The gaze passed through the dense forest, serene and silent as the calm, roots spreading, moss covering the rocks. In the distance, golden sunlight filtered through the canopy, gray-white sharp rocks towering, lifting one's gaze through the green branches, revealing the lone Chongshan suspended above the treetops, covered in Snow.
Princess Rupert had long been awake, dressed in full armor, draped in Silver Ash chainmail, wearing a pair of Iron Gauntlets, holding a Longsword, silently observing everything here. She wore a snow-white War Robe, stained with some fresh blood, with the Magic Guided Reactor glowing with Silverlight behind her, showing a claw mark on the shell.
Her hair was casually tied in a bundle, swept behind her, making her look more like an elder sister from next door rather than a Princess. Only, on her sun-kissed skin, a slender flame rested on her forehead—the Holy Pattern of Androma, symbolizing her nobility.
This world was reflected in her Vision, yet she rarely spoke, only occasionally reaching out to assist Fang Hong. The latter was already gasping for breath, nearly seeing Golden Star in his eyes, internally cursing the Wanderer.
After pulling Fang Hong off the ground for perhaps the umpteenth time, Princess Rupert rarely spoke a sentence: "Though you are an Alchemist, Captain Ade must still pay attention to honing your Physical Fitness."
Fang Hong nearly choked, thinking back to when the Idus group journey began, his Stamina wasn't as good as the melee professions, but at least better off than Luo Yu and Gita. Now, it was rather distressing, with his stamina level on the system only about a third of its original.
The Princess shook her head, and straightforwardly reached out a hand to support him, pulling him up.
The previous Combat wasn't intense; the enemies were those feathered bandits commonly seen over the Sky Sea—harpies, daughters of Siren. These clawed Monsters didn't pose much trouble for them, only reminding Fang Hong of the harpies in the Phantom Sea.
That Phantom cast from the Fallen Star also had a Valley, with harpies inside. But there, the harpies had no physical form, whereas here they existed in reality.
Earlier, he plucked a long feather from a harpy's wing, gray with red top, scarlet at the end like blood, with fine velvet woven into the long feather, still intact now.
Harpies' long feathers are also rare Magic materials, though not as good as Pegasus Feather, they can be used on Feather Arrow, but he currently has no time to collect these things.
Ye Hua turned around, explaining to the two about this world: "It is somewhat different from your world."
Both were accustomed to his style, 'your world' meaning the First World or Eteliria, this Half-plane is indeed distinct from Eteliria.
"We call this Half-plane the Shadow Realm," said Ye Hua, wielding a Hunting Knife, casually cutting through thick aerial roots, "It lies between the Main World and Ether Realm, like a shadow of the Main World."
He looked upwards into the distance, leaving the Valley, a white Holy Sanctuary occasionally emerged over Cuiye.
The Main World of Eteliria, is the Material Realm, whether First World or Second World, they're both parts of the Material Realm, Elements and Ether pass through the sea of stars creating all things and life here.
Above the Main World, is the star sea, Ether Realm; it's well-known that Ether and Elements originate from this world, and gods and spirits float above it like giant Stars, drifting in the Kong.
The star sea lacks a substantial presence, with only separate Divine Kingdoms floating in void, far apart. Some gods rest eternally here, at the bottom of the Abyss in the star sea.
"The Lizardmen believe, a Sea of Light exists between Ether Realm and Main World, the shadow above the Sea of Light in Material Realm forms this Shadow Realm." Ye Hua turned back toward them, "In the Main World, the quantity of Ether determines the Mortals' power limit, whether Magic, Divine Strength, or Magic Guided Conductor, all originate from Ether—"
He cast his gaze afar: "But here, the reflection of everything in the Main World resembles a vast dreamscape, where the soul is the source of strength."
"This resembles 'Soling'," Princess Rupert suddenly spoke, "In the Sea of the Moon, while Ether Force usually dominates, the power of the soul is becoming increasingly crucial."
'Soling' is what the Istania People call the Second World; Lizardmen name it 'Sotao', Dwarves 'Kowarik', ultimately, it's the 'world beyond the Gateway'. The Sea of the Moon is another name for it.
Fang Hong had heard of such things, the limit in the First World for Mortals is Level 50—but in Second World, it's only Level 5. Just the way of leveling differs from the First World.
There, the Experience Points needed are not related to cognitive learning, but an essential force, said to be tied to the soul, related to Starlight.
This is the core over which guilds in the Second World contend, Starlight, essence; guilds from the Second rarely return to the First World for this reason.
Because resources in the First World are somewhat useless for Second World.
Yet for this reason, large-scale repatriation of guilds from Second World seems so noteworthy now.
"Indeed so," Ye Hua nodded, hesitating slightly, "But here it's unique, reflecting only a fragment of the First World. It's like a dreamscape where its owner wields the greatest Strength—"