Chapter 353: The Impact of the Secret Realm
Owen’s Authority fragment was incomplete and he had always used it reluctantly. It wasn’t until he obtained the Golden Tree Seed that he had the hope of nurturing it back to its complete form.
However, the Domain was left behind by a true god. It was extremely difficult to fully restore it. It was unrealistic to rely solely on exchanging Progress Value to replenish it. It wasn’t impossible, but it would take too long. Initially, Owen could only barely provide the basics. Now, being in the Dimensional Turbulence was like a sponge falling into water, a rat falling into a rice jar. Countless Law Imprints and Origin surged into the Domain, making him not want to leave.
However, what Owen didn’t expect was that the flow of time here was different. The deeper he went, the faster time flowed. It didn’t take long for him to age by two or three years. Based on the growth cycle of the Elf Royal Family, if this time were converted to that of an ordinary person, he would have been buried long ago.
Knowing that he couldn’t stay for long, Owen could only choose the right time to break away from the turbulence and return to the human world.
When Owen reappeared, he had already become a teenager. According to the life cycle of the Elf Royal Family, it would take at least three to four hundred years to grow to this stage.
Although the flow of time in the turbulence was different, it was still a bit scary. At least, Owen was startled, because he couldn’t be sure how much time had actually passed. He only knew that his Progress Value had reached fifty many times.
“I wonder how the territory is doing,” Owen said, frowning as he changed into clothes that fit.
Because he wasn’t sure how much time had passed, Owen didn’t know how many years had gone by in the territory or what the current situation was. He was eager to return to his territory, but he soon realized something was wrong. The world had changed.
The original world was like an empty glass bottle, spacious and free. As long as Owen was willing, he could teleport freely. But now, it was not only filled with glass beads, but also filled with viscous liquid.
Murky, heavy, and difficult to break free from, this was the feeling the current world gave Owen.
Recalling the time when the Heaven’s Scar was unsealed, the Secret Realm collapsed, and the Academy City disappeared, Owen understood that this was caused by the Secret Realm.
The Secret Realm was composed of a large number of World Fragments. It was a reserve food store attached to Owen’s world. Through various methods, the Heaven’s Scar slowly fused the mild and harmless fragments into the world, becoming nutrients for the world’s growth.
To a certain extent, the existence of the Secret Realm and the Heaven’s Scar was beneficial to the world.
However, even the best things, if taken in excess, could be fatal. The same was true for World Fragments.
Each World Fragment carried different Law Imprints and Origin. Even in the Void, they were not easily eroded. If they were digested, it would naturally be of great benefit. However, if too many were swallowed at once, it would lead to indigestion and accumulation.
The large number of Law Imprints and chaotic Origin that had poured in made it difficult for the world to adapt. As long as it had not been fully digested, not only the world, but also the creatures living in it, would have to bear this invisible pressure. The external manifestation was that it was difficult to deeply leverage laws, making breakthroughs difficult. The benefit was that the abundance of laws allowed for the horizontal expansion of extraordinary professions.
Extraordinary professions were closely related to laws. More Law Imprints meant easier access and a higher chance of becoming a professional. The problem was that ninety percent of the current Law Imprints were foreign. They were not only incomplete, but also not integrated into the current world’s law system. This meant that there was no way forward. Unless the laws were perfected, there was no way to advance.
This was just one of the impacts of the Secret Realm’s collapse and influx into the world. Another impact was the complexification of space and environment, making long-distance teleportation extremely difficult. Because the originally empty bottle was now filled with glass beads, teleportation, which used to be a straight line, had become a process of overcoming numerous obstacles and enduring chaotic deviations.
In other words, if Owen dared to teleport, even he couldn’t guarantee where he would be teleported to, because not all World Fragments had been integrated into the world.
When the Secret Realm collapsed, many intact World Fragments attached themselves to the outer wall of the world, forming semi-independent small worlds, also known as Demi-Planes.
The existence of Demi-Planes increased the contact between the world and the outer Void. Coupled with swallowing too much, the outer wall had become weak, resulting in many tiny holes.
Owen was not yet familiar with the current complex spatial environment. If he dared to teleport over a long distance, who knew if he would be teleported into the Void.
Helpless, Owen put on his mage robe, took out his staff and longsword, mounted his Dragon Sheep, and decided to travel around and gather some information first.
Along the way, Owen kept trying and found that mages were too restricted, far less convenient than professions like warlocks whose abilities originated from bloodlines.
However, the Hogwarts spell system was not affected much, because this system was a fusion of bloodline and mind. It achieved its effects by distorting reality and had almost no reliance on laws. Therefore, even in the Void, there would be no impact.
In addition, the abilities directly exchanged from the system were not affected. Although the skills he had mastered through learning were somewhat affected, Owen found that this impact could be eliminated through constant familiarization and adjustment.
Suddenly, Owen stopped his Dragon Sheep, staring intently at a small village in the distance, because he sensed a concentration of negative energy.
Thanks to the excellent vision of elves, Owen spotted the undead lurking in the village.
Obviously, someone had slaughtered the entire village and held a wicked undead ritual. He just didn’t know why they didn’t take these undead away. Could it be that the perpetrator was still there?
In this world that had become unfamiliar, Owen didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business. He bypassed this area and successfully found a main road.
The appearance of the village and the road made Owen realize that this world hadn’t changed much. It hadn’t returned to a primitive state, nor had it developed technology. He just didn’t know what the situation was with the army and the professionals.
Thinking of this, Owen put away his conspicuous attire and changed into a low-key gray robe, walking along the road on foot.
There had been no new tracks on the road near the undead village for a long time. It wasn’t until he reached a fork in the road that new wheel marks appeared. Owen also saw two travelers walking together. However, they didn’t seem friendly. One took out a crossbow, and the other drew a short sword, warily staring at him. After a while, they slowly backed away. Once they reached a safe distance, they quickened their pace and left.
Well, it seemed that the law and order here wasn’t very good, otherwise they wouldn’t be so wary and sensitive. Owen shrugged helplessly. He had wanted to inquire about some information.
Since there were travelers, it meant that a human settlement was not far away. He hoped to get the information he wanted from there.
Thinking of this, Owen involuntarily quickened his pace. He passed the two travelers, who were so scared that they almost attacked him, and arrived at Stone Wheel Town.
Stone Wheel Town didn’t look small, and it was slightly prosperous. Therefore, it was able to build tall stone walls. The guards’ equipment was not bad either: thick leather armor, a one-handed sword, and a round shield, standard infantry equipment.
Moreover, the guards were physically strong and well-disciplined, obviously having undergone considerable training.
