I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 266 Thirty Years

Time flies like an arrow; thirty years have passed quietly in the interdimensional wars.

The Sky Dimension is now completely covered by the imprint of the Wizarding Civilization.

However, the anticipated depletion of resources did not materialize, and the development boom not only failed to subside but instead exhibited a distorted, almost frenzied prosperity.

Thanks to the almost infinite abundance of wind element, this plane exhibits a variety of incredible characteristics.

The vast, boundless space was freed from the constraints of gravity, and everything floated, instantly adding another dimension to the explorable area of ​​the entire plane.

What's even more astonishing is that those spatial distortion zones, scattered throughout the world like dimensional scars, are constantly giving birth to new smaller spaces within them.

Each newly created small space is like an independent ecological bubble.

It contains a unique resource system and strange biological communities, like a treasure chest randomly scattered in the universe.

It is this peculiar phenomenon of near-renewable nature that has prevented wizards from fully exploring the entirety of this plane despite thirty years of frantic mining.

The floating city of the wizard camp is no longer what it used to be.

It swelled several times its original size, like a colossal metal beast coiled in the void.

At the very top of the floating city, the atmosphere was violently distorted, forming a huge, slowly rotating energy vortex that emitted chilling spatial fluctuations—the world teleportation array was about to connect!
This project was originally supposed to be completed more than a decade later, but the progress was forcibly accelerated due to the personal intervention of Dionysius Spencer, a seventh-level wizard.

The urgency stems from the fact that the "abundance" of this plane far exceeds expectations, and the mountain of harvests is already overwhelming the forward base.

The central square, which has been expanded countless times, now resembles a chaotic and massive distribution center for supplies.

Countless creatures of various shapes and sizes, some docile and curled up, others violently crashing against the cage.

Mountains of colorful ores with varying energy responses, along with some indescribable rare resources that emit strange light or fluctuations.

At the edge of the square, thick metal chains extended out, securing even more giant iron cages suspended in the clouds outside the city, crammed with living creatures.

Furthermore, looking beyond the dimensional rift, one could see that on the land of the opposite ship dimension, the prison cells were piled up like newly formed mountains, stretching endlessly.

To maintain the vitality of these precious living specimens, millions of constructs, like worker ants, shuttle between the temporary space gates every day. They carry precious spatial artifacts and transport massive amounts of nutrients from the rear base, carrying out what is perhaps the most luxurious "feeding" work in the world.

The early activation of the world teleportation array was like opening the floodgates of a blocked river, allowing a steady stream of resources to be efficiently transported back to the core of the wizarding civilization, which slightly alleviated the storage pressure on the front lines.

Meanwhile, the wizards were caught up in an even more frantic rush of activity.

Every wizard was like a wound-up machine, desperately chasing after merits and resources.

In this plane without any level-six beings to guard it, the local forces were simply unable to organize an effective resistance and could only let these "extraterrestrial demons" carry out their endless plundering like wolves and tigers.

On this day, a streak of light pierced through the thin clouds and approached the floating city.

It was Jemin.

Behind him trailed a string of giant cages linked by thick iron chains, filled with strange creatures captured in the most recent expedition: some shaped like floating jellyfish, yet shimmering with a metallic sheen, while others resembled birds made of pure energy, their calls causing subtle ripples in space.

It was thanks to the weightless environment of the Void dimension that he was able to so "roughly" drag this enormous harvest back in one go.

After handing over this long string of "trophies" to the alchemical doll that came to greet him, Jemin didn't even bother to go to the market to slowly find a buyer.

He left enough research samples in his long-term leased warehouse, and sold the rest in bulk to the camp officials through the Magic Network terminal at a price slightly lower than the market price but at an incredibly fast pace.

It must be said that Lord Dionysius Spencer's plan was indeed far-sighted.

Although this official recycling mechanism doesn't offer much benefit, it greatly improves the efficiency of the wizards' actions.

This allows them to quickly engage in the next round of raiding, creating an efficient closed loop.

Walking through the now-crowded streets of the floating city, Jemin slowed his pace, silently observing his surroundings. A cacophony of noise filled the air; wizards of all shapes and sizes hurried by, their energy fluctuations intertwining.

In front of the notice board, wizards kept accepting quests and loudly recruiting temporary teammates.

After a brief discussion, they signed a soul contract, formed a team, and transformed into streaks of light that rushed out of the floating city's protective shield and disappeared into the colorful depths of the plane.

The effects of more than 30 years of unrestrained plunder are obvious.

The wizard civilization's terrifying ability to digest and transform resources, comparable to that of the Zerg, was on full display at this moment.

Jemin clearly remembers that at the beginning of the expedition, more than 98% of the team were level one and level two wizards, and level three wizards were extremely rare.

Nowadays, strolling through the streets, the presence of level three wizards is almost ubiquitous, and a rough assessment suggests that they probably make up nearly a third of the total!

At this point, Jemin began to understand why the wizarding civilization divided wizard training into two categories: logistics and combat.

The logistics department is stronger, but it requires higher qualifications, and promotion is relatively stable... or rather, slow.

While combat-type characters are not as strong as logistics-type characters at the same level, their unique training methods allow them to absorb and utilize resources effectively. Once they have enough resources, they can quickly improve and gain immediate combat power.

It can be said that the logistics department is indeed a proper elite unit, but the combat department is not just cannon fodder.

Of course, behind the glory lies a brutal process of elimination.

Over the past thirty years, more than 10% of wizards have also perished in this alien land for various reasons—space traps, raging creatures, or even betrayal by their companions.

Although most of these newly promoted level three wizards lack sufficient knowledge and are unable to fully unleash the power they should have at their current level.

However, the sheer size of the base and the number of new recruits meant that the overall strength of the expeditionary force increased rather than decreased.

Looking at this bustling scene, full of vitality and greed, a lingering doubt remained in Jemin's heart.

Such a predatory approach, like draining the pond to catch all the fish, causes fundamental damage to this airspace dimension.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if the wizard Dionysius Spencer had intended to reintroduce the acquired creatures after the war, the ecosystem of this plane would have had a very difficult time recovering in hundreds or thousands of years.

For the wizarding civilization, which has always been adept at "sustainable exploitation," this behavior, which is almost like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, seems extremely abrupt and wasteful.

“The only explanation…” Jemin’s gaze fell on the increasingly clear vortex of the world teleportation array at the top of the floating city, and he thought to himself, “The true objective of this expedition by Lord Spencer is far more valuable than a single plane.”

Combining this with the other party's meaningful remark from years ago about "dessert before a meal," Jemin could understand the meaning.

But he still couldn't imagine what kind of existence or thing could have a value that surpassed the long-term benefits of an entire rich plane.
“Even if there is another more valuable dimension, there is no reason to completely abandon this dimension that we have already begun to control… Unless, the ‘target’ is not another dimension, but something that… once obtained, we no longer need to care about these ‘ordinary’ resources?” Jemin’s thoughts churned, but he quickly suppressed them.

He knew all too well that the plans and vision of a seventh-level wizard were far beyond his current level to fathom or question.

Making unfounded guesses is of no benefit.

After browsing through the temporary stalls in the square and purchasing several rare crystalline minerals with peculiar energy structures, as well as biological samples that appeared to possess special abilities, Jemin returned to his temporary residence for a short day of rest, reflecting on his recent gains and insights.

Then, he reopened the MagicNet terminal and skillfully filtered through the task list.

Soon, a mission that asked him to “explore the source of anomalous energy reactions in the newly discovered large spatial fold ‘Eye of the Storm’” caught his attention.

The mission has a high risk rating, but the rewards are extremely generous, and it also warns of the possibility of unrecorded rare species or special rule phenomena.

Without much hesitation, Jemin accepted the mission.

A moment later, a streak of light shot out from the floating city once again, heading resolutely towards the vast plane.

(End of this chapter)