Kabir quietly followed Ephini. He observed the town as most parts were damaged and construction was on the way. The only strange thing was there were more humans and other species than elves. Although the story did not spread much outside the elven territory, it was huge news in Elador, as they had not been breached since the draconic war era.

  Kabir wanted to raise discussion while walking with Ephini to lighten the mood, but the more he remembered her smile, the more he thought of it as a bad idea. In the end he just observed all the way to her office.

  ....

  The office was filled with the usual floral smell, but this time it had a hint of mint to the smell. This was because Mizin was present, and this peculiar scent came from her kimono. Mizin was casually lying on the sofa close to one of the bookshelves when the door opened.

  Kabir, on seeing his master, went pale as he sat on the floor. Ephini was a bit surprised, seeing his demeanor change seeing Mizin. Much fear was written on his face as if he were about to be eaten. Ephini took her seat in the chief’s chair, leaving the windows shut behind her.

  “You are three days late. Hope you have a valuable reason as to why this happened.

  her eyes gradually opening to reveal an orange pupil.

  “I’m sorry, master, but I could not resist the urge for treasure, bu-.".

  She smirked.

  “Ho, what is it?”

  She yawned, seeming uninterested in his finds.

  “Found a map when I went north last year and it pointed to the beach. Not far from where the seaport was supposed to be built.”

  “SO?”

  She had closed her eyes, not paying attention to Kasim's trivial matters. He was an explorer who had a diamond badge, but the way he behaved, constantly courting death,. He tends to snoop around too much; at one time, he attracted both the vampire king's attention and Beyond the Abyss, both being demigod entities.

  “I found another world underground.”

  Mizin still paid him no mind.

  He took a deep breath before explaining.

  “I found another world underground.”

  Mizin still paid him no mind. It was not unusual to find traces of ancient civilization, which are usually termed another world.

  He took a deep breath before explaining.

  “It had a similar appearance to the great constellations. Spanning about the size of Loran or even Fu territory.

  She peeked with one eye opened, which was locked on Kasim. Sometimes he was full of absurd stories, but his accounts are usually trustworthy.

  He went on recounting his adventure. There were similar automatons to the ones already found by the exploration hub, but the ones they mostly found were mostly not capable of reasoning. But these guys were civilized, having their own currency and system akin to the society in the world today. He stayed there for a few days, coming across some races that were said to be extinct. But his exploration came to an end when he ventured towards the bottom of the great hole, where less and less automation and even living beings avoided.

  She finally opened her eyes, and a faint smug expression was on her face.

  “Then?”

  Kasim hesitated then answered.

  “I felt an overwhelming presence when I got close and,"

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  He paused, knowing his master's temper is usually thin. He summoned courage and continued.

  "...even if you and Abil combined your power it will only amount to half of the pressure I felt from that being that was sited at the bottom of that great hole where the civilization stayed.”

  This last comment made her intrigued. Ephini was partly paying attention, but most was on the paperwork.

  “An Original otherworlder,”

  She smiled, her attention fully on him.

  “Good job.”.

  Kasim felt relieved hearing those words.

  "Keep this information down for now until after the council meets. Make sure not to tell even your association. You are dismissed”.

  Hearing those words, he jumped up and took a bow before walking out of the room.

  Mizin's shadow grew to twice its size, then out of the shadow Ai-Lyn emerged.

  “Master, he is on his way.”.

  Mizin nodded indiscernibly before waving her hand, causing the shadow to disperse and Ai-Lyn to disappear along with it. She lay down and closed her eyes, returning to the state she was in moments earlier.

  .....

  Close to the lake where Gilly was found, the forest was being cleared by. Pom was in charge of this operation, and he was assisted by Demean, Zenora's brother, and other Knights. Seras sat under a tree just observing the workflow, and by evening their work was done.

  They all returned to the city, leaving Seras, whose appearance was now changing to an elf with golden hair, a young body, and an appearance similar to Ephini. No one had ever seen her like that except the royal family members, Catherine of the library Mizin, Venti, and a few others. This was her real appearance she kept hidden from others.

  .......

  The thirteenth province of Tomaria, the abode of heavenly revered beings, the Kitsunes, was isolated from the world, being atop a small hill. It was very small, just the size of a large mansion and having a courtyard and other necessary buildings.

  Demoniods, Kitsune, and other species could be seen laying a red substance on the ground that had a red aura on it. On closer inspection it was a dragon’s blood, specifically Zatrynx blood, which Abil had collected in exchange for helping Mizin.

  Floating above the entire estate, Abil gazed down on the people at work. The great grand magic circle was almost complete. A grimoire materialized in her hand, the pages flipping automatically, stopping at the thirty-second page. Power seeped out of the book into the floor, lighting up the magic circle.

  The sky was painted with a deep red color as lightning cackled in the sky, the clouds swirling, making a whirlpool just above the province. Rays of light shot up into the sky, which was blinding, and in the next instance, only a large gate was seen standing, and the hill that stood there was now gone with the people on it.

  .....

  Seras took out a green staff surrounded by golden light and waved it slightly, making arrays of magic circles appear in the sky, giving it a golden hue. This was directly above the clearing that Pom and his men made earlier that day.

  Rays of light shot down from the sky upon the clearing, and after a while, a new landscape of a hill could be seen within the dust cloud as it cleared.

  She waved her hand, and the staff disappeared, revealing her to be an old elf with gray hair and starry eyes. Turning back, she headed to Ephini’s office.

  Abil, who was now standing atop the hill, felt something; for a moment she felt a gaze on her by someone with overwhelming power as she descended. Also, she did not use up a lot of magic in the magic circle; about sixty percent of her total mana pool was consumed, which was a little price compared to what she had calculated. Her face became sour, and she headed off in the direction of Mizin’s aura.

  Looking out the window, Ephini saw the light and at once knew. She recognized this magic.

  “Grandma”

  She said, smiling with her hands on the glass. Mizin had glanced at her for a bit before closing her eyes again. Moments later, a voice rang out from the hallway, and by the tone in which they spoke, this person was not pleased.

  Abil barged in and stared at Ephini, who in turn pointed at Mizin.

  “Mizin, who did you hire?”

  She was angry that her friend went behind her back, not knowing how she had a person of equal or even greater strength to her. Mizin paid her no mind, getting up as she yawned and stretched. She then drank water from the jug on the table.

  "Tch... even you have secrets."

  Abil had calmed down and was now sitting, legs crossed on the couch. Mizin only went straight to the point.

  “Seras, Fifth Seat Divine Council, also called the genius of a thousand years”

  Ephini was shocked that her grandmother was not just on any council, but the divine council. Normally those who had reached the calamity level kept either their identity or their power hidden. Abil began to sweat hearing those words; she had heard the last statement from her mentor before he disappeared, the words resounding in her head. He warned her about offending the elves and about the genius of a thousand years.

  Seras opened the door and entered the room; she had taken on her youthful appearance again. Ephini, seeing her, only recognized her by her eyes, for she looked like a copy of her. She looked at Abil smiling. The two parties looked at her, then at Ephini, who was stunned.

  Mizin laughed at their expression, which was priceless. A calming presence filled the room, followed by a faint golden glow.

  “Grandma.”

  Ephini was still shaken, trying to process what was occurring.

  “Child, you’ve grown.”

  She was talking to Abil, who was slightly shaken by her comment. Calling her child even though she was around four hundred and fifty-six years old. She began wondering how old Seras was.