95: Changes in half-plane

On the dock, Linn slowly walked up to the trembling Allen Alistair, a condescending playfulness in his gaze as he asked softly, "Can you repeat what you just said?"

Allen Alistair looked in terror at Bedrock Ocean Jack standing firm and Clay, whose Killing Intent had not yet dissipated. Especially Clay; in his memory of the Count Ailisis Fief, Clay was just an overlooked Bronze-tier squad leader with a bleak future. How could his strength have risen to a level that made his heart palpitate in just six or seven years? Then what Realm must Linn, the lord, be at now?

Allen Alistair tried his best to maintain noble decorum and composure, but found his gaze unable to penetrate Linn’s deep, calm eyes, as if staring into a bottomless cold pool. He forced himself to hold on, but his voice couldn't hide its tremor: "Linn... Linn, what do you want to do? You have the blood of the Iris Family in your veins! I am the second-in-line heir of the Family! If you harm me, Father will never..."

"Hahaha..." Linn's laughter interrupted Allen Alistair's blustering threat, filled with undisguised mockery. "Allen, my dear second brother, haven't you seen the situation clearly by now? This isn't Molan Province; there's no Count Ailisis's prestige for you to rely on. Even if he came in person today, the result wouldn't be any different. As for the two of you..." His gaze swept over the deathly pale Gray Shadow. "Didn't you want to stay on Shattered Star Island? Then as you wish, stay here forever."

Linn didn't bother wasting any more words on them. They were no longer on the same level, like a Dragon looking down on ants. With a slight thought, his powerful Soul Power surged out instantly, turning into invisible contract shackles that completely enveloped Allen Alistair and Gray Shadow.

"Ah...! Linn! What are you doing?! I was wrong! I'll leave right now! I'll leave Shattered Star Island immediately!" Allen Alistair felt as if his Soul was being scorched by a branding iron and squeezed by a giant hand. He let out a heart-wrenching scream, his body twitching uncontrollably.

Gray Shadow also let out a painful groan. The stealth and composure he took pride in were useless under the suppression of absolute power, leaving only the boundless fear of his Soul being forcibly imprisoned.

A moment later, the contract was complete. The two collapsed on the ground like dehydrated fish, gasping for breath, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads, their eyes vacant. They clearly felt a layer of shackles deep within their Souls that they could never break free from; their life and death now depended on a single thought from the black-haired youth.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die easily." Linn's voice was calm and steady, yet more chilling than any threat. "However, now a single thought from me can cause your Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. One Gold Intermediate Rank, one High Gold Rank—the construction of Shattered Star Island needs 'excellent' helpers like you." He was never a saint who repaid grievances with kindness; the humiliations and cold treatment he suffered in the past would eventually be repaid a hundredfold.

"Third brother! Third brother! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!" Allen Alistair crawled and knelt at Linn's feet, pleading with tears and snot flowing. The absolute imprisonment of his Soul left him without the slightest heart for resistance, only the most primal fear and begging for mercy. "Let me go! I swear I'll never set foot on Shattered Star Island again!"

A flash of disgust crossed Linn's eyes, and he kicked him over like a piece of eyesore filth.

"Clay, take them down and enroll them in the road construction team. The roads connecting the cities need mountain-cleaving and rock-splitting. With their 'strength,' they should be 'good hands'." Linn instructed in a flat tone, then as if remembering something, a cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth. "After all, he is my 'dear second brother,' and a guest from afar. Remember to 'entertain them well' tonight. Arrange for a few strong Tauren women so they can also 'be comfortable'."

A look of realization mixed with a bit of wicked humor flashed in Clay's eyes as he thumped his chest. "Yes, My Lord! I will surely 'take good care' of these two 'distinguished guests' from afar, letting them fully experience the 'enthusiasm' and 'beauty of labor' of the Star Sea Territory."

To the current Linn, Allen Alistair's arrival and defeat were just a minor interlude that didn't even cause much of a stir in his heart. With the current strength of the Star Sea Territory, he didn't need to show up personally, but he took the opportunity to personally sever the last trace of stagnation from the past deep within his heart.

After handling the trivial matters and returning to the castle, Linn's figure flashed, and he entered the Breath of Life Demi-plane.

A dense breath of life rushed at him. In the distance, the ancient tree of life stood majestically, with soft light flowing between its branches and leaves. Dolia was perched on a broad branch of the ancient tree along with the massive Silver Dragon, Destiny. Sensing Linn's presence, they immediately flew over gracefully.

Even though he had seen it countless times, Linn still couldn't help but feel admiration when he saw Destiny's smooth, beautiful, massive body covered in shimmering silver scales. The beauty of a Dragon lay in the perfect combination of power and aesthetics, filled with a Soul-shaking ancient majesty.

"Linn," Destiny's deep and pleasant voice sounded, her huge head lowering slightly, her pale emerald dragon eyes holding a hint of obvious pride. "With the core power of the ancient tree of life and the divine spring, I have successfully adjusted and stabilized the time flow of this demi-plane. Now, the time flow ratio here compared to the outside world is approximately three to one."

"Thank you for your hard work, my partner! This help is crucial." Linn thanked her sincerely. This meant that the breath of life would truly become his most reliable strategic rear and resource treasury. Whether it was the cultivation of rare magic plants, the optimized breeding of the Dragon Scale Horse population, or other plans, the efficiency would be greatly improved.

"However, Linn," Destiny's voice paused slightly, a glint of rational light flashing in her dragon eyes. "Maintaining a stable time flow consumes a huge amount of energy. To maintain this state long-term while also accounting for the natural growth and expansion of the demi-plane, its area growth will eventually hit a Bottleneck. Based on my perception and calculations, once it expands to about five hundred square kilometers, the expansion will basically stop to maintain the internal energy cycle and the stability of the time flow."

"No matter," Linn smiled freely, not feeling disappointed. "Five hundred square kilometers is already a quite vast territory, enough to plan out different ecological zones and accommodate multiple mounts or Demonic Beast groups for habitat and breeding. It's more than enough."

He paused, looked up at Destiny, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "By the way, my dear partner, can you transform into a human form? Every time I talk to you, my neck has to undergo quite a test." Talking levelly with such a magnificent Dragon was indeed a bit of a "looking up" burden.

Destiny's dragon head swayed slightly, as if she found the request somewhat interesting. "Of course. It's just that your human body form is too small for me; I'm afraid I won't be quite used to it."

As her voice fell, a dazzling silver light bloomed from her massive dragon body. It wasn't piercing, but was filled with a sense of divinity and transformation. The light quickly retracted and condensed; the mountain-like dragon body disappeared, replaced by a woman standing quietly before Linn.

She was tall and slender, much taller than an ordinary woman, yet perfectly fit those non-human beautiful proportions. A head of silver hair, as if woven from moonlight, draped softly down to her waist, the tips seemingly adorned with tiny starlight. Her skin was not pale, but had a texture like warm jade or the inner luster of a pearl. Her features were as exquisite as if crafted by a deity, both three-dimensionally distinct like a sculpture and yet not lacking in soft charm. Between her brows, a hint of the high-born nobility and indifference belonging to a Dragon naturally flowed.

Most striking were those eyes, colored like the finest pale emerald, clear and translucent. When her gaze was still, it was like deep-pool ancient jade, but when it shifted, it seemed to hold the profound wisdom of flowing star rivers and accumulated years. She wore a silver gown made of an unknown material, simple and elegant in style, perfectly outlining her shapely and fluidly powerful figure. Although she had transformed into human form, the unique temperament of a Legendary Silver Dragon—mysterious, powerful, wise, and serene—was not diminished at all; instead, because of this highly approachable form, it added a heart-stopping extraordinary charm.

Linn's eyes flashed with undisguised appreciation, and he smiled in praise. "It seems my neck is finally saved. And this appearance is indeed... impressive, my partner."

Destiny nodded slightly, her movements carrying a natural elegance. She adapted to the new perspective and form, her pale emerald eyes looking at Linn. "Then, we can now speak more 'equally,' Lord."

Afterward, accompanied by Dolia, Linn went to check the magic plant garden in the demi-plane. Among the nurseries of various rare magic plants, everything was lush and green with faint spiritual light. Under the meticulous care of Dolia, the spirit of nature, and the nourishment of the ancient tree of life's aura, all the plants were growing exceptionally well, far exceeding their counterparts in the outside world.

The steady improvement in his strength also gave Linn the confidence to try higher levels in alchemy. He prepared to begin the first attempt at refining a Level 6 potion. However, there was a qualitative leap between Level 6 and Level 5 potions; the precision of material processing, the complexity of magic Fusion, and the requirements for perceiving subtle fluctuations in rules were all significantly increased. As he had expected, the first attempt at refining a Level 6 potion failed!