Chapter 2186 - 65: Second World

In ancient mythology, the Pillar of Sky-Reaching stands at the center of the world, supporting a kingdom known as the God-Granted Land—Yita.

This land, sharing the name with the Creator, is the original Eden, the legendary paradise. The Creator Yita once cast down the first ray of light upon this land, and from the light painted the initial image of this world—sunrise and moonset, stars shining, earth and life, kingdoms and gods. Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Papalarians, Wilderness People, and Fairies' ancestors all came from this paradise until a catastrophe destroyed everything.

On that day, the Pillar of Sky-Reaching collapsed, and the entire world shattered with it, forcing the ancestors to depart their homeland, leaving behind, and wander on the barren and dark land outside of paradise. The First World, Eteliria, in certain ancient contexts, is said to mean 'Land of Exile'—initially known as 'Etherzoda' or 'Ethersorin', but through transformations by different races' languages, it gradually evolved into the term seen today.

But as time passed, people long forgot everything of yore—Eteliria, the four main floating continents above the Cloud Sea became the new home for humans, Dwarves, Elves, Papalarians, Wilderness People, and Fairies, whom they called homeland and native land anew.

Only in some ancient texts, within the context of religion, still depict the longing for that beautiful land by those who had left, Lost Paradise, God-Granted Land. At the moment sinners cleanse their sins, mortals shall once again receive Yita's approval, returning to the original homeland—from the dual meaning of spirit and substance.

In the era where religion prevailed in the world, this notion once rose above all else, with the Pontiffs of various Great Holy Temples repeatedly selling indulgences under this name. Ultimately, the ideals of religion became a tool for squeezing surplus value from the lower class, leading to the outbreak of religious revolutions.

The gods handed over their authority in response to the changing times, and the era of divine right waned. Emerging secular kingdoms appeared on this land, Colin Ishurian, Osh, all underwent top-down reforms, with Alchemists replacing the divine right classes as the rising force, forging a new, thriving Magic Guided Engineering era about six hundred years after the Numelin Elves left this world.

For the Invokers who came to this world, this is the modern age of Eteliria they see—

But while people nearly forgot Lost Paradise, the geographic discoveries brought upon by technological advancements delivered exhilarating news amid the floating island clusters south of Guda Suoke: Explorers among the natives and the Invoker fleets discovered traces of the once-existed Bridge of Heaven...

That was undoubtedly a moment that moved the soul.

When people emerged from the rainforests of Guda Suoke, under the gaze of countless eyes, at the horizon where the Cloud Sea ends—the former world pillar now leaned at the edge of this world, appearing as a massive, colossal ruin, marked with mottled scars, spanning the Cloud Sea like a bridge, piercing through the connection between the upper and lower Cloud Sea.

Later, people gave it another name, the First Continental Bridge. But that was something that happened within approximately thirty years after people discovered that they could cross this bridge to reach the upper Sky Sea—the Second World.

Today, people have gradually familiarized themselves with this name, but still, some reminiscing the era of the past whisper its former name:

Pillar of Yita.

The journey to the Second World once became a journey to civilization's homecoming.

Although people soon discovered, the upper layer of the Cloud Sea was not the Lost Paradise they imagined but a distinct new world from the First World. This is the Second World.

The bustling Elemental Sea traverses the Second World, countless Ether Rivers sculpting a peculiar scene here. Floating continents no longer exist, only an expanse of islands, divided into four main regions:

Star Domain, Whale Sea, Land of the Lost, and Murky Domain.

The Second World has fundamentally different rules from the First World, and here, the World Laws are evidently stronger than in Eteliria. Therefore, even those who reached the limit of Strength in the First World were discovered to be able to further grow in this world. From an era ago, the peak attainments in the First World were called Saints, and those further advancing were Superiors, transcendent beings.

Thus, venturing into the Second World is also stepping into the Holy Domain.

However, for the Invokers, not every region of the Second World is filled with powerful creatures and strange rules. In fact, like the First World, many areas exist suitable for mortals to live. And these areas often become the focal point of competition among various nations, major forces, and guilds.

Among the four regions, there are approximately twenty-seven islands with the potential to become colonies of First World countries. Whale Sea has seven islands, Land of the Lost five islands, Star Domain three islands, and almost all the rest are located within the Murky Domain. Therefore, the Murky Domain was almost the center of this vortex from the beginning.

The largest of these islands, Iron Candle Cape is under the control of the Osh People. And among the twenty-seven islands, there was once a neutral island belonging to the Free Summoner—Mount Holy Pact. Of course, this legendary land no longer exists now, falling under the joint control of the Descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance.