Chapter 1244: Calm Fog (Part 1)

When Phantom used the Connected String, threads and fragments gradually appeared that were supposed to lead Phantom to suitable monsters.

Adam had already gone through this stage, as well as the second stage of finding this place.

This happened two days ago. Silvana spent some time preparing, as did Adam. They had to be sure that Adam could complete this mission because the Forgotten Mills could be the most dangerous territory he could ever find himself in.

Sure, the Soaring Chain Islands at the Dark Shore were on a completely different level, but that was because of Saegar’s influence as one of the strongest, neutral Lords. And, the Dark Shore was a special place where even a K4-Phantom should not venture.

The Tarnished Lands were not as dangerous on average, but they followed the same rules as the Dead Lands and the Dark Shore—the deeper you went, the stronger the monsters became.

The reason was the same as why only weak monsters lived around the Citadel. Phantoms were more common at the edges of territories, but there was another reason—energy.

This was true for both the Dark Shore and the Tarnished Lands: the closer you got to the edge of these lands, the denser the energy became, which meant there were more resources and opportunities for evolution.

In fact, the energy density in some lands of the Befallen Crown was so high that even K3-Phantoms would get dizzy after a while, and ordinary people would not even be able to breathe under such constant pressure.

However, this was not a problem for monsters, because, unlike humans, energy was natural for them.

“Well, the day has come.” Adam looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting the collar of his coat.

He was most concerned not about the Forgotten Mills, but about the Renegades. They were different from the Free End and the Befallen Crown, and Adam knew practically nothing about their ideology, let alone their leader, who, according to the idea, should not have existed, but did.

The Forgotten Mills, parts of it, crossed territories where the influence of the Renegades, some Elders, or even Lords spread.

Unfortunately, Silvana couldn’t find out exactly what enemies Adam could expect to encounter at the Forgotten Mills. Neither she nor any other Operator was capable of this, as the satellites simply couldn’t provide such information.

“In any case, it doesn’t look like I have a choice, does it?” Adam muttered before heading for the door.

Sure, Adam could use the Connected String again and pay attention to several threads that pointed in a different direction than the Forgotten Mills, but that was not the path Adam wanted to take.

This time, it would be business as usual—just him and Silvana remaining in the Citadel as his support. No allies or incidents that would attract a multitude of Phantoms.

In this mission, Adam would have to face monsters that had a lot in common with him because of the abilities, energy, and genes in their bodies.

It was a reminder of his origin, of the day he killed the Silver Weaver.

“The Silver Weaver…” Adam clenched his fist as he descended in the elevator. “Damien said it was the first Silver Weaver the Citadel had ever encountered. The first in hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. I wonder if Aiden knows about this?”

Of course, he did.

It was just one of many coincidences that had led to the situation they were in now.

Without his abilities, Adam would hardly have been able to reach the K4-Level so quickly. He was too reckless and took too many risks. For this reason, the fact that his needles and threads allowed him to break through any armor often led him to victory.

Any other Phantom in his place would have died, but not Adam.

Step. Step. Step.

Without saying a word, lost in his thoughts, Adam followed the woman in the white coat. She and the members of the Gamma Division had prepared everything for the teleportation.

For Adam, this was already a familiar process, so he wasn’t worried that something would go wrong.

“Go ahead, I’m ready,” Adam said confidently.

They exchanged glances as electric discharges rushed past Adam, sending him to the spire located at the border of the Tarnished Lands.

Then everything happened as before: Adam sat down in the fighter and headed for the border.

“I was told to try to fly as far as possible,” the pilot said, his expression serious. “But in two minutes, we will reach the limits of my capabilities. I hope you understand.”

In response, Adam nodded slightly.

“Sure, no problem. I’m glad I don’t have to walk dozens of kilometers, although I’ll still have to walk part of the way.”

His gaze turned to the blue barrier surrounding the fighter.

The energy density here was too high for ordinary fighters and pilots to fly over these areas without additional protection.

For the same reason, the pilot could not go any further — the barrier from the artifact would cease to be effective, and then the pilot would quickly become disabled.

‘I wonder how the Second Rank Phantoms move around? I’m sure they have to go to the Dark Shore from time to time, but the nearest spires are quite far from the borders.’

Adam understood that they most likely used some other method, more complex and rarer than fighters and teleportation, but that was not what Adam should be worrying about now.

“Here, the dark forest below will be your starting point. Next, you’ll need to get to the glass bridge. I think your Operator will tell you more about that,” the pilot explained and opened the ramp. “Good luck.”

A gleam flashed across Adam’s eyes as he moved forward, approaching the very edge. Dark lands rushed by below, as did black trees with blade-like branches pointing upward.

“Thank you. That made my job easier.”

Adam stepped forward, falling from the fighter jet, which turned sharply in midair and headed back toward the spire before it was too late.