The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 370 First Exploration of the Virtual Realm: A Wonderful Rural Scene!
The next day at noon, the sparse sunlight shone on a pure white snowfield, and the blizzard that had raged all night finally subsided a little.

Just as all was quiet, a carriage drawn by two magnificent white flying horses suddenly broke through the clouds and landed smoothly at the entrance of Corinth Tower.

This solitary five-story mage tower stands like a silent lighthouse on the vast, white northern wasteland.

A newly installed flag, embroidered with the Colin family crest, hangs atop the tower, fluttering in the biting wind.

More than a dozen teaching assistants, dressed in heavy monk robes, had been waiting at the door for quite some time.

They were a team assigned by the council to assist Mentor Colin in his research, and many of them had previously been in charge of the research on the 440th Virtual Realm.

Prior to this, the 440th virtual realm was discovered and studied by an academic mentor named Keynes. Unfortunately, his research lasted less than six months before being unexpectedly interrupted by a research accident.

According to the rules of the Academy, any virtual realm discovered in the Northern Wasteland belongs to the discoverer. However, if the discoverer voluntarily abandons the research or is unable to continue due to unforeseen circumstances, the virtual realm will be returned to the Academy, and the Tower of Great Sages will redistribute it to other professors or mentors to continue the research.

Professor Keynes belongs to the Source Law School, and his research should rightfully be inherited by professors of the Source Law School, who have been vying for this resource for a long time.

No one expected that Prince Colin would suddenly appear in this wasteland, and the many mentors and professors who had been waiting for resources could only sigh at their bad luck.

Upon seeing Luo Yan step down from the carriage, the teaching assistants standing at the entrance of the mage tower bowed in unison, performing a more standard courtesy than the nobles of the Holy City.

"It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk."

Luo Yan smiled warmly, nodded to the teaching assistants who had come to help him with his experiment, and then walked straight into the mage tower named after him.

Watching Prince Colin's figure disappear into the mage tower, the teaching assistants waiting outside straightened up and whispered among themselves as they walked toward the tower.

"As expected of His Highness the Prince, he is as young and promising as rumored!" A young teaching assistant couldn't help but exclaim with envy in his eyes.

Upon hearing his voice, another teaching assistant standing beside him nodded in deep agreement, his eyes filled with admiration and appreciation.

"...Yes, I heard he's only in his early twenties and his strength is already at the Platinum level! I wonder how strong he'll be when he reaches Professor Hector's age!"

"Platinum level?! Really?!"

"genius……"

Whispers spread, and longing was written on every face.

Those who managed to stand out from hundreds of thousands of magic apprentices were already among the best of the ordinary, but looking at this platinum-level expert in his twenties, they couldn't help but show expressions of envy, lamenting that their own aura was still as insignificant as ants in front of a true powerhouse.

However, not all the comments were filled with envy; there was also a hint of jealousy mixed in.

"A genius? He's just riding on his family's coattails," a voice said sourly, its face showing resentment towards the world for its unappreciated talent. "If I were born into the Colin family, I'd be a diamond in the rough at this age!"

Upon hearing this, the teaching assistant next to him chuckled, his admiring expression clearly showing he was a fan of Prince Colin.

"Diamonds? Stop bragging. If you were born into the Colin family, would you be here in the Northern Wasteland learning magic?"

Just as the two young men were about to start arguing, a slightly older teaching assistant whispered a reprimand, interrupting them.

"Alright, all of you, shut up, unless you want to get out of here."

Upon hearing this rebuke, the two young teaching assistants immediately shut their mouths and remained silent.

Whether it was envy or jealousy, the job of assisting Prince Colin was something they had fought hard to snatch from their colleagues. If they were kicked out for gossiping about their mentor, they would have no one to turn to for help.

As the most prestigious resource in the academic community, even the most ordinary virtual realm is a rare and invaluable opportunity for a teaching assistant. Even the slightest benefit leaked from it is enough to lift their humble souls from the dust and rewrite their destiny in this life and the next.

Aside from the immense value inherent in the virtual realm itself, they had also heard that Prince Colin was exceptionally generous to those around him.

If I manage to gain some benefits from the virtual realm, and that prince happens to look down on me, I might end up benefiting myself!
Driven by such enormous profits, almost every teaching assistant was full of enthusiasm for their job and couldn't wait to show off in front of Prince Colin.

Of course, that being said, not everyone is optimistic about the research on the 440th virtual realm.

Although this virtual realm is underdeveloped, it is by no means difficult. It is entirely possible to work hard in the end and gain nothing.

Two seemingly experienced teaching assistants walked together, talking in hushed tones, their words revealing a hint of concern about Colin's youth.

"Prince Colin's strength is impeccable, but I feel that his qualifications are still too shallow... Moreover, has he ever engaged in research on the Void Realm?"

Another teaching assistant gently shook his head.

"That prince has only been in the Academy for less than two months, how could he have studied the Void Realm... This is probably his first time encountering this thing."

The experienced teaching assistant sighed softly.

"Hopefully he's prepared. This 440th virtual realm is no joke. The last instructor in charge here, Keynes, not only failed to make any progress, but also suffered a backlash from the virtual realm due to an experimental error, and he still hasn't woken up..."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the heads of those hot-blooded young men, calming their restless hearts a little.

That heavy conversation was not only heard by the teaching assistants around them, but also by the little female dragon Taf, who was hanging on Luo Yan's shoulder like a scarf. She immediately let out a chuckle.

This brat never misses an opportunity to gloat, to the point that Luo Yan couldn't help but reflect on himself, wondering if there was something he hadn't done well enough.

It was supposed to be a punishment, but it made this guy feel good.

Sarah, walking next to Luo Yan, was completely different.

With her keen hearing, she took in all the discussions. A hint of worry flashed across her cool face, and she couldn't help but glance at the Demon King beside her.

Luo Yan, who was walking into the tower, didn't care at all. He just smiled faintly and gave Sarah a reassuring look.

'I know what I'm doing.'

The resources Xuebang allocated to him were either simple and insignificant, or expensive and a tough nut to crack.

If it were only Professor Hector, the former scenario would be more likely, since even Hector himself wouldn't have access to many good resources.

However, according to Corgi, it wasn't just Professor Hector advocating for him at the Sage Council; there was also a professor named Arist who was pushing for it. This professor was a diamond-level mage, supposedly only one step away from becoming a sage.

Clearly, this "quasi-sage" professor has already concluded that he absolutely cannot unravel the mysteries of the 440th illusory realm, and has already considered this illusory realm as something he can have in his grasp.

Thinking of this, Luo Yan's lips curled into a meaningful smile, and he murmured to himself.

"Let's see what this illusory realm really is."

……

In the very center of the Corinthian Tower, in a spacious and solemn circular hall, intricate runes spread across the entire floor like a spider web, forming a massive magic circle together with the stone pillars supporting the main structure of the building.

The teaching assistant, dressed in a long robe, meticulously placed the magic crystals, each emitting a faint glow, onto the nodes of the magic circle.

As the last magic crystal was placed, a deep blue light instantly swept across the ground along the patterns drawn by the magic crystal powder, climbed up the magnificent stone pillars, and reached the top of the mage tower!
Standing at the edge of the magic circle, Luo Yan observed everything that was happening before him with great interest and recorded it in the crystal ball in his arms.

Just then, a piercing buzzing sound came from the top of the tower.

The entire space seemed frozen, coated with a blue filter, and fell into an eerie state of equilibrium.

Sarah glanced around uneasily, her right hand on the hilt of her sword, not understanding what was happening.

The immense magical fluctuations made her feel uneasy...

Taf, who had been drifting between sleep and wakefulness, was now completely unable to sleep, her eyes wide open like saucers.

"How can this be?!"

"What? How is that possible?" Luo Yan asked casually, looking at the astonished Taf.

"Warspace...it's actually warspace!" Taff muttered to herself, her face filled with disbelief. "Didn't you read my log? You know how I came to this world, right?! Unbelievable, a mere bunch of hairless monkey natives, actually..."

Seeing Taf getting caught up in this inexplicable situation, Luo Yan couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

"Have you forgotten what you did on the continent of Gana?"

“That’s different! I created the barrier with the help of the lizardmen, and... it wasn’t a true subspace. It just used the characteristics of the subspace to separate the continent of Gana from the main world.” Taff stubbornly argued, her tail drooping on Luo Yan’s back taut and swaying uneasily from side to side.

"Is that so? But in my opinion, your achievements are even more incredible." Luo Yan replied casually, stretching his hand forward.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

The air flowing in front of him seemed to have turned into a viscous gel, enveloping the entire interior of the mage tower.

What surprised Luo Yan even more was that even though the air had turned into a viscous colloid, it didn't seem to prevent people inside from breathing.
This incredible question didn't puzzle him for long; as time went on, Luo Yan quickly understood the reason behind it.

It wasn't that the air had turned into a viscous gel, but rather that the entire space, along with everything within it, had become this viscous and soft substance.

The laws of physics in the classical universe seem to break down within this cramped mage tower...

Taf, who was lying cross-legged on his shoulder, swallowed hard and whispered the shock he felt.

"...This is unbelievable."

Having finally completed the setup of the magic circle, Miller, the head of the entire Void Realm research team, walked towards Luo Yan and respectfully said.

"Mentor, everything is ready and we can start at any time."

Luo Yan nodded, suppressing his excitement, and calmly gave the instructions.

"let's start."

"Yes."

Miller responded and respectfully accepted the magic scroll bestowed by the Council from Prince Colin, then walked into the magic circle and began chanting the incantation.

The entire hall had been transformed into a concert hall, and as Miller chanted, many magicians began to recite their own spells.

With everyone's combined efforts, a vast, flood-like magical power surged into this viscous space, flowing around the stone pillars like a vortex!

Suddenly, the surging magical power began to converge towards the center of the magic circle.

Under Taff's astonished gaze, the once complete and continuous spacetime was torn open with a crack that was two meters high!
The moment the rift opened, the buzzing sound from above suddenly disappeared, and the distorted spacetime rift abruptly stabilized.

The mages standing on the magic circle changed the rhythm of their spellcasting. Arcs of magic, like a network woven in the air, polished the unstable cracks into a well-shaped lens that rippled gently like water.

Through the mirror-like surface, everyone saw the scene behind the 440th virtual realm—a beautiful pastoral landscape under the gentle breeze and bright sunshine.

The sky was azure, with drifting blue clouds. The crisscrossing ridges divided the sparsely populated farmland, and windmills and cooking smoke could be seen in the distance.

The group's "viewpoint" was located on a huge boulder, as tall as a five-story mage tower, which overlooked the entire field.

Seeing this scene, all the magicians breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing the joy of having accomplished a great task.

"This...it's a success?" Luo Yan stepped into the magic circle and cast a questioning glance at Miller beside him. The latter nodded excitedly and said in an excited voice.

"Yes, mentor! We not only succeeded, but we succeeded even more than we expected!"

Luo Yan asked a question with great interest.

"What do you mean by 'more successful than expected'?"

Miller smiled shyly and answered quickly.

"When Professor Keynes opened the crack last time, our viewpoint happened to be on the windmill blades... You simply can't imagine what we went through. Almost all the researchers who participated in the observation went back and were quite nauseous!"

Luo Yan had never heard of this matter, but he still keenly grasped the amount of information contained in the sentence.

"Is the 'viewpoint' different every time you open the virtual realm?"

Miller hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Well, not exactly. Sometimes it's the same, and sometimes it's different. Moreover, as we interfere with the virtual realm, or wait for the environment within the virtual realm to evolve naturally, our perspective will also change... There's a lot of luck involved."

Luo Yan pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"Won't the change of perspective affect the research? For example, take the continent of Os... This time we opened the door in the countryside of the Holy City, but the next time we open the rift it will be in the northern wasteland."

Miller smiled and said.

"No, the change in space is actually a good thing for us. After all, the amount of information that can be collected from each viewpoint is limited. Refreshing the viewpoint makes it easier for us to obtain more information about the world behind the virtual realm from other perspectives."

Luo Yan nodded knowingly and then asked again.

"But what if the viewpoint refreshes to a place where there are no living creatures?"

Miller shook his head and said.

"That situation has not yet occurred. The view of the Source Law School is that the existence of 'viewpoints' is inextricably linked to living beings—or rather, souls. Only 'tokens' that harbor immense spiritual power can serve as a medium for establishing connections to the virtual realm. And in desolate places, it is almost impossible for such a medium to exist."

He paused for a moment at this point, then added another sentence.

"Actually, compared to the changes in space, the most serious disruption to our research is time. I don't know if Professor Hector has mentioned this to you, but the flow of time inside and outside the virtual realm is uneven. Only when the virtual realm passage is open will time flow synchronously on both sides!"

"But if the connection is broken, time on both sides will immediately deviate from its parallel trajectory. By the time the connection is reconnected, perhaps several days will have passed on our side, while only a few minutes will have passed in the world behind the virtual realm. Of course, it is also possible that only a few seconds have passed on our side, while years, or even hundreds of years, have passed on the other side, or even that is impossible to count... because even the races active behind the virtual realm have undergone tremendous changes!"

Miller's tone suddenly turned serious as he said this.

"Professor Keynes, who was in charge of this project before, tried to use 'Source Power' to create a 'container' for himself behind the virtual realm to contain his soul, and then went into the virtual realm to explore. However, he suddenly lost the connection when he was exploring deeply, so that a part of his soul was completely lost behind the virtual realm and banished to a time outside of our knowledge."

Luo Yan looked at him in surprise.

"He stayed in the virtual realm?"

“To be precise, a part of his soul remained in the illusory realm,” Miller said softly. “Actually, we’re not sure what his current situation is… I heard that his physical body is currently sleeping in the sanatorium of the Great Sage’s Tower, and perhaps he will wake up one day.”

When he said these words, the teaching assistant named Miller was clearly not very optimistic. After all, who would bother to save a magician who had crippled himself?
His "inheritance" has almost been divided up, so waking him up would bring no benefit whatsoever, only endless trouble.

As for the relationship between master and disciple...

That's even more of a joke.

This is the Academy, the coldest and most ruthless place on the entire continent of Aust. Even the howling snow seems tender in the face of its chilling rationality.

"So our main goal is to explore the mysteries of this virtual realm. Our secondary goal is to find Professor Keynes's soul fragments... if he's still alive." Luo Yan tried to summarize, a look of eager anticipation on his face.

Miller paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Is such that……"

Just as he was speaking, the scene in the virtual realm changed.

Between the crisscrossing paths of the fields, groups of farmers gradually appeared. Their faces were devout, and their steps were slow as they walked from all directions toward the huge rock.

Watching the farmers walk toward the boulder, Miller suddenly perked up and excitedly said to his mentor, Colin, beside him.

"It seems that the time span between our current connection and the last one is not that long! The people living in this field are still the same people as before, and even the culture and traditions have not changed much... It's time for our daily worship!"

It seems that the time interval between the two openings of this virtual gate is quite long.

Luo Yan nodded slightly, but was pondering in his heart.

In extreme cases, the magicians of the Academy can even witness the rise and fall of a civilization, and even the change of species.

Even if they can't always glean anything from that fragmented information.

More and more farmers gathered in front of the boulder, seemingly regarding it as some kind of spiritual totem, prostrating themselves on the ground and praying in an unknown language.

As these people approached, the images in the virtual realm gradually became clearer, and Luo Yan finally saw with his own eyes these inhabitants who seemed to live in another universe.

They have human-like outlines and slender bodies, but seem to have no bones. Their entire bodies are made up of countless slender, octopus-like tentacles tightly woven together.

The outermost layer of tentacles on their faces hangs down like a veil, vaguely revealing a pair of pupil-less eyes hidden deep within.

Those were fish-like eyes, wide open, yet lifeless, as if they were gazing with all their might at the bottomless abyss.

"The Solipsians! Humanoid octopuses walking on the earth! According to the clues from Professor Keynes' research, the local inhabitants seem to regard this boulder as some kind of spiritual totem... It's really unexpected that we've encountered it again, and this time it's even attached to their 'sacred stone'!"

Miller spoke excitedly. He gazed into those lifeless yet fervent eyes, as if trying to etch this pilgrimage into his mind.

The magicians next to them were the same, their faces also filled with excitement, whispering and exchanging words with their colleagues.

To be able to encounter the same group of people in the same virtual realm, without even a significant shift in space, is undoubtedly the best possible scenario for mages who study virtual realms.

This means that their previous research can be carried over without having to start from scratch.

Gazing thoughtfully at the faces covered in tentacles, Luo Yan stroked his chin, his attention focused on something no one else was paying attention to.

"...They don't seem to be good at farming, no wonder there are hardly any seedlings surviving in the land."

Miller was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Prince Colin to focus his attention on such a trivial matter.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"What's wrong with this?"

Luo Yan smiled faintly and spoke in a casual tone.

"It's nothing, but don't you find it strange? A race that isn't good at farming has developed into a standard agricultural civilization and even invented a convenient grinding tool like the windmill. I really can't imagine that they have so much wheat to grind, and judging from their shape, I even think they are more suited to living in the sea than on land."

Miller was very perceptive; the moment he heard those words, he immediately understood, and a look of realization dawned on his eyes.

"You mean...they were put here?"

Luo Yan nodded.

"It's just a guess. Haven't you guys researched this line of thought before?"

If they were placed here, it means that behind this picturesque pastoral scene, there is actually another kind of scenery that they haven't seen.

Miller scratched the back of his head and said embarrassedly.

"Well, we generally prefer to study the supernatural power system behind the virtual realm and the virtual realm itself, but rarely delve into the life forms that appear in the virtual realm... After all, our ability to interact with the virtual realm is limited, and maybe they will become something else the next time we open the door. Even if we understand their history, it will be meaningless."

Not necessarily.

Luo Yan smiled meaningfully, but did not offer any further explanation. He simply brushed the topic aside and looked at him as he continued.

"And now? What else can we do besides watch them pray over a broken stone?"

Miller said cautiously.

"Of course not. During the prayers of these natives, the source energy that is free in the virtual realm will gather towards the stone. According to the speculation of the Source Law School, this spontaneous prayer behavior may be one of the reasons why the virtual realm passage can be established."

"Putting aside these complicated theories, the source energy they attached to the stone can be used by us, especially when they don't know how to use this power!"

This sounds a bit like the power of faith.

Luo Yan glanced to the side and nodded gently at him, clearly acknowledging his guess—the energy attached to that boulder was neither magic nor any source power, but the purest and most primal power of faith!

The reason why the magicians of Xuebang are able to use this power to improve their soul level is actually the same as the way he grants believers advancement through divinity.

The only difference is that the two groups invoke the power of faith in different ways. These magicians from the Academy seem unaware that they are actually playing the role of gods from another world.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Luo Yan turned his gaze to Miller, looking at the researcher who had extensive experience in exploring the virtual realm, and asked.

The latter hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"According to the usual practice of professors, we would extract some inconspicuous items with 'virtual realm matter' attached to them from the virtual realm. These virtual realm matter often contain things that can break through the bottleneck of the soul level... In this virtual realm, the items that meet the criteria are the offerings made by the villagers."

Even rotten offerings contain a certain degree of faith power. Luo Yan had Youyou roughly estimate that the rotten fruits and vegetables filling a basket could probably elevate an ordinary person's soul to the Black Iron level.

To be honest, that's far too little.

He could easily gather enough faith power by scaring a few slightly higher-level adventurers.

Seeing that Prince Colin didn't seem interested, Miller paused for a moment and continued in a low voice.

"Of course, there is another way, the one that Mentor Keynes used... that is to explore the virtual realm itself. Whether it is to create a container to hold souls and place it behind the virtual realm, or to communicate with the gifted natives through dreams, these are all possible methods. However, if I may be frank, this world does not seem to have much for us to learn. In terms of farming skills alone, they are not even as good as the farmers of the Kingdom of Rhodes."

"Understood." Luo Yan nodded, his gaze still fixed on the scene reflected in the lens. "It seems we need to do something."

“Yes,” Miller nodded, then asked nervously in a low voice, “If you don’t have any ideas, you don’t have to make a decision right away. We can be cautious and start by observing and recording…”

Although this virtual realm doesn't belong to him, he is still a stakeholder. If this virtual realm is likened to a bicycle, then he is the passenger sitting on it.

However, Luo Yan would not be polite to them. As a demon king from hell, he would not only ride them hard, but also stand up and kick them!
Anyway, it's Xuebang's shared bikes.

"No ideas? Who says I have no ideas? I just happen to have one..."

Ignoring Miller's sudden tension, Luo Yan issued his first command in an unquestionable tone.

"Use the source power accumulated on the stone tablet to grant them a bountiful harvest!"

(End of this chapter)