What does the incident in the Vortex Sea mean?

It means that on Saiga Planet, where the atmosphere of faith is weak, countless mortals who do not believe in the might of the gods will have to reshape their worldview. The rise of theocracy is imminent, and the many royal powers that have long ruled Saiga Planet will face a significant challenge.

A butterfly flapping its wings can potentially stir up a storm.

The impact has already begun to take shape quietly.

This event, as a major turning point in the history of Saiga Planet, will be remembered by all nations in posterity.

[New Era 2082, the Eternal and Time Dragon appeared, shattered the Mechanar Empire’s mechanical god fist and vanished, causing a shift in the power structure of Saiga Planet and ushering in an era of chaos.]

At this moment.

The Mechanar Empire, also known as the Mechanar Empire.

In the city of machinery forged from steel and metal, in the imperial court of the Mechanar Empire’s capital, countless imperial elites fell silent. The luxurious main hall of the imperial court seemed to have turned into a silent coffin, the atmosphere oppressive and heavy.

“Your Majesty, the Eternal and Time Dragon has appeared, assisted the Crimson Flame Empress Renata, and has now departed. The nature of their connection is unknown, but I speculate that the Crimson Flame Empress is a devout follower of the Eternal and Time Dragon.”

He paused.

The foreign minister who had initially contacted the Rosen Kingdom whispered softly, “The energy of the machine spirit has not weakened in the slightest, as if nothing had happened.”

“Should we initiate a second campaign against the Crimson Flame Empress?”

In the center of the imperial court, on a mechanical throne constructed from countless interlocking gears, sat a tall and burly figure, his face expressionless and imposing without anger, silent.

The other ministers and nobles began to discuss.

“The dignity of the empire must not be challenged. Since the campaign has begun, it should continue. The Eternal and Time Dragon? There is not much recorded about this deity. It is unlikely to be a very powerful being. Its intervention in the material world must not have been easy. Even a god cannot make the Mechanar Empire bow in fear.”

The tone of the Minister of War was as stern and unyielding as clashing steel.

In the endless planes and worlds, there is such an iron law.

—The highest power in the material world can exert demi-godly strength.

The gods residing in the outer planes can only exert demi-godly power levels in the material world. Even if a god’s divine rank is high and a fraction of their power can produce effects ten or dozens of times stronger than an ordinary demi-god, the gods who descend into the material world are ultimately beatable with a certain probability.

The Skyrealm Empire once made a god of the hunt who descended in his true form flee back to his divine realm in disgrace.

“This deity seems to be different.”

The Minister of Economy said, “We understand that the ranks of gods vary. The god of the hunt is merely a lower-tier existence among the gods, but if this Eternal and Time Dragon is truly the mentor of death, then the consequences of angering it would be terrifying.”

“Moreover, what benefits can we gain from being enemies with a god?”

“If we are both injured in a conflict with a god, the empire will struggle to maintain its current status. Although a non-aggression pact has been signed among the higher empires, if our country becomes weak enough, other nations will certainly tear up the non-aggression pact and pounce on us like a pack of wolves under the leadership of the Skyrealm Empire and the Divinia Empire.”

The minister’s words were also very reasonable.

“So, are we to let the glory and dignity of the empire be trampled upon? Our current status was not achieved through concessions, but through wars and victories, time and again, that have established our strength!”

The Minister of War countered fiercely.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister, with a smile, played the peacemaker, saying, “Gentlemen, let’s not make a spectacle for His Majesty to laugh at. Let’s leave the decision to His Majesty.”

On the gear throne.

Emperor Mechanar spoke calmly:

“Postpone the campaign against the Crimson Flame Empress for now. This Red Dragon is of no consequence.”

“Being enemies with a god now is of no benefit to us.”

The emperor’s voice was deep as he continued, “But I have a premonition—a great change is coming.”

He paused, then with an undeniable tone, the emperor said solemnly, “Restart the God-Making Project. We must have our own ‘god’!”

Upon hearing this, the Minister of War’s eyes seemed to ignite with flames, his spirit rising.

The foreign minister’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Minister of Economy’s expression changed subtly, and he opened his mouth to say something, but under the emperor’s resolute and indifferent gaze, the words he was about to utter were swallowed back down.

“Whether restarting the God-Making Project is good or bad for the empire is uncertain.”

In silence, many high-ranking officials thought to themselves.

The God-Making Project, a grand plan that had been shelved due to its immense difficulty and potential to shake the foundations of the empire, was now decided by the emperor to be restarted.

Beyond the Mechanar Empire.

The Skyrealm Empire, Divinia Empire, Naturia Empire, Beasthaven Empire, and the many empires on Saiga Planet all had different reactions, especially the Divinia Empire, which already harbored many different faiths.

It was foreseeable.

A revolution was about to begin, or rather, had already begun.

Moon Bay, First Quarter Island, on the beach.

Saga looked up at the sky, which had returned to normal, at the clear, gem-like blue sky, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression in his heart. The mechanical god fist that had descended from the sky, along with the more terrifying and illustrious Eternal and Time Dragon, seemed to leave behind a lingering sense of oppression.

It was calm and peaceful.

Yet there was a sense of oppressive foreboding, as if this was just the calm before the storm.

“After a while, I’ll make a trip to Thorn Isle. Hmm, although the Red Dragoness told me not to go there before becoming legendary, this prohibition might be related to what happened today.”

With a powerful mind and quick thoughts.

This allowed Saga to logically connect many seemingly unrelated events and come up with the most effective hypothesis.

“When the Blue Dragon returns, I’ll have her check out Thorn Isle first and see if the Red Dragoness will allow me to go.”

It wasn’t that Saga wanted to exploit a dragon for benefits; it was just that there was no one more suitable than the Blue Dragon to visit Thorn Isle.

Sending other followers, Saga figured, would probably not even get to see the Red Dragoness.

Saga wanted to learn more about the Eternal and Time Dragon from the Red Dragoness. The formidable power displayed by this illustrious being had left a deep impression on him. It was clear that the dragon had intervened for the Red Dragoness, and Saga felt there might be some connection between them. Even if it wasn’t a relationship between a god and a devout follower, there was definitely another significant relationship that could not be ignored.

Saga adjusted his spirit and slowly exhaled a hot breath, then looked down at the merfolk.

These merfolk, who had been injured by the sand waves stirred up by Saga’s descent, were now trembling.

The grandeur of the mechanical iron fist that descended like a deity and the even more formidable and illustrious dragon god had shocked them too much. Now they were trembling, unable to recover.

Saga looked down, his gaze sweeping over each merfolk and water slime.

At that moment, a group of water slimes, reduced to the size of small fists, quietly tried to leave, but as soon as Saga’s stern gaze swept over them, these tiny slimes huddled together, clinging to each other and squeezing tightly, chirping as if that made them less afraid.

The merfolk, with their strange and lifeless eyes, slowly got up.

“Did I tell you to get up?”

The deep Dragon Tongue resounded.

An invisible pressure descended, and the merfolk who had just risen were pressed back to the ground with a series of plops.

Seeing this, Saga nodded in satisfaction, dispelled the supergravity field, and the merfolk dared not move rashly anymore.

One of the merfolk raised its head, looking at the golden Hatchling Dragon with a hint of fear, and spoke in a language Saga did not understand:

“Jili gua la! Gua gua ji ji”

This merfolk had a third-tier life aura and seemed agile, apparently the leader of the group.

Saga’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his psychic energy reached out like tentacles, connecting with the merfolk.

Buzz.

At the forehead of the merfolk, the organ at the tip of its flesh whisker, which resembled a small lamp, lit up, emitting a faint halo, resisting Saga’s psychic tentacles and keeping them out.

Merfolk are naturally endowed with certain psychic abilities.

However, most of them are not Mind Warlocks and cannot actively grow; they only know some basic and rudimentary psychic techniques, mainly to enslave and domesticate slimes. In addition to psychic abilities, merfolk can also use spell-like abilities and are considered magic sapient beings. If one were to cut off and eat the lamp whiskers on the heads of merfolk, over time, it could effectively improve one’s psychic level.

Moreover, the merfolk race is generally a magic sapient being.

Otherwise, they would not have been able to create a vast merfolk empire.

“Thought shield? Playing with psychic powers in front of me, tsk.”

With a thought, Saga guided a trace of Electromagnetic Force with his psychic energy.

Crack!

The halo on the merfolk’s body flickered, and the lamp whisker flashed at a high frequency. In just an instant, the psychic energy it emitted was dissolved, and Saga’s psychic energy, unstoppable, invaded the other’s mind.

Saga was a Mind Warlock.

But unlike ordinary Mind Warlocks, Saga controlled not only psychic energy but also the more fundamental force from which psychic energy is derived—Electromagnetic Force.

The existence of Electromagnetic Force made Saga’s psychic energy more powerful than that of ordinary Mind Warlocks.

Through the meticulous calculation ability brought by his psychic energy, he could manipulate Electromagnetic Force more delicately and had already begun to use it to wield thunderous powers. Similarly, he could enhance the effects of psychic abilities with Electromagnetic Force and weaken or even dissolve other Mind Warlocks’ psychic energy. This had been proven during his battle with a fourth-tier Gnoll Mind Warlock.

Psychic energy is a derivative of Electromagnetic Force.

Saga was a Mind Warlock and, at the same time, the bane of Mind Warlocks.

At least, if a Mind Warlock of the same tier tried to use psychic abilities against Saga, the result would likely be self-damaging and wounding to their own mind.

For the merfolk, who were not even Mind Warlocks, their psychic energy crumbled upon contact with Saga.

“Tell me the location of your merfolk tribe’s spawning pool.”

The deep language of the merfolk race echoed in the mind of this merfolk.

In fact, Saga did not speak the language of the merfolk.

However, when using psychic connection, what is transmitted is the will and thoughts. When the merfolk receive Saga’s thoughts, their brains naturally translate them into a form they can understand. For most creatures, this means translating them into their native language.

The spawning pool is of utmost importance to the territory of the merfolk.

It contains the offspring and descendants of the merfolk. Hmm, and there are also nutritious reserves of food—undeveloped fish eggs that are treated as delicious food by the merfolk. The eggs of higher merfolk are also popular luxury goods among the nobility of the great empires.

“I, Roman, a warrior of the merfolk tribe, will not answer any of your questions. Merfolk warriors do not fear death.”

The merfolk posed as if ready to die nobly.

On the other side, the golden Hatchling Dragon, whose body cast a large shadow blocking the sunlight, grinned and said:

“But, the bioelectricity pulsing in your brain has already answered me.”

Saga did not need the other’s answer.

Untrained ordinary creatures have too many mental loopholes; they simply cannot keep secrets in their minds in front of him.

The moment Saga asked, the merfolk’s mind subconsciously recalled information about the spawning pool, which was enough for Saga to discern.

In front of a Mind Warlock, one should not ponder internally when asked a question.

The best response is to empty one’s mind, leaving the brain blank, or to focus on imagining other scenes. However, untrained ordinary creatures find it difficult to do these things.

“However, it only knows one location, and it’s a rather vague direction.”

Merfolk, or rather all merfolk, do not have just one spawning pool; otherwise, any accident could wipe out all their offspring. Moreover, ordinary merfolk do not know the exact location, as spawning pools are generally very secretive.

Saga’s gaze narrowed, then he looked at the other merfolk.Next, he used Mind Link on each of these Lantern Fishmen to inquire about the location of the spawning pools. Just like the first Lantern Fishman, these fishmen, who had not undergone special mental training, were reluctant to answer Saga, but the fluctuations in their thoughts betrayed their intentions.

Not killing these Lantern Fishmen, Saga summoned some Shark Tiger Warriors to take them down as prisoners.

The gem mines needed labor, and it would be a waste to kill them outright.

Immediately after, Saga flew back to Gem Peak, gazing towards Waning Crescent Island with a pensive expression.

All ten Lantern Fishmen were clueless about the exact location of their spawning pools; not even one knew. However, this was not a problem for Saga.

After all, he lived on Waning Crescent Island.

Although they were unclear about the exact location of the spawning pools, based on their daily observations, they each had a rough idea of the general area, and the areas known by the ten Lantern Fishmen were all slightly different.

Overlaying the areas gleaned from their minds,

Saga obtained two relatively accurate locations.

“There are only two spawning pool locations; this definitely isn’t all of the Lantern Fishmen’s spawning pools.”

“It seems I need to take matters into my own hands and check out Waning Crescent Island myself.”

To avoid immediately raising the Lantern Fishmen’s high alert, Saga decided to go alone first. There were many Lantern Fishmen scattered across Waning Crescent Island, and a few going missing wouldn’t attract too much attention in a short period.

Casting the Twisting Light Force Field, the golden Hatchling Dragon, basking in the dim yellow sunlight, gradually vanished inch by inch into the air.

Waning Crescent Island, by the seaside beach.

Whoosh!

At dusk, the white waves churned ceaselessly, washing onto the fine-grained sandy beach, leaving behind a multitude of shells, corals, pebbles, and the like, some of which still shimmered with a faint luster.

At this moment, two Lantern Fishmen were cooking seafood near the beach, with long spears and knives by their side.

The two smooth-scaled Lantern Fishmen sat opposite each other, with a large shell set up between them that could be used as a pot. The shell was filled with seawater and contained some live fish and shrimp.

Beneath the shell was a fiery red Fire Slime.

The surface of the Fire Slime exhibited a high-temperature hue like a branding iron, its body occasionally trembling, seemingly exerting a great deal of effort, as it diligently worked to heat the shell pot.