Linde's figure broke free from the turbulent spatial currents and remained suspended in the cold void like a meteor.
Before him lay his long-lost home—the planet home to the continent of Til.
The azure ocean and the brown-green continental outlines radiate a familiar and warm glow under the starlight, while the Howling Abyss, where the Starfire Base is located, is faintly visible like a tiny scar.
The feeling of home was overwhelming. Even in the vacuum, Linde could feel the vibrant life force and familiar energy network of that land through the soul connection—the order of the light veins, the depth of the shadow abyss, and the wild yet vibrant rhythm of the liberated magic network.
However, almost simultaneously, his deep purple eyes on his icy face suddenly narrowed!
wrong!
[Deconstructing the Halo] The moment it returned to its original plane, it was like the most sophisticated instrument unfolding, scanning the planet's state.
The feedback sent a jolt through Lind's heart.
The planet remains the same, and the outline of the continents remains unchanged.
However, in his perception, the entire continent of Til, especially the Black Rock Territory of the Northern Continent and its surrounding areas, was shrouded in a layer of extremely thin, yet all-pervasive, energy dust with a slight "inertia" and "isolation" property!
This dust is not formed naturally; it is cleverly mixed in the atmospheric circulation, seeps into the clouds, and even interacts with the magic field on the Earth's surface in an extremely slow and covert way.
It is not aggressive and is even difficult to detect by conventional means. If Linde had not just experienced a journey through the stars and had not become more sensitive to energy than ever before, and if the level of the [Deconstruction Aura] had not far exceeded that of native magic, he probably would have overlooked it as well.
Its effect is not destruction, but rather... "blurring" and "interference".
Like an invisible veil, it shrouds the sky above the continent of Til, subtly distorting the transmission of energy, interfering with long-distance mental perception, and even... to a certain extent, weakening the direct connection between the planet's own energy field (such as the magic network and light vein nodes) and the outside starry sky!
“A shielding layer? Or… some kind of pre-emptive means of surveillance network?” Linde’s eyes instantly turned icy cold, colder than the vacuum of the starry sea.
He immediately attempted to contact the Starfire Base core, Astaire, and the beacon in Roy's hands directly through a soul connection.
The connection still exists, but the transmission of the signal is clearly hindered and filtered by that layer of "dust," becoming somewhat sluggish and weak, as if viewed through a layer of frosted glass, unable to be as clear and immediate as before leaving.
He could still sense the general state of the territory; there were no devastating crisis alerts, but the specific details and the situation of the people had become unclear.
Who is it?!
How could such a massive and covert operation be carried out right under his nose, without being noticed by many forces across the continent (including several supreme beings)?
Have the tentacles of those "arbitrators of order" silently extended here? Have they finally decided to "pre-process" this world full of "unstable factors"?
Or... has the extraterrestrial evil god adopted a new, more covert method of infiltration?
Or perhaps... something unexpected happened within the mainland, and enemies appeared?
Linde hovered in orbit, looking down at the planet shrouded in invisible dust. Thoughts raced through his mind, and killing intent surged in his eyes like an undercurrent.
His absence appears to have lasted much longer than anticipated, or perhaps, during his absence, the flow of time on the continent of Til underwent an unknown change? Otherwise, how could such a drastic change have occurred without being promptly eliminated?
Instead of immediately descending to the surface, Lin De suppressed the urge to return to the Starfire Base. Before the situation was clear, a hasty appearance might not be the best option.
He needs to first figure out the source, purpose, and operating mechanism of this layer of "dust".
He unleashed the power of the [Deconstruction Halo] to its fullest extent, like countless invisible probes precisely analyzing the composition of this layer of energy dust.
(Energy attribute analysis: Not the chaotic traits of an evil god, nor the absolute order style of an arbiter of order... The composition is complex, containing various inert magical elements, fine astral dust, and... a disguised "marker" pheromone that is highly similar to the native magic of the continent of Til?)
(Functional simulation: The main effects are energy signal attenuation, mental interference, and reduced stability of large-scale teleportation arrays... Core objective: to weaken the planet's external perception and communication, and strengthen internal information isolation... Suspected to be a prerequisite or side effect of some kind of large-scale barrier or summoning ritual?)
“A marker pheromone?” Lind caught this key point. This pheromone itself is harmless, but its existence is like leaving a huge “mark” on the continent of Tyr, perhaps for location, or perhaps for the precise guidance of some specific spell later.
It wasn't the cold, exclusionary style of the Arbiter of Order, nor the malicious pollution of an evil god... This method carried an aura more akin to native magic, yet also more ancient and mysterious.
Lind's gaze fell upon the North Road, upon that vast and mysterious region—the former territory of the elves, now a highly autonomous region under the Starfire Charter, deep within the Eversong Forest, and... further north, that frozen wasteland marked as the "Ancient Forbidden Land."
In his perception, the concentration of that layer of energy dust was significantly higher in the area north of the Eversong Forest, and the source of the "marking pheromone" seemed to vaguely point in that direction.
“Alessia…” Lind thought of the Mother of a Thousand Roots, the protector of the elves. Did she know? Was she tacitly approving, or… was she also being misled or controlled to some extent?
Just as Linde was focused on analyzing energy dust, trying to trace its origin—
"Buzz!"
A sharp, short distress signal, yet carrying an incredibly familiar soul fluctuation, pierced through the interference of the "dust" like a dying firefly, and was directly imprinted deep within his consciousness!
Signal source: Starfire Base, deep underground, in the direction of Allen's personal workshop!
Signal characteristics: Alan Truk! Filled with extreme terror, despair, and... a sense of collapse as if he had touched some taboo that should not exist!
"Father...save...it's not...it's not a construct...it's alive!!!"
The signal abruptly stopped, as if it had been abruptly cut off by an invisible hand.
Allen!
Linde's pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpoints!
The chilling killing intent, like a tangible storm, erupted from him, causing the surrounding space to tremble as if it could not withstand the sudden arrival of this fury and cold!
He could no longer maintain his composure and observation.
Whatever the dust enveloping the continent may be, whatever conspiracy may be hidden behind it, at this moment, nothing is more important than the safety of his son!
"boom--!!!"
Linde held nothing back. His seven-colored magic power exploded like a supernova, transforming into a dazzling pillar of light that tore through the void. Ignoring the interference of the energy dust, it descended from the sky like a divine sword, with the most ruthless and direct force, towards the continent of Til, towards the Starfire Base, and towards the location of Allen's Workshop!
The speed was incredibly fast!
The atmosphere was easily torn apart, a huge hole was pierced through the clouds, and a terrifying sonic boom, like a thunderclap of doomsday, exploded between heaven and earth!
The Starfire Base's alarm system was instantly triggered to the highest level. Countless people looked up in horror, only to see an indescribable beam of destructive light plummeting towards the edge of the base, towards Allen's workshop, at a speed beyond comprehension!
Lind, come back.
What awaits him is not only the fog that shrouds the world, but also an unknown crisis that his closest relatives are caught in!
The wheels of time accelerate once more, crushing into the unknown abyss.
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