I materialized a sci-fi fortress in a magical world.

"What is the connection between the stability of the shallow void over the past sixteen years and that ruler, that divine realm? And how significant is the connection?"

Will more people find it there? Will those megalomaniacs threaten or even attack it?

"What is the Archon's true attitude towards humanity? Is He a righteous god or an evil god? What is His purpose in cultivating His followers?"

A whole host of questions flooded Cecilia's mind, each one important, yet she couldn't find the answers to any of them, leaving her itching with curiosity and feeling extremely uncomfortable...

The only good news is that she still has enough time.

This "Great Expedition" is still in the initial planning and discussion stage, and there are still a lot of lengthy procedures to go through. In addition, there are the daily infighting among the sages. It would be considered highly efficient if it could be officially launched within five years.

It might even be suddenly terminated halfway through due to some conflict of interest; in any case, this kind of scenario happens frequently.

This will inevitably ignite the enthusiasm of others to explore the deep void, and various schools of thought will actively organize [Void Dives].

Upon realizing this, Serishina jumped up and quickly gathered several students, rushing to the Extraordinary Trading Market.

She had already foreseen the dramatic price surge of various equipment and resources related to the Void.

Unfortunately, it was too late...

As a small to medium-sized school of thought with little influence, by the time she received the news, the larger organizations had already snapped up all the goods.

This also caused prices to soar across the entire market, and even the resources used for daily cultivation doubled in price.

This made Celishina somewhat uneasy. Was the Council of Sages going to get serious this time? Was they going to push forward the Great Expedition with all their might?

Will they find that divine realm?

Meanwhile, the other students around her were still exclaiming in surprise:

"Mentor, even the most basic meditation potions have tripled in price. What are we going to do?"

"Chief, even the processing fees for crafting magical artifacts have gone up! Those bastards! Without magical artifacts, will I get hacked to death in the street by my enemies?"

"Teacher, are we starving to death? How about I introduce you to a rich boyfriend?"

Looking at the students surrounding her, chattering away, Seresina felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

For some reason, she felt a pang of nostalgia for the time when she was teaching that benefactor.

Although she was just a local from a mountain village, she was much more well-behaved than the others around her, except for calling her "Grandma".

........................

"Royo, there is a letter for you."

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Hearing the commotion coming from afar, Luo Yue quickly ended his meditation, ran to answer the door, and took three letters from the postman.

The first letter was from the Purple Lily School. He had previously inquired, in the tone of an old drunkard, whether it was possible for apprentices to come to the school alone without a mentor to complete the advancement process.

I didn't expect the school of thought to respond so quickly.

They actually forbid it!

Fortunately, Luo Yue had anticipated this and hadn't held out much hope. Anyway, he still needed to accumulate experience, and he could go through the process again in a few days when the old drunkard returned.

The second letter also brought bad news. He asked one of the old drunkard's classmates if he could help him get some scroll engraving work, but the classmate was traveling and the student replied to the letter, saying that he couldn't make the decision.

Fortunately, the third letter brought good news. Hugo, another classmate of the old drunkard and a fourth-level mage, said that he was short-handed and asked Royo to come and help. The reward was quite generous, but it would take a month.

Moreover, after learning that Royo had become a mage, he even sent her two bottles of potions that nourished her magic as a congratulatory gift.

"Uncle Hugo is such a good man, truly worthy of the title 'Passionate Hugo'!"

He was quite familiar with this Hugo. He was a well-known good-natured person in the school. Although he wasn't particularly strong, only one level above the old drunkard, he had an excellent reputation and was very popular. In this small border principality, he was quite a prominent figure.

The old drunkard had taken Luo Yue to visit several times, all for the sake of awakening magic. Although it didn't have much effect in the end, he still gave them a lot of other help, which Luo Yue always appreciated.

"Since Uncle Hugo is short-handed, I'll go help him out. He lives in Maple Leaf City, which is also where my senior goes out; maybe we'll run into each other?"

"It's been so long since I've seen my senior, I really miss her..."

Luo Yue made a decision quickly and began packing her bags.

After meditating for 12 hours every day for a while, he has become completely proficient and can enter a meditative state without needing a meditation room. He can practice wherever he goes.

As for advancing in rank, there's no rush in a month anyway; we've already endured five years like this.

If all else fails, you can ask Celishina to help you advance first, and then go back to the school to complete the process. As long as you are careful not to let the school find out that you have advanced without permission, it shouldn't be a big problem.

"Another day of envying the new world. They don't have this inhuman knowledge barrier there; basic knowledge can be bought directly in bookstores..."

Soon, Luo Yue packed his few clothes into a bundle, roasted a large bag of potatoes as provisions for the journey, left a letter for the old drunkard indicating his destination, and then braced himself to go to the town below.

It takes five days to walk from the small town to the maple-leaf city we're going to...

If possible, he would still like to hitch a ride with the pharmacy's truck; they have a lot of dealings with that area, and they could help each other out on the way.

So Luo Yue sneaked to the backyard of the apothecary, climbed the wall, and whispered:

"Mira, are you there?"

"Royo?"

The boss's daughter, Mira, quickly came into the yard through the back door. Seeing Luo Yue clinging to the wall, she asked with some surprise:

Why didn't you use the main entrance?

"I'm afraid your dad will arrest me..."

Luo Yue scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

Mira is actually quite pretty, and her boss sent her to a prestigious girls' school in the city, which cultivated her gentle and dignified temperament. She is the kind of virtuous wife and loving mother who is very suitable for marriage.

However, the man had already secretly pledged his life to the town's mercenary captain, but the boss looked down on the mercenary profession, which involved licking blood from the blade, and refused to agree. Instead, he favored Luo Yue, believing that he was more suitable to run the family's hereditary pharmacy.

"Sister Mira, does your family have a carriage to Maple Leaf City? I have some business to attend to there."

"A truckload of goods was just sent over this morning. If you want to go again, it will be three days later. But if you want to go, I can arrange for a driver to take you there."

As a long-established local tycoon, the pharmacy not only owns several trucks, but also a private horse-drawn carriage, which is much more comfortable to ride in than the trucks.

But Luo Yue was too embarrassed to ask, as he still owed money to others, so he quickly shook his head.

"Never mind then, I'll go ask if I can get a ride from the sawmill."

As they were talking, a shout suddenly came from behind:

"I saw him! That kid Royo is trying to climb over your wall, boss!"

Then came a huffy command:

"Stop him! We can't let him get away this time!"