The original Diviner who made this prophecy was a unique race apparently born from the concept of fate itself. After seeing the description, Edward could not help but think of the concept of Innate Creatures from the Xianxia stories he used to read.
‘If I remember correctly, the Elder Gods from my plane are also Innate Creatures that Cronai created at the beginning of the universe to help her stabilize the world. So, is this diviner an Elder God from some unknown plane?’
There was not much information on the diviner. Luckily, there were records of the language of his homeworld. So, Edward downloaded the information he wanted for later use; he did not dare learn and interpret this divination in a place like this.
His senses warned him that someone had been secretly observing him ever since he had asked the librarian for the prophecy's original language.
Edward calmed down while keeping the highest level of alert. He did not immediately leave but spent the next few days searching for knowledge about different things in the library. To the outside world, he was not someone who came directly for the Savant Race but was interested in many other things.
Once he finished, Edward calmly left this plane and returned to his ship.
“Someone is following us,” said Morgana.
“I’m aware.”
“Do you want to kidnap them and see where they come from?”
“No, let’s return home as soon as possible.”
After his command, the ship disappeared, losing the followers. Without hesitation, the floating city secretly returned to the Empire. Edward did not leave but focused on learning the language even better than the natives.
The learning process was easy since the knowledge he downloaded from the Astral Library gave him everything he needed to learn this language.
“I think I know where the Savant Race is,” muttered Edward.
“Yes, the Quantum Realm,” nodded Morgana.
[The invisible world, hidden right underneath the smallest things.] Edward immediately has his suspicions after hearing this prophecy, but the proof he needs is the last word [things]. In this language, the word used can also be translated as [particle].
In other words, this prophecy can be translated as [a world hidden under the smallest particles.]
“So, how will we enter the Quantum Realm?” asked Morgana. “I doubt space magic will take us there, so will you invent Pym Particles?”
“No need to go through all that trouble. Shrinking Magic should be more than enough.”
One of the highest security prisons of the Empire is shrunk to a size smaller than atoms, so Shrinking Magic is well developed. If he takes time to modify things, he should be able to enter the Quantum Realm using it.
“True, so our only trouble is finding the Savant Race in the Quantum Realm,” nodded Morgana.
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“Luna should go with us. Hopefully, her divination will not have any problems after reaching there.”
Edward frowned as he sent her a message to prepare for this endeavor.
“You should feel relieved now,” said Morgana.
“Finding them is the first step. The real test is whether they will have the information we need, and if they do, can we execute it.”
“Since Cronai warned you to see them, they should have the information we wanted,” Morgana reassured. “As for executing the information they gave, you should remember who you are.”
“Yes, there is no need to spook myself out before finding them,” nodded Edward before starting his work. His plan was not only to shrink himself but the entire floating city. He did not know the danger of the Quantum Realm, so it would be best if he had ways to protect himself.
Edward accessed all the Empire’s knowledge about Shrinking Magic and analyzed it to create an enchantment that would take him to the Quantum Realm. The entire process took more than a week.
“Are you ready?” asked Edward.
“Yes, I’ve created an anchor to this place so we can return in case of an accident.”
“Very well,” nodded Edward. “Let’s do a few tests first.”
He first used a few clones and sent them to and back from the Quantum Realm. The process had no problems except for one–he could not record what these clones saw in the process.
“That’s odd,” commented Edward. “Could it be some form of natural protective mechanism of the Quantum Realm? Or is it because they are clones and their souls are fundamentally flawed?”
This is not the time to be thinking too deeply about this. He first took certain precautions to ensure his memories of the experience wouldn’t be affected. Finally, Luna and Edward shrink themselves until they enter the Quantum Realm.
The voyage was turbulent, and once they reached their destination, the floating city actually crashed as the Anti-Gravity System failed, along with all other flying systems.
“What’s going on?” asked Luna.
“Morgana, give me a diagnostic check.”
“Underway,” replied the little elf. A few seconds later, a holographic screen floated before Edward.
“Our energy core and all our enchantments are malfunctioning. Malfunctioning is the wrong word–they are working at the lowest capacity.”
Edward nodded, and Morgana continued, “The situation is similar to how we must adapt to the laws of other universes after our travels.”
“This would explain why I’m having trouble controlling my mana,” said Luna.
“Anything more?” asked Edward.
“I have discovered that our body is adapting to the Quantum Realm, but it’s not the same for the floating City or any other magical artifacts we brought,” continued the elf. “In this situation, we might have to continue our journey without the city’s aid.”
“Oh, haven’t you found a solution?”
“I have been trying to change the frequency of the energy core to adapt to the environment. However, we have little to no information, so unless we are lucky, this process could take decades, if not hundreds of years.”
This was not the news Edward wanted to hear. He looked at Luna and said, “Can you use your powers?”
“I’ve been reduced to Tier 2, so my power is very limited.”
“I’m no better than you, only Tier 3,” uttered Edward. “Morgana, calculate how long it will take us to return to our peak.”
“Alright, sir.” She scanned the magic core inside their heart and Soul Dimension. “According to my analysis, you must wait over a month.”
“That’s not too long. We can take this time to analyze our surroundings,” nodded Edward before he began repairing the floating city. He wanted to see if he could accelerate the city's adaptation. However, after a month, the situation got even worse.
“Our strength is not recovering,” said Luna with a frown. After reaching Tier 4, their power stopped receiving, no matter what they did.
“It seems the Quantum Realm has some kind of limit.” He immediately wanted to do all types of research, for example, the influence of the quantum realm on the soul, mana, aura, and spells. Its influence at a genetic level on the human and other races’ bodies, its effect on the soul flame and the soul dimension, and even how it affects things like hormonal growth.
Sadly, this was not the time for this.
“I think we might have to take the risk and venture out without the city's protection,” said Luna.
“You might be right.”
Edward was naturally cautious, but he also knew when not to be overcautious or let his paranoia get the best of him. So, after the two prepared some things, they left the floating city. They had a basic understanding of the surroundings, but now, it was time to travel outside of the small map they drew.