Uncertain Future

Chapter 654 Uncertain Future

People and ships have all arrived. For the first time, so many spacecraft have flooded into Terminus, this desolate corner of the astral plane, that the number of man-made objects on its sky exceeds the number of visible celestial bodies.

Rorschach looked around and saw the large ships hovering evenly and sparsely, with small boats like flies and mosquitoes darting between them, carrying Istani to the Allied ships and selling Valuwa's goods to the dwarves.

Many of these teleported ships were built decades ago, and their appearance is a microcosm of that time. The earliest ships still have exposed riveting marks, and their sealing and stability are very worrying. The premise for their existence is to burn a huge amount of transmutation dust and leave all the problems to magic to solve.

Since the Kepler space station opened its shipyard, it has even produced a batch of sailing ships, with wooden hulls reinforced by force fields and windless sails painted with huge magic circles.

As people's footprints expanded, as the development of alchemy slowed down, and as the mining areas of the metamorphic dust flow were divided and fought over by various countries, everyone finally realized that building a dilapidated ship that was difficult to even sail and then using magic to make it rise into the sky was a very uneconomical thing, especially since the magic guilds were charging increasingly high fees.

So they began to focus on efficacy, researching basic materials and casting techniques, and minimizing the use of magic in their designs.

To date, the most advanced products are a few pioneering immigration ships. Of course, this does not mean that they have gotten rid of their dependence on magic, but that the unit consumption has been reduced to the lowest level.

The spatial waves of the [Extreme Distance Communication] echoed silently across the astral plane, causing all ships, large and small, to shift and make room for today's protagonist:

Valois's "White Maple" is a giant ship painted in white gold. It resembles a somewhat retro noble hand cannon. The ship has a long hull, with the engine room section, which is slightly lower than the hull, located at the stern, ready to go.

The Alliance dispatched the "Aurora," meaning "Dawn." Its rounded interior was filled with the latest and most cutting-edge manufacturing and magical techniques, resembling a technological achievement exhibition hall. The insignia of the Magic Guild and the Space Guild were openly displayed on the side of the starship.

"The Ark of Sylvanas," that's what the elves call their immigrant ship. It must be admitted that they exploited a certain righteousness within the "Inter-Sea Alliance," gaining sympathy and compensation by emphasizing the tragedies suffered by the Grey Elves in Istani history—as exemplified by this beautiful and luxurious starship. Its lines are sharp like feathered arrows, appearing greyish-green under the starlight.

The ships sent by the dwarves were like enlarged versions of mining vessels, almost entirely boxy. They didn't care about design or the consumption of raw materials like metal; the former was laughable, the latter enviable. Their name was also quite fitting—"The Hammer of the Ancestors"—truly a gigantic hammerhead floating in the starry sky.

The "New Marlin" arrived late. The folds of spacetime radiated like lightning and then broke open, from which this permanent immigrant ship leaped out. Its appearance was the most conventional, resembling the ironclad warships that people still sailed on the seas of the prime plane. But upon closer inspection, the paint scheme on its bow and sides subtly hinted at an eagle soaring from the Empire.

In addition, there are several special vessels.

Before them were the spaceships of the Space Guild, equipped with the same space shield tunneling system as the Maxim, and the space bubble engine currently capable of achieving the highest speed. They were pioneers, with no seats reserved for passengers inside, only for ship spirits.

Behind them were the Magic Guild's logistics and research ships, which bore some resemblance to the dwarven vessels. They carried refined transmutation dust, fuel for the time being before they could utilize the energy of another world.

Rorschach has already distributed the branches and core of the Tree of Law to those heading to the New World. They are hiding on these ships and their identities have not yet been revealed. Sometimes Rorschach would have a wicked thought about how hard the guild would try to track down the "Jinchuriki" if they found out that he had sent these "divine artifacts" away.

Alek is one of them.

He and Jonas were, of course, aboard the New Marlin. All preparations were complete, and another team of engineers was rotating their duties. Alec and his friend, as planned, spent their last days in the Old World drinking.

Through the porthole, the starlight shone on half of his face, and suddenly a great weariness swept over him. From the incredible gifts he received in his youth—Master Rorschach's panel and a vast fortune—he had done countless things to ensure that the Imperial immigrants received tickets to the New World, and that they wouldn't have to swear allegiance to an unfamiliar nation like he had.

No, none of that matters. He wasn't weary from reminiscing about past hardships. What truly troubled Alek was the realization that everything that had happened in the past was just the beginning.

Compared to Alec's exhaustion, his friend Jonas remained much the same as before: silent in front of strangers, relatively obedient in front of his parents, but revealing his true nature with friends—frivolous, adventurous, and prone to coming up with mischievous ideas. This might not be a big deal for teenagers, but they were both in their thirties!

So before leaving, Alec had one last thing to do. After drinking enough, he sighed, successfully getting Jonas's attention, and then said, "Jonas, it's time for you to get off the ship."

"What?"

"From the very beginning, you joined the New Marlin to escape your parents, didn't you?"

Jonas's eyes widened in disbelief. "Damn it, we've worked together for so long, and now you're kicking me out? Is this an ultimatum, Shadow Shipowner?"

Alek gritted his teeth: "Yes, an ultimatum! This ship belongs to the remnants of the Empire, not you."

Jonas, whose face was already flushed from alcohol, also had red eyes.

"Then what am I? What is my father? Are you planning to go to the other side, immediately ascend the throne, and then declare my father and our family traitors to the empire?" Jonas was angry: "You should think about how much aid the Alliance gave before the Earldom was destroyed! Why did they arrange for you and me to enroll in school? Why did they preserve such a huge legacy? Just because of your so-called royal bloodline?"

"Father has said it countless times: the alliance is the empire, and the empire is the alliance. You wait, I'm getting off the ship now. I'll wait for the second ship to enter the New World to punish you, you ungrateful traitor!"

With that, Jonas slammed the door and left.

After confirming that the footsteps in the corridor were fading away, Alec immediately activated [Long Distance Communication]: "It's me. Yes, Jonas is planning to disembark. You're welcome, madam, it's what I should do. No, he's not being unreasonable, Jonas is fine. You can send a ship to intercept him now, well, but he's a bit agitated right now."

The communication ended, and a series of faint noises emanated from the machine, clearly audible in his cabin. Alexei sat on the bed; he was now alone. He poured himself a full glass and pulled out the controller. He no longer needed the controller to assist in casting spells—with the panel, Alexei was already comparable to an archmage, though he had never officially certified himself.

The last remaining power of the empire is Count Dahlberg, who is an archmage.

He squinted, gazing ahead. The slightly curved outline of the terminal star occupied most of the window. He didn't know how much time had passed; the wine in his hand was empty, and finally, a single point of light appeared on the horizon.

The point of light grew larger and larger, then expanded along the normal to the horizon. As the light pierced through the entire starry sky visible through the porthole, it tore open to both sides, forming gaps like vertical eyes. Alexei's expression froze at that moment; he knew this must be the door to leaving the Mother and entering a new world.

(End of this chapter)