Chapter 513 - 477: Underground Facility

Chapter 513: Chapter 477: Underground Facility

In an instant, his presence had faded to a minimum. Even close by, he was nearly impossible for ordinary Perception to detect.

After concealing himself, he cautiously raised his head to look at the edge of the circular crater torn open above.

Although the Space-Time dislocation had made him immune to the direct damage of the devastating attack, the personal experience of its arrival—that absolute pressure, as if the world’s will itself was executing an erasure, and its chillingly precise destructive power—still left a deep-seated fear in his heart.

This forced him to once again raise his assessment of the technology possessed by Silver Radiance City—or rather, of the "Power" that allowed them to so freely wield high-level Energy and Rules—to a new, more vigilant level.

’If Silver Radiance City truly has a way to bypass the Space-Time dislocation and affect me directly...’

The thought sent a slight chill down his spine.

What weighed even more heavily on his mind was the terrifying power and coordination displayed by the five-person squad from moments before.

’Domains... Five completely different, yet complementary, Domain Traits.’

Roland’s brow furrowed.

Space Solidification, Coordinate Stripping, Order Formatting, Motion Freezing, and Existence Severing.

These five attacks were not a random combination. Each targeted a different fundamental aspect of material existence, collectively weaving a death trap aimed at "existence" itself.

Without the protection of his Space-Time dislocation, any target caught within that net likely wouldn’t even have a chance to struggle.

’However...’ Recalling his fierce clash with Van Buren at the High Tower in the Land of Mist, Roland gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Compared to the Domain wielded by that Paladin, the ones the five-person squad had used felt more like highly domesticated, instrumental "Skills" or "weapons."

They were powerful and precisely applied, but they lacked the unique "imprint" that came from one’s personal path and soul.

It was as if they had acquired or replicated the power of a Domain through some method and trained in its use to the point of perfection, but had never truly internalized it as part of their own path.

But even so, Roland’s lips thinned. ’Without the effect of the Space-Time dislocation, even if I used my full Power, it would be nearly impossible to survive their combined assault.’

He waited for a moment, concealed within the Shadow, but no sound of pursuit came from the edge of the crater torn open above.

The unnatural quiet aroused Roland’s suspicion.

’The people above... do they think I’ve already been "dealt with"?’

He dismissed the thought as soon as it arose.

Judging by the cold, efficient, and methodical style the five-person squad had demonstrated, they were not the type to make assumptions.

Seeing a corpse to confirm a kill—and likely using Annihilation on the "corpse" for good measure—was more their style.

’Then...’

Roland’s gaze swept over the vast and silent facility around him.

’Is it that they’re prohibited from entering this underground facility, or is there some obstacle, or...’

His gaze finally settled on the distorted building in the distance.

’...is there something down here that even they fear or can’t control.’

Pushing his doubts aside for the moment, Roland took a deep breath and carefully surveyed his surroundings.

The scale of the underground research facility was astonishing, but its condition exuded an eerie sense of "orderly death."

It wasn’t the mess left behind by a hasty evacuation after an attack. On the contrary, everything appeared to be in perfect order.

The massive equipment had ceased to operate, but its surfaces were wiped spotlessly clean.

Although the flow of light in the Energy conduits was dim, it was maintained at a minimal level, as if preserving a baseline for a potential "re-activation."

It was as if, at some point, all the researchers here had received a clear directive, methodically concluded all ongoing projects, sealed away the equipment and data, and then evacuated en masse, leaving behind this slumbering metal beast.

’Yemiga appeared at the scene of the fire, and the source of the fire points here...’

Roland’s thoughts began to crystallize.

’This must be connected to Silver Radiance City’s core secrets, and might even be directly related to the time loop that’s trapping me.’

At this thought, Roland no longer hesitated. His figure moved like a true Ghost, and he began to weave through the silent, metallic labyrinth.

In moments, he had already swept past research areas with various functions.

A synthesis laboratory reeking of residual chemical Potions.

A bio-experimentation area filled with massive, transparent cultivation vats.

An Arcane Resonance Hall engraved with complex Energy circuits.

A materials analysis station piled high with samples of unknown alloys...

Every area was in the same state of having been "tidied up before departure," leaving behind no useful information.

After an unknown amount of time, Roland finally approached the core area of the facility, where the Energy lines converged and the architecture grew more robust and orderly.

Pushing open a heavy metal door marked with a complex astrological chart and locking Runes, the scene beyond came into view.

Dozens of neat rows of metal shelves reached up to the vaulted ceiling.

Most of the shelves were empty, their important contents clearly having been moved, but some materials still remained.

Roland moved silently between the archive’s towering metal shelves, like a phantom drifting through a silent tomb of knowledge.

However, the process of reading was far more difficult than expected.

The remaining record-keeping media were bewilderingly diverse.

There were Spirit Pattern Crystals that could only be "read" with a specific Spirit frequency.

There were Scrolls written in long-lost ancient Magic Languages or with highly specialized academic symbols from the Crystal Era.

There were even Phase Crystals that recorded moving images, but the playback was fragmented and distorted, accompanied by incomprehensible background noise.

Even the notes and reports written in a relatively common tongue were exceedingly esoteric.

They were filled with professional jargon completely beyond Roland’s comprehension, terms like "cross-dimensional string-vibration decay coefficient," "spiritual-foundation background-radiation interference threshold," and "non-Euclidean belief topological structure."

The texts made extensive use of metaphors, code names, and encrypted abbreviations, as if the scholars here were accustomed to isolating themselves from the outside world behind layers of academic jargon.

After a long time spent patiently sifting through the material and forcing himself to understand it, Roland managed to piece together a core piece of information from a few tattered log summaries and an inscription plate that appeared to be a project overview.

The most fundamental, core function for which this massive research facility was established was not the study of the material world or known Magic, but rather a goal that could only be described as audacious.

To attempt to establish a stable connection and conduct a "dialogue" with a certain "unknown entity."

The records obscurely referred to it as "the Observer Beyond the Veil," "the Non-Causal Entity," or "Omega-Class Contact Target."

The research involved cutting-edge Space-Time theory, consciousness projection, high-dimensional information decoding, and even... theology and the quantitative application of faith-based Energy.

’It’s a shame Mr. Bronson and Galvis aren’t here.’

Roland gently rubbed his temples, feeling a sense of weariness from the wall of knowledge before him.

’With their profound scholarship and broad experience, they might have been able to unearth the truth behind these deliberately abstruse texts much more quickly.’

With that thought, Roland opened the Secret Imprisonment Dice and placed all the materials into the Space Gate before turning to the other side of the archives.

The shelving here was slightly different. It didn’t hold specific research data, but rather a vast sea of works on Magic Theory, Arcane principles, advanced mathematics, parapsychology, and even philosophical treatises on the Outer Planes and the nature of the Divine Attribute.

Their depth and specialization far surpassed any collection Roland had encountered in the Imperial College Library; many of the theoretical frameworks were entirely new to him.

*Essentials of Ether Fluid Dynamics*, *Collective Unconscious Sea and Information Disturbance*, *Initial Exploration of Programming at the Level of Laws*...

Suddenly, his gaze froze on a book.

On the cover, the title was written in an elegant, ancient script.

*Arcane Enlightenment: Introduction to Primordial Resonance*