Allen flew alone, quickly arriving at Forged Fire Fortress.

He hadn’t seen it in a long time, and the fortress’s silhouette was even more massive than he remembered. Allen now understood. His mentor must have deployed more sections of his half-plane into the material world.

Outside the fortress, tens of thousands of heavy Engineering Golems formed phalanxes that stretched to the horizon, marching deep into the plane.

Allen understood at once. His mentor was preparing to swallow the entire Molten Iron Mountain Range plane whole.

Administration Hall.

"Director of Zone 18, Allen Wesren. Surface ore extraction rate: 79.6%. Production quota verified."

"Underground ore vein survey data uploaded."

"Workshop facilities confirmed clear of assets. Ley line node Magic Power extraction rate: 43%. No irreversible damage caused."

"Quota settlement complete. No outstanding fees."

[No contract violations detected. Contract terminated.]

"Departure permit activated. May your future endeavors be prosperous."

’Incredible,’ Allen thought after completing the absurdly tedious departure procedures.

Zone handover confirmation, production quota settlement, facility dismantling inspection... He was secretly impressed. The Ring City Alliance wasn’t one of the three great organizations just because of its firepower; it also had this meticulous system.

’Alright, time to pay my mentor a visit.’

Allen made his way to the command hall on the top floor.

Just as he drew near, the great doors slid open silently. A vast wave of Magic Power washed over the air, as intense as ever.

In the center of the hall, Mercer Iron Star stood with his back to the doors, surrounded by twelve enormous hexagonal light screens. A deluge of data streamed down them.

Just as he had twenty years ago, Allen stood quietly and waited.

Except this time, for the first time, he was seeing his mentor’s workload from the perspective of a Second-level Wizard: legion deployment, logistics management, ore trade, interplanar communications...

He finally realized the terrifying processing power and decision-making capabilities required to develop an entire plane.

And he finally realized the terrifying processing power and decision-making capabilities required to develop one *independently*.

’Good grief, is being a Morning Star Wizard even more demanding than being a corporate slave working around the clock?’ Allen fretted inwardly.

The twelve light screens went dark at once.

Mercer turned. His pupilless, crystalline eyes, a deep, spectral blue, fell upon Allen.

"Finished with the paperwork?"

"All finished." Allen lowered his head slightly.

"What are your plans now?"

Allen replied, "I’m going to fulfill my investment agreement with the Plane Exploration Association."

Mercer grunted in acknowledgment, then spoke unexpectedly.

"The Twelfth Floating City of the Ring City Alliance is preparing an expedition to a newly discovered plane."

His tone was unreadable. "It launches in ten years. I can reach out and reserve a position for you."

Mercer met Allen’s gaze. "An independent zone. I guarantee it will be three times larger than the one you had on this plane, and it won’t be short on high-grade ore veins either."

The hall fell silent.

Three times the area. High-grade ore veins.

This meant wealth several, or even ten times greater than that of Zone 18. For any Alchemy Wizard who needed vast resources to rapidly build an army, it was an irresistible offer.

Allen was silent for three seconds.

"Mentor, I am very grateful for your recommendation." Allen looked directly into those spectral blue eyes. "But I cannot accept it at this time."

Mercer said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"First, I am bound by contract to the Association. The penalty for breach is too great."

Allen’s tone was level. "Second, I’ve been operating at high intensity for the past twenty years. I need time to process everything I’ve accumulated. High-intensity combat offers great rewards, but the risks are equally great. As I am now, I only have one life. My first priority is to make sure I live a long one."

He paused before giving his final reason. "Third, the Wizarding World is a vast place, and I want to see it. While I do want to grow stronger, my original goal was to explore the truth, not to become a war machine."

Mercer’s expression didn’t flicker as he listened.

He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to face the window, looking out at the scorched, blackened earth below.

"Do you know why I chose to remain on this plane instead of staying in a Floating City?"

Allen shook his head.

"In the Floating City, there are seven Wizards at my level," Mercer’s voice echoed through the hall. "There, we all share the same resource allocation system. I am merely one of seven. But here..."

He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire world.

"I am the only one."

Mercer turned back around, his gaze as sharp as a blade, piercing straight through Allen’s facade.

"You didn’t refuse the Alliance because of your contract, nor because you need to rest."

A faint smile touched the corners of Mercer’s lips. "You simply don’t want to work under anyone else."

Allen’s pupils constricted.

The ambition buried deep in his heart lay bare before the Morning Star Wizard.

’He was right. Even with a zone three times the size, he would still just be a cog in the war machine of a major power.’

’What he wanted was to be the one holding the steering wheel, to be his own boss. He didn’t want to work for anyone ever again.’

Allen didn’t try to argue. His silence was an admission.

Mercer didn’t press the point. Instead, with a casual wave of his hand, he summoned a light screen displaying a simplified diagram of the three major powers in the Wizarding World.

"The Ring City Alliance, the Mystic Code Council, and the Gate of Truth. These three great organizations have maintained a balance for thousands of years, but it’s all muck and mire underneath."

Mercer’s fingertip tapped on the hundreds of planar territories belonging to the Gate of Truth. "That Plane Exploration and Development Association of yours might look like a subsidiary of an academic institution, but their reach is far longer than you imagine."

"I understand." Allen committed the words to memory.

"Since you’re determined to walk your own path, remember two things."

Mercer held up two fingers. "First, never fully reveal the true extent of your Half-plane Workshop to anyone. It’s best that no one knows the exact number of Golems you possess."

"Second, an Alchemy Wizard’s greatest weakness is logistics. No matter the situation, you must ensure your cash flow never dries up and your production lines never cease."

This was a truth forged in blood and fire.

"I will take it to heart." Allen bowed deeply.

Just before leaving, Allen hesitated, but finally asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

"Mentor, is it possible... for a Second-level Wizard to independently lead the development of a plane?"

Mercer froze.

He looked at Allen, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"A fine ambition," Mercer said, walking to the full-length window and gazing down at the roaring fortress below. "But it is far too early for you to be thinking about such things."

"The rights to planar development are completely monopolized by the major powers and organizations. It is impossible for a Second-level Wizard to operate a plane independently. The absolute minimum requirement for that is to be a Morning Star."

"Keep climbing higher, Allen. You will get what you desire."

Mercer turned back to the twelve light screens.

The screens lit up, and new streams of data began to cascade down.

"Go on."

Mercer waved a dismissive hand, without turning back.

"Don’t die."

...

Allen bowed once more, then turned and left the hall. That was likely the last piece of advice his mentor would ever give him.

The heavy metal doors sealed shut behind him, cutting off the immense pressure of Magic Power.

「Half an hour later.」

Not far from Forged Fire Fortress, the trans-planar Teleportation Array erupted in a pillar of light that soared into the sky. The multicolored light screen within the Star Gate began to rotate slowly.

Coordinates locked: Hub City.

Allen stood before the Star Gate, took one last look at the distant fortress, and stepped inside.

’Next stop... time to find out what kind of assignment the decidedly murky Plane Exploration Association has prepared for me.’