Chapter 622 - 47: Year 7743

Chapter 622: Chapter 47: Year 7743

After Rodrick finished, Murphy asked,

"So, is there a faster way? For a First-Level Wizard?"

Rodrick really didn’t want to answer this question.

As an Imperial, why should he help a creature from an Outer Plane find loopholes in the Imperial system?

But his reason told him that he had to answer.

He was under Murphy’s control. He had no choice.

Rodrick suppressed his inner resistance and continued in his almost mechanically rational manner,

"My lord, of course there is."

"After the King of Wizards signed the new immigration decree, more and more creatures from Outer Planes began wanting to immigrate. Where there’s demand, a market will follow. Thus, a series of related industries has sprung up."

"You can go through some middlemen to find relevant personnel in the immigration bureau. They have internal channels that can speed up the approval process."

He glanced at Murphy and added,

"Of course, this requires money."

Murphy was silent for a second.

"I have no money."

Rodrick froze for a moment.

Murphy continued,

"What about killing creatures in the Nightmare World for materials and selling them for money? Would that work?"

Deep within, Rodrick felt a surge of contempt—one born not of emotion, but of cold, rational analysis.

It was neutral, devoid of personal feelings.

’No money?’

’A Third-Level Wizard with no money?’

’In his experience, this was simply unbelievable.’

But on second thought, he understood.

’This Murphy is from an Outer Plane and just recently arrived in the Imperial domain. It’s certainly possible he’s penniless.’

’After all, how could one arrive in the Imperial domain without some losses along the way?’

’From what he knew, many creatures from Outer Planes had bankrupted themselves just to get here.’

But in that instant, a thought flashed through Rodrick’s mind.

A thought that made his heart race.

’What if Murphy had an... accident... while hunting Nightmare creatures?’

’The Nightmare World is incredibly chaotic, its Laws ever-changing.’

’Some of those Nightmare creatures are terrifyingly powerful, others are bizarre beyond comprehension.’

’Even in the shallow layers of the Nightmare World, a Third-Level Wizard could still meet their end.’

’If he has an accident... if he dies... ’

’Wouldn’t the spell controlling me fail then?’

’Wouldn’t I be able to escape the control of this creature from an Outer Plane?’

’No!’

’There’s another possibility. If Murphy dies, I die too.’

’Such life-linking techniques aren’t unheard of.’

’However, even without such a technique, if we encounter danger and Murphy dies, what are the chances that a mere First-Level Wizard like myself would survive?’

Still, this was the most plausible way he could think of to get rid of Murphy.

No other method—whether entering the Imperial domain proper or going somewhere else—would allow him to escape Murphy.

Setting aside the spell Murphy had placed on him, if he tried to call for help, Murphy would kill him before he could even act.

So even if it meant risking his life, he had to take action.

’After all, he would only be "suggesting" he go hunting, "helping" him find a sales channel, "kindly" pointing him in the right direction...’

’That wouldn’t count as actively harming him.’

’It would also align with Murphy’s interests and wouldn’t violate the conditions of his control.’

’As for whether Murphy would run into an accident during the hunt... well, that would be his own problem.’

’The Nightmare World is so dangerous; it wouldn’t be surprising if something happened.’

Rodrick’s heart beat faster and faster.

He took a deep breath, making his voice sound more sincere, more enthusiastic.

"My lord, of course you can!"

His eyes lit up.

"The bodies of creatures from the Nightmare World contain vast quantities of precious materials. If you hunt enough of them and sell the parts, you’ll have more than enough money to cover the immigration fees not just for a First-Level Wizard, but even for a Level 2 or Level 3!"

"My lord, I’ve been around the Imperial domain for decades. I know some people who specialize in buying these materials. They offer fair prices and won’t rip you off."

"If you need, I can help you contact them. I can also ask around about the situation with the immigration bureau and find a reliable middleman."

"Rest assured, my lord. I will do everything in my power to help you get this done!"

Murphy watched him, his pitch-black eyes revealing no emotion.

He just stared at this Imperial who had suddenly become so incredibly enthusiastic.

"Good."

A flicker of joy appeared in Rodrick’s heart, but his face remained respectful.

"My lord, shall we start now then?"

"I know a place with a good number of Nightmare creatures, but the danger level isn’t high. It’s very suitable for someone like you... er, very suitable for a first-time hunter."

Murphy nodded.

"Lead the way."

Rodrick quickly turned and walked forward.

His steps were light, his back betraying an unconcealable anticipation.

Murphy followed behind him, his gaze falling upon the gray-white sky.

His face remained expressionless.

But deep within those pitch-black eyes, it was as if something was slowly stirring.

...

「The Auction House.」

"7,743 years."

Cheris leaned against Murphy, toying with the ends of his hair, her jade-green eyes curving into crescents.

After York had left in a rage, Cheris continued to explain the third benefit of the Alternate Plane development permit to Murphy.

It also allowed Murphy to understand the Imperial’s method of drinking poison to quench its thirst.

"You know those old geezers from the school of prophecy? The madmen who stare at the Clock of Time all day, muttering about how ’a corner of the future can be seen’?"

Murphy looked at her but said nothing.

Cheris continued on her own,

"They say that at its current rate of development, the Imperial domain can only sustain itself for 7,743 years."

"After 7,743 years, the Imperial domain will have conquered every single plane in this sea of planes that it can invade. Then, the Nightmare World, having expanded to its absolute limit with nowhere left to vent, will invade the Imperial domain, which will be annihilated in seven seconds."

"And why seven? According to Oriane’s Holy Scripture, seven is the number of perfection, representing the ultimate consummation. Seven seconds would also represent the complete Perfection of the Nightmare World."

"Those powerful Wizards, even the old monsters who have lived for tens of thousands of years, will be devoured by the Nightmare Law at its absolute peak. They can’t escape. Not a single one."

Murphy was silent for a moment before speaking.

"That data can’t be accurate."

Cheris said as if it were obvious,

"Of course it isn’t."

She looked at Murphy with a beaming smile, her jade-green eyes twinkling with a mischievous light.

"Not even the Pavilion Master of the Clock of Time would dare claim to have grasped the absolute truth."

"Prophecy is the kind of thing you just take with a grain of salt. One day they calculate 7,743 years, the next they change a parameter and it might become 5,000. The day after, they change another parameter, and maybe it turns into 12,000."

"It could be longer, it could be shorter. After all, the Imperial domain is changing every day. Who knows what new Legendary Magic they might invent to halt the Nightmare World’s expansion?"

"Besides, the Laws of the sea of planes are profound and boundless. Who knows what kind of powerful new plane might emerge?"

"Don’t be fooled by how smoothly things are going for the Imperial domain now; it’s not without its rivals."

"It wouldn’t be strange at all if it took a major fall one day."

She paused, then suddenly leaned closer to Murphy, her body almost pressing against his.

Her jade-green eyes were just inches away, reflecting Murphy’s calm face.

"Besides—"

"7,743 years is too long."

"What does it have to do with me?"

She reached out, her fingertip, painted with glossy black nail polish, lightly tapping the tip of Murphy’s nose.

The touch was cool, carrying a faint, barely-there tickle.

"And it has absolutely nothing to do with you, either."

Just then, the auctioneer’s voice carried clearly into the private box from the auction hall outside.

"Honored guests, the bidding for the Alternate Plane development permit is now entering its final moments!"

His voice was tinged with excitement.

"Fifty million gold pounds! Are there any higher bids?!"

The hall fell silent.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the various VIP boxes.

Mainly, they looked toward Cheris’s box.

After she had declared she would buy out the auction, her box had gone silent.

Cheris pulled back her finger from the tip of Murphy’s nose, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.

Then, she spoke.

"Sixty million."