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

Having learned from her previous experience, Celishina arrived in the town with ease, no longer filled with fear.

She was basically certain that as long as she entered the deep void, her consciousness would be forcibly dragged over without resistance. However, if she controlled the depth beforehand and did not approach the deep areas, she could cultivate as before.

Having experienced a surge in magical power, she no longer valued the shallow areas.

Furthermore, since it's called "deep meditation," its effectiveness is naturally determined by its depth; the deeper, the better the effect, but also the more dangerous. This has led to the development of areas similar to those in a swimming pool.

Those who have just reached the fourth rank and have just come into contact with [Deep Meditation] can only cultivate in the 'Shallow Water Zone' and 'Children's Zone'; while those like Serishina, who are at the eighth rank, will definitely have to go to the 'Deep Water Zone', which is reserved for the strong.

If people knew that an eighth-tier expert was still playing in the "shallow waters," it would invite ridicule...

Unfortunately, there are many people practicing in the 'shallow water area,' making it easy to be spotted...

"Huh? My student isn't here? Does that mean I can't use the lecture notes I prepared for him?"

Serishina quickly arrived near the bubble tea shop, only to find it deserted. A strange sense of disappointment welled up inside her, but she quickly consoled herself:

"It's good that he's not here. At least I can cultivate in peace for a while and study the pattern in my mind carefully."

She had previously consulted many ancient texts in the library, and although she still didn't quite understand them, based on her past experiences, she was basically certain that it was a piece of knowledge, and even a special kind of knowledge called "mystery"—

This kind of knowledge only appears in the void, and there is an extremely small chance of capturing it during meditation. It usually manifests as a bunch of meaningless gibberish and unfamiliar symbols. If you can understand it, you can learn very powerful knowledge or abilities.

The process of "deciphering the mystery" will also greatly increase magic power, allowing strength to advance by leaps and bounds.

But mysteries are extremely rare; many people never encounter them in their entire lives. Some are even dangerous, containing knowledge that delves into the unknowable realm, and attempting to decipher them can lead to terrifying consequences…

Selene had only encountered this once in decades of wandering in the Void. Although it was safe, the contents were incomplete, consisting of only fragmented pieces.

Even so, she still became the youngest eighth-ranked person thanks to this fortuitous encounter, and she also created the "Xina Meditation Method" and two other more powerful mystical skills based on those fragments.

In general, the [Secret] is basically the most precious thing in the world, and I never expected that someone would give it away to someone else.

Upon realizing that the "reward" she received was actually a "secret," Serishina's only thought for that moment was to serve the governor wholeheartedly.

"Your generosity makes me feel utterly ashamed, but please forgive my ignorance; I truly have no idea how to interpret this 'mystery'..."

She obtained the "mystery," which was also obscure and took her several years to decipher. But at least it consisted of unfamiliar characters and symbols, rather than a few abstract lines that left her completely clueless about where to begin.

Left with no other choice, Celishina had to take stock of her savings and dowry, intending to trade them with the powerful academic factions in exchange for their records and experience in interpreting the "Mysteries".

These things are very, very expensive, and having money alone is not enough; you often need to meet other conditions as well.

But there was no other way. In order to reach the ninth rank, Serishina had no choice but to bite the bullet and write a letter to ask. She has not yet received a reply.

Having clearly experienced the governor's generosity, she felt a sense of unease and uncertainty upon returning to the divine realm.

According to information gathered from various sources over the past two days, the Sage Council seems to be serious about this, and the "Great Expedition" may begin sooner than expected, perhaps a year? Or even sooner?

"If these people also find this divine realm, how should I position myself?"

For the past three days, Serishina has been struggling with this issue, worried that a conflict might break out between the two sides.

The special products of those powerful forces are all sorts of fools and megalomaniacs. They won't maintain their reverence and humility like I do, and they probably won't even take the gods seriously...

"Let's leave this matter to the Consul. Is He in that golden palace?"

Serishina gazed at the distant palace, thought for a moment, and then walked over.

But just as they were about to pass a gaudy metal cabinet, a voice suddenly came from behind:

"Be careful!"

Then, she felt her arm being tugged and took a few steps back.

The next second, the metal cabinet suddenly split in two, as if it had opened its mouth and bit into the empty ground where she had just been standing.

When it came up empty-handed, it immediately returned to its original spot and became a quiet cabinet again.

"scare?"

Serishina was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around and saw her favorite student.

Fortunately, after sensing Celestina's presence, Royo quickly found a secluded spot to meditate. If he had been any slower, the beautiful teacher would have become an iron-willed teacher...

"Don't go near these things, don't touch them, don't sit on that bench, and don't walk on the lawn."

As Luo Yue began to speak, he pointed to the palace and added:

"Whatever you do, don't go near there!"

The mechs standing at the foot of the palace steps were all mobile, firing at anyone who got too close. The steps were also piled with traps: laser nets, giant iron balls, acid gas, oversized fly swatters, and so on.

Even if you manage to get to the gate by sheer luck, as soon as you push the door open, a 100-ton dump truck traveling at 300 kilometers per hour will rush out.

It's just that the small mountain village and the mage tower really don't have much entertainment, so when Royo is bored, all he can do is mess around with these things...

"Thank you, but... could you let go of my hand first?"

"Sorry~"

Luo Yue quickly released Celishina's wrist.

She was dressed beautifully today, wearing a ladylike long dress that revealed her rounded shoulders and two slender arms. The hem of the dress also showed off her shapely legs. Her accessories were also cute, making her look very youthful and girlish. Luo Yue couldn't help but hold her hand a little longer.

Well, the wrist counts as a hand...

What he didn't know was that this long dress was already the most daring one in Celishina's wardrobe; the hem was so short that it barely covered her knees, making her shy for a long time before she decided to wear it.

I had even considered tying my long white hair into pigtails, adding big bows, and then wearing cartoon cat hair clips.

In the end, I was too shy to dress too young...

The two then returned to the bubble tea shop. As they walked, Seresina changed the subject and asked again:

"I have some very important matters to report to His Excellency the Consul. Is there a way to contact Him directly, or should you relay the message?"