Igna.
• Altoc turned toward the observers and laughed that he had become an elemental ghost; Igna fainted after seeing him, and Aurora said his mind had been severely damaged.
• Lynn realized that Altoc’s drawings depicted hypercubes and theorized that a divine domain was a high-dimensional being that was itself a planet or plane.
• Aurora asked how they could restore Altoc, and Lynn proposed studying his notes and diagrams to understand how he had quantumized himself.

Lord of Undead Darnatus ordered Cecil to find the Space-Time Gate to the plane Diana had fled to, while Raphael and the others measured the Foreign Land’s gravity. The undead began searching southwest as the scientists explained that their calculations could reveal the world’s size and mass.

• Cecil summoned millions of high-level undead to Broken City and reported that the Moon Goddess’s forces offered little resistance.
• Lord of Undead Darnatus concluded that Diana had abandoned her Divine Domain for a new plane and ordered Cecil to find its portal within a month.
• Darnatus promised Cecil the Divine Domain as a reward, then revealed that one gate lay southwest of Broken City.
• Cecil sent Kolren, Valok, and the undead army to search for Space-Time Gates and ordered corpse mages to track the flow of magic.
• Raphael and the others dropped two differently sized spheres to test free fall and estimated that the Foreign Land’s gravity was about sixty percent of Eternal Star’s.
• Daren told Maka that measuring gravity could help determine the world’s size and mass, citing Chairman Lynn’s work in making a sun.

Maka asked Daren whether the outsiders could make a sun for his people, while Raphael learned that an undead host was closing in on their outpost. Back in the Magic Kingdom, Lynn explained higher dimensions after the wizards heard that Altoc had become a cloud of probability.

• Maka learned about the sun from Daren and asked the outsiders to make one for the halflings in exchange for their faith, but Daren said they would need to earn enough merit.
• Tick reported that undead were searching within fifty kilometers of the outpost and could find the spatial node within four days.
• Raphael decided the team had to lure the undead away and delay their discovery, then proposed drawing lots to choose who would return with a warning.
• Vittorio heard that Altoc had become a cloud of probability, and Aurora recounted what she and Harov had witnessed in the Land of Wizards.
• Lynn described dimensions from zero to three and explained that Altoc's condition supported the existence of a fourth spatial dimension.

Lynn and the council discussed how to perceive and fight higher-dimensional gods while preparing for an approaching undead invasion. They agreed to attempt a rescue of Raphael’s group in three and a half months, using Dennis’s supersonic fighter and Lynn’s backup plan.

• Lynn explained that ordinary beings could not reliably strike higher-dimensional opponents, but observation might reveal their position, making awakening Altoc important.
• Vittorio reported that the undead were searching for the Space-Time Gate, while Raphael planned to draw their attention away for at least half a month in the Foreign Land.
• Lynn agreed to rescue Raphael’s group and proposed using one airship and a supersonic fighter powered by Dennis’s new propulsion system.
• Lynn revealed that Raphael’s ring contained a backup measure which, combined with Vittorio’s nuclear warhead, could handle most threats.
• Harov approved the rescue plan, and Lynn set the operation for three and a half months later in their world.

The Empire expanded its wartime preparations as Lynn’s Magic Net opened to commoners, allowing Yali to awaken magic and begin learning spells. Lynn reviewed the network’s growth and prepared a secret effort to extract antimatter, hoping to build a weapon against the Lord of Undead before the invasion began.

• The Council accelerated railway construction, fortified the northern border, and mobilized workers and workshops while a mechanized harvest helped avert a food crisis.
• The Magic Net began operating across the Empire, and Yali received a [Spirit Awakening Potion] after qualifying as an early tester.
• Yali connected to the Magic Net, learned basic spells, and used [Mage Hand] to lift books before dizziness forced him to stop.
• Lynn reviewed the successful potion trials and the Magic Net’s growing network, while noting that its computational support had brought him close to the limit of a ninth-circle wizard.
• Lynn prepared restricted manuscripts on Quantum Theory and ordered a secret magic-enhanced Particle Collider to pursue antimatter for a weapon against the Lord of Undead.
• Lynn summoned Elock and instructed him to copy and deliver relativity manuscripts to Great Wizards researching quantum phenomena.

Jeffrey and fourteen other Great Wizards performed a delayed-choice Double-Slit Experiment, whose results drove nine of them mad and alarmed the council. Meanwhile, Lynn’s theory of relativity provoked fierce objections, and the wizards demanded an academic conference.

• Jeffrey led the Great Wizards in observing electrons only after they had passed through the slits, but the electrons consistently behaved like particles whenever the observation field could detect them.
• Jeffrey moved the observation field farther away, and interference spots appeared as soon as the electrons’ paths could no longer be detected.
• Arad introduced a randomized device to monitor electron trajectories, and the experiment succeeded but caused nine of the fifteen Great Wizards to go mad.
• The council was alarmed by the experimental accident and Lynn’s newly published theory of relativity.
• A councilor and other Great Wizards rejected Lynn’s claims about constant light speed and variable length, mass, and time, and they demanded an academic conference.