Chapter 881: Chapter 577: Mage City Floating in the Sky

A second before his body was swallowed by the vortex, Raylo glanced back. He saw Austin Sage standing alone as a destructive strike of Holy Light descended from above, piercing the heavens and the earth.

The next moment, his world spun violently.

The sensation of Teleportation was far from pleasant, especially when forced open in the center of a clash between two World Destruction Level Peak powerhouses. Bizarre, kaleidoscopic streams of light flashed around him—the turbulent currents of space. He didn’t know how much time had passed; it could have been a fleeting moment or an entire century. Suddenly, the streams of light ahead vanished, and a heavy sense of weightlessness washed over him.

"Is this... Mage City?"

As Raylo regained his balance and opened his eyes, his breath hitched. Even though he had seen countless spectacles in movies and games in his previous life, and despite owning a majestic territory like Black Stone Territory, he was still profoundly shaken by the sight before him. The sky was a clear, impossible blue. Above the Cloud Sea, a massive city defied the Law of Gravity, silently suspended high in the air.

It wasn’t a single landmass, but an archipelago of hundreds, if not thousands, of Floating Islands of varying sizes. The largest main island sat in the center, densely packed with Magic Towers that pierced the clouds. The peak of each tower flickered with glowing radiances representing different Magic Elements. Countless light bridges formed by Magic Power arched like rainbows, connecting the scattered, star-like smaller Floating Islands to the main one. Airships, Magic Carpets, Griffins, and all sorts of unnamed Magical Creatures bustled efficiently between the islands. There were no city walls here. The sky itself was its moat, and the Cloud Sea its ramparts.

At this moment, however, Mage City was in a state of chaos. Just seconds before Raylo’s arrival, over a dozen colossal figures had plummeted from the sky like stones, crashing heavily onto a massive Magic Plaza. Blood instantly dyed the pristine white ground red.

"Alert! It’s Giant Dragons!"

The Mages around the plaza, who had been busy discussing Magic or hurrying on their way, erupted into an uproar. Colorful Magic Shields lit up in overlapping layers, and countless Magic Wands and Magic Staffs were aimed squarely at the center of the plaza.

"Hold your fire!" a voice commanded, quelling the commotion. The crowd parted automatically as an Elder Mage strode forward. It was Master Fran.

As his eyes swept over the gruesome scene on the ground, his pupils violently shrank. The Giant Dragons were in a horrific state. Some had their Dragon Wings torn apart, while others had their Dragon Scales ripped off. The five Catastrophe Level Giant Dragons were barely breathing, their bodies still bearing heavy burn marks from Holy Light and the putrid stench of Abyssal Demonic Qi.

"This is..." Master Fran quickly walked over to a dying Green Dragon. Soft Water Magic Power surged from his palm, temporarily sealing its profusely bleeding wounds.

"Master Fran," Raylo said, dusting off his Magic Robe as he crawled out from beneath a Black Dragon’s wing. Lightning was in his arms, clearly still dizzy from the Teleportation; it let its pink little tongue loll out, looking completely devoid of the will to live.

"Raylo?" Master Fran paused in surprise. "Weren’t you and the Sage heading to the Giant Dragon Realm? These dragons..."

Raylo nodded. Glancing at the agonizingly groaning Giant Dragons, he said in a low voice, "The Sage took me to the Light Holy See’s Holy City. We found these Giant Dragons deep underground there. The Holy See has been using them for experiments to develop a plague targeting the Dragon Race."

Hearing this, Master Fran slammed his Magic Staff hard against the ground. The solid white jade flooring instantly spiderwebbed with cracks. "Quickly, someone come help treat these Giant Dragons! Stabilize them first!"

Under Master Fran’s directions, the once-chaotic plaza swiftly regained order. Several Mages of the Natural Element and Life Element stepped forward to heal the critically injured Giant Dragons.

"The Sage is still covering our retreat," Raylo murmured. "The Pope woke up."

Master Fran’s hand paused slightly mid-Casting. He sighed, a complex look in his eyes. "If the Sage told you to return first, it means he is confident he can get away. Lord Author’s ability to survive is unmatched in this world. You go rest for now. Leave this place to me," he said, patting Raylo’s shoulder.

Over the next two days, Raylo enjoyed an unusually leisurely time. Mage City was truly worthy of being called a palace of Magic. There was no mundane clamor here, only omnipresent miracles of Magic. The Alchemy Street Lamps lining the streets operated via automatic sensors, and the attendants in the shops were mostly intricately crafted Demonic Puppets. Occasional streaks of light flashed across the sky, left by Mages flying through the air in a hurry.

"AWOOO!" Coal Ball pressed itself against the display window of an Alchemy Shop, staring intensely at a fist-sized Stone of Space inside, its drool smearing the glass. Helpless, Raylo scooped the little creature up and paid for the Stone of Space, giving it to the gluttonous Coal Ball as a snack.

Raylo strolled through Mage City, buying a bunch of bizarre novelties. He picked up a self-cleaning Mage Robe, a Sound-Recording Conch Shell, and an entire box of Magic Power Dried Fish specifically made for Magical Beasts. Leveraging intel from his system, he even scored a few bargains, purchasing several Magic Artifacts at remarkably low prices.

By the evening of the third day, Raylo was sitting in an open-air tavern near the edge of a Floating Island, watching the churning Cloud Sea.

BUZZ.

A familiar spiritual fluctuation gently trembled upon the Sage’s Seal deep within his sea of consciousness.

"Come to the White Tower." It was just a brief command.

Raylo set down his fruit wine, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Austin Sage had returned.

Austin Sage’s Mage Tower was situated at the very center of the main island. It was a tall structure built entirely of giant white stones. Its exterior lacked excessive ornamentation; only countless complex spatial runes slowly drifted across its surface, creating a dizzying sensation that felt as if one’s soul was being sucked away if stared at for too long. Because of its pristine white color, Mages commonly referred to Austin Sage’s Magic Tower as the "White Tower."

The moment Raylo arrived at the base of the tower, the heavy doors silently slid open. There were no stairs. With a single step inside, his surroundings instantly warped. The very next second, he was standing in the study at the top of the tower.

The room was expansive, its four walls made entirely of transparent floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked all of Mage City and the Cloud Sea below. Austin Sage was slumped ungracefully in a large red velvet high-backed chair, a steaming cup of black tea in his hand. He looked rather battered. His iconic gray Mage Robe had several large, charred holes, the faint aura of Holy Light still lingering around the edges. His usually impeccably combed silver hair was disheveled, and his face bore unconcealable exhaustion.

"Sit," Austin said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

Raylo didn’t stand on ceremony. Taking his seat, he cut straight to the chase. "Sage, did you win?"

"Didn’t win, didn’t lose." Austin took a sip of his black tea and let out a long, comfortable breath. "That old charlatan of a Pope, borrowing the power of the Holy City Array, really is as tough as a turtle shell. I tore down half of his Holy City, and he broke three of my ribs. However..." The Elder Mage broke into a grin, revealing a row of stark white teeth. "If he thought he could keep me there, he was dreaming."

Raylo nodded. Just as Master Fran had said, Lord Sage’s ability to survive was truly unmatched.

"Back to business," Austin said, setting down his teacup as his expression turned serious. "Frank has pretty much handled those Giant Dragons. Even though a few died in the end, all five Catastrophe Level ones were saved. Combined with that unfinished Dragon Plague Potion and the laboratory records we brought back..." He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, producing a steady TAP TAP TAP sound. "The evidence is irrefutable. The Light Holy See has offended the Dragon Race to the absolute core this time."

"So, what about the alliance?" Raylo asked.

"It’s practically in the bag." Austin’s eyes sparkled. "The Dragon Race may be arrogant, but they aren’t fools. Since the Holy See is developing a plague against them, this has escalated into a war of annihilation between races. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Austin then looked at Raylo. "Thanks to your talent for Foreknowledge, I made a massive fortune this time..." With a flick of his wrist, CLATTER! Ten fist-sized crystalline objects, radiating a pale gray halo, tumbled out onto the desk.

World Power Crystals!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.