"Is the spatial nexus linked to the Uranus Empire?" Muria gazed down at the towering steel structure before him. It was a twin tower that stood three thousand meters tall, inscribed with intricate spatial runes.
Blue-white lightning crackled across its surface, and powerful elemental tides surged from all directions, forming a vortex between the twin towers. A time-space rift, nearly fifteen hundred meters long, hovered unsteadily at the top of the towers.
At the core hub of this grand architectural marvel, a black-haired, gold-eyed girl was making minute adjustments to the entire nexus's frequency. Without lifting her head at Muria's impatient question, the princess replied, "Almost there. Soon, we can directly return to the capital."
"We'll need to build a spatial nexus like this in Synapse. We can't rely entirely on the Uranus Empire," Muria decided as he looked at the extraordinary structure before him. His power must be independent, especially when it came to such crucial constructs.
Boom—
A massive rumble echoed as the fluctuating time-space rift stabilized. The rift, spanning a vast distance, expanded into a giant star gate...
Simultaneously, in the capital of the Uranus Empire on the main continent of Erathia, an identical twin-tower structure stood tall, reaching ten thousand meters into the sky. Compared to Muria's nexus, this one was even more colossal.
At that moment, runes symbolizing space lit up sequentially on the grand structure, with arcs of lightning jumping across them, growing thicker. During this process, it continuously drew on the elemental reserves of several mage towers of comparable size around it.
The reduction in elemental clouds atop these mage towers was visible to the naked eye, while a massive elemental vortex formed, distorting space. A time-space rift emitting a faint blue glow appeared.
"Which prince or princess is returning from an expedition?" A legendary mage, alarmed by the elemental depletion in his tower, stepped out and gazed at the star gate opening, surprised.
He was a court mage in service to the royal family, having achieved his status due to their support. Upon becoming a legend, he immediately received a mage tower, as he had a contract to serve the royal family for a thousand years, during which he would lose much of his autonomy. This was unavoidable, given his humble origins.
"Could it be the Seventh Princess returning?" his disciple speculated uncertainly from behind him.
"The Seventh Princess? When did she gain the strength for an interdimensional expedition?" The court mage was taken aback. Among the empire's next generation of princes and princesses, only the top three had the power for such expeditions. The Seventh Princess still had a long way to go.
"Master, haven't you heard the most popular rumor in the capital?" The legendary mage's disciple looked around cautiously, then lowered his voice.
"What rumor?" The court mage frowned at his disciple's secretive manner. "Speak up. This is my mage tower."
"Rumor has it that the Seventh Princess has allied herself with a newly advanced legendary Titan," the young noble said excitedly. "And it's said that the Titan is male!"
"A male Titan? Indeed, no royal is simple. Even the seventh-ranked princess has a significant chance at the throne," the court mage thought silently, grateful that his current status spared him from royal conflicts. The risks were too great. He only needed to be loyal to the emperor.
"But what does a Titan have to do with this?" the court mage asked, pointing at the opening spatial nexus.
"Master, you're out of touch. Apparently, the Titan had a conflict with the Dragon Princess of the Orlando Empire and engaged in a royal duel. Having no experience in void warfare, the Titan was assisted by the Seventh Princess.
"It's said the Titan didn't even have a fleet. The Seventh Princess lent her private funds to him, purchasing void warships and forming a fleet. Noble birth has its perks. The princess offered herself, money, and men!"
"Forming a fleet with a princess's private funds?"
"The Titan also reportedly borrowed a substantial sum from the Deep Blue Merchant Guild, estimated to be over six billion."
"Ah, birthright!" The court mage sighed. Even he couldn't help but be impressed by the sum. "But I recall the Seventh Princess never participating in any interdimensional wars. She has no combat experience."
"That's still better than the Titan, who had no theoretical or practical experience. And it seems that, with the princess's help, the Titan won."
"Winning under such conditions?" The court mage was skeptical. Interdimensional warfare isn't just about fighting. If the Titan were a high-tier legend, he might brute-force his way through, but a newly advanced legend?
"According to the grapevine, the Dragon Princess's fleet has returned from the void with over half her troops lost. It was a disaster!"
"Incredible!" With the defeated returning from the void and the victor returning through the star gate, the court mage understood the rules. The star gate's activation explained everything.
"Master, look!" The disciple pointed excitedly at a massive steel structure emerging from the star gate.
"Banshee scout ship ahead!"
After the star gate opened, a scout ship crossed through first to confirm the gate's stability. Once the elemental waves signaled safety, Muria's void battleship started moving, carrying him through the star gate.
Then, rousing, blood-pumping music filled Muria's ears. He saw the bands lined up on either side of the star gate like walls, welcoming the victors with triumphant tunes.
"Is this how your empire welcomes its victors? I like it!" Muria said with a warm yet dignified smile as he observed the grand procession.
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