As two weeks slowly passed, reports from wizards stationed in the north indicated that the spaceti node remained sealed, with no anomalies surfacing.
This was undoubtedly good news. Raphael had successfully delayed the advance of the undead as anticipated, securing ample ti for preparations.
The council spent three and a half months constructing a three-kiloter-long protective bastion, blocking the valley's entrances and deploying over three hundred thousand troops in the northern territories, equipped with various modern weapons ready to counter any invasion.
Preparations for the foreign war had also reached their final phase.
Nearly seventy percent of the council's wizards had arrived at the encampnts outside the valley. A massive protective barrier enveloped the entire valley, with fifteen Solar Cannons aid towards the spaceti gate—this was one of the council's greatest trump cards.
Each Solar Cannon could unleash the "Atomic Breath" three tis at its limit, its formidable power enough to instill fear in any legendary being.
Even with several presiding council mbers combining their efforts, entering this valley was not guaranteed safe exit.
Their opponent, a long-standing god who had devoured multiple worlds, was a higher-dinsional being beyond comprehension, and no one could confidently claim that these preparations would suffice.
"Unfortunately, there's still not enough ti to transport all the magic cannons and armored vehicles here," said Sanchez, the coordinator, regretfully.
Though the council had promptly constructed a railway to facilitate transportation, the trains' capacity was ultimately limited. After three months, it was still insufficient, leading Sanchez to suggest perhaps waiting a bit longer.
Given the ti disparity between the two locations, if Raphael and his team could hold out for two more days, they could gain an additional half month of preparation.
Although Lynn felt pressed for ti, after so thought, he shook his head. "Master Raphael and the other wizards venturing into the foreign lands have completed their tasks; what remains is for us to handle."
"Moreover, we need defenses elsewhere too. If we concentrate all our strength here and the enemy suddenly attacks through another spaceti gate, the consequences could be severe," Lynn stated gravely.
Sanchez imagined that scenario and imdiately quieted down, then complained about the massive laboratory Lynn had him build in the north, where over a third of the council's labor had been wasted.
Harof had once asked him to turn the entire valley into a gigantic trap, a project that was only half-complete to date.
"By the way, how's the particle collider lab coming along? Is it finished?" Lynn asked expectantly.
"It was completed ten days ago; didn't you have those alchemists co over to inspect it already?" replied Sanchez, puzzled.
The laboratory Lynn needed covered several kiloters, requiring as much work as the protective walls, yet its purpose remained a mystery to him.
"That's because constructing the site was only the first step. You'll know what it's for soon enough!" Lynn said mysteriously.
Sanchez had to curb his curiosity since they were about to open the spaceti gate to allow Lydia and others to join Raphael's exploration team in the foreign realm, and they couldn't afford to be distracted.
The wait wasn't long as a silver fighter jet soon appeared in the distant sky.
To accommodate the two airships assisting from behind, Lydia did not engage supersonic mode. Nonetheless, her jet's incredible speed and sleek design left Sanchez in awe, who was witnessing a jet for the first ti.
The jet decelerated smoothly for landing, parking alongside the two massive airships on a specially constructed runway.
Dennis and others imdiately approached to perform final checks and replaced the magic stones that powered the alchemical arrays inside the engines to ensure energy supply in foreign domains.
"Looks like your flying skills have improved significantly, Lydia!" Lynn approached the half-elf girl as she opened her cockpit, smiling.
Her performance during the initial test flight was comndable, but signs of unfamiliarity with take-offs, landings, and cruising were still evident.
"Of course!" Lydia replied proudly, having practiced intensely for up to ten hours a day over the past two weeks.
Such training was extre; flying at triple the speed of sound put imnse pressure on her body. Had Lydia not been a wizard with the robust constitution of a half-elf, she might not have endured it.
Still, she needed to consu potions to heal her body after each session.
Lynn turned to the senior wizards responsible for the spaceti gate, instructing them to open the sealed node. He then looked solemnly at Lydia.
"Be careful once you're inside, Lydia! The link to the magical network will be severed, and you'll be on your own."
"If you find it's too dangerous, withdraw imdiately. Your safety is just as important, understood?" he continued to instruct.
"Don't worry, I'll complete the mission!" Lydia cheerily saluted.
Lynn shook his head, handed her three crafted alchemical items, and explained their effects.
Since the magical network would be inaccessible
in foreign domains, Lydia, who relied on it for reconnaissance spells, would lose her ability to locate enemies from high altitudes.
These alchemical items could substitute for the network's functions, allowing specific spells to be cast—one even aid to help Lydia locate Raphael and his team in the foreign realm.
After Lydia secured the items and understood their usage, she closed the cockpit, ready to depart.
The sealed spaceti gate opened, its diater growing rapidly beyond forty ters. Magic energy surged from the fluctuating node, sweeping up small stones and sand.
Lydia activated the jet's thrusters, shouting, "Charge!"
A long trail of flas shot from the massive rear nozzle, propelling the jet toward the surging spaceti gate, with the two airships wobbling into it as well.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly," Sanchez murmured as he watched the airships disappear from view.
Once through the spaceti gate, the connection between the two worlds severed, leaving them with nothing to do but wait.
Lynn quickly shifted his focus. "Co on, take to the newly built lab to have a look!"
With others watching, two more or two fewer made no difference, especially since Lydia's rescue mission's duration was uncertain. If it lasted an hour here, that equated to a full seven hours there.
Ti could not be wasted!
Sanchez nodded, leading Lynn towards the valley's outskirts, where the collision lab wasn't far from the fortress.
It was strategically placed for easy personnel movent and to monitor the spaceti gate's activity.
Five minutes later, they stepped into the vast lab, its interior as bare and spacious as seen from outside, but the massive circular device at the center imdiately caught Sanchez's attention.
It was a long tube, almost endless, encircled by rings of mithril extending to the horizon, each ring engraved with dense alchemical runes.
"How's it looking, can this thing operate now?" Lynn asked the busy alchemists.
"As per your instructions, the electromagnetic drive array is set up, but we haven't run any tests yet!" the lead alchemist replied.
"Is this for launching an electromagnetic cannon?" Sanchez curiously inquired.
In his experience, electromagnetic drive arrays were primarily used for electromagnetic weaponry.
After several improvents by the council's archwizards, the latest railguns could reach speeds over fifteen tis the speed of sound, possessing terrifying destructive power capable of piercing steel plates over half a ter thick, leaving nothing but dust and bones on impact.
Yet, even then, the rails used for launching were only about seven ters long. This ti, Lynn had escalated the setup to a multi-kiloter electromagnetic accelerator, hinting at a projectile's speed and power that could be truly fearso.
Lynn chuckled, then explained, "This is an electromagnetic cyclotron, used for accelerating particles!"
"Accelerating particles?" Sanchez furrowed his brows, puzzled.
"Exactly!" Lynn nodded. "Our current understanding of atomic structure is purely speculative, based on Rutherford's alpha scattering experint. The simplest way to verify this hypothesis is by smashing them open to see what's inside."
"However, since atoms repel each other due to their negative charges, reaching the necessary speeds to overco this atomic repulsion and successfully collide them is essential," Lynn elaborated.
His true goal wasn't just to study the atomic structure but to discover antimatter.
Utilizing high-speed particles to crack open elents and investigate their composition was an ingenious idea that left Sanchez astounded, yet it seed plausible.
Lynn wasted no ti, activating his domain. Since the lab was constructed so hastily that even vacuum tubes were unavailable, magic had to substitute for so of the equipnt's functions.
The alchemists imdiately got to work, using magic to control a stream of particles into the accelerator's track.
Within a second, Lynn activated the switch with his Mage Hand. Under the powerful electromagnetic forces, the particle stream began accelerating rapidly along the kiloters-long track, circling continuously.
With each half-circle, its speed increased by a thousand kiloters per second, causing slight deviations from the track due to the added velocity, its trajectory resembling a spiral vortex, ever-increasing in speed.
At such velocities, successfully colliding and splitting the atomic nucleus was highly probable!
Lynn focused all his attention on the particle stream, but its swift speed soon surpassed his sensory limits. Despite his concentration, he could only discern a fleeting trace as the particles zood by.
After fifty circuits, its speed had surpassed thirty thousand kiloters per second, roughly one-tenth the speed of light, pushing the limits of their capabilities.
The particle stream reached the target track successfully, crossing it at an incredibly fast speed in a fraction of a second!
Lynn tensed, then shook his head in disappointnt. "Missed, unfortunately."
"Let's double the particle stream this ti!" he instructed the alchemists, who imdiately complied, doubling the particle count to four thousand. Yet, hitting the target at such high speeds still required so luck due to
their minuscule size.
Fortunately, for wizards, capturing atoms for experintation wasn't challenging, given their ample material resources.
Lynn was incredibly patient; nearly four hours and about thirty failed attempts didn't deter him.
However, for Sanchez and others, who were uncertain of the thod's viability, the ordeal was becoming torturous, even leading them to doubt whether the approach of smashing atoms was truly feasible.
Just then, Lynn's expression suddenly changed as he concentrated his domain on the collision point.
Sanchez's face also showed intense astonishnt. Though his sensory abilities were significantly weaker than Lynn's, he had focused intensely on the targets.
And now, one of those targets had vanished from his perception.
The alchemists also stared intently at the collision point. While micro-particles were invisible to the naked eye and barely detectable even by legendary wizards, Lynn had cleverly surrounded the collision point with a cloud chamber.
Like the early experints monitoring alpha particles, the high-speed particles bursting through dense water vapor drew clear trails of mist... resembling a blossom of fog unfurling in the void.
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