The war fortress an ultimate weapon of war forged through the fusion of mechanology and sorcery was a marvel of intricate and ingenious design.
Not only did it possess an impenetrable defense system, but it also wielded devastating firepower.
It was, in every sense, a weapon of war.
But in Lynn's eyes, the war fortress had another, more fitting name:
"Aerospace Carrier."
In his previous life, across the vast seas of that world, aircraft carriers were the core strength of naval warfare. And here, in the skies of this world, war fortresses served the same role.
These steel fortresses floated in the heavens, acting not only as forward bases for wizard armies but also as central hubs for war resources playing an irreplaceable role on the battlefield.
War fortresses were also the very cornerstone of interdimensional expeditions.
In the wizarding world, wars against other planes took many forms. The smallest expeditions were typically launched by a single Tier Four Morningstar Wizard.
Regardless of the scale, the war fortress remained the core combat unit.
Typically, a single fortress could serve as the backbone of an entire expedition and even its most formidable force.
After all, the cost of constructing a war fortress was astronomical. Even a Morningstar Wizard had to carefully weigh its expense.
However, the Thirteenth Interplanar War Zone, where Lynn now found himself, possessed an unusually large number of fortresses.
Why?
Because the target of this expedition was no ordinary plane.
Its value far exceeded that of typical worlds, and more than one Morningstar Wizard had been dispatched to lead this campaign.
Even within the Thirteenth War Zone alone, there were multiple Morningstar Wizards coordinating operations.
More importantly, the true orchestrator behind this war was none other than the City of Mechanus itself.
As a great city of wizardry, the resources the City of Mechanus could mobilize were vast enough to sustain a war spanning countless planes.
In this conflict, not only Tier Four Morningstar Wizards, but even higher-level wizards played key roles.
As Lynn walked through the interior of the war fortress, his gaze swept over the surrounding structures, where technology and sorcery were seamlessly blended. With each step, he gained a deeper appreciation for the creations of the City of Mechanus.
This steel behemoth, floating in midair, was not merely a fortress of war it was the crystallization of mechanical wizardry and intellect.
However, his curiosity was quickly dispelled by the somber atmosphere all around.
The shadow of war hung heavy over the fortress.
Even though neither the wizard legions nor the Goddess's army seemed intent on initiating a full-scale battle just yet, the flurry of preparations within the fortress left no doubt both sides were bracing for the next direct clash.
"The mountain rain is coming, and the wind fills the tower…"
Lynn could feel the tension in the air.
It was especially evident in the expressions of the wizards around him. Whether they were stationed defenders or battle-worn survivors, their faces all bore the same weight of dread and caution.
Lynn felt it deeply.
After all, he had just returned from the battlefield barely alive.
Of the original eight-member assault squad, all seven of his First-Level wizard comrades had perished. Only he had survived.
Such devastating losses only cemented one idea in his mind:
"I need to find a way… I can't keep going to the front lines!"
On the battlefield, life and death were fleeting.
With his current strength only a First-Level wizard being sent into direct combat was nothing short of a gamble with death. Surviving was pure luck.
"Maybe… this will help."
Lynn lowered his gaze to the token in his hand.
It was a finely crafted badge etched with intricate mechanical patterns. Under a faint glow, the complex engravings shimmered with a mysterious luster.
This was the City of Mechanus Research Institute Member Token personally handed to him by Lorie.
Members of the Research Institute were specially protected individuals within the City of Mechanus.
Traditionally, only those who had made significant contributions to the field of mechanology were eligible for this token and the special privileges that came with it.
By rights, Lynn shouldn't have been qualified for such a status. His power was limited, merely that of a First-Level wizard.
While he had dabbled in mechanology, he could hardly be considered someone who had made any groundbreaking contributions.
Even in terms of mechanology, let alone the City of Mechanus itself, Lynn hadn't made any significant contributions.
The only reason he had received this token was because Grand Wizards Chris had previously vowed to guarantee Lynn's safety.
But when she failed to keep that promise and couldn't protect him, this token had been given to Lynn as a form of compensation.
"Back then, the sudden assault by the Goddess's army left me no chance to use this token…"
Lynn narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers lightly brushing over the cold surface of the mechanical token.
"But now, it's time to consider how best to use it."
The Voice of the Maple Tree
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Lynn's mind it was the Maple Tree!
His heart skipped a beat.
Since the moment the Maple Tree had summoned the Azure Spirit to seal that Seventh Circle Knight and his mount, there had been no contact at all.
Lynn had begun to worry had the Maple Tree exhausted itself again and fallen back into slumber?
After all, the Maple Tree had once admitted that its current state was highly unstable and that merely staying conscious was already pushing its limits.
But now, its voice had returned!
"Thank goodness… it looks like he's okay."
Confirming that the Maple Tree was still functional, Lynn seized the opportunity there were so many things he wanted to ask!
Whether it was the mysterious otherworldly being known as Qi, or the current civilization of the gods, the Maple Tree's knowledge far surpassed his own.
So, Lynn quickly gathered his thoughts and began recounting everything that had happened over the past period hoping the Maple Tree could offer some deeper insight.
Leaning against the railing of a window in the war fortress, Lynn gazed toward the distant battlefield. On the surface, it seemed he was simply admiring the view but in truth, he was deeply engaged in a mental exchange with the Maple Tree.
"Hmm? You said that being from another world is called Qi?"
"And he signed a contract with you? Using a golden balance scale?"
There was a hint of surprise in the Maple Tree's voice.
"You don't even know his full name?"
Lynn paused, a little stunned then his expression turned slightly puzzled.
"Wait… the Maple Tree knows even less about Qi than I do?"
At the very least, Lynn knew the being's name!
For a moment, the Maple Tree's consciousness fell silent, as if slightly embarrassed.
After a brief pause, it replied with a somewhat awkward tone:
"Indeed, I don't know much about him… I know very little about that civilization at all."
"From what you've told me… it sounds like you've already learned some of their language and writing?"
The Maple Tree's tone gradually settled, becoming more composed and calm.
"Then I shouldn't make careless assumptions. But I can tell you everything I do know."
Its voice echoed low and steady in Lynn's mind, carrying a weight that was difficult to describe.
"Everything began with the 'Civilization of the Gods.'"
There was a brief pause before it continued.
"Do you remember what we used to call that labyrinth-like environment?"
Lynn was taken aback for a moment, memories surfacing in his mind.
After a moment, he softly replied:
"The Landscape."
"Yes, the Landscape," the Maple Tree answered, its tone calm but laden with deep implication.
Then it asked:
"Do you know what the true meaning of 'Landscape' is?"
On the surface, the term "landscape" could refer to natural scenery or man-made vistas.
However, Lynn had the distinct feeling that this landscape was no ordinary definition but something far more profound and hidden.
"I won't waste time. Let me tell you directly."
The Maple Tree's voice dropped suddenly, laced with a hint of chill.
"The so-called Landscape is a creation of the Civilization of the Gods."
"They hunt across endless planes. Some civilizations are fully conquered and turned into sources of faith. Others… whose power levels are too high to be harvested, are directly destroyed."
"But this 'destruction' is not complete annihilation in the literal sense. It is a kind of… compression and extraction."
"The entire civilization is condensed and refined ultimately transformed into a scene of light and shadow, a piece of scenery. That… is the true meaning of a Landscape."
At this, Lynn's pupils contracted slightly, a chill running through his heart.
"In other words… becoming a 'landscape' means that civilization was once powerful enough to be feared?"
"Exactly."
The Maple Tree's voice remained calm but profound.
"When a civilization is conquered by the Civilization of the Gods, but for some reason cannot be fully absorbed, they unleash a grand technique to seal and convert the entire world into one Landscape after another."
"Like a dimensional reduction strike sealing the entire world into a scroll painting."
Lynn fell into thought. Considering the Maple Tree's abilities, he couldn't help but ask:
"Is it like your maple leaves?"
However, the Maple Tree's response carried a hint of inexplicable sorrow.
"Dimensional reduction... your analogy is interesting, but it's far more complicated than that."
"What the Civilization of the Gods does is complete obliteration and absorption. It's not sealing or temporarily storing it's a full erasure of a civilization's existence, reducing it to nothing more than an illusion."
"That… is what a Landscape truly is."
"It's like certain hunters who, after a successful hunt, preserve the body of their prey as a specimen."
"Only, the specimens of the Civilization of the Gods… are entire civilizations."
"They dismember a civilization into fragments and those fragments become the Landscapes."
The Maple Tree's voice echoed slowly, pausing afterward as if to give Lynn time to process the weight of what he'd just learned.
After all, everything began with the Landscape.
"A Landscape is not merely a trophy to admire it also serves as a unique weapon of war wielded by the Civilization of the Gods."
Its voice grew slightly heavier, tinged with solemnity.
"Now that you've come into contact with the Civilization of the Gods indeed, are already entangled in their war I can tell you something from the past. Thousands of years ago, the Civilization of the Gods had a confrontation with the Wizarding World."
"At that time, they deployed Landscapes into our world."
"Civilization fragments extracted from conquered worlds were hurled into the Wizarding World like natural disasters falling from the sky."
"These Landscapes were incredibly infectious. Once someone entered one, it would spread like a virus one infecting ten, ten infecting a hundred."
"This strange and insidious form of attack posed an enormous threat to us at the time."
Lynn's expression darkened slightly.
"They even had tactics like that?"
"Moreover," the Maple Tree continued, "since each Landscape is essentially a compressed shard of a civilization, even when the Wizard Council and the Enforcer Mages could track them, destroying them completely required immense effort and powerful techniques."
"Faced with this external threat, the long-divided Black and White Mages had no choice but to form a temporary alliance to withstand the disaster."
"Both factions had to actively clear out any Landscapes that appeared within their territories… otherwise, the entire Wizarding World could've been consumed."
"The Landscape where that otherworldly being resides is essentially one such fragment a remnant of a civilization dismembered by the Civilization of the Gods."
"Not only are these fragments collected as trophies, they're also used to invade and corrupt other worlds."
Lynn quietly nodded in understanding.
He had already learned that the civilization where that otherworldly being had once lived had hunted and killed a true god. Naturally, this would have provoked the wrath of the Civilization of the Gods.
So in retaliation, they had ruthlessly dismembered the entire world, turning it into Landscapes both to vent their fury and to use the remnants as weapons of contamination against other civilizations...
"Sigh…"
The Maple Tree let out a long breath part lamentation, part remembrance.
"To me, a complete and intact Landscape is, at most, a minor nuisance not enough to put me on the defensive."
Its voice dropped slightly, then continued in a more somber tone:
"But… you've probably already realized that the origin of Nature Mages is deeply tied to the god who was slain."
Lynn's expression shifted.
"The Azure Spirit is forged from a fragment of that god's divinity."
The Maple Tree's words took on a deeper weight.
"And through it, I was able to glimpse part of the truth behind that god's death… even a god so exalted was devoured by that golden balance scale."
"That's why I've always paid close attention to the golden scale. As I dug deeper through the Azure Spirit, I discovered that the golden balance was embedded within the Landscape created by that civilization!"
Lynn's heart trembled.
"To obtain the golden balance, I searched the Wizarding World for Landscapes connected to it… until I finally found that one."
The Maple Tree's tone grew quiet and obscure as if tinged with pain too difficult to put into words.
"Through the Azure Spirit, I managed to locate the golden balance within the Landscape. But combining a moon-tier sacred relic forged from a god's divinity… with an artifact of even higher rank… seemed to trigger a strange reaction within the Landscape."
"Qi awakened. And I… lost my physical body as a result."
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