Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 339 [Shelter] Expansion, Journey into Deep Space

When did the balance of power in this world change?

It changed the moment the chaotic moon rose. Such a world-shaking phenomenon signifies the end of an era, not with loud noises and sighs, but with the wailing of fear.

Following the moon came a blazing fire and a thunderstorm. If the ascension phenomenon merely caused fear and doubt among the masses, then the thunder that covered the planet's atmosphere crushed all hope and pride in the most intense and domineering way.

After the thunder, the world's strong, kings, and heroes had their spines broken, no longer daring to consider the world as their own. All priests, clergy, shamans, and sorcerers claimed divine power had descended, yet they were subjected to much skepticism because they could not communicate with the ancient holy masters.

Lin Bo nodded to his fellow players and local heroes around him.

"I don't know everyone yet, so why don't we all introduce ourselves?"

The mage made this suggestion, and what followed was a half-hour social gathering, probably the most significant gathering of the era. Elf princes, dwarf princes, human royal advisors, orc chieftains, siren generals, and many other figures gathered here, each one capable of shaking the world.

Those noble servants trembled at the mention of these names. The uncouth, heartless men merely glanced at the giant in the crowd, secretly envying his imposing presence and grandeur. They watched as all the great figures, whose names had resounded since childhood, now spoke humbly and softly, more cautiously than the palace servants.

Players from the cross-world also introduced themselves with fancy names, talking about their profession, level, and areas of expertise, speaking in a foreign language that left the locals bewildered.

After everyone had finished speaking, Lin Bo spoke in the common language of this world: "I need to go on a long trip. In the coming days, I'm afraid it will be too late to rescue you if anything happens. How to deal with the chaos erosion will depend on everyone's collective wisdom and efforts."

Many local powerhouses looked troubled upon hearing this, while the players from the cross-network were even more direct, pleading with the mage brother not to leave, their exaggerated behavior amusing Lin Bo.

"Alright, the first phase of the Chaos Erosion is no longer a threat. What we should be wary of next is internal strife. Mental corruption is hard to prevent. Many veteran players have tried various methods before us, and the effective approaches are nothing more than a few."

What Lin Bo said was all based on experience. Chaotic corruption is a vile worm that gnaws at the human heart. The only forces that can resist it are faith and psychic energy. Faith can counteract unrestrained desires, numb the pain of the mind and body, and slow down the rate of corruption to some extent. Psychic energy, on the other hand, can truly protect the mind.

The only known psionic race in this world is the Greenskins created by Linbo. They are completely unafraid of the Chaos Demon's fearful aura; on the contrary, they are enraged and become even stronger.

However, in his view, native species are actually very promising, after all, they possess the soul of light blessed by the Creator.

“Some things should be decided as soon as possible.” Lin Bo looked around. “The land beneath your feet is now occupied by a special fungus. It is more productive than any crop. The area that is now used to produce food is enough to feed everyone in the world. At the same time, if you choose to implant the mycelium into your body, you can gain many amplifications and be more talented in the fields of magic and psionic energy.”

[Agilent] clicked his tongue. He was the one who sold the all-purpose fungal strain to Lin Bo back then, but he never imagined that the mage would cultivate the mushrooms so successfully. There are talent differences even in farming.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to spread this fungus?"

"You might as well give it a try."

The players whispered among themselves, considering that the area covered by creep is the territory of the [Sanctuary] faction. Once it spreads all over the world, no one else will have a place to stand.

This significantly impacts the completion rate of the "Homeland" mission in the Leader series.

"I support Mage Bro." [Toad Traveler] rubbed his hands together. "Why not just become a vassal of the big boss? What are you all pretending for? Do you even want to work hard on your own?"

"What you said is... absolutely right!"

The crowd, who had been secretly worried, suddenly brightened up and pulled out their leader's badges to gather around.

"Boss, please take me in!"

The female orc shared her gains with everyone: she was carried through the Blood Rain questline by a veteran player, reaping a huge harvest of experience points and loot, while she essentially just coasted through. Meanwhile, in the world chat, people were sighing and lamenting, regretting not joining sooner, otherwise they would already be rolling in money.

Fortunately, they can still hitch a ride on the "Homeland" series of missions.

Lin Bo did not refuse. The players lined up and came over. Except for a few who were not present, the rest swore to pledge allegiance to [Sanctuary] as vassals. Even the most serious paladins had happy faces, for the sake of saving this world.

The Mechanic also appeared in the queue. She spread her hands and stuck out her tongue at Lin Bo, explaining, "Since we've already been penalized for our level, there's no benefit to being allies. We might as well be the mage's lackey."

"You're quite good at describing things," Lin Bo said with a smile.

[Agilent] waved at him, "It's me, buddy. The guy selling things."

"Nice to meet you, buddy."

Lin Bo shook hands with this old friend he had never met before. This was a human with fairy blood, about the same height as a halfling, with pointed ears and eyes that shone like inlaid gems. He was dressed in the fine clothes of a merchant who had adapted to local customs, but these were all equipment illusion effects.

The local residents accepted the facts and requested to bring back some of the strains for cultivation, which they subsequently received.

Players who join the [Sanctuary] faction will also spread creep as soon as possible.

On that day, the powerful figures of each race received the spores bestowed by the ancient saint and embarked on their return journey.

Lin Bo no longer lingered in the mortal world. After bidding farewell to his teammates, his form transformed into a divine being and he shot away into the sky.

One second later, the mage left the atmosphere, and four seconds later, he left the planet's magnetic field.

The horizon curved beneath his feet, and the deep, radiant void stretched out before him. The celestial membrane was vast and boundless, the distance from the earth's surface to the stars measured in astronomical units.

Lin Bo silently recited his real name, using the Flow Control Technique to propel his spirit body, continuously accumulating speed.

In the vast vacuum, without atmospheric friction, the speed increase was quite stable. It gradually approached half the speed of light, then stopped increasing, because this was the limit of the ocean's magical energy.

He once dived to the bottom of the ocean, where the dimensional membrane filled with void radiation was far more profound than the sea.

The projections of those evil spirits are born here, their limbs and faces grotesque and mostly deformed. These projections are the "natives" of the vacuum, like fish swimming in the sea.

The azure spirit streaked like a comet, startling countless demonic shadows. Faced with their eternal enemy, they behaved strangely, cowering and fleeing, not daring to linger on the mage's path.

The moment Lin Bo entered the boundary membrane, the chaotic moon had already cast its gaze upon him.

It also exists in this vacuum, an entity condensed from the outer void, scanning the earth below in a fixed star orbit. Its true volume is also infinitely wide, but it is enveloped by an even more expansive boundary membrane, thus having a boundary.

That is the lair of evil.

Lin Bo flew over the star field where the Chaotic Moon was located. He witnessed the colors on the moon's surface churning like a soap bubble. Countless demons were active in all sorts of distorted realms. They attacked each other, devoured the souls in the void, and tortured these sorrowful beings who had been slaughtered in the cycle of worlds with cruel punishments.

He withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance, where a star was already in sight.

(End of this chapter)