Months after registering, Jie Ming’s terminal received a system alert from the Junction.
A brief data stream informed him that a new planar war was imminent. All registered wizards had to gather at the designated point by a set time.
Learning from his last war—delayed decades by a living plane—Jie Ming prepared thoroughly.
Before departing, he spent considerable time organizing his Golden Garden, underground lab, and the incubation pool in the Infernal Sulfur plane.
He upgraded all defensive formations, stockpiled centuries’ worth of energy, and issued automated instructions to his previously hatched lava giants and underdeveloped Black Giants.
This ensured his base would function without him for centuries, even millennia.
With everything in order, Jie Ming confidently stepped into the teleportation array.
Familiar with the process, he arrived directly at the massive plaza outside the Junction’s Affairs Center.
The vast plaza was sparsely populated, with only a few thousand wizards scattered about, making it feel empty.
Wizards of varied forms emerged, converging on the plaza.
Jie Ming found a quieter corner, leaned against a cold metal pillar, and closed his eyes to rest, adjusting his mental state.
He also mentally reviewed his spatial inventory, sorting potions, magical artifacts, and spare energy pools.
Some time later, as he organized his reserves, he sensed a curious, probing gaze fixed on him.
The gaze held no malice and wasn’t concealed, easily noticeable even with his eyes closed.
Intrigued, Jie Ming opened his eyes and traced the gaze.
Nearby, a young-looking wizard in alchemical armor was sneaking glances at him.
Jie Ming’s brow furrowed.
The figure seemed familiar, yet not quite.
Not just this wizard—the entire squad of seven or eight wizards gave him a vague sense of déjà vu.
Noticing Jie Ming’s scrutiny, the wizard stared more intently.
Upon recognizing Jie Ming’s face, his eyes lit up!
He spoke briefly to his companions, then excitedly wove through the crowd toward Jie Ming.
“Hey, kid! Long time no see!”
The wizard’s familiar greeting put Jie Ming on guard, a wizard’s instinct.
Unfazed by Jie Ming’s wariness, the wizard grinned broadly.
Seeing Jie Ming’s confusion, he teased, “What? A few centuries, and you’ve forgotten your senior from enrollment?”
The words unlocked a dusty memory in Jie Ming’s mind!
He suddenly recognized the wizard, overlaying his face with a figure from his past! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
This man resembled Jack, the alchemy senior he met at the logistics exhibition during enrollment.
Jack’s squad were the logistics seniors from that day!
But now, they looked younger than the weathered figures he remembered.
Gone were their simple robes, replaced by sleek, energy-glowing mechanical exoskeletal armor.
More strikingly, their auras were solid second-level wizards.
“Senior Jack?” Jie Ming asked tentatively.
“Hey! Good thing you didn’t forget me, or we seniors would’ve been heartbroken,” Jack grinned.
Confirmed, Jie Ming bowed and greeted Jack and the others.
Recognizing old acquaintances, a genuine smile spread across his face.
They weren’t close—strictly speaking, they’d only met once during his entry into the wizard world.
But in this cold, cruel wizard world, Jack was one of the few “familiar faces” Jie Ming had.
“Didn’t expect to run into you here…”
While chatting, Jie Ming subtly assessed the squad.
He recalled the group having over a dozen members back then.
Now, their numbers were fewer, with new faces among them.
Likely, they’d suffered losses in planar wars.
But the survivors were far stronger!
Jie Ming was shocked to notice that the once-unassuming third-level apprentice in potion studies was now the squad’s highest rank—a true third-level wizard!
Seeing Jie Ming’s recognition, Jack and the others smiled warmly.
For wizards, who never knew when death might come, reuniting with even a passing acquaintance was cause for celebration.
Jack studied Jie Ming closely, exclaiming, “Who’d have thought? Back then, you were just a clueless mortal. In a few centuries, you’ve caught up!”
“My eye for talent was spot-on—you’re a genius!” a runecrafting senior boasted.
“Tch! You say that about everyone. What eye?” another retorted.
The two bickered as the others watched, some egging them on with grins.
The commotion drew attention—such lively wizards were rare in the wizard civilization.
Jie Ming watched the team with a touch of envy, then briefly caught up with Jack, sharing recent experiences.
Though not close, their prior connection made this reunion uplifting before the battlefield.
As they parted, they exchanged contact details, agreeing to seek each other’s aid if needed in the war.
Jie Ming knew this was Jack looking out for him—a lone wizard like him couldn’t possibly support their squad.
After parting with Jack’s team, Jie Ming waited a bit longer.
Soon, he was stunned by the sheer number of wizards in the plaza—likely over a hundred thousand!
Far more than the Frostfire war.
A massive shadow blanketed the plaza, dimming the sky.
All wizards looked up in unison.
The Junction’s artificial sky was eclipsed by a vast, pitch-black landmass!
Jie Ming knew this was the “ship” plane for their expedition.
Its size and dark terrain confirmed it wasn’t the one used for the Frostfire war.
No longer a novice, Jie Ming had researched the Junction.
The Junction had multiple “ship” planes.
These were depleted planes, stripped of essence and resources, repurposed as mobile war fortresses.
Using near-scrapped planes for void navigation was cost-effective.
Jie Ming knew the three major factions, including Noren Workshop, maintained hundreds of such planes as strategic reserves.
With the Junction launching one or two expeditions yearly, conquering small-to-medium planes in twenty to a hundred years, there was no shortage of “transport.”