Heading to Mystra!

"Is Vilan targeting me?"

This was the first thought that popped into Roger's mind.

But he quickly dismissed that idea.

Because the date on the document was a month ago.

The "Galaxy City Gathering" mentioned in the letter also happened two weeks ago.

If Vilan really has his eye on him.

This letter will definitely arrive on time.

Consider the tone of the letter.

It's not hard to guess that this letter is probably the kind of mass text message sent to people.

"It seems to be just a routine test of the new forces in the South."

Roger let out a long sigh of relief.

Even so.

Roger dared not be negligent.

He then arranged to meet Cecilia at the palace an hour later.

Then he turned and buried himself in the ground.

It quickly swam towards the "Jade Phoenix Nest".

Over the past three months.

Roger spent most of his time mining underground, not because he was addicted to mining, but because the Jade Phoenix Egg in Ashes Field were showing signs of unstable life.

As a prospective Jade Phoenix Mage, Roger naturally had to stay by his side to protect him.

After several rounds of careful inspection.

Roger deduced that this was a minor fluctuation caused by a decrease in heating from the Ashes Field, which wouldn't actually have a significant impact on Yu Feng's growth.

When Hongye was around, the Ancient Red Dragon itself was a significant heat source, and its presence helped the Jade Phoenix hatch.

After Hongye died.

With one less source of heat in the Ashes Field, the Jade Phoenix consciousness inside the egg immediately became unhappy and began to cause a ruckus.

Roger took appropriate remedial measures—he had Cindy put on the "Kobold God's Miner Hat" and, after transforming into Dragon Vein Warlock, summoned an adult red dragon from the Sub-Plane.

After a warm and friendly exchange.

The red dragon named "Capeci" became a full-time Jade Phoenix incubator.

With Capeci's daily fire-breathing performance as an added bonus.

The hatching speed of Yu Feng increased by approximately 30%.

This made Roger very satisfied with Capecci's work.

So every day after he finished mining, he would come to the Jade Phoenix Nest to "visit" this red dragon.

certainly.

The medium for this act of pleasure is a "Intelligence Reduction Hand"...

For Roger.

All he wanted was a dragon for incubating eggs.

As for evil creatures like the red dragon...

He wasn't as lenient with Cindy as he was with her.

So not long after.

Capesi was turned into an idiot by him.

With the help of "Mass Hypnosis" Augustus.

This red dragon has successfully become a nanny who only knows how to forage for food and incubate eggs.

despite this.

Roger still sent four Volcanic Quasi-Horned Demon to help guard the Ashes Field.

On the one hand, these guys can also add fuel to the fire.

On the other hand, he also had the intention of guarding against the possibility that Red Dragon might be pretending to be stupid.

However, as time goes by...

The red dragon and the Volcanic Quasi-Horned Demon are getting along more and more harmoniously.

Roger gradually calmed down.

He came here today to perform the final brainwashing and hypnosis on Capeci.

After that, he was able to temporarily put aside his underground affairs.

The hatching of the jade phoenix is, after all, a very long process.

Roger couldn't possibly devote all his energy to it.

Even earlier than that.

The inexplicable underground war, "The Jackalmen's Revenge," has come to an end.

After Hongye died.

All the creatures in the Nightmare Template died overnight.

King Big Ding of the Jackalmen led the escape.

There's no reason for the Campaign Mode to continue.

For Roger...

It's a bit of a shame that the battle was aborted.

After all, he still couldn't get the two optional missions, "stop the war" and "bounty".

However, nothing is ever perfect.

In Roger's view

It's already quite good that they were able to wipe out the red leaves cleanly and efficiently.

And from the Echo Orb left behind by the red leaves.

Roger also learned why this fellow was lingering near the Jade Phoenix Nest—

A long time ago.

When the red leaves were still in Yggdrasil.

He once fought a life-or-death battle with the God of Nightmares.

In the end, he won and seized the Nightmare God's disguise, transforming himself into the Nightmare Dragon North Wind.

But as time went by...

Hongye discovers that she has been corrupted by some kind of evil force.

In Hongye's own words, it was 'unclean'.

In order to save themselves.

Hongye used a special method to concentrate the pollution onto her tail scales.

Then they began to travel across planets in search of the "true fire" that could burn the contaminated tail scales.

final.

Hongye found the Jade Phoenix Nest.

The rest of the story unfolds naturally and clearly.

Red Leaf's words made Roger realize that there was an element of luck involved in his kill.

In order to burn off all the pollutants.

Red Leaf's Ancient Dragon form has significantly reduced its combat power.

That's how Roger was able to land a successful blow.

This incident served as a reminder to Roger that he should never be careless.

Otherwise, he might be the next red leaf!

In addition to self-awareness.

Roger was more concerned about the "pollutants" in Hongye's heartfelt words.

A similar situation.

He had seen it in the Sea Serpent Queen's account of Khunan's Celestial God Form.

Roger's years of hunting experience made him exceptionally sensitive to information related to monsters.

This brings to mind the "Aether Aberration" phenomenon that Shar mentioned earlier.

He couldn't help but suspect that the source of the "monsters" was some kind of "Aberrant Matter" active in the ether.

therefore.

Spellcasters are much more likely to be corrupted than ordinary professions.

It's not surprising that Red Leaf and the God of Nightmare were affected.

But Quinan was a pure warrior.

How is he unclean?

Regarding this point.

Roger thought about it a lot.

"Perhaps this is related to the ' Abyss of Destruction ' beneath the Nine Great Planets."

I often think about this heavy topic.

Roger would feel anxious.

Both Mystra and Qionan are very close to the deepest Abyss of Destruction, which means that the likelihood of a major event with negative consequences is much higher than on other planets.

Before completing preparations for interstellar travel.

He wasn't particularly reliable.

Fortunately, Hongye generously donated a starship.

This gave Roger the opportunity to plan his final escape route.

This relieved a lot of his stress.

Compared to the autumn leaves that have been 'drenched by a comet'...

The other side in the underground war seemed much luckier.

Turing, that old fox, had long ago guessed that Third Party was involved.

But they have always pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Although he mistakenly believed Roger to be the Reincarnation of Quinan, the outcome was ultimately good.

After killing the red leaves.

Roger specifically visited Turing using Bard's identity.

The two exchanged a few words briefly.

In the end, they had a very pleasant conversation.

Neither of them mentioned what had happened on 010.

Roger only vaguely indicated that the Jade Phoenix Nest was his territory—

Turing wisely ordered everyone to evacuate the Jade Phoenix Nest ruins.

He also took the opportunity to tell Roger.

Drovas's target was only the starship below.

As for "Tai Bo" which Roger took away from the starship.

Turing didn't ask.

Roger, of course, wouldn't mention it.

After this conversation.

This set the tone for the relationship between Drovas and the Country of Chaos.

all in all.

For Roger, this underground war was a pure grind.

Both factions offer very good attributes.

It's just a pity that the Honor Points are too low.

In addition, there weren't many new products available in the store.

Roger simply replenished his inventory of Tearing Rune and Titan Concoction.

Fortunately, the large amount of loot provided by the Ancient Twin Dragons was enough to soothe his empty heart.

Roger also took this time to reflect and calm himself down.

The main focus is on absorbing the strengths of various fields.

First, there's the field of Ammunition Expert.

With a large supply of Primal Stone.

Roger successfully completed the "Soul Stone Resonance" ritual.

That concludes the discussion.

He officially gained control of the "Force".

He also learned three Force-related skills.

"Force Shield: Consumes 10 Force points to gain a complete defensive shield (shield strength: 520 / Defense Value 40)"

"Floating Bullets: Consumes 10 Force Points. For the next 180 seconds, all your bullets will have the 'Forced Floating' effect."

"Force Lash: Consumes 10 Force points to deliver a swift lash to the enemy's soul. If damage is successfully dealt, all Force points are refunded."

All three skills are very useful.

The advantage of the "Force Shield" is that it is all-around and has no blind spots.

Shield strength and Defense Value are secondary.

Roger's Defense Value was already quite high.

The main reason is that wearing a condom gives people a greater sense of security.

"Floating Bullet" is basically a degraded version of "Slide".

It might be effective against small to medium-sized units, but expecting it to knock large monsters into the air is pure fantasy.

Its advantages are low cost and greater difficulty in evading it.

After all, sliding tackles are always a major source of air pollution.

If floating bullets could replace some of the sliding attack's functionality.

Roger was naturally more than happy to accept it.

As for "Force Whip," it's more like a lottery.

Because the soul hidden inside the body is very difficult to attack with such a simple and crude method.

However, the potential winnings can be enormous if you succeed in winning the lottery.

Roger learned this purely to have another offensive option.

In fact, he has many more Force skills he can learn.

Unfortunately, his Force level couldn't keep up with the consumption of those skills.

The data is displayed in the data column.

His current Force value is 30 points.

This number isn't too low for a novice Ammunition Expert —but you should know that Roger's minimum requirement for using the "Force Tentacle" he got from Captain Morgan was 200 Force points.

It can only be said that he is on the path of cultivating the Force.

Roger still needs to put in some effort.

therefore.

He temporarily put aside learning those skills.

Let's talk about it when we find a brother who can provide the Force!

Next are the basic professional fields.

In order to meet the requirements of the "Soul Stone Resonance" ritual.

After careful consideration.

Roger unusually raised the Hidden Hero's Job Levels from LV46 to LV50.

His total level reached LV62. And in the process...

Roger gained 1 free Attribute Points, 1 new feat, and 1 new skill.

The new skill given at level 48 is called "Aura Concealment Technique".

Its effect is to conceal one's aura and obscure one's level, further expanding the effect of the Qi Divination Technique in concealing oneself.

This greatly enhances Roger's ability to disguise himself.

This skill is naturally maxed out without hesitation.

The new specialty is called "Flicker".

It is one of the signature abilities of the Hidden Hero.

"Blink: Consumes 1 Flicker Mark, allowing you to instantly blink in any direction."

"Flicker Mark: You can hold a maximum of 3 Flicker Mark; each Flicker Mark will take 20 minutes to regenerate after being consumed."

Regarding this ability.

Roger had already checked the information using the Slow Bird Flies First Coupon.

Blinking is indeed a very useful ability.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have valued the Flicker Dagger so much.

The problem is...

The flicker of Hidden Hero—

It's too short!

Although there is a maximum of three flashing operation space.

But each flash only covers a distance of 8 meters! Roger is, after all, a man with "Transcendent Agility" and "Rampage Power".

This flickering.

It's more of a "white elephant" situation than a "white elephant."

Besides that.

Roger also ordered his men to acquire a considerable number of "phoenix feathers"—

This is also one of the benefits of being a king.

One day.

He suddenly realized that he didn't need to search the world for Harpy anymore; he could just buy them with money!

This saved Roger a lot of time.

However, Harpy are not easy for ordinary Adventurers to deal with.

Three months have passed.

He received just over 400 phoenix feathers.

Therefore, the Soldier Vest he is currently wearing has only been layered up to 50 times.

However, he wasn't in a hurry about this.

He has a long life ahead of him.

Just stack them slowly.

that's all.

Three months of mining, tailoring, and spiritual practice.

The slight sense of pride that Roger had developed from his handsome killing of the Ancient Twin Dragons was gradually washed away.

His energy and spirit have also reached a perfect level.

Roger knew.

It's time to get back on the hunt!

Vilan's invitation.

That was the opportunity.

The Country of Chaos.

Devil City.

The royal palace gardens.

Cecilia calmly admired the snowflakes piling up on the woodland.

However, her excessive blinking revealed her true inner state.

In the snow not far away.

Suddenly, a dark hole appeared.

In a flash.

A lithe figure slid out of the tunnel.

The newcomer performed an elegant backflip and landed steadily beside Cecilia.

"I thought it was just an ill-timed test."

Roger glanced at her and knew that things weren't as simple as he thought.

"Testing the waters?"

Cecilia paused for a moment.

But she reacted quickly and immediately said:

"You mean that invitation?"

"That was indeed just a test. The Sea Serpent Church in its home port also received a similar invitation, but like you, it was delayed."

Roger frowned slightly but remained silent.

But his mind was already racing—

Due to the "Abyss of Despair" in the northern part of the Green Dragon Mountain Range.

Most of the communication between the north and south of the West Continent relied on maritime trade.

This is also a major reason why the Southern Cross Holy Alliance, which once unified the continent many years ago, disintegrated.

However, a figure of Vilan's stature did not choose the immediate effect of magical communication, but instead opted to send the invitation by sea, ultimately causing a delay in the date.

This move itself is full of a probing meaning.

Roger analyzed that his intentions were mainly threefold:...

The first purpose was to establish diplomatic relations.

A new force has suddenly emerged in the south.

As the de facto ruler of a northern duchy, it was perfectly reasonable for Vilan to send such an invitation, which also laid the groundwork for possible diplomatic relations in the future.

Secondly, it is to inform—

It's roughly like saying, "Even though you can't make it to the conference we're holding in Galaxy City, I at least let you know, so you should at least show some consideration."

The third purpose was to test whether the Sea Serpent Church and the Country of Chaos intended to interfere in the north.

This can be initially judged by the subsequent reactions of Roger and others.

However, none of the three points mentioned above should have caused Cecilia such mental distress.

Therefore, Roger can conclude that...

Something must have happened at the Galaxy City Conference.

Moreover, the news was severely blocked.

So much so that Cecilia only just arrived now to discuss it with him!

As expected.

But Cecilia spoke very quickly:

"At the Galaxy City gathering, led by members of the Salvation Society, many organizations in the North formed an alliance."

"This alliance is rife with unscrupulous individuals, including many spellcasters abandoned in the North by the ' Witchcraft Oath,' most of whom are fanatical sorcerers in the realm of Evil Curse."

"These people formed a ' Salvation Army,' which included most of the remaining strongmen in the North..."

Roger nodded silently.

He still had some impression of the Salvation Army.

In my memory, it was an organization on the same level as the Red-Robed Mage.

But obviously, we can't simply apply past experiences in this life.

Therefore, he was not sure if the new Salvation Army was as weak as the ones in the game.

Roger's composure seemed to have infected Cecilia.

She gradually slowed her speech and calmly said, "This wasn't a big deal in the first place."

But it was only the day after the Salvation Army was formed.

The Salvation Society opened a Teleportation Gate in Galaxy City and created an unprecedented "Planetary Conveyor Belt".

Through this conveyor belt with its amazing transport capacity.

They actually managed to send a third of the Salvation Army to Mystra! This kind of open interplanetary operation is the first of its kind in recent years in the history of Quenan.

Even the Cosmic Observatory, which was engrossed in building its interstellar spaceship, couldn't sit still... (Click to view background information)

Just three days ago.

We intercepted a message sent back by the Salvation Army on their expedition—

They found the reincarnation of Mystra!

Upon hearing this...

Roger was taken aback! Mystra?

A reincarnation? Is Mystra a single person? The next second.

His eyes widened suddenly.

"You don't know that Mystra is the 'God of Aether'?"

Cecilia exclaimed in surprise.

"Like Qionan, Mystra is also one of the guardian deities of the Nine Great Planets!"

"Every planet has its own gods."

"It was because of Mystra's fall that the planet eventually became what it is today..."

Speaking of which...

She couldn't help but whisper, "Didn't the Queen say you came from Mystra?"

Roger snorted.

They remain silent.

Cecilia hesitated, then said, "If the news is true, then the Salvation Society indeed gotten ahead of us in terms of dealing with future uncertainties."

"Mystra's reincarnation is far more precious than Reincarnation of Quinan."

"Only she knows what that planet went through in the Abyss of Destruction..."

"In short... the Queen is also very concerned about this matter."

Roger understood the unspoken meaning in her words.

Wasn't the point to have him investigate the veracity of the news? Roger replied without changing his expression, "I am now the king; it's probably not appropriate for me."

Cecilia immediately understood Roger's intentions:

"The king certainly deserves a higher price."

She then hesitated, "But we don't seem to have anything else to give you. Perhaps we could give you 1 or 2 points of ' Queen's Favor '?"

"This price is far from enough."

Roger said decisively.

But the next second...

His tone softened again:

"However, I can give the Queen some face."

"Tell me, what are the specifics of the mission?"

Cecilia immediately spoke up:

"If the news is true, find Mystra's reincarnation, but don't offend her."

"If it's fake, then it's fine."

"The Queen doesn't have time to deal with the northerners yet."

Roger nodded:

"No problem."

"But I need a little help."

"First, I need an item that will allow me to quickly return to Qionan. Can the Queen provide that?"

Cecilia thought for a moment, "You can just leave a soul imprint at the temple headquarters."

"This way, you can not only return quickly, but even if something really happens, you can be resurrected at headquarters."

Roger continued:

"I'm venturing deep into enemy territory alone, so it's essential for me to have some Divine Art Dagger or similar items for protection. Would the Queen be willing to grant my request?"

Cecilia looked troubled:

"I'll give you one more of those Divine Art Dagger like the one from last time at most."

"The rest of the ordinary props are negotiable."

Roger didn't dwell on it too much.

He then raised some further detailed requirements.

Cecilia agreed.

final.

Roger asked:

"There's one more thing I want to know."

"What level are the main members of the Salvation Society? For example, this Vilan..."

When he said this.

His tone was nonchalant.

Only one pair of eyes were fixed on Cecilia.

The latter pondered for a moment.

He said with some surprise, "Vilan?"

"His level isn't high, I think it's only level 89?"

How powerful can a figure officially promoted in the public eye really be?

"You can't possibly lose to a guy like this."

"You need to be careful of another wizard..."

After listening.

Roger silently loosened his clenched fist:

"I have no other questions."

Late at night a week later.

In the temporary training ground Galaxy City in the northern part of the mainland.

A group of new recruits were urgently transferred out.

A moment later.

They arrived at a huge square.

In the center of the plaza is a slowly moving arcane conveyor belt.

The space around the drive belt was severely distorted.

Its destination is an unseen, dark place.

Led by a gray-robed sergeant.

The new recruits stood neatly on the conveyor belt.

One of the recruits, with ordinary features and a large nose, stared nervously at the distance of the conveyor belt.

This guy was none other than Roger had successfully infiltrated the Salvation Army.

Not long after.

A slight noise was heard from the edge of the conveyor belt.

On the data panel.

"Hint: Heading towards ' Mystra '"

Upon seeing this.

Roger secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Since he infiltrated the Salvation Army, he hasn't even encountered a single high-ranking member.

This was his first time experiencing Planetary Conveyor Belt.

Now it seems...

At least the Salvation Army's teleportation technology is not a problem.

He remained calm.

Along with other new recruits, they were slowly transported to an unknown distance.

About one minute later.

The scenery of Galaxy City around him vanished completely.

Instead.

It is a series of distorted, colorful spaces.

Kiting by a mysterious spatial force.

The gap between the new recruits became incredibly wide.

Roger calmly examined the changes on the rainbow-colored tunnel.

Unlike the teleportation process of "Wish Spell".

He can move freely on the conveyor belt.

But compared to the rapid teleportation speed of the Wish Spell.

The conveyor belt moves at a snail's pace.

Roger stood on the conveyor belt for two hours, but still couldn't see the end of the teleportation!

Over time.

His body was also a little stiff.

So he carefully opened his right arm and gently stretched it forward a few times—

Who knew that it would happen at this moment?

Suddenly, the surrounding colorful flowing walls enveloped us.

His right hand was completely wrapped up!

On the data panel.

"Warning: You are interfering with the laws governing spacetime!"

Roger's expression changed.

But in the blink of an eye.

The abnormal situation then disappeared.

Roger returned to the conveyor belt, breathed a sigh of relief, and dared not move again.

that's all.

Two more hours passed.

He finally reached the end of the conveyor belt.

The colorful flowing wall flashed and disappeared.

Instead, there was a desolate and gloomy mountain landscape!

Indistinctly.

He could also hear terrifying roars of beasts and cries of birds.

"Hint: You have arrived in the ' Between Purgatory,' Sub-Plane bordering Mystra and Hell."

"You've had an intimate encounter with your past self, achieving a new milestone: a playful exchange across time (click for details)."

"When did I become so intimately connected with my past self...?"

Roger rubbed his temples, completely bewildered.

He hadn't had time to process the fact that he had arrived in the Sub-Plane.

The emergence of this new milestone has only added to his confusion.

But the next second...

He suddenly stopped rubbing his temples.

Because he suddenly remembered!...