Chapter 108: Dimension? Planet?

Although Born never showed himself, the exclamation of “Damn it!” was audible to anyone with functioning ears.

Among the assembled nobles, each was exceptionally sharp-witted. Even if they didn’t immediately grasp the situation, they would soon come to realize it.

The voice was far too young, and combined with Born’s agile leap from the teleportation light screen, his lithe figure was unlike that of a seasoned spellcaster devoted to magic for many years.

Seventon was neither young nor old—just average in age—and was involved in trivial matters. Especially with the recently prominent Eorum family and their prodigy arcane mage, Born Eorum, it was impossible for them not to be aware.

Why would a group of elders lower themselves to come here, if not because this brat had stirred up trouble? Moreover, Born’s entire background had been thoroughly investigated from childhood, with each major faction holding a copy of the dossier, knowing details even more intimate than those of Viscount Gordon, including how often he wet the bed.

“Leopold!” an elderly man shouted sharply.

“Yes, sir!” a captain named Leopold quickly approached, placing his hand over his heart in salute. “Your Excellency, what are your orders?”

“Who authorized your unauthorized entry?” the old man scolded angrily. “Who gave you the command? This is private territory. Without the owner’s permission, how dare you barge in! You’ve brought shame upon the Morien family!”

“Ap... apologies! Your Excellency, it was our rudeness. I shall immediately go and apologize to Viscount Gordon Eorum!” Captain Leopold bowed his head in shame.

“You already know, so why are you still standing here like a fool? Get moving at once!” The old man was furious and, not satisfied with mere words, raised his foot and kicked the captain hard.

“Get lost!” Leopold didn’t dare dodge and took the blow squarely. The grunt he emitted was followed by him staggering back two or three steps.

“As you command, Your Excellency!” Captain Leopold stood firm, did not dare to raise his head, saluted again, then turned and strode toward Viscount Gordon.

None of the elders present were ordinary men. Even from a distance, Layman could see that the old man’s kick had dented the captain’s plate armor. The force of it must have been immense; Layman guessed that several of the captain’s ribs had likely been broken by that single strike.

“Damn, that old man is ruthless!” Layman felt sorry for Leopold, whose face had turned pale.

But upon observing the expressions of the others, Layman suddenly understood something.

“Filiel is as sly as ever,” the Earl of Toronto squinted with disdain but then called over his own captain to accompany him toward Viscount Gordon.

Passing by Earl Filiel, they exchanged hostile glances and each let out a short snort before turning away.

Viscount Gordon felt somewhat embarrassed. After Earl Filiel led the charge, the others followed suit, summoning their captains or cavalry commanders to reprimand them. Though none struck as hard as Filiel did, the appearance of discipline was maintained.

Of course, some, like the Earl of Toronto, personally approached Viscount Gordon to express apologies and promised to send a batch of supplies as compensation.

Viscount Gordon felt overwhelmed, unable and unwilling to refuse. Seeing the smiling faces of these powerful men, he knew that offending any one of them could result in severe consequences—perhaps even his father’s intervention would be ineffective.

Standing to the side, Layman was dumbfounded, his idealized image of the nobility shattered.

The guards soon withdrew, thoughtfully cleaning up the scattered ice cubes and even reconstructing the storage room that concealed the ‘magic power storage device.’

The festivities resumed as before—eating, drinking, and merrymaking—but Layman sensed an eerie undercurrent beneath the joyous laughter and lively atmosphere.

...

Meanwhile, Born reappeared beside the icy crater after casting [Teleportation].

“Success!” Born exhaled softly upon surveying the landing spot, then excitedly waved at the distant earl.

“Don’t get too excited. While your mental link to the Leyline is still active, hurry and meditate!” The earl’s figure vanished in a flash of white light, his voice ringing in Born’s ear.

“Understood!” Born nodded firmly.

The situation was urgent upon arrival, so Born hadn’t had time to fully experience the changes brought by ascending to a 10th-level arcane mage. Now, with his grandfather watching over him, Born devoted himself entirely to meditation, striving to perceive the deeper Leyline.

His spiritual power surged, and the previously stagnant mana began increasing rapidly.

Though the purification of mana had halted, it was now slowly rising again. Born could clearly sense that as the purification rate climbed, progress became increasingly arduous.

This time, however, there was an unexpected gain. By utilizing the spatial teleportation spell to ascend, he had merged into a world ‘bubble,’ glimpsing another side of the world.

According to his memories and various studies, the Fire Elemental Plane was merely an inner plane. Beyond it lay outer planes, and even the Outer World!

Yet Born was puzzled: was the Drayel world truly a planet?

Or was it a ‘plane’—perhaps a massive floating continent drifting in the void?

If it were a planet, why did the Fire Elemental Plane appear as a ‘plane,’ a fiery landmass suspended in the abyss when he merged with the ‘space’ plane?

Aren’t planets surrounded by the cosmos?

Why had he not seen other planets, moons, comets, or celestial bodies?

Born attempted to re-enter and merge with the ‘space’ plane but failed. The chip had collected insufficient data to form a system. Without a system, he couldn’t perform simulations or deductions.

Yet Born had a feeling—this was important.

A strange sensation—as if some voice was calling to him from the depths—and remarkably, this voice sounded somewhat like himself!

...

Name: Born Eorum

Naseriel Human

Mage 10 / Arcane Mage 10 / Monk 6

Level: 10

Basic Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 9.2, Constitution 9.3, Intelligence 14.9, Perception 9, Charisma 10

...

Special Abilities: Reflective Evasion, Rapid Movement, Calm Mind, Light Body Fall

Talents: Quick Casting, Mobile Casting, Silent Spellcasting, Spell Amplification, Spell Ascension (requires magic circle)

Arcane Spells:

Level 0: Light Orb, Mage Hand

Level 1: Identify (Rune), Stunning Flash

Level 2: Misty Step

Level 3: Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Blink, Eorum’s Storage Space

Level 4: Arcane Eye

Level 5: Teleportation

...

Besides Intelligence, all other attributes showed varying degrees of growth.

“Looks like an Intelligence of 15 is the threshold for spellcasters!” Born thought to himself. “I wonder what it would be for warriors?”

Unfortunately, the biochip favored analysis and research, not combat detection. It couldn’t provide detailed data on people or things beyond Born’s perception.

(Night overtime—trying to finish another chapter. No need to wait; if it’s ready, you’ll see it tomorrow morning.)