Chapter 182: Entering The Rift

Cassian and Nyxara stepped out of the Astral Voyager and onto the sprawling docking platform.

?The first thing that caught Cassian’s attention was the sheer volume of starships occupying the surrounding berths.

Vessels of wildly different shapes and sizes were docked throughout the facility, ranging from monstrous military dreadnoughts to compact, stripped-down exploration frigates.

?However, not all of them possessed the same level of engineering as the Astral Voyager.

?Some had visibly aged hulls, outdated propulsion modules, and structural designs that appeared several generations behind the flagship they had just disembarked from.

Others were considerably more impressive, though few could rival the Astral Voyager’s high-tier spatial drive and pristine craftsmanship.

?That was hardly surprising.

?After all, a first-class ticket didn’t come cheap.

?Cassian glanced around as he and Nyxara joined the steady stream of passengers leaving the platform.

The space station was considerably more active than he had anticipated. Lords moved in every direction, some accompanied by their Champions, others flanked by entire platoons of elite bodyguards.

?Station officials in uniform actively directed incoming travelers toward designated sector corridors, while massive holographic billboards broadcast information regarding facility maps, safety regulations, and exploration bounties.

?It was essentially a floating metropolis.

?As Cassian walked alongside Nyxara, he recognized a few familiar faces among the crowd.

?Julian Ashford stood near one of the central information terminals, flanked by the same two older Lords who had confronted Cassian in the executive lounge.

?The moment their eyes met, all three men snapped their heads away, aggressively inspecting the wall.

?Cassian caught the remarkably deliberate movement.

?A faint, amused smile touched his lips.

’?At least they know when to behave.’

?He didn’t bother approaching them. There was no reason to waste effort on people who had already swallowed their pride.

?Instead, he continued walking with Nyxara, following the flow of Lords toward the station’s central transit sector.

?It didn’t take long before they reached their destination.

?Before them stood an enormous circular platform that occupied a massive portion of the station’s inner hub.

Its elevated surface resembled a gigantic dais, with multiple concentric rings deeply engraved into its metallic foundation.

?Complex runic patterns covered every inch of the floor, interwoven with glowing energy conduits that stretched toward the surrounding bulkheads.

At regular intervals, colossal crystalline pillars stood along its perimeter, each one radiating a dense hum of blue energy.

?The platform was built to accommodate hundreds of Lords simultaneously.

?Association officers lined the perimeter, guiding incoming explorers toward designated array nodes.

?Cassian studied the array structure briefly.

?’The spatial transportation dais.’

?A Lord could technically dive directly into a dimensional rift without relying on a station array. However, doing so was far more dangerous than most newcomers realized.

?Dimensional rifts possessed violently unstable spatial boundaries. Crossing them unassisted demanded a massive expenditure of personal energy to shield oneself from the crushing dimensional pressure during transit.

?For weaker Lords, the passage alone could drain a substantial portion of their mana reserves.

?And if their reserves proved insufficient to withstand the strain, the consequences were brutal, severe internal damage, or even permanent physical impairment.

?Worse still, entering a rift in such a compromised state placed the explorer at a fatal disadvantage.

The creatures inhabiting those dark dimensions were hardly known for showing mercy to exhausted prey.

?The transportation dais eliminated that danger entirely by stabilizing the spatial corridor.

?Cassian stepped onto the glowing surface alongside Nyxara.

?Around them, dozens of other Lords took their positions. The veterans moved with practiced efficiency, while the younger Lords examined the glowing runes beneath their boots with undisguised nervousness and curiosity.

?Once the platform was fully populated, a woman wearing the official uniform of the Lord Association stepped up to the control lectern.

?She carried herself with the sharp, unshakeable composure of a seasoned veteran.

A silver identification badge gleamed on her lapel, and a responsive holographic interface floated beside her wrist.

?"Welcome, esteemed Lords. On behalf of the Lord Association, I welcome you to the Orion Rift."

?Her voice echoed with absolute clarity across the array.

?"Before we initiate spatial transit, I will briefly cover the exploration protocols and governing rules of this dimensional rift. Some of you may already be familiar with these guidelines, but I ask for your complete attention."

?The chatter across the platform died down completely.

?"According to Association regulations, all participating Lords will be deployed into the Orion Rift through this array. Your primary objective is to investigate the anomaly and determine its core closing condition."

?She paused, allowing the gravity of the mission to sink in.

?"However, there is a secondary objective available to all participants. Every dimensional rift possesses an inherent saturation level, representing the localized energy sustaining its existence. By reducing this saturation by a minimum of 0.1%, you will trigger the manifestation of an exit gate."

?A holographic schematic flickered beside her, illustrating the structural mechanics of a dimensional rift.

?"Once this threshold is reached, an exit gate will open within the rift, allowing participating Lords to extract safely. The gate will remain open for a strict maximum of three minutes."

?Several Lords exchanged sharp glances.

?The official continued without pause.

?"At that moment, you will face two choices. You may step through the exit gate and claim your rewards from the Lord System based on your individual contributions. Alternatively, you may choose to remain inside and push deeper for the core closing condition."

?Her gaze swept across the crowd.

?"Those who choose to stay will have the opportunity to secure higher-grade resources, hunt stronger entities, and unearth critical data to seal the rift entirely. However, understand this clearly: the exit gate will vanish after three minutes. Once it closes, you will be trapped inside until another extraction point is forced."

?She held up a single finger.

?"Your next systemic entry allowance into the Orion Rift will only reset after midnight, when the Lord System refreshes your daily quota."

?A few of the younger Lords nodded, taking rapid notes on their communicators.

?"Your final rewards will scale directly according to your operational contribution, cataloging rare resources, slaying high-tier entities, mapping unexplored terrain, and reducing the rift’s energy saturation will all be factored into your evaluation."

?She brought up a secondary interface projection.

?"Furthermore, any rift entities eliminated by your summoned forces will grant direct experience to those units. However, there is one critical restriction you must keep in mind."

?The official’s tone hardened.

?"Any troops that have not been physically summoned prior to stepping onto this platform will be completely locked. Upon entering the rift, every participating Lord will experience a temporary disconnection from the Lord System."