Mage Adam-Chapter "365"

After their introductions, everyone left the command center to make final preparations. They agreed to gather the next morning at the Underworld Transmission Hub.

Adam returned to his research institute, where he built the Advanced Resurrection Authority Spell into a separate thread. Using his new ability, he split off fragments of his soul into all of his clones, severing the link with himself to add another layer of security.

This way, even if he truly died, these clones would "rebirth" as his new self—memories and knowledge perfectly identical. As for the ethical dilemma of such rebirth, Adam didn’t care in the slightest.

Of course, there was still one more matter.

“Damn it—who’s this?”

“Ah, Master, long time no see.” Garfield was summoned back by Adam, his clothes disheveled, reeking of alcohol, his eyes hazy with drunkenness.

“Lord Garfield, been living well lately?” Adam asked with a cold smile.

Garfield shook his head violently and snapped awake at once, replying with an awkward grin: “It—it’s been fine, but I’ve especially missed Master! I’d gladly lay down my life for you at any moment!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Garfield felt a chill, and stammered: “R-right…”

The remnants of the Third Era were a peculiar group, their species extremely diverse. According to the intel Sandy had sent, their cities contained many different races. Their sense of "kinship" was not based on bloodlines, but on power systems.

That meant, for this mission, Adam’s summoned beasts and soul-slaves could manifest freely. A great advantage, especially for early operations.

The forest elves, supported by Adam’s lavish resources, had grown in strength nicely—most were at Tier 3, with Lina approaching Tier 4, and Sophia nearly a pseudo-Tier 4. Their potential, however, was limited. Garfield, on the other hand, was different.

Adam had prepared a new body for him.

“I was just hesitating whether to do this, but seeing you so enthusiastic, I can’t dampen your motivation.”

Garfield immediately stepped back three paces. “Master, I think I’m still fine as I am…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Adam forcibly drew out Garfield’s Origin Fire and infused it with the data from his latest quantum theory research. Garfield screamed in horror: “Master, what’s happening?! I—I don’t know who I am anymore! There are so many of me!”

Completely unfazed, Adam pressed the quantumized flame-seed into the new body and said calmly: “Get used to it. This is your new body. You have one day to adapt to it. Tomorrow, I leave for the mission. If you collapse during transmission… well, too bad.”

The new body was an evolved version of the electromagnetic robot—composed of nearly a hundred million nanobots. Grouped together, they formed a small boy, or rather, a small infant, only ten centimeters tall.

Though tiny, building it had drained nearly all of Adam’s fortune in recent years. He placed great expectations on it. In theory, it could accomplish anything—both the ultimate tool and the ultimate weapon.

Garfield’s voice scattered like droplets across the ground, stammering from every direction: “Master, what is this thing?! I can’t control myself! Why is it so small?! How am I supposed to show my face with this body?!”

Adam helped him consolidate the nanobots into one form, then instructed: “Remember this feeling. Divide your flame-seed into multiple fragments, anchor them in each unit, and control the body jointly. As for appearances—this is a combat form. You can still return to your fleshly vessel normally. And remember—each nanobot is precious. I’ll accept battlefield losses, but if you squander them through incompetence… you don’t want to know what punishment awaits.”

“Eh? Adam, what’s that?” Maggie asked curiously at the Transmission Hub, pointing at Adam’s shoulder.

“This is my—”

“My son! I am my father’s child!” Garfield answered in a nauseatingly babyish voice.

Expressionless, Adam grabbed Garfield and smashed him into the ground, shattering him into fragments before retrieving him back into the contract space. He said flatly to the stunned trio: “That’s my soul-slave.”

“But… he looks just like you…” Maggie hesitated.

Adam cut her off before she could finish: “Has the precise transmission channel been secured?”

At that moment, the Rank 8 Transdimensional Mage they had met the day before appeared and said: “It’s been approved. Transmission begins in five minutes. You’ll be sent to four separate coordinates, and can choose to infiltrate the lower planes nearby.”

“This mission differs from your past assignments. The Reincarnation Spell must be activated before approaching the planar boundary. You’ve all mastered Transdimensional Reincarnation, haven’t you?”

Everyone nodded, each taking position on one of the four designated spots. Five minutes passed quickly. As the transmission light flared, all of them vanished into the Mage World.

“Precise” transmission truly lived up to its name. When Adam stepped out of the void, he immediately beheld, a million kilometers away, a massive pyramid-shaped cluster of planes.

It had five tiers—the lowest layer holding five planes, each subsequent layer decreasing by one. At last, Adam understood why this mission team had exactly four members. With Sandy included, there would be one for each plane.

Adam held a Rift Magic Scroll in his hand and activated Transdimensional Reincarnation. As before, all aspects of his existence were enveloped by the mysterious spell and vanished without a trace.

This crystal wall system was peculiar. The rift magic penetrated it easily without even unleashing full power. But when Adam turned back, the wall appeared incomparably solid.

It seemed the barrier did not defend against intruders, but rather trapped the natives within. Moreover, there was no trace of Source Will searching him.

The plane teemed with dense energy, but just as the intel had said, the flow of energy was abnormal. It gathered only at certain nodes—entering, but never dispersing.

There was no time to study further. Adam steered the Reincarnation Spell toward a smaller energy convergence. This was standard procedure for explorer mages—choose a low-profile vessel and conceal one’s identity.

Previously, Adam had broken this rule—but that had been the spell’s autonomous choice of vessel. This time, he would do it by the book.

His stream of information crept toward the convergence point… but then Adam froze.

The creature there… looked strangely familiar.