novelraw Chapter 625: The Strange and the Restrictions
Chapter 625: The Strange and the Restrictions
Chapter 625: The Strange and the Restrictions
Jie Ming moved with exceptional speed.
After all, matters concerning the Infernal Sulfur Plane had long been arranged properly.
After advancing to Void Refinement perfection, he had spent considerable time stabilizing his realm, organizing the grotto-heaven within his body, and optimizing the operational efficiency of the Incense Fire Divine Dao.
All preparations that could be made in advance had been completed. He could leave at any time.
Jie Ming stepped onto the teleportation array and entered the plane identification code from the mission details.
Spatial fluctuations instantly engulfed him.
When the scene before his eyes became clear again, Jie Ming was momentarily stunned.
He stood on a massive teleportation platform. Beneath his feet was a semi-transparent, glass-like surface with countless tiny light particles flowing slowly inside, resembling a solidified galaxy.
The platform floated in midair with no supporting structures, yet it remained as steady as a boulder. The world beyond the platform was beautiful in a way that did not seem real.
This was a “miniature” plane.
Jie Ming quickly understood the meaning of that term.
It was not that the plane itself was small, but that everything within it exhibited an extremely refined “miniaturized” characteristic. The distant terrain undulations resembled meticulously carved bonsai. The proportions of mountains, rivers, and streams were perfect. Every tree and every flower seemed to have had its dimensions carefully adjusted by the creator, presenting an ideal visual balance.
The sky was a pale amber color. There was no sun, yet soft light permeated everywhere, illuminating the entire plane.
The air carried a faint floral fragrance. The temperature was comfortable, the humidity just right, and even the speed of the wind felt gentle.
Jie Ming spread out his spiritual power, sensing the ecological structure of this plane. The more he sensed, the more shocked he became.
A perfect closed loop.
This was a self-sufficient world in ecological terms.
Energy input, material circulation, life reproduction… every link had been refined to near mathematical precision.
There was not a trace of waste, not a single redundancy. Every element was in its proper place, performing its proper function.
This did not feel like a naturally formed plane.
It felt more like a work of art.
“Miniature Glass Garden…” Jie Ming recalled the name from the mission description and felt it could not be more fitting.
Lights flashed continuously on the teleportation platform as new figures appeared one after another.
Jie Ming observed his surroundings discreetly.
The first batch of arriving wizards gathered in small groups of two or three. Some were conversing in low voices, some were meditating with closed eyes, and others, like him, were observing the plane.
His gaze swept across the energy fluctuations emanating from those wizards, and his heart sank slightly.
Sixth-rank.
Sixth-rank.
Still sixth-rank.
At a glance, nearly all the wizards who had teleported here at this time were high-rank existences above sixth-rank.
The energy fluctuations around them were so dense they almost condensed into substance. Some did not even need to deliberately release their pressure—merely standing there caused the surrounding elements to gravitate toward them involuntarily.
Jie Ming looked down at himself.
Fifth-rank.
In this circle, his rank stood out conspicuously.
But on second thought, he felt relieved.
This time, snatching a slot had been a contest of reaction speed. The reason he had stood out among so many competitors was his information processing capability from the Fate Subsystem and the extreme reaction speed of his true body.
When these two factors were combined, his neural reflexes were already no slower than those of sixth-rank existences—and in some aspects, even faster.
But the other wizards did not know this.
They only knew that a fifth-rank wizard had managed to secure a slot and was standing here.
Jie Ming could sense that the gazes directed at him carried a hint of scrutiny.
The high-rank wizards looked at him with subtle expressions—neither contempt nor hostility, but a cautious appraisal, as if evaluating an item of uncertain value.
Wizards were all intelligent people.
They understood very well that anyone who had reached this teleportation platform had genuinely fought for and obtained a slot.
For a fifth-rank wizard to emerge from among so many sixth-rank and even seventh-rank competitors, he was either extremely lucky or possessed unknown trump cards.
And in these circles, “extreme luck” was often also considered a form of strength.
Jie Ming remained expressionless, standing quietly in place and allowing those gazes to sweep over him.
He did not deliberately hide his rank, nor did he proactively release any pressure to prove anything.
In this kind of setting, any unnecessary action would be a minus.
The frequency of flashing lights on the teleportation platform began to decrease.
Most of the slot holders had already arrived.
These people stood in loose formations, maintaining subtle distances from one another and forming small or large social circles.
He did not join any of them. Instead, he chose a position near the edge of the platform. It allowed him a clear view of the entire platform without appearing isolated.
At that moment, a figure materialized in the center of the platform.
There was no fluctuation at all. It was as if that face and that body had always been there, only previously obscured by some force and now permitted to appear.
“Voidweaver” Austin.
Eighth-rank Grand Wizard.
Jie Ming’s pupils contracted slightly as his spiritual power instinctively retracted to the extreme.
Facing an existence of this level, the most basic courtesy was not to probe the other party with spiritual power. He simply observed using his most fundamental five senses.
Austin appeared as a middle-aged man. He had a slender build, ordinary features, and wore a deep gray wizard robe with no decorations.
His hair was silver-gray, combed meticulously. His eyes were a very pale blue, like diluted sky.
But what truly caught Jie Ming’s attention was that, unlike other eighth-rank wizards he had seen, he could not perceive this person’s existence at all.
Austin was clearly standing on the platform, only a few dozen meters away, yet Jie Ming could not capture any information about him.
No—it was even more thorough than that.
“Power projection, or perhaps a clone?” Jie Ming pondered inwardly. “It seems he is temporarily occupied with something else.”
The power level of an eighth-rank wizard was there for all to see. Unless he possessed specialized concealment laws or was deliberately hiding, it would be impossible for his presence to be suppressed to this degree.
Jie Ming could not even confirm whether Austin was looking at him.
The man’s gaze was as flat as plain water, without any focal point, yet it seemed to observe every person present simultaneously.
“Everyone.”
Austin spoke.
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered the ears of every wizard present, as if he were standing right beside them.
The platform instantly fell silent.
“Thank you all for responding to my bounty.” Austin’s tone was very calm, without any pleasantries or small talk, as if he were stating a fact unrelated to himself. “Before explaining the mission, I need to confirm one thing…”
He paused, his pale blue eyes sweeping across the entire gathering.
“You should all have noticed that my plane is rather… delicate. During the upcoming mission, I hope you will keep this in mind.”
The words were spoken lightly, but Jie Ming keenly caught the implicit warning beneath them.
Austin did not elaborate further, but an eighth-rank Grand Wizard standing there was the strongest deterrent in itself.
No one would be foolish enough to run wild in an eighth-rank existence’s private plane.
“Now, onto the main matter.”
Austin waved his hand. A massive three-dimensional projection appeared above the platform, displaying the structural diagram of a certain plane.
“A few years ago, while I was conquering a plane, a small accident occurred.”
He spoke very casually, but anything an eighth-rank Grand Wizard would describe as an “accident” could not possibly have been simple.
“That plane had a hole pierced through it by me. It should have repaired itself quickly. However, during the extremely brief period the hole existed, several special rule phenomena seeped through and infected my… back garden.”
When Austin said the words “back garden,” Jie Ming clearly detected a slight change in his tone.
If he had previously been stating the mission background in a businesslike manner, then when mentioning the “back garden,” this eighth-rank Grand Wizard finally revealed a trace of… heartache.
“This is the plane we are currently on.”
Austin’s gaze swept over the crowd. His tone remained calm, but something hidden beneath that calm made every wizard present unconsciously tense.
“What I need you to do is to locate those special rule phenomena that have seeped through and eliminate them, without causing large-scale damage to my plane or affecting the normal survival of the beings living on it.”
The projection switched, displaying several twisted, indescribable strange forms.
Those things had no fixed shape. Their colors constantly shifted beyond the visible light spectrum. Just looking at the projection, Jie Ming felt a faint itch in his spiritual power.
“These special rule phenomena are native products of the plane I am currently conquering. They have a deep connection with laws and can, to a certain extent, be regarded as ‘activated diseased rules.’”
“According to the naming of the local indigenous inhabitants, this special phenomenon is called ‘the Strange.’”
Austin’s explanation was concise and precise.
“They themselves hold research value—that is one part of your reward. Any Strange you eliminate can be kept by you as spoils of war. In addition, after the mission is completed, I will open the entrance to that Strange plane. You may go there to capture, process, and study the Strange without destroying the overall structure of the plane.”
Jie Ming sensed the air around him stir slightly.
For wizards—especially high-rank wizards—the attraction of an unknown special existence with a deep connection to laws was nearly irresistible.
At their core, wizards were researchers and seekers of knowledge. The impulse to unravel the mystery of unknown law phenomena was almost engraved into every wizard’s soul.
“However.”
Austin spoke these two words lightly, yet they fell like a basin of cold water on everyone’s enthusiasm.
“I have three restrictions.”
He raised one finger.
“First, you are not permitted to cause large-scale destruction to my plane. The flowers, plants, trees, mountains, and rivers here were all carefully cultivated by me over a long period. If anyone blasts a crater in my garden…”
He did not state the consequences, merely smiled faintly.
That smile caused the wizards present to fall silent for a moment.
“Second, a large number of ordinary people live on this plane. During the process of dealing with the Strange, you must do your utmost to preserve their survival. I will not accept reports of large-scale civilian casualties.”
Austin’s tone became somewhat serious here.
“I know that many of you present have grown accustomed to acting without restraint on battlefields, but this is not a battlefield. This is my home.”
“Those ordinary people may not possess much power, but they are still citizens of wizard civilization. If your actions lead to large numbers of civilian deaths, even without me taking action, the Public Covenant will make you regret it.”
The words were blunt, yet none of the wizards present raised any objection.
The Public Covenant was no joke.
It was the bottom-line rule that wizard civilization had upheld for countless years. Anyone who violated it would face sanctions.
Even an eighth-rank Grand Wizard would not dare challenge the authority of the Public Covenant.
“Third.” Austin raised a third finger. “Considering the first two restrictions, the energy level of any output during the mission will be significantly limited.”
He snapped his fingers.
Jie Ming immediately felt an invisible force envelop the entire plane.
It seemed to be a kind of… “constraint.”
It was like posting a “No Loud Noise” sign in a room. It did not pin you to the ground and prevent you from moving, but made you understand that certain things could not be done here.
“Specifically, any sorcery with a single output exceeding the third-rank limit will be automatically intercepted by the rules I have set.” Austin explained, “Of course, I hope you understand that this is not targeted at anyone, but to protect this plane.”
Low murmurs rose across the platform.
Jie Ming could understand the reaction of those high-rank wizards.
For existences accustomed to casually “washing the land with laws and evaporating continents,” restricting output to below third-rank was like forcing a pilot used to piloting star-destroying ships to suddenly use tweezers to pick up ants.
Frustrating.
Extremely frustrating.
But looking at the unrealistically beautiful Miniature Glass Garden around them, and then at the eighth-rank Grand Wizard standing there, no one dared to utter a single “no.”
Jie Ming, on the other hand, felt nothing.
In fact, having his output energy level restricted might even be advantageous for him.
Those high-rank wizards accustomed to grand, sweeping actions would feel quite constrained even when using modified physical strength, their hands and feet bound.
Thanks to the cultivation system, however, Jie Ming was better at controlling himself, which allowed him to leverage his own advantages.
Austin waited a few seconds for the wizards to digest the information before continuing.
“If there are no objections, the mission begins now. I will send the detailed map of this plane to your private channels. Suspected areas of Strange phenomena have already been marked. You may form teams freely or operate alone. Spoils belong to the discoverer. I will not take a cut.”
He paused, and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, revealing the first expression that resembled a “smile.”
“Good luck to you all.”
The moment his words fell, the wizards on the platform dispersed.
Some immediately formed teams and left, some turned into streaks of light and flew into the distance alone, while others remained unhurriedly in place to study the map.