"Broken Star Sea" deep in the outskirts of the Muriya Islands.

In the pristine white bridge of the "Gem River," a group of four people busied themselves, sitting or standing, occasionally glancing at the main island of Muriya nearby through the 360-degree projection view.

Aiven sat at his pilot seat.

He fiddled with a vial that externally resembled the [Creator's Blood], yet exhibited no sign of marvel—a concoction that was the highest completion of the "Alchemy School," the [Elixir of Immortality].

This was also the key to whether the current chief of the "Alchemy School," Mennon Watt, could successfully advance to [Truth Embodiment].

Beside him, Olivia, dressed in a plain long dress, cautiously cradled the emerald gemstone plate [Magic Book: Jade Record].

Just by holding it in her hands and looking at it through the [True Sight Demon Eye], countless secrets of matter transformation evolved from its 13 aphorisms, flooding into the girl's heart.

Jelos was engrossed in the stack of [Bioenergy Conversion Switch Technology] research papers.

The [Regenerated Puppet] he obtained from the [Witchcraft Garden: Uruk Great Temple] was originally derived from here.

Only Milan, previously at the Animal Kingdom, was mentally traumatized by something furry and then trounced by the "Kongyu." Lastly, on Muriya Island, he bore the earnest expectation of a "Crowned Wizard."

This made him nearly suspect whether he was abandoned by destiny.

Now he could only absentmindedly flip through the "Echoes of Space-Time," listlessly gazing in the direction of the main Muriya Island.

Their venture had been rather smooth, taking only about a month, and the reset time of the Muriya civilization was still ahead.

Having resolved their final doubt, they lingered a while longer after completing their mission.

Suddenly.

"Look, it's starting!"

With Milan's shout, everyone stood up simultaneously.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

Across the large archipelago, one by one, massive vines shot skyward, growing taller and taller, extending into space, resembling colossal space elevators connecting heaven and earth.

A breathtaking sight.

The specifically adjusted [Biological Weapon: Flagellate], now appropriately termed [Purifier], surged like a tide along the vines into outer space.

Simultaneously, Paracelsus, still in the central kingdom engaging deeply in the plan, also sent out a message.

Their wait was not in vain, for Aiven and his group finally uncovered the secret of the so-called "Ark Plan."

"Ha, the dragon-slaying youth eventually transformed into the evil dragon he once despised, revealing its mottled scale armor!"

Upon witnessing this scene and the intelligence from the Crowned Wizard, Aiven didn't know how to comment, only letting out a deep sigh.

With the [Era Relic], the obsidian stele, and the confession of Divine Fire Nusku, they gradually pieced together a complete puzzle.

The root of everything—the "Era Catastrophe," came primely from two aspects.

First, the shock from the rules during the Spirit Realm's transition.

The Spirit Realm, connected by the souls of intelligent beings across worlds, formed countless pipelines, ultimately composing magnificent riverways anchoring corresponding worlds.

During the Era Catastrophe, the impact would pour down like an irresistible flood, and the intense rule conflict would cause the vast majority of extraordinaries to burst into fireworks and ascend on the spot.

Second, the rule rejection of the newborn Era.

Even those who endured the impact would end up like the Ancient Gods and their followers today, transforming into out-of-control, degenerate, and indescribable monsters.

Visionary entities already explored ways to evade the disaster.

Because the Spirit Realm and the Material World's anchor points are the souls of intelligent beings, theoretically, perhaps by reducing the number of intelligent beings to a certain threshold, the connection between the Material World and the Spirit Realm could be severed.

By doing so, it might significantly reduce the impact's intensity, allowing the remaining beings to withstand the Spirit Realm's transformation.

The gods' initial plan aimed to pinpoint and eliminate the Muriya, the strongest anchors between the Spirit Realm and the Material World, along with certain populations, to preserve themselves.

The extraordinary civilization had limited options to ensure survival.

The Muriya, upon receiving intelligence, initiated a final struggle.

They prepared to activate the "Ark Plan," sacrificing ninety percent of the extraordinary creatures in the Material World.

By severing most Spirit Realm passages and critically damaging or even killing the collective consciousness of planetary life, the "World Consciousness," they hoped to prevent themselves from becoming sacrificial victims.

This is also the origin of [Ark Plan: Purifier: Code: 9527].

"It's not true ruthlessness unless directed at oneself—the purge list isn't just for other species."

In the Muriya kingdom's hierarchy, the first level is "Aviru," free citizens with civil rights, such as the king and most city citizens.

The second level is "Mushchinu," free citizens without civil rights, like unregistered farmers and servants.

The third level is slaves, who have no rights whatsoever.

Paracelsus's intelligence also mentioned.

To ensure the Muriya race's continuity, an internal grand purification would occur, primarily targeting the second and third levels, the main providers of faith power in [Black Tin] and [White Lead].

As for the reason.

Muriya, currently lacking outer-atmosphere survival ability, has driven the [Purifier] into Herag Star's space.

Even after countless years, they proliferated into a rogue biological weapon sea, sealing off the planet and attacking anything ascending into space.

Aiven was reminded of the prefix-lacking [Catrio's Wheel] on the stele, possibly akin to the [Möbius Ring] behind the Door, being the "life force's" location. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

However, for reasons unknown, their crazed plan ultimately failed, leaving behind those space-born legacies.

Witnessing a civilization's frantic struggle against its predetermined fate left everyone with a heavy heart.

"By the way, it seems we've always intentionally or unintentionally ignored a question."

The other three looked at Aiven in confusion as he suddenly spoke.

His gaze seemed to pierce the end of the river of time, and he slowly uttered a sentence:

"That is... how much time do we have left until the end of our Fifth Era?"

A clap of thunder suddenly struck their hearts.

On the other side of the island.

Among the followers of the Ancient God who joined the gods' camp to hunt the Muriyans, only the group led by "Gulf Stream" Petrich was not wiped out.

Even knowing that Baba Yaga had fallen, this Sea God's Son dared not entertain any thoughts of fleeing.

At this moment, a group of people similarly looked up at the spectacular scene.

"My lord, what are the Muriyans doing?"

Because of Aiven and the others' intrusion, the pace of the human-god war quickened significantly, and the commencement of the Ark Plan was much sooner than in previous cycles.

Even those who had previously cleared the Muriyan Dungeon had never witnessed such a scene.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't; matters beyond the world are none of our concern. Remember, our goal is the end of the ocean. Building the Mythical Battleship: Nagilfa as soon as possible is what we should be doing."

After rebuking them, Petrich had to brace himself to lead his men back into Muriya Island, taking advantage of their internal purges to pick up the pieces.

...

Lowland Republic, Antwerp City.

The largest tulip trading market—the Golden Grape Hotel.

"Don't compete with me; for this Navy Admiral, I'm offering 800 Golden Lions!"

"Don't let paupers sully the noble tulips. I'm offering 900!"

"910!"

"..."

Another large tulip auction was underway, with guests furiously shouting, faces flushed with competition.

Starting from last winter's peak trading season for tulip bulbs, driven by the guild and interested parties, the already highly sought-after tulips saw prices skyrocket among the nobility and upper society worldwide.

Especially after a show put on by Aiven and Olivia earlier this year, many more people eagerly sought the tulips, making them essentials of high society.

The rarity of the tulips made them a hundred times more expensive than before, and it was nearly impossible to obtain bulbs of precious varieties.

Navy Admiral, Eternal Emperor, Smile of the Goddess of Victory... these small tulips had become luxury goods.

At this moment.

The tulips dangled like golden bait before everyone, drawing them one after another to the tulip market like flies to a honey pot.

Countless big merchants, citizens, farmers, machinists, sailors, workers, artisans, servants, maids, and even chimney sweeps in tattered rags from the bottom layers of society had ventured into tulip trading.

The middle and lower classes sold their homes for investment, while high society continued to follow, injecting vast sums that continually drove up tulip prices.

Then.

With the arrival of April's blooming season, each tulip flower bloomed in vivid colors, and even the most ordinary single-colored tulips shimmered with the radiant glow of the Golden Lion.

This directly ignited the tulip trading market.

The most expensive tulip, "Smile of the Goddess of Victory," had auction prices reaching 1600 Golden Lions!

Moreover, the upward trend was accelerating.

Even the initiators hadn't imagined that a single flower could equate to thousands of times its weight in gold. It only took 5000 Golden Lions to build a Level 6 Cruiser!

On the hotel's second floor, two gentlemen, one middle-aged and one young, sat facing each other.

"Congratulations, Mr. Summerfield. With the current momentum, the price of premium tulips doubling again is not a problem.

Perhaps your entry into the Upper Council is just around the corner."

The young man with the gold-rimmed glasses was Argo, who had previously orchestrated the turmoil in Beckler and led the ambush against Prince Hilus Manolo.

Sitting opposite him was Mr. Summerfield, a major shareholder of the Republic's Tulip Guild and the mastermind behind the tulip trading market.

"You're too kind. It's just small business compared to the Netherlands Bank Group, which rakes in gold daily! Mr. Argo, is the Netherlands Bank Group interested in tulip trading too?"

The middle-aged gentleman with a beard found the visit from this young man somewhat enigmatic.

Though wealthy, he paled in comparison to the Netherlands Bank Group, the de facto ruler of the republic.

"Hey, everyone wants a slice of the profitable pie. The Netherlands Bank Group is no exception. Besides, many gentlemen in the Upper Council are connoisseurs…"

Argo gave him a meaningful glance.

Big capitalists would not pass up any opportunity to earn copper plates, and they could crush opponents in any field through sheer golden force to seize maximum profits.

"This..."

Summerfield was shocked, realizing the wolves were eyeing his fat. Just as he was about to find a way to refuse, the man continued,

"Let's not rush to refuse. I promise to leverage every newspaper under the Eye of Wealth and all media means… turning the Lowland Republic into a prosperous feast across nations… letting the whole world share this investment opportunity!"

After half an hour of private discussions, smiles filled both their faces:

"Pleasure to collaborate!"

Their hands clasped firmly together.