Legacy of the Dark Sage

It took a few minutes for Oceanus to wrap his mind around the concept of Void's warp nature. He could not believe that Kyran could warp near anyone he met in person.

Yet, there were still limitations to it, such as if his warp target was inside a location that prohibits teleportation or warping abilities or spells, or if they were using or wearing anti-tracking, anti-warp, anti-teleport, or anything similar, magic items, spells, or enhancements.

Unlike Oceanus, Leif was not using or wearing any of those. This was because he believed it was in her best interest not to do so. Oceanus might have given Leif an item that allowed him to track her or know her condition, but just to be on the safe side, if she happened to lose the item, got deactivated, or become useless because of the location she was in, he could find other ways to find her.

However, Oceanus did not anticipate that his decision would inadvertently expose Leif to Kyran's tracking, making her vulnerable to his warping. At the moment, he had yet to decide whether this realization was a cause for concern or not.

Then again, it was understandable that Oceanus would not put much thought into those anti-magic items, spells, and enhancements because no one in the Higher Realm could use teleport or warp as naturally as Kyran could. There were artifacts, arrays, or relics that could produce similar results, but their activation required a huge amount of magic energy and had limited usage in a given time.

Experience tales at мѵʟ

Some were even considered consumables because they could only be used once.

What truly left Oceanus in a state of disbelief was the range of Kyran's warp. After confirming that Kyran and Leif exited the Tower of the Ancients using the Dragon Clan portal, it did not take long for Oceanus to deduce that they arrived at Ogen from the Dragon Plane. The sheer distance covered was astonishing.

"Normally, it would take about a week to arrive at the Junction Port, but after our people succeeded in improving this transport's performance and stone consumption, the time was reduced by more than half," Leif explained to Kyran, her voice beaming with pride.

"I see."

Unfortunately, Kyran did not seem that impressed by the things she was saying.

Oceanus, watching the two from the side, sighed inwardly. In a sense, he kind of understood why Kyran felt that way. He probably thought it would have been faster for him to warp there if he knew the place.

"How is the security in the Junction Port?" Kyran suddenly asked as if trying to veer away from the discussion about the transport's development.

"A good question."

The one who answered was Oceanus.

Earlier, they had already explained the route they would take to get to the Blade Dancer Clan.

Given the distance, the transport could not take them directly to the Blade Dancer Clan. Even if it operated using magic energy, its supplies and activation sequence could only be sustained for a week. Moreover, since they wanted to sneak inside without being noticed, parking the transport and dropping them off there was not ideal.

Considering these, they would first have to go to the Junction Port.

The Junction Port was an artificial plane created by the combined efforts of all big and medium clans in the Higher Realm. It was made of the finest and most expensive materials to ensure that operations inside would continue without any problems.

The Junction Port functioned as a one-stop plane for several portals, leading to big clans' planes that were difficult to access because of their location. There were several planes like these in the Higher Realm, and the closest one to Ogen was a week's journey away.

Since the portals would directly allow anyone to step into the Immigration Area of other planes, security was very tight. One had to possess proof of identification, their clan token, and a letter of introduction. In case the latter two documents were unavailable, they would have to pay a hefty sum just to pass through the portal.

Moreover, that sum only covered passage to the portal and not access to the plane itself. One had to purchase a temporary pass to enter the plane. The price of those passes increased depending on how long one would stay.

To sum it up, one had to be very wealthy to actually access any of those portals.

Of course, that would be different if the one passing through the portal had all the required documents. And it was actually rare for one not to have them.

Oceanus explained this to Kyran and finally said, "I have all the documents, so you don't need to worry—."

"We're not going to use that."

"—There is no need to worry about the information on it because I made sure to create a believable background for you— wait, what?" Oceanus stopped and did a double-take as Kyran's words finally reached him. He looked at him in confusion and asked, "W-What do you mean 'we're not going to use them'?"

"Even if you created a believable background for me, that information will be recorded as long as we pass through, right?"

"That's true. But even if that is the case, it is not like they will check its validity. Even if they did, I made sure that your records are properly included in our system."

"That is what we want to avoid," Kyran said, shaking his head. "We can't leave any record of Ogen's people coming to the Blade Dancer plane."

Oceanus's expression turned serious, "I kind of understand what you want to avoid. But even if you do something to attract their attention, and they try to check your entry documents, it's not like they will suspect you are up to something, right? Besides, would it not be better for them to know that you are from Ogen so they will not doubt your high water affinity and—."

"The Ogen Clan's involvement can't be revealed," Kyran explained. "Since we're going to draw attention to us, it is better to have a different background altogether."

Leif frowned, "Are you saying we'll have to enter without having affiliation or a letter of introduction? If we do that, the fee we have to pay is... Of course, I'm not saying that we can't afford that. But that amount is still..."

"It is better to do that than have your connection to the Ogen Clan be revealed," Kyran insisted. "Also, we can't use your money when paying the fee."

"W-Why?"

"You think they might trace the money back to us?"

Leif and Oceanus asked one after another.

Kyran nodded, "Yes. Although all planes use the same currency, each produces its own money. This means the materials and magic energy used in creating them could be traced back to where they were produced."

What Kyran said was based on what he read in the Ogen's library. The Higher Realm only had one currency, but each plane had its production site. Of course, the amount produced reflected a clan's profit. They could not produce beyond that because the money produced would need to be validated before they could be used.

Oceanus looked at Kyran with mixed emotions. Kyran made sense, but saying that now, when he was the one who declared they were pressed for time, was giving Oceanus a headache.

"Where do you plan on producing money that could bypass the security?" he asked at once. "You should understand that we can't use unvalidated money because they will detect that."

"You don't have to worry about that," Kyran assured him. "I have a plan. Also, we'll not be docking at the Junction Port. I'll go there by myself and enter the portal alone. I'll come back for Leif once after I've accomplished my plan."

"You..."

Oceanus and Leif were speechless. They more or less guessed what Kyran planned to do and even the part about him bringing in Leif to the Blade Dancer Plane illegally.

"How are you going to enter the portal?"

"Like I said, I have a plan," Kyran replied with a slight smile. "I can't tell you the details. But I can tell you at least this.

"Since I said that I will never put your clan in danger, that also applies to Lady Leif. However, if we go to the Blade Dancer Plane right now, with The Emperor being there, her safety will definitely be compromised. Still, I will never let that happen."

Oceanus remained silent. To be honest, when Kyran told them what he wanted Leif to do, the thought of her being exposed to danger did cross his mind. But since Kyran said he had a plan, he wanted to believe in him.

"I did not ask you to explain your plan in detail because I want to believe in you, Null. Whatever you are planning, if you can ensure my daughter's safety, then I will stand by my initial decision not to pry and keep believing in you."

"...Don't worry. I'll keep her safe."

Three days later, the transport arrived near the Junction Port.

Oceanus activated its stealth and hid behind a floating piece of land that was big enough to use for cover.

"That is the Junction Port," Leif pointed at the transport's monitor, where a small plane was shining with dazzling lights from a distance. She looked at Kyran, standing beside her, in concern. "Are you really going there alone?"

Kyran nodded, "I'll be back in a few hours at the earliest, a day at the latest."

"I think I have a general idea of what you are planning to do, so I will only say this," Oceanus said while walking beside him.

"Don't get caught."

Kyran looked at Oceanus and raised his brows. He remembered Ames's words as well and could not help but smile wryly.

"I won't."

The space around Kyran crackled, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.