Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 686 - 590 Turin Grand Library and the Witch

No wind, no sound, only a vast expanse of white light.

Aiven stood alone at the boundary between the sea of the human collective unconscious and the Spirit Realm, as if standing in space outside a gigantic planet.

Due to the thirty-sixfold time flow rate, the "planet" surface changes violently every moment.

At this time, the [Divination Orbit: Eye of All-Seeing] has been activated.

If, like Milan's previous divinations, he received some cryptic visions that were difficult to interpret, it would be of no use. Aiven needed more precise hints, whether coordinates, time of appearance, or possible holders, all of which were important clues.

And the medium to ensure the effectiveness of the ritual is deeply related things like school members, creations, mysterious sources, etc., serving as a magnetic pole in the vast world to attract the school's Inheritance Secret Scroll.

The stronger the school, the stronger the "magnetism" will be!

In other words.

It is not only used for divination, but the daily development of the school is the same. The Wizard School itself is a product of "gathering" from all, the stronger the attraction to the same kind, the faster the development will be, until entering a positive virtuous cycle.

Although according to the Extraordinary Gathering Effect, Aiven as an Upper-Rank Wizard himself is already the largest pole in the Material World.

But to be on the safe side, he still gathered all his subordinates who have mastered the "Life Tree Meditation Method" in the ritual hosted by Milan, which looked like a gigantic eye, including latecomers Jacob and Kael.

And he brought along the complete first three volumes of the "Flesh Sacrifice," the Toy Box of the "Steel Man" (who once held the fourth volume) and his research materials on [Activated Dead], as well as all the creations related to the school, to ensure the medium's efficacy was maximized.

The Spirit Realm, which connects to the collective unconscious of all humankind and transcends it, can be said to reflect all the secrets of the world here.

Under the effect of the ritual, if the mystical connection between both parties is strong enough, it will transport Aiven to the corresponding Spirit Realm area, and whether he can get clues in the Spirit Realm will depend on his abilities.

This is also the limit of what Milan, as a "Prophet," can do.

"If this method doesn't work, my 'Legendary Battleship' may only remain in the rough hull stage, and completing the Extraordinary Transformation of the 'Ship Spirit' will be indefinitely deferred." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

If he can obtain the fourth volume before the war with Ilya breaks out, even with just a few months, he is confident he can build a semi-finished product that can join the battlefield, and it will be a semi-finished product built strictly according to the [Living Ship Spirit Technique].

Constructing a battleship from start to finish usually takes ordinary craftsmen of various countries 3-6 years.

The key to success is selecting wood that has been stored for years and dried to a moisture content below 20%, the ideal situation is to slowly build the ship with this wood to ensure the frame and hull fit perfectly.

Craftsmen process various kinds of wood into corresponding components based on different parts of the ship, such as the keel, ribs, planks, masts, and so on; hemp ropes, tar, and pitch are also indispensable in this systematic engineering project.

It is usually done in this way: oak for the keel, pine or fir for the masts, teak for the decks, oak or other hard woods for the hull, and so on.

Although in wartime emergency situations it is possible to build in 6 months, it can only be done using inadequately dried or slightly inferior quality wood. In dark, warm, and moist environments, the strength at the wooden joints decreases rapidly, causing the frame and timber to loosen, eventually leading to water ingress and sinking.

If built strictly to specifications, a battleship can last fifty years provided it is not destroyed. However, the emergency means of construction might cause it to become dilapidated after just five years.

However, when a Great Wizard activates the [Superlimit Ceremony: Activation of Skillful Hands], it is enough to use the Extraordinary Ship Materials—"Treasure Tree" that Hilus accumulated over decades, even centuries, to form the ship's body in a short time.

Just like the "Venus" once was.

Moreover, the design blueprint for the "Legendary Battleship" had been carefully prepared by Aiven for more than a year. He was thoroughly familiar with every component. Especially after acquiring Tier 3 abilities and vision, he made adjustments to many details.

Whether it is the combat systems that determine combat power: weapon systems, fire control systems, movable Wizard Tower systems, self-defense systems, or the navigation systems that determine mobility: propulsion systems, navigation systems, communication systems, maritime detection systems.

As well as ensuring the battleship's sustainability through support systems: ammunition supply systems, energy supply systems, internal ecosystem systems, medical systems, life services systems, freshwater and food production systems.

These details had contingency plans, with many technologies having gradually accumulated over previous years. The only thing missing was acquiring the [Living Ship Spirit Technique] to integrate them into a whole and complete the Extraordinary Transformation awakening the Ship Spirit!

However.

As time slowly passed, Aiven still did not sense any connection with related things, as if the Inheritance Secret Scroll had been covered under an airtight cover.

Furthermore, not only the fourth volume but even the fifth was the same, as if they had been deliberately sealed.

His mood gradually became anxious, for it involved not only the shipbuilding plan but also the future of the wizarding path.

Nevertheless, just as Aiven was about to give up and return to the Material World, without any premonition, his body was suddenly enveloped by a light and shadow shaped like an eye, sinking into the Spirit Realm.

In a state of half-dream, half-awake, Aiven's eyes passed over ancient battlefields, desolate barren deserts, dark damp enormous mushroom forests, vibrant forests, and twisted Ancient Divine Cities one by one.

Ring ring ring...

After an unknown amount of time, Aiven suddenly awoke completely, looking around at the place where he found himself.

The familiar trees of the high-latitude regions of the Old Continent filled his sight, with a vast black building at the end of his vision. The sky was a misty blue, clear with only the occasional passing... pumpkins?!

And they were the kind of carved pumpkins with orange lights coming out of the hollows.

After confirming there was no issue with his connection to the beacon anchor ground and that he could return at any time, Aiven felt at ease and muttered to himself, "Wasn't it said that there were no two Inheritance Secret Scrolls found here? What is this place then?"

In any case, this was a hint from the Divination Orbit: Eye of All-Seeing, so Aiven decided to take a look first.

Swa—

With a step forward, he was already in front of that very conspicuous vast building.

This was a building in the style of the "Dark Millennium" era, with a typical centralized layout centered around a main hall, crossed by two main axes, and four towering spired towers.

He had heard from Sir Katalov in the cursed painting about that piece of obscured history.

During the dark history from 1500 years ago until the Renaissance 500 years ago, the Seven Gods Church was notorious for being conservative, stubborn, and inhumane, tightly shackling the people's thoughts with various dogmas and rules.

In those days, not to mention ordinary civilians, even the vast majority of nobles were illiterate, and there was no official habit of recording history, with no accomplishments in art, architecture, sculpture... and so on.

There was also that large-scale plague that nearly destroyed half the world, the most profound memory left by the "Dark Millennium."

It wasn't until 500 years ago, with the rise of the... cough, Renaissance, that the "Dark Millennium" was declared over.

But to prevent wizards who held the highest knowledge from becoming the biggest beneficiaries in the world's rebound trend, the Seven Gods Church launched the largest recorded Witch Hunting Movement in history. It lasted nearly two hundred years, driving, killing, and imprisoning most wizards on the Old Continent.

Standing before the round-arched gate, Aiven gently read the spiritual text on the brass nameplate: "Turin Grand Library!"

Aiven considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about the Mysterious Side represented by wizards in both the Old Continent and the New Continent. Still, this building, gleaming with powerful witchcraft spiritual light, aroused a genuine sense of unfamiliarity within him.

Moreover.

Because the Spirit Realm is a higher dimension compared to the Material World, humans enter it in a spiritual state but do not gain the capability to observe or process it from a higher dimension.

So, everything present here appears to humans as compressed, relocated, and symbolic. What you see and feel may not be its true form, but perhaps just an insignificantly small corner of a large iceberg floating above the water.

All things, except the "Spirit Realm Sun" and "Spirit Realm Sea," manifest an external form processed by the world rules, shaped jointly by the energy of the Spirit Realm and the common residue from the collective unconscious of the Material World.

The origins of various things might come from real history, mere fantasies of some people, or even just a thought from some powerful existence. Of course, it also might have nothing to do with the Material World if it belongs to the native inhabitants of the Spirit Realm.

However, this building was different—it gave off a feeling of the kind of transformation experienced by an Upper-Rank Wizard after returning to the origin. If it were brought into the real world, it would undoubtedly remain as it appears now, without any change.

Meanwhile.

In the main hall of the primary building, behind a desk cluttered with various books, there sat a glamorous lady, her hair curled in a vintage style, holding a small mirror as she groomed herself meticulously.

Though her head remained still, the face in the mirror suddenly turned to look towards the door.

Tap..tap..tap..

Accompanied by crisp footsteps, on the walls around the hall, dozens of mirrors each reflected the image of that lady, yet none of the reflections showed the same movements.

The next moment.

Bang—

Before the slightly hesitant Aiven, the round-arched gate of the "Turin Grand Library" suddenly swung open from the inside.

A beautiful lady appeared quietly behind the door, her features as exquisite as a finely crafted doll. Holding an ivory folding fan, she slightly nodded at him:

"Stranger wizard, welcome to the Grand Library managed by the Turin Witch Council."

A thought stirred within Aiven's mind.

"Witch?"