Translator: AnubisTL
Anya gave Jieming a clean, bright smile, her voice ethereal and melodious.
"Mr. Jieming, it's been a long time. This is... my grandmother's plane. I'm glad to see you again, though not under these circumstances."
She then turned to Viola and curtsied politely. "Aunt Viola, you've arrived."
At the word "Aunt," Viola's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but she resignedly accepted the familial title.
On the other side, Jieming watched Anya's pure, shy, and pitifully innocent expression, and his own lips twitched in a nearly invisible spasm.
He knew this girl's true nature all too well.
This facade of pure innocence was nothing more than a meticulously applied layer of camouflage paint!
Peel back that skin, and what lay beneath was the soul of a madwoman—someone who would disregard everything for the sake of research, her eyes burning with a fervor that could scorch anyone who met her gaze.
Their brief encounter during the graduation trial had been enough for him to understand this "genius's" nearly obsessive thirst for exploring the unknown.
Viola didn't dwell on her inner turmoil as much as Jieming did. She cut straight to the chase, frowning. "Anya, what's going on here? How did this plane end up like this?"
Anya fell silent for a moment, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Then, she answered in a low, awkward voice, "It's... the servant races in Grandmother's plane... the ones who were originally observation samples... they rebelled."
"Rebelled?"
The word ground into Jieming and Viola's minds like a rusty gear, leaving both of them with expressions that practically formed the "confused black guy" meme.
Could the word "rebellion" really be used to describe what happened in the territory of a formal wizard—especially in the private plane of a sixth-tier wizard?
Jieming couldn't help but recall his own experience in the Golden Garden Territory of Noren Plane No. 147.
Trouble had broken out there too, but strictly speaking, it couldn't be called a "rebellion."
He had taken in those humans, dwarves, and elves primarily at the request of his friend, David. He had never treated them as servant races in the traditional sense.
And after the first generation, he had never imposed strict soul contracts on them.
Besides, the main cause of the trouble back then was Jieming's first participation in a large-scale planar war. He had been away far longer than expected, and his lack of experience led him to neglect subsequent arrangements.
Even so, the extent of the rebellion in Jieming's territory at the time was quite limited. One could say that if an ordinary formal wizard were determined to manage their affairs, it would be absolutely impossible for their own backyard to catch fire.
And yet now, Anya was actually saying that a "rebellion" had broken out in the private plane of a sixth-tier wizard?
Setting aside basic constraints like soul contracts, what kind of concept was a sixth-tier wizard? They were powerful beings who could already touch and manipulate the plane origin! Within their own planes, they were almost equivalent to the incarnation of rules and the plane itself. Suppressing internal enemies often required nothing more than a single thought to mobilize the Plane Power for suppression.
Considering he was not well-acquainted with this strange sixth-tier wizard, Jieming adhered to the principle of "saying less to make fewer mistakes" and kept his questions buried in his heart.
But Viola clearly had no such reservations. She crossed her arms and said bluntly, in a "I knew it" tone, "Is that girl having another episode? What's she up to now?"
Anya's smile grew even more awkward. "Grandmother says..." she explained softly, "that war is an inevitable 'baptism' and 'catalyst' in the development of sentient races. She believes that forced intervention would disrupt the integrity of their natural spiritual evolution, so... she doesn't plan to stop it."
Jieming, however, caught another crucial piece of information from her words. He couldn't help but ask for confirmation: "Anya, are you saying... your grandmother hasn't signed soul contracts with the servant races in her territory?"
Anya nodded obediently. "Yes, Jieming. Most of the races in Grandmother's territory were created by her own hands using Life Alchemy and Soul Weaving Technology."
"She believes that while soul contracts are convenient for control, they might subconsciously restrict the free development and creativity of spirituality. To pursue the most 'primitive' and 'authentic' evolutionary data, she never signed any form of enslavement contract from the very beginning."
Hearing this, Jieming couldn't help but raise a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling a slight headache.
With that, the logic finally clicked into place.
Viola's friend, a powerful sixth-tier wizard, had taken on the dual role of "Creator" and "Observer" within her own plane. She had created life, endowed it with spirituality, and then... simply stepped back.
She had allowed them to develop freely, even to the point of warfare, all for the sake of observing the "natural" evolution of spirituality.
Jieming could only think to himself: This senior wizard's research methods are... quite bold, and incredibly extravagant.
Since this was a deliberately cultivated environment, it wasn't entirely surprising that such a "rebellion" would occur. However, for it to escalate to the point where the entire plane was engulfed in war... the sheer scale of this wizard's "experiment" and her level of non-interference were truly unprecedented.
Viola seemed to have grown accustomed to her friend's eccentric style. She pivoted to another question: "Then why were we teleported to this godforsaken place this time? Every other time I've visited, I was sent straight to her precious laboratory."
Anya quickly explained, "Because the speed and scale of this 'rebellion' exceeded Grandmother's initial predictions, triggering the Plane Defense System's automatic emergency protocols. She hasn't had time to manually adjust the permissions yet, so all unmarked external teleportations are now being automatically routed to this Observation Outpost near the frontline."
"I was sent here because Grandmother detected the energy signatures of your arrival and specifically dispatched me to meet you and escort you to the secure laboratory area."
Viola waved her hand dismissively, a headache forming. "Alright, alright, I get it. You don't need to guide us. I know which turtle shell that woman's lab is hidden in. Just follow me."
She was clearly familiar with the layout of the place.
Jieming turned to the Black Giant Priest, who had returned with the two still-twitching elemental creatures and the Animated Plant. He looked at Anya and Viola, his expression troubled. "So... what do we do with these specimens?"
He paused, then added, "We attacked them instinctively just now. Will that interfere with your grandmother's experimental data?"
Anya blinked her clear, large eyes and shook her head blankly. "Um... Grandmother didn't say. I don't know how to handle this either."
Viola was more decisive, stating plainly, "We'll simply erase the individuals that have been severely tainted by my Law Power and have lost their normal behavioral patterns. Their very existence is now distorted; keeping them might only pollute the experimental environment."
"As for our intervention and the possibility that our information might be detected..." She sighed. "There's no other way. We'll just have to ask that madwoman directly when the time comes and see if she actually cares."
Seeing Viola already skillfully taking to the skies, identifying her direction, and flying forward, Jieming shook his head helplessly.
With a thought, the Black Giant Priests, acting on his command, struck without hesitation, completely ending the suffering of the captives on the ground. They were then reabsorbed into Jieming's Grotto-Heaven Space.
Beside him, Anya also directed the nature spirits around her to help clear away the strange creatures lying on the ground, wailing in agony.
With the two of them working together, the cleanup was quickly completed.
Jieming and Anya then took flight, following after Viola.
During the flight, Anya quietly drifted closer to Jieming and asked in a low voice, her blue eyes shimmering with curiosity, "Jieming, I heard... you're the one who researched that 'Law of Fiction' and created those very interesting 'Imaginary Elements'?"
Jieming glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
Getting confirmation, Anya immediately grew excited, her speech quickening. "Can I buy some from you then? If military merits won't work, I'll trade with you using the Spirit Body Crystals or Ancient Soul Runes I've collected! My grandmother said that according to her research, the Imaginary Elements you produce seem to have a very unique effect on the growth and mutation of various spirit bodies!"
"No need for other special materials. If you want to trade, military merits will do."
Jieming didn't mind. To him, spiritual energy was not a non-renewable scarce resource. In fact, he wished more people would buy his spiritual energy. After all, once the Incense Divine Path of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane was completely renovated, he would have a whole plane continuously helping him generate spiritual energy. With his strength alone, he definitely wouldn't be able to use it all up in the short term.
He replied casually, "We can discuss the specific exchange rate later. But..."
Jieming glanced at Anya, who was flying alongside him. Her expression still seemed shy, but he could clearly sense the emotions carried in the slight spiritual fluctuations she was emitting.
It wasn't just curiosity. It was a mixture of extreme excitement, a thirst for exploration, and even a faint, ravenous hunger—the kind one might feel when eyeing a rare experimental subject.
A chill ran down Jieming's spine. He rubbed the goosebumps that had broken out all over his skin in disgust. "...But before we get to that, could you stop looking at me like you're dying to dissect me and see how I'm put together!"
Caught, Anya showed no embarrassment. Instead, she ran her tongue over her lips and flashed a smile that was the polar opposite of her innocent appearance—a smile tinged with a hint of something sinister.
"My apologies, Jieming. It's just... your life aura smells so 'fragrant.' It's much stronger than when we first met. I can hardly contain myself."
Jieming's eye twitched violently. He decided not to utter another word to this potential research maniac and budding cannibal. Silently, he accelerated his flight, closing the gap between himself and Viola.
In a place like this, it's best to find the main attraction, finish our business quickly, and then figure out how to get the hell out of here as fast as possible!
(End of the Chapter)
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