Chapter 798: Heaven and Earth Overturned

This chapter covers the promised update for the 13th.

"A magic array, it's actually a magic array!"

For the umpteenth time, Liszt came to the bow to gaze at the massive whirlpool in the distance, exclaiming in excitement. Under the moonlight on this pitch-black night, the whirlpool resembled the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, sending chills down one's spine. Yet for Liszt at this moment, he was thrilled beyond measure.

Ever since his crossing over, he had heard numerous legends about the Moon Empire, mostly about magic arrays and the like.

Legend had it that at the very center of the Legendary Continent stood Mount Mulagodin, towering tens of thousands of meters high, utterly unclimbable by mortals—even Dragon Knights couldn't fly to its summit. The violent storm halfway up the mountain could tear both man and dragon to shreds, yet the Moon Empire had established a magic array at its peak.

Thus, according to legend, those Archmages could ascend the Moonlight Magic Array and teleport to the moon.

The name "Moon Empire" originated from the moon, and even the name "Mulagodin" was a modern translation from the ancient moon tongue, meaning "the Guardian Knight of Moonlight." During the Moon Empire era, the knight training system already existed, but knights served merely as attendants to mages.

By now, tales of magical teleportation arrays and similar phenomena had become dismissed as pure fantasy.

For reasons unknown, the Magic Web had withered, and knights had overthrown the mages' rule.

The pursuit of truth paled in comparison to the desire for dragons; the exploration of experiments was overshadowed by the rush for wealth; the study of magic was eclipsed by the worship of mana. For over a century, no Archmage had appeared in any corner of the continent, and mages gradually degenerated into technicians crafting magic equipment and refining potions.

Occasionally creating stirs or making headlines, they could no longer influence the grand scheme of things.

People gradually began to deny the Moon Empire, writing off all those fantastical yet nonexistent things in reality as mere myths.

The magical teleportation array was one such myth.

After witnessing the existence of so many legendary things countless times, Liszt had developed a strong acceptance and began to believe that teleportation arrays, lunar humans, and the Elven King all truly existed. It was this attitude that led him to start researching communication magic arrays and gradually progress toward teleportation magic arrays.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that a real teleportation magic array still existed in this world.

The shock was incredible.

"Acheronides, where do you think this teleportation array leads? Could we just jump in and teleport?" He swallowed hard, breathlessly speculating, "Does it lead to an underwater kingdom, the moon, or Mount Mulagodin? Should we give it a try?"

Acheronides didn't share Liszt's enthusiasm.

She focused more on the teleportation array itself: "Brother, the structure of this magic array is very stable, perhaps accurate enough for teleportation without errors. But crossing through it requires extensive preparation. Only after thorough research can we minimize the dangers."

"Of course I know that, but... this is a teleportation magic array, Acheronides!"

"Mmm, I know," Acheronides smiled.

Seeing her respond to his excitement with a polite smile, Liszt felt somewhat deflated. Acheronides was perfect in every way, except she was a bit too "quiet," increasingly resembling a top student. As an average student, Liszt admired, revered, and envied top students, but deep down, he longed to go wild with fellow average students.

In any case, in the following days, it was Acheronides' turn to arrange various experiments to study the teleportation magic array.

...

Meanwhile.

Nigel Treebark Roundshield was diligently recording the voyage log.

As one of the first elite Earth Knights of the Kingdom of the Eagle to surrender to Liszt, he was entrusted with an important role and appointed captain of the Discovery. Having miraculously survived this peculiar shipwreck, his first priority was to organize the crew's self-rescue, and his second was to document the log.

This ensured His Highness could stay informed about the expedition's progress at all times.

He looked up.

Glancing at the mage busy repairing the Magic Web by the bonfire, then at the knights and sailors cooking porridge and roasting meat, and finally at the splintered wreckage of the Discovery nearby.

Nigel surveyed the vast expanse of primeval jungle around him, then turned his gaze toward the towering mountain waterfall roaring under the moonlight in the distance. He picked up his pen and began preparing ink—the captain’s cabin was equipped with a dedicated ship’s log storage box, preserving writing materials like ink and paper for log-keeping, all of which had survived the shipwreck intact.

"June 5th, clear weather. Everything happened so suddenly that I hardly know where to begin... At three in the afternoon, the Discovery set sail from the third island of the New Archipelago, continuing southwest in search of the next island. The lookout spotted unusually turbulent waves ahead, so I ordered the ship to approach for closer observation."

To his shock, as soon as the ship neared the waves, it was caught by surging underwater currents, forcing it into a spiraling motion.

Captain Nigel immediately retrieved the Water-Calming Pearl stored in his cabin, but even after activating it, the seemingly calm yet perilous currents refused to relent. The Discovery was dragged uncontrollably toward the depths of the whirlpool, and by the time the lookout spotted the vortex, it was already too late to escape.

With no other choice, they called for Liszt’s aid, reporting the situation via the magic console.

But before the Flame Ship could arrive for rescue, the Discovery had already slipped into the whirlpool’s abyss, swallowed whole by the churning vortex amid the crew’s terrified screams.

"The ship tilted violently—everyone had to cling to the railings just to stay upright. The whirlpool’s surface grew steeper, the sky inverted, and soon, we could no longer see the sun, only the raging vortex spinning above our heads. The ship’s rotation intensified, and some sailors lost their grip, plunging into the sea, vanishing without a trace."

And so, the Discovery spiraled along the whirlpool’s parabolic surface, dragged step by step into its depths.

"At that moment, it was like being swept into a tidal wave—I gripped the helm but had no control over our direction. The Discovery was already breaking apart, planks of the hull splintering off one by one... Just as I thought death was certain, the final light vanished, darkness descended, and yet—the waters abruptly stilled. But the ship continued hurtling forward at terrifying speed."

"I don’t know how long it lasted—maybe five minutes, maybe ten."

"I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t form words. My limbs were paralyzed. All around me, countless arcs of light flickered, like lightning and auroras. Then, a blinding flash erupted, and the next thing I knew, I felt my body being hurled into the air."

"It wasn’t just me—the Discovery itself was hurled into the air. When I could finally open my eyes, I saw the sky spinning violently, glimpses of dense forests and towering peaks, and the brilliant sunlight at the horizon. But in the next second, the ship crashed into the woods."

A deafening boom followed, and a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.

Nigel nearly blacked out.

"Battered and aching, I crawled out of the wrecked captain’s cabin—only to find the Discovery reduced to a pile of shattered timber. We had landed in the heart of a primeval jungle. The colossal mountain waterfall in the distance made me realize: the Discovery had been ejected from a cave at the waterfall’s mouth."

"A sea whirlpool... connected to a mountain waterfall. It’s beyond comprehension..."