The two of them traveled for another couple of hours, but they weren't making much progress compared to the time they had actually been traveling.
From the 700,000 kilometers they had to travel, they had only traveled about 20,000 kilometers of those.
Of course, 20,000 kilometers was a huge distance for a normal person, but the Sweeper and Shang traveled at speeds only an Archmage could.
"We are about to reach a dividing border between different territories," the Sweeper suddenly transmitted to Shang.
Shang didn't react.
Yes, this was all the Natural Selection Company's territory, but there were different territories inside their territory. One Enforcer was responsible for multiple gatherer families, and this group of gatherer families made up their own territories.
While the gatherer families inside an Enforcer's territory could freely move around, they weren't allowed to enter the territory of another Enforcer.
The dividing borders were specifically created to catch anyone that tried to cross the border without permission.
"There are several Magic Circles and barriers on the border, and this one is especially bad since the two Enforcers can't stand each other," the Sweeper explained. "If these were only the normal dividing borders, we could simply walk through them, but this one is special."
"What's so special about it?" Shang asked.
"Instead of sharing one barrier and sharing control, both sides have their own barrier and investigation Magic Circles, and the biggest problem is that the two barriers are touching and that there are even investigation Magic Circles between the tiny space where they touch."
"Their paranoia and hatred for each other make it difficult for us to cross without being seen," the Sweeper explained. "They don't know how we can pass through all their borders without being found, but ironically enough, they are making it difficult for us to pass because of their fear of each other."
"How do we pass?" Shang asked.
"There's a small and dangerous area near the southeast of here," the Sweeper said. "None of the two Enforcers want to have anything to do with the area, which is why their respective defenses surround it."
"While there are two barriers basically touching each other everywhere else, the two barriers in that place are divided by the dangerous area."
Shang's Spirit Sense looked towards the southeast, but he couldn't see anything special yet.
"And we will travel through that?" Shang asked.
The Sweeper nodded. "How long can you train in isolation at a time before you feel like you have to do something else?" the Sweeper suddenly asked.
Shang's head turned to the Sweeper.
"I have to know," the Sweeper added. "Depending on your answer, we may have to avoid this dangerous area and make a long detour."
Shang didn't answer for a couple of seconds.
"Long," Shang answered.
"Ten years?" the Sweeper asked.
"Not a problem."
"A century?"
"Not a problem."
"A millennium?"
"Not a problem."
"And how would you know that?" the Sweeper asked.
"The length doesn't make a difference," Shang answered.
The cloaked head of the Sweeper looked at Shang for a couple of seconds while they were flying forward.
"Fine, I'll believe you," the Sweeper said. "We saved about a day, but it will take us a couple of years to get there."
'What's that supposed to mean?' Shang thought.
But he didn't ask about what she meant. He would probably see what she meant soon enough.
A couple of minutes later, Shang and the Sweeper arrived at a seemingly random spot between the two territories.
In fact, it looked almost the same as everywhere else, except for one difference.
The two barriers curved inward on each side, avoiding a small area that was only about ten meters wide.
That was it?
The dangerous zone was only ten meters wide?
Shang could see a Peak High Mage standing near the barrier in front of the dangerous area. They were probably a guard to make sure that no one was approaching it.
They were just sitting on the ground with closed eyes, only checking everything with their Spirit Sense.
"This is a reality tear," the Sweeper explained. "Space, time, and gravity are in chaos in there. Different reality tears have different states of space, time, and gravity. Some of them are extremely dangerous. Some of them are not a problem."
"And this one?" Shang asked.
"A bit dangerous, but also very annoying," the Sweeper answered. "It's showing the level two Pure Concept of Space, which is distance, the level one Pure Concept of Time, which is Acceleration, and the level three Pure Concept of Gravity, which is Compression."
"All of this is happening at the same time. In short, this means that these ten meters will be like millions of kilometers to us, but we will be able to travel through that in no time at all."
"That is, no time at all from the outside," the Sweeper added.
"Can you put that into numbers?" Shang asked.
"From an outsider's perspective, we will travel through these ten meters in less than a second, but to us, it will be like we traveled for millions of kilometers for years."
"So, while we will save a day, it will take us years to get there."
Shang was not the biggest fan of that.
It wasn't that Shang was afraid of traveling through the area but that he feared for his longevity.
"What about my longevity?" Shang asked.
"Why do you think Time Mages are so popular with the Mage Emperors?" the Sweeper asked back.
"So, this will not be an issue?" Shang asked.
"Your longevity is not measured by the deterioration or age of your body but by how much time has passed for the world," the Sweeper said.
That was the first time Shang heard about that.
"This means that if I were to spend time in an environment with accelerated time, my longevity wouldn't run out faster?"
"Correct," the Sweeper said. "However, the faster time is, the more warped everything inside it is. Mana moves weirdly. Matter moves weirdly. Concepts stop making sense."
"In short, while you can theoretically extend your life by staying in an area where time passes faster, you can't become more powerful inside it."
"Okay," Shang said, "but then why are Time Mages so popular?"
"Reflection," the Sweeper answered. "By creating such an environment, Time Mages can give someone the opportunity to think about their life and reflect on it without wasting time."
"Everyone is distracted by trying to become more powerful, and we view time as a precious commodity, but with Time Mages, we can find enough time to reflect on our lives and our decisions."
"This reality tear can damage you mentally, but it can also help you mentally. I, personally, enjoy flying through it," the Sweeper said.
Shang noticed that she was talking quite a bit about herself, which was a bit unusual for a Sweeper.
"Can reflecting on my life help me in becoming more powerful?" Shang asked.
"If there are unresolved problems, repressed memories, or unsolved trauma, a long time of quiet reflection could help resolve these issues, freeing up our mind and allowing us to focus more on our training."
"Or it could make things worse."
"Depends on the person."
The Sweeper turned to Shang.
"Do you want to go through it?" she asked.
"Sure."
