Chapter 417: World X-617

Since entering the Land of Dawn, Helag hadn’t paid much attention to the developments in the elven plane war, and he was surprised by the high difficulty of passing the selection.

Reflecting on it, he realized that among those who went for the selection, only Malcolm was a crystallized wizard, while the others were mostly at the gaseous or liquefied stages.

With an age limit of under sixty, most wizards were still relatively young and not particularly powerful.

In the context of plane wars, even first-level wizards were considered weak.

In the Barren Lands, becoming a formal wizard was challenging enough, let alone advancing to a crystallized wizard before sixty.

Many who participated in the selection likely either perished in the elven plane or failed to meet the passing criteria.

“Mr. Bennings, weren’t you involved in the elven plane?” Helag asked.

Bennings adjusted his monocle and replied, “I only organized the selection in the Barren Lands. I didn’t participate in the elven plane war.”

“I see,” Helag nodded.

Bennings glanced at Helag and suddenly asked, “I didn’t expect you to become a crystallized wizard so quickly. Are you here for Operation Cradle?”

“Yes, I just arrived to participate in Operation Cradle,” Helag confirmed.

Bennings chuckled, “What a coincidence. I’m organizing Operation Cradle. Since I’m free now, let me help you with the registration.”

“Thank you, Lord Bennings,” Helag said.

The first floor of the Wizard Alliance Hall resembled other administrative offices, spacious with various counters for different affairs.

Registering for Operation Cradle was straightforward, requiring only a simple check-in with a communication stone, followed by a month’s wait for the official start.

While registering, Helag reviewed some detailed information about Operation Cradle.

The documents provided insights into World X-617.

X-617 was a world designation, derived from spatial coordinates converted through calculations, ensuring uniqueness.

The world was discovered by the Wizard Alliance’s expedition team and deemed a habitable, life-supporting, and exploitable world after exploration.

Following assessments and data analysis, it was classified as a low-tier world.

The ownership of this world led to the decision for Operation Cradle after a roundtable discussion.

According to the wizard plane’s timeline, World X-617 had existed for 3.5 billion years, with various life forms but no intelligent civilizations yet.

Without intelligent species, conquering it posed no difficulty, requiring only control over the world’s will.

Thus, the Wizard Alliance wasn’t in a rush, treating Operation Cradle as a trial for promising young wizards.

After completing the registration, Bennings asked with a smile, “Have you considered joining our expedition team in the future?”

“Could I join? I’m just a crystallized wizard, and I’m not sure what the expedition team does,” Helag replied thoughtfully.

His knowledge of the expedition team was limited, having only brief contact during the Barren Lands selection, with no further interaction with Bennings or the team.

“Of course. For a wizard like you, advancing to a second-level wizard is just a matter of time. Besides, even crystallized wizards can join the expedition team. We’re part of the Wizard Alliance, focusing on discovering and conquering other planes to acquire resources,” Bennings explained.

Helag pondered this seriously, knowing his future resource needs would only grow.

Currently, his most reliable resource acquisition method was earning contribution points and exchanging them through Seranthiel’s channels.

However, earning points through conventional means was slow, unlikely to meet future demands.

Joining the expedition team seemed a promising option, offering high rewards despite the risks.

After advancing to a second-level wizard, participating in plane expeditions would be relatively safer.

Helag, naturally cautious, felt he needed more information before deciding.

Seeing Helag’s contemplation, Bennings said, “No rush. I’m just asking. Contact me anytime through your communication stone when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bennings,” Helag expressed his gratitude.

***

After bidding farewell to Bennings, Helag left the Alliance Hall, as Bennings had other expedition team matters to handle.

The street outside the hall was empty, with no carriages, suggesting they weren’t allowed to idle there.

Helag decided to walk to the adjacent street to find a carriage.

A narrow, dim alley connected the two streets.

As Helag walked through the alley, he suddenly stopped.

Ahead stood a freckled boy.

Helag recognized him immediately. “Malcolm.”

He hadn’t expected to encounter Malcolm here.

Malcolm grinned innocently, like a child, and said, “What a coincidence, meeting again. I didn’t expect you to become a crystallized wizard. You must have secrets. Last time, you were lucky to escape. Otherwise, you’d have been an interesting experiment.”

“This time, you won’t escape.”

Malcolm’s magical aura surged, preparing to attack.

Helag remained unfazed, his expression unchanged. He was no longer defenseless against Malcolm.

Previously, without Barty’s timely arrival, Helag would have died at Malcolm’s hands.

But now, everything was different.

Despite knowing Helag was a crystallized wizard, Malcolm didn’t take him seriously.

As Malcolm prepared to strike, a voice from behind Helag said, “Malcolm, if you attack Helag, I have the authority to disqualify you from Operation Cradle.”

Helag turned to see Bennings.

Bennings approached calmly, patting Helag’s shoulder with a smile, then addressed Malcolm, “You’re both participants in Operation Cradle. You can’t attack each other, at least not now.”

“You’re lucky,” Malcolm said coldly, unwilling to defy Bennings. He glanced at Helag, retracted his magical aura, and left.