And so, with Cicero and Elynn by his side, Ethan began checking out every suspicious spot one by one.
Unfortunately, they were all abandoned Creature Dwellings—either completely deserted or so poorly constructed that they couldn’t function as proper summoning sites.
Because of that, Ethan was starting to believe in Archmage Eldrin’s judgment. This place really did seem like some kind of experimental zone created by a powerful mage—maybe even a Supreme Mage. And all these Creature Dwellings? Probably just failed prototypes from those experiments.
"Man, those Tower mages really can do it all, huh?"
"They can create their own Legendary Units, Mythic Units, even Crimson Ultimate Heroes—and now Creature Dwellings too? Seriously, knowledge really is power. There’s nothing they can’t do!"
Ethan couldn’t help but marvel.
Among all the major factions, the Tower faction was hands down the weirdest—and the most legendary. While other factions centered their power around their 14-Tier Mythic Units, the Tower was different.
Their core wasn’t some mythical beast or war machine—it was the mages themselves.
Even most of their regular troops were self-made creations. And their Legendary and Mythic Units? Arcane Colossi, Titan Giants, Arcane Eagles, Simurgh Eagles—you name it, they built it.
It was the perfect example of what it meant to be self-sufficient.
Knowledge changes everything. Knowledge is limitless.
Maybe that’s why, even though the Castle faction seemed to dominate the Light Alliance on the surface, the one faction nobody wanted to mess with—the one that was truly unfathomable—was always the Tower.
"Master, this place is huge. Searching might not be worth it," Elynn said after they came across yet another abandoned dwelling. "We should send in the army instead. And we could build a two-way portal here too..."
She trailed off, clearly thinking this whole search was a waste of time. The area didn’t seem dangerous, so why not just let the troops handle it? There was no reason for them to be doing this personally.
Especially not Ethan—he was a lord, after all. He had far more important things to do.
Ethan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Sending the army is fine. But forget the two-way portal. It’s not that I’m being stingy—it’s just that this Plane World is... different. If someone notices a portal here, it could become a serious liability. We need to avoid that at all costs."
Two-way portals were convenient, sure.
But the very fact that they existed meant one thing: secrecy.
Even if one end of the portal was safely tucked away inside the Emerald Castle, it didn’t matter. The moment someone stepped through it—even an ally—it could draw attention. And that alone made it a risk.
So no, he wasn’t planning to build a two-way portal in this Plane World.
Given his current strength, caution was the smarter play. Total secrecy was the only way to truly claim this Plane World as his own.
If that meant a little extra hassle? So be it. He could live with that.
"I’m sorry, Master. That was my oversight," Elynn said, pausing for a moment before lowering her head in guilt.
"Master, should I go instead?" Cicero offered, though he hesitated slightly.
"But... your safety—"
"Relax," Ethan said with a small smile, shaking his head. "You know me. I’m not that easy to take down, and I’m not about to go wandering off. Elynn and I will stay right here and wait for you. Go bring Auremax and the Gold Dragon army over. And bring more low-tier units too. This place is huge—more people means faster progress. As for patrol duty, leave that to Vaelric and his team."
"Yes, Master!" Cicero nodded firmly, then took off at full speed—vanishing almost instantly into the distance.
As he disappeared, Ethan sat down where he stood, gazing out across the landscape. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Elynn... do you really think there’s nothing here?"
"I’m not sure," she replied, shaking her head with a soft smile. "But I doubt it. Even if this place was abandoned as a failed experiment, there’s bound to be something left behind—maybe not much, but something. And even if that’s all it is, it’s still not a loss."
"I was paying close attention earlier. Just along the stretch we walked, I spotted at least a few dozen gold mines and basic resource veins. The density isn’t quite on par with Sylvanwood, but it’s still decent."
"And more importantly, this is a Plane World. It’s massive. If we can fully take control of it, I’d say our Emerald Castle’s reserves of gold and the six core resources could easily multiply several dozen times over."
"Yeah... you’re right," Ethan said, his mood finally settling as he exhaled slowly. Elynn’s words had a calming effect, grounding him again.
But just then, Archmage Eldrin returned—
And he looked... excited.
"My Lord, I’ve found something... strange," Eldrin said, clearly trying to contain his excitement but failing miserably. "There’s a location guarded by actual Creature Dwellings sentries—and the place is littered with Ebonite Crystal! I never thought I’d see such a mythical Special Resource in real life. Honestly, I’m starting to suspect this Plane World might date back to before the era of the Seven Cities Alliance!"
"Creature Dwellings with guards?" Ethan’s eyes lit up.
"If there are guards, then there must be functioning Creature Dwellings..."
He didn’t know what kind of Dwellings they were yet, but that didn’t matter. Just the fact that they’d finally found something—anything—was a huge breakthrough. Maybe these guards and the Dwellings they protected would lead them to the deeper secrets of this Plane World.
It was the first real step forward.
Still, something else Eldrin said caught Ethan’s attention.
"Eldrin, you seem pretty familiar with Ebonite Crystal," Ethan said, eyeing him curiously.
"I am," Eldrin nodded without hesitation. "In fact, every Tower faction archmage knows about Ebonite Crystal. In our history, it holds a place of immense—almost sacred—importance."
"Why? What makes it so special?" Ethan asked, intrigued.
"My Lord, Ebonite Crystal has extraordinary magical conductivity and near-perfect fusion and compatibility properties. It’s an incredibly rare and powerful arcane material. Not only is it highly practical, but it’s also extremely adaptable. It’s used in everything from magical architecture to the creation of units. Its value is immense."
"But what really sets it apart," Eldrin continued, his eyes gleaming, "is that Ebonite Crystal is an artificially created Special Resource. That means, in theory, it can be produced endlessly. It’s virtually inexhaustible."
He paused for a moment, letting that sink in.
Then his gaze sharpened, and he leaned in slightly, voice lowering with intensity. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ noveⅼfire.net
"But what truly cemented Ebonite Crystal’s legendary status in the Tower’s magical history wasn’t just its properties—it was a massive arcane initiative launched by a coalition of high-ranking archmages and even a few Supreme Mages. They called it... ’Project Ascendant Metal Golem.’"