Chapter 1169
Hourly Job
Chapter 1169 Hourly Job (Additional content included, remember to refresh the page~)
The temporary ether channel stabilized between the two, and at the moment when the structural frequencies completely overlapped, Xia Xiu saw the other party clearly through this ether call.
Magus, with red hair and one eye.
The sixth Legion Lord stood on a high ground at the edge of the Ada Plains, with storms and celebrations intertwining behind him to create an absurd backdrop, while he himself seemed to be another layer of existence extracted from that painting.
Xia Xiu's gaze almost instinctively fell on the blind right eye. He subconsciously thought of Odin, the king of the Golden Palace, the god who traded an eye for wisdom.
At the same time, he also sensed the aura of ether in that blind eye, and not just ether, but also a scent similar to primordial transmutation. This eye was a... Philosopher's Stone.
Ancient alchemy, in its legends, sought a fifth element, a condensed core that transcended the four elements—the Philosopher's Stone, described as a crystal that unifies all elements, a bridge between matter and spirit, and the ultimate goal of self-refinement.
Deep within that single eye, Xia Xiu sensed a similar trace.
He spoke slowly, his voice traveling through the etheric structure to the core of the other's consciousness.
"You used ether to perform a forbidden alchemy." The tone was not accusatory, but rather a confirmation. "You used yourself as the furnace, your spirituality as the material, and sacrificed your right eye to gain the power of ether... You were trying to embrace ether."
Magus did not reply immediately, because he had just seen Xia Xiu's face clearly and was deeply shocked by what he had just seen.
In the past, when he peered at the Four Princes, they resided in the highest levels of the etheric essence, so he only saw their tentacles and was unaware of the great terror within the ether.
Now, facing his own father, facing a truly great spiritual being, he has come to know the great terror within the ether.
At a higher level in the Etheric Ocean, Xia Xiu's true form slowly emerged.
It was a serene yet overwhelming core of existence, like a black sun compressed to its extreme, surrounded by a triple crown-like halo, with a structural flame burning inside that was both cold and intense.
Countless spectral nodes revolved around that black sun, like planets orbiting a star, or like countless planes being steadily pulled by its gravity.
That wasn't just light, but a kind of gravity, the gravity of a being.
Around that black sun, the formula of reality was rewritten, and the flow of ether was compressed.
Magus's still-blind left eye widened slightly; he felt not just power, but the source.
He clearly realized that his Fifth Element, forged through forbidden techniques, was nothing more than an imitation and approximation of some higher existence, merely a laughable replica.
The true fifth element, the true Philosopher's Stone, the true great miracle, the true great creation is right before me.
Xia Xiu noticed that Magus's gaze was on him.
It's not just "looking" in the ordinary sense, but a deeper gaze, like dismantling the structure and touching the essence through the phenomenon.
Although Magus' right eye is blind, it is still operating in the depths of the ether. He is trying to see through his father's "appearance"—not the appearance, but the appearance of existence, the essence of his person and the skeleton of his structure.
Simply put, this child has shut down their cognitive filters and is looking directly at the essence of everything.
This is dangerous. If you accidentally see something you shouldn't, your SAN value will be reset to zero.
Xia Xiu didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Snapped--
The sound was almost inaudible in reality, but at the etheric level it was like a clean and decisive calibration command. A great spirituality unfolded instantly, a gentle yet resolute barrier covering the structural interface of Magus's right eye.
The ability to see directly into the deepest structure has been redirected to a shallower level.
The spying, which would normally dive indiscriminately, was now confined to safe waters. At the same time, the lingering aura of [Xin Liezhi] deep within the right eye was gently smoothed away by an invisible force, like wiping away fingerprints on a mirror.
He turned off the child's X-ray vision and added a cognitive filter to it.
At the other end of the etheric channel, Magus's body trembled slightly.
The feeling came suddenly.
It was as if the view was covered by fog, or as if the sea had suddenly receded.
His habitual tendency to dive was blocked beyond a certain boundary, the deepest echoes were no longer clear, and the sharpness that could directly touch the plane's skeleton was dulled.
He looked down at his right eye, his fingertips unconsciously touching the blind spot, his brow furrowing slightly.
He wasn't angry, just a little confused...
Xia Xiu's voice rang out in the ether, steady and calm.
“Magnus, you’re too direct.”
He paused, his tone shifting to a deeper level.
"The ether is not a single-layered structure; it has seven layers, like the ocean with shallows, middle layers, and deep abysses. With your current abilities, you can only dive to the deepest point without being able to distinguish water pressure."
“You have no genealogical network as an anchor, nor a buffer structure as a buoy; you are embracing the ether in the most primitive way.”
Xia Xiu's gaze fell on him. He looked at Magus, hoping to sense anger or resentment in the boy's emotions.
"Your current approach will only lead to your own assimilation into the ether."
Magus's reaction was rather indifferent. Perhaps, just as Xia Xiu had judged, his long-term observation of the depths of the ether had made him much more detached.
Fortunately, he still experienced slight emotional fluctuations.
One thing never disappeared from him, and that was... curiosity.
He looked up at his father.
"Is...the thirst for knowledge wrong?"
The tone was not intense; it was simply a genuine search for verification.
Xia Xiu did not immediately deny it.
Curiosity itself is not wrong.
"You can always be eager for knowledge about the physics of the world, the laws of technology, and the analysis of structures; that knowledge will not devour you."
He spoke slowly.
“But ether is different. Ether is not simply an object to be observed; it looks back at the observer.”
"When you push beyond your limits and pursue knowledge beyond metaphysics, it doesn't give you answers, it changes you."
His tone remained calm.
"Curiosity killed the cat, and ether will first devour the cat's shadow, and then devour the cat itself... This statement is very abstract, but it is a manifestation of ether. It is bizarre and surreal. Sometimes it is full of rationality, but more often it is chaotic and disorderly."
"The knowledge of ether needs levels, anchor points, and repeated calibration between shallows and deep sea. Unrestrained pursuit will only cause you to lose your way in the deep water."
Magus did not fully digest Xia Xiu's explanation of levels and depths for a while.
He could understand the logic in his father's words, but he had not yet truly grasped their weight. The concepts of "anchor point" and "moderation" were merely abstract structures in his mind, rather than urgent warnings.
Xia Xiu had already made his decision.
He knew better than anyone that if this red-haired, one-eyed child continued to wander alone in the depths of the ether, he would likely be targeted again by a higher-level force before the genealogical calibration was completed.
Mages now needs the guidance of lineage, and the constraints and deductive framework of the courtyard think tank.
And these kinds of things should never be delayed.
Now that the coordinates have been confirmed and the [Black Mark] has been locked, we should set off immediately.
While conversing with Magus, Xia Xiu's great spirituality had already quietly unfolded, reversing the frequency along the etheric channel to pinpoint the specific level and real-world coordinates of the other party.
Distance no longer matters.
Whether the Golden Palace is nearby or not is no longer important.
He looked at Magus, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable determination.
"Wait for me where you are."
A brief pause. "I'll be there to pick you up soon."
Magus paused for a moment, his red hair swaying slightly in the wind.
"Now?"
Xia Xiu's answer was concise and to the point.
"Now."
The moment the words left his mouth, the ether channel was severed.
Inside the Sword-class frigate, the spatial structure suddenly contracts.
Xia Xiu raised his hand, and a twisted geometric ring appeared around him. The ring was not just a simple light and shadow, but a self-folding structural trajectory, like a curve without a front or back unfolding in the air—[Möbius strip].
The torus slowly rotates, reality and ether intersect at its edge, coordinates are locked, paths are compressed, and long distances are mathematically folded into "the same location".
The next instant.
Xia Xiu's figure disappeared.
……
……
On the high ground at the edge of the Ida Plain, Magus had just regained consciousness.
The aftershocks of the broken ether channel were still gently vibrating in the air. He had not yet fully recovered from that state of staring into the source, and his father's words about depth and anchor points were still echoing in his mind.
The wind blew from the plains, and in the distance, the cheers of celebration and the clang of metal could still be heard.
then.
The space twisted slightly.
A twisted, ring-shaped structure appeared out of thin air in front of him.
The toroidal surface rotates at a slow speed, yet it possesses an irresistible sense of stability, drawing the surrounding air and light to its curve.
Magus' pupils contracted slightly.
He could tell that it wasn't a simple jump technique.
That's a rewriting of the path itself.
next moment.
The center of the Möbius strip cracked slightly.
Xia Xiu stepped out from among them, as if crossing a very short threshold, the wind blowing the hem of his clothes.
The plains remained bustling, but the father and son were now only a few steps apart.
When Xia Xiu stepped out of the ring, Magus's breath visibly paused for a beat.
His surprise wasn't written on his face, but his pupils dilated slightly, and the suppressed structure deep within his right eye vibrated subconsciously, attempting to decipher the logic of this geometric trajectory once more.
He looked at the Möbius strip that had not yet completely dissipated, his eyes flashing with almost pure excitement.
“This is…” he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible, “another application of ether.”
He looked up at his father, speaking slightly faster.
"The concept of spatial distance is almost non-existent in the ether... As long as the path is folded and the hierarchy is rewritten, there is no real distance or nearness between planes."
As he spoke, his gaze returned to the ring that was slowly disappearing, as if he wanted to memorize every inch of its structure.
That obsession was almost undisguised.
Xia Xiu looked at him, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
This child's desire for ether is too pure, which is not a desirable quality for a sorcerer.
There's a counterintuitive concept about ether—the more you know, the less you know.
The perfect examples are Grumpy (the God of Brokenness) and Brainless (He who covers the boundless), the two of them combined cannot form a complete good brain.
【Xin Liezhi】 and 【Crimson King】 are a different story.
However, they also have one thing in common—they love to use this counterintuitive concept to manipulate people; they love "brainless fools."
He took a few steps forward and stood in front of Magus, his voice low and slow.
“Magnus, ether is not a toy, nor is it merely a tool; you can study it, you can understand it, but do not become addicted to it.”
"Don't try to pursue and understand all the applications of ether; adopting what is useful is actually a good thing for sorcerers."
Xia Xiu continued:
"Ether will respond to your curiosity, but a response is not necessarily an answer. Some deep structures, once you stare at them for too long, will start staring back at you."
He looked at Magus's right eye, which was covered by a filter.
"Remember, what you need right now is guidance, not descent."
Magus remained silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on his father, his curiosity undiminished, but he still nodded slightly.
"So, Father, what should we do next?"
Xia Xiu did not answer immediately.
He turned and looked towards the free city of Ximingborg. In the distance, the Golden Palace hung high above the sea of clouds, divine light cascading down like a waterfall, making the entire city appear magnificent and confident under that miraculous radiance. Even from a considerable distance, he could still clearly feel the great spirituality of the Golden Palace's ruler flowing across this plane—a kind of stable suppression that came from long-term dominance.
However, that perception did not fall on them.
The [Presence-Weakening Element] on Xia Xiu's body operated stably under the blessing of the great spirituality, folding his spectrum fluctuations into the background frequency.
As for why Magus wasn't discovered by the Lord of the Golden Palace, he also found the reason. This child had only recently awakened and had reshaped himself using the most ancient sage alchemy method. His mode of existence was different from that of the conventional pantheon, which formed a natural shield at this moment. In addition, the Lord of the Golden Palace was indulging in a revelry of bright lights and wine, and there was also the deliberate protection of a certain troublemaker, so this child was not discovered.
The two stood on the high ground, only a few structural levels away from the Golden Palace.
However, it is in a blind spot where the light is not on.
Xia Xiu stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Ximing Borg and Jin Gong, his tone thoughtful.
"Our original intention was to bring you back to the courtyard. Now that we've found the person, we can leave at any time."
He paused, then looked up again.
"However, before I leave, I think I should say goodbye to the Lord of the Golden Palace."
The sound of wind swept between the two.
Magus almost subconsciously followed his father's train of thought. He tilted his head slightly, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
"You mean to..."
He lowered his voice.
"To attack the miraculous immortality of the Golden Palace's heroic spirits?"
He miraculously matched his father's thought process.
Xia Xiu nodded:
"Since we're already here, we should at least do something to entertain the King of the Golden Palace who loves to throw parties."
Before returning with the sixth perfect embryo, Lao Xia decided to give the Lord of the Golden Palace some work, since it was something she could easily do.