The Witch Hunter System
chapter-789

"Heavenreacher…" Ophelia repeated thoughtfully.

It was quite a suitable name if Vaan could bring the project to life as he envisioned. Moreover, its name would shake the world at its foundation once its fame spread.

The first to flock over would be the magic-engineering scholars around the world, followed by wealthy and powerful people. There wasn't a single person in the world who wasn't curious about the world beyond the sky.

Thus, if they could afford the experience, they would certainly be willing to pay for it.

Ophelia could see the Heavenreacher Project attracting countless wealth and fame to the country once it was completed.

By then, many countries would actively reach out to the Black Rose Empire despite their zero contact in the past. It would be a huge step forward for the Black Rose Empire.

However, whether the rest of humanity would benefit from it remained to be seen.

Although Vaan initiated the project to bring humanity into the interstellar age and advance their progress by leaps and bounds, he no longer needed to wait for the completion of the Heavenreacher Project, Space Station Project, and Space Gateway Project.

His goal was to bring people to the moon to build a training base to utilize the pure mana from the other side of the dimensional crack there.

Fortunately, a highly advanced old base already existed within the moon's core. They only needed to repair it and restore its life support functions.

With his current comprehension of the Spatial Law, Vaan could take quite a lot to the moon in an instant.

"Gather fifty High Witches, thirty Peak-stage Senior Witches, and twenty students at the True Witch rank, Aeliana. Also, call Cryrena, Dahlia, and your mother over," Vaan instructed.

"Yes, Lord Vaan!" Aeliana immediately complied and departed.

Shortly after, Vaan turned to Lord Narvim, "Return the clan and bring back a hundred dragons with at least Rank 5 Magic Engineering knowledge and two hundred Airheads, Lord Narvim."

"Understood, Supreme Leader," Lord Narvim left after giving Eniwse a brief glance.

"What do you plan to do with so many airheads? Or rather, the Red Dragon Clan actually has so many airheads, Sir Vaan?" Ophelia quickly asked with pure astonishment.

"Eh? I don't think we are thinking on the same page, Lady Ophelia," Vaan replied.

"Huh? Then, what kind of airhead are you talking about?"

"An Airhead is the name of a specific magitech headgear design with the function of adjusting its size to fit the user and provide a steady supply of breathable air to them. It's an essential gear for surviving in the sea of stars, Lady Ophelia," Vaan explained.

However, Ophelia couldn't help but feel speechless.

She was originally impressed with Vaan's naming sense when she thought of Heavenreacher. However, she had to take it back after learning about Airhead.

Couldn't he have picked a better name for it?

"Teacher!"

"Vaan!"

Cyrena and Dahlia rushed over with excitement and joy while Solana lagged behind at a calm and steady pace.

Vaan nodded.

He noticed they had all made improvements in their magic power during his absence, with Cyrena showing the biggest progress.

She originally had no magic due to Aeliana's antimagic spores.

But once her ability to cultivate was unsealed, her talents bloomed in full might, especially after she practiced with his mana circulation method.

In such a short time, Cyrena had already advanced to Mid-stage Senior Witch, surpassing all her peers and catching up to academic teachers. Her speed of advancement could be considered extraordinary since the dawn of magic on Pangea.

On the other hand, Dahlia was a Peak-stage Senior Witch, and Solana stepped into the High Witch rank on her own.

"We are going to the moon. Do you have any arrangements to make before we leave?" Vaan asked.

The three ladies were immediately surprised.

There was indeed a lot of work for them to do in Sunpeak City. However, they had been working hard all this while. As such, they figured it was fine to take a break; they only needed to notify some people.

When they relayed that to Vaan, he sent them back to make arrangements.

Although Aeliana was the city lord, most of the city management work had fallen under Solana, who acted as the vice city lord.

On the other hand, Cyrena was Vaan's Potioneering student. Since he didn't have time to concoct potions himself, he gave her many potion recipes to practice with.

Those potion recipes became the very foundation of their potion shop.

As the Head Potioneer of Vaan's potion shop, Cyrena had earned herself a reputation in Sunpeak City.

Many witches would flock to their store each day to buy her potions due to their superior quality and effects compared to other potions of the same categories on the market.

Even Vaan did not know how much wealth the potion shop had accumulated for him all this while, not to mention the dividends from his deal with Lady Helia of Redpine City.

However, with the total wealth accrued in his Heaven- Swallowing Space, he was bound to be uninterested in this bit of wealth from his businesses.

The accumulated mana stones from his businesses were better off invested in the city's development and quality of life improvement. Naturally, this had been left Dahlia's charge, who had been managing the potion store and his various properties.

There wasn't a single person in Sunpeak City who didn't know about Madam Payne. She was the publicly-recognized wealthiest witch in town.

Only very few people knew that Dahlia was only managing Vaan's wealth.

After the three ladies left to free up their work schedule with substitutes, Vaan reached out to the three Dreamcatchers.

"Lady Fourth Dream, Lady Seventh Dream, and Lady Ninth Dream, what do you all think of this city? How does it compare to your hometown in the Dreamdust Territory?" Vaan asked.

"It's a lot better than the human city we were at. However, it is far inferior to our Illusory Moon City in every aspect. There is nothing worth comparing, Sir Vaan," Fourth Dream answered honestly.

Vaan nodded.

Since Hecate was so knowledgeable in many fields, it shouldn't be surprising for Illusory Moon City to develop into an unbelievably advanced place during the 10,000 years under her rule.

On the other hand, Sunpeak City was like an infant who had barely learned to walk. Although it had little to show yet, its potential was limitless.

As it would become the focal point of the Black Rose Empire in the future, it was the prime location for Hecate's first church. Given her influence, it would also provide a layer of protection to Sunpeak City once her religion took form.

Since he permitted her to establish her religion anywhere within his area of influence, how could he not take advantage of her influence for his own benefit?

In this case, both parties would benefit if a church of Hecate was built here.

Hecate's influence would add an additional layer of protection to the Heavenreacher from potential sabotagers. On the other hand, Hecate's worshippers would get a large population of witches to convert.

"But you have been quietly listening to the Heavenreacher Project. As such, you should be aware of this city's future developments. Would Lady Hecate like her official church to be built here?" Vaan asked.

"This… We will have to ask Lady Hecate about it," Fourth Dream replied with uncertainty. She couldn't make the decision for her mistress.

"We'll put a hold on that topic then," Vaan nodded.

Fourth Dream was immediately relieved and concerned at the same time.

She wasn't sure how to respond if Vaan pressed the matter since she couldn't give him an answer. Her mistress had cut off contact since returning to Illusory Moon City a moment ago.

As such, no one could reach Hecate, not even Ophelia or her other Devil's Contractor.

…

Sometime later, Cyrena, Dahlia, and Solana finished settling their businesses and returned. Lord Narvim and Aeliana also brought over Vaan's requirements as instructed.

Vaan spotted Sabrina, Louise, Cassandra, and Alicia among the True Witch-level students. They were all Redpine Academy students who had dual-practiced with him before.

However, they were still stuck at Peak-stage True Witch and had not entered the Senior Witch rank.

Although they had made some progress since he had last seen them, it was still small compared to Cyrena and the others. As such, he made a mental note to assist them on this trip if they had not broken their contracts.

He'd make sure to check later.

Vaan gave them a nod of acknowledgment after they made eye contact. He could see longing and excitement in their gazes.

"Since everyone is here, we'll prepare to depart. Lord Narvim, have your clan members distribute the Airheads to everyone and teach them how to use them."

"Yes, Supreme Leader."

On the side, Ophelia's lips twitched. She doubted she would ever get used to hearing such a name for a magitech gear.

Twenty minutes later, everyone became familiar with their Airheads amid their astonishment with their functions.

The Airheads were designed to cover the red dragon's entire head. But when used by the witches, they covered their whole bodies like skin-tight, elastic glass suits without producing any discomfort.

It was quite magical.

Everyone quickly became interested in the special materials used to produce the Airheads. However, they weren't given the extra time to study further.

"Since everyone is ready, let us depart at once," Vaan stated.

With a downward stroke of his hand, a large-scale spatial portal dropped from above and swallowed everyone, bringing them all to the moon's core on the other side.