Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1507 1507: Anomaly Grid

The Detached Mountains were definitely a cozy place to be. No one had any doubts about that, neither Adam, who was here for the first time, nor the Phantoms, who occasionally used the Detached Mountains for their own purposes.

But he had no reason to stay here too long.

He and Damien were waiting for one more person to finally return to the Dead Lands, or more precisely, to the Primal Lands, a territory he had never been to before.

Crack.

The door opened as Alexia entered the coffee shop. She looked around as she noticed Damien and Adam in the corner of the room.

”Here you are!” she exclaimed, running up to them.

The first thing she wanted to talk about was not their mission, but something else.

”Damn it, those gates! I had a hard time opening them! I used so much energy!”

”Hahaha!” Damien laughed. ”That was the whole point. You know, if you hadnʼt been able to open them, Adam would have gone on the mission alone. Itʼs not just a gate, itʼs a test you passed. Congratulations.”

You could tell by Alexiaʼs expression that she was glad it was a test, but she wasnʼt going to show it. She was too proud for that.

”Pffft! I knew I could do it. No gate can stop me! I have to get the Ancient Frost if I want to get stronger, and I want to get stronger!”

”Huh, I donʼt doubt it,” Damien chuckled.

He took the last sip of his coffee and stood up.

”Alright, Adam already knows where weʼre going, but for you, itʼll be a surprise, Alexia.”

”Agh?”

Her eyes widened as she looked from Adam to Damien.

”Wait, wait, wait! Tell me about it now!”

”Nah,” Damien just walked past her, heading toward the exit. ”Itʼs not far, just be patient.”

Adam didnʼt say anything, he just finished his waffle and followed them.

Soon, despite Alexiaʼs pleas, they found themselves in the middle of a plaza when Damien pointed toward one of the five mountains.

”Since youʼre going to the Primal Lands, this is our mountain. We could take a truck, but I think it would be better to walk, donʼt you think?” Damien grinned.

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances.

They still knew too little about the Detached Mountains to understand what that meant.

”Damien, you mentioned the Anomaly Grid. Is it located there? In this mountain?”

Damien nodded deeply.

”Exactly. But donʼt get me wrong. The Anomaly Grid is everywhere. All the anomalies you see around you, whether on mountain tops or underground, are all part of one big grid. Itʼs the foundation of the Detached Mountains.”

Alexia crossed her arms over her chest.

”And? How do anomalies help us? We didnʼt come here to watch weak Artifacts being born! I want to go to the Primal Lands!”

Damien waved his hand as he moved forward.

”You will. These arenʼt simple anomalies, more precisely, all these anomalies are of the same type.”

Adam already knew this, or rather, he assumed that was the case.

”These are the spatial anomalies, right?” He asked with a serious face.

Damien smirked for a moment, continuing to move along the tunnel under the mountain.

”Yeah, thatʼs exactly right. There are several thousand different spatial anomalies here. Unlike the spires, which use artifacts to control the entry and exit points, everything here is much more chaotic, but for us, thatʼs more of an advantage than a disadvantage.”

”How so?” Adam asked, puzzled.

He knew how the spires worked. They were an almost perfect method of transportation. Their only drawback was that they were located on the borders of the lands, as the depths of these regions were inhabited by monsters that were too powerful.

”Well, a spatial anomaly is simply energy with special properties that wanders unnoticed in a small area. Itʼs almost impossible to get rid of them. If a spatial anomaly didnʼt appear right in the nest of a powerful monster, but somewhere nearby, it will remain in that place for hundreds or even thousands of years.”

Damien continued as he quickened his pace slightly:

”So, if you know where a particular spatial anomaly leads, itʼs no different from a portal. Sure, itʼs not as safe, convenient, or accurate as using the spires, but unlike the spires, spatial anomalies can take you both deep into the lands and to the borders of territories.”

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances.

Now they understood why they hadnʼt heard of the Detached Mountains before. For them, there was simply no need.

It wasnʼt just that they werenʼt strong enough before and couldnʼt open the iron gates. The spires were more than enough for their needs.

”But how do we know which anomaly to use?” Adam asked. ”I mean, Alexia and I know where we need to go. We saw the Winding Fragments, and only one of the hundreds was right for us.”

Damien stopped as more than a dozen passages led to different parts of the mountain in front of them. Each of them was equipped with a paved road with lighting.

”Well, you have two choices. Almost every spatial anomaly in this area has been identified. That means we know roughly what area it leads to. As I mentioned earlier, each spatial anomaly revolves around a specific area, but never strays beyond its boundaries. So, if it says that this anomaly leads to the ash forest, then you will definitely end up either there or somewhere nearby.”

Before Adam and Alexia could say anything, Damien turned around, showing two fingers.

”Or you can use the Winding Fragments to understand exactly which spatial anomaly will send you to the right place. Come on, you can do it right here and now. Focus, and very soon you will feel where your energy is leading you.”

If Adam and Alexia didnʼt have the conditions they needed to fulfill for the Third Grand Star, they wouldnʼt be able to use their energy as a guide.

They would have to rely on the Gamma Divisionʼs database on the Detached Mountains. But, since the Path Construct wanted them to become stronger, their energy could show them the way.

It worked with the Winding Fragments, and it would work now. The energy would tell them which spatial anomaly out of thousands was the one they needed.

The Primal Lands were a vast region with hundreds of different territories, but their number was still limited.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A few seconds later, Adam and Alexiaʼs auras trembled as they opened their eyes.

They both saw the same scene: a bright line of white and blue energy headed forward through the tunnel before disappearing around a right turn into one of the passages.

”Looks like you know where to go now, doesnʼt it?” Damien narrowed his eyes.

Adam nodded confidently.

”Yes, I see it. No matter what the priority is, the Evolution Tree or the Path Construct, the energy will always help us find what we need, right?”

Damien shrugged.

”Thatʼs the point. But it wonʼt always be that way. Talent, luck, and fulfilling all the conditions are not enough to reach the Second Rank. Otherwise, there would be many more Phantoms like me in this world.”

Adamʼs gaze darkened. He understood that, but so far, he couldnʼt even imagine what obstacles awaited him on the way to the Second Circle, where most of the K4-Phantoms who could never take the next and final step on the path to evolution stopped.

”Alright, now that youʼve decided on your destination, itʼs time to get to work.”

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances. When they met at the casino, they didnʼt know they would end up here a few days later, but they were ready to move forward to create their Third Grand Stars.

Step. Step. Step.

Soon, following the energy thread, they found themselves in one of the halls deep beneath the mountain where many spatial anomalies hovered above the ground.

Each of them was on the border between stability and chaos, and in this was their unbreakable balance.

As long as no one disturbs them, they will remain in this state, just clumps of energy, mostly gray, blue, and purple, resembling trembling streams of wind.

”Here we go. Which one?” Damien turned to Adam and Alexia.

They used the same method again as they stopped in front of the far anomaly, not far from the wall. It hung above the ground, higher than the others. An ordinary person would not even be able to reach it.

”Is there any information about where this anomaly leads?” Adam asked.

Beth immediately relayed all the information to Damien.

”Yeah, itʼs Spatial Anomaly 113PL. It leads to an area near the Frost Ridge territory. Given your description of the winding fragment, thatʼs where you need to go.”

Alexia turned to Damien, her gaze revealing that she was slightly worried.

”What... What should we do now?”

Damien grinned.

”Just jump. If you want, I can help you. Hahaha, I have a lot of experience with this!”