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Eshmund slumped into his chair, tossing a small leather pouch onto the table with a sigh. “Thirteen thousand Contribution Points.” He dragged a hand down his face. “For this tiny thing. Do you know how many missions I had to take for that much points?” He had bought this space pouch after exiting the Adventurer’s Arena, where he had collected data to improve the suit. Inside his head, Sage’s voice responded with its usual calm precision. “Yes. Exactly forty-two, not counting the two you failed.” Eshmund groaned. “You didn’t have to bring that up.” “You brought it up first. I am simply providing accurate data.” Shaking his head, Eshmund picked up the pouch and turned it over in his fingers. It was made of sturdy, high-quality silk and embroidered with the seven-leaf clover, the logo of the Samang sect. “This too, looks like a normal money pouch,” he remarked. He then retrieved the space pouch given to him by Muhsan, his teacher, and compared the two. The pouches were similar in appearance, but the one given by Muhsan was noticeably superior. In addition to the seven-leaf clover, its embroidery was significantly more detailed and it use gold thread. Eshmund activated his energy and examined the low-level pouch. Even with his minuscule energy, Eshmund easily probed the edge of the pouch’s subspace, revealing its small size. He now understood his teacher’s esteem. Compared to the likely high-grade or even superior pouch Mushan had given him, this one was clearly trash.

“The enchantment on the void stones is what really matters, not the exterior, the look is just for aesthetics ” Sage explained. “Lower-tier Void Stones can only maintain a small subspace. This one likely has severe volume limitations and energy inefficiencies.” Eshmund sighed. “Great. So I spent a fortune on something I barely have any significant use for” “On the contrary. You now have a working prototype to conduct proper tests. You will understand its function better once you experiment with it.” Eshmund gave the pouch a look, then chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, alright. Five cubic meters? That’s still pretty good. If I didn’t have the one teacher gave me, this would be gold. Guess my standards just went up. Now, let’s see what this thing can do.” He stood up, grabbed the low level space pouch and separated the void stone from it. Eshmund stood in his underground workshop, a space brightly lit by the LED lights he had installed. The room was a mess – tools, rune-engraved stones, and scattered notes covered every available surface. In his hands, he held a small Void Stone, freshly extracted from a damaged space pouch he had recovered from the lake. The stone was the size of a marble, its surface dark and smooth, like a piece of solidified night. “Alright, Sage. Walk me through this one more time,” Eshmund said aloud. His voice echoed slightly, though no one else was physically present. Inside his mind, Sage’s voice responded, calm and precise. “We are testing the Void Stone’s interaction with energy and how that enables subspace storage. Start by introducing elemental energy to the stone.” Eshmund took the Void Stone from the damaged space pouch he had found in the lake and placed it on the table. This one no longer had its rune etchings, likely erased by prolonged exposure to water. He gathered a small flame in his palm. Carefully, he let the fire touch the stone’s surface. Immediately, the fire flickered and vanished, as if it had never existed. In its place, a faint ripple in the air formed above the stone – a distortion, a space where something should be, but wasn’t. “That’s the Null Space forming, right?” Eshmund asked. “Correct. The Void Stone doesn’t absorb energy. Instead, it creates a Null Space of equal volume and shape to the energy it contacts. A space devoid of energy and matter – that’s the Null Space” “The runes are gone for this Void Stone, so the Null Space has no way to be transferred into the subspace. It just get filled with air” Eshmund noted. Next, he held out the Void Stone from the low-level pouch he had purchased. This one still had intact rune engravings. As he channeled energy into it, the runes glowed faintly, and the distortion above the stone disappeared, absorbed into subspace. A faint hum resonated in the air. Eshmund stroked his chin thoughtfully. “And this is the core principle behind space pouches?” “Exactly. If we encase the Null Space with elemental energy and transfer it into subspace, the subspace compensates by expelling an equivalent amount of energy. Later, if the energy casing is disrupted, the subspace pulls in new energy or matter to fill the void left behind.” “The runes are acting as a conduit,” Sage explained. “They encapsulate the Null Space with elemental energy, then transfer it into the subspace linked to the stone. Once inside, subspace stabilizes itself by expelling energy equal to the volume of the Null Space. If that energy casing is broken, the subspace pulls in new energy to fill the void.” Eshmund picked up a metal coin, channeling a trace of energy into it. As he brought it near the pouch, the coin flickered and disappeared – drawn into the subspace linked to the Void Stone. He let out a low whistle. “That’s seriously cool.” “It’s based on the principle of energy conservation,” Sage continued. “The missing energy must be replaced, and the nearest viable source – your energized coin – is drawn in to restore balance.” Eshmund nodded slowly. “That makes sense. Matter is just condensed energy, made up of quarks and atomic interactions. Since subspace treats all atoms as energy, anything with an active energy signature can be stored.” To test a theory, he picked up another coin but left it uncharged. Holding it near the pouch, he watched as nothing happened. “So, if an object isn’t encased with Elemental Energy, it won’t be pulled in?” “Correct. Subspace doesn’t actively ‘suck’ things in. In fact, it expels energy when trying to stabilize to a lower energy state. The Void Stone only create Null Space when it react to Elemental Energy, it doesn’t do it with any other energy ” “To store an item in the subspace, we need the subspace to suck in energy. To do that, we need to temporarily create a Null Space inside the Subspace so that subspace will try to fill it” “Without the Void Stone, it will be pretty tedious to create a Null Space with the accurate volume quickly” Eshmund smirked. “And retrieval works the same way? Just in reverse?” “Not so much. To retrieve an item, we do not need to create a Null Space. That’s because we are exploiting the nature of the subspace itself. If we momentarily disrupt the subspace’s energy balance by injecting energy into it, the subspace will attempt to restabilize by expelling the excess energy. Anything inside the subspace with an unstable energy signature will be pushed out first.” Eshmund activated the rune, sending a controlled pulse of energy into the subspace to excite the stored coin. The Void Stone trembled slightly, and in an instant, the coin reappeared in his palm. “We do need to consciously choose which item in the subspace to excite with Elemental Energy for it to be expelled by the subspace” Eshmund Said. “So, what happens if I transfer a Null Space into subspace but never actually put anything inside?” Eshmund asked, his brow furrowed in thought. “The subspace will compensate by pulling in energy or matter from its surroundings,” Sage replied matter-of-factly. Eshmund tapped his fingers against the table. “Alright… but what if there’s nothing around for it to absorb?” “Then, over time, the energy inside the subspace will gradually spread thinner and thinner until it stabilizes at a new equilibrium. That’s where the stabilizing rune comes in – it regulates the process, ensuring the subspace doesn’t collapse.” Eshmund smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “And what if the stabilizing rune isn’t there?” Sage paused for a brief moment before answering. “Then we’re back to square one. Without stabilization, the subspace loses structure and eventually collapses into nothingness.” Eshmund leaned back, grinning. “Heh, I thought I could get you stuck in a loop with that one.” Sage’s voice carried a note of dry amusement. “Nice try. But I saw that coming a mile away.” Eshmund burst out laughing. “Hahaha! Just admit it, you really did get stuck for a few second there” “Not a chance,” Sage replied smoothly. “In fact, If I do get stuck in a loop, I’ll just pretend I never heard the question in the first place to cover it up, you wouldn’t even know it” Sage replied shamelessly. “Fine” Still smirking, Eshmund tossed the coin into the air and caught it, clearly impressed. “So, the stronger the Void Stone, the larger the subspace it can maintain?” “Correct. Higher-grade Void Stones can displace more energy, allowing them to stabilize larger subspaces.” “This whole process relies entirely on elemental energy,” Sage added. “By controlling Elemental Energy, we can encase Null Spaces and transfer them into subspace. The runes simply refine and facilitate the process, making it more efficient.” Eshmund leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple. “Damn This is some complex stuff. But I think I’ve got it now.” “I’m glad you understand. This knowledge will be invaluable in the future.” Eshmund leaned back in his chair, tossing the void stone onto the table. He rubbed his temples, still processing everything. “Alright, so after compiling all this informations, how does it relate to Senior Han Yue Long’s findings?”

Sage responded smoothly. “Han Yue Long’s notes state that teleportation involves the disassembly and reassembly of matter. It is a process of dematerialization and rematerialization, requiring an immense amount of energy to transfer matter while maintaining its integrity.” Eshmund nodded. “Right, that align with the teleportation theory that we know, but our findings show that space pouch technology works differently.” “Indeed. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, space pouch technology is not teleportation.” Sage continued, “Subspace is a separate dimension – an unstable space constantly attempting to return to a lower-energy state. As its volume shrinks, it expels energy, much like a deflating balloon releasing air.” Eshmund tapped the table. “And subspace actually exists in nature, right? Our universe is like a sponge full of tiny holes – remnants of the Big Bang. These natural subspaces are out there, but we can’t detect them unless we stumble upon them by accident.” “Correct. Alternatively, one can create subspace artificially by using an immense amount of energy to tear open space. This is significantly easier than waiting to find a naturally forming subspace.” Eshmund leaned forward. “And that’s where Void Stones come in.” “Exactly. Artificiers and Runemasters, ‘capture’ and stabilize subspace by binding its location with a Void Stone or similar material. The Void Stone functions like a door wedge, preventing the spatial tear from completely sealing itself. As long as the rune arrangement remains active, the subspace remains accessible.” Eshmund exhaled. “The magic circle on the Void Stone doesn’t just mark the subspace – it actively keeps it from collapsing by creating a controlled feedback loop. The runes regulate the instability by absorbing expelled energy and cycling it back in.” There was a brief silence as Eshmund processed the information. Then, something clicked. His eyes widened. “Wait. If that’s how it works, then Senior Han Yue Long must have accidentally bound a Void Stone to an existing hole in the sponge, right?” “That is the most logical conclusion,” Sage confirmed. “The circumstances surrounding the discovery suggest that he was not attempting to create subspace artificially. Instead, he likely performed an action that inadvertently attached a Void Stone to a naturally occurring subspace pocket.” Eshmund frowned. “We need to check his notes again. If we can figure out exactly what he was doing when it happened, we might be able to replicate the process.” Eshmund skimmed through the data, his fingers tapping absently on the table. “So Senior Han Yue Long was experimenting with teleportation. And just like us, he suspected it worked similarly to space pouch technology. That’s why he was using Void Stones and other similar materials.” He leaned forward, eyes narrowing in thought. “But what if he wasn’t just thinking about teleportation? What if he was aiming for Dimensional Travel instead? Two openings leading to the same subspace” For a moment, Sage was silent. Then, with an almost impressed tone, he said, “Isn’t that what you were also planning before? That would explain his research path.” Eshmund exhaled sharply. “Of course, we’re both thinking in the same direction. After all, great minds think alike. Think about it. If we bind two Void Stones to the same subspace and place the stones far apart, we wouldn’t need to disassemble and reassemble matter like standard teleportation. We could simply enter through one Void Stone, pass through the subspace, and exit through the second stone at a completely different location. No need for insane energy costs or structural integrity problems.” Sage responded almost instantly. “That is a sound theory. We already have Spirit Beast Pouches that allow living creatures to remain inside subspace unharmed. If we refine the process, we could use the same principle for actual travel.” Esmund’s lips curled into a grin. “Then we have to test this. If we can pull it off, we’re looking at a whole new method of transportation – one that doesn’t rely on brute-forcing space-time.”

His excitement was cut short as another idea clicked in his mind. His gaze dropped to the Void Stone on the table, his fingers lightly drumming against its surface. “Sage, run an analysis on Void Stones. I have a hunch that these things might be naturally sensitive to subspaces. If that’s true, we could use them to locate naturally existing subspaces instead of blindly stumbling upon them.” Sage processed the thought. “That is logical. Senior Han Yue Long’s notes indicate he was testing various materials, searching for alternatives to Void Stones. That suggests he wasn’t just trying to use them – he was actively searching for a way to reproduce his accidental discovery.” Eshmund snapped his fingers. “Exactly. He wasn’t just experimenting with teleportation; he was trying to find a reliable method to detect and access natural subspaces.” “Damn, if only we had access to all his notes – we could confirm everything,” Eshmund said. “Unfortunately, most of them were either hidden away or destroyed when that Deity Transformation cultivator wiped out everything in the Lightning Dragon Country 5,000 years ago,” Sage replied. “Yeah, what a shame. Anyway, thanks again to Senior Han,” Eshmund said. He leaned back with a smirk. “And now, we’re going to finish what he started.”