Chapter 370 - 327: Frozen Storm

Chapter 370: Chapter 327: Frozen Storm

After taking stock of what he’d acquired, Lloyd felt a bit tired. He had planned to catch a quick nap before the "lifeboat" "docked," but not long after he closed his eyes, his head spun with a wave of intense dizziness and discomfort.

’How am I getting jet lag?’

He quickly pulled out the Synchronized Hourglass and tapped it a few times, dispelling the uncomfortable sensation. Then, he took out his pocket watch to check the time in the outside world.

It was still afternoon...

Next, Lloyd extended his inspiration, coordinating with his Projection outside the "lifeboat" to check on the state of the Spatial Storm.

He found that his current position in space was now a great distance from the storm, and just as far from the academy.

As a result, the flow of time where he was had synchronized with the outside world.

’And because of this change in the flow of time, has that previously raging Spatial Storm—the one that seemed powerful enough to engulf the world—suddenly calmed down?’

But it hadn’t dissipated. Instead, the difference in the speed of time had caused it to slow down dramatically, as if it had been frozen solid, presenting a truly unique and spectacular scene.

Lloyd was suddenly struck by an insight. He immediately focused all his attention on the frozen storm, silently appreciating it—or rather, greedily absorbing its secrets.

If his previous experience in the heart of the storm had been an examination on a detailed, microscopic level, then this distant spectatorship was a more holistic, macroscopic observation.

He could vaguely sense that in this mysterious, strange, and unpredictable Alternate Space, the concepts of Time and Space—which should have been objective—had become unstable and flimsy, as if they could be arbitrarily manipulated and modified.

And yet, the concept of Space is arguably the cornerstone upon which the world is built, while Time, on some level, is the foundation for human thought, Rationality, and even civilization itself...

But in this Alternate Space, they were so "fragile," so "mutable"...

’It’s incredible!’

’How did the people of the Era of Brilliance discover this kind of Alternate Space, and how did they manage to build places like Mizkatoke or the Dream Theater within it?’

In that moment, Lloyd experienced, in a more profound way, the incomprehensible chasm between the new era and the old. The gap was so vast it was as if they were two completely different civilizations.

’That was truly a past to be remembered and longed for.’

Lloyd sighed with sincere emotion before continuing to ponder these jumbled, yet deeply complex and profound, questions.

He continued until the "lifeboat" drew ever closer to the outside world, moving beyond his range of observation and making it impossible to keep admiring the frozen Spatial Storm.

Lloyd couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

But it was enough...

So, he slightly altered his current plan and pulled the Space Pocket Watch from his pocket.

But then, for some reason, he chuckled and casually tossed the device back into his Storage Bag.

’I don’t think I’ll be needing this anymore.’

Then, Lloyd casually reached out, channeling the Spiritual Power within him while simultaneously activating his Twisted Realm. With a practiced ease, he traced a rectangular frame in the air.

At his fingertips, Space parted like a fragile bubble, easily sliced open to reveal a Teleportation Gate within.

He didn’t even need to push it open; he knew Mizkatoke was on the other side.

No calculations, no instruments—with just a casual swipe of his hand, the Teleportation Gate opened smoothly.

Moreover, his current position in space was a vast distance from Mizkatoke. Ordinary Spatial Equipment would be utterly incapable of opening a Teleportation Gate from so far away.

Not to mention, the Spatial Storm was currently battering Mizkatoke, which meant the corresponding coordinates and readings were likely in complete disarray.

Theoretically, this should have left Mizkatoke in the awkward position of being completely inaccessible—no one could get in or out.

Yet Lloyd had still managed to open a Teleportation Gate with perfect precision.

His Spatial Domination skill hadn’t leveled up. It was just that his earlier distant observation of the frozen storm had caused his understanding of Space to take a sudden leap forward, resulting in a significant increase in his "Ability Domain."

Lloyd felt a faint sense of confidence. ’With the help of Spatial Domination, maybe I can do things even Professor Lawrence can’t.’

He couldn’t help but smile, musing aloud in a low voice,

"Too bad I can only play around like this in an Alternate Space. It would be great to have this kind of freedom in the real world."

With that, he turned back, hoisted the still-unconscious lecturer and Teaching Assistant onto his shoulders, and tossed them through the Teleportation Gate before casually strolling in himself.

As for the temporary lifeboat—made from half a convenience store—Lloyd didn’t abandon it. He simply guided it to continue drifting slowly toward the real world, thinking it might come in handy later.

. . .

「Back to a slightly earlier time, just as the Spatial Storm was beginning.」

"Professor! I’ve detected the Space Elevator’s trajectory! They’re back!"

The researcher, Dandy, stared at the string of data before him and suddenly let out an excited cry.

He was supposed to be on vacation in the real world today, but after this unprecedented storm hit, he had been dragged back to work by Professor Lawrence.

The lab was even more crowded than when Lloyd had first visited. Essentially the entire Space System had assembled: lecturers, teaching assistants, researchers, and even students were all gathered here. In addition to Professor Lawrence, two other professors specializing in different fields were also present.

Even the laboratory’s very structure had changed, expanding from a single floor to three, as if three labs had been stacked on top of each other. People bustled about on every level, while glowing screens and streams of data danced in the air.

The good news Dandy delivered was like a shot of adrenaline to the tense atmosphere, and a series of cheers immediately erupted throughout the lab.

"Yes! They’re finally back! Guess it wasn’t a total waste of my vacation day!"

"Haha, what did I tell you? The Space Elevator our Equipment Division painstakingly built is tough and reliable. I knew they’d make it back!"

"They’re pretty lucky to have escaped that storm with their lives, huh? I heard a first-year was piloting the elevator? That’s incredible, isn’t it?"

"Alright, alright, now that they’re back, let’s get back to observing the data. This is a superstorm of unprecedented scale."

"What? You’re still in the mood to observe? All I can think about is running for it! There’s no way the academy can withstand a storm this terrifying, can it?"

"Shut up! Our job right now is to protect the academy. Go on, try and see if you can even escape."

Hearing the good news, Professor Lawrence let out a long sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but curse inwardly:

’That kid, Lloyd... Why couldn’t he have come back sooner? He had to push it to the absolute limit. He’s going to give me high blood pressure. I’ll have to give him a serious lecture when he gets back!’

He then glanced over at the other two professors on the top floor with him.

Their names were Pierce and Albert, and they were in charge of basic theoretical research and Spatial Equipment development, respectively.

Although they were all part of the Space System, the three professors had their own differing philosophies and didn’t get along well personally. In fact, Lawrence often referred to the other two as "old pedants in their ivory towers."

But at a critical moment like this, they could still put aside their differences and unite to face the disaster.

After hearing the good news, the two professors also breathed a sigh of relief, before each leveling a barbed complaint.

"They may be back, Lawrence, but your rashness and recklessness nearly led to disaster! How could you send a first-year student on such a critical mission? I think you’ve actually gone mad!"

"Indeed. It’s completely incomprehensible. Why would you place so much trust in a first-year? Are you an idiot?"

Faced with the accusations from his two colleagues, Professor Lawrence didn’t argue. Instead, he looked down at the bustling students and researchers on the two lab floors below.

’The Space System is small enough as it is,’ he thought. ’If I were to argue back and let everyone down there know just how miraculous, how utterly ridiculous Lloyd is... it’s hard to say how many of them would make it out alive...’

So, Professor Lawrence simply remained silent, adopting an attitude of "let them say what they will," and offered no explanation for his decision.

The other two professors didn’t press the issue. They had too much work to do. This didn’t mean they would simply let Professor Lawrence’s major blunder slide, but now was not the time for infighting.

"The Space Elevator is approaching the academy. Judging by its trajectory, it’s deviated slightly from the planned landing zone. It looks like it’s going to land in..."

The researcher, Dandy, continued his report from below, his voice suddenly tinged with amusement as he added,

"...it’s going to land right in Knowledge Square... and smash right on top of that statue’s head."

A few gleeful chuckles echoed through the lab.

But their laughter was short-lived.

"Damn it! The storm’s path is shifting! It’s broken from our calculated trajectory and is now... heading straight for the academy!"

one researcher cried out, their face ashen as they stared at the constantly shifting data.

His cry was followed by a barrage of gasps and wails.

"What?! Why would it deviate all of a sudden?"

"This is bad! If it had just scraped by the academy, we might have been okay, but if it makes landfall right on top of us..."

"How could this happen? What are we supposed to do? The scale of this storm is just too immense! The academy’s current defenses will never hold, will they?"

"I told you so! I told you! We can’t escape! We’re all going to die here! I never should have come back to the academy today!"