The two of them traveled for another couple of hours, but they weren't making much progress compared to the ti they had actually been traveling.
From the 700,000 kiloters they had to travel, they had only traveled about 20,000 kiloters of those.
Of course, 20,000 kiloters was a huge distance for a normal person, but the Sweeper and Shang traveled at speeds only an Archmage could.
"We are about to reach a dividing border between different territories," the Sweeper suddenly transmitted to Shang.
Shang didn't react.
Yes, this was all the Natural Selection Company's territory, but there were different territories inside their territory. One Enforcer was responsible for multiple gatherer families, and this group of gatherer families made up their own territories.
While the gatherer families inside an Enforcer's territory could freely move around, they weren't allowed to enter the territory of another Enforcer.
The dividing borders were specifically created to catch anyone that tried to cross the border without permission.
"There are several Magic Circles and barriers on the border, and this one is especially bad since the two Enforcers can't stand each other," the Sweeper explained. "If these were only the normal dividing borders, we could simply walk through them, but this one is special."
"What's so special about it?" Shang asked.
"Instead of sharing one barrier and sharing control, both sides have their own barrier and investigation Magic Circles, and the biggest problem is that the two barriers are touching and that there are even investigation Magic Circles between the tiny space where they touch."
"Their paranoia and hatred for each other make it difficult for us to cross without being seen," the Sweeper explained. "They don't know how we can pass through all their borders without being found, but ironically enough, they are making it difficult for us to pass because of their fear of each other."
"How do we pass?" Shang asked.
"There's a small and dangerous area near the southeast of here," the Sweeper said. "None of the two Enforcers want to have anything to do with the area, which is why their respective defenses surround it."
"While there are two barriers basically touching each other everywhere else, the two barriers in that place are divided by the dangerous area."
Shang's Spirit Sense looked towards the southeast, but he couldn't see anything special yet.
"And we will travel through that?" Shang asked.
The Sweeper nodded. "How long can you train in isolation at a ti before you feel like you have to do sothing else?" the Sweeper suddenly asked.
Shang's head turned to the Sweeper.
"I have to know," the Sweeper added. "Depending on your answer, we may have to avoid this dangerous area and make a long detour."
Shang didn't answer for a couple of seconds.
"Long," Shang answered.
"Ten years?" the Sweeper asked.
"Not a problem."
"A century?"
"Not a problem."
"A millennium?"
"Not a problem."
"And how would you know that?" the Sweeper asked.
"The length doesn't make a difference," Shang answered.
The cloaked head of the Sweeper looked at Shang for a couple of seconds while they were flying forward.
"Fine, I'll believe you," the Sweeper said. "We saved about a day, but it will take us a couple of years to get there."
'What's that supposed to an?' Shang thought.
But he didn't ask about what she ant. He would probably see what she ant soon enough.
A couple of minutes later, Shang and the Sweeper arrived at a seemingly random spot between the two territories.
In fact, it looked almost the sa as everywhere else, except for one difference.
The two barriers curved inward on each side, avoiding a small area that was only about ten ters wide.
That was it?
The dangerous zone was only ten ters wide?
Shang could see a Peak High Mage standing near the barrier in front of the dangerous area. They were probably a guard to make sure that no one was approaching it.
They were just sitting on the ground with closed eyes, only checking everything with their Spirit Sense.
"This is a reality tear," the Sweeper explained. "Space, ti, and gravity are in chaos in there. Different reality tears have different states of space, ti, and gravity. So of them are extrely dangerous. So of them are not a problem."
"And this one?" Shang asked.
"A bit dangerous, but also very annoying," the Sweeper answered. "It's showing the level two Pure Concept of Space, which is distance, the level one Pure Concept of Ti, which is Acceleration, and the level three Pure Concept of Gravity, which is Compression."
"All of this is happening at the sa ti. In short, this ans that these ten ters will be like millions of kiloters to us, but we will be able to travel through that in no ti at all."
"That is, no ti at all from the outside," the Sweeper added.
"Can you put that into numbers?" Shang asked.
"From an outsider's perspective, we will travel through these ten ters in less than a second, but to us, it will be like we traveled for millions of kiloters for years."
"So, while we will save a day, it will take us years to get there."
Shang was not the biggest fan of that.
It wasn't that Shang was afraid of traveling through the area but that he feared for his longevity.
"What about my longevity?" Shang asked.
"Why do you think Ti Mages are so popular with the Mage Emperors?" the Sweeper asked back.
"So, this will not be an issue?" Shang asked.
"Your longevity is not asured by the deterioration or age of your body but by how much ti has passed for the world," the Sweeper said.
That was the first ti Shang heard about that.
"This ans that if I were to spend ti in an environnt with accelerated ti, my longevity wouldn't run out faster?"
"Correct," the Sweeper said. "However, the faster ti is, the more warped everything inside it is. Mana moves weirdly. Matter moves weirdly. Concepts stop making sense."
"In short, while you can theoretically extend your life by staying in an area where ti passes faster, you can't beco more powerful inside it."
"Okay," Shang said, "but then why are Ti Mages so popular?"
"Reflection," the Sweeper answered. "By creating such an environnt, Ti Mages can give soone the opportunity to think about their life and reflect on it without wasting ti."
"Everyone is distracted by trying to beco more powerful, and we view ti as a precious commodity, but with Ti Mages, we can find enough ti to reflect on our lives and our decisions."
"This reality tear can damage you ntally, but it can also help you ntally. I, personally, enjoy flying through it," the Sweeper said.
Shang noticed that she was talking quite a bit about herself, which was a bit unusual for a Sweeper.
"Can reflecting on my life help in becoming more powerful?" Shang asked.
"If there are unresolved problems, repressed mories, or unsolved trauma, a long ti of quiet reflection could help resolve these issues, freeing up our mind and allowing us to focus more on our training."
"Or it could make things worse."
"Depends on the person."
The Sweeper turned to Shang.
"Do you want to go through it?" she asked.
"Sure."
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