153 Return Part 2 (1/2)

Simply piecing together the transportation portal would not get it to work, and Lex was aware of that. She took out the scrolls that she had prepared earlier and began her fusion magic. Fusion spells were considered to be Grade 7 Dark Magic. However, without being promoted to a higher grade mage, it would simply be impossible for Lex to activate the scrolls.

The rocks that were used to piece the teleportation portal together had magic patterns found along their joints and bedding planes. With the dark fusion magic cast by Lex, they gradually combined to form a bigger rock. This principle was the basis for the construction of the teleportation portal, which would eventually be built from a grand total of forty-two grooves.

Lex took out six cut white spirit gems and placed them in the center of the six grooves. Afterwards, she set the remaining thirty-six enormous magic nuclei into the surroundings of the six auxiliary magic arrays.

Although Saleen was used to seeing gems, he felt his heart clench at the sight of the massive white spirit he knew he had to give up. The magic nuclei that were in the auxiliary magic arrays were Grade 7 magic objects, which were very valuable. The value of this teleportation trip could no longer be assessed in gold coins alone.

The capturing and killing of magic beasts that were Grade 7 and above often came with a high price. If Lex had not acquired the treasures left behind by the goddess herself, she would not have been able to afford the magic nuclei.

In fact, it was highly likely that no one would have been able to afford them. In a big city that did not contain mines or specialized alchemy factories, a person would be able to pull in slightly more than one hundred thousand gold coins a year. In places like Ceylon City where land was taxed, Viscount Gugger was only able to receive a fraction of the amount, which was ten thousand gold coins. This estimate had even taken into account the fact that he could earn extra coins by smuggling items through the yacht left behind by his ancestors.

For a nobleman of lower status, if he earned one to two thousand golden coins per year, he would be considered lucky. Taxes could even be collected from people who wanted to enter the big cities. However, since human traffic was scarce in smaller cities, the lords there were unwilling to collect the taxes as they wanted to attract more businessmen.

In the four empires, it was not uncommon to see many noblemen in extreme poverty and destitution.

After fusing together the gems and the magic nuclei, Lex signalled for everyone to stand in the center of the teleportation portal. A little while later, the god’s ring that was on her hand began lighting up again, and the magic tower emitted a bright glow. The remaining warrior puppets outside of the magic array were to be left behind in the interdimensional space. Lex issued the war puppets an exceedingly simple command, which was to stand guard in case anything happened.

As long as the teleportation portal was not damaged, she would still be able to come back. However, in the event that someone else came back, the war puppets could launch a full scale attack while the teleportation portal was still starting up.

Because of these orders, it paid to take some precautions when a person was entered the teleportation portal, lest they ended up with a dart or two in their bodies, courtesy of the war puppets.

As the space was distorted, the six elements were forced apart, giving rise to a vacuum that formed a space tunnel. In a very short period of time, Saleen and the others, under the protection of Lex, managed to rapidly pass any obstacles they encountered during their time in space. Their bodies emitted a brilliant gold the entire time.

The amount of time they spent in space was too short and Saleen only managed to get a glimpse of the secrets that it held. His mind was already creating a concept of space. He believed that as long as he could utilize the teleportation portal thirty to fifty thousand times, he would be able to understand the laws of space without requiring any guidance.

In just six frames of time, the teleportation process was complete, and the four of them had already appeared in the center of another magic array. Saleen knew that he had already returned to Myers Mainland. His mood at that moment was not of excitement, but anxiety. The surrounding elemental waves were too unstable. Hence, he did not hesitate to release four ice plate armors all at once, making sure that every person on board had one before coating the exterior of his own ice plate armor with a water shield.

Bang!

A loud, piercing sound filled the air and strong vibrations surged through the ground. Saleen and the others were flung into the air. The teleportation portal collapsed immediately. Lex held onto Saleen and grabbed Sika with her other hand, while Nailisi chose to clutch Saleen tightly instead. The four of them continued hovering in the air before faltering and falling a distance away.

Grade 6 mages were able to fly, but Lex was unable to do so while holding onto three people.

Saleen was not harmed by the destruction of the teleportation portal. A gentle gust of wind had deposited the group gently onto the surface of the ground.

”Viscountess!”

As cheers filled the air, Saleen took in his surroundings, alarmed to find that they did not resemble those of Holy Rock City. In the distance, Saleen could see a sea of soldiers cheering, as well as the Grade 8 mages from the Bitter Water Prefecture casting Wind Magic. So it was the Wind Magic that caused us to land unscathed, he thought.

”Professor!” Lex gasped as she landed, staring at the mage in front of her with a look of surprise on her face.

Lex had not seen her mentor in over a year. He still looked the same – gentle and calm. But why had he left Bitter Water Prefecture? Had something happened? Something’s not right, Lex thought, remembering Saleen’s words of premonition.

As Lex looked around, she saw that the soldiers were all dressed in their uniforms, but they were all clad in pure black armor. Lex’s heart sank as she stood there, at a loss for what to do.

Saleen did not fully understand what was going on, but he could feel the change in Lex’s mood. Knowing that something was up, he broke free from Lex’s grip and walked towards Lex’s mentor. ”What happened, Master?” Saleen asked politely, bowing deeply before the mage.

The mage looked at Lex before replying calmly, ”His Majesty has died in battle.”

What? Lex thought in disbelief.