Chapter 727: Thirst for Knowledge

"Pah—pah pah!"

Lolth scrambled to her feet, spitting gritty sand from her mouth before dusting off her clothes and vigorously shaking particles from her hair.

Sokabus and Luna soon emerged from the sandy mound, their forms coated in golden grains.

"What in the realms was that?" Lolth demanded.

Luna grinned, brushing her palms together with theatrical flair. "That’s our special ‘shortcut’… Pretty cool, huh?"

"Coolness aside…" Lolth’s brow furrowed as she scanned their surroundings. "Something’s fundamentally wrong here."

The two native girls exchanged curious glances at their companion’s troubled expression. Sokabus tilted her head. "Wrong how?"

After a prolonged silence, Lolth waved dismissively. "Never mind. Probably just my imagination."

Though the trio resumed their journey toward the now-clearly-visible structures, Lolth’s unease lingered. How could she explain her shock at discovering spacecraft-like technology in this sword-and-sorcery realm to companions who considered floating castles commonplace?

Even accounting for potential ancient civilizations, the sleek metallic vessel defied all logic. Her brief contact with the structure had somehow jolted loose forgotten knowledge – this world’s cosmology rejected basic astrophysics.

Their planet floated solitary in existence, encircled not by space but layered dimensions. The sun? A fiery orb magically orbiting their flat earth. Night’s glittering tapestry showed not distant stars, but fractures in dimensional barriers filtering light from the spiritual world.

What possible purpose could vacuum-designed spacecraft serve in such an environment? Any sensible civilization would develop tower-shaped transports or enchanted carriages to navigate spatial eddies and magic currents. Even sail-equipped ships made more sense than hermetically sealed metal hulls.

Yet the curved bulkheads she’d raced past for hundreds of meters left no doubt – whatever this anomaly was, its exterior screamed "spaceship" in a world where the concept shouldn’t exist.

So… why?

Lolth even contemplated the possibility of this object being dimensional-traveled too—after all, given her own transmigratory existence, the arrival of a spacecraft wouldn’t be entirely unexpected.

In fact, observing the "bubble-like" structure between the "spaceship section" and her current location, stripping away the metallic shell, it remarkably aligned with the traits of a "dimensional traversal" vessel.

The evident spatial partitioning—whether judged by the technology’s intended purpose or the prerequisites for its application—suggested this was undoubtedly a creation of this world.

Could her understanding be flawed? Might a true universe exist beyond these layered, seemingly infinite spaces?

No… impossible. The world she knew had to be absolute!

Her comprehension couldn’t be mistaken!

The instant Lolth entertained the thought "Could I have misjudged this world’s nature?" she reflexively rebuked herself.

With utter arrogance and finality, she asserted:

Why this unshakable certainty?

Lolth froze. Such conviction felt foreign to her disposition.

Yet pursuing this line of thought reignited the searing headache, its warning clear—cease probing.

Her pain proved brief, as Luna’s voice shattered her reverie, anchoring her back to reality.

"Behold—Lord Lolth! We’re here!"

At Luna’s buoyant cry, Lolth raised her gaze.

Before her lay structures—mostly intact despite scattered collapses, aged yet scarcely ruined.

Their presence deepened her bewilderment.

Earlier silhouettes had suggested temple-like edifices outside—grand and angular.

Now confronted by them, doubt surged.

"The resemblance is too exact…"

These buildings perfectly mirrored a sacred complex from her past life.

The colonnades, stairways, and gaping portals struck her with visceral familiarity.

"Ta-daa! Our destination!"

Luna chimed, flourishing a presenter’s gesture.

Sokabus studied Lolth with concern.

Sharper than her priest and aide, endowed with innate empathic senses, Sokabus distinctly perceived the turmoil radiating from her.

Their "new mentor" stood adrift in confusion—no, something sharper lurked beneath. Fear.

"Perhaps we should withdraw?"

At Sokabus’s query, Lolth shook her head.

"No. We press onward."

"Fear mustn’t halt exploration—retreat kills progress."

Lolth spoke with iron resolve.

This was her creed.

For most, such bravery might seem reckless. The unknown’s pursuit risks more than oneself.

But Lolth—researcher in her former life—could never flee from enigmas.

Not when answers might lie within, answers she desperately needed.