After a while, Aries as a whole was also strengthened by the Ethera tree. The upper limit of the world was raised from 100C to 100S. This is an increase of a million times. But it is only the start.
The two Sovereigns of the world also benefited from the strengthening of Aries. Their power was raised from 50C to 100C. This was also just the beginning of the benefits that they will enjoy from Aries.
The three patriarchs sent a message to everyone to return to the mothership. They were asked to bring back everything that they brought to Aries, including clothing and artifacts.
Arthur returned to the North Pole together with the troops that went to the South Pole to kill the Sun King. They came with a flying ship and left in the same flying ship.
Along the way back, they saw the changes that Aries had undergone because of them. They saw the divide between the territory of the Vulcans and the Tundras. This divide formed a long and narrow lake.
The ice and snow from the north pole met the heat of the south pole at the equator. The ice and snow melted because of the heat to form a pool of water. The pool of water became bigger as more ice melted into it. Soon, the pool of water became a lake.
Because of the heat and cold on either side of the lake, the lake can only spread along the equator. Once all the narrow lakes at the equator connect, they will become one long river that flows along the equator.
Both the Vulcans and the Tundras hate the lake at the border of their territory. Only the people of the Blood Skull army like it.
Previously unseen green plants can also be seen growing at the border. They are different from the red plants that grow in the hot deserts or the blue plants that grow in frigid deserts.
Along the way, Arthur experienced the changes in temperature from very hot at the South Pole, to mild at the equator, and finally to very cold at the North Pole. He also experienced the familiar feeling of having mana all around him, ready to he called upon at any moment.
The lack of mana in the environment had an effect on him. It had felt as if he was drowning. The lack of mana made him experience what a fish out of water would feel.
However, at his level, the environmental temperature was not enough to affect him. But the foundation establishment juniors below him were not so fortunate.
The people at the foundation establishment realm have a maximum power output of 12.39D without using their armament. This level of power is more than a hundred times weaker than the source of heat and the source of ice.
So the foundation establishment juniors felt uncomfortable in Aries. They needed their armor suit to help them survive in the extreme weather conditions of the world. This made them the most enthusiastic about returning home.
Their flying ship flew to the vicinity of the golden tree. They were able to see what the final state of a mana seed was.
The Ethera tree is at the North Pole, so the concentration of mana in the North Pole is the highest throughout the world. By the time mana reaches the South Pole, where the Vulcans are, it will be used up and diluted.
Clearly, the position of the Ethera tree grants an unfair advantage to the Tundras. But nothing will be done to change it. This advantage will be the benefit of the Tundra people for being the ones to accept the help of the Ethera.
Arthur's eyes lingered on the Ethera tree as he entered the Mothership. In his eyes, the Ethera tree is a physical tree. But to his mana sense, the tree is a large golden spring of mana.
With his limited mana sense, he could only sense a large ocean of mana pouring out of the golden spring. Because he lacked a spiritual sense, he didn't see the golden roots of the Ethera tree spreading throughout the world, spreading mana and creating secret realms along the way.
The reason he couldn't see the golden roots spreading all over the world was that they were spreading beneath the first layer of space. Since he didn't have a spiritual sense, he couldn't perceive the existence of the second layer of space and what was going on there.
Eventually, he lost sight of the golden tree as he entered the Mothership. When everyone had entered the Mothership, it rose into the air.
The Mothership rose to the limit of the world in the sky. As it did, a large rift opened up for them in the sky. The Mothership entered this rift and used it to return home.
The Mothership passed through a spatial tunnel and returned to the large excavated underground beneath the sect. Everyone cheered when they heard the announcement that they had returned home.
Patriarch Sword Flash appeared to commend them for their work. His golem avatar said to them, "Well done. Of the 10,000 of you who left for Aries, nearly 3,000 of you died. So more than 70% of you returned alive, and the 30% of you that died didn't die in vain."
"We completed our mission, and we did it in less than six months. This is something that you should be proud of. But far more than pride, you also deserve to be rewarded."
"Your contribution to the campaign has been tallied and converted into merit points. You can use your merit points to exchange for whichever reward you want on the list of rewards."
Everyone cheered again when they heard that they would be rewarded. Sword Flash silenced them after letting them shout and cheer for a while.
Then he said, "You deserve to celebrate, but you can't celebrate here. Wait until you leave the Mothership and return to the sect before you celebrate."