Ch. 206 - Sneaking Into The Cities
Mage AdamThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
I love it each time Adam comes to a new world. Everything was new and much simpler.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
I love it each time Adam comes to a new world. Everything was new and much simpler.
The job of an Explorer was to gather information, find coordinates, and locate suitable places for setting up a Plane Sacrifice Array. The last two tasks were either already done or not necessary. The first task, however, remained a huge challenge.
First, they needed to record the locations of towns built by all radiation races. Then, they had to figure out the exact number of transcendent beings and a rough count of higher beings.
Now, besides these, there was another important matter.
To judge the value of a newly discovered plane, one must consider both its knowledge and energy. Cthulhu had radioactive minerals as a source of energy. And now, Adam discovered that the knowledge being researched by the radiation races was of even greater value. Thus, searching for the progress and results of their research became a top priority.
"But master, you can't get into the cities right now."
Adam whispered, "No worries. I know what I am doing."
...
Adam started circling inland in order to pinpoint all the cities' exact locations. The information would be very useful in the early stages of the war. During this process, he also sought to find cities with fewer strong beings and weaker defenses.
The deeper he went inland, the higher the mutation rate of Cthulhu he found. After two months, he stopped just outside a clear boundary line. Beyond it, no level-one creatures existed, and terrifying energy fluctuations spread wildly.
Adam felt that if he entered, he would be detected instantly.
Even at his current position, he had to hide his presence with all his might. There were high-level radiation creatures patrolling this area. Deeper in would certainly be the real center of the radiation races.
After circling the boundary, Adam let the Mage Network record the location and situation. Then, he turned around and slowly flew back towards the border.
He found a random dimensional rift and eliminated all the gathered radiation creatures. Then, Adam took out 'Chris Frost' from his personal space.
This dragon body was different from the other dead dragons. It could be considered Adam's avatar. And because Adam had fully experienced the hatching process, it could perfectly hide his soul's fluctuations.
Under the devil's terrified gaze, Adam entered the dragon's body through a scar on its chest. He then gathered all the remains of the just-eliminated radiation creatures, condensed them into a ball, and swallowed it in one gulp.
The Frost Dragon's body rapidly mutated, turning into a twisted and terrifying creature in a short time. The radiation races had no fixed appearance, so Adam's new form was indistinguishable from theirs on the outside.
"Master, you won't turn into such a disgusting monster forever, will you?" the devil worriedly asked. It was soul-bound to Adam, so if Adam mutated, he wouldn't be spared either. Just thinking about transforming into such a creature made him feel like dying.
"No," Adam replied. He felt quite alright. Although the mutation continued, his true body was firmly protected by the Mage's Armor. The external mutation couldn't affect him. However, there was a downside: Adam only had the mutated body, but he didn't gain the ability to emit energy beams.
"Master, can this really work?"
Adam answered nonchalantly, "Don't know, but it's worth a try. Cthulhu has no crystal wall system, and its space rules are weak. Even if I'm exposed, I can use Blink to escape. They don't understand the magic skills. As long as I don't encounter transcendent beings, I'm safe."
That was true. If they understood gravitational knowledge, transcendent creatures wouldn't attack the dragon Plane's crystal wall system in such a barbaric way.
The challenge of entering the cities was entirely about not being detected. Once inside, Adam had many ways to get out.
...
Adam chose to get into the first city he encountered. Based on his observations, the city didn't restrict the entry and exit of radiation creatures above level two. After reaching the city's outskirts, Adam descended and flew towards the city.
However, as soon as he entered, something unexpected happened. A level-two radiation creature stopped Adam and stood in front of him, saying, "You, stop."
Adam's mind raced. He had to come up with a response quickly.
Before he could answer, the radiation creature asked again, "Which lord do you work for?"
"Lord" must refer to a transcendent radiation creature, but Adam didn't have the exact information. He thought he had failed and needed more information to successfully get in.
Just as he was about to give up and Blink away, the radiation creature continued, "Just evolved?"
This was a turning point. Adam halted his escape plan and maintained his dazed state, not speaking.
The radiation creature said to itself, "From now on, you belong to King Nasanir." It extended several tentacles, pointing in various directions within the city. "Can't go there." Then it pointed to other areas, "Can go there." After saying this, it left Adam alone and went away.
In his mind, the devil said incredulously, "That simple? No questioning of origin, no verification process, just a few words and you're let in? Do they have a problem with their brains?"
Adam, pretending to be confused, wandered around the area for a while before he finally relaxed.
He didn't rush to the areas where radiation creatures were forbidden to enter. Instead, he aimlessly wandered around the city.
"They probably thought no other beings can survive in Cthulhu, so there's no verification process. Moreover, evolving from level one to level two must be a common occurrence. It seems like level-one radiation creatures aren't considered the same species in their eyes. Only after evolving to level two and joining the forces of a transcendent being do they count as kin."
The devil was still amazed, "Isn't there any sort of mark or brand to prove which force they belong to?"
"Apparently not," Adam said while memorizing the city's layout. "Level-two radiation creatures don't need that. At most, they are just higher-level cannon fodder. This is good. The less noticeable I am, the easier my task will be."
The devil pouted, "Master, by that logic, this city must not be very important, right? Would a place inhabited by cannon fodder have the knowledge you're looking for?"
"The core certainly won't, but there should be something related. Otherwise, there's no need for the mined ore to be transported out of the city by slaves after entering. There must be some basic processing going on."
At that moment, Adam watched several level-two creatures bring a large amount of ore into a building. In his mind, he noted, "Right there."