I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

……

Stone returned to the detective agency.

He felt a little out of place, looked up at the wall clock, and saw it was noon.

Outside the window, a hazy fog obscured the sky, and industrial fumes blocked out the view. In this location on the border between the rich and poor, sunlight had become a luxury. Compared to ten years ago, the pollution was even more severe, with wastewater polluting the rivers and the air filled with particulate matter. This city was clearly no longer suitable for the poor to live in.

He stood up, went to the kitchen, made himself a cup of coffee, and the bitter taste spread on his tongue. He gazed out the window at the city.

Suddenly, Stone felt a lump in his throat and collapsed as if he were about to break down. He made a hoarse sound but could not shed any tears.

Like a suffocating person, Stone's chest heaved and convulsed. He couldn't say a word and could only squat there quietly, waiting for his emotions to calm down.

After a long while, until the sun was setting, Stone finally stood up. He still didn't shed a tear, but looked as if he had aged many years.

Stone opened his notebook, picked up his pen, and began to take notes diligently.

……

Back in reality, Sia looked around.

As she passed through the colorful blackness, Xia even had a thought: what would happen when she returned to reality that was completely different from before?

But his room remained the same as always, with bookshelves filled with books that had been read countless times and whose covers had faded, and cabinets filled with bottles and jars containing all kinds of snacks, honey, biscuits, dried meat, and so on.

The tabletop is made of parchment, on which information about some monsters is recorded.

Xia saw that the parchment at the top contained information about the "Thousand-Legged Beast".

Perhaps this mission was already destined from the start.

She changed into some comfortable clothes and went out of the room.

This is the Gray Tower, the location of the academy. This time, Sia's mission is during the Agent's vacation. Counting the days, in just a few days, she will embark on her journey again, walking on the edge of the Black Forest to fight those monsters.

The square was bustling with people. Young mage apprentices walked in twos and threes, discussing magic-related issues with great enthusiasm. Through the magic network, magic had become quite widespread in this era.

But no one noticed the gray tower.

Even Xia only marveled at the grandeur of the tower when she enrolled in school. For many years afterward, she treated it as a background and never paid much attention to it.

But now, seeing the raging, pale flames, Xia felt a pang of sadness.

A familiar friend is being burned above, a torment that has lasted for centuries and will continue forever.

Pulling her consciousness back from that long period of pain, Xia suddenly noticed that several girls were looking in her direction.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Quillris?"

The other person asked hesitantly, still holding a heavy book in their arms.

Yes, that's right.

Sia answered calmly that this was her style most of the time in the Night Kingdom.

“That’s wonderful! I’m a loyal reader of yours, and in fact, I’m reading one of your books right now.”

The girl exclaimed excitedly and came to Xia with her companion, showing her the cover of the book she was holding.

An Investigation into the Alienation of Monsters.

This book is a compilation of papers left behind by Sia. It incorporates some of her observations from other lands and analyzes the characteristics and mutation processes of common monsters in the Night Kingdom. It is an extracurricular reading for an elective course at Gray Tower Academy.

Could you please sign your name for me?

The other person opened the book to the title page and handed it to Xia.

Xia signed her name readily and returned it to the other party.

"Ms. Quivenris, do you have any plans to write a new book? I think your work, well, has very unique ideas and a different perspective on the world. I'm really looking forward to it!"

The other party then inquired.

"No, not at the moment..."

As usual, Xia saw the Gray Tower again, so she thought for a moment and changed her answer.

"If there is any, it might be research targeting the magic network."

"Magic Net?"

Hearing Sia's words, her young fans didn't quite understand. For these young people, the magic network was something that existed by default, just like the sun and the blood moon. They didn't know what the point of studying it was.

Shea said goodbye to them and continued walking towards the Gray Tower.

Just as when it was first built, this tower is full of features that are out of step with the traditional aesthetics of the Night Kingdom. The damaged gaps on the tower are clearly the result of the damage caused by the demonic tide.

Below the Gray Tower lies the academy's grand library, accessible only to mages of a certain level. Above that lies an absolute forbidden zone.

Now Sia understands perfectly well that it is Jost that is constantly being burned.

"Jost, are you looking at me?"

She murmured softly.

The torch of the Grey Tower shines upon the earth, as always.

Chapter 750 [Fragments of the Magic Network]

Congratulations on completing the task!

Settlement begins now.

[Mission Exploration Progress: 120%]

[Task Completion Status: Unspeakable]

You have tasted the suffering of this world, witnessed the laying of the foundation stone of the Gray Tower. In that long, dark night, there are always things that dare to burn themselves to bring dawn and daybreak to others. Under the influence of a great will, even mortals can become gods. The cage has been built, yet the king's shadow is nowhere to be seen.

[Gained Silence Points: 500000]

[Class Reward Obtained: Item: Magic Web Fragment]

Settlement complete

You've pioneered a brand-new form of expression, immersing countless people in a virtual yet real world. But they crave more. With the rules broken, the world is changing. You should lead this trend and become a pioneer of the new era. Change has arrived. Run forward, don't look back, move forward. You have no choice but to move forward.

[Select to complete career development tasks]

Welcome back to the Silent Land!

Back in his room, Lu Ban felt no further emotion.

He knew very well that Drizzt had chosen to die a heroic death. In the Silent Land, sanity would always decrease as the mission continued, eventually reaching zero, turning him into a complete madman, mutating into a monster under the corrosive influence of the contamination, or simply dying.

Very few people are as lucky as I am.

It can be said that death is the destiny of the chosen ones.

But Twisted Fate, at least, chose his own way of dying.

From this perspective, the descendants of the Ninth Rank can be considered as seeds left by Drizzt in this world, which have taken root and sprouted over the years.

Lu Ban should take good care of them.

Thinking of this, Lu Ban immediately took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Dr. Tang Yu, who was working.

[Still Motionless]: Dr. Tang, is there anything I can help you with lately?

Meanwhile, Tang Yu, who was on duty, had her phone vibrate. She saw Lu Ban's message and was completely confused.

"What's going on here?"

She was puzzled. Lu Ban usually didn't care about her much, so why was he being so attentive for no reason? Could it be that Jiang Chengshan had caused some trouble again?

[Tang Yu]: I'm fine here, there's nothing to worry about.

Lu Ban felt relieved after seeing the reply.

But thinking about it, girls usually say the opposite of what they mean. When a girl says "It's okay," it usually means it's okay. But when she says "I'm not angry at all," she's definitely furious.

Tang Yu may indeed have some unspeakable difficulties that she is not comfortable telling Lu Ban.

Lu Ban decided to send her a Morning Star as a gift.

After resolving the matter, Lu Ban looked at his gains.

Surprisingly, Lu Ban's past quest rewards were always materials used to craft products for his career development, but this time, he received [Fragments of the Magic Network].

He opened his palm, and a blue crystal appeared there.

The cold, indifferent description of the silent place emerged.

[Fragment of the Magic Network]

【alienation】

[A fragment of the Night Kingdom's demonic network that materialized at its creation.]

Although it cannot be used to access the magic network and pray for divine gifts, it can be used to create a similar structure.

[With just a wealth of knowledge, a little pollution, and enough offerings to sustain them, the magic network can be recreated in the otherworld.]

But be careful, pollution is no joke.

"This is a promise, a contract, a vow."

Clearly, this is a miniaturized device with a magic net structure.

This thing can be used to recreate the magic net in this world.

However, Lu Ban was also well aware that the Magic Network itself was not a very complicated or wonderful thing. It was just a knowledge-sharing platform. The establishment of the Magic Network required not only a large amount of knowledge and nodes that could exchange knowledge, but more importantly, it required offerings to bear the pollution.

Just like Jost, who sacrificed his own soul and the souls of those mages to contain the corruption so that the mages could use magic without any worries.

And in this world...

Whether it's necessary to establish a magic network is another matter, but Lu Ban can't find anyone who can become a sacrifice. He can't very well make a golden toilet to sit on himself, or ask Leopard for help.

Lu Ban decided to take a look at the career development tasks first.

[Career Development Tasks]

From this moment on, the exotic land is no longer a distant dream, but a tangible reality. You have presented such a picture to the public; you cannot stand still any longer. Improve your ecosystem, attract your followers, and let the myths of the exotic land truly unleash a storm in this world!

[Task Requirements: Magic Network Influence: 0/10000000]