Communication Across the Other Shore

Su Ming opened his eyes.

The first thing you see is soft lighting, and above you, a pale white dome with curved patterns resembling feather veins.

The architectural style of the Feather Race resembles that of their royal palace in Northern Ice Island.

Su Ming gently turned his head and found himself lying in a hospital room.

A faint smell of medicine filled the air, and a magic circle monitoring vital signs was operating on his body.

Su Ming tried hard to recall, and he remembered having two dreams.

The first one is a nightmare; Miao Xin is swallowed by darkness!

This immediately reminded Su Ming of the perilous situation on Earth, and he hurriedly prepared to make contact.

But the next moment, Su Ming froze.

In his sea of consciousness, the skull mark belonging to the Little Spiky Head and the Ghost Mark belonging to Miao Xin both disappeared!

Where it once stood, only two tear-like gray-white marks remained, as if it had been ripped off at the root by some force.

Su Ming tried to touch it.

But the area was empty, leaving only the feeling of burnt-out ashes.

Su Ming's heart sank. He struggled to get up, but a hand pressed him back onto the bed.

"Don't move."

It's Stacy.

"How did I lose the marks of Little Spiky Head and Miao Xin?!"

Su Ming's voice betrayed his urgency.

This is his connection to Earth.

This is also Su Ming's trump card and support, which has enabled him to grit his teeth and keep pushing forward no matter how dire the situation he is in!

****

The ward door was pushed open, Zijin strode in.

"Su Ming!"

Her face also showed anxiety; she had clearly been waiting nearby.

"Shortly after you were injured and fell into a coma, your consciousness suddenly experienced severe fluctuations."

"Then both Undead Mark were torn apart."

A quick explanation of Zijin.

Su Ming pressed his head down forcefully.

So, that was the first dream!

Miao Xin must have encountered the worst possible situation.

However, Su Ming quickly assessed his own condition. He felt somewhat weak, but the state of his mental consciousness wasn't particularly bad.

"So you brought in Zhimeng to cast the Emerald Dream on me and help me recover."

He speculated about what had happened in the past few days.

"Yes!" Zijin nodded.

Stacy added, "And there's also Qiluo."

"Both of them were airlifted over by us."

"How many days has passed?" Su Ming immediately asked the next question.

Four days.

Su Ming's breath hitched slightly.

"Has anything else changed in these four days?" he asked.

Zijin shook her head.

****

Then, Su Ming raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

He focused his mind.

Deep within her consciousness, the memory seal that Zhimeng placed before her battle with the Super Crystal Dragon still had one last layer remaining.

At that moment, the seal broke, and the complete memory returned.

Su Ming raised his hand, and some kind of obscure Magic Power slowly gathered in his palm.

The color of power has become very faint, as if it would slip away from everyone's perception if they weren't careful.

But this time, it didn't get out of control, it didn't go berserk, and it didn't have that chilling sense of distortion it had before.

"My understanding was insufficient last time."

Su Ming said softly.

"Jumping between planes doesn't actually require a path that stretches from the Taya Plane all the way to Earth."

"The connection between spaces" is a channel.

A faint Magic Power spread between his fingers as Su Ming tried to lock onto the direction he had once been.

At first, there was nothing.

At the edge of the sea of consciousness, there is only suffocating silence, like listening to a pin drop across an entire ocean.

He frowned, regaining his composure.

This time, Su Ming did not search for the Little Spiky Head's Undead Mark, nor did he search for Miao Xin's ghostly fluctuations.

He was searching for that gem, or rather, for that sense of belonging that connected him to the world itself.

Guided by the fleeting impressions in his dream, Su Ming's consciousness, like a thin thread, continuously soared through chaos and nothingness.

Finally, from a place so distant it seemed unreal, came an extremely faint response, as if it were embedded in the very depths of a plane.

It's the "Myriad Phenomena Prism" on the other side of the Earth!

****

Su Ming slowly exhaled.

He looked at the Zijin.

I sensed the "Myriad Phenomena Prism".

"That has always been the space anchor point on Earth."

Stacy also visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, you can still use ' Summoning of All Things '?"

Su Ming shook his head.

"I've lost the Undead Mark. I can sense things now, but I can't truly connect yet."

He leaned back against the headboard, his breathing slightly heavier. "Give me some time to study this."

Zijin came to the bedside and helped Su Ming adjust his pillow.

She just frowned slightly.

Su Ming's words indicate that he cannot independently tear open the spatial rift.

Previously, this was possible with the assistance of the Undead Link, which is a guiding line that can be leveraged.

The line is now broken.

Su Ming can see it now, but he may not be able to reach out and help.

Based on the fundamental power of space, it is certainly possible to do this. However, how exactly to achieve it remains a mystery.

In academic circles, even the smallest step can be an insurmountable chasm!

****

But Zijin didn't say those words aloud. Instead, she told Su Ming to rest well and recharge before discussing and researching the topic.

Chloe pushed open the door and walked in.

I just heard you mention "Myriad Phenomena Prism".

She was carrying a cloth bag embroidered with Stars patterns.

"What?" Zijin, puzzled.

But Su Ming had already sensed it.

He looked at the bag, "Why—you have one too?"

Chloe opened the bag.

Sure enough, a ring with a round gemstone was taken out from it.

Like the one in Little Spiky Head's eye socket, its surface was covered with fine cracks, and its interior reflected a mysterious light. It was as if an entire fragmented nebula had been sealed inside.

"Wait!" Zijin's voice held barely concealed surprise. "There are two of these?"

Chloe's expression, however, was somewhat complicated.

"This is the engagement ring that Xialike gave me."

"The ' Myriad Phenomena Prism ' has always been with me."

Su Ming looked at Chloe.

The latter sighed, pried the gem off the ring setting with a crisp sound.

She was beginning to realize the true nature of the stone that she had been studying without finding any use for.

"You can have it." Chloe handed over the gem.

"But it was a gift from Xialike."

"You have to pay him back two million gold coins."

This gem was purchased by Xialike from Galio nineteen years ago for such a large sum of money.

Su Ming nodded; this was only to be expected.

****

The gem came into Su Ming's palm, and his Magic Power clung to it.

Sure enough, it was a familiar fluctuation!

The colorful light began to fade, and the gemstone became transparent.

"The true identity of this thing should be from another dimension," Su Ming suddenly stammered.

He thought for a moment and then rephrased it.

"It's a unique location marker for this dimension."

"Also the only one existing in this plane."

"It could be called ' Plane Boundary Nexus '," Chloe said.

"It is referred to by this name in an ancient book."

However, there has never been a corresponding physical object.

"Therefore, it has always been considered a hypothesis."

Su Ming looked at the gem in his hand.

"Then that thing on Little Spiky Head's body is Earth's ' Plane Boundary Nexus '."

New questions arose in everyone's minds: "Plane Boundary Nexus" cannot leave their respective dimensions, so the one on Earth could not possibly fall into Galio's hands.

And who was it that placed the "Plane Boundary Nexus" on that Little Spiky Head?

****

The "Plane Boundary Nexus" of Taya is somewhat different from that of Earth.

Su Ming closed his eyes and sensed the surroundings, tentatively integrating his Magic Power deeper into the stone. The stone, which had already become transparent, became even less noticeable, as if it were slowly sliding away from the material world.

In the end, only a hazy, illusory shadow remained, held in Su Ming's palm.

"It seems that only spatial Magic Power can unlock its true state."

Chloe said.

"No wonder I've studied it for so long and found nothing."

Zijin gazed at the nearly vanished gem.

"It's not just you."

Countless scholars throughout history have fallen victim to this problem.

The next moment, Su Ming made progress, "Plane Boundary Nexus | Completely Vacuumed".

It still exists, only temporarily detached from the ordinary material world.

***

Earth, Experimental Base No. 1.

The same phenomenon also occurred with another "Plane Boundary Nexus" that was kept in a thick glass case.

"How did it disappear!" a researcher exclaimed.

But soon, no one paid attention to this side anymore.

For the first time, a red light that had never been lit before began to flash.

A sharp beep pierced the silence, and all the recorders on the wall simultaneously began printing data. More than a dozen cooling fans instantly went from low speed to full speed, emitting a deep hum.

Sangzi, who was dozing off while leaning back in her chair, was suddenly startled awake.

She threw off her coat, rushed to the control panel, and looked at the monitoring screen.

The parameters are being updated; the "Other Shore Leaf" satellite constellation has captured clear fluctuations from "Red Spider Lily"!

The operator's voice changed. "Synchronization rate 99%!"

"The waveform is clear!"

"Noise has dropped to a communicable threshold!"

More staff members quickly surrounded them.

The experimental hall, which had been dull for four days, was suddenly filled with electricity again.

The same situation occurred at the satellite ground control station in Northern Ice Island, Quail immediately notified Su Ming of the news.

Su Ming unfolded his phone, logged into the satellite phone interface, and sure enough, he saw the "Signal Connected" icon.

His fingers trembled slightly.

The ward fell silent.

Finally, Su Ming pressed the dial button, sending out the first interdimensional communication request.

The system initialization, alignment, and verification took a few seconds.

The other side answered instantly.

The image appeared on the screen, showing a middle-aged woman.

Su Ming had met her before: Sangzi.

Previously, he had only seen his Spirit Vision in black and white; this was the first time he had seen his Sangzi in color.

Her collar was slightly wrinkled, her eyes were red, and the lenses of her glasses reflected the waveforms on the lab's main screen.

She was surrounded by many researchers.

More people are on their way.

Ling Wen, Jisu, Fengshou, Dodder —familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared on the screen.

Su Ming was speechless for a moment.

He reached out and pressed his fingertips against the screen to confirm that this was neither Spirit Vision nor a dream.

It's not about communication, but about actual communication.

Communication across dimensions.

Su Ming's vision blurred.

Tears rolled down her cheeks silently.

****

Sangzi took off her glasses and wiped away her tears.

Su Ming searched back and forth in the image.

There were no Little Spiky Head, nor was there anyone resembling Miao Xin.

"Where's Miao Xin?" he asked again.

The other end of the line fell silent.

No one answered.

Su Ming already knew the answer.

His fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. "What happened?"

Su Ming's voice was dry, as if it had been sanded.

Sangzi remained silent for a moment, then briefly recounted what had happened four days prior.

Xiyu.

fighting.

A precarious situation.

And Miao Xin's final choice.

After listening, Su Ming's throat bobbed.

"She and Xiyu together, right?"

"----Um."

It took Su Ming a long time to calm down.

Zijin sat beside him the whole time, holding his shoulder.

"I understand," Su Ming said softly.

He then looked up, his eyes moist, but his voice had turned cold.

"This matter will not be over Jörmungandr executed!"

Too many people have already sacrificed themselves, both on Earth and in Taya. A few Clock Hand' worth of time is hardly enough to atone for this tragedy!

Those who start such practices, though far away, shall be punished!

Sangzi put her glasses back on.

She looked at Su Ming, and when she spoke, her voice was still slightly hoarse.

"Su Ming."

Welcome home.