High above, seventh-rank wizard Dixon stood with arms crossed, like an indifferent deity. After dismantling dozens of seventh-rank natives with his dreamscape, he had not intervened in the battle below. His gaze was profound, as if piercing through layers of space, overlooking the entire Giant Spirit Realm battlefield and the distant contours of the continent. His restraint was not born of arrogance or negligence. The primary reason was the need to remain vigilant against the ever-absent Lord of the Giant Spirit Realm, “Korg.” An ambush from an eighth-rank being could devastate the current war effort. But a deeper reason stemmed from his instincts as a fate-aligned wizard, sensing something “off” pervading this world. In his perception, a world’s “fate” could be quantified and observed. If an ordinary, non-expansionist plane’s total “fate threads” and their “activity” were set as a baseline unit of “1,” a world like the Giant Spirit Realm—having conquered dozens of planes with a high level of civilization and individual strength—should have a fate value of at least “10” or higher, reflecting its immense civilizational potential and variables. The Giant Spirit Realm’s total fate value hovered only between “4” and “5.” While higher than an ordinary world, this was far too “low” for its demonstrated civilizational strength and expansionist history. It was as if a portion of the civilization’s “fortune” had been invisibly siphoned or suppressed. Drawing on his deep understanding of fate laws, Dixon immediately considered the most likely possibility: facing the unprecedented external threat of the wizard civilization, the Giant Spirit Realm’s planar consciousness—or some equivalent force, or even the plane’s passive fate rules—had birthed a “Child of Fate,” or in other words, a “protagonist.” This individual, favored by the world’s fate, would amass a significant portion of its “fortune.” This would cause the overall fate value to “decrease” and spawn a series of unpredictable variables around them. Thus, from the battle’s start to its end, Dixon devoted most of his energy to searching for this potential “protagonist.” His perception, like the most precise instrument, scanned every point of abnormal fate fluctuation on the battlefield. Logically, a protagonist would appear in areas with the most intense fate turbulence. In a war deciding a civilization’s survival, the “protagonist” should be at the heart of the fiercest fate vortex, turning the tide or at least displaying extraordinary traits. Read complete versıon only at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥 Yet, there was nothing. Even as the landing war concluded and the wizards began cleaning the battlefield and establishing outposts, Dixon found no trace. He detected no individual bearing an extraordinary concentration of fate power, nor any sign of the world’s lord, “Korg.” Korg’s absence could perhaps be explained by strategic judgment, deeming the current invasion phase non-critical, with their attention drawn to the other two worlds in the triangular planar cluster. But the absence of the theoretically inevitable “protagonist” stirred an ominous premonition in Dixon’s heart. This defied the natural progression of fate. “This could be troublesome…” Dixon’s brows furrowed slightly. “I hope it’s not the worst-case scenario.” Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he ultimately suppressed his unease. Regardless, the frontline base had to be established swiftly. Under his will, orders were issued. The wizards, fresh from the bloody battle, immediately threw themselves into the new task—constructing the outpost. Jie Ming followed the directives, acting alongside the others. The construction speed showcased the wizard civilization’s terrifying engineering prowess. Pre-fabricated standardized modules were retrieved from spatial equipment or floating fortresses, assembled with mental manipulation like building blocks. Metal frameworks clanged, energy conduits were laid rapidly, and protective plating was layered on… In less than half an hour, the framework of a massive, complex metal fortress, capable of docking and resupplying two floating fortresses, rose from the scorched earth recently ravaged by war. Its grand, imposing form stood in stark contrast to the shattered surroundings. Another half-day of frenetic work followed. Thousands of wizards collaborated, embedding pre-crafted array bases and runic nodes throughout the outpost. Hidden defensive force fields activated, menacing witchcraft turrets rose from the camp’s edges, and detection arrays spread outward like invisible ripples. The outpost’s foundational construction was preliminarily complete. Of course, this was just the beginning. Over time, more defensive arrays, attack systems, and resource conversion facilities would be layered on, transforming this into a truly impregnable offensive stronghold. However, these subsequent enhancements were no longer Jie Ming’s concern. After completing his assigned construction tasks, he received a new mission: patrol and sweep. Though visible enemies and structures on the surface had been cleared, a highly advanced civilization like the Giant Spirit Realm undoubtedly possessed vast, complex underground networks. Remnant enemies, laboratories, resource vaults, or even ambush forces could lurk beneath the cold, hard crust. Thus, after the cannon fodder legions established a preliminary perimeter defense, most wizards like Jie Ming, seizing the brief window of the enemy’s retreat and regrouping, began a meticulous, comb-like search within the defensive zone to eliminate any potential threats. Jie Ming flew low over the still-warm scorched ground, barely ten meters high. Several reconnaissance sigil artifacts orbited him, emitting low-frequency vibrations inaudible to ordinary ears, continuously scanning the subsurface structure. For many wizards reliant on elemental vision or energy sensing, probing underground areas shielded by thick earth was troublesome, with too many interfering factors. But Jie Ming was well-versed in this. The core principle of his initially designed reconnaissance artifact, the Eye of Detection, was “vibration sensing.” By analyzing the propagation, reflection, and attenuation of vibration waves in different mediums, he could accurately map underground cavities, tunnels, and even biological outlines. Suddenly, Jie Ming paused mid-flight. He sensed a faint, unnatural elemental fluctuation about a hundred kilometers to his side. Simultaneously, the Eye of Detection’s vibration map revealed a distinct, downward-extending anomalous structure. He immediately adjusted course, silently approaching. Before him was a jagged, over-five-meter-wide tear in the ground. The hole plunged vertically, its depths invisible. No light emanated from within, only a strange odor of machine oil, ozone, and some biological matter. The walls weren’t natural stone but roughly cut metal layers and composite materials, clearly artificial. Judging by the torn opening, this was likely an underground passage forcibly breached by wizards. As Jie Ming observed, another distinct elemental fluctuation pulsed from within.