Chương 106: Chapter 105: Departure for the Demon Realm

Bright dawn light spilled across the white stone plaza atop Floor 1 of the World Tower. From hundreds of meters up, the capital of Solaris stretched out beneath a veil of morning mist, majestic and peaceful in the early light. In front of the black alloy spatial gate, crackling with streaks of dark purple arcane lightning, Lucian's team of four stood fully assembled in field gear. Lucian, in his ash-grey, black-trimmed traveling cloak, held a supply checklist in hand, going down the line to inspect each member.

He stopped in front of Evelyn.

"What are you carrying?" Evelyn slapped the automated arcane machine gun slung over her shoulder and pointed at the two steel crates on her back.

"Five hundred compressed micro-nuclear arcane grenades, twenty thousand rounds of Tartarus-piercing ammunition, and a backup generator." Lucian nodded and moved to Astra.

"You?" Astra pointed to the Sun-Slaying Dragon Sword at her hip, then patted the large leather backpack on her back.

"One holy sword, and fifty jars of strawberry jam that Lady Valeria sent for you." Lucian's eyes moved to Sylvia.

"Sylvia?" Sylvia pushed up her glasses and lifted a thick leather satchel.

"Thirty cross-reference Ancient Demonic dictionaries, and two hundred pre-printed Employment Contracts, stamped with Vance Commerce's seal." Evelyn glanced at Lucian's own gear: a canvas folding camp chair, a compact sun umbrella, and a portable arcane safe with a brass combination lock. Evelyn raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Are you heading off on a Demon Realm expedition or a wellness retreat, you capitalist?" Lucian calmly tucked the folding chair into his spatial ring. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"A smart investor never lets a battlefield environment lower his personal quality of life." Clack. Clack. The click of leather heels on marble echoed from the honor staircase. Eleanor, in white-and-gold ceremonial dress, a deep crimson royal velvet cloak over her shoulders, climbed to the top of the tower alone. She walked straight up to Lucian and stopped exactly half a step away. Eleanor raised a white silk-gloved hand and gently adjusted the glowing snow-rose brooch pinned to the front of his cloak.

She lifted her blue eyes to look deep into his, the corner of her mouth curling into a bright smile, but her voice a low, threatening whisper.

"Come back in one piece, you stingy merchant. I've already had a three-meter-long expense list prepared, waiting for you in the Student Council office when you get back." Lucian tapped the rose brooch on his chest lightly and smiled.

"Save the debt collection for when I'm home, Council President." Ting! Ting! Ting! A dim black Unified System V2. 0 notification appeared before him, lines of brilliant gold text scrolling past. [STAGE 1 SUMMARY — ARC 6: INSTITUTIONS & CULTURE] [Core achievements completed:] Fully resolved the Broken Wind Ravine military crisis. Established the Continental Copyright Monopoly Conglomerate. Successfully industrialized publishing in partnership with Evelyn Wright. Solidified working trust with Princess Eleanor.

2 Classes [Cultural Hazard] and [Continental Oligarch] operating at stable output. Documented working mastery of 4 Supreme Ancient Languages. [PREPARING TO UNLOCK STAGE 2: DEMON REALM EXPEDITION & THE DEMON LORD'S SECRET!] [TEAM OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT:] Capable of overwhelming ordinary imperial field forces if Astra does not run out of strawberry ice cream and Lucian does not take a loss. Lucian stepped forward three paces, standing before the fifty-meter black metal gate. Layered Focus: Activate.

He raised his right hand, combining the syntax of Titan Script and Ancient Silver-Tongue. Layered Focus refined the known spell mechanics to microscopic precision, letting Lucian adjust the spatial gears within the gate one layer at a time. BOOM! The metal gate slid apart. A colossal swirling vortex of dark purple space shrieked with arcane thunder, opening a path straight down into the fathomless depths of the Tartarus Demon Realm.

At the base of the tower, thousands of students and Royal High Priests watched the pillar of light pierce the clouds, hands clasped in anxious expectation.

"The Vance expedition has officially departed for the Demon Realm!" Thousands of miles to the north, deep within the Black Moon Palace of the Tartarus Demon Realm. A Demon-race General, a scar slashed across his face, wearing spiked black armor from campaigns fought under Lady Valeria ten thousand years ago, stood before a war map, his bloodshot eyes flaring with fire.

"Young Master... at last, you have come." Atop the World Tower. Lucian pulled the brim of his ash-grey hood low and took his first steps into the swirling dark mist of the transport gate. The corner of the ten-year-old's mouth slowly curled into a confident, businesslike smile.

"The Tartarus Demon Realm..." He crossed the threshold of the gate.

"Let's see just how many resources are waiting to be developed over there."