The Maze Lock of Candlefort is relatively well-preserved, at least most of its functions can still operate.

"The control of the Maze Lock has been regained!"

A cheer erupted from the battlefield around Candlefort. With Shawn acquiring the authority of the manager, the activated Giant Golem constructs all entered a dormant state, the statues returned to the walls one by one, as if fused into the high walls as reliefs. The plant guardians in the garden area, which had been in riot, took root again, but only a small area remained unstable with Activation spells out of control.

"Take over the reading room!"

"Seal the Grand Library!"

"Regional Anti-Magic—Underground Storage Room."

"Activate the Life-Saving Barrier!"

With Shawn’s orders issued, the massive Maze Lock of Candlefort swiftly operated, isolating the entire Candlefort with boundaries of restricted zones, heavy Secret Technique Gates closed, confining the monsters within them. These would have to be resolved slowly later, mainly to see if there was anything that could be recovered and reused.

At this moment, Shawn controlled about seventy percent of the area within Candlefort, the remaining thirty percent were polluted sources, possibly Evil Objects, or indescribable illusions. The souls of deceased former Great Readers were also trapped within Candlefort, and if possible, they needed rescue to see if they could be transformed into Ghost Mages.

If not, like at Hogwarts, some Ghost Tutors with intact intellect could also work.

"Activate reading permissions!"

"Cancel tickets." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Open the library within the Candlefort to the public."

Shawn’s figure flashed.

Inside a Grand Library resembling a celestial dome, he entered directly into the core area obscured by magic. In his sight, secret magical texts from the Dark Era emerged—"Advanced Candlefort Scholar," "Advanced Scroll Scholar," "Dark Scroll," "Advanced Mage," "Aurora Fire Transformation," "Ancient Elf Forbidden Curse," etc.

During the Dark Era, souls from the Otherworld collected vast amounts of spell knowledge, all sealed within Candlefort.

Some books here weren’t even in Lady Hecate’s Maze Library.

"Distribute permissions."

"Distribute the permissions of the six Great Readers to members of the Tower of Knowledge, Eternal Forest, Death Tower, etc."

"Distribute Level One permissions to those who have contributed on site."

"Distribute Level Two and Level Three permissions to participants."

Candlefort’s permissions are a pyramid structure, with the top layer being the manager who holds the highest authority and can revoke others’ abilities inside Candlefort.

The Great Readers are the real high-level force, able to mobilize most of the Maze Lock’s power, equivalent to the head of a branch college, each possessing the Maze Lock administrator identity within their corresponding area.

Level One permissions are identities like tutors, scribes, chanters, etc., capable of using many functions of the Maze Lock and can also open some secret forbidden zones.

Level Two and Level Three permissions are more common.

They are numerous in quantity with limited abilities, the lowest Level Three permissions can, within Candlefort, recite a specific spell to use external power to perform Flying Skill and other designated spells.

Low-level permissions can be distributed generously.

But the problem is, if too many use them, the energy pool of the Maze Lock becomes strained, as many people would unconsciously mobilize basic infrastructure like Activation Tools, Flying Skills, Activation Spells, etc., used to the conveniences of the Maze Lock.

"Temporarily prohibit Level Three permissions from driving Activation Tools, Activation Spells, Invisible Servants, etc."

Shawn then continued to repair the Maze Lock of Candlefort.

Many things inside were broken, and it’s best not to let anyone mess around before he fixes them.

"The Maze Lock of Candlefort is a super large Maze Lock."

"Throughout the Bizarre Realm, second only to the Clockwork Nirvana Twelve Realms enveloping the Realm of Reality."

"Since the Great Reader permissions were given to you."

"You have to make an effort, right?"

Shawn attempted to issue a task notification within the Maze Lock, exchanging specific task contributions for corresponding Maze Lock permissions. Although the library was open to the public, some forbidden knowledge still had very high thresholds.

He could handle the major constructs needed for repairing the Maze Lock himself, but those simpler Activation Tools, in turn, could be entirely entrusted to others.

Several months quickly passed.

Initially somewhat loose with resources, Shawn became tense once again due to acquiring Candlefort.

However, there was good news: Candlefort Academy was formally established.

Yet before everything truly commenced, he had a crucial issue to resolve, which was that Candlefort was almost anchored in the Spirit Realm, a place not suitable for ordinary people. If mortals lingered too long, they would be eroded by the Negative Energy of the Spirit Realm, leading to illness at best and sudden death at worst.

Boom!

With the activation of the Elemental Melting Furnace below Candlefort, massive elemental energy transmitted through the Secret Runes into the energy pipes, followed by Anti-Gravity Runes being activated. Amidst the tremors of mountains, Candlefort, along with the Spirit Realm’s foundation, began to ascend. Unlike a conventional Floating City, Candlefort was integrated with the Spirit Realm’s mountains. Abandoning here would mean abandoning the earth vein energy network.

Therefore, Shawn spent immense effort to upgrade Candlefort’s elemental pool. Traditional elemental channels drew energy from the Inner Plane to form a low-power output elemental pool. Such constructs couldn’t meet high energy consumption; earth vein energy had to supplement it partially, but linking earth vein energy would lose mobility, thus Candlefort was fixed in one area.

"Deploy the Maze Lock!"

"Activate the Anti-Gravity Rune Matrix!"

"Solidify the Giant Golem legion area."

"Prepare to tear open the Gate of Space!"

The Giant Golem legion around Candlefort had to be anchored additionally due to their massive and heavy size. These constructs might later split off individually since after Candlefort transformed into a Floating City, conventional super large ground combat units were no longer needed.

Mid-air of the Spirit Realm.

A torn Gate of Space opened, dozens of powerful casters formed a ring array, each sacrificing a 9-ring spell through a ritual, linked by the Maze Lock. Shawn presided over casting, opening a space rift leading to the Material Plane using an 11-ring Legendary Spell.

This ritual was knowledge preserved in Candlefort.

As for the Land of Origin, it was infamously known due to the Red Robe Mages, who could channel the collective power of numerous casters during a specific ritual to erupt.

If encountering enemies, Candlefort’s tutors could also arrange a small ritual of 5-12 people.

Each member of the ritual sacrificed their corresponding spell slots, allowing the tutor scholar hosting the ritual to deploy others’ mana pools to counter.

—Extraordinary Divine Power "Space Manipulation"!

Shawn’s demigod apparition manifested, with an infinite starry vortex reflected behind Him. It was still difficult solely relying on spell power to send Candlefort, as one of the Spirit Realm’s anchor points, away. He had to mobilize a portion of the newly fused Extraordinary Divine Power.

Material Plane.

A Gate of Space extending over ten kilometers opened, as if the sky had opened a black void-like eye.

In countless people’s astonished gazes, Candlefort traversed the plane barrier of the Spirit Realm. A vast foundation, approximately fifteen kilometers in diameter, slowly descended, landing on the border of the Poison Gas Swamp, just adjacent to the Nature Circle arranged by the Druids, with the distance between them being mere tens of kilometers.

With Candlefort severed from the Spirit Realm layer, the Law Power of the Spirit Realm also started to loosen. Countless Shells of the Soul wailed, forming whirlpools akin to gray mist, being constantly drawn away, entering deeper into the Nether Plane.

The foundational structure of the entire lower plane was changing.

Usually, below the Material Plane should be—Shadow Plane—Spirit Realm (large)—Netherworld (small).

And now the Shadow Plane remains unchanged, the Spirit Realm is shrinking, while the Netherworld is expanding.

The weight distribution of the Spirit Realm in the lower plane was gradually decreasing, eventually becoming a middle layer zone, while the transfer of the deceased into the Netherworld, along with the assimilation law of the Prayerer, will lean towards the Netherworld.

"Teacher."

"We can begin the reconstruction of the lower plane."

Shawn’s voice echoed.

As Candlefort was peeled off from the Spirit Realm layer, Lady Hecate’s three-headed three-bodied divine presence emerged, stretching Her hand toward the ground with a grab, amidst the earth’s trembling, a portion of the Spirit Realm was stripped, equivalent to the size of one-third the area of Europe, constantly sinking downward, until it detached from the Spirit Realm and entered the deeper death domain ’Netherworld-City of the Dead.’

This ascending and descending process between planes would continue for three months.

After three months.

One-third of the Spirit Realm’s land would integrate into the City of the Dead in the Netherworld, making the Spirit Realm thoroughly become the middle zone.

The Spirit Realm itself leans towards the Negative Energy Law.

There’s nothing more suitable than using it to nourish the newborn Netherworld.

.........