Lassim floated in the sky above, gazing down at the newly built, sprawling buildings and residences of Amberlight City below—one of the Lightning Sect's most critical strongholds in the Southern Continent that had been the feature of Lassim's team's attack during the Sect War.
The recaptured city, heavily fortified once more with Lightning Sect controlled defensive formations, was one of the destinations that had not been shipped a Teleportation Device by Rlyis due to the sensitive nature of what had happened in the past.
Lassim approached, landing in the city center and unclipped one of the spatial storage bags from his belt, flicking his wrist as the components of the Teleportation Device materialized in neat rows before him. The towering archway pillars, adorned with intricate space elentally etched runes, stood resolute as each modular piece ca together systematically.
This was the third installation he had completed so far.
Each ti, the process was the sa—assemble, establish the spatial coordinators with the [anchor] rune, and calibrate the control system to give the gateway a na. The device itself was already perfected, requiring nothing more than assembly, manual spatial coordinate input and system network synchronization to fully activate.
Lassim moved efficiently, his fused mana seamlessly integrating with the device's frawork to charge the battery from the control console as he placed his hand against it to give it the initial boost.
The runic inscriptions ignited, flowing outward in a spiraling cascade of red Lightning and spatial distortions as he focused on the spatial fabric of the area and the archway. The air trembled as he morized and input the spatial anchor coordinates as the runes at the head of the keystone stabilized, locking itself onto the greater Teleportation Network that would soon stretch across the continent and beyond.
A deep hum resonated from the device, growing in intensity before—
WUMMMMM!
The archway's runes stabilized. The teleportation gate was fully set up.
Lassim stepped back, exhaling as he rolled his shoulders.
Three down.
Only thirty-seven more of the ones from the spatial bags to go, but even more that were already equipped and ready for his spatial attunents.
Over the course of forty-eight hours, Lassim traveled across the Southern Continent, ensuring each Teleportation Device was installed exactly where Rlyis had marked on the map. Each location had its own unique set of logistical and administrative hurdles, though none were particularly difficult for him to overco.
Most of the major sect-controlled cities and outposts had already received pre-assembled devices, which Rlyis had shipped in advance. However, due to the secrecy of their deploynt, the locations where they were stored had caused so disruptions to daily operations.
In several locations, the Teleportation Devices had been housed within sect administration halls, supply depots, or Lightning Sect-affiliated research centers of various types—each with enough space to support a large ergence of ergency fights or travelers. Yet, the installations were leading to an influx of curious disciples, officials, and rchants all attempting to figure out what the devices were for.
At Fort Black Iron, a northern fortress situated at the edge of the Endless Desert that Lassim had not yet visited, several high-ranking sect officers had attempted to delay the installation—not out of defiance, but out of a desire to have additional security formations built around it first. An astute Elder among them had a theory that it was so sort of new transportation device and wanted to be protected from whatever was going to co through.
Lassim was initially quite shocked that the Elder had figured it out all by himself, and wanted to question him on how he got to that conclusion, but ti was of the essence and Volten still hadn't spread the word on the devices yet. He instead ignored their hesitations entirely, setting up the device without incident and leaving the logistics of protection to the administrators.
At another location he was visiting for the first ti, simply nad the city Krens, the pre-assembled teleportation device had been stored in an indoor research facility affiliated with a branch of the sect's Array Masters focused on more mundane inventions to be useful for the sect.
The researchers—eager to analyze and tinker with its construction after thinking it was so stolen technology from sowhere—had nearly dismantled several components of the exterior plates before Lassim even arrived, forcing him to spend additional ti correcting their "modifications" before setting it up. Seeing a half-disassembled component on his arrival had been mildly annoying.
Through each slight deviation and minor issue, the network expanded, piece by piece. With all these installations and more, one thing beca painfully clear—people were nosy. Everywhere he went, eyes followed him.
At first, it was where fellow spirit warriors recognized his Personal Disciple robes and rely assud he was on official sect business. But then, due to the nature of his win at the Elder's Summit—whispers began to spread as the gossip followed and rumors were shared across communication discs that he was traveling insanely quickly between cities.
Lassim had known that news of his strength from the Elder Summit would travel fast, but he hadn't expected it to already reach this far, and for the general populace to take such interest in sothing so mundane as his movents.
As he was passing through the sands towards the Sandspire Village to briefly visit Vaela and setup her village's device, a group of rogue cultivators had outright fled the mont they caught sight of him, their faces pale as if they had seen a monster.
He thought the issue with the Nevaks and their now captured leader had solved the wandering rogues issue in the region, but it seed this region of her's was dood to be an ideal spot for them to instinctually gather for one reason or another.
In another city, while setting up an installation that was more public in another city center, a crowd had gathered at a distance, murmuring in hushed tones about the Lightning Sect's "Storm Crown Prodigy."
Lassim had ignored it at first, but when he entered the port city of Veyland, he found himself openly approached by several minor sect emissaries that were quite small compared to the hegemony of the Lightning Sect. They were at least still reasonable enough for attracting disciples of their elents within the continent, but all of them had sohow learned of his movents.
"Honored Personal Disciple of Volten of the Lightning Sect," one of them had addressed him formally, bowing slightly, "our Elders extend their regards and would like to discuss possible… cooperation opportunities. Please co join us for a drink. It would be our pleasure to host the great and mighty Lassim Rohese Vanthar."
Lassim had barely stepped into the city and people were already trying to negotiate alliances.
He sighed.
So this is what Volten ant. By delaying the reveal of his Teleportation Network, Volten had ensured that Lassim's personal reputation would spread first—his sheer combat prowess overshadowing any technological advancents for the ti being. The fear felt by the enemies and the respect gained towards like-minded individuals was the exact kind of display of power Volten ntioned when he explained his reasoning.
And now, it was having an likely intended side effect that Volten didn't bother wasting ti explaining.
Everywhere he went, his na preceded him.
By the ti he reached the final location, Lassim had begun tuning out the murmurs and stares of onlookers.
The last marked point was in cliff-side terrain in the southern region just beyond the desert and before the hills, a quiet place disconnected from major trade routes or cities. Unlike the other sites, no imdiate sect presence was here—just wandering spirit beasts, a single rogue cultivator his spirit sense picked up, and small lightning sect groups out for training or so sort of mission that was using the passes as a temporary hideout.
Lassim landed at the designated area and imdiately set to work. After a short bit of assembly…—
WUMMMMM!
The teleportation gate was fully realized and stabilized.
And with that—the Southern Continent was fully connected. A total of 97 gateways were ready to be unveiled soon.
Lassim took a step back, letting out a slow breath. It was done. This continent's network was complete, and now, it was ti to move on to the Veridian Continent and then the Western Continent's Isles.
After a short ssage on his communication disc to Rlyis and Volten, he turned and activated [Storm's Dance], vanishing into the sky with a crackling streak of red lightning storms following his feet—his next destination already set: the Vanthar and Rohese family Estates.
~~~
Despite having started his journey north in what only felt like monts ago, the ocean had already begun stretching endlessly before him, vast and shifting with the sea breezes. Each wave crashed and crested beneath him with the tides.
But to Lassim, it was nothing more than a series of fleeting images as he moved across it—each step carrying him beyond the limits of human sight, his mastery over [Storm's Dance] turning the journey into re hours rather than the previous full days.
The double-layered rings of his Storm Crown glead with radiant, celestial energy, the coiled form of the Leviathan seemingly more energetic over the ocean as the red lightning-infused storm trailed behind him.
Fifteen kiloters per step.
With each compressed movent, the fabric of space folded beneath him, and the world blurred. The first ti he had used [Storm's Dance], his steps had barely carried him the lengths of a few buildings as he carefully contracted space beneath his feet.
Now?
He crossed the entirety of the Southern Seas in less than three hours.
The journey beyond its coastline, past the mountain Aso, the Spider Queen's Threads and the rest, even less ti had passed. The sight of Swallowtail Mountain City ca into view as his spirit sense peered through the misty Eraldwood Forest within the Vanthar family's Marquisdom. The wood-and-stone structures, built from the very materials of the land itself, still carried the sa warm, lived-in presence they always had.
It had only been months away this ti, but he was still filled with joy regardless as the distant scent of fresh rain and eraldwood smoke filled his senses as he descended, the distant lantern lights of the town already glowing as evening settled in.
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