Red magma churned ceaselessly, waves of heat sweeping outward, yet also resembling an ocean — concealing power too deep to fathom.
At the center of the red magma, there was even a patch of golden liquid, like a lake within a lake, bearing a magnificent hue that nonetheless made every wizard keep their distance.
Above the magma lake yawned a massive passage. Occasionally faint sounds drifted from within. The crystalline walls surrounding it were incomparably hard, and no one knew where it led.
Whoosh!
A dark figure appeared at the edge of the magma lake. The glow faded, revealing a very young wizard — long black hair tied back simply, fair and delicate skin, his face carrying a spirited sharpness and the natural authority of one long accustomed to command.
This was none other than Leilin. At the moment, however, he was dusted with grime. Racing back and forth in such a short time had consumed a tremendous amount of his energy.
"My lord!" A middle-aged warlock with bronze-colored skin hurried over and bowed.
"Is it done?" Leilin asked casually.
"It is! Please, follow me!"
Gubule led Leilin to a cave that had been temporarily carved out near the magma lake.
At the center of the cave sat an enormous sphere.
Its exterior was black, giving off a dull, heavy luster — seemingly forged from stone, solid and unfathomably weighty.
On the right side there was a small door, suggesting the interior was hollow.
"Per your instructions and the blueprints, all materials used are the hardest layer of magma rock — capable of withstanding the temperature of the golden lava. The joints have been treated with runes and reinforced…"
Gubule stood off to the side like a loyal servant, reporting to Leilin.
He made no mention of the difficulty of mining that kind of rock, nor the hardships involved in forging and assembling the sphere.
"You did well." Leilin nodded, his gaze growing even more surprised as he examined the runes inside the black stone sphere.
This Manxster warlock named Gubule had surpassed his expectations in alchemical skill — far beyond what Leilin had anticipated.
"Not at all. Serving my lord is my honor — there is nothing arduous about it!"
Gubule pressed his hand to his chest and bowed deeply, adopting an extremely humble posture.
In truth, this was the requisite deference of a low-rank warlock toward a high-bloodline warlock — something Gubule had long since perfected within the Ouroboros Ring.
"Furthermore, based on my observations, activity in this magma lake has been growing increasingly intense and frequent. I fear a violent eruption is imminent!"
When that happened, everything here would be swallowed by magma, and even the passage would be sealed shut by molten rock.
Gubule had deliberately descended during a lull in volcanic activity, and he had still suffered burns. The terror of the lava was seared deep into his heart.
Although he had been involved in parts of Leilin's plan, he still harbored worries. Unfortunately, as a servant, he possessed only the right to offer suggestions and carry out tasks — not the authority to make the final decision.
"Mm. I know. The major eruption will begin in one hour and twenty-three minutes. We can start making preparations!"
Using the Chip to predict and monitor magma activity, Leilin naturally understood the situation far more precisely than Gubule.
Moreover, his plan had been repeatedly calculated by the Chip, with a success rate above ninety percent. Otherwise, how could he risk his own life?
…
A little over an hour later.
Within the red magma, a black sphere tumbled and rolled, like a piece of driftwood on the water.
Inside the sphere, Gubule's face was pale as he observed the magma outside through a wizard screen: "M-My lord… this plan is still far too dangerous!"
If the sphere cracked, they would be directly engulfed by tens of thousands of tons of molten rock!
At the thought of such a terrifying death, even Gubule — a wizard — trembled slightly.
"Don't worry." Leilin's expression remained unchanged as he closely monitored the magma outside.
Glug! Glug! At that very moment, the magma began to boil violently, and the entire cave started to tremble faintly, showering down fragments of stone and clouds of dust.
"Chip alert: estimated time to major eruption — ten seconds! Nine seconds! Eight seconds!"
The Chip's alert tone rang out immediately.
"Now!" A flash of light sparked in Leilin's eyes as the formidable power of a third-level wizard erupted forth.
"Freeze!!!" He pressed both hands against the surface of the stone sphere, and a layer of blue frost visible to the naked eye began to spread outward from beneath his palms.
Crack! Crack!
The blue ice layer quickly spread to the exterior, enveloping the entire stone sphere.
The ice seemed to possess a terrifyingly low temperature — even the magma could not melt it. Thick white steam billowed from every point where the sphere contacted the molten rock.
"That should buy us some time," Leilin said with a smile, then turned his gaze to the Chip's display.
"Three seconds! Two seconds! One second — critical threshold reached!!!"
Boom!!!
With the Chip's final warning, both Leilin and Gubule's bodies shuddered violently. They felt it — as though they were sitting atop an ancient, monstrous beast, and at that very instant, the creature had awakened, unleashing a heaven-shaking roar!!!
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Gubule screamed, clutching desperately at everything within reach.
Then he felt an overwhelming force — as if the universe itself were detonating. Colossal kinetic energy erupted from beneath the stone sphere, and countless streams of molten lava converged like a fire dragon, propelling the sphere ever upward.