Chapter 1521: Chapter 1519: The Great Exploration Project
"Later it was discovered that the carrying capacity of the Floating City was far from sufficient to meet the demand, and none of the Floating City’s owners were willing to support it so vigorously," the old man continued. "The initiators of the plan had no choice but to change their approach, manufacturing on the spot, and constantly digging downward to an unimaginable depth to accommodate the structures and Magic Runes."
"So how deep is this well exactly?" Richard asked.
"Well, how should I put it, you could understand it as the depth of this well has actually surpassed the definition of ’deep.’"
"Huh?"
"This well has been dug through the entire world."
"Dug through?"
"Yes, dug through it." Feeling that Richard might not fully understand, the old man picked up the diamond-encrusted silver cup on the table and said, "It’s like digging from the rim of the cup all the way to the bottom and even breaking through the bottom."
Richard, who had been somewhat unsure, immediately understood the old man’s meaning upon hearing this.
He had previously wondered why the city in the imagery was located so far to the north. Now it seemed it might be situated at the North Pole of the planet where the Plane was located. The initiators of the plan likely started from the North Pole, excavating along the planet’s axis straight down to the South Pole, creating a passage through the planet.
The amount of work... the numerous challenges that needed to be overcome... just thinking about it is astonishing. No wonder even in the Ancient Wizard Civilization World, it was called the Great Exploration Plan, and no wonder it attracted so much attention.
"Do you understand?" the old man looked over and said, "The initiators of the plan were this radical, but I think if he knew what happened afterward, he might change his mind."
Richard heard this, raised his eyebrow, and speculated, "Could it be that something unexpected happened after the plan was executed?"
"No." Just after saying that, Richard shook his head, negating his own answer, and corrected with a somewhat heavy expression, "It must be more serious. After all, Mr. Gao Ge, you were showing me the imagery to explain why the Ancient Wizard Civilization World became what it is today.
So the ’Great Exploration Plan’ about to begin in the imagery definitely didn’t just have a minor accident; it must have been a disaster—a disaster significant enough to affect the entire civilization’s progress, otherwise, it wouldn’t have showcased such significance. Could it be that the connected Plane was completely different from the ones explored previously?
According to your account, Mr. Gao Ge, the Ancient Wizard Civilization, aside from encountering setbacks initially, developed quite smoothly thereafter. The Ancient Wizard Civilization didn’t favor slaughter, but that doesn’t mean others don’t. They might have either not encountered such a threat or, when encountered, it was so small that it quickly assimilated without much trouble.
If so, once the Ancient Wizard Civilization explores a new Plane that harbors another powerful, slaughter-loving civilization with a completely different developmental direction, it would undoubtedly incur great losses. And if they cannot respond in time, it’s not surprising that destruction could occur."
In the end, Richard looked at the old man and asked, "Is that the case, Mr. Gao Ge?"
The old man listened and smiled lightly, "Ah, young friend, I have to admit that you’re truly excellent, with a rare foresight. Even if you were born in the era of the Ancient Wizard Civilization, you would not be ordinary, perhaps even one of the top leaders of civilization. Your guess is quite close to the truth, yet... there are still some differences."
"Differences?"
"Yes." The old man lowered his gaze, "If it were as you guessed, encountering another equally warlike civilization as the Ancient Wizard Civilization, losing disastrously would not have led to destruction in such a short time—conquests take time, especially one Plane at a time. As for what the truth really is, it’s hard for me to put into words for you, so let’s continue watching the imagery."
With that, the old man struck the table once more with the golden cane.
Richard looked up to see the previously frozen image suddenly start moving again with a crisp "bang," and the imagery continued.
...
The world in the imagery.
In the center of a dream-like Strange City, the enormous plaza was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, including the sky above.
Everyone’s gaze was focused on the black hole-like Deep Well in the center of the plaza, as if trying to see through to the other side.
A hubbub, noise, and discussion were endless.
But when a man in a Blue Robe stepped onto the plaza and approached the Deep Well, it was as if influenced by some strange force, and the entire scene went silent, so quiet you could only hear the wind.
Clearly, the man in the Blue Robe was the initiator of the ’Great Exploration Plan.’ His appearance signaled that the ’Great Exploration Plan’ was about to begin, marking a historical moment.
This made everyone a bit excited.
The other humanoid beings felt the same.
The Goblin was biting its finger hard, the Minotaur was snorting steam from its nostrils, the Ghost Fire in the Skull’s eye sockets was almost overflowing, the Elf’s face was taut...
A Centaur on the Floating City had already been standing at the edge, yet still leaned out, one leg already hanging in the air, with only the other leg supporting it, and its eyes were wide open...
The man in the Blue Robe felt similarly. His right eyelid was twitching rapidly due to excessive excitement.
With his eyelid twitching, the man in the Blue Robe walked to the edge of the Deep Well’s mouth. With a wave of his hand, he drew a more than one-meter-long bronze Magic Wand from the air.
Without any superfluous speech, the man in the Blue Robe, under many eyes, gripped the Magic Wand with both hands and shouted out, "Everyone, let’s welcome a brand-new era of exploration!"
"Bang!"
With that said, the Magic Wand fell heavily, striking the ground, and a golden light spread, quickly activating the surrounding Magic Runes.
The Magic Runes lit up, transmitting their glow along the lines into the Deep Well, constantly extending down the well walls, further and further.
The equipment components in the Deep Well were activated one after another, beginning to function, and soon continuous rumbling was heard from the Deep Well.
This continued for about ten minutes, and after the rumbling ceased, it was replaced by a sound similar to the rush of water.
It seemed as if the Deep Well had turned into a fountain, with underground water pressured to surge up to the surface.
"Woosh—woosh—woosh—"
The sound grew louder and louder, and eventually, with a "swish," something indeed surged out, but it wasn’t water, it was deep purple light.
The deep purple light burst from the Deep Well but didn’t travel far, stopping less than a meter above the well’s mouth, crashing heavily into the air.
The surrounding space vibrated rapidly as continuous tiny space rifts emerged, and under intense energy, with a "boom," a Space Hole was opened and stabilized firmly.
