vstars Chapter 705 Portal
Chapter 705 Portal
Soon, surrounded by coal briquettes, John arrived at the research fortress where the Ministry of Magic was located and saw with his own eyes the finished product of the Netherworld portal, which had been built with a great deal of effort.
The Ministry of Magic is a newly established functional department in the Kingdom of Hilderan. Its status is second only to the direct jurisdiction of the Minister of Foundry, Stephen, and it is on the same level as the Ministry of Industry.
As the department is newly established, all matters need to be handled carefully. Stephen will temporarily hold the position of minister, while Flora, who possesses core magical technology, will participate in all magic-related research and project execution within the department as a technical advisor.
John had taken the time to come over a few times during the construction of the portal, so he was not surprised at all when he saw the complete portal. He simply looked at the creation that carried his many hopes with a calm gaze.
The entire Netherworld portal was placed in a completely enclosed space. The overall structure consisted of a ring and a stable base below. It was not very large, and the diameter of the ring was precisely designed to be four meters.
Flora explained the reason for this size setting: if the portal were designed to be too large, once activated, if the other end of the portal accidentally connected to the lair of a large Netherworld creature, then those ferocious Netherworld creatures would enter the human world without any hindrance through the portal's passage.
Although Flora once said that creatures from the Netherworld cannot stay in the human world for long, their existence depends on the support of Netherworld energy, and their bodies will gradually dissipate if they leave the Netherworld for too long.
But John also understood that even a short stay would be enough for those enormous and powerful Netherworld creatures to cause devastating damage to this enclosed space, and might even spread to areas outside the fortress, causing unpredictable chaos.
John and Stephen walked side by side, ascending the sturdy metal stairs to the control panel located above the enclosed space.
This is the core area for the activation and control of the entire portal. It offers a wide view, allowing you to clearly overlook every detail of the portal below.
Various instruments and devices were placed on the control panel, and Flora's magic mirror, which could connect to images, was specially placed in the center of the control panel. The mirror was smooth and could reflect Flora's image at any time, transmitting key instructions.
John's gaze fell on the magic mirror, and he asked a question, his tone revealing a hint of concern for the experiment:
"Ms. Flora, what is the current status of the portal?"
A faint glow quickly appeared on the surface of the magic mirror, clearly revealing Flora's image. Her expression remained calm as she answered in a steady voice:
"We've conducted several pre-activations before, and the Netherworld energy around the portal is at a normal level, so the success rate of a normal activation should be very high."
Hearing this reply, John's tense nerves relaxed a little.
He turned to look at Stephen, who was standing to the side, and the two exchanged a glance.
Then, John turned his gaze back to the magic mirror and decisively gave the order:
"Alright, let's get ready and begin the first activation of the portal."
The moment the command was given, the flag bearer standing at the edge of the control panel immediately sprang into action.
He gripped the striking red flag tightly with both hands, waving his arms vigorously. The bright red flag drew a clean arc in the air, conveying a clear signal to evacuate.
Upon seeing the red flag waving, all the researchers in the enclosed space below immediately put down their work and evacuated in an orderly manner towards the designated exit.
As the heavy metal gate slowly slammed down with a dull rumble, the entire enclosed space was completely sealed off, leaving only the silent Netherworld portal standing alone, waiting for its activation.
Immediately afterwards, the flag bearer raised another yellow flag, which represented the command to start.
The moment the yellow flag was waved, the ten St. John statues beside the control panel suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light. These statues were specially arranged by Flora to continuously gather and release magical energy.
Golden light surged from the top of the sculpture, like flowing molten gold, intertwining and converging in the air to form a thick beam of light that shot precisely toward the teleportation ring below.
The moment the beam of light hit the ring, it spread out like water, slowly covering the entire surface of the ring.
The operator on the control panel was intently watching the special instrument in front of him.
It was a device that measured the energy of the Netherworld by the height of a water column. Inside the transparent glass tube, the water column rose continuously as energy was injected.
The operator's eyes were fixed on the scale on the glass tube, and his voice rang out clearly as he reported the real-time data to John and Stephen:
"The energy in the Netherworld at the portal has increased significantly and is expected to activate within ten seconds."
John's gaze was fixed on the portal below, and his heart involuntarily tightened slightly.
He could clearly see that as energy continued to gather, the originally dim runes on the portal ring began to light up one by one, shimmering with a faint golden light.
The runes echo each other, their light intertwining and swirling to form a dense network of energy.
In the very center of the portal ring, where there was originally nothing, a golden disc-shaped object is slowly appearing.
The surface of the disc was also engraved with runes, and its light flowed, emitting strong fluctuations of ghostly energy.
Time seemed to stretch out at this moment, with each second passing exceptionally slowly. The air around the control panel seemed to become hot due to the gathering of energy.
The operator stared intently at the timer, and began the countdown in a steady voice:
"Three, two, one, start!"
The moment the last word of the countdown ended, a deafening roar suddenly erupted, spreading outwards from the portal.
The sound was like a thunderclap, causing the control panel to tremble slightly and even creating fine ripples in the air.
The golden disc at the center of the portal suddenly burst forth with extreme light, and a dazzling golden beam shot into the sky, directly engulfing the enclosed space below and rushing all the way up to the control panel. The intense light made everyone subconsciously squint, almost unable to look directly at it.
John raised his hand to shield his eyes, but the light leaking through his fingers was still blindingly bright.
He could clearly feel the immense energy of the Netherworld, surging like a tide and filling every corner of the entire space.
After an unknown amount of time, the dazzling light slowly faded, and the roar gradually subsided.
John lowered his hand from his face and looked anxiously toward the portal below.
In the center of the portal's ring, the golden disc was no longer there; instead, a screen shimmering with soft golden light floated there silently, like a solidified wall of light.
Stephen stared at the golden screen, a look of disbelief on his face, his tone tinged with uncertainty and doubt, and he spoke instinctively:
"Success?"
John didn't answer immediately. His gaze swept quickly around the control panel, and he suddenly felt something was missing. He then realized that the coal ball that had always been by his side had disappeared without him noticing.
The moment the light flashed, everyone's attention was drawn to the portal. John frowned slightly. Coal Ball's ghostly body was maintained by mental energy. Would the massive ghostly energy fluctuations generated when the portal was activated have any effect on it?
Just as John was getting restless and trying to find traces of the coal, a sharp roar suddenly came from behind the golden screen of the portal.
The roar was interspersed with a clear and sharp eagle cry, high-pitched and loud, carrying the wildness and ferocity of a beast.
The roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly drawing John's attention back.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the golden screen.
The next second, the golden screen shook violently, and then a huge black shadow suddenly rushed out from behind the screen, breaking through the light wall and appearing in the enclosed space.
John's pupils contracted sharply, his gaze fixed on the creature that had suddenly appeared.
The creature had a body as strong as a lion, covered with a thick black mane, with thick, powerful limbs and claws as sharp as knives. Its upper body, however, had the head of an eagle, with a sharp beak, fierce eyes, and broad, powerful wings that whipped up gusts of wind with each flap.
A name flashed through John's mind, and he blurted it out instinctively:
"This is... a griffin?"
The creature from the Netherworld before him was almost identical to the griffins depicted in the fantasy works he remembered from his past life.
The griffin circled and flew in the enclosed space, the airflow from its flapping wings hitting the surrounding metal walls with a dull thud.
Its gaze swept fiercely around, filled with intense aggression.
And this is just the beginning.
Following the first roar, more roars came one after another from behind the golden screen of the portal, each one louder and more ferocious than the last.
Immediately afterwards, one after another, griffins exactly like the previous one rushed out of the portal.
They flapped their wings, circling and roaring in the enclosed space, their numbers increasing until they soon filled the entire sky above.
The foremost griffin seemed to have noticed the movement on the control panel above.
It suddenly raised its head, its sharp gaze piercing through the barrier of space, locking onto John and Stephen.
The next second, it let out a deafening eagle cry, its wings flapped violently, and its massive body charged fiercely toward the control panel like an arrow released from a bow.