Mage Legend

Lynch explored for half a day, yet couldn't understand the principles of the entire castle. However, he fully grasped the method of operation. The only certainty was that this castle did not rely on magic, nor was it connected to divine power. Here, the only force that seemed to operate eternally was the primitive elemental power.

"First, we need to shrink the castle to a reasonable size." With a single thought, Lynch watched as outside changes occurred slowly. The enormous steps began to shrink, the houses and corridors were no longer so broad, even those gigantic skeletons started returning to normal proportions.

The entire ground trembled. Morgan collapsed onto the grass, yet Zilvra, with her exceptional sense of balance, stubbornly remained standing. Lynch had stayed in the pavilion for a long time, with his eyes and hands never leaving the gray crystal ball, as though nothing else around could capture his attention. Zilvra began to worry and jumped across the shaking ground to the edge of the pavilion.

At that moment, the trembling ceased. Zilvra was surprised to discover that she could now enter the inside of the pavilion without any hindrance. Lynch released his hand, and the gray crystal ball disappeared from its pedestal. He smiled and reached out to Zilvra, saying, "Let me show you around."

Morgan had just stood up from the grass, only to fall again. The entire grass under his feet rapidly rose, supported by a suddenly appearing high tower. It was a high tower like a blue crystal, with golden light from the pavilion refracting continuously within the crystal, illuminating the previously dark space. For a moment, this lifeless city regained the power of rebirth, breaking free from the decay of years and starting to move anew under the dazzling light.

When the ascent stopped, they had already reached the highest point. The three of them walked to the platform's edge and looked down, seeing layers of houses lined up, spiraling upwards. Every so often, a wall radiating from the center separated the streets, giving the city layers. Water flowed past the sides of the streets, forming a waterway encircling the city, and ultimately converging into a lake beside the highest tower, then cascading down as a waterfall.

A massive void surrounded the city; how it was formed remained unknown. However, Lynch's mind continuously perceived the current state of the All-Knowing Tower. He clearly knew that they weren't underground in the Ridge Mountains but rather hovering in a colossal cavern.

Magma was surrounded by rotating winds, not leaking a bit. Roiling clouds completely covered the lower half of the castle, obscuring it from outsiders. Any creature daring to attack here would either be blown away by the wind wall or plunge into the lava below.

"Lynch, is everything here under your control now?" Morgan retreated from the platform and then said, "If you don't mind, I prefer to stand on solid ground rather than hang at such a height. Plus, the rock spirits are still waiting for us below."

"Yes, I still need them for many tasks, first to clean up the environment here." Lynch put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder, saying, "However, it seems there are no more gemstone rivers here."

"Oh really? What a shame!" Morgan said, "But finding a city like this, I'm already satisfied. I'm curious though, how could such a structure be built underground? Perhaps even dwarves lack such craftsmanship. Lynch, if you know how this retractable tower was constructed, don't keep it to yourself!"

"I certainly won't." Lynch said, "Though I don't understand yet, there should be answers in the library here. Moreover, I want sunlight to shine upon this city once again!"

"Are you planning to dig through Ice Furnace Peak?" Zilvra laughed, "Then you'll be giving the dwarves quite the arduous task, enough to keep them busy for thousands of years."

"The rock spirits can help with that; all I need is a passage big enough." Lynch said, "Although the city can't shrink indefinitely, especially its core which remains unchanged, there's still a way to transport it outside. I forgot to tell you, this city can fly in the air."

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Zilvra thought for a moment, then loudly declared, "Lynch, I want a room here; have the rock spirits build it for me! If it can fly, then I'll live here!"