Alex raised an eyebrow. "Economics?""The warriors who come here for training they'll be gathering resources from the inner zone. Rare minerals, spiritual energy crystals, cultivation materials. Resources that are worth a fortune on the open market." She paused, her grey eyes meeting his. "If we provide them with the training ground and the base and the support, and they take those resources back to their own kingdoms or their own clans, what do we get out of it?"Alex considered the question. It was a fair point that he had already thought about, but hadn't fully resolved. "We could apply a tax on the resources they extract. A percentage that goes to the base's upkeep and operations. That would help us sustain the base in the long term and train more warriors.""A tax," Alena repeated, her smile widening. "That's one way to put it. I prefer to think of it as a service fee. They're using our facilities, our protection, our infrastructure. It's only fair that they contribute to the cos

The next few days passed in a blur of activity. The engineers continued their survey, refining the designs, identifying the exact materials that would be needed for the base's construction. The holographic displays flickered constantly as they debated and revised, their voices rising and falling in the rhythm of professionals who had spent their lives solving problems. Alex spent his time scouting the surrounding territory, mapping the safe routes and marking the locations of monster lairs and spatial anomalies. He moved through the corrupted wilderness like a ghost, his space law carrying him across vast distances in the blink of an eye. Every lair he found, every anomaly he marked, every safe route he charted all of it was another piece of the puzzle that would eventually become the base.David and Smith arrived on the third day, their presence a welcome comfort after weeks of solitude. Alex saw them approaching from a distance two figures moving through the valley with the easy c

Roy Roshar returned to Starlight Base with more questions than answers.The journey back from the inner zone had given him time to think perhaps too much time. He had watched his son stand in that valley, speaking of bases and resources and hidden dimensions with the quiet confidence of a man who had seen too much to be easily impressed. He had watched James, his ancient grandfather, nod along as if Alex's plans were the most natural thing in the world. And he had felt, for the first time in centuries, that he was missing something. Something important.Rather than going to his own quarters or seeking out his wife, Roy followed his grandfather through the winding corridors of Starlight Base. The old Immortal King moved with the unhurried pace of someone who had all the time in the world, his cane tapping softly against the polished stone floor. He didn't look back. He didn't need to. He knew Roy was following.James led him to a small, private chamber deep in the palace, a room that

The horde was gathered in a vast clearing, their twisted forms silhouetted against the pulsing glow of the rift. A hundred Immortal General monsters, their eyes burning with dark energy, their auras pressing against the fabric of reality like a weight that demanded acknowledgment. They stood in a rough circle, their attention fixed on the tear in space that shimmered at the center of the clearing, a rift that pulsed with a rhythm that seemed almost alive.Alex, David, and Smith crouched at the edge of the clearing, their auras suppressed, their senses extended. The rift was larger than Alex had expected, perhaps twenty feet across and its edges were frayed, unstable. From its depths, monsters continued to pour out, joining the horde that was already gathered."A secret realm," Alex breathed, his grey eyes fixed on the rift. "There's a secret realm connected to this clearing. And the monsters are coming from inside it."Smith studied the rift, his expression grim. "If there's a secret

They reappeared at the base of the mountain, the dead trees looming above them like the bones of a long-dead god. The centipedes had followed Alex and could feel them burrowing through the ground, their numbers growing with every passing moment. But they were slower now. More cautious. As if they were afraid of what lay ahead.“Good,” Alex thought. “That means we're getting close.”They climbed the mountain, their weapons ready, their senses alert. The dead trees grew thicker, their branches twisted into grotesque shapes. The ground was soft and spongy, as if it had been soaked with something. Something old. Something dark.And then they reached the summit.The mountain's peak had been hollowed out not by natural forces, but by something deliberate. A vast crater gaped before them, its walls smooth and glassy, as if they had been melted by intense heat. And at the bottom of the crater, pulsing with a light that was not quite light, was a creature.It was a centipede. But not like the