2014, United States, New York.
The bustling street of Manhattan is in the hustle and bustle of the afternoon. On the busy street, hurried passers-by, white-collar workers holding coffee, and tourists holding cameras constitute the most ordinary scenery of this international metropolis.
However, the tranquility of this moment was completely broken by a sudden vision.
In the originally clear sky, the space seemed to be torn apart by some invisible sharp blade. A pitch-black space crack flashing with electric arcs appeared out of thin air above the bustling intersection. With a heart-wrenching "sizzling" sound, the surrounding airflow instantly became turbulent, strong winds blew the clothes of pedestrians, and billboards on the roadside were crumbling.
"Oh my God! What is that?"
"Is it a terrorist attack?"
"Look! Someone's fallen!"
Under the gaze of countless pairs of frightened, curious, and shocked eyes, a figure fell from the dark crack.
It was a man. He was wearing a robe that seemed to be of extraordinary quality but somewhat damaged. He fell heavily on the asphalt road. The most striking thing was that his left arm was empty, and the fracture even shimmered strangely, as if he had just experienced a cruel battle.
Ian stood up unsteadily, feeling the condition of his body.
"Did I just lose an arm this time..." He looked down at where his left hand should have been. There was no blood dripping there, but instead there was a strange energy surging. "There is no other physical damage, and the soul is intact. It seems that my fine-tuning of the interdimensional spell has worked. With a little more improvement, it should be completely completed."
He muttered to himself as if no one was around, as if the harsh screams and sirens around him didn't exist at all.
Only then did he finally raise his head and look around.
What came into view were countless faces filled with shock and fear. Some were holding up their mobile phones to take pictures, some were covering their mouths and screaming, and some were trying to escape from the scene.
Ian frowned slightly. Although he doesn't mind showing his power in front of mortals, he hates trouble, especially in this modern social background. Once it is uploaded to the Internet, it will be very cumbersome to handle.
"What a rowdy audience."
He lightly raised his remaining right hand and hit the Snap.
"Crack."
The crisp sound seemed to have some kind of magic power, instantly cutting through the hustle and bustle of the entire neighborhood.
The next second, an invisible mental wave centered on him and spread to all directions like ripples.
The crowd that was originally screaming in fear suddenly froze. Their eyes became confused, the hand holding the mobile phone dropped, and the running steps stopped in place. Even the people in the distant tall buildings looking out through the glass were within the scope of this force.
In just a short moment, all the witnesses' memories of the "space crack" and the "man with a broken arm" were completely erased. They blinked, their eyes regained clarity, and then continued their previous actions as if nothing had happened - walking, drinking coffee, chatting, completely unaware of the fragment of that moment.
"Morgana," Ian said into the air. Although he was not wearing a communication device, he knew that the loyal artificial intelligence was everywhere. "Confirm the current time node and clear all my digital traces. I don't want to see any video of my 'brilliant debut' today on the Internet in this world."
"Understood, boss. Surveillance videos and cloud data are being processed... Cleaned up. The current time is 2014."
"2014?" Ian raised his eyebrows and walked towards a deserted alley while feeling the numbness in his left arm - a sign that flesh and blood was rapidly regenerating. "The last time I left was in the 1950s. I originally planned to go back to a time closer to the time I left, but it seems that the calculation of the time anchor point was a little off."
A span of more than sixty years. This means that for people in this world, he has disappeared for more than half a century.
"I guess a lot of things must have happened during my absence. But fortunately, I am still the same person who prepared for a rainy day."
As he walked into the shadows, the originally empty left sleeve had filled up again. He shook his new left hand, and there was no loss of strength.
At the same time, his consciousness was instantly connected to the clone that was left in this world more than sixty years ago. A huge stream of memories flooded into his mind, but it only took him a few seconds to digest it.
"I see... the general trend of history has not changed, but some details have indeed been influenced by me." Ian raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "It is now 2014, and there are still three years before the plot of Tom Cruise's <The Mummy> begins. It is enough, and I have plenty of time to make the final layout."
After taking care of the trivial matters on the ground, Ian did not stay any longer and activated the teleportation technique directly through the soul connection with Floating City.
His body twisted for a while, and the next moment, he had appeared inside Floating City, which was high in the atmosphere.
This is his true stronghold and his most solid backing in this Multiverse.
He desperately wants to see Hermione.
For Ian, his adventure in parallel dimensions and time turbulence only lasted a few months. But for Hermione who stayed here, it was a real decades. Although she had his clone to accompany her and endless magic research to kill time, it was not him after all.
With a flash of light, Ian appeared in a warm room.
Hermione was standing by the window, looking at the sea of clouds outside in trance. The moment she sensed the fluctuations in space, she turned around suddenly.
Time has not left any traces on this witch's face. As a strong Sixth Tier, she has already had a long life and eternal youth. But at that moment, Ian clearly saw in her eyes the longing that transcends time.
"Ian!"
She rushed over almost instantly and threw herself into his arms.
Ian hugged her tightly, feeling the trembling of the person in his arms.
"Morgana told you the news about my return? I also want to give you a surprise."
"Why have you been gone for so long?" Hermione's voice was choked with sobs. She buried her face in his chest, as if to confirm that this was true, "Do you know how I have lived these past few decades? I miss you so much."
"I'm sorry, dear. There was something wrong with my spell, which caused the time of my return to deviate." Ian stroked her long hair and said softly, "I miss you too. In those strange dimensions, you are the only motivation to support my return."
Hermione raised his head, his eyes were slightly red, but he deliberately said with a straight face, "Don't think that I can easily forgive you with a few sweet words."
"Oh? It seems that I have to take some practical actions to exchange for your forgiveness."
Ian smiled evilly and picked her up.
"Wait, this is the living room..."
"Then go to the bedroom."
With a soft sound, the two figures disappeared from the spot.
Three days later.
Ian and Hermione walked out of the room refreshed. They sat on the terrace, brewed a pot of the best spiritual tea from the East, and enjoyed the rare quiet time.
"I can feel it, your breath has become deeper," Ian took a sip of tea, looked at Hermione and said, "Congratulations, you finally broke through to Sixth Tier."
"It's not just me," Hermione said with a proud smile on his face, "Severus and Lily also broke through. This is thanks to the resources you left behind, and the Divine Potion extracted from 'Fountain of Youth'."
Ian nodded, as he expected. These three people are all unique geniuses. As long as they have enough resources and the right methods, it is only a matter of time before they break through.
"Did anything interesting happen while I was away?"
"Of course," Hermione put down the tea cup, Blink's eyes sparkled with excitement, "We went to explore 'Blank Domain'. We gained a lot. We captured many warrior-level Novads there, and even caught a Novad Queen."
"Oh?" Ian was a little surprised, "That's not easy. Novad Queen's sperm Divine Power is extremely terrifying."
"You're right. The Queen's combination of technology and Psychic Energy has almost reached the level of Eighth Tier. That battle was very difficult. If Floating City's firepower hadn't been fully unleashed, and the three of us Sixth Tier had joined forces, I might not have been able to defeat her."
Hermione Recalling that battle, I still feel a little frightened, but I feel more joy of victory.
"Novad Clan is indeed a treasure," Ian mused, "Their racial talents are very important to the Empire's technology tree, especially space technology and Psychic Network The development of is very important. When we return to Prime Universe, we can set up a special exploration team to see if Blank Domain exists in our universe and whether similar species have evolved."
While the two were talking, the door to the room was pushed open, and Snape and Lily walked in.
After not seeing each other for decades, the temperaments of these two people have also undergone earth-shaking changes.
Snape is still wearing the same black robe, but his original gloomy temperament has an unfathomable calmness; Lily seems to be the incarnation of nature, exuding vitality in every gesture.
When the four of them reunited, it was natural that they would have a long conversation.
"Severus, I heard that you have another breakthrough on Potions?" Ian asked.
Snape nodded, with a rare hint of pride on his poker face that had remained unchanged for thousands of years. "After absorbing the power of Aether Stone (Philosopher's Stone) and being promoted to Fifth Tier, I awakened an ability called [combination]."
"This is a wonderful visual experience," Snape explained, gently swiping his fingers in the air. "Now, when I see any magic herbs, I no longer only see their physical form. I can directly see countless possible combinations of medicinal properties."
"For example, for a Mandrake strain, I used to conduct experiments to test its reaction with different materials. Now, I only need to take a look at it, and my mind will automatically simulate thousands of results after it is mixed with Moonlight Grass, Dragon Blood, or even Stardust."
"This is just like cheating," Ian praised.
"But it is not without cost," Snape sighed and rubbed his temples, "This information flow is too huge. Every time I use it, it is a huge load on my soul, body and magic power. The more possible combinations, the heavier the load. And..."
He paused, with a hint of Versailles-like helplessness in his tone. "This ability takes away the fun of exploring the unknown. When all the results are already determined before it begins, Potions seems a little less romantic."
"So, I rarely use it unless necessary or when I'm in a good mood."
Ian smiled and handed Snape the Potions system data he collected on Earth-234 (the last world of witch hunters).
"Look at this. The witches in that world have a unique way of activating the magical properties of non-magical herbs through a method similar to 'enchantment'. This should be a good new toy for you."
Snape took the information, his eyes were immediately attracted, and his original complaints were instantly thrown out the window.
Then, Ian looked at Lily.
"How is your Druid magic research going?"
"It's going well," Lily smiled and stretched out her hand. A flower bloomed instantly in her palm, and then withered and turned into soil. "I have established a complete contract system. By signing a contract with the spirit of nature, I gained the recognition of nature, thereby borrowing the power of the forest, the earth and even the planet."
"However, before official promotion, I need to conduct more tests and develop a complete set of doctrines to prevent this power from being abused."
"Besides," a gleam of wisdom flashed in Lily's eyes, "I also have new ideas about 'Love Magic' that you have always been concerned about."
"You mean making it available to other people?"
"Yes. The inspiration comes from the god Grace. I can serve as the source to select those who are Mind Stone pure and have great love in their hearts, and give them the 'Blessing of love'. In this way, they can use Love Magic to protect themselves or others to a certain extent."
"Although I can't make batches of Grace yet, this is at least a direction."
Finally, there is Hermione. As another pillar of the Arcane Empire, her research direction is more focused on actual combat and summoning.
"I developed a 'borrowing' spell," Hermione said. "I am now Sixth Tier, but I can summon two Seventh Tier creatures. Through this new spell, I can temporarily borrow their power, allowing myself to burst out with Seventh Tier's combat power in a short period of time."
Listening to the reports of the three people, Ian felt extremely pleased. These three people, plus Morgana, are the most solid Cornerstone of the Empire.
"Very good. It seems that everyone has not wasted their time," Ian looked around everyone, his expression became serious, "Now that everyone is ready, we should also prepare to leave."
Upon hearing this, the three of them were silent for a moment, and then nodded.
This decades-long journey across the universe was a baptism for each of them.
"This universe..." Hermione looked out the window with a complex tone, "It looks exactly like our earth, and its historical trends are surprisingly similar. However, the people here, the magic system here, and the culture here are completely different."
"It's like looking into a mirror, but the person in the mirror has another face."
"As a Arcanist, this phenomenon makes me curious and even a little uneasy," Lily added, "Why does the earth exist in two different universes? Is there any secret of a higher dimension behind this?"
"Maybe this is what we need to explore," Ian concluded. "Although we are not strong enough now to touch the truth at that level, it does not prevent us from remaining curious. This is what Arcanist is driving forward."
After the meeting, Ian came to Floating City's storage area alone. He still had some trophies to count.
Morgana has already arranged the important items he collected in this world according to his instructions.
In a storage room with constant temperature and humidity, Ian's eyes fell on three shelves.
The first shelf was filled with densely packed test tubes filled with bright red blood.
"These are good things," Ian picked up a tube of blood with the label "Indiana Jones" on it and shook it gently. "The blood of all the 'protagonists' in this world is here. Frank, Lilith, O'Connell family... especially this Dr. Jones."
"This guy is simply the illegitimate son of goddess Luck. He was able to hide in the Fridge during a nuclear explosion and still remain unscathed. This cannot be explained by science or magic. This is pure and arrogant luck."
"With this blood, coupled with our own research, we should be able to improve 'Felix Felicis' with stronger efficacy, longer duration, and fewer side effects."
Ian put down the test tube and looked at the second shelf. There was a brilliant diamond there, but if he looked carefully, there seemed to be a black mist rolling inside the diamond.
That is the soul of Hitler.
In this world with gods and demons, the madman who started the war is naturally not simple. Ian deliberately collected his soul, not for torture, but for research.
This involves the third item - a mirror that looks quaint and old.
Mirror of Shani.
This is the Divine Artifact of Shani, the god of cause and effect and karma in India. It is the thing that Judson used to detect the karma of Ian at the door of the Library.
"Karma, cause and effect..." Ian stroked the frame, "This is a very profound and dangerous Magic Domain. Hitler carries huge karma, and is the best experimental material for studying this subject."
After checking the trophies, Ian turned and walked to another room. There were three people waiting for him there.
One of them is his clone, and the other two are a boy and a girl.
Seeing Ian come in, the man and woman immediately stood up straight, clenched their right hands on their left shoulders, put their left hands behind their backs, and made a standard Empire military salute.
"Salute to Arcane Emperor!"
"Okay, I don't like these red tapes, relax," Ian waved his hand, "Besides, nominally, I am also your teacher."
These two people are none other than Flynn Carson and Emily Davin Potter. They are also the male and female protagonists of the movie <The Librarian> series.
Over the decades, clones of Ian have played the role of mentors, training them since they were young.
Ian looked at the two of them. Now they have entered middle age. Although they are not eternally young like Ian, the fluctuations of magic power emanating from their bodies are quite astonishing.
"Fourth Tier," Ian nodded with satisfaction, "In this world where magic power is scarce, you can reach Fourth Tier with just a few decades of hard work. Your achievements are enough to be proud of."
Flynn and Emily looked at each other with excitement in their eyes. Although the "real body" in front of them exuded a sense of majesty far beyond that of the clone accompanying them, the familiar tone made them feel friendly.
"So, tell me now," Ian looked at them, "How have you considered the arrangements after returning to the Empire? You have never given me a confirmation before."
The two were silent for a while, and finally Emily spoke.
"Teacher, we have discussed it. We... want to become archaeologists."
After saying this, both of them looked at Ian with some anxiety.
In their view, as the emperor of the Arcane Empire, Ian must hope that they can become powerful battle mages, politicians who govern the country, or even scientists who study cutting-edge magic.
"Archaeologist?"
Ian was stunned for a moment, and then smiled. There was no ridicule in that smile, but full of appreciation.
"Interesting choice."
"Teacher, aren't you angry?" Flynn asked cautiously, "We know that Empire needs combat power..."
"Why should I be angry?" Ian walked up to the two of them and patted their shoulders, "Only when a person truly loves something can he dedicate everything to it and do it to the extreme."
"Your choice is great. You have to know that our Warpath is the sea of stars. The universe is vast and has countless races and civilizations. And in those ruins, ancient tombs and ruins, there are countless lost knowledge, treasures and history buried."
"To discover them, to interpret them, this will be a great adventure. Empire needs such explorers."
Hearing this, Flynn and Emily's eyes lit up.
But Ian changed the topic and his tone became serious.
"However, you must also understand one thing. Even if you are an archaeologist, strength is still fundamental."
"When you face deadly magic traps in ancient ruins, when you discover that shocking treasures are coveted by greedy people, when the knowledge you unearth may lead to death..."
"Only strength can allow you to survive, and knowledge Kazuma can be in the hands of the righteous party."
"We understand, teacher!" The two replied in unison, with firm eyes. When the clones taught them, they had already instilled the philosophy of "Truth is only within the range of the cannon", as well as the terrifying enemies that Empire may face in the future.
Ian nodded with satisfaction.
In the next few hours, Ian chatted a lot with these two proud disciples, about archeology, magic, and the future.
It wasn't until it was getting late that he got up to say goodbye.
"Okay, you guys go and rest first. There are still some last things to deal with in this world, and I have to meet some old friends."
Ian walked out of the room and looked into the distance.
In the last days of this world, some people are still worth saying goodbye to.