Chapter 107: Innovation

​Nyxara felt the familiar, warm tug from Cassian’s [Lord Seed] before the world around her dissolved into complete darkness.

​A moment later, she found herself moving through the cosmic corridor connecting her existence directly to her Lord.

Countless motes of ethereal light drifted through the boundless void, tracing radiant paths that seemed to stretch into eternity.

She had never traversed this passage before, yet the journey carried a peculiar, comforting sensation of being drawn toward something that existed far beyond the limitations of physical space.

​Then, without warning, the corridor vanished.

​Nyxara’s boots touched solid ground.

​She had arrived.

​The undead elf instinctively surveyed her new surroundings, only to pause in immediate confusion.

’​...Where am I?’

​The first thing she noticed was the mana, or rather, the severe lack of it.

​Compared to the Graveshade Expanse, the atmospheric mana in this place was practically nonexistent.

Even more surprising was the distribution of its elemental properties. Death mana, which dominated every single corner of her Lord’s territory, was no longer the overwhelming presence she had grown accustomed to; instead, it was merely one faint element among many, its influence barely distinguishable from the rest.

​The contrast was so pronounced that she briefly wondered whether her summons had landed her in the wrong world entirely.

​Fortunately, she had learned to master her mana reserves long before becoming a Champion.

Unlike Cassian, who had accidentally leaked enough raw Death mana into his bedroom to threaten an entire planet, Nyxara kept her dark power firmly sealed within her body.

​There would be no repeat of such a catastrophic blunder.

​Her gaze wandered across the room, and that was when she noticed something even stranger: the design.

​Nyxara slowly turned her head, examining the smooth walls, unfamiliar furniture, and various sleek devices arranged throughout the spacious bedroom.

Everything possessed a peculiar, foreign aesthetic that she struggled to categorize. There were no obvious enchantments, no elaborate mana formations, and none of the familiar craftsmanship she associated with the Lord’s Domain.

​Yet the room did not appear primitive at all.

​If anything, it seemed to follow an entirely different set of architectural and practical principles.

​Approaching a nearby piece of polished furniture, she studied its seamless construction before deciding that she had absolutely no idea how it had been manufactured.

’​What an unusual civilization...’

​Of course, the stark difference was hardly surprising when one considered the unique history of the Lord’s Domain.

​Since its inception, the Lord’s Domain had revolved entirely around mana. Its infrastructure, transportation, communication, manufacturing, and even the most mundane aspects of daily life were accomplished through the direct manipulation of magical energy.

Entire civilizations had developed sophisticated techniques for controlling its countless branches, turning what would otherwise be complex engineering tasks into matters of simple spellcraft.

​Technology, by comparison, had never needed to advance along the same mechanical trajectory as it had elsewhere.

Why spend centuries developing a complex combustion engine when a simple mana formation could accomplish the exact same task far more efficiently?

Why construct intricate mechanical assemblies when enchantments could automate entire industries overnight?

​Naturally, that was not the case for civilizations originating outside the Lord’s Domain.

​The reason was simple: civilizations developed according to the tools they had available.

​Before gaining access to mana, the mortal civilizations of the cosmos had relied heavily on technology.

Their societies had evolved around machinery, scientific discoveries, and increasingly sophisticated engineering.

When mana eventually entered their worlds, it did not erase the industrial foundations they had spent generations constructing; instead, they integrated it directly into their existing systems.

​Technology continued to advance while mana became another resource to exploit, producing hybrid civilizations capable of combining scientific principles with supernatural power.

​The Lord’s Domain had followed the exact opposite path. Mana had been present from the very beginning, and its inhabitants had built their societies around it.

Consequently, their technological development had never been driven by the same dire necessities.

​Neither approach was inherently superior, they were simply products of different histories, shaped by vastly different circumstances.

​Unfortunately, none of this particularly interested Nyxara right now. She was an undead shadow elf, not a scholar researching the technological divergence between cosmic civilizations.

​Her attention had already moved elsewhere.

​Across the room, she finally spotted the person she had been summoned to see.

​Her Lord.

​Cassian sat on the floor near the door, his posture stiff and his expression unusually blank.

He looked as though he had just witnessed something profoundly disturbing and was still desperately struggling to convince himself that it hadn’t actually happened.

​Nyxara blinked, her brow furrowing slightly.

​She had expected him to summon her for a strategic reason, perhaps to discuss the development of the Graveshade Expanse, assign her a critical task, or simply spend some quiet time with his first Champion.

​She had certainly not expected to find him looking like a man whose entire understanding of the cosmos had just violently collapsed.

​All of her earlier irritation toward Morghanna vanished in an instant.

​"My Lord?"

​The words escaped her lips in a soft, genuine tone of concern.

​Nyxara took a step toward him, her violet eyes searching his pale face for any indication of what had transpired. "Is something wrong?"

Cassian hadn’t realized just how deeply his encounter with the Endless Blackness had affected him.

​He had assumed the worst of his reaction was behind him. Unfortunately, his psyche disagreed violently.

​The moment he summoned Nyxara, the familiar sensation of his [Lord Seed] connecting with his Champion was followed by a sudden, unbearable pressure inside his mind.

It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his consciousness and begun squeezing it apart.

​His vision blurred into a sea of dizzying white.

​Before he could even process what was happening, his legs gave way, and he dropped back onto the floor once more.

​’...You’ve got to be kidding me.’

​Cassian clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remain conscious. He had endured countless brutal battles, faced monsters capable of tearing through entire armies, and confronted opponents whose raw strength would have overwhelmed his former self. Yet here he was, struggling to keep his eyes open simply because he had dared to contemplate something he barely understood.

​The Endless Blackness. ℴℴ𝘮

​Even casually entertaining the concept now made his thoughts tremble with instinctual dread.

​Hearing Nyxara’s rapid footsteps approaching, he immediately raised a hand to stop her. "Don’t worry... I’m fine."

​The words came out far more weakly than he intended.