As he was organizing various rune materials, the door of the workshop gently opened, and Ailan walked in with a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"Master, did you stay up late again last night?"
The tree spirit’s voice carried concern: "I can sense your fatigue."
Ron accepted the teacup. The warm liquid emitted a faint mint fragrance, instantly dispelling the exhaustion left by a night of thinking.
"Thank you, Ailan." He took a light sip, feeling the soothing effect of the herbal essence in his body:
"I am considering the preparations for this trip."
"Master..." Ailan’s emerald eyes flashed with a hint of reluctance: "Are you going away for long this time?"
"About two weeks." Ron put down the teacup and turned to face his loyal servant:
"But during my absence, you all have important tasks to do as well."
He walked to the desk and took out two practice plans he had organized last night:
"Ailan, this is a specific cultivation plan for you as a natural priest. You need to start trying to establish deeper connections with the various plants in the workshop, especially those older magic potion materials."
"Can I really do that?" Ailan received the plan with a look of anticipation in her eyes: "I always feel like they are talking to me, but I can’t hear the details clearly."
"That is exactly a sign of bloodline awakening." Ron said gently:
"According to the meditation methods in the plan, you should gradually be able to hear their ’voices’. But remember, if you feel any abnormal mental pressure, stop practicing immediately."
At this moment, Dale also poked her head out of the crystal pool, her damp silver hair clinging to her shoulders, her blue eyes full of curiosity.
"Dale has a task too." Ron handed the other plan to the sea demon girl:
"The cultivation of the tide singer, though limited by the environment, you can start with the most basic water element resonance."
"I want to see if I can change the shape of the pool water with song!"
Dale excitedly flapped her tail fin, splashing water everywhere: "Master, when you come back, I want to perform a new skill for you!"
"Remember, safety is always the priority." He earnestly reminded:
"If you encounter anything beyond the plan, stop your practice immediately and wait for me to handle it when I return."
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door outside the workshop.
At the door appeared the figure of Eve, the black-haired girl wearing a light blue gown today, looking much better in spirit than before.
"Master, I heard you are departing for the Quicksand Lands today?" Eve walked into the workshop, her amethyst eyes filled with reluctance: "I’m here to see you off."
She took out a delicate small box from her bosom:
"This is a little token I prepared for you, hoping it will be useful on your journey."
Ron accepted the box and found three crystal balls inside, emitting a gentle glow.
"Emergency communication crystals." Eve explained:
"Even in environments with intense elemental activity, they can maintain stable contact. If you encounter any danger, you can use them to contact the Central Lands."
"A practical gift." Ron stored the crystal balls safely: "Thank you for your concern, Eve."
"Master..." Eve hesitated for a moment, her voice becoming softer:
"You must come back safely. I still have many questions on magic potion making to ask you."
"I will." Ron nodded gently:
"When I return, we will continue your studies. Now that your health has recovered, you can start more in-depth magic potion learning."
The farewell ceremony was simple and warm.
Ailan and Dale watched Ron board the floating carriage to the airship port, while Eve kept waving until the carriage disappeared among the tower clusters.
......
The airship reached the boundary of the Quicksand Lands at dawn.
As the flight distance extended, the magic concentration in the air began to change subtly.
It was no longer the pure and stable energy environment of the Central Lands but carried a certain primal and wild fluctuation.
"Lecturer Ralph, please come to the observatory."
The guide on the airship invited him through magic power transmission:
"We are about to enter the edge area of the Quicksand Lands, and some sights are worth witnessing firsthand."
Ron put down the "Extraordinary Comprehensive Guide" he was reading and stood up to walk towards the observatory at the front of the airship.
The windows here were much larger than those in normal cabins, using specially-made anti-distortion crystals that could maintain clear views in extreme environments.
The guide was a slender half-elf who appeared to be in his fifties, his skin bronzed from long-term exposure to elemental radiation.
His ears were slightly longer than a human’s, and his irises were a pale green, a typical feature of elven blood.
"I am Samuel Morningwind, a senior navigator of the Sand Sea School."
He extended his hand to shake Ron’s:
"It’s an honor to provide guidance to such an outstanding scholar as you."
Ron noticed that Samuel’s palm was exceptionally rough, with tiny grains of sand embedded deep within its creases.
It was clearly a sign of long-term work in the Quicksand Lands.
"I have long admired you, Mr. Samuel."
He responded politely:
"I’ve heard your knowledge of the Quicksand Lands is unrivaled in the entire school."
"You’re too kind." Samuel smiled humbly:
"Having spent over thirty years in the Quicksand Lands, I’ve gained some experience."
While speaking, the airship began to shake violently.
The view outside the windows suddenly underwent a dramatic change as if plunging from a calm lake into a boiling cauldron.
"The elemental confluence storm is beginning."
Samuel’s expression became serious, his hands swiftly operating the control console:
"Lecturer Ralph, please fasten your seatbelt, it might get bumpy."
Through the specially made observation windows, Ron witnessed the most breathtaking natural spectacle of his life.
Countless spiral-shaped "paradoxical tornadoes" appeared in the sky, each rising thousands of meters, piercing the clouds.
The constitution of these tornadoes was extremely bizarre — their outer layers were hot fire, while the inner layers condensed into ice.
Fire and ice coexisted in the same space, not only failing to cancel each other out but instead forming some marvelous balance.
Ron activated the "Hermit’s Knowledge" for close observation, discovering that the internal temperature of these tornadoes simultaneously reached the extremes of heat and cold.
Under normal circumstances, this was an entirely impossible phenomenon.
But in the unique environment of the Quicksand Lands, the fundamental laws of reality seemed to become distorted.
"The ’splicing experiment’ of the Second Era left lasting consequences."
Samuel noticed Ron’s astonished expression and began explaining the origin of these wonders:
"At that time, the Witch Kings, in an attempt to create a ’perfect elemental testing ground,’ forcibly cut landmasses from more than four different planes, trying to fuse them together."
"More than four planes?"
Ron keenly caught the number:
"This scale... has already gone beyond regular experimental scope, hasn’t it?"
"Indeed." Samuel’s eyes revealed a complex emotion:
"It was a mad gamble by the Witch Kings of the Second Era."
"They tried to artificially create an ideal environment of ’full elemental fusion’ to break through certain cultivation bottlenecks."
"But the fundamental laws of different planes produced irreconcilable conflict..."
Samuel pointed to the bizarre scenes outside the window:
"Ultimately forming this land of eternal elemental chaos."
At this moment, even more stunning sights appeared to the right of the airship.
Dozens of "gravity inversion islands" were floating slowly in the air, completely defying the law of gravity, with earth elements coalescing into various incredible shapes.
Some islands were inverted pyramids, with the tips facing down and the bases facing up;
Others appeared as donut shapes, with upside-down crystal forests growing in their central voids.
The "roots" of these forests grew upward, while their "branches and leaves" hung downward, each leaf a pure magic crystal.