Chapter 797: Magic Lines

"Brother, the magical energy of this whirlpool is quite unusual." Acheronides activated her Magic Eye and carefully observed the massive whirlpool before speaking.

Liszt also used his Magic Eye to examine it. Indeed, as Acheronides had said, this enormous, mysterious, and nearly stationary whirlpool possessed a peculiar magical structure.

Ordinary seawater would not reveal obvious magical traces under the Magic Eye, but this whirlpool was radiating a blue-white aquatic magic aura. The closer to the center, the brighter the magic aura became, with the blue gradually overtaken by white. Most peculiarly, the light appeared fractured.

It was a unique optical phenomenon, as if shards of glass had been placed at the whirlpool's center, disrupting the path of the light and rendering it utterly discontinuous.

"What could be the reason for this?"

"I don't know."

"Then let me ride the dragon and use Dragon Eye Trajectory to investigate!" Liszt declared immediately.

"Brother, be careful. The magical energy of this whirlpool is extraordinary. I can feel it—even controlling the water at the edges is difficult, and the center is completely uncontrollable."

"Don’t worry, I’ll only observe from above and won’t approach the sea surface."

He summoned Leo.

Though somewhat displeased by Liszt’s repeated interruptions of his rest, Leo let out a low growl: "Hmph!" Lately, he had been frustrated—deprived of Dodo Island's volcanic energy, his power growth had stalled, and his mood naturally sour.

"Cooperate properly, and I’ll reward you with magic potions when we return!"

Liszt took his position on the Dragon Tooth Platform and swiftly flew toward the sky above the whirlpool. Activating Dragon Eye Trajectory, the world transformed into a different, hyper-detailed perspective.

Every swirling current of seawater brimmed with dynamic beauty.

The lines of magical energy sketched back and forth, mapping the whirlpool's extraordinary form—like some master artisan's work, its chaotic magical hues faintly revealing a mysterious order. As he ascended higher, the whirlpool shrank, revealing its full structure.

It was an irregular oval whirlpool, its edges resembling the spiral arms of a galaxy. The arms glowed brighter with magic aura, but the brightest was the center—almost like a massive silvery-white mini-sun.

However.

Within this "sun," there were clear fractures—actual ruptures in the magical fabric.

"How strange. What kind of structure is this? The fractures seem to form a massive magic array?" Being well-versed from frequent discussions with Acheronides, Liszt was no stranger to them. The more he looked, the more convinced he became—this was indeed a colossal magic array, with the arms and center reflecting each other, every magical fracture forming part of the whole.

Absentmindedly, he retrieved a notebook and quill from his dimensional ring and began sketching what he saw, stroke by stroke.

After a while.

The sketch was complete, capturing the essential framework of the magic array in proportion.

Only then did he put away his tools and descend toward the whirlpool’s center for a closer look. Without Dragon Eye Trajectory, the naked eye saw only a deep, lightless void, with the surrounding sea surface tilting toward the center in a parabolic curve.

At the center, the curve approached verticality.

Yet the water still spiraled downward, forming a cylindrical chasm about a kilometer in diameter, bottomless.

Reactivating Dragon Eye Trajectory, the whirlpool’s depths were now suffused with concentrated magical energy, the fractures distributed across the abyss—overlapping, intersecting, and aligning in a complex yet orderly pattern. Liszt took out his notebook again, precisely documenting this structure.

The two sketches of magical lines now fully captured the whirlpool’s composition.

Taking a deep breath, Liszt wheeled Leo away from the whirlpool’s center. Without fully understanding the whirlpool’s nature, he wouldn't risk venturing into its depths.

Though the impulse to dive in and unravel the mystery was strong, his self-preservation won over curiosity at every step.

With a heavy thud!

Jumping down to the bow of the Flame, Liszt handed the two drawings to Acheronides: "Take a look at the magical structure of the maelstrom. I feel like it looks like a giant magic array... I don’t know if it’s a naturally formed one or something arranged by an ancient Archmage."

Acheronides took the drawings and was immediately captivated.

Minutes ticked by, yet she never once looked up. She even found a seat, took out a notebook, and began copying the drawings while modifying the lines. Occasionally, she would pause, step outside, and activate her Magic Eye to observe the maelstrom firsthand before returning to continue her revisions.

After what felt like ages.

Acheronides spoke again: "Brother, I’d like to see the maelstrom from the sky."

"No problem." Liszt summoned Leo, promised him ten magic potions as a reward, and smoothly flew with Acheronides on Leo to the sky above the maelstrom.

"Brother, activate your Dragon Eye Trajectory to help me see the details."

"Tell me, and I’ll explain."

"What does the trajectory at the edge of the well wall at 65 degrees to the left look like? Specifically, those two intersecting fracture lines."

"It zigzags, with a groove in the middle—where the light refracts sharply. Look at this point, then move up about a finger’s length. See there? Hidden beneath the light, there’s another groove."

"Ah, I see. Then, at 72 degrees, about an inch inward on the well wall, what’s the trajectory of those two parallel fracture lines?"

One asked, the other explained.

This back-and-forth continued for thirty minutes until the sun dipped westward, as evening fell.

Only then did Acheronides reluctantly ask Liszt to take her back to the Flame, now positioned far from the maelstrom. After eating some fruit, while Liszt was enjoying a hearty meal with Lucy and Ruth, she continued burying herself in studying this enormous, inexplicably formed magic array.

It was already confirmed to be a magic array, but its purpose remained unclear.

By nightfall, Acheronides had Liszt take her back into the sky to observe the maelstrom’s magic structure in the darkness. Though her Magic Eye was an advanced spell, its effect was only equivalent to Liszt’s Magic Eye—not particularly strong and incomparable to the Dragon Eye Trajectory.

Still, Liszt described his observations in great detail, allowing Acheronides to gradually refine the depiction of the magic array.

Late at night, as Liszt played with the tired-looking Nami, Acheronides finally looked up and said, "Brother, I’ve deciphered the maelstrom. It’s a naturally formed magic array—a magic teleportation array!"

"Magic teleportation array?"

Liszt couldn’t help but exclaim.

This revelation was too shocking for him to remain calm: "Are you saying this maelstrom is the magic teleportation array I’ve been searching for? Or that the magic teleportation arrays prevalent during the Moon Empire era truly existed?"

Acheronides nodded seriously: "Mhm!"

...

Meanwhile.

At an unknown location, several campfires flickered. Injured knights emerged from the forest with freshly caught game, handing it over to the injured men cooking porridge by the fires.

Near another campfire, two mages in magic cloaks were tinkering with a broken device shaped like a compass.

The lead knight tossed down the prey and approached the mages, saying, "Archmage Glanny, have you repaired the magic platform yet? We must contact His Highness as soon as possible!"

Glanny replied loudly, "Not yet! I need crystals—or some crystal substitute at least!"