More than a decade later.
Benjamin stood inside a floating metal fortress, gazing through a transparent porthole at the endless sea of light outside.
This was the Endless Light Domain—the wizards' name for the core region of the Information Plane.
After more than a decade of reconstruction, this once purely white world had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Countless metal structures floated within the sea of light. Wizard runes intertwined with the luminous patterns of Information Beings, creating a strange yet harmonious sight. The Information Plane was vast, but the Information Beings cooperated almost too well.
Once the Supreme Consensus Algorithm decided to surrender, the entire race began operating like a finely tuned machine.
In just a few short years, the takeover had been largely completed.
Those who needed to research, researched. Those who needed to migrate, migrated. Those who needed to cooperate, cooperated. Everything was efficient to the point of coldness.
Benjamin should have left more than a decade ago.
But for certain reasons, he had been forced to stay.
The Magic Network Terminal vibrated.
"Oh, looks like it's time."
Benjamin glanced at it, then turned away from the porthole. He walked down the long corridor and stopped before a massive metal door.
The door opened automatically, revealing a treatment room filled with medical pods.
Once, this place had been packed with people.
But now, most of the medical pods were empty. Only a row of pods at the far end still glowed faintly, indicating that someone remained inside. Benjamin walked over to one of them.
A Level 5 Wizard lay within the pod, his eyes shut, his expression calm, his breathing steady. He looked exactly like the silent wizards from before. Or rather, he truly was in a state of silence.
Benjamin raised his hand and tapped the control panel