Taking Stock of the Gains and Returning

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Wizard Expeditionary Force base around the temple that had originally fallen onto the Samsara Plane had now shrunk to less than half its former size.

Even the camp that had originally been built on the ground had been raised high into the sky so they could better study the Samsara Plane as a whole.

The temporary teleportation arrays designed specifically for Combat Department wizards had been shut down one after another decades ago. Only a few large, stable teleportation gates remained for the Logistics Department researchers, radiating a faint blue glow.

Inside the base, the once-crowded research zones were now much more spacious.

Benjamin walked through the transparent corridor connecting the laboratories. Thirty thousand meters above the ground, the view beneath his feet revealed the land of the Samsara Plane, which had been transformed by the Time Paradox Generator.

"Researcher Benjamin, this is the final batch of data archives you requested."

A hovering silver construct drifted to his side and projected a light screen.

Dense streams of data rolled across the screen, most of them involving foundational rune-interaction models related to time paradoxes.

Benjamin glanced at it and gently shook his head. "Archive it. Seventh-sequence encryption."

"Executed." The construct emitted a steady electronic voice. "Additionally, Professor Atlas would like to know whether you will attend tomorrow's 'Time Anchor Stability' symposium."

"Decline on my behalf. I'm preparing to leave."

As he said this, complicated emotions stirred in Benjamin's heart.

Decades ago, when the Combat Department wizards had completed their sample-collection mission involving the Sickle-Skull Race and withdrawn one after another over the course of just a few years, Benjamin and the other Logistics Department wizards had chosen to stay.

During the first few decades, Benjamin had gained immensely.

The senior