Chapter 229 Teleport, ocean
The world was gradually recovering after the demon attack, and now it was time to slowly take over the market – that was Adam and Amarantha's plan, who, after extensive discussions, decided to gradually crush their competitors. Thanks to Amarantha becoming stronger, they gained much more power, along with a significantly larger number of subordinates ready to help them in any matter.
Regarding the competition, Adam and his team were not overly concerned, as Branks Company, which posed the most significant threat to them, had recently been in a challenging situation. Due to a series of accusations against them, they had to remain silent for some time, enter a passive state, and gradually erase traces of their criminal activities, which, in turn, had a significant impact on the ongoing war between them and Veridia Company.
After the move, a week passed, and during this time, Adam and his group managed to address many internal issues of the company and approve numerous new projects, including funding research on gaming devices based on magical energy. This endeavor required a considerable amount of time and money for testing.
The most crucial part was missing – the electronic components complex and, of course, the central processor that was supposed to oversee everything. Not to mention that in this world, technology was intertwined with magic, and electricity had not even been invented, creating a significant obstacle to the creation of gaming devices.
Lighting a cigarette, Adam watched as a group of engineers tried to understand his plans and somehow approximate what he wanted, but it was challenging for them. Despite the illustrations, people in this world had no understanding of how electricity worked, let alone the processor. Mostly, everything was replaced by magic.
Want to illuminate the city with lamps? Dude, then you need to use a lamp! How to create it? Very simple – obtain a magical stone from beasts or dungeons, then engrave symbols on it, which will act as conductors of magical energy, thus powering the stone with external magical energy from the air, making it glow.
It was simple and convenient, with no need for wires or anything else. Therefore, for Adam, who wanted to earn as much money as possible, the gaming device project could bring in a considerable amount of funds.
"Well, for now, it's just an idea. We need to wait until they at least have an idea of what it is..." he thought and shook his head, exiting the laboratory.
He was in an underground complex built beneath the city of Sedyon, secretly from everyone. Here, important documents were mainly stored, and various experiments were conducted. He sighed and walked out into the corridor, closing the door behind him.
The underground complex was enormous, even surpassing the city of Sedyon in size, and a considerable amount of money had been spent on its construction. However, it served as a base for him in emergencies and a place where he could cultivate future talents. After students graduated from Sedyon's school with excellent results, they would come here to train in their strong suits. On paper, it was a training center, so there were no loud announcements about it.
"Keep your back straight, maintain magical energy on a single flow! At attention!" echoed a rough male voice with hints of authority.
"Huh? Training is happening now?" Adam thought.
He pushed the door and entered the training hall. There were students extremely talented in hand-to-hand combat and magical energy. They were trained in boxing and other sports, while the best teachers taught them magic. Thus, more than twenty teenagers were at the C+ level and ready to fight in case of a military conflict.
"Looks like newcomers. Their magical energy is very weak and unstable, and their bodies are thin," Adam thought and closed the door. He smiled, "Well, of course, we need to give them time, and then these kids can grow into real soldiers who won't fear death. Why do I feel like I've become some kind of villain..."
A week later, in Adam's castle garden.
"This..."
Today was a completely ordinary day for Adam – he was just relaxing since handing over the city to a trusted person, he had a lot of free time. During his leisure, he went out to the courtyard and noticed a small portal, 150 cm in length and 130 cm in width.
It didn't look like those demon portals; rather, it resembled teleport portals in games about a demon terrorizing the world.
"What is this doing in the garden?" he muttered, not understanding what was going on. He squinted and looked around, looking for any servants, but there was no one in the garden. "I need to call Amarantha... she understands these things better than I do."
The man took out a token and poured magical energy into it when suddenly the portal expanded and took the form of a dome, sucking Adam inside, who was watching all of this with an expression on his face, "What, again?". After a prolonged dizziness, he lost consciousness.
***
The gentle scent of the sea breeze penetrated Adam's nostrils, reaching his magical channels, and bringing with it an unusual freshness and invigoration. Beneath him, he felt the soft and warm sand, which simultaneously warmed him and provided a pleasant comfort, as if he were in the embrace of nature itself.
In the distance, faint whispers of waves were heard, intertwining with mysterious rustlings from the coastal taiga. Unfamiliar and incomprehensible voices, like the language of nature itself, filled the air with mystery and an undiscovered world.
"Again, I've stepped into some incomprehensible mess..." he thought, gradually opening his eyes. His body felt as if he had run a marathon across all of Asia without taking a break. The first thing he saw, upon opening his eyes, was the clear blue sky without a single cloud, and only the bright sun was the sole celestial object visible across the entire sky.
Turning his head, he saw that he was on a beach, where the water either approached him, almost reaching his hands, which he couldn't move, or receded, taking sand into the ocean. The water was turquoise, and its smell was pleasant and refreshing.
"Did I end up in the Maldives?" he thought cynically, turning his head from side to side, trying to understand where he had ended up. "I don't know of any place like this, besides... the sea is too far from Sedyon. It's like the USA and Japan, so far apart. Moreover, the fact that I ended up here doesn't always mean something good."
Mermaids, sirens, and other types of sea creatures were not part of the global alliance and did not speak the common language. They were also not among the strongest in the alliance, and according to Veronica's story, the marine people had a leader comparable in strength to her.
"Darn, what if my presence here could cause a bunch of problems? I can't even contact Amarantha; magical energy feels much heavier here, and my magical channels are almost empty. This will barely be enough to sustain my vital functions."
He sighed and patiently waited for his magical energy to start recovering on its own. It took a considerable amount of time – two days had passed since he found himself in the same position, but during this time, no one attacked him, which was a relief. And on the fourth day...
"Darn, I'm so glad to move again!" exclaimed Adam, starting a series of small stretches that helped him loosen his body, even though it didn't need it.
The man smiled very contentedly, although it didn't last very long when he discovered that his level was at the very bottom, and he could only resist even an ordinary demonic beast for a short time. Realizing this fact, he felt uneasy, so he gathered magical energy again and tried to pour it into the token, but...
"It's not working..." he muttered, frowning, returning the token to his inner pocket. Irritation crept over him, "Darn, it's so annoying. I can't contact her; something is blocking any flow of magical energy."
Adam clenched his fists and began to gradually move away from the sea. He wandered for a long time, and night had already fallen. After a few hours, when the stars shone brightly in the sky, he found a small cave and managed to squeeze through a narrow passage, ending up inside the cave.
"How narrow it is..."
The cave was extremely narrow, with a ceiling so low that it could trigger a claustrophobic panic attack. The space was just enough for him to squat, unable even to stretch his arm or move his limbs properly. However, due to these conditions, it would be much more convenient for him to fight against potential enemies, should they come visit.
The only thing he could do was immediately start meditating. Focusing his mind, he began reciting a mantra and took control of the flow of magical energy within his body – this was the main part of his meditation. The process was extremely dangerous, and if he were to lose concentration, he could bid farewell to his own life.
It was a highly risky but effective method. Being able to control such an amount of unfiltered magical energy, which felt like holding a mature elephant in your hands, could help in casting spells later on by reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
An hour passed. Through the small entrance of the cave, cold air seeped in, and from time to time, a distant growl could be heard. The area around the cave almost merged with the nearby forest, from where Adam sensed the aura of demonic creatures at C+ level and above. Venturing there was extremely dangerous, so he made the temporary decision to settle in the mountain cave.
To be continued...
R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freew𝒆(b)novel.c(o)m Only