Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 742 - 638: On the Brink

The time from the ominous signs to the full opening of the [Clock Tower] was longer than everyone expected.

The two battleships, [Crown of Miracles] and [Theseus], sped forward at an unbeatable speed, surpassing even a "Quasi-Legendary Battleship," first crossing over 1300 kilometers of safe sea area, arriving at the location marked by the Sea Hunter James on the nautical chart ahead of all competitors.

Yet they had to stop here, deploying the [Mist Silver Lamp] to hide and wait for a whole half month.

Watching the phenomenon of the [Clock Tower] grow little by little amidst its flickering appearance: reverse rainfall, strange light spots in the sky, eerie insect chirps, faint outlines of the tower... and the gathering number of various sailing ships in this sea area.

Due to the strong auras between them, each ship kept at least a kilometer apart, stopping on the sea surface using sailing ship braking to maximize avoiding accidental clashes and unnecessary strife.

Carrying the [Witchcraft Garden] which allows for on-the-go learning and research, Aiven naturally didn't waste time, and conveniently created a small item for all adventurer team members, including his three comrades on the [Theseus].

"Here, Mr. Jelos, Princess Stephanie, and Mr. Ram, take these."

According to the content recorded in the "Wandering Mysterious Source: Clock Tower," no gathering of members will occur upon just entering the outskirts of the [Clock Tower], as the powerful space rules will forcibly separate them.

It is only after safely experiencing two to three scenes that the gathering effect will gradually manifest.

Because in a group of people, both commonality and individuality exist, the priority upon first entering this space would be the most superficial and distinct personal traits. After all, even countless leaves do not have two identical ones, let alone two Extraordinary beings?

Therefore.

Aiven used the "Cosmic Dragon" scales produced from his own body to create a kind of [Beacon Talisman] that can help the members who don't possess the "Adventurer's Blood" to also gather together quickly.

Jelos looked at the [Beacon Talisman] in his hand, feeling somewhat at a loss and carefully asked:

"Did you make this? Mr. Galliot, this thing, it seems to be a witchcraft talisman, right?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no."

Originally thought to have found a powerful "Dragon Descendant" as an ally, he didn't expect that the arrangement was evidently so clear, and it was he himself.

Living long in the isolated "Broken Star Islands," it was only until now that he learned.

This Mr. Galliot owns a real Legendary Battleship, has two closely related "Adventurer's Blood" owners in his team, a Tier 2 Senior Level "Prophet," brings a living teenage Shadow Dragon, has collected most of the competitors' information through "Mind Network," and everyone possesses Extraordinary equipment that sparkles with spiritual light...

Besides issuing the initial proposal, this Great Wizard who has lived for nearly two hundred years already has almost no presence, and the parrot Demon Ram has become overwhelmingly weak, and even his beloved wife Stephanie has nothing but praise for this Vice Admiral of the homeland's Navy.

A sense of indignation and impulse to quit the team welled up uncontrollably.

This is not how it was promised at the beginning!

Suddenly.

Dang——!

It was like the city clock tower striking at the top of the hour, ringing twelve times in succession in the sky.

In the next moment, this 120-kilometer-wide sea surface in front of them was suddenly stirred by strange rules, twisted into a shape like a piece of paper connected at both ends, gravity here seemed completely distorted, with the sky and the sea connected together.

At the center of that water suspended in the sky, there appeared a dent like a hole poked in white paper with a pencil, pitch-black linking to an unknown world.

It was as if a starting gun had sounded.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

At the edges of the dispersed hundreds of sea ships, two battleships that completely don't rely on wind power broke through the hiding white mist, skimming quickly over the sea surface like two arrows.

One ship is a galleys, extremely different in shape from the current popular sailing ships.

The hull low and narrow, with sixty red long oars of varying newness stretching out from both sides, much like a large water millipede, each neat and uniform stroke propelling the ship significantly forward.

The other ship outright subverted the cognitive understanding of everyone in this era, a black battleship with a futuristic look composed of polygonal structures on its surface, neither having oars nor sails, yet even faster than the galleys beside it.

At this moment, the [Crown of Miracles] has gained a second auxiliary energy system outside the "Golden Crown of the Frog God," using a semi-finished "Magnetic Ore" for power.

Recently, Aiven created a semi-finished product having partial functions of the "Magnetic Ore," originally with the structural properties of the Aquamarine being only for energy storage, now having greatly enhanced capabilities in energy collection as well.

It looks almost identical to the "Magnetic Ore" in the Spirit Realm, but its energy efficiency can only temporarily reach one-tenth to two-tenths of the original "Magnetic Ore." However, even so it is already sufficient to serve as auxiliary energy for two Legendary Battleships and the "Mountain Giant."

The drawback is its origin as a high-mystery condensation, making regular mass production like ordinary Witchcraft Gemstones impossible.

But Aiven believed he was already on the right path, soon able to fully replicate the "Magnetic Ore." At that time, they might directly leap over the electric age into a new era of Extraordinary Energy.

Behind them, the quasi-Legendary battleship "Navigator" from the Tulip Religious Country, carrying the "Iron Wall Knights" from the Black Iron Cross Church, followed closely.

Among them far exceed just Ambrose's team, in fact, the main force is the two Peak Grand Knights from the Tulip Religious Country.

In the exploration team, a total of elite Holy Knights from the Church armed forces of various allied countries were drawn, six Great Knights and fifty-four Official Knights, including teams from the Phaletis, Tyrone, Paros, Thessaly Kingdom, and Tulip Religious Country, with formidable strength and power.

Their main mission on this trip is to find a divine artifact—the "Libra Balance Holy Sword," which once belonged to the Goddess of Commerce, Law, and Abundance, Demeter, the deity closest to the concept of "capital" in ancient continental history.

The high ranks of the Church clearly believe that Aiven's worldly defense line is far from sufficient, and it is essential to curtail the "God of Black Wings" from transitioning into the "God of Capital" from a mystical level.

It can now be confirmed that the targets of the Oathbreaker troops and Iron Wall Knights are both the "Libra Balance Holy Sword."

Furthermore, nearly all the Holy Knights from the other Seven Gods Churches have gathered.

Aside from the "Volcano Knight" of the "Tinder Sect" and the "Silver Knight" of the "Dawn Church" who had already appeared earlier.

There is also the "Frost Knight" from the "Frost Breath" Church, whose power traits do not fundamentally differ from the other churches' Holy Knights;

The "Secret Magic Knight" from the "Starry Night Order," wearing a visor-covered helmet, wielding a sword in one hand and a hand cannon in the other, possessing a mind magic ability known as [Secret Magic Seal].

The Secret Magic Knight somewhat resembles the "Lawless," an extraordinary path extending from the True God "Brilliant Starry Night" besides the Holy Professionals.

Only the "Storm King's Court" that has always guarded the South Wind Country continues to lack presence, not sending a single person.

Their respective targets remain unknown.

However, every time the [Clock Tower] appears, the True Gods' Churches send people inside to utilize the extraordinary gathering effect like a magnet, collecting treasures akin to their church's power.

The most deep-rooted churches also know that there is some mechanism within the [Clock Tower] that limits the entrants' extraordinary level, with the highest reaching only Tier 3.

Even the chief of the original "Clock Tower School" could not complete the "Truth Embodiment," essentially only being a Tier 4 Wizard. Even if the main consciousness is annihilated, the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm remains.

Beyond the Seven Gods Churches.

Official forces from some countries in the New Continent, the Chaotic Territory Kabral, including the gradually coming to shore "Maze God's" beloveds, have not been absent.

On the other side of the "Sea Scar," a group of "Broken Star Islands" residents also dashed into the twisted sea.

Although the "Broken Star Islands" are the last refuge for human Wizards, in the "Broken Star Sea," they occupy only a very small area, with most being extremely dangerous unknown regions. The magic element is highly active, with numerous humanoid creatures, demons, and evil spirits inhabiting the area.

Even though some schools have banded together to form the wizard organization "Holy Stone Council," after around four hundred years of development, it has managed only to establish a foothold in the Broken Star Sea.

Therefore, every bit of strength is invaluable to them.

On a ship belonging to the "Broken Star Islands," there surprisingly were Crown Prince Yellen and three of his Great Knights who fled Ilya last year.

His goal is undoubtedly... to restore the kingdom!

...

The full-speed Legendary Battleship led the charge, moving sometimes in the sky and sometimes back into the sea.

After an hour of ups and downs, before completely entering what couldn't be distinguished as a hollow in the sea or the sky, Aiven stowed away the [Crown of Miracles].

The members of the adventure team nodded in blessing to each other, then were wholly swallowed by the opening leading to the interior of the [Clock Tower].

Swoosh——

Almost without any interval, accompanied by a bright light, upon reopening their eyes, they were already in another world.

In front of Aiven was a large brass cocoon nearly as tall as a five-story building.

Crack!

The top of the cocoon split open like a flower, and a massive butterfly with both flesh and mechanical gear structures in its body emerged, unfurling its thin metallic wings against the wind.

Looking out, Aiven saw a forest that seemed infected by a "mechanical virus."

Everything before him had turned into mechanical organisms, with bodies partially of gear machinery and partially flesh, including mechanical crabs, beetles inlaid with turquoise, helmeted apes, fish monsters, and flying birds...

In the Material World, general common sense still generally applies, with the extraordinary existing but not rampant, yet here it clearly consists of a world made up of various demons.

Very soon.

The outer appearance is merely a tower, yet within a multi-layered world akin to an N-dimensional cube, each has already welcomed its guests.

Olivia appeared in an underground mine filled with crystal clusters, where a sudden myriad of rustling noises erupted...

In front of Anita, an enormous lizard potentially possessing Dragon Vein inheritance was desperately fighting for its life...

A gentle breeze brushed Angie's hair, and in front of her, a figure, whose lower body was hidden in a snail shell, continuously using two hands to crawl, silently looked towards the direction where the girl stood...

...

A Frost Knight stood on a frozen river surface, with pale humanoids squirming under just a few centimeters thick ice, filling the river course beneath his feet.

A chaotic battle between humans and monsters was about to erupt!