In the end, Fang Zheng still met with Touma.
After a somewhat awkward initial greeting, everyone encountered a very troublesome problem.
And that is... how to send Touma back to her world.
"Eh? Brother, you can’t do it?"
"It might be a bit difficult..."
Fang Zheng was also quite helpless; the last time he went to the World of Love was through a regular time travel instance using the Dimensional Codex. Once a regular instance is used, it disappears, and only the Free World can remain. So even if Fang Zheng opened the system, he couldn’t find an option for the World of Love.
Of course, if Fang Zheng could access the code base to make modifications, perhaps he could create one.
Unfortunately, this broken system just wouldn’t cooperate...
But with the system being uncooperative, Fang Zheng was not without other ideas. After all, in the Main World, many mages have traveled to other worlds before. For example...
"So you’re thinking about traveling through dimensions?"
Having a sip of chilled Type A blood, the Chief of Necromancy Department shook his leg and looked at Fang Zheng.
"But I remember your Heavenly Dao Palace has techniques capable of dimensional travel?"
"Traveling across worlds isn’t omnipotent, and our method is rather... scientific."
Fang Zheng coughed to change the subject.
"So I wanted to ask if there’s any similar method in Magic."
"I see, I understand your point."
After listening to Fang Zheng explain the cause and effects, Little Colette nodded.
"You’re trying to return to a world you traveled to before, but can’t find a way?"
"Exactly, Miss Colette, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Certainly."
Faced with Fang Zheng’s inquiry, Colette thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Indeed, mages aren’t omnipotent; even with dimensional travel, we only rely on magical skills and the surge of magic power... Hm, I’m the chief of the Necromancer Class, not very proficient in this area. But I can offer a suggestion, every problem has a suitable key; as long as you find this key, then the problem is no longer a problem."
"Then, where is this key?"
"As the saying goes, specialized skills lead to mastery."
Colette flashed a smug smile.
"Mages can travel through dimensions, but they still can’t grasp the mysteries of space. However, there’s a type of person who can naturally traverse crystalline barriers and world shields at will; for them, time, space, dimensions, and everything else are vividly seen. And, if you pay enough, they’ll be willing to help you."
"Oh? There’s such a person?"
Hearing this, Fang Zheng was amazed; he initially thought being able to traverse worlds was already impressive, but according to Colette, there’s the existence of people born to travel?
My goodness, surely it’s not a mass production of travel systems.
"Exactly, Plane Merchants, they’re a very unique group... Hm, you shouldn’t view them as a race; rather, they are quite similar to spellcasters. As you know, learning magic requires talent, whether dwarves, humans, elves, or orcs. Plane Merchants also possess a type of ’talent.’
"So, what we need to do is find a Plane Merchant and have him take us to that world?"
By this point, Fang Zheng had grasped Colette’s meaning; though he felt a bit unreliable, he was quite interested in other methods of travel.
"Where can we find this Plane Merchant?"
"Plane Merchants generally operate in the Star Realm, rarely showing up in the Main Dimension, but fortunately, I’ve lived many years for a reason. Long ago during a Star Realm trip, I encountered a Plane Merchant who’s quite competent and reliable; if you need, I can contact this merchant... but you’ll need to be ready with compensation."
"That’s not a problem."
Fang Zheng readily nodded; if money can solve it, is it even a problem?
"By the way, how much?"
"Hahaha, for Plane Merchants, money is meaningless."
Hearing Fang Zheng’s question, Colette shook her head.
"After all, Gold Coins in this world can’t be spent in others. So, if you want the Plane Merchant’s assistance, prepare something unique and interesting... Hm, like your Metal Warships, they’re not bad."
"If it’s just warships... alright, it’s doable."
Hearing Colette’s request, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment, nodded. Of course, Fleet Girls were out of the question, but if it’s just regular warships, gifting one isn’t a big deal.
"Any other requests?"
"Hm, when negotiating with the merchant, it’d be best to bring the cute little girls by your side. That guy loves cute girls; maybe with them going... showing some charm might even get a discount."
".........."
Though a bit uneasy about Colette’s guarantee, Fang Zheng agreed to her suggestion and brought along Tilia, Black Katie, and Nymph.
Of course, considering security, Fang Zheng eventually decided to summon the Plane Merchant in the territory of the Kingdom of the Holy Church instead of in the Heavenly Dao Palace.
Colette didn’t mind, she was only the introducer anyway.
"Well, here I go."
Glancing at the full moon overhead, Colette spoke, then reached into her bosom, taking out a crystal that looked like a pitch-black pyramid shape, and flicked it gently.
"Ding——!"
As the crisp sound rang out, the crystal in Colette’s hand decomposed suddenly, spreading swiftly, rotating and recombining to form a door over two meters high. Pitch black, dim void appeared within, slowly swirling.
Seeing this, Touma was stunned with wide eyes; although she saw many miraculous objects since arriving in this world, magic like this... still left her utterly astounded.
After a long pause, a voice finally came from the void beyond the door.
"Oh my, isn’t this Little Colette? Didn’t expect you’d contact me; is something the matter?"
Little Colette?
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng gave a peculiar look to the Chief of the Necromancy Department beside him. Although she did appear quite young, possibly even smaller than Sora, one couldn’t deny her age was... well, better not to mention it.
"I’m here to introduce a business deal to you."
Colette didn’t seem inclined to talk much with the other party, saying just a few words before stepping aside. Seeing this, Fang Zheng coughed lightly and stepped forward.
"Hello."
"Hello, sir."
The voice paused slightly before resuming a normal tone.
"Please wait a moment."
After these words, everyone saw the Void Gate start to spin gradually. After a moment, the swirling shadows solidified into a human shape. Soon after, a person appeared in front of Fang Zheng.
It was a girl who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen. She had silky smooth hair, wore an oversized triangular hat, and donned a black cloak and robe. The girl emerged with a playful wave to everyone.
"Hello, I’m Stifal, Yulia Stifal. You can just call me Stifal... So may I ask, what is your name, dear guest?"
"I’m Fang Zheng."
"Hello, Mr. Fang Zheng. May I ask what service you need today?"
"Here’s the thing."
As Fang Zheng spoke, he glanced over at Touma beside him.
"This young lady here accidentally ended up in this world from hers, and now we have no way to send her back... Do you have a solution for this problem?"
"Of course there’s no problem."
Yet, just as Fang Zheng finished his sentence, he saw Stifal answer without hesitation, leaving Fang Zheng a bit stunned.
"Really not?"
"Indeed, Mr. Fang Zheng."
As she spoke, Stifal proudly raised her head.
"To someone like you, this may seem quite daunting, but for us Plane Merchants, it’s not. As long as the young lady has something from her world, we can trace its scent back to find her world... Yes, in a way, you could see us as hounds, tracking prey back to its lair..."
"I see."
Fang Zheng nodded understandingly, then asked again.
"So, how long will it take?"
"That’s difficult to say, as we need to consider various risks during the journey..."
"Wait, did you say journey?"
Hearing this, Fang Zheng immediately caught on to Stifal’s meaning.
"Aren’t you going to just build a Teleportation Gate here and directly send us over?"
"Of course not."
Stifal let out a wry smile.
"We’re just Plane Merchants, Mr. Fang Zheng. You deities might be accustomed to interdimensional teleportation, but for us, we use only the simplest, safest, and most time-consuming methods... We don’t have divine permissions, not to mention the power required to open a pathway between two worlds..."
After Stifal’s explanation, Fang Zheng finally understood.
As Stifal said, cutting through the barrier between two dimensions requires a lot of energy, except for someone like Fang Zheng, a deity, for whom it wouldn’t take much. However, for a Plane Merchant, it’s akin to escorting a guest over a mountain to their destination.
And what merchant would pay to tunnel through a mountain?
Climbing is definitely more cost-effective!
"So are you going to escort her back yourself?"
"Of course not."
Stifal shook her head again.
"It depends on which package you choose."
Packages?
"What packages do you offer?"
"We have three packages in total. Package A is the simplest and most convenient. I can give you a guidance crystal and send the young lady to the Star Realm. As long as she follows my guidance crystal, in theory, that’ll take her back to her world— unless she gets caught in a space storm, captured by the Geese People as a slave, or eaten as a delicacy in the Star Realm."
".........."
So this is like giving you a ticket and wishing you good luck?
"Package B requires an additional fee. We’ll introduce you to a mercenary group in the Star Realm to escort the young lady back to her world—of course, if any mishaps occur, we will refund the deposit."
"......Huh?"
"Lastly, Package C... This requires two additional fees, and I’ll send a professional team along with the escort of our strongest mercenaries. But I hope you understand, the Star Realm is infinite, and mishaps can occur during the journey..."
Listening to Stifal’s three packages, Fang Zheng was left speechless.
"So, in any option, you cannot guarantee her safe return?"
"Safety is just a definition, Mr. Fang Zheng."
Stifal’s smile stayed unwavering.
"It depends on whether you refer to her physical body or soul... Of course, we will specify this in the contract."
"..........."
At this moment, Fang Zheng was sure he had encountered a shrewd merchant.

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