A chat group for a certain tower warlock

"The things they use are similar to those in Albus's territory: wooden swords, magic diagrams, circles drawn on the ground, and other magical materials. However, they seem particularly keen on capturing the familiars of various Great Old Ones and are fond of using the bodies of those familiars as materials for casting spells."

"I recently visited and discovered that they have actually developed a large-scale, standardized, and systematic market for capturing and distributing Familia members, including members of all races. This really opened my eyes."

"You bought some too?"

"I bought some eyes of the Hounds of Yandaros. I don't know how they got them, but those guys probably don't have long to live."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"If you use those things too much, you'll easily become mutated. I see that their bodies have become mutated to some extent. Some of them have even grown tentacles and are no longer human. They will probably end up as twisted lumps of flesh in the future."

"..."×2

Chapter 26: Demolishing the House to Make Originium

“...Your world is more ruthless than mine!” Yarman said to the two while casting a spell on the magic fortress, “If you learn a little magic, you’ll be mutated, and you’ll stop being human all the time.”

"Actually, it's alright, as long as they don't do anything reckless." Veronica said casually, "In fact, they have no desire for humans at all. Except for a few, the others don't want to pay any attention to humans. It's just that some people insist on moving in their direction, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"how about you?"

“I’m one of those desperately trying to climb up too.” Veronica kept casting spells, a strange smile suddenly flashing across her face. “When the formation is activated, you guys better not look in my direction, understand? I don’t want to be fighting against time halfway through and then have to deal with my crazy teammates.”

"..."×2

"Are you even human anymore?!" Yalman and Dumbledore exchanged a glance and couldn't help but ask, "Or have you completely...?"

“It depends on how you define the word ‘human.’” Veronica’s smile remained unchanged, but her tone was full of indifference. “If you mean something that has human thoughts and consciousness, then I am. If you insist that it must have a human body, then I am not.”

"Is having a human body already asking for too much?"

“This is more than just demanding.” Veronica sighed helplessly. “That’s just how my world is. There’s nothing I can do about it. Even those so-called ancient gods look messy. Besides, you’re not much better off. Your body is full of those Originium particles.”

"Where would a purebred, normal person have so many symbiotic Originium particles in their body?"

"Dumbledore is the same; I'm starting to wonder if you're some kind of phoenix in human skin."

“...That’s true.” Yarman shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it. Every family had its own troubles. Veronica’s world was plagued by evil gods, his own world was filled with highly radioactive and infectious minerals, and Albus’s world was haunted by various ancient and dangerous remnants.

If their world is as wonderful as heaven, why would they be chosen by the mutual aid group?

"Then the basic structure of the fortress is complete!" Dumbledore suddenly exclaimed. "All that's left is to inscribe various magic circles inside and add a magical core to each one!"

Looking at the magic fortress in front of him, which was entirely black and gleamed with a dull metallic sheen, Yarman breathed a deep sigh of relief. From construction to the completion of its initial form, it had only taken them ten minutes, which was quite fast.

“Then I’ll make the magic core,” Yarman volunteered. He could draw magic circles, but he was a bit clueless when it came to time-related magic circles. He only started learning time magic after becoming a great wizard. He could manage to turn a withered flower back to its original state, but drawing a magic circle…

That's like a duck trying to open its eyes—completely unnecessary.

“Then I’ll inscribe the time magic circle,” Veronica said. This was something she had to do, since she was an expert in this field, unlike the other two.

“Then I will inscribe the control array for the conversion of magical energy and the connection between the three of us,” Dumbledore said.

Their plan was very simple: the instant the Thorn Mountain was shattered, they would use a magical fortress to create a dam between the imperial city's time and the outside world's time. Then, they would convert magical energy into time and give away the converted time as a price, thereby deceiving the laws of the world and making them mistakenly believe that the imperial city's time had been synchronized.

Of course, to make it more realistic, they would only deliver the time of the creatures within the imperial city, not the time of the buildings. This required the three of them to ensure that the time delivered was absolutely accurate, without any error.

If this plan succeeds, their understanding of time will take a huge leap, and they may also gain some unexpected benefits, after all, they have been immersed in the long river of laws of a world.

But if the laws of the world discover that they cheated... then they will probably be washed away by the river of time.

Yarman walked slowly to Scranton, who was preparing weapons, and looked at him fiddling with a strange device. He asked with some curiosity, "What is that?"

“I used my scrapped equipment and my reality warper abilities to make a combustion device.” Scranton picked up a cube and said with a smile, “The specific principle is a bit complicated, but basically, if you put this thing on Thorn Mountain, it will spontaneously combust until Thorn Mountain is burned down.”

"...That sounds impressive, but is it actually useful to people?"

"It's useless. This is the Thorn Mountain Special Forces, a little thing that only works on this Thorn Mountain."

"Alright." Yalman stood up, a little disappointed, and walked to the side. He needed to figure out how to make a magic core, but he didn't have any good ideas right now. If only this world had Originium…

Huh? Wait a minute! Originium...

Yarman suddenly had a new idea. He wanted to try whether the plants and animals of this world could be infected with Oripathy. If they could, then the problem would be much easier to solve!

Plant a bunch of trees at once, then infect each tree with acute Oripathy, turning them all into Originium!

"I'm such a genius!" Yarman clapped his hands happily, took out the high-energy stone he had brought from his pocket, and ran excitedly towards the crooked tree two kilometers away.

"Come on, Tree Tree, let me level you up!"

"Crack!"

Yarman forcefully plunged the high-energy stone in his hand into the tree's trunk, then gently pulled it out. He stared intently at the hole in front of him, where scattered Originium crystals appeared at the entrance, and then the Originium began to spread rapidly along the tree trunk.

Seeing the crooked tree completely transformed into a large chunk of Originium crystal in just ten minutes, a smile appeared on Yarman's face, which then grew increasingly arrogant. "Hahahaha! Heaven is on my side!"

"Now the problem is finally solved! Hahahaha!"

three days later.

"Hey, the magic cores are done, 133 in total. Embed them into the magic circle." Yarman tossed a small sack on the ground with a tired look in his eyes. "Each one contains the equivalent of five thousand source stones, that should be enough. If not, I'll draw the energy gathering circle later."

"...Where did you get so many? And your hands..."

"I discovered that trees in this world can also be infected with Oripathy, so I went to find a forest. I didn't expect there to be elves there. Those elven high wizards... they're quite something."

Yarman touched his right hand, which was wrapped in bandages, and a look of pain flashed across his face. "Their combined attack is very powerful. There are many of them and they are strong. I wasn't paying attention and I was pecked by their spell."

A single peck could cripple a great wizard's dominant arm.

"...Thank you for your hard work." Veronica nodded. She had wondered where all those Originium came from; apparently, you went to dismantle other people's houses. "Can you still use your hands?"

"..."

"Alright, take your hand. I'll help you rewind time to before you went to the forest. As long as there's no curse or causal spell that can transcend time, you should be fine."

"Okay, thanks."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Don't sink! There are still people inside!

Sitting on a large rock, Yarman looked at the massive black fortress before him and let out a deep sigh of relief. "This should be enough, right? I wonder what will happen once we're in battle."

“There shouldn’t be any major problems.” Veronica walked to his side, crossed her arms, and looked at the fortress in front of them. “After all, it was built by the three of us together. Even if it can’t perfectly withstand the impact, at least it won’t collapse in one hit. Besides, even if it doesn’t work, there are still the three of us, aren’t there?”

“You seem pretty excited!” Yarman turned around and couldn’t help but say, “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered and then being washed away and disappeared by the river of time in this world?”

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now that we've decided to do it, let's not hesitate any longer!" Veronica said calmly, arms crossed, her gaze towards the fortress filled with determination and resolve.

“Veronica is right. Now that we’ve made up our minds, let’s not hesitate any longer.” Dumbledore walked over to Yarman and said with a smile, “You’re a great wizard now. How can you be so timid? The fortress is already built; you can’t back down now!”

After listening to her words, Yarman remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a deep sigh, "Then let's do it. Sigh! When to start?"

"It'll start in an hour. Scranton has already gone to deploy his device. He said he can burn Thorn Mountain to the ground in an hour, but I don't know if that's true." Veronica shrugged and said calmly, as if she had lost all human emotion, always wearing the same few expressions.

"boom!"

Suddenly, an explosion came from not far away, followed by a violent burst of flames that shot into the sky. The once lush green thorn mountain was instantly covered by endless flames and turned into a fiery mountain!

"Alright, alright! Hurry up and get ready!" Scranton ran back, his face covered in soot. Looking at everyone, he wiped his face and said with some annoyance, "I didn't expect the flames to be so intense!"

"..."×3

"You guys hurry up and get ready! Wait a minute... what kind of looks are those?"

"This...this..." Yarman smiled, then touched his forehead. "Robert, don't you feel like you're missing something?"

"Huh? What is that?"

"Well... don't you feel your head is... cool right now?" Yarman said, barely suppressing a laugh, looking at Robert, whose head had turned into a black egg.

"Cool? No... Hmm? Where's my hair!"

“It’s time to use the Reality Bender’s abilities.” Veronica patted him on the shoulder and walked towards the fortress. “We’re going to prepare to enter the River of Time. Do as you please.”

“Thank you for your outstanding contribution to this mission! Don’t worry, you’ll definitely get your share of the reward, I promise!” Yarman patted him on the shoulder as well, and walked toward the fortress under his shocked gaze. “If all else fails, have Veronica help you rewind time when you get back.”

"These are some potions I brought, for treating external injuries. You can try them; they should be effective." Dumbledore smiled, but his tone was filled with sadness. "I hope you... recover soon."

Watching the group walk into the fortress, Scranton stood there dumbfounded. He felt like a clown. Although the mission was completed and the reward was certainly there, he had lost his hair!

"Whoosh!"

Watching the magical fortress vanish into thin air, and then glancing at the potion in his hand, Scranton decided to deal with his own problems first before worrying about them.

"Sigh, I shouldn't have gotten so close!"

…………

"Tell me, what exactly is the principle behind this causal magic?" Yarman asked, looking at the enormous barrier that separated the imperial city's time from the outside world like an insurmountable chasm. "Why is it so effective?"

“I don’t know.” Dumbledore shook his head decisively. “I’ve hardly ever seen this kind of spell.”

“I don’t really understand either, but it’s said to be like signing an agreement with the world. You pay a certain amount to temporarily write this causal relationship into the world’s basic rules, and it will be automatically terminated when it expires or is successfully completed,” Veronica said slowly. “At least that’s how it works on my end.”

"Wow, it can even write the rules of the world!" Yarman revealed a shocked smile. "Then can I write in the rules that I will always be the god of this world, and then I will become a god?"

"Have you forgotten the file from Scranton's world? Isn't Mary Nakayama a perfect example?"

"……yes!"

"Stop chatting, the barrier is broken!" Dumbledore sternly interrupted their conversation, and then the three of them manipulated the magical fortress to reach the barrier.

With the barrier completely shattered, the magic fortress stood between the two time zones, like an unbreakable dam, firmly blocking the outside time river that pounced like tigers and wolves, trying to merge with the imperial city's time!

"boom!"

The impact from the river of time caused the fortress to tremble incessantly. Within the fortress, all the spell cores were radiating a dazzling golden magical light, and astonishing magical energy flowed within each magic circle. Under the precise control of the three, time in the two areas was once again separated.

"I feel we've miscalculated," Yarman said with a wry smile. In his perception, the outermost defensive magic array had already lost 28.8% of its effectiveness. "The impact isn't just coming from external time, but also from time within the imperial city!"

“Who would have thought that a stagnant pool could possess such power?” Veronica said calmly. “Alright, bow your heads now. I’m going to connect with the outside world.”

"Hmm." ×2

After receiving confirmation from the two, Veronica vanished instantly. Immediately afterward, an enormous, transparent sphere of light appeared inside the vast fortress, its eerie blue glow illuminating the surroundings and extending outwards.

Soon, a structure resembling a nerve cell appeared in the fortress. Veronica used her own body as a bridge to connect the fortress, the time inside the imperial city, and the time outside the imperial city!

"The bridge is now erected! You can begin operations!"

The ethereal voice echoed throughout the hall. The two exchanged a glance. Dumbledore manipulated the already operational magic circle, sending what appeared to be an endless flow of time, converted from magical energy, into Yarman's magic circle. Yarman, meanwhile, closed his eyes and focused entirely on supplying time into Veronica's body.

After an unknown amount of time, the river of time in the outside world finally stopped flowing and became peaceful.

Veronica transformed back into human form, slumped onto the floor, closed her eyes, and said wearily, "Alright, it's all over. We can go out now!"

“…Hmm.” Yarman was also too tired to speak. The surging of the River of Time was beyond his imagination. The outer defense of the fortress completely failed halfway through the plan. In order to continue resisting the River of Time, he and Dumbledore used their magic to build a barrier.

Even so, their magical barriers could not completely withstand the river of time. Their bodies were eroded by the river of time. Although it is not visible now, they will pay the price one day in the future!

"Whoosh!"

The magic fortress quietly disappeared from the river of time, and the two sides of time merged silently together, just like a normal small stream, without any abnormality.

"Bong!"

Outside the imperial city, a massive magical fortress suddenly appeared in the air and, to Scranton's astonishment, crashed heavily onto the desert, slowly sinking into its depths.

"Don't let it sink! My group members are still in there!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: One Must Always Be Wary of Others

Lying on the floor covered with magic circles, Yarman quietly felt the movement of the fortress slowly sinking into the desert. He sighed softly and slowly closed his eyes. Now, his body and the high-energy stone were completely empty of energy, and he was powerless to stop the sinking.

Unexpectedly, even the passage of time could not erase my name, Yarman, but in the end I will die buried in the desert vortex. What a great irony!

The thought flashed through his mind. Yarman closed his eyes and placed his hands flat at his sides. He had no strength left and could not walk. Rather than making a futile struggle, he might as well accept death peacefully.

"[American profanity]! Get up! Don't just sit here and wait to die!"

Suddenly, a rough voice came from above the fortress. Yarman opened his eyes slightly and looked closely. It was Scranton. "Why are you here? Let's go, we can't get away."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes again, preparing to continue waiting for death. At that moment, a tremendous force grabbed him from behind, pulled him up by the back of his collar, and lifted him up!

"...?"

He looked up slightly and saw that Scranton, who had lifted him up, had also lifted Dumbledore up as well, hoisted Veronica onto his shoulder, and ran out of the fortress.

"..."×3

Thanks to Scranton's valiant rescue efforts, the three were successfully brought out of the sinking fortress and to a safe desert not far from the capital.

He casually tossed the three corpses aside, then sat panting in the desert, wiping away sweat. The fortress the three had built was incredibly strong. Even though the defensive magic array had failed, it had taken him a great deal of effort to break through even ordinary walls.

"Why...did you just wait to die?" Scranton asked, panting, looking at the three corpses lying there.

"..."×3