Chapter 829: The Dragon of the Magic Web

When the power of the invisible dragon began to wane, unable to resist the repulsion of the wormhole space, it was forced to exit the Magic Teleportation Circle and return to the vortex entrance of the real space.

Liszt was gasping for breath, still shaken.

Bard, the invisible dragon beneath him, shivered violently, taking quite a while to regain its composure.

"Brother."

Acheronides had been waiting at the vortex entrance. As soon as the invisible dragon flew out, she immediately approached: "How did the observation go?"

Liszt wiped the sweat from his forehead, gesturing for Acheronides to wait. He remained silent on the way, only sorting through the visions he’d witnessed in the wormhole space after arriving at a hidden laboratory: "Acheronides, what do you think the essence of the magic web is?"

"Perhaps an embodiment of magical laws."

"No." Liszt shook his head solemnly, looking at Acheronides as he spoke slowly, "You might not believe it, but the essence of the magic web... is a dragon!"

"A dragon?" Acheronides widened her eyes.

"Yes, an inconceivable dragon. I can’t describe its shape—I didn’t even glimpse its full form." Liszt struggled to recall the depths of the magic web he had observed in the spatial channel using the Crystal White Trace of the adult invisible dragon.

It was an indescribable scene. The magic web, like a net yet also a field, extended slowly into the depths of the void.

In the Crystal White Trace, it was something beyond crystalline forms, existing beyond matter. Yet, this "outside matter" was not the same as the dimension the invisible dragon traversed. The invisible dragon’s dimension was likely a unique dimension, while the magic web spanned the entire latitude, existing incomprehensibly.

But this alone wasn’t what made Liszt react with awe. It was the deeper layers of the magic web, where its existence transcended all conceivable states, ultimately forming an image representing a "dragon."

"Brother, what kind of dragon exactly?" Even the ever-calm Acheronides couldn’t help but press urgently.

"I can’t pin down a description, but it felt like a dragon to me... Or, if dragons embody the extremes of magical attributes—like the Fire Dragon representing the pinnacle of fire, and the invisible dragon representing the pinnacle of space—then this dragon embodying the magic web represents..."

Liszt pondered for a long time but couldn’t find the most precise word to define it. In the end, he landed on a rough explanation: "Order."

"Order?"

"Yes, order. Or perhaps the rules governing the world’s operation, or magic power, matter, and soul... No, I sensed no soul within it. It seemed to be the very source of matter and magic power... No, no, perhaps it’s better to say it separates matter and magic power."

Following his intuition, Liszt gradually articulated the impact the magic web had left on him.

It was a dragon—formless, intangible—I’m not even sure it exists—yet it undeniably manifested in the Crystal White Trace. The magic web was an extension of its draconic magic power, blanketing the whole world as a structure transcending both matter and magic.

"Is this dragon alive?" Acheronides asked quickly.

"I don’t know. I could only sense that it was a dragon, an abstract convergence of matter and magic power. I felt no pulse of life or soul." Liszt shook his head, finding it difficult to accurately describe the magic web. "But it’s hard to say it’s dead either. It’s as if life or soul simply don’t apply to it."

After a pause, Liszt added, "Like humans lacking tails, this dragon embodying the magic web doesn’t ‘have’ life or soul attributes. It’s purely just order and rules given form."

For a long time, he and Acheronides discussed this dragon embodying the magic web.

However, apart from temporarily naming it the "Magic Web Dragon"—or "Net Dragon" for short—they couldn’t uncover much more about it. Thus, the conversation soon shifted to the experiment itself: observing the nodes between matter and magic power using the invisible dragon. There was much to discuss on this topic.

The entire night, Liszt detailed his findings during the experiment.

Only when the eastern sky paled at dawn did their discussion end. Acheronides eagerly scooped up her notebook filled with dense serpent tongue script and returned to the mage tower in Flame Town to organize the next phase of research with the mages. Liszt, too, leisurely left the hidden laboratory and returned to his temporary residence in Flame Town to rest.

Before sleep, he called up the smoke task.

"Mission accomplished, reward: profound understanding of the arcane web."

"Mission: The Whirlpool River settlement is the first phase of developing the Flame Islands. Duert Hongxingguo is leading a team north to establish a settlement. However, the forest hides countless prying eyes. Why not investigate further? Reward: a host of unknown creatures."

"So, the mission about the Netherdragon just ends like this?" Looking at the new task, he felt somewhat unwilling. He was in a phase of intense curiosity about the ineffable Netherdragon and had expected the Mist Quest to delve deeper into this dragon. Instead, it only scratched the surface.

A glimpse at the spots on the Netherdragon, and then the gaze shifted immediately.

As for the content of the new mission and the reward of unknown creatures, he had little interest in pondering. His thoughts remained fixated on the Netherdragon.

What does the Netherdragon represent? What is its relationship with this world? How are Gem Dragons, Metal Dragons, and Sacred Dragons connected to the Netherdragon?

If the arcane web is the manifestation of the Netherdragon, then what connection does it have with the Moon Empire era?

What is the relationship between mages and the Netherdragon?

Apart from him, has anyone else seen, studied, or even communicated with the Netherdragon?

He even clutched his racing heart and fantasized: "Since the Mist Quest noticed the Netherdragon, will it start issuing a series of missions about it, leading me to one day ride the Netherdragon?" The idea was a little too bold—after all, the true nature of the Netherdragon remained unknown.

"This world is even stranger than imagined." He tossed and turned in bed, only managing a fitful sleep when the sun was already high outside.

In his drowsy state, he had a dream.

He dreamed of becoming a spectral figure, walking in a transparent river, adrift in the current. The surroundings were utter darkness, but countless other transparent figures walked alongside him. Then, a grotesquely shaped dragon's claw tore through the darkness, reaching toward the transparent river where he stood.

The darkness was pushed back bit by bit by the dragon claw, as though it meant to snatch him.

Anxious yet helpless, he watched—until a mist began to spread over the transparent river, enveloping all the transparent figures.

Yet, that indescribable dragon claw still pierced through the darkness, then through the mist, and squeezed him into nothingness.

However, as the dragon claw swiftly withdrew from the mist and the darkness, a sudden wave surged over the transparent river. The "him" who had been crushed was now walking unharmed on the river once more.

Bewildered and lost, he moved forward toward an unknown destination—no rest, no retreat—until he faded into the unknown dark.

"Gasping..."

Waking from the dream, the sun had already set. Liszt could barely recall what he had dreamed, nor did he pay it much mind. Faintly, he recalled a river and a dragon claw—perhaps thoughts by day become dreams by night. The claw might well have been the Netherdragon's, as he had imagined.

Rubbing his eyes, he rose to wash up.