Chapter 424 - 419: From the Unknown Realm

Chapter 424: Chapter 419: From the Unknown Realm

On the screens in the command hall, the images sent back by the satellite were still clear, despite its altitude of twenty thousand kilometers and its continuous descent.

Above was a silent field of meteorites of all shapes and sizes, hanging motionless in space. The satellite’s high-powered telescope could even impossibly see to the "end of the stars," as if the very edge of the cosmos was observable.

Below, a strange, dark-red landscape stretched out, seemingly without end.

Inside Kyoto No. 1 Super Base, the top leader’s hand clenched around his pen, and many officials from various departments shot to their feet.

At the Special Security Team Headquarters, the usual din gave way to a sudden, dead silence, broken only by the hum of electronics.

Tao Xingzhi slammed his right fist into his left palm with a sharp SMACK.

"So that’s it. So that’s how it is!!"

「National Satellite Launch Center No. 1」

In the Holy Spirit’s eyes, the instant the satellite vanished, it analyzed a massive amount of light. The patterns of change it observed were the inverse of those commonly seen on the ground.

Powerful fluctuations of Magic Power made the surrounding air vibrate, creating an iridescent shimmer that refracted the light.

"Kas... lo... pa...!!!"

At that same moment, far away at the Dawn Association Headquarters, Qin Xiaoxia, who had been remotely sensing the Magic Power within the satellite’s Technique Array, snapped his eyes open.

’So it wasn’t that the method was wrong, but that the location was wrong! It’s likely that not all of humanity’s artificial satellites actually lost their signal. Some must have hit a contact zone in orbit and fallen through to the other side.’

Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes narrowed. He interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on the backs of his hands, his gaze unfocused as if it could pierce the air and see into the far distance.

’Fallen World Caslopa!’

Both the scientific experts at the satellite launch center and Qin Xiaoxia himself knew this precious quantum satellite was likely doomed.

Its designed orbit, altitude, speed—all its parameters were calculated for the orbital environment of space outside Earth. Now that it had suddenly fallen into Caslopa, those parameters were useless. The satellite’s minimal remaining orbital adjustment capability was completely insufficient to provide the thrust needed to stay aloft.

So, Venus One was in a continuous freefall. Even an altitude of twenty thousand kilometers wouldn’t be enough to save it once it hit the atmosphere.

...

Not long after Venus One plummeted into Caslopa’s atmosphere.

At that same moment in the Fallen World Caslopa, the Insectoid Yakrodoth stood motionless atop a high plateau. Its eyes were closed, as if in meditation, or perhaps it was dozing.

Suddenly, it sensed an unusual flash of light and raised its head to look south.

Reflected in its eyes was a meteor streaking across the sky.

Meteors were an extremely rare sight in Caslopa. In all its long years, which it could no longer count, Yakrodoth had only seen one before—during the initial collision between Caslopa and the unknown world.

After much hesitation, the Insectoid decided to venture south in search of the fallen meteor.

...

「Later that day on Earth, after the new quantum satellite Venus One had vanished.」

Information was relayed by aircraft, routed through newly reconnected fiber-optic cables in neighboring countries, and passed along with the help of Dawn Association members. By these means, the latest intelligence had reached the upper echelons of the world’s major powers.

Earth’s first invasive point of contact with the Otherworld had been discovered.

Within just a few hours, the contact points were reclassified. Building on the previous depth-based system, they were now divided into two types of incursions: those from the Otherworld into Earth, and those from Earth into the Otherworld.

If not for the extreme altitude, reconnaissance forces would have likely been dispatched immediately. The images captured during the satellite’s descent were tantalizingly insufficient, leaving everyone itching for more.

Even so, high-ranking generals in the militaries of the major powers were already eagerly preparing, beginning tactical feasibility analyses and drafting military plans.

The fact that quantum communications could still connect to Earth from within the Otherworld was also a major piece of good news.

Venus One officially lost contact with Earth when it began burning up from atmospheric friction—or rather, it lost contact with Hua Country’s satellite launch center. After all, Qin Xiaoxia could still sense it.

At 1:17 AM, Tao Xingzhi received another message.

Outside the Special Security Team Headquarters, facing the Skywalker who had come to deliver the message, he couldn’t stop his worries from bursting out.

"How could you let the Master Sage go to the Otherworld to investigate all by himself?!!"

Mo Shaoge looked at the bigwig from Hua Country’s special department. Seeing him lose his composure just as he himself had upon hearing the news, Mo Shaoge was secretly amused.

"Because right now, only the Master Sage has the power to do it."

Tao Xingzhi looked at the young man’s placid expression, and despite his usually excellent self-control, his composure cracked. Internally, a thousand curses were stampeding through his mind.

’What the fuck?!’ he thought. ’How are the brains of you people at the Dawn Association wired? Just because the Sage can do something, you let him do it? How many Dawn Sages are there on the entire planet?’

’Wait a minute, how could a Dawn Sage just go over there so casually?’

Sure enough, Mo Shaoge quickly explained the truth. He didn’t dare take his joke too far with a bigwig of this caliber. Being vague was one thing, but continuing to beat around the bush could have serious consequences.

"Please rest assured, Leader Tao. The Master Sage isn’t going in person. As long as a breach between worlds is found, he can form a Thought Body with his will alone. It’s like an avatar or a spiritual projection from mythology."

Tao Xingzhi let out a visible sigh of relief. As the soul of the Dawn Association, the Dawn Sage wasn’t just crucial to Dawn itself, but to the entire World Alliance—to the whole world.

It was no exaggeration to say that, in both wisdom and power, the Dawn Sage’s existence was like a Stabilizing Needle, giving all of humanity an immense foundation of courage and confidence.

"Okay, I understand. Does the World Alliance need us to inform them?"

"Someone is already on their way to inform the core member nations of the World Alliance. We’ll have to ask you to handle notifying the other countries."

"No problem! We also hope you’ll share any key information the Master Sage uncovers in a timely manner. And please don’t hesitate to ask if you need our cooperation."

This was Mo Shaoge’s first time interacting with Tao Xingzhi. The man was just as the rumors within the Association claimed—easy to get along with, and he didn’t put on any official airs.

"It shall be as you wish. With that, I’ll take my leave."

He gave a salute with a fist over his heart to Tao Xingzhi and the agents across from him. Then, Mo Shaoge’s leg muscles exploded with power. Using a precise technique, he executed a classic, sweeping backflip and vanished from sight like a phantom, leaving the ground beneath him completely unscathed.

...

In the Fallen World Caslopa, the Insectoid Yakrodoth descended from the relative safety of its high plateau. It stepped into a rotting swamp, traversed wastelands and Rot Realms, and carefully avoided the dangerous places it knew from memory and rumor, all while pressing onward toward the meteor’s impact site.

Even with its power, it still needed to be vigilant at all times.

It had been born after the fall of the Caslopa World and had never seen the truly glorious and sacred world of old. All it knew was that this place, once so beloved that even the Elves yearned for it, was now overrun with all manner of foul and bizarre things, home to countless, unimaginable horrors.

Perhaps they too were once rational and great beings—powerful Elves, even, or ancient creatures. But now, their very souls had fallen into decay along with the world.

Finally, after traveling at the fastest speed it could manage while still maintaining caution, it reached the meteor’s crash site. The journey had taken three of this world’s cycles of light and darkness.

Seeing the wreckage of the artificial satellite, the Insectoid Yakrodoth grew slightly excited.

"Just as I thought... It’s something that fell from that other world!"

Then, it noticed something else. This time, it could see faint traces of a strange Magic Pattern on the wreckage. But before it could investigate further, a voice suddenly rang out, startling it.

"So, you’ve seen an artificial satellite before?"

Magic Power flared around Yakrodoth. The wings hidden beneath its ’clothes’ flapped frantically, and with a WHOOSH, it shot back several hundred meters from the wreckage.

It stared back at the wreckage, the pupil-like structures in its eyes contracting to pinpricks.

A faintly translucent figure had appeared near the wreckage. It was bipedal, with two arms, and seemed to be wearing exquisite clothing.

It was visible to the eye, and Yakrodoth could feel its gaze, yet through all its other senses, the space where the figure stood was completely empty.

The perfected Thought Body had clearly become even more inscrutable.

PS: Second Chapter for Monday.