Tower of Salvation

Simulation Year 15, Xu Xi, age 32.

After a year of construction,

with the aid of numerous earthwork puppets,

the wizard tower nears completion.

Its main structure is grand, its wings expansive.

This is no ordinary vertical tower but rather a fortress akin to a floating city—vast in scale, equipped with multiple platforms.

It integrates living quarters, potion labs, bio-zones, training grounds, and levitation hubs, among others.

Every sector

has been meticulously designed with future needs in mind.

Majestic and awe-inspiring, solemn yet enigmatic, the tower’s exterior is adorned with Canglan stone slabs etched with arcane circuitry, channeling energy throughout the structure.

At first glance, the tower appears colossal.

Yet, within the broader scope of the wizarding world,

its size is merely average.

On the Plateau of Divinity, Xu Xi once explored the ruins of a six-ring wizard tower. Though only fragments remained, they were enough to glimpse its former scale.

"Likely... ten times the size of mine," he mused.

"‘Tower’ is just a term of convenience."

"More accurately, a wizard tower is a personal stronghold—integrating production, research, living quarters, combat, and defense."

"As a headquarters, the more formidable, the better."

Xu Xi stands before the nearly finished tower,

staff in hand,

aimed at the spire.

A surge of soul energy strikes the apex, activating the tower’s core intelligence—the Tower Spirit.

This is a spellform developed by wizards, a soul-driven mechanism that assists in coordinating the tower’s functions.

It operates with rigid, mechanical precision,

handling only the simplest automated tasks.

"Master Wizard," Servia follows behind Xu Xi, her curious gaze tracing the intricate patterns on the tower’s surface.

"With the Tower Spirit’s help, does this mean we won’t need to maintain the tower ourselves?"

Xu Xi steps inside,

inspecting the functionalities of his future base.

"Not entirely, Servia."

"The Tower Spirit isn’t sentient—just an automated spellform mechanism. Delicate tasks like cultivating magical plants or brewing potions still require our direct involvement."

Under the undead warrior’s watchful eyes, Xu Xi raises a finger. Azure flames erupt in the corridor,

coalescing into tiny spectral ravens.

They flutter their wings, lifelike yet eerily still, perching affectionately on his bent knuckle.

Their eyes, however, are voids of absolute darkness.

This is the Tower Spirit.

Xu Xi splits his focus, assigning his loyal steed—the Netherfire Raven—to serve as the tower’s guardian intelligence.

……

[Your wizard tower is complete.]

[Death-energy shielding, life-cycle circulation, cultivation experiments, leisure and living—]

[Your design equips the tower with multiple capabilities, ensuring survival in a dying world.]

[Servia asks if the tower has a name.]

[You ponder for a long time.]

[No satisfying answer comes to mind.]

[You consider "Tower of Dawn," but such names are commonplace in the wizarding world.]

[Finally, you jest to the warrior:]

["What about ‘Tower of Salvation,’ Servia? How does that sound?"]

[Your offhand remark]

[makes Servia’s eyes brighten.]

[Servia Clawphire thinks "Tower of Salvation" is a fine name.]

……

The journey of salvation begins.

A resonant hum reverberates through the canyon walls.

The tower ascends,

its surface shimmering faintly,

like a colossal star lifting from the earth—

a display of raw power and grandeur.

Xu Xi stands on the tower’s plaza, fine-tuning the levitation spells to stabilize its flight toward the horizon.

With him and Servia aboard,

the extermination of the undead commences.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

The moment the tower rises, its towering form erupts with light, unleashing a storm of radiant spears.

They blanket the sky,

obliterating the wandering undead above the canyon.

"So powerful..."

Servia stares, awestruck.

She feels obsolete.

Her sword might as well be scrap metal.

"Don’t be fooled, Servia," Xu Xi says, summoning scattered soul flames. Under the Soul Collector’s compulsion, they merge into his reserves.

He turns to the warrior beside him.

"These attacks drain the tower’s energy, and their power pales against a true wizard’s might."

"As we face stronger undead, your role will grow heavier."

His words

do not deter Servia in the slightest.

"Thank you for your concern, but this body... is always ready," the green-eyed warrior replies, glancing at the ring on her finger.

It matches her eyes—

crystalline, emerald,

mirroring each other.

Burden is no curse. To Servia, it is proof of purpose.

……

[You and Servia journey onward.]

[After a year’s respite in the canyon, you find the undead have multiplied.]

[Harnessing the tower’s aerial advantage and firepower, you harvest soul flames en masse, repurposing them as the tower’s fuel.]

[The cycle sustains itself. After accounting for losses, your reserves swell daily.]

[You are pleased.]

[And turn your focus to the path of a fourth-ring wizard.]

[You know your current third-ring strength is insufficient. To reach your goal, you must advance.]

[Simulation Year 16, age 33.]

[The decade’s Undead Tide arrives. You and Servia witness the sky darken—an abysmal shroud, the world itself pressing down.]

"Servia, are you alright?"

"Y-yes... Please don’t worry... I’ll manage."

Servia’s skeletal form curls into a ball.

The wizarding world during the Tide is pitch-black, a void where even a raised hand vanishes.

Fortunately, the tower’s interior lights flicker on at Xu Xi’s command.

The warrior stops trembling but remains coiled on the ground.

"Servia?"

"Master Wizard, please don’t look at me... It’s too embarrassing... Ugh..."

Servia cannot bring herself to rise.

Xu Xi finds her state amusing.

He crouches, takes her hand, and coaxes the shy undead girl to her feet.

……

[The Undead Tide is a sign of the Netherworld’s encroachment.]

[This year,]

[the undead grow in number and strength.]

[Some even slip through dimensional rifts—invaders from the endless Nether, worsening the world’s despair.]

[Be they human or other races,]

[all are like autumn leaves beneath this calamity. A single step, and they crumble.]

[Your tower is besieged by wraiths and undead.]

[You are forced to activate maximum defensive spells.]

[After grueling battles, you and Servia endure the Tide’s fiercest surge, reaping a windfall of soul flames.]

[The aftermath leaves the Tower of Salvation scarred and battered.]