Chapter 370 A first exploration into the virtual realm, pastoral wonders!
At noon the next day, the thin sunlight shone on a pure white snowfield, and the blizzard that had raged all night finally stopped.
At this moment of complete silence, a carriage pulled by two divine white flying horses suddenly broke through the clouds and landed smoothly at the door of Corinta.
This lonely five-story mage tower is like a silent lighthouse, standing in the vast white wilderness of the north.
Hung on the top of the tower was a newly replaced flag embroidered with the emblem of the Colin family, fluttering in the biting cold wind.
A dozen assistants wearing thick mage robes have been waiting at the door for a long time.
They are a team assigned by the Council to assist Tutor Colin in his research, and many of them were previously responsible for the No. 440 Virtual Realm Research.
Before this, Void Realm No. 440 was discovered and studied by an academic mentor named Keynes. Unfortunately, his research lasted less than half a year and was unexpectedly interrupted due to a research accident.
According to the rules of the Academy, the virtual realm excavated in the northern wasteland belongs to the discoverer. And if the discoverer voluntarily gives up or is unable to continue research due to accidents, the virtual realm will be returned to the academy, and the Tower of the Great Sage will reassign other professors or mentors to inherit his research.
Professor Keynes belongs to the Yuanfa School, and his research should be inherited by professors from the Yuanfa School. Professors from the Yuanfa School have also been competing for this resource for a long time.
But no one expected that Prince Colin suddenly came to this wasteland, and many tutors and professors who were waiting for resources could only sigh that they were in bad luck.
Seeing Luo Yan step down from the carriage, the teaching assistants standing at the door of the mage tower bowed together and performed a more standard courtesy than the nobles of the Holy City.
"It's windy outside, let's go in and talk."
Luo Yan smiled warmly, nodded to the teaching assistants who came to assist him in the experiment, and then walked straight into the mage tower named after his surname.
Watching the back of His Highness Colin entering the Mage Tower, the teaching assistants waiting outside the door straightened up and walked towards the Mage Tower, whispering in low voices.
“As expected of His Royal Highness, he is as young and promising as the rumors say!” A young assistant coach’s eyes were full of envy and he couldn’t help but sigh.
Hearing his voice, another assistant teacher standing next to him nodded with deep understanding, his eyes filled with admiration and appreciation.
…Yes, I heard that he is only in his early twenties and his strength is already platinum level! If he reaches Professor Hector's age, I don't know how strong he will be!"
< br/> "Platinum level?! Real or fake?!"
"Genius..."
The whispers spread, and fascination was written on every face.
Being able to stand out from hundreds of thousands of magic apprentices, they can be regarded as the best among ordinary people, but looking at this platinum-level powerhouse in his twenties, they can't help but show envy, and lament that their aura is still as low as an ant in front of the real powerhouses.
However, the voices of discussion were not all filled with envy, there was also a hint of jealousy mixed in.
"Genius? It's just relying on the shadow of the ancestors," a voice said sourly, with indignation against the world written on the face of the unappreciated talent, "If I were born in the Colin family, I would be a diamond at this age at least!"
Hearing these words, the assistant teacher next to him chuckled lightly, and the look of admiration on his face was clearly a supporter of His Highness Colin.
"Diamond? Stop bragging. If you were born into the Colin family, would you come to the northern wilderness to learn magic?"
Seeing that the two young men were about to quarrel, an older assistant coach interrupted them with a low scolding.
"Okay, just say a few words, unless you want to get out of here."
Hearing this scolding, the two young teaching assistants immediately shut up and stopped talking.
Whether it was envy or jealousy, they had finally snatched the job of serving His Highness Colin from their colleagues. If you were kicked out for talking about your mentor behind his back, there would really be no place to cry.
As the top resource of Xuebang, even the most ordinary virtual environment is a rare opportunity for a teaching assistant. Even a little benefit that leaks out from it is enough to pull their humble souls out of the dust and rewrite their destiny in this life and the next.
In addition to the great value contained in the virtual realm itself, they also heard that His Highness Colin was extremely generous to the people around him.
If you really get some benefits from the virtual realm, and His Highness just doesn’t like it, if you don’t protect it, you will be advantageous in the end!
· Driven by this huge profit, almost every assistant coach is full of enthusiasm for the job at hand, and they can't wait to show off in front of His Highness Colin immediately.
Of course, having said that, not everyone is optimistic about the research on Void Realm No. 440.
Although the development level of this virtual world is very low, the difficulty is not low at all. It is entirely possible to work hard and get nothing in the end.
Two experienced-looking teaching assistants walked together and talked in very soft voices, feeling a little worried about the youth of tutor Colin.
"His Royal Highness Colin's strength is impeccable, but I feel that his qualifications are still too low... Moreover, has he ever engaged in virtual realm research?"
Another teaching assistant shook his head slightly.
"That His Highness has just come to Xuebang for only two months. How could he have studied the virtual realm... I'm afraid this is his first time coming into contact with this thing."
The experienced teaching assistant sighed softly.
"I hope he is ready, this Void Realm No. 440 is no joke. Not only did the last Keynes instructor in charge here not make any progress, but he also suffered the backlash of the Void Realm due to an experimental error, and no one has woken up until now..."
These words were like a basin of cold water, poured on the heads of the hot-blooded young men, calming down their restless moods.
That heavy conversation was not only heard by the surrounding teaching assistants, but also the little female dragon Tafu who hung on Luo Yan's shoulders like a scarf. She also heard it clearly, and she suddenly made a happy popping sound from her mouth.
This kid never misses any opportunity to gloat about his misfortune, so that Luo Yan couldn't help but reflect on himself whether he did something good enough.
It was obviously a punishment, but it made this guy feel good.
Sarah walking next to Luo Yan was completely different.
Hence her keen hearing to hear all the discussions, a trace of worry flashed across her cold face, and she couldn't help but glance at His Majesty the Demon King next to her.
Luo Yan, who was walking towards the tower, didn't care at all. He just smiled lightly and gave Sara a reassuring look in return.
『I know it in my heart. 』
The resources Xue Bang granted him had only two possibilities, either simple and insignificant, or expensive but a hard nut to crack.
If there is only Professor Hector, the former situation is a high probability event. After all, Hector himself cannot get any good resources.
However, according to Corgi, Professor Hector is not the only one on the Council of Sages who is helping him fight for it. There is also a professor named Alister who is also promoting this matter. This professor is a diamond-level magician and is said to be only one step away from the Sage.
Obviously, this "quasi-sage" professor has determined that he will never be able to decipher the mystery of virtual realm No. 440, and has regarded this virtual realm as something in his pocket.
Humbling about this, Luo Yan raised an intriguing smile on his lips and whispered to himself.
“Let us see what this virtual realm is like.”
…
In the center of Corin Tower, in a wide and solemn rotunda, complex runes spread across the entire ground like a spider web, forming a huge magic circle together with the stone pillars supporting the main structure of the building.
The teaching assistant in a robe meticulously placed the magic crystals emitting light on the nodes of the magic circle.
As the last magic crystal was placed, the faint blue light instantly swept across the ground along the lines drawn by the magic crystal powder, and climbed up the magnificent stone pillars and climbed to the top of the mage tower!
Standing at the edge of the magic circle, Luo Yan looked at everything that happened in front of him with great interest, and recorded it in the crystal ball in his arms.
At this moment, a harsh buzz came from the top of the tower.
The whole space seemed to be frozen, coated with a blues filter, and fell into a strange steady state.
Sarah glanced around uneasily, pressing her right hand on the hilt of her sword, not understanding what was happening.
The huge fluctuation of magic power made her feel a little uneasy...
Tuff, who had been drifting between half-asleep and half-awake, could not sleep at all this time, and her eyes were as wide as copper bells.
"How is this...possible?!"
"How is it possible?" Luo Yan asked casually, looking at the surprised Tafu.
"Subspace... is actually subspace!" Tafu muttered to herself, with an expression of incomprehension, "Didn't you read my diary? Do you know how I came to this world!? It's unbelievable that a group of hairless monkey natives actually..."
Looking at Tafu who was struggling with inexplicable things, Luo Yan couldn't help but feel a little funny.
"Have you forgotten what you did in the Janna continent?"
"That's different! I used the lizard people's completed barrier, and... it's not the real subspace, it just uses the characteristics of the subspace to separate the Janna continent from the main world." Tafu argued stubbornly, and the tail hanging on Luo Yan's back tightened and swayed uneasily from side to side.
"Yes, but in my opinion, your great achievements are more unparalleled." Luo Yan replied casually and stretched his hand forward.
A surprising scene happened.
The air flowing in front of him seemed to turn into a viscous gel, enveloping the entire space inside the mage tower.
What surprised Luo Yan even more was that even if the air turned into a viscous colloid, it didn't seem to prevent people in it from breathing?
This incredible question did not puzzle him for a long time. As time went by, Luo Yan quickly understood the reason.
It is not that the air has turned into a viscous gel, but that the entire space and everything in the space have all turned into this viscous and soft existence.
The physical rules in the classic universe seem to have failed in this small mage tower...
Taph, who was lying on his shoulder, swallowed and whispered the shock in his heart.
"...This is incredible."
After finally completing the arrangement of the magic circle, Miller, the leader of the entire virtual realm research team, walked towards Luo Yan and said respectfully.
"Teacher, everything is ready and can be started at any time."
Luo Yan nodded, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and gave instructions calmly.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
Miller responded, respectfully took the magic scroll given by the Council from His Highness Colin, walked to the magic circle and began to chant the incantation.
The entire hall seemed to have turned into a concert scene. As Miller sang, many magicians also began to recite spells.
With the combined efforts of everyone, a vast flood-like magic power emerged in this sticky space, and flowed around the stone pillars like a whirlpool!
Suddenly, the surging magic power began to gather towards the center of the magic circle.
Under Tafu's shocked gaze, the complete and continuous space-time was actually torn open with a crack two meters high!
At the moment when the crack opened, the top-down buzzing sound suddenly disappeared, and the distorted space-time crack suddenly stabilized.
The mages standing on the magic circle changed the rhythm of casting spells. The arcs of magic were like networks woven in the air, polishing the unstable cracks into a regular-shaped lens that rippled gently like water waves.
Through the lake-like mirror, everyone saw the scene behind Virtual Realm No. 440 - it was a peaceful and pastoral scenery.
The sky is blue and the clouds are long. The farmland with thick grass and sparse seedlings is divided by the ridges of the traffic. Windmills and cooking smoke can be seen in the distance.
The "viewpoint" of everyone is located on a tall boulder, which is as high as a five-story mage tower and can overlook the entire field.
Seeing this scene in front of them, all the magicians breathed a sigh of relief, and their faces showed the joy of success.
"Is this... a success?" Luo Yan walked up to the magic circle and cast a questioning look at Miller beside him.
The latter nodded excitedly and spoke in an excited voice.
"Yes, mentor! Not only did we succeed, but we were even more successful than expected!"
Luo Yan asked with interest.
"What does it mean to be more successful than expected?"
Miller smiled shyly and answered quickly.
"Last time when Master Keynes opened the crack, our view happened to fall on the blades of the windmill... You can't imagine what we went through. Almost all the researchers who participated in the observation vomited when they went back!" Luo Yan had never heard of this, but he still keenly captured the amount of information contained in this sentence.
"Is the 'viewpoint' different every time you open the virtual realm?"
Miller hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Well, that's not the case, sometimes it's the same, sometimes it's different. Moreover, as we interfere with the virtual realm, or wait for the natural evolution of the virtual environment, our perspective will also change... There is a lot of luck in this."
Luo Yan thought for a moment and said.
"Won't changes in viewpoints have an impact on research? Take Osland for example... This time we opened the door in the countryside of the Holy City, and the next time we opened the rift, it turned into the northern wasteland."
Miller said with a smile.
"That's not the case. The change of space is a good thing for us. After all, the amount of information that can be collected from each viewpoint is limited. The refresh of the viewpoint can facilitate us to obtain more information about the world behind the virtual realm from other perspectives."
Luo Yan nodded clearly and continued to ask.
"But what if the viewpoint is refreshed to a place where there are no living creatures?"
Miller shook his head and said.
"That situation has not happened yet. The viewpoint of the Source Law School is that the existence of 'viewpoint' is inseparably related to living things - or souls. Only 'tokens' that contain huge spiritual power can be used as a medium to establish a virtual connection. In desolate places, it is almost impossible for such a medium to exist."
When he said this, he paused for a moment and continued to add.
"In fact, compared to changes in space, the most serious interference to our research is time. I don’t know if Professor Hector has mentioned it to you. The flow rate of time inside and outside the virtual realm is uneven. Only when the virtual realm channel is opened, will the time on both sides flow simultaneously!"
"And once the connection is disconnected, the time on both sides will immediately break off the parallel track. By the next reconnection, maybe a few days have passed on our side, while only a few minutes have passed in the world behind the virtual realm. Of course, it may be that only a few seconds have passed on our side, and years, or even hundreds of years have passed on that side, and it is even impossible to count... Because even the races active behind the virtual realm have undergone huge changes!"
When talking about this, Miller's tone suddenly became heavier.
"Professor Keynes, who was previously in charge of this project, tried to use the "source power" to create a "container" for himself behind the virtual realm that could accommodate the soul, and sneaked into the virtual realm to explore. However, when he was exploring deeply, the connection was suddenly disconnected, so that part of the soul was completely lost behind the virtual realm and was exiled outside of the time we know."
Luo Yan glanced at him in surprise.
"He stayed in the Void Realm?"
"To be precise, part of the soul remained in the Void Realm," Miller whispered. "Actually, we are not sure what his condition is now...I heard that his body is currently sleeping in the treatment facility of the Tower of the Great Sage, and he may wake up one day."
When he said these words, the assistant teacher named Miller obviously did not have too optimistic ideas. After all, who would put in the effort to save a magician who had disabled himself?
His "inheritance" has almost been divided up. Letting him wake up will not do any good and will only cause unclear troubles.
As for the relationship between master and disciple...
That is even more of a joke.
This is the Academy, the most ruthless place in the entire continent of Oss. In the face of that cold rationality, even the howling wind and snow seemed affectionate.
"So our main goal is to explore the mystery of this virtual realm. The secondary goal is to find the soul fragment of Professor Keynes...if he is still alive." Luo Yan tried to summarize, with an eager expression on his face.
Miller was slightly startled, nodded and said.
"It's like this..."
Just as he was speaking, the scene in the virtual world changed.
I saw groups of farmers appearing one after another in the crowded field ridges. They looked pious and walked slowly, walking towards the huge rock from all directions.
Looking at the farmers walking towards the boulder, Miller's spirit suddenly perked up and he looked at instructor Colin beside him and said excitedly.
"It seems that the time span between our connection this time and the last time we were connected is not that big! The people living in this field are still the same people back then, and even the culture and traditions have not changed much... It's time for daily worship!"
It seems that the time interval between the two openings of the Void Realm Gate is not small.
Luo Yan nodded slightly, but was thinking in his heart.
At the extreme limit, the magicians of Xuebang can even witness the rise and fall of a civilization, and even the changes of species.
Even if they are not always able to decipher something from the fragmented information.
More and more farmers gathered in front of the boulder. They seemed to regard the boulder as some kind of spiritual totem, kneeling on the ground and praying in unknown languages.
As these people came closer, the images in the virtual realm gradually became clearer, and Luo Yan finally saw with his own eyes these residents who seemed to live in another universe.
They have an outline similar to humans, with slender bodies, but they seem to have no bones. Their whole bodies are tightly woven with countless slender, octopus-like biological tentacles.
The outermost tentacles on their faces hang down like veils, and a pair of eyes with no pupils hidden in the depths can be vaguely seen.
They were fish-like eyes, wide open and lifeless, as if they were staring at the bottomless abyss with all their strength.
"Solipsi! Humanoid octopus walking on the earth! According to the clues studied by Professor Keynes, the local residents seem to regard this huge stone as some kind of spiritual totem... It's really surprising. I didn't expect that we would meet again, and this time it is directly attached to the "holy stone" they pray to!"
Miller said excitedly. He stared at the pair of lifeless but fanatical eyes, as if he wanted to carve the image of this pilgrimage into his mind.
The magician next to him was the same, his face was full of excitement, and he was whispering to his colleagues next to him.
Being able to meet the same group of people in the same virtual realm without even a major shift in space is undoubtedly the best situation for magicians who study virtual realms.
This means that their previous research can be carried over without having to start over from the beginning.
Looking at the faces covered with tentacles, Luo Yan touched his chin thoughtfully, but his attention was focused on the point that no one cared about.
"...They don't seem to be good at farming, no wonder few seedlings survive in the land."
Miller was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting that His Highness Colin would focus on such an insignificant matter.
He hesitated for a moment and spoke.
"Is there any problem with this?"
Luo Yan smiled lightly and said in a casual tone.
"It's nothing, but don't you find it strange? A race that is not good at farming has developed a standard farming civilization and invented a convenient grinding tool like a windmill. I really can't imagine that they have so much wheat to grind, and looking at their shape, I even think they are more suitable for living in the sea than on land."
"You mean...they were put here?"
Luo Yan nodded.
"It's just a guess. Haven't you studied along this line of thinking before?"
If they were placed here, it means that behind this picturesque pastoral, there is actually another scenery hidden by them that they did not see.
Miller scratched the back of his head and said embarrassedly.
"Well, we are generally more inclined to study the extraordinary power system behind the virtual realm and the virtual realm itself, but rarely have a deep understanding of the life that appears in the virtual realm... After all, the interaction we can have with the virtual realm is limited, and maybe they will become something else the next time we open the door. Even if we understand their history, it will be meaningless."
That is not necessarily the case.
Luo Yan smiled meaningfully, but did not explain further. He just dismissed the topic lightly, looked at him and continued.
"What now? Is there anything else we can do besides watching them pray to a broken stone?" Miller said carefully.
"Of course not. During the process of these aborigines praying, the source power floating in the virtual realm will gather towards the stone. According to the speculation of the Source Law School...this spontaneous prayer behavior may be one of the reasons why the virtual realm channel can be established."
"Leave aside these complicated theories, the source power they attached to the stone can be used by us, especially when they don't know how to use this power!"
This sounds a bit like the power of faith.
Luo Yan glanced to the side, and Youyou nodded slightly towards him, obviously agreeing with his guess - the energy attached to the boulder is neither magic nor source power, but the purest and original power of faith!
The reason why the magicians of Xuebang can use this power to improve their soul levels is actually the same way as the promotion of their believers through godhood.
It's just that the two methods of calling the power of faith are different. The magicians in these academic countries don't seem to realize that they are actually playing the role of gods in another world.
"Do you have any good suggestions?" Luo Yan turned his attention to Miller and asked this researcher who has rich experience in exploring virtual realms.
The latter hesitated for a moment and then spoke.
"Following the general practice of professors, we will extract some items from the virtual realm that are not very eye-catching but have "virtual realm substances" attached to them. These virtual realm substances often contain things that can break through the bottleneck of the soul level... Taking this virtual realm as an example, the only things that meet the requirements are the tributes offered by the villagers."
Even the rotten tributes contain a certain degree of power of faith. Luo Yan asked Youyou to make a rough estimate. The rotten fruits and vegetables in a backpack could probably upgrade an ordinary person's soul to the black iron level.
To be honest, this is too little.
He can gather the power of faith by simply scaring a few more advanced adventurers.
Looking at Prince Colin who was not interested, Miller paused for a moment and continued in a low voice.
"Of course, there is another way, which is the method used by Teacher Keynes... that is to explore the virtual world itself. Whether it is making a container to hold the soul and placing it behind the virtual world, or communicating with the talented aborigines through dreams, these are all possible methods. But IMHO, there does not seem to be much in this world worth learning. In terms of farming skills alone, they are even better than "I understand." Luo Yan nodded, his eyes still fixed on the scene in the lens, "It seems we have to do something."
"Yes," Miller nodded and whispered nervously, "If you don't have an idea, you don't have to make a decision right away. We can be more cautious and start with observation and recording..."
Although this virtual realm does not belong to him, he is a stakeholder after all. If this virtual realm were compared to a bicycle, then he would be the passenger sitting on this bicycle.
However, Luo Yan would not be polite to them. As a demon king from hell, he not only had to ride hard, he also had to stand up and kick!
It’s Xuebang’s shared bicycles anyway.
"No idea? Who said I don't have an idea? I just have one..."
Ignoring Miller, who suddenly became nervous, Luo Yan gave his first order in an unquestionable tone.
"Use the power accumulated on the stone tablet to give them a good harvest!"