Chapter 164: Knowledge and Registration

A group of wizards surrounded Jie Ming, chattering incessantly.

Facing these wizards, ranging from at least level three to as high as level five, Jie Ming didn’t dare say much. He stood there, bewildered, as they stuffed slips of paper with communication sequence numbers into his hands.

It wasn’t until Viola, acting like a protective mother hen, went to great lengths to shoo them all away that Jie Ming snapped out of his daze. Looking at the handful of slips in his hand, he felt a bit lost.

Viola, who moments ago had been fiercely confronting the wizards, turned to him with a much softer tone. “Sorry, I got you startled. My fault—if I hadn’t made a big deal out of it, those guys wouldn’t have swarmed you.”

Jie Ming shook his head, still confused. “I wasn’t exactly startled, but… what’s up with these people?”

At first, he thought they were picking a fight, but from their words, it seemed they were interested in his All-Purpose Eye model?

Viola caught his train of thought. “Exactly, it’s about your All-Purpose Eye. That sorcery is quite rare. It’s purely auxiliary, and its construction requirements are so stringent that almost no one can build it independently.”

“But it’s one of the top auxiliary sorceries for research, so it’s highly sought after. Due to the All-Purpose Eye’s unique nature, it’s hard to find one tailored to specific research needs. That’s why you got that reaction.”

Viola pursed her lips. “Don’t worry too much about those guys. They may look odd, but they’re not bad people.”

“They seem to be from the same faction…” Jie Ming noted.

“Correct. They’re from the Tower of Annihilation. The name sounds grand, but it’s just a faction of research-oriented wizards specializing in annihilation-type sorcery. They’re all scholars, so they’re easy to talk to.”

“But watch out for the Chaos Secret Cult folks. Those guys are always up to something weird—keep your distance!”

“Got it…” Jie Ming responded, still a bit dazed.

“Once you’re higher level, you can sell your All-Purpose Eye model to them and make a fortune! Don’t let their scholarly look fool you—they’re loaded!”

Viola clenched her fist excitedly, as if she’d be the one raking in the profits.

Then, she suddenly slung an arm around Jie Ming’s shoulders. “Oh, and since I’ve shared so much info, when you upgrade your All-Purpose Eye, give me a discount, alright?”

“Definitely, definitely…” Jie Ming replied awkwardly, humoring her.

This exchange made him realize just how fanatical wizards were about pursuing knowledge.

“It seems knowledge is the true currency among wizards, more valuable than points…” Jie Ming mused to himself.

After this interlude, the two grew more familiar with each other.

Viola finally remembered her task and began explaining the details of the Nexus to Jie Ming.

“This Nexus was created by high-tier wizards from the three major factions.”

According to Viola, this spatial fragment wasn’t naturally formed but was constructed by several powerful high-tier wizards and stabilized with potent sorcery and spatial runes.

Initially, it served as a registration and task-release point for plane war missions among the three factions.

Over time, however, it evolved into a hub where wizards from the three factions traded, exchanged ideas, and even temporarily resided, forming a unique “floating marketplace.”

Jie Ming looked around. Earlier, he’d been too tense to observe closely.

Now, calming down, he noticed the Nexus’s bizarre appearance.

The architecture here was wildly varied, with no unified planning, as if structures had been haphazardly “transplanted” from different planes.

There were Noren Workshop’s standard workshop-style buildings standing side by side with the Tower of Annihilation’s obsidian towers, steeped in an aura of death. Nearby were the Chaos Secret Cult’s cave-like dwellings, adorned with twisted, eerie runes.

Beyond these, the most common were exotic buildings clearly originating from other planes.

Most of these structures were shops selling all manner of strange items from alien worlds.

From bone weapons etched with ancient runes to peculiar plants radiating otherworldly energy, from living beasts confined in energy fields to energy essences sealed in crystal vials—everything a wizard might need or find curious was available.

Aside from wizards, the Nexus was filled with slaves and wizard attendants of various forms.

Some were giant barbarians several meters tall, bound by contracts and serving as laborers.

Others were petite, humanoid-like creatures hawking goods at shop counters.

There were even multi-limbed beings with skin gleaming in strange hues, acting as bodyguards or enforcers, roaming the streets.

Some had blank expressions, others glinted with intelligence, and some betrayed fear.

Passing by a shop that seemed to have grown from a single tree, Jie Ming stared in amazement at an energy orb resembling a jellyfish organizing the shelves.

“Pay attention.”

Viola’s warning snapped him back to reality. Looking ahead, he realized a “wall” had inexplicably appeared before him.

The wall’s sudden appearance was so abrupt that even Jie Ming hadn’t noticed any signs—it was as if it had materialized out of nowhere.

Upon closer inspection, he was astonished to realize it wasn’t a wall but another road!

The gravity here defied conventional rules.

He stood on a wide street, and what seemed like a straight path ahead inexplicably bent upward at a ninety-degree angle, creating the illusion of walking into a wall.

Yet, this visual oddity caused no discomfort.

Following Viola, Jie Ming stepped onto the “wall” and found his body still felt naturally upright.

The gravity beneath his feet seemed to adjust automatically, allowing him to stand on the “vertical” wall as if it were flat ground.

The spatial regions within this area had been deliberately distorted and manipulated, creating a disorienting visual effect.

For wizards accustomed to it, however, this was merely a peculiar sight that didn’t hinder their movements.

“This kind of spatial distortion design suits the aesthetic of high-tier wizards,” Jie Ming thought to himself.

This place itself was a display of power.

Viola, long accustomed to this strange environment, skillfully led Jie Ming through the bizarre buildings and diverse creatures, heading straight for a towering structure at the center of the spatial fragment.

This building was the only one with a unified, imposing style, clearly the administrative hub of the three factions.

They entered the hall, a vast space with a massive magic crystal chandelier floating overhead, emitting a soft glow.

At the center stood several tall counters, each staffed by a being responsible for task issuance and registration.

Viola led Jie Ming to one of the counters, where a strikingly handsome otherworldly being sat.

He had pointed ears like an elf, pale golden skin, and deep eyes shimmering with strange runic light.

“We’re here to register for plane conquest missions. This is my friend,” Viola said concisely.

The handsome being glanced up, his gaze sweeping over Jie Ming as if performing an invisible scan, then nodded.

He produced two rune-etched crystals and handed them to Jie Ming and Viola.

“Please infuse your personal information and needs into these,” he said, his voice cool yet melodious.

Jie Ming and Viola each took a crystal and infused their identity details and specialties.

First-time registrations required some processing time, as the three factions would evaluate and record the wizards’ levels, specialties, and past performances.

While waiting, Viola explained to Jie Ming, “Under normal circumstances, plane conquest missions pop up every month or two. If you’re lucky, there might even be one every month. Once you register, you’ll likely get a chance to fight soon. Until then, you can prepare for the expedition.”

She gestured to the surrounding shops selling supplies. “If you need anything, you can buy it here.”

Jie Ming nodded in acknowledgment.

However, with his own rune artifact system and alchemy reserves, he wasn’t particularly interested in the goods here.

During the wait, Jie Ming wandered the Nexus, exploring its strange shops.

Using the All-Purpose Eye, he quietly observed the exotic items from other worlds.

There were indeed fascinating things, like a still-beating heart removed from its body, pulsing with wild vitality, or fragments of a fallen deity from a dead star, emanating faint law fluctuations.

However, he soon discovered that all goods here, whether rare treasures or practical supplies, were settled with high- or low-level military merits.

Though Jie Ming had some high-level military merits from crafting refined gold, he wasn’t keen on spending these precious points here for now.

Finally, the two returned to the registration hall.

The otherworldly being had finished processing their applications.

“These are your identity tokens,” he said, handing them two new crystals. “They’re also linked to a terminal that connects to the communication networks of the three factions. Future mission releases will be notified through the magical network. Prepare for battle, esteemed wizards.”

Jie Ming took the magic network terminal, engraved with the joint emblem of the three factions.

It was small but intricately structured, allowing seamless access to the public magical networks of Noren Workshop, the Tower of Annihilation, and the Chaos Secret Cult. It could receive mission information, check military merit points, and even facilitate basic communication.