The appearance of the Land of Crystals forced the Salvation Army and the Government Army into a tacit ceasefire, prompting a swift retreat.

The crystalline structures were translucent and highly corrosive. Anyone who touched them, even slightly, was assimilated. As the crystal pillars erupted from the ground, many soldiers who couldn’t get away in time were fused into the crystals, forever becoming one with them.

As the Land of Crystals continued to grow and spread, the battlefield transformed into a deadly Restricted Area. Retreat was the only sensible decision to avoid losing the entire army.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Piercing shrieks tore through the air as Salvation Army fighter jets launched missiles at the crystal pillars soaring into the sky. Thrusters flared, and the missiles left conspicuous white contrails in their wake.

But upon impact, the missiles didn’t detonate. A translucent layer of crystal rapidly spread across their casings, assimilating them. Even their flames and smoke trails couldn’t escape this transformation. From a distance, the several-kilometer-long crystalline trails looked like thin branches extending from the crystal pillars.

"Switch to Alchemy Missiles. Try again," a voice ordered over the comms channel.

"Yes, sir!"

The pilots immediately launched the Alchemy Missiles. Guided by an Alchemy Matrix, several of the missiles successfully detonated. But in the next instant, the terrifying blast of light froze in place. The fiery blossoms of death and destruction were petrified into shimmering crystal flowers, blooming against the magnificent pillar.

In the command post several kilometers away, the army commanders stared at the massive crystalline mountain range, their expressions grave.

"Even Alchemy Weapons can’t damage it?"

"This stuff looks a lot like the overgrown Ore that appears after someone gets Crystal Disease. It has to be related."

"The Star Association sent down the Rain of Life. Crystal Disease should’ve been cured by now... Is this some new creation from Fallen Paradise?"

"Those sons of bitches at Fallen Paradise!" a commander spat, his eyes red as he clenched his fists. Many of his Warriors had been lost when the Land of Crystals appeared.

...

An emergency meeting was called.

Zhou Chen hurried back to the camp and entered the command tent. The senior leadership of the Salvation Army had gathered, and the atmosphere was solemn.

"This sudden incident cost us over a thousand Warriors, but this is no time for grief. The war isn’t over." The white-haired leader of the Salvation Army lowered his gaze to the map spread out on the table. He picked up a red marker and circled the positions of their forces and the Government Army. Then, he drew another circle between them to represent the Land of Crystals.

"The Land of Crystals has completely blocked off the battlefield between us and the Government Army. This is not good for us. The longer this drags on, the more complications will arise. We must win this war as quickly as possible, liberate the entire country, and then gather all our strength to deal with the Land of Crystals and whatever other threats might follow.

Therefore, our army’s primary objective is now to take the North Carolina Capital, not to annihilate the Government Army’s main forces. This will require us to make a detour from the east."

He drew an arc from their own position, one that bypassed the Land of Crystals and the Government Army’s front lines, pointing directly at the North Carolina Capital behind them.

"The remnants of the Government Army have all fallen back to defend the Capital. We will face fierce resistance no matter which direction we attack from, but we have no other choice. We’re out of time." The leader tapped the Land of Crystals with his marker. "Today it’s the Land of Crystals. Who knows what else is waiting for us down the road? We can’t let our Warriors’ sacrifices be in vain."

The commanders nodded in agreement. Just then, a phone rang in the Salvation Army leader’s pocket. Before he could even pull it out, a frantic voice blared from the speaker, "Sir, we have a huge problem! A Ma-Matrix! The satellite has spotted an Alchemy Matrix covering North Carolina!"

Hearing this, Zhou Chen froze. ’An Alchemy Matrix that covers all of North Carolina? Just how big would that be?’

A moment later, a satellite image was projected onto the screen.

On the map of North Carolina, a massive Matrix shimmered with light, covering almost the entire country. Its internal structure was complex and exquisite—unquestionably the work of an Alchemical Great Sage.

"This..." Everyone was dumbfounded. A few of the Alchemists were so shocked their jaws hung open. "This... this is impossible... We couldn’t possibly have missed the deployment of a Matrix on this scale..."

"Perhaps this Matrix was set up long ago." An elderly Alchemist stood up and walked to the screen, pointing to several spots on the projection. "These sections use an old-style structure from decades ago. Nobody uses this design anymore. Based on this alone, I can determine that this Secret Ceremony Matrix is an antique from decades ago. It was likely deployed in secret by the North Carolina Royal Family right after the Restricted Area was unsealed."

Zhou Chen nodded slightly. His own analysis led to the same conclusion.

"Can you tell what it does?" one of the commanders asked.

The elderly Alchemist pushed up his glasses and studied the projection carefully. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Its purpose is likely to generate... Fear."

"The royal succession," the Salvation Army leader said, his face darkening.

Zhou Chen frowned. The Authority that the King of North Carolina, Enoch, wielded was "Fear"—the same as a certain Crowned King in Australia. But the crucial point was what the Salvation Army leader had just said: "the royal succession."

’Combined with this antique Matrix from decades ago... could Enoch’s Authority have been passed down through generations of the North Carolina Royal Family?’

"Ahem. Pardon the interruption."

Suddenly, a dry cough sounded from nearby. An emissary from the Star Association, carrying a briefcase, stepped out of an Any Door.

"Gentlemen, the situation is... not good." The emissary opened his briefcase, took out a tablet, and after a few taps and a swipe of his finger, three pages of a document appeared on the projector screen.