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nTwo weeks later, in the underground hidden basement, Maximus let out a sigh of relief as he gazed at the finished runic program he had inscribed.

nDuring these two weeks, he had taken his time and hadn’t rushed through the process.

nHe even managed to rest and spend quality time with his family, unlike when he was setting up the formation array and felt exhausted like a dog.

nAlthough, the process of inscribing consumes a lot of time, it also aided his study of mechanics, particularly in control and precision when inscribing runic patterns.

nWorking with the challenging EldRune runic language tested his patience and precision, ultimately leading to improved control over his mana.

nShifting his attention to the Aethercore Nexus, he noticed a new function that had been added.

nHighest Authority: Maximus Shadowcrest

nMana Density: Tier 1.7

nDefense and Attack: Charged – 100%

nFunctions: Virtualization, recording, alarm…

nConnection: Token – Personal Information

n– Moonlight Forum

nOnce the mana density reached tier 1, the mana-gathering process started to slow down.

nSo, it would likely take another two weeks to achieve tier 2 mana density.

nThe Moonlight forum had basic functions such as posting, commenting, and liking.

nIt also had a chat feature and the ability to add friends.

nMaximus intentionally avoided adding too many functions at once to prevent confusion.

nHowever, the runic program is already finished, any future updates could be easily made with just a single click.

nBefore enabling the Moonlight forum, Maximus typed his first post and instructions.

n…

nIn Isabella’s boudoir, she was getting ready for the day when suddenly her token started vibrating.

nIntrigued, she picked it up.

nPersonal Information

nMoonlight Forum

n“Moonlight forum?” Isabella voiced her confusion.

nWeeks ago, they had been informed by Maximus about the changes happening in the kingdom, such as the mana density and purity being attributed to the formation.

nIt had even caused her mana, which had long been stagnant, to move.

nWhile most of the ministers were shocked by such a change, they had no doubts about it, especially since Maximus had mentioned that his Tier 5 mage teacher planned to make Sunburnt Plateau his territory.

nCuriosity piqued, Isabella tapped on the Moonlight forum.

nForum

nChat

nProfile

nThere wasn’t much content on the forum, except for Maximus’ announcements explaining what had happened in the past week and outlining the functions of the Moonlight forum.

nClicking on the chat tab, she found that it was empty.

n“Let’s see…” According to the instructions, she could add anyone by typing their name.

nShe typed “Maximus,” and several names popped up.

nSo, She added his surname.

nMaximus Shadowcrest…

n“Done!” Isabella clicked on “Add” and anxiously waited for Maximus to accept.

nWhile waiting, she turned to the profile tab.

nSince everyone with a token had already registered their personal information, there was no need for her to do so.

nUnfortunately, all the profiles were blank and held no interesting information.

nHowever, Isabella was curious about the camera function.

nMaximus had explained in his post that it was like a photo stone, capable of capturing images using mana.

nWhen she clicked on it, a pop-up appeared.

nPlease input mana.

nAfter inputting the mana, her face appeared on the virtual screen.

n“Oops!” Isabella hurriedly cut off the supply of mana.

nShe had just seen her face so clearly for the first time.

nAlthough mirrors existed in this world, they weren’t as clear as the image displayed on the token.

nTurning the mana supply back on, Isabella marveled at the highly detailed image.

n“Beautiful,” she murmured unconsciously.

n“Hmph, this old lady is so beautiful. How can that lustful man endure my charm?” Isabella remarked in a sour tone as she looked at her reflection.

nIt had been almost a year since Isabella surrendered under Maximus’ rule.

nInitially, upon discovering that he had many wives, she somewhat accepted the possibility of being in a similar situation.

nFor the sake of her path as a mage, she was willing to endure this temporary humiliation, especially since Maximus was not bad looking and was also a talented mage.

nHowever, Maximus had treated her like any other person, making her doubt her charm.

nYet, now, as she gazed at her image reflected in the virtual screen, even she, a woman, was almost charmed by her beauty.

nSo how could a lustful man resist it?

n“Could it be that I’m too old?” Isabella touched her face.

n“No! How can I be old?” Isabella quickly refuted herself.

nShe was only thirty-one years old this year, and as a Tier 2 Great Mage, she had a lifespan of at least 300 years.

nMoreover, there was a high chance that she could advance to Tier 3 Nascent Mage, extending her lifespan to a thousand years.

nDeciding not to dwell on it any longer, she put away her token and confidently walked out of the house.

n…

nTwo weeks later, the Moonlight forum was abuzz with excitement.

nOriginally, many people didn’t understand how the forum worked, and some couldn’t even read.

nBut Maximus had anticipated this and added a voice function.

nInstead of reading the text, the forum now played the voice of the post owner.

nThis was made possible because the users’ mana and spiritual signature were registered in their tokens and with a little processing through the Aethercore Nexus.

nMaking a personal generated voice was easy.

n…

nIn the newly built tavern, a man with silver hair named Silver Atom sat in a chair behind the counter, enjoying his drink while tinkering with his token.

nHe let out a sigh, appreciating the taste of the wine.

nSilver Atom was a Tier 4 Sky Knight who had chosen not to escape like the others when he learned that the entire Sunburnt Plateau had been conquered.

nHe had grown tired of living life on the edge of a knife, constantly either fighting or on his way to a battle.

nLandon, the lad responsible for the relocation, had bribed him with good wine and spirits.

nSilver Atom was known as Drunken Sword Silver and had traveled all over the world in search of drinks that could satisfy him.

nThere was even a time when he sold himself as a servant to a family famous for their wines, solely because they claimed to have wines that were out of this world.

nUnfortunately, they had deceived him, an old fool, into a soulbound contract.

nNaively believing them, he signed the contract and then asked where the promised wine was.

nTo his dismay, the group simply laughed at him.

nHow could he be worthy of the title Drunken Sword Silver if he had a sober mind?

nDisregarding the contract, he went on a rampage and nearly exterminated their entire family.

nHowever, as a punishment for breaking the contract, the dignified Tier 6 Stellar Knight regressed to a Tier 4 Sky Knight.

n𝑶𝐯xt.𝓒𝑂𝑚

nHelpless, he could only escape to the Curse Continent, where he now lived his retired life, unable to advance further due to the punishment of the contract.

nMaximus had heard about Silver Atom’s story from Feris when he inquired about powerful or hidden hermits in the Sunburnt Plateau.

nLearning about the pitiful drunkard, Maximus purchased the strongest Tier 6 wine available in the system mall and had Landon bribe him.

nAlthough the old man had regressed in strength, his knowledge and experience were still formidable.

nWith ease, he could cross realms and defeat Tier 5 knights or even mages if caught off guard.

nPrecisely because of this, Maximus planned to have the old man become the teacher of the knight academy he was planning to establish.

nBut for now, Old Silver was content managing the tavern according to his own desires.

n…

n“Old Silver, give me the usual!” shouted a middle-aged man who had just entered the tavern.

n“Go get it yourself,” Old Silver replied without raising his head, engrossed in his token.

n“What are you doing, Old Silver?” the middle-aged man asked as he walked up to him.

nAs the middle-aged man came behind him, he saw Old Silver typing on the virtual screen under the nickname ‘Drunken Sword Silver.’

n“Oh, it’s you, the old man who has been famous recently!” The middle-aged man’s eyes shone as if he had encountered a celebrity.

nDrunken Sword Silver had gained recent fame on the Moonlight forum, sharing his daring and thrilling adventures.

nHowever, many people didn’t believe his stories and considered them to be fictional due to their fantastical nature.

n“Is what you said real, Old Silver?” the middle-aged man drooled as he read what was posted.

n“Of course!” Old Silver proudly replied.

nWhat he had shared were his adventures in the Gourmet Domain, the territory of a Tier 9 mage that was also a Tier 9 Gastronomancer.

nIn this domain, the entire world had been transformed into edible food.

nEven the dirt could be eaten, with different types offering flavors ranging from sour and sweet to savory and more.

nOld Silver had embarked on this adventure in pursuit of the Beer Waterfall at one time

nBut his dream is to have a taste of the ultimate treasure, the Mystic Dew of the Gods.

nThe formation of this legendary drop of wine only occurred once every thousand years and was fought over by many powerhouses ranging from Tier 6 to Tier 7.

nUnfortunately, before he could achieve his goals, he was deceived and could no longer advance.

nJust thinking about that legendary drop of wine, Old Silver couldn’t help but drool and sigh.

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