Translator: AnubisTL
When Jieming finally returned to the massive spatial rift connecting the ship plane and the Void Domain Plane, the scene before him had undergone a complete transformation.
During his absence, the command center had constructed a colossal "floating camp" beneath the rift, resembling a suspended island.
The entire camp was built from sturdy black rock, likely sourced directly from the ship plane.
Fully functional wizard structures had already been erected, including energy tower, alchemy workshops, and even the nascent stages of a trading market.
Countless energy rune flickered along the camp's perimeter, forming multiple layers of robust defenses.
Jieming carefully adjusted his flight path and slowly descended to the central plaza of the floating camp.
He found the area far more bustling than he had anticipated.
In addition to the wizards gradually returning from all directions, the plaza was teeming with massive numbers of native creatures captured by these wizards during their explorations.
Bizarre creatures of all shapes and sizes were herded by powerful wizards using energy chains and soul contracts, driven like livestock from all directions.
The camp swallowed the massive influx of spoils of war like a perpetually hungry giant beast.
Upon arriving at the camp, Jieming easily located the distinctive "Affairs Center."
He approached the terminal, registered his acceptance of the mandatory mission, and collected a large number of marble-sized "signal beacons" from an alchemy puppet nearby. These beacons pulsed with faint spatial fluctuations.
Having completed the preliminary steps for the mandatory mission, Jieming didn't immediately leave.
He planned to search the temporary camp for spell artifacts that could stabilize the surrounding space or precisely mark his spatial location, hoping to avoid the dangers of spatial turbulence.
As he wandered through the market, a familiar voice called out from beside him.
"Junior Brother Jieming? What a coincidence! You're back too!"
Jieming turned to see Senior Jack.
"Senior Jack, I didn't expect to run into you here. Looks like I'm in luck..."
The two exchanged warm greetings.
After some pleasantries, Jack, who had noticed Jieming seemingly searching for something at the stalls earlier, couldn't resist asking, "Junior Brother Jieming, I've noticed you've been looking for something. If it's not urgent, tell me what it is. I helped build this place and know it pretty well."
Jieming didn't hesitate to reveal his purpose: "I'm looking for a spell artifact that can stabilize space or mark my spatial coordinates. This plane is too unstable, making it quite dangerous."
Hearing Jieming's request, Jack pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up. "I don't have any spell artifacts myself, but Levin Mills—you remember him, right? He was the only one in our group to advance to the third-tier. He might be able to help you with that."
"Senior Levin Mills?" Jieming's mind immediately flashed back to the person he had met before, followed by a hint of confusion. "If I remember correctly, isn't he a potionology specialist?"
"It seems you do remember him. That's right, he specializes in potionology. While Levin can't create complex spell artifacts, he recently succeeded in crafting a very special magic potion using creatures from this world."
"After taking this potion, the user's perception of wind elements and spatial power is greatly enhanced! It won't make you completely immune to spatial turbulence or allow you to move freely through it, but at least it will make it easier to sense 'spatial disturbance' in advance, allowing you to avoid danger."
"Moreover, according to Levin, the potion's perception-enhancing effects are permanent! This could be a significant advantage for you in your future studies and research in space studies!"
Jieming's eyes lit up as he listened to Jack's explanation!
Such a useful item exists?
He eagerly asked, "Senior Jack, could you sell me this potion?"
Jack laughed heartily. "Of course, that's no problem at all. We were planning to trade it for some resources we need anyway. But... I'm afraid that's not possible right now. We've run out of raw materials. You'll have to wait a while."
Seeing the disappointment on Jieming's face, Jack patiently explained, "The core ingredient of this magic potion is an extremely pure 'Wind Elemental Energy Body'—a highly concentrated form of wind element energy condensed under extreme pressure. As you know, obtaining this stuff is no easy task..."
Jieming sighed helplessly.
Energy bodies might sound common, but when you add the labels "highly concentrated" and "extremely pure," it means the stuff is incredibly rare.
This meant the miraculous magic potion would likely be useless to him.
After all, the danger of spatial turbulence was ever-present.
By the time they found new raw materials and brewed another batch, it would be too late.
Just then, Jack suddenly changed the subject, revealing his true purpose.
He looked at Jieming, his expression turning serious. "Jieming, would you like to join us on an urgent rescue mission?"
Before Jieming could ask any questions, Jack quickly explained, "Our team accepted one of the urgent missions: 'Rescue the Lost Wizards.' We need to go to a marked 'spatial turbulence' area to rescue several wizards who are trapped inside."
"But the distorted space within the spatial turbulence is unexpectedly vast, far exceeding our initial estimates. We need more manpower to help with the search."
"Don't worry, the mission isn't particularly dangerous. After all, the main search effort will be carried out by specially modified reconnaissance cannon fodder. The wizards only need to control them from the periphery. Plus, our team has already found a stable entrance and exit to the spatial turbulence, allowing for safe withdrawal at any time."
"If you're willing to help us complete this mission, I can authorize giving you a bottle of that magic potion I mentioned earlier—the one that permanently enhances spatial perception—in addition to the mission's regular compensation!"
Jieming's eyes lit up. This deal was quite tempting.
However, he still had some doubts. "Is the area within the space distortion really that vast? If manpower is the issue, couldn't you just send in more reconnaissance cannon fodder?"
Jack gave a helpless, bitter smile. "The area within the space distortion is unimaginably vast. To be honest, every wizard in our team has already reached the maximum number of cannon fodder they can control through their soul contracts. That's why we need to recruit more wizards and deploy even more cannon fodder to expand the search area."
Jieming grew even more puzzled. He had reviewed the emergency mission details himself and couldn't shake the feeling that their investment already exceeded the mission's reward.
"Are those wizards inside particularly important to you?"
Jack leaned in conspiratorially, whispering into Jieming's ear, "The wizards themselves aren't important. What matters are the space distortion nodes themselves. While these distortions are troublesome to deal with, their interiors typically contain vast quantities of high-value resources!"
"After all, maintaining such a stable 'space distortion' requires a massive concentration of pure elemental energy. Over time, this immense accumulation of elements inevitably gives rise to rare and highly valuable resources or creatures!"
"Even the raw materials for that... magic potion were originally harvested from another similar 'space distortion' node."
After hearing Senior Jack's explanation, Jieming quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
With barely a moment's hesitation, he agreed to Jack's proposal.
"Alright, if it's truly as you say, I should probably thank you for giving me this opportunity, Senior."
After all, Jack's proposal carried minimal risk for Jieming but offered potentially enormous rewards.
Moreover, beyond the resources and the magic potion, Jieming had another motive.
He wanted to accompany these experienced "veterans" to learn from them, hoping to gain practical knowledge and experience in handling dangerous situations like "space distortions."
"It's mutually beneficial," Jack chuckled. "And wizards from the same academy are always more trustworthy than outsiders."
With that, they quickly finalized the time and place for their next meeting.
After a hurried farewell to Jieming, Jack rushed off, likely to continue recruiting more personnel.
Judging by his demeanor, he was probably heading to gather additional manpower.
After bidding farewell to the fleeting Senior Jack, Jieming didn't immediately return to rest. Instead, he lingered in the bustling, vibrant temporary plaza.
After all, the magic potion only provided a passive "early warning" method, at best a backup plan.
If he could find a powerful spell artifact capable of directly stabilizing localized spatial turbulence during crises, that would be ideal.
The plaza teemed with people, the atmosphere electric.
Besides wizards hawking their self-refined magic potions, spell artifacts, and other homemade wares at stalls, many were also peddling fresh biological materials—even rare live animals—harvested from this plane.
The official camp's procurement prices were too low, barely covering costs.
Selling directly to other wizards here could yield a small profit margin above the official rates.
As Jieming weaved through the bizarre and dazzling stalls, his gaze suddenly locked onto a caged creature at one booth, drawing him to a halt.
(End of the Chapter)
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