Grand Duke Lieyuan wore a teasing smile, crossed his arms, and tilted his head to examine the dragon lich in front of him.
Logo stood suspended in mid-air, also observing this rare specimen of a dragon-like undead creature.
Gou Site's mentality was starting to crumble. Come to think of it, being blocked at the door by an irresistible powerhouse right after waking up would make anyone's mentality explode on the spot.
"You two..."
Even True Dragon must bow before power. Gou Site chuckled awkwardly, "Why didn't you give me a heads-up before you arrived? As the host, I could have greeted you!"
As he spoke, the arrogant, world- Destroyer aura he had displayed vanished without a trace. At this moment, the Epic dragon lich appeared completely at ease.
"What should we do?" Grand Duke Lieyuan turned to look at Logo.
This surprised Gou Site, who secretly wondered about Logo's identity. Could he be a direct descendant of some powerful family, having Demigod bodyguard?
"Let's get under control; this is excellent material."
Grand Duke Lieyuan was taken aback. "Materials? You're not afraid of a backlash, are you?"
However, he did as Logo said. With a wave of his hand, a crimson wave swept over and captured Gou Site, who was about to resist. Although Goster's combat power had reached the peak of the Peak Epic, he was powerless against a Low-Rank Demigod wielding a Six-Star Legend Demigod.
"His lair should be down below. Let's go down and take a look," Grand Duke Lieyuan gestured with his chin.
Logo shook his head. "I can go by myself. You continue with your own affairs and complete the fusion of origins as soon as possible, so that the demiplane can break free from Planet Pandora's Space-Time magnetic field. Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes."
"Alright, then be careful!" Grand Duke Lieyuan instructed.
In reality, with most of the plane already eroded by the Sea of Slaughter, Logo wouldn't be in any danger at all, because Grand Duke Lieyuan could reach him with a single thought.
Following the passage opened up by the dragon lich as it burst from the earth, Logo descended into the underground. Gou Site's lair was located about a thousand meters underground, a very large rocky space filled with gold and silver treasures. Colorful gems adorned the mountain of gold coins, creating a visually striking scene.
This would be a huge fortune for an individual, but for the Royal Court, it was barely enough to be considered better than nothing.
The Eye of Insight is activated; gather information about the nest.
A dozen seconds later, Logo's understanding of the entire dragon's nest was no less than that of its master Gou Site.
Floating, I arrived at the east side of the dragon's nest, where a cube-shaped space about ten meters long, wide, and high had been created. Inside was a black iron cage, each of the iron bars of which was as thick as an adult's thigh, and its surface was covered with dense Magic Runes.
Inside the cage was a unkempt human male, whose beard and hair had been neglected for a long time and dragged on the ground. His limbs and bones were pierced by ancient white needles, and the strong aura of a True Dragon made Logo realize that this was the method Gou Site used to restrain this man.
"Walpole?" Logo called softly.
The man, who had been like a stagnant pool, trembled as he raised his head. Beneath his thick hair, his pale silver pupils were trembling violently.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, not because he was mute or lacked the strength to speak, but because of the cage.
Sounds from the outside can get in, but sounds from the inside cannot get out.
Logo narrowed his eyes; this wasn't a problem for him.
This cage is a four-star level, Rare in quality. Although it can't be opened in a short time, Logo is confident that he can make the sound travel through it.
He took out some instruments and alchemical materials, and spent a few minutes setting up a magic circle. His skillful movements made Walpole inside the cage seem thoughtful.
Soon, the magic circle was set up and Walpole's voice could be successfully transmitted.
After a brief exchange, Logo learned from him the whole story of what happened a hundred years ago.
Walpole was the space-type Mage accidentally deciphered the laws governing the tidal forces of the Space-Time. He led a Dragon Hunting into the demiplane to slay a dragon, but both sides suffered heavy losses.
Of the Dragon Hunting, only Walpole survived. This was only because Gou Site wanted to extract the last bit of value from him, so he spared his life. After all, spatial Transcendent were already rare, let alone spellcasters who were good at research and analysis.
Clearly, Gou Site, who controls the demiplane, has a strong desire for spatial science.
While spatial magic is present in the Dragon Clan's heritage, it's only superficially explored. To learn it in detail, it's best to find an experienced teacher.
Walpole survived, but was imprisoned in the Black Iron Cage by Gou Site. Because his Magical Energy circuits were completely sealed, Walpole's combat strength was only equivalent to that of an ordinary person, and it was impossible for him to break through the constraints of the four-star equipment.
And so, the siege lasted for a century.
Due to the battle with the Dragon Hunting, Gou Site also suffered irreversible injuries. In order to survive, he underwent Undead Conversion ritual and spent most of the last hundred years in a deep slumber, severely diminishing his learning ability and efficiency. Because he was never fully Walpole, the Mage was eventually killed, until the arrival of Logo.
After learning the whole story, Logo looked at Walpole with a gleam in his eyes.
Over the course of a century, although he was unable to meditate to enhance his Divine Power and Magical Energy, Walpole was able to devote all his energy to spatial science, which greatly improved his already proficient spatial science skills.
Logo estimated that this guy's spatial science level should be between 43 and 46.
Furthermore, because he has been working in isolation, relying solely on his own talent to advance, Walpole has accumulated a considerable number of questions. If given sufficient advanced knowledge of spatial science, within ten years, his spatial science skills could very well reach level 50 or higher, which would be the level of Demigod.
It would be a real shame not to bring such a person into your fold.
Logo then began to ponder how to win over this space Mage.
To his surprise, Walpole was surprisingly sensible and offered to serve Logo, even if only for a hundred years. That was enough, as it wouldn't matter to Logo whether Walpole stayed or left after that.
"I'm personally pleased to have you join us, but rules are essential for order. Before that, you need to sign a contract." Logo smiled and took out a Magic God Contract. This kind of thing is not cheap and not easy to obtain. If Walpole hadn't been so valuable, he wouldn't have taken it out at all.
"Okay, I'm willing to sign the contract." Walpole agreed without hesitation.
"Take a look at the contents first. We'll discuss the specifics of signing after you're released." Logo gently raised his hand, and the Magic God Contract floated to the front of the black iron cage.
Walpole weakly stood up, went to the edge of the cage, and examined it carefully. After a while, his brows furrowed.
It's not that the contract is too harsh, but rather that the benefits are too good.
An annual salary of 1 million Ta Pound, plus additional research allowances, and access to a top-tier laboratory and a four-star Rare Mage tower...
What shocked Walpole the most was that the contract also mentioned that if he performed well enough, he could borrow at least thirty books on spatial science, with a minimum level of 45.
Goodness, these conditions and these benefits!
If Walpole had had this client a hundred years ago, why would he bother hunting dragons? Wouldn't he have been better off staying home and doing research?
Finally, looking at the hundred-year term stipulated in the contract, the space Mage even considered removing it altogether.
A century, isn't that a bit too short?
Logo frowned, looking at Walpole, who was hesitating in the cage. He thought that his treatment was too poor, which was why Walpole was hesitant. After a moment of thought, he added, "The treatment in the contract is only temporary..."
Hearing this, Walpole felt relieved. That's more like it!
But then, he was stunned again.
"After the internship, your salary will increase by 50%. If you satisfy me, I can arrange for you to consult with an alchemy master whose spatial science level is above 55."
What does it mean to experience hardship before happiness arrives?
What does it mean for a free lunch to fall from the sky?
Walpole didn't know this before, but now he understands.
That century of imprisonment wasn't wasted.
Five days later.
Logo and his group lurked in mid-air at the center of the demiplane.
Walpole, now freed from his cage, stood behind Logo, holding a magic book and gazing at it eagerly.
After tidying up his disheveled appearance, Walpole now looks like a twenty-four or twenty-five-year-old artistic young man, with a gentle and refined temperament and a strong scholarly air.
According to him, he never liked fighting and killing. He joined the Dragon Hunting because he was really short of money to conduct experiments. He was persuaded by his friend to join the team without really understanding what was going on, and he almost lost his life.
As everyone knows, a spellcaster's laboratory is a money-devouring beast, and a space-type spellcaster's laboratory is an even bigger money-devouring beast. Without the support of a powerful force behind them, an individual should be prepared to be penniless.
Walpole was in this situation before; he even sold his staff for money, but it still wasn't enough. You could say he was practically selling his underwear.
Logo's expression was quite interesting after hearing this guy's introduction. He never expected that such a space Mage would be so poor.
He also realized that Walpole's earlier staring blankly at the contract was probably not because the terms were bad, but because he was stunned by the generous offer.
Recalling that scene, Logo couldn't help but chuckle.
"The essence of the demiplane has been controlled by the Eye of Gendaya, and can drift through space at any time."
"Then let's not wait any longer, let's begin!"
"Good!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Grand Duke Lieyuan spread his arms wide, and countless blood vessels spread from his blood-red eyes, which were deep within the demiplane. He pulled the demiplane away from its original spatial orbit and slowly moved outside the plane's crystal wall.
"Walpole, according to your calculations, how long will it take for this demiplane to break free from Planet Pandora's Space-Time magnetic field?" Logo asked without turning his head.
Although Maidisenna had made a preliminary prediction, it lacked any real-world data to support it, leaving considerable room for error. While Walpole's spatial science level was not as high Maidisenna's, he was inside a demiplane and had access to detailed parameters provided by the Grand Duke Lieyuan, making his calculations more accurate.
Walpole, who was reading a book, looked up, adjusted his glasses, and said slowly, "Planet Pandora's Space-Time magnetic field has a gravitational strength of approximately 3.7 standard force fields. It is estimated that the demiplane will be able to complete its initial separation in 11 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and 19 seconds, and will be able to reach the Space-Time magnetic field of Planet Oklo in two months."
Logo listened, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "Two months is a bit long, but it's a good time to start another plan ahead of time."
"But we didn't bring any construction equipment, and we're probably short-handed too, aren't we?" Grand Duke Lieyuan frowned.
To ensure the secrecy of this operation, the number of personnel was drastically reduced. Logo didn't even bring Crassus or Caesar; he only brought some strong individuals skilled in stealth, disguise, and escape. If they encountered danger and the Grand Duke Lieyuan couldn't protect him, these people would be responsible for his evacuation.
Fortunately, none of these preparations were needed. After occupying the demiplane, with a natural spatial barrier to rely on, they were even less necessary.
Because he had not brought any technical personnel or construction teams with him, Grand Duke Lieyuan was skeptical of Logo's suggestion to start the plan ahead of schedule.
According to the Royal Court's high command, this demiplane was intended to be used to build an alchemy factory space dock.
Based on experience, the construction of space warships is best done in a spaceport in a weightless environment, especially for the largest warships, such as motherships that are hundreds or thousands of kilometers long.
If it were inside a planet, the natural gravity of the planet would cause many unnecessary problems.
Although gravity also exists in the demiplane, its rules are relatively weak, meaning it is easy to modify. It can be molded and shaped as desired to create an environment. In other words, by simply changing the gravity rules of the demiplane, an extremely suitable environment can be created for the construction of a space dock.
The same applies to alchemical plants; if a high-temperature, high-pressure environment is needed, the rules are modified; if an ultra-low-temperature environment is needed, the rules are modified again...
Although this will cause irreversible damage to the living environment of the demiplane, the corresponding benefits far outweigh the losses. You gain some, you lose some—it's fair, isn't it?
That said, the original plan of the Royal Court was to bring the demiplane back to the Space-Time magnetic field of Planet Oklo, build a space gate, and then mobilize a large number of people to begin the transformation and construction of the demiplane.
After all, both space docks and alchemy factories involve extremely large-scale projects, which are difficult for an individual to undertake alone.
However, in response to Grand Duke Lieyuan's doubts, Logo simply smiled and said, "You just need to steer the ship safely into its designated orbit. Leave the rest to me."
"You brat, are you annoyed that I'm meddling in your business?" Grand Duke Lieyuan glared, his beard bristling.
"Nonsense, it's just everyone doing their job." Logo chuckled.
Grand Duke Lieyuan snorted coldly, flicked his hand, and left.
Only Logo and Walpole remained present; the other powerful figures remained hidden in the shadows.
"Boss, what are your plans next?" Walpole asked while reading.
Logo raised an eyebrow and said jokingly, "Walpole, do you know why alchemists are called creators?"
"Why?" Walpole, being quite perceptive, automatically took on the role of the straight man.
"Now, I'll show you the power of an alchemist..."