The climb up the ridge took a little while.
The path was uneven and covered with loose stones, but the soldiers moved through it like it was nothing. Isaac and Alice followed Gael while the rest of the troops surrounded them in a loose formation. No one pointed weapons at them, yet the distance between every soldier was measured carefully. It was the kind of formation used when escorting something uncertain.
When they finally reached the top, Isaac understood why Gael had said the main force was waiting above the ridge.
The vice general was impossible to miss.
She stood at the center of a small clearing surrounded by soldiers. Her body was massive, easily three times the size of a normal person. Brown rock plates formed her limbs and torso, layered in thick segments that looked less like a golem and more like some kind of stone armor built for a giant warrior.
Isaac narrowed his eyes slightly.
The structure reminded him more of a mechanical suit than a creature. Thick plates overlapped around her joints, and faint magical lines glowed between the gaps in the stone.
"That is Vice General Ida," Gael said.
"It’s a golem?"
"Not exactly. And before you say call her ’it’ in front of her, she’s a she," Gael corrected.
Isaac nodded.
By then the vice general was in the range to hear them. The ground trembled slightly as the rock giant stepped forward.
They held a long discussion. Vice General Ida didn’t want to bring Isaac and Alice to their stronghold as guests, but Gael refused to bring them in as prisoners. When asked why, Gael said the reason was top-secret.
The two of them went back and forth for a long time.
Isaac remained silent during the argument. He had already expected something like this. A military base wouldn’t welcome strangers easily, especially not strangers who came from enemy camp.
Eventually the discussion shifted toward compromise.
Ida folded her heavy stone arms.
"Fine," she said slowly. "If you insist on bringing them in as guests, I will allow it under conditions."
"What conditions?" Gael asked.
"They will allow our mages to cast restriction spells on them."
"What kind of restriction spells?" Gael asked.
"The Spells that will ensure these two are not secretly communicating with outside forces using hidden relics or enchanted devices."
Gael remained silent for a moment.
"That’s reasonable," he admitted.
But Ida wasn’t finished.
"I also want to place restriction seals on them. Something that prevents teleportation and limits spell usage."
"No," Gael said immediately.
The refusal came so quickly that even Isaac looked at him.
Ida’s voice rumbled, "You are taking unnecessary risks."
"I am maintaining basic trust. Simple restriction spells are fine. But anything beyond that will not be used," Gael replied.
The two of them stared at each other again.
After another few minutes of tense discussion, Ida finally gave a short nod.
"Very well."
She turned toward the mages standing nearby.
"Prepare the spells."
Several robed figures stepped forward. Isaac and Alice were asked to stand still while the mages formed a loose circle around them.
The magic itself wasn’t violent. A few faint runic circles appeared briefly around their bodies before fading away.
Isaac felt the spell scan through him.
It searched for hidden relic signals and external magical connections. He could also sense that it tried to detect communication links.
But the spell was shallow. No, to be exact, it was on par with SSS-rank skills.
A moment later it faded completely.
Ida watched them carefully before giving a final nod. "That will do."
"Good. Now can we move?" Gael asked, yawning.
The troops reorganized quickly after that.
Instead of walking further, the group gathered in a wide clearing between the ridges. One of the mages activated a teleportation array that had been hidden beneath loose stones.
Light flared.
For a moment, Isaac felt the familiar distortion of space folding.
Then the world shifted.
When the light disappeared, they were standing in a completely different place.
The land around them was barren and dry. The ground looked cracked and lifeless, stretching outward for several hundred meters. At the far end of the wasteland, a dense forest began.
Ida walked toward the forest without explaining anything.
Isaac and Alice followed with the rest of the troops.
When they reached the edge of the trees, Ida raised one massive stone arm.
Then she grabbed the air.
Literally.
Her hand closed around empty space, and with a sharp motion she pulled.
The world tore open.
The space in front of them split apart like fabric being ripped. The forest vanished behind the tear, revealing something completely different beyond it.
Isaac’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Inside the torn space was another world.
Golden grass stretched across a wide meadow filled with countless tents arranged in neat rows. A warm evening sun hung low in the sky, bathing everything in soft golden light.
The air drifting out from the opening smelled faintly sweet.
Herbs. Flowers. Fresh soil.
It was calm in a way that felt strangely peaceful compared to the barren land outside.
"This is our main stronghold," Gael said.
The troops began moving through the tear in space.
Isaac and Alice followed with them. As soon as they stepped through, the atmosphere changed completely. The temperature was warmer, and the golden light gave the entire camp a quiet glow.
Once the last soldier entered, the tear in space closed behind them.
The forest and wasteland vanished.
Only the camp remained.
"You two come with me," Gael said.
He began walking through the paths between the tents.
Soldiers moved around the camp in organized patterns. Some were training, while others were preparing equipment or discussing something quietly.
A few people noticed Isaac and Alice.
Their reactions were not friendly.
Most of them simply stared. It always stood out due to their exceptional appearance, and so everyone knew they were people who stood at the side of enemy camp during the war.
Gael eventually stopped in front of a medium-sized tent placed slightly away from the busier parts of the camp.
"You can use this place," he said.
Isaac looked inside.
The tent was surprisingly comfortable. There were two beds, a wooden table, a few chairs, and several storage boxes.
Gael leaned against the entrance.
"From now on, this is where you stay."
Alice nodded. "Okay."
"You can do whatever you want inside," Gael continued. "But I recommend not wandering around the camp. If someone sees you walking around, they might decide to start trouble. It’s better if you stay here and wait."
"For what?" Alice asked.
"For Master to return." Gael added, "When she arrives, we will conduct a lie detection test. After that, you can explain everything directly to her."
Isaac nodded slowly.
"That’s fair."
Gael left a moment later.
Just as Isaac and Alice were about to enter the tent, Gael’s voice suddenly echoed inside their minds.
’And one more thing.’
The voice sounded calm but firm.
’Do not tell anyone that you two are from the future.’
Alice and Isaac were surprised by sudden telepathy, and gave a short node.
’We cannot trust everyone here. Keep that information between us until master returns.’
Then the connection disappeared.
The two of them entered the tent quietly.
It was more comfortable than Isaac expected. The beds were soft, the table was sturdy, and even the lighting inside the tent was maintained by small glowing stones placed near the ceiling.
They sat down without speaking for a moment.
Then time began to pass.
Contrary to Isaac’s expectations, no one came to cause trouble.
Later he learned why.
Gael had placed shadow guards around the tent. These hidden soldiers made sure no one approached the area with hostile intentions.
Because of that, the days inside the camp passed quietly.
Meanwhile, Isaac’s main body continued working with Selene.
Even though the mages had cast restriction spells on him earlier, his clones functioned normally. The magic placed on him was strong, but not strong enough to interfere with abilities ranked above it.
Isaac concluded that the spell was probably below SSS-rank.
His clone skill continued functioning perfectly.
Working with Selene turned out to be extremely productive.
Within a few days, Isaac had collected a massive amount of genetic material.
Crop seeds. Magical plant genes. Livestock samples.
The number kept increasing.
By the end of the first week, he had gathered nearly one hundred and fifty new crop-type genes and around twenty livestock genes.
Some of the experiments even produced unexpected results.
A few plants developed basic sentience.
They couldn’t fight, but their abilities were useful. Some released aura-type buffs that strengthened nearby plants, while others produced fruits with extremely high nutritional value.
His skill notifications appeared almost every day.
Gene Reaping skill has reached Level 1 → Level 3
Seed Imprinting skill has reached Level 1 → Level 3
Seed of Providence skill has reached Level 3 → Level 5
Isaac also contacted Avery during this time.
He asked her to obtain rare plants from the Divine Realm and the Hell Realm.
"That’s not something I can guarantee quickly. The time limit and current situation makes collecting those seeds difficult," she told him.
"That’s fine. Just give it a try," Isaac replied.
Even a small chance was enough.
Those crops were essential for his Class Quest.
More days passed.
Seed Imprinting skill has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Seed of Providence skill has reached Level 5 → Level 6
Nearly twenty days went by before anything changed.
One morning, Isaac looked up from the table inside the tent.
"She’s back. A messenger came to tell us to get ready while you were bathing," he said.
Alice looked at him immediately.
"The Sword Maiden?"
Isaac nodded. "We’ll probably be called soon."
Alice’s expression tightened slightly.
The lie detection test worried her.
Specifically, it worried her because of Isaac.