The Void Drive is a new engine designed by Arthur and Edward together, to replace the old one that the Empire's spaceship functioned on. The old engine--which was called the Apparition Drive--was essentially designed to use Apparition to teleport the spaceships to different parts of the universe.
However, this engine had a problem as it required a massive amount of energy to function. The further the distances needed to apparate, the more mana needed. With the Philosopher's Stone as an energy source, it was no problem apparating a few hundred thousand light-years away.
Any greater distance than then would require additional Stones or a larger one. After seeing this problem, Edward designed a new engine based on his study of the Void and his World Gate
The spaceships would instantly appear in the Void, outside of the current universe. Then, from there, they can teleport to any place in the universe; it did not matter how far that place was from the Milky Way Galaxy.
So, after the order was given, all the citizens saw was that the fleet turned into a white light, then a few minutes later, they appeared in another star system.
Soon after that, the fleet reported their status, then started to search for planets with life. The broadcast ended, and the Empire celebrated this great event in history.
Meanwhile, Edward was having a secret meeting after the launch.
In front of him was a large screen that displayed an old man wearing a black hood.
"Your majesty, do you have any new orders?" asked Dumbledore.
"The Empire just launched its first expedition in the universe, so I'm worried that something might go wrong, so I need you to look out for any information that you hear about us."
"From the information I've gathered over the years, only the Galactic Federation and a few other civilizations are on par with us, so why worry?"
"That may be true when it comes to technology, but when it comes to magic, we still have a long way to go--especially when we have not dealt with our issue of the magic core no longer capable of holding more mana."
"In that case, I'll do my best."
Edward nodded his head, then asked: "What about the mission I gave you? Any new information?"
"Nothing has changed since I last reported to you. I've been trying to acquire any knowledge about Gods and [Authority], but this kind of information seemed very closely guarded. The few magic civilizations that worshipped real Gods are not that easy to infiltrate."
"I understand, so you can take your time. There is no need to take any risks."
After that, Edward headed to the small dimension that existed in the Bermuda Triangle, which has become his main laboratory with Rowena.
In the center of the laboratory, there were two Gates. After entering one of them, Edward had to place a room similar to the Room of Brain. However, it was smaller in size.
After doing that, Morgana's little elf appeared on his shoulder.
"Master, have you moved one of my servers?"
"Yes, the main one will remain here in this universe, while the other one will go with me. Unfortunately, I doubt you would be able to connect with the main one from another universe," replied Edward.
"Master, if you could use the full power of my main server, it would be possible."
Edward sighed after hearing this. From Albio, he learned the real identity of these mystery rooms and how valuable they are in the entire universe. And after hearing about it, he was forced to remove all information about them from records, and erase the memories of the majority of people who knew of their existence--including Albion himself.
He did not want knowledge about them to be accidentally released, causing some powerful cosmic entities to come after the Empire in search of these powerful relics.
Additionally, Edward also finally understood one of the reasons that Herpo was able to use the Death Chamber to ascend from a mortal to a God.
After learning of the true capabilities of these rooms, Edward decided to use the Room of Brain as a computer to create an A.I. connected to his soul. As a result of this, he gained unimaginable computing power, and with it, he rapidly propelled the technology and magic of the Empire.
Unfortunately, he also knew that he was just using a fraction of the ability of these rooms.
After placing the server inside the Gate, Edward started to deal with all the things he needed for this trip. Midway through, Bellatrix and Rowena came to see him.
Bellatrix handed him a ring as she said: "This is for your safety. Inside is more than a hundred Obscurus that can be controlled. If you meet any Gods with the power of [Authority], this should be enough to buy you enough time to escape."
Edward smiled after hearing this, then he gave her a kiss. Meanwhile, Rowena took out five small metal balls.
"Inside is the latest result of my research. As you know, Void Energy is very corrosive or destructive--even more so than Obscurus. I managed to condense a small amount of Void Energy and contained it in this metal case. If you encounter any trouble, you can just release them.
"Just one of them can release an explosion strong enough to destroy a planet the size of the sun. So, use them as a last resort in case the Obscurus do not work, and make sure to not remain anywhere near the explosion."
Edward nodded his head as he hugged the two of them with a smile.
In fact, he was not immediately leaving as he still had two things to deal with before his departure.
The first was a good-bye dinner with his family. His mother, father, Susan, and her parents, Amelia, and the brothers and sisters of his parents were also revived. His wives, Rowena, Luna, Hermione, Fleur, and Bellatrix all attended it.
Although this was a farewell party, people had to act happy as they did not want Edward's mother to know that he was about to take a dangerous trip into the unknown.
After the dinner, Edward held a secret meeting. This meeting was attended by all his wives, Grindelwald, Amelia Bones, Flitwick, Lily, and Snape.
All of them sat at a long table with Edward at the head of the table. Behind him on the wall was the mark he placed on the Death Eaters, with the word "Illuminati" written in large letters.
"Before I leave, I have a few things that I need you guys to watch out for," he then looked at Grindelwald.
"As the Commander of the Ghost Squad, I need you to monitor both the Atlantean and the Martian--especially the former. It is very rare for the Martians to leave their underground cities especially with their current civil war, however, the same cannot be said for the Atlanteans. With how hostile their kind have been, you should pay more attention to them."
"I understand, but I still think that it would be best to either annihilate them or forcefully subdue them," replied Grindelwald.
"I have my reasons for not dealing with them for now."
Edward then looked at Lily Potter.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you, it was just a calculated move."
"I understand, your majesty."
"I need you to do one last thing for me, then immediately afterward, Rowena will conduct a Resurrection Ceremony for you. On top of that, all the Arcane Points that I owe you will be compensated."
"...What may that be?"
"I need to absorb some luck from Harry."
"Will he be alright?" asked Lily with a frown on her face.
"According to my calculation, he should just be unlucky for a while but will be fine afterward. However, it's best to keep an eye on him. If you need, you can have a few members of the Ghost Squad looking after him."
"As you wish."
Then, Edward looked at Luna.
"From the moment I leave, I need you to use the Sorcerer's Eye to monitor everything in the Empire. Do not miss the tiniest of anomalies, no matter how small it may seem."
"I understand," nodded Luna.
Finally, Edward addressed everybody.
"All of you here have the highest power in the Empire after me, so you should know who our biggest enemy is. According to my calculation, Herpo should have the ability to leave the Afterlife for a short period of time.
"If he does so, you can activate all the protocols I have left to deal with him, or stall him long enough until his time runs out. If he is proven to be more powerful than we can handle, I have left another Gate here that will take all of you--including my parents and families--to a safe place.
"When I return, I will find a way to deal with him. And if I do not, the Gate contains all the knowledge of the Empire, enough for you guys to rebuild our civilization from scratch."
"Edward, don't say such ominous things," scolded Rowena.
"I'm just being prepared for the worst-case scenario."
After this meeting, Edward spent the last day with his family and enjoyed the bliss of his wives. For this special occasion, they allowed him to indulge in the pleasure of the flesh with all of them at the same time.
The next day, Edward did not immediately leave. A feeling of nostalgia came to him, so he went to visit one last place: Hogwarts.
Placing an invisible spell on himself, he visited many places--including his and Dumbledore's statues that were created to commemorate them. He then suddenly appeared inside the headmaster's room, startling headmistress McGonagall.
"Boy, just because you're an Emperor now does not mean that you can do whatever you want. Have some respect for the elderly," said McGonagall.
"Sorry about that, I thought you would not be here," replied Edward with a smile.
"I had some last meeting things to take care of."
"I'm sure Elphinstone would not appreciate you working so late."
"What can he do about it? Anyway, he's stuck with me. This time around, I will not even allow death to take us apart."
Edward laughed after hearing this, then he took notice of the Sorting Hat that was muttering happily to himself.
"Sorting Hat, what has made you so happy?"
"Hmm? Edward my boy, you finally came to see me after so many years. While you're here, I have some complaints that I would like to address."
"Do tell."
"Every year, many wizards attend Hogwarts, and It's my greatest pleasure to sort them in their proper houses. But all of them keep asking me to place them in Ravenclaw since it's the house you attended. I keep telling them that this is not how things operate, they refuse to listen to me.
"Some even threaten me with their parents or family's power if I do not place them in Ravenclaw."
"I cannot stop the desires of these young children. However, you do not need to worry about their family's influence as none of them dare to lay their hands on Hogwarts."
"In that case, I'm relieved."
Edward then spent a few minutes talking to McGonagall and the Sorting Hat. Right before he left, the headmistress stopped him and said:
"I've heard a little about your next endeavors from Fillius. All I can say is take care of yourself. You have billions of people counting on you."
Edward paused for a moment, then said: "Thank you, and I will."
Without any hesitation, Edward returned to the Bermuda Triangle, entered his World Gate, then entered the Void for his next adventure.
Title: New World
