Chapter 16

'So this is why nobody could escape.' Dion thought to himself as he sat peacefully on what could only be called a death trap. It was a sized up picnic basket being carried along by what Lucille called a 'magic elevator or zipline' though it was more like a straight path to hell if you so much as moved.

Well, that wasn't actually the case. It was an eventful and stressful ride to be sure but there was no real danger since it was the creation of the Hero of Light. However, it was hard to trust that logic when you were plummeting through the clouds at speeds surpassing Mach 1.

'To think Lux was on a floating island.' Dion thought to himself in awe, impressed by the sheer magical wonder that he saw on his way past. Lux was a school that was bigger than an entire country in his previous world and yet it was in the air, flying high above all else.

It was flying purely by magical means without a hint of technology on its underbelly and yet it flew without issue. Using wind magic to fly was fairly easy, all that it required was enough mana, sufficient control, and reaction time.

However, it was a different story when it came to anything but wind magic. Rather than coercing the air to assist you in the mystical ability of flight if you wanted to fly without wind magic, you needed mana levels thousands of times higher than Dion's current reserves.

It was because flying without the ability to enlist the sky's help forced you to forcefully bend it to your will. You needed mana so dense that you could forcefully control an element that wasn't your affinity.

But that was only when carrying a human being. If you wanted to carry something as heavy and large as Lux it wouldn't be mere thousands of times Dion's mana reserves, it would be dozens of millions. And to consistently keep it in the air was something that wasn't humanly possible no matter how much mana you had.

'She definitely deserves her rank.' Dion thought to himself, a deep chuckle escaping his lips. What he had seen after her little tantrum was nothing more than a glimpse into her power, this was the truth.

Whatever she had done to grow strong enough to have the ability to affect the laws of reality itself was something he couldn't even imagine, nobody could. Ascending even partially to the seat of divinity wasn't something that could be replicated.

It required luck, opportunity, strength, and a shit ton of willpower. Ascending wasn't something as simple as growing stronger, it was becoming a higher being, even if only partially. Just like no three dimensional being could imagine what it must feel like to be a fourth dimensional being nobody could know what it felt like to become a half god.

Everyone but those who reached the same pinnacle of course.

Falling through the air was an experience Dion was happy to accept and he was mildly disappointed when the 'ride' ended. Of course, there were more important things to do that kept his mind from wandering for long.

Stepping out from the overly sized picnic basket Dion Aster donned the mask of another man, the man he once was. Dion Aster was still in Lux resting from being poisoned by a teacher, it was now Hugo Farzan's time to experience the world.

'I have 36 hours to accomplish everything. That'll be plenty.' Hugo thought to himself blandly, leisurely walking through the strange underground cavern he found himself in. On all sides, there were lanterns, clear markings of humanity, so he assumed it led to a nearby city or at least allowed him access to one.

He had two steps to his plan that he had to accomplish, both of which should be simple enough with enough time, time that he had. While he hadn't been expecting Lucille to be so understanding it certainly assisted him greatly.

Eventually light struck Hugo's eyes, the distorted sound of his steps finally escaping into the sun's grace. Walking toward the light he paused upon seeing it was emerging from a strange one way wall.

Gently pushing on one side it moved, seemingly reacting to his touch, allowing him to step past without issue. Taking barely an instant to appreciate the sun's touch Hugo moved through the strange forest that gave way to a large city somewhere in the distance.

Walking through the shrubbery and life filled forest Hugo couldn't help but take a moment to embrace the peace as he walked, he wouldn't have much time like this soon after all. The life of Dion Aster was one of constant vigilance, moments like these would be incredibly rare soon enough.

Breaking through the treeline the peace that once surrounded Hugo was abruptly broken by the hustle and bustle that cities were well known for. While he wasn't well aware of where he was, in fact, he was completely lost, it shouldn't be too difficult to find his destination.

Taking out a burner phone that Lucille had been kind enough to give him he searched through the shockingly complicated interface until he finally found the map function. Taking another moment to figure out how to use the map he somewhat slowly discovered his destination.

'Three hours away by… HyperTrain?' Hugo thought to himself in confusion. He had heard of trains before obviously but that did not mean he truly understood what made it so Hyper or if it would even resemble the trains he was accustomed to.

Tracking down the nearest HyperTrain station he quickly made his way over to his destination, paying for it beforehand with shocking ease. The worst part was the looks of both fear and infatuation he was receiving the whole time.

While his cold demeanor pushed the vast majority away there were some who believed they could… fix him. Not only was that an insulting phrase but it was also nigh impossible. Who did they think they were to be able to fix him?

To begin with, what was wrong with being broken? Everyone was broken inside to some degree no matter how small. There was not a single person who was 'sane' there were only people whose beliefs lined up with the general consensus on what was the 'truth'. Nobody was sane in this world or his last.

And that was fine. Nobody had to be sane to live in a society, nobody had to be perfect to have a fulfilling life, and nobody had to be mentally stable to find a place in this world. Yes, it was more difficult but it was undoubtedly the truth proven by numerous examples.

Finally arriving at his destination Hugo was certainly impressed by what he saw. While it looked like a normal train from his previous world it was anything but normal in reality. It was covered in magical inscriptions from head to toe with a variety of effects ranging from comfort enhancers to speed increases.

While it was impossible to see everything it had to offer without wasting precious time he could tell that it was a masterpiece even from only what he could see. Stepping on the masterful creation he immediately felt the difference.

While outside the train was completely normal the inside of the train was a completely separate space which essentially eradicated things such as motion sickness and shaking. It was an impressive creation and one that was surely expensive.

'Peace is so interesting.' Hugo thought to himself blandly as he took a seat in his private room, a precaution for those who selfishly wished to 'fix' him. He had the money to spare after Lucille's kind sponsorship so there was no reason not to.

Naturally, he would pay her back tenfold. While she was supporting him quite generously it did not change the fact that their relationship was ultimately based on business. She was investing in him and it was his job to return her efforts.

For that reason, he would become the richest man in Thenia today.