Chapter 142: The Architect’s Legacy

Lagan’s dimension ship was a metallic structure spanning 100 kilometers.

Its name was Archerion.

It was so enormous that it could be considered a dimension in its own right.

On the other hand, there were very few lifeforms inside.

Only about a hundred, and only one Crystal.

The nearly fully automated dimension ship could maintain stable navigation with just this many people.

Lagan resided in the center of the dimension ship.

His living quarters were the size of a city, and yet again, there were almost no lifeforms.

Golems he had created moved quietly around, assisting him.

Lagan liked recording things.

Even now, he was organizing events that had occurred in some world and their effects using text, photos, videos, and drawings.

It was a hobby he had pursued for ages, so his archive was enormous, taking up a tenth of the dimension ship.

As Lagan was filling a storage medium with an input device, a Metra approached him.

It was Nevin, who had been with Lagan for over a hundred years.

“Lord Lagan, this is a summary of the incidents that occurred in the Enterprise Union during your absence.”

“Finally!”

Lagan received the crystal disk and activated it.

The records contained within were processed into knowledge and transmitted to him.

“So this happened. Fascinating.”

Because of the unique appearance of Crystals, reading their expressions was as difficult as reading the emotions of a mineral.

Still, Nevin knew from long experience that Lagan was pleased.

“Incredible! Truly incredible! For something like this to happen while I was away. How interesting.”

“By the way, Queen Iselin wishes to meet you along with the Outer Mind.”

“It’s because of Salika, right?”

It wasn’t hard to guess that Iselin and Choi Kangjoong, who had fought Silvius, knew about Salika.

“Yes. And she wants to ask about the Dimension System.”

“I can’t just tell them that.”

The Dimension System was neither perfect nor absolute.

It could be exploited or hacked.

Someone like Dragon Lord Ladespina could even destroy the Dimension System in a certain area.

Such risks increased as more people understood the Dimension System well.

“They probably already have doubts because of Silvius. If you don’t resolve them, they’ll conduct their own research.”

“If it’s Iselin, she’s capable of anything.”

“But Lord Lagan, was that being called the Outer Mind properly registered in the Dimension System?”

A brief silence fell.

“Properly… What is ‘proper,’ I wonder?”

“The Dimension System reads the unconscious and registers someone as an Awakened to manifest their will.”

“Then yes, he was properly registered. The Dimension System read his unconscious.”

“But that power isn’t normal.”

“Right. The Dimension System doesn’t have such power.”

“Then how did he obtain it?”

“That’s what we’re about to find out.”

Archerion increased speed.

Marsala was excited by Lagan’s visit.

He never interfered, only taught skills or shared news from other worlds, making him a very welcome presence.

In the old days, when he came, all of Marsala would throw a festival.

Archerion stopped near Deraellan in the dimensional sea.

It was too large to even dock at Deraellan.

Lagan came to Deraellan on a much smaller, faster dimension ship.

After disembarking, Lagan was inspected by the Great Council’s guard.

All High Elves were gathered before him.

Lagan greeted each High Elf individually.

He talked about their grandfathers or chatted about their ancestors.

Afterward, a grand welcoming ceremony followed.

It was just static watching, which could be boring, but Lagan was pleased because there was much to record.

Starting the next day, Lagan toured all over Marsala.

He visited not only cities but also endless farmlands and rural villages deep in the mountains. There was no place his feet didn’t reach.

Then came the day he was scheduled to meet Choi Kangjoong.

A time Lagan had been waiting and waiting for.

Still, he appeared outwardly calm, and Choi Kangjoong also just had things he wanted to ask.

On Earth, there was an uproar all day long.

[First in Earth’s history! Meeting with a Crystal!]

[Choi Kangjoong, as Earth’s representative, contacts a Crystal.]

[What kind of race are Crystals?]

[Choi Kangjoong and the Crystal’s summit. What will be the outcome?]

Choi Kangjoong’s phone rang constantly, but Choi Jooyoung and Yoo Haein’s phones rang even more.

Choi Kangjoong only received calls from journalists who illegally obtained his number, or from the Hunter Association, but Choi Jooyoung and Yoo Haein were getting calls from relatives, friends, acquaintances, and even distant in-laws.

“Hey, Jeongin. You’re asking what happens when Kangjoong meets the Crystal? How should I know? Whether Earth gets a fusion reactor? I said I don’t know! Bye!”

“Honey, who’s Jeongin?”

“High school classmate. First time calling since graduation. How did she get my number, though.”

“Should we change our numbers too?”

“That’s a hassle… Let’s just turn them off for today.”

“Okay.”

Choi Jooyoung and Yoo Haein turned off their phones.

On TV, Choi Kangjoong was shown climbing a staircase.

‘How did it come to this?’

Choi Kangjoong climbed with a stiff face.

He had thought he would meet the Crystal quietly with a small number of people.

But a few days ago, Iselin had said this meeting had to be public.

It was a bombshell statement to Choi Kangjoong.

‘It’s not good for Lagan to only meet Elves publicly. It would embolden the Elf supremacists again.’

For that reason, Iselin said Choi Kangjoong had to stand before numerous cameras as Earth’s representative.

Choi Kangjoong refused, but after Iselin’s persistent persuasion, he gave in.

‘I hope this ends quickly.’

Choi Kangjoong greeted Lagan when he arrived shortly after.

Lagan was 3 meters tall, so Choi Kangjoong had to look up, and while he seemed to have eyes and a mouth on his face, his expression was unreadable.

Still, the atmosphere he gave off was gentle.

Choi Kangjoong and Lagan shook hands and went to the banquet hall.

It was decorated with a mix of ornaments from various countries around the world, based on Korean culture.

They took their seats and the meal began.

Choi Kangjoong shoveled food down his throat while asking about the food, Lagan’s impressions of visiting Earth, and if the Crystal had anything to say.

All of it was what Iselin had told him.

He had to memorize a 100-page script containing all the questions and answers according to the situation and responses.

Of course, with a quick glance, it was stored in his linked Apocalid brain, so it wasn’t hard.

After the banquet came a performance viewing.

Performance groups from all over the world came and gave short shows.

Only after various events, whose purpose Choi Kangjoong couldn’t understand, could they have a secret conversation in a quiet place.

Iselin and Dielka also secretly came.

“Good to see you, two Elves.”

Lagan sat comfortably and greeted Iselin and Dielka.

“You have many questions, right?”

“Very much so.”

Iselin said.

“Let’s unravel them step by step. Because I have questions too.”

Lagan’s gaze was fixed on Choi Kangjoong.

“Who is Salika?”

“That’s a nostalgic name. He is the son of Analon Enkronos Elande. You know he is called the Prince, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s because Analon was a king.”

“A king of Crystals?”

“Many Crystals followed him, but the reason he was called a king was different.”

Lagan looked into the distance.

Where he looked was the past.

“Analon repaired the dimensional sea that was on the verge of collapse due to space overlap.”

“What is space overlap?”

Dielka asked.

“I was about to explain. It’s exactly what it sounds like—multiple spaces existing in one location. There, similar but different things unfold. The same Dielka might lead the Dark Elves in Marsala in one, or lead the Dark Elves to attack Marsala in another.”

“It’s like a parallel universe!”

“A bit different, but that’s a simple way to put it.”

“Why was that a problem?”

“Dozens, hundreds of worlds exist in one place.”

Lagan spread both hands.

Between his palms facing each other, dozens of circular shapes depicting worlds appeared.

As he brought his hands together, those circles compressed.

“They gather and gather and gather here.”

The circles formed in the air steadily entered the compressed area.

From the compressed area, a pitch-black liquid dripped.

A white flash also leaked out.

“That black stuff is the world’s sewage. Demons are born from it, or small creatures die the moment they perceive it, becoming monsters.”

“And that light?”

“This light is positive emotions that accumulate and burst out all at once. For your information, we Crystals were born from that light.”

“Wow.”

Dielka marveled.

“This is normal, but when worlds overlap and tangle, problems inevitably arise. Either the sewage doesn’t flow properly.”

The compressed area turned pitch black, then a hole opened and liquid gushed out.

“Or the light doesn’t leak out enough.”

The compressed area turned pure white and then exploded.

“Or the space overlap itself collapses.”

The compressed area stretched like taffy, collapsing even the surrounding space.

“Because of the achievement of solving such space overlap problems and stabilizing the dimensional sea, we called Analon the King. The Gates and the Dimension System are byproducts of that.”

“Are you saying Salika’s father created the Dimension System?”

Iselin said.

“That’s right. And now the son tries to destroy what the father made. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Silvius said the Dimension System creates demons.”

“That’s not entirely wrong. Because it induces the world’s sewage to become demons.”

“Why induce it?”

“Because that’s the easier way to handle it. Accept what I send you. It’s just simple knowledge.”

Lagan reached out his hand.

The knowledge he had processed was transmitted to one human and two Elves.

Choi Kangjoong blocked the Outer Mind’s consciousness from trying to devour it and accepted it into his soul.

His vision changed.

Choi Kangjoong stood on a small foothold.

Surrounding him were monsters.

They were monsters formed from the world’s sewage, larger than dimensions.

Each one could easily destroy a world.

Crystals appeared.

Some wielded swords or staffs, others commanded spirits or summoned beasts.

They were accompanied by enormous ships or fortresses as large as those monsters.

A battle broke out.

Explosions that made nuclear blasts look minor erupted at random from a single spell.

A single slash split worlds.

When a spirit spread its wings, the monsters scattered and returned to the sewage.

A summoned beast’s breath deleted monsters.

But the monsters were no pushovers either.

Dimension ships hundreds of kilometers long were shattered, and fortresses were dismantled in no time.

Countless Crystals died.

The fierce battle ended with the Crystals’ victory.

They had suffered tremendous losses, and few Crystals remained.

They banded together and made a decision.

Choi Kangjoong’s vision returned.

He felt Lagan smiling faintly.

“So they prevented space overlap so those monsters wouldn’t appear.”

“Correct. And in doing so, they tidied up the dimensional sea, created Gates to prevent space overlap, and built the Dimension System so other beings could use power easily.”

“Then why is Salika trying to destroy the Dimension System?”