Translator: SumTLMan
“Since that day, this formation has not been activated for a thousand years,” Shadow said with a hint of emotion, “If it weren’t for Gami, Gao, and Gmiao telling me, I wouldn’t have known that the Kulakuka tribe’s territory could be accessed from here.”
As Shadow mentioned Gami, Gao, and Gmiao, the three dark-skinned Kulakuka people jumped onto Shadow’s body one by one in the order he called their names, their green eyes shining brightly, each striking a shy pose.
“So, the place they usually go to is the Middle World?” Angel asked, pointing to the three.
“Yes, their home is there.”
“Does the entire Kulakuka tribe possess the talent for ‘opening doors’?” Angel was curious; if so, the Kulakuka tribe would not have nearly been exterminated.
Shadow shook his head: “As far as I know, the ‘door-opening’ talent of the Kulakuka tribe was implanted into their bloodline by Black Castle wizard who saved them… Passed down from generation to generation, now about 10% of the Kulakuka people have the ability to open doors.”
Angel’s eyes were filled with astonishment. How advanced was Black Castle wizard from a thousand years ago to implant such talent into an entire race’s bloodline, even altering the genes of their descendants?
Shadow continued with emotion: “However, although many Kulakuka people possess the ability to open doors, the war a thousand years ago completely disillusioned them with humans. Almost no Kulakuka person would voluntarily open a door back to the surface world. Gami and the others happened to join Sky Mechanical City by chance.”
“I can sense that they have magical power within them; they should already be at the level of a first-level apprentice, right?” As Angel said this, there was a hint of inquiry in his eyes: “Why don’t you let them help you activate this magical energy formation?”
“Because of their tribal code. The Kulakuka’s tribal code prohibits any Kulakuka person from bringing humans into their territory, otherwise, they will be regarded as traitors and permanently exiled by the Kulakuka tribe.” Shadow did not want to put the three brothers in a difficult position, “Telling me the location of this magical energy formation is already on the edge of violating their tribal code. I don’t want to make them permanent sinners in the Kulakuka tribe.”
Angel understood, but he still had some doubts: If they couldn’t bring humans into the Kulakuka’s territory, did that mean the Kulakuka still harbored hatred for humans? Also, had the Middle World been occupied by the Kulakuka tribe, becoming a forbidden area for humans?
Angel voiced his doubts.
Shadow gave a mysterious smile: “You will know the answers to these questions once you enter.”
There were ten activation points for the magical energy formation. Shadow stretched out puppet strings from his fingers, manipulating the puppets to stand in their respective positions. He also stood at an activation point, leaving only the last position, where Shadow gestured for Angel to stand.
Instead of moving, Angel asked, “I can help you activate the magical energy formation, but you’ve been vague about what you want me to do besides opening this formation. What exactly do you want me to do later?”
In the morning, Shadow’s proposal had intrigued Angel, but when he asked what he was supposed to do, Shadow only said, “Activate the formation, with further details to be determined.”
“To be determined” made Angel feel apprehensive about the unknown. Although Shadow repeatedly emphasized there was no danger and even vowed that he was not lying, Angel still did not fully trust him. It was like when Jon made hotpot during his childhood, smiling and waving at him, saying, “It’s not spicy; eat as much as you want.” Jon wasn’t lying, as he defined “spicy” based on his own standards.
Thus, before activating the formation, Angel needed to understand the subsequent situation. He would decide for himself whether it was dangerous or not.
When it came to the crucial moment to activate the formation, Angel remained unmoved despite Shadow’s persuasion. In the end, Shadow had no choice but to reveal the purpose of the trip: “I want to go to the Inner World, the true location of Black Castle. I need to obtain something there.”
“You’re planning to steal something from Black Castle?”
“Not stealing, it originally belonged to us, but an old witch took it away. Now that the old witch has left, only her apprentices remain in Black Castle, and I intend to take back what belongs to us.” A gleam flashed in Shadow’s eyes.
“Our belonging?” Angel was puzzled.
“I mean, it belongs to my mentor. But my mentor said that as long as I can get it, it’s mine!”
Angel gave Shadow a faint smile and turned away: “I won’t get involved in this. Goodbye!”
Stealing something from a large-scale wizard organization’s stronghold? What a joke! That’s not how one seeks death!
“Don’t go!” Shadow hurriedly stopped Angel, looking at him sincerely: “I know what you’re worried about. I promise you, it’s the real Black Castle. Although it has a deep connection with Black Castle wizard organization, it’s actually just the old witch’s cultivation site—a black castle perpetually shrouded in dark clouds and lightning. There are no other wizards, no irrelevant people, just a few apprentices who can be crushed with one hand.”
“That won’t work. I don’t believe you don’t know how terrifying a wizard’s stronghold can be.” Angel recalled how, when Sanders was constructing the magical garden, the entire Phantom Island was heavily guarded, and any creature without a permit that set foot on Phantom Island would be immediately sliced in half.
Every wizard builds their sanctuary with the utmost vigilance, and outsiders attempting to break in would face countless traps and defenses!
“Don’t worry, all wizard-level mechanisms in Black Castle have been shut down, and I fear nothing regarding non-wizard-level mechanisms!” Shadow assured, patting his chest.
“No official wizards, no wizard-level mechanisms, just wizard apprentices—where can you find such a good deal in this world? Besides, how did you learn about all this?” Angel crossed his arms and leisurely looked at Shadow.
Shadow hesitated for a while before finally sighing: “Fine, I’ll tell the truth. This is a test my mentor gave me. He reached an agreement with the old witch of Black Castle, and they won’t interfere with my actions. As long as I get that item in the end, it’s mine.”
“I’m telling the truth; I can swear by the World Will.”
Angel pondered for a moment. Although there were many ambiguities in Shadow’s words, Shadow probably wasn’t the kind of person who would willingly seek death. He must have seen some hope, which is why he was willing to take a gamble.
“What do you need me to do?”
Shadow showed a hint of awkwardness: “Actually, I haven’t thought it through. I initially just wanted you to help me activate the teleportation formation. However, later I felt that your abilities were quite good, and perhaps you could assist me in Black Castle, but I’m not sure exactly how. Since I’ve never been to Black Castle, I have no idea what the situation is like there.”
“Let’s go with your original idea then. I’ll help you activate the teleportation formation, and I won’t be involved in anything else.” Angel finished speaking and stepped into the final activation position.
Shadow extended his hand, wanting to say something. But after hesitating for a while, he slowly lowered his hand, not saying anything, and returned to the activation position.
Under Shadow’s command, everyone simultaneously released their magical power, awakening the magical energy formation that had slumbered for a thousand years.
A series of brilliant lights blossomed slowly from the rune patterns of the magical energy formation, eventually forming a dazzling circle of light that enveloped everyone.
Angel closed his eyes as he followed the brilliant light, feeling as though he had passed through a thin membrane. When the light disappeared and he opened his eyes again…
The scene before him had not changed; it was still the small cave with the magical energy pattern on the ground.
Had the magical energy formation failed? Had they not entered the Middle World?
No! There was a change!
Angel closed his eyes and sensed the atmosphere around him… The corrupting aura had disappeared, and although the air was murky, it did not have any uncomfortable scents mixed in.
“This is Middle World,” Shadow walked over from the side, holding a gauge in his hand, “the concentration of primordial magic in the air is nearly one-third stronger than in the outer world.”
Angel closed his eyes to sense the concentration of primordial magic, and indeed, it was denser than in the outer world.
As Shadow spoke, he explained to Angel: “This is just the Middle World. In the Inner World, the concentration of primordial magic will increase again, probably reaching double that of the outer world.”
Higher concentrations of primordial magic were of no use to them, as apprentices converted magic at a much slower rate than they absorbed primordial magic. Sometimes, excessive absorption of primordial magic could lead to emotional surges and problems with their mental space.
Only formal wizards with a high conversion rate would enjoy environments with high concentrations of primordial magic.
Shadow left the puppet in the small cave, and then he noticed that Angel had also followed the puppet to sit on one side of the cave, his face showing helplessness: “Aren’t you going to go out and take a look? Even if you’re only responsible for activating the magical energy formation, don’t you have any curiosity about the Middle World? You should know that this is a unique feature of Fairytale World.”
…
Shadow’s words convinced Angel.
Even if Angel did not want to get involved in the affairs of Shadow, he was still very interested in the Middle World and the territory of the Kurakuka tribe.
So, Shadow and Angel left the cave where the magical formation was inscribed and walked outside.
As they walked, Shadow began to speak about the secrets of the subsidiary planes.
Fairytale World is a subsidiary plane. Its origin, like other subsidiary planes, is produced through plane fusion.
Plane fusion sometimes occurs when a strong plane actively devours a weaker plane due to various reasons. At other times, a weaker plane might have no choice but to approach a stronger plane and actively seek fusion.
After the fusion, the weaker plane would be cleared of most high-energy lifeforms by the stronger plane, and only when it was safe for the main world would these weaker planes be incorporated into the stronger plane’s world, becoming subsidiary planes.
Just as people have myriad personalities, planes also have myriad patterns. There are gaseous planes, liquid planes, or even vacuum planes, all of which are diverse. Although the fused weaker planes are subordinate to the stronger planes, their basic laws will gradually be assimilated by the stronger planes, but their unique characteristics will remain.
These unique plane traits contribute to the diversity and complexity of the subsidiary planes.
For example, the Radiant World, another subsidiary plane of the Wizarding World, has the unique characteristic of being eternally daylit without night and having fixed star trajectories. As long as one is in the Radiant World, the sun will never set, and because of its fixed star trajectories, it is the ideal sanctuary for all wizards who study astrology.
The unique feature of Fairytale World is that it has three layers: the Surface World, the Middle World, and the Inner World. The rules of the three worlds are different, and the amount of primordial magic they contain also varies.