Seventh Continent.
Former Russian territory.
Lake Baikal, meaning "rich lake," stretches 636 kilometers long, averaging 48 kilometers in width, and covers an area of 31,500 square kilometers.
It is the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia and the deepest lake in the world.
At this moment, in the center of the lake sits the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which began construction on April 1, 1982, at the Nikolayev shipyard in the former Soviet Union, was launched on December 4, 1985, and officially commissioned on January 21, 1991. Not long after, the nation of Russia ceased to exist.
The first Russian aircraft carrier, which never played a meaningful role nor posed a threat to the world, had become Bardi's property. Under his command, it was transported to the center of Lake Baikal and transformed into a lake base.
This region was designated as the Seventh Continent.
At the Lake Baikal base, thousands of personnel in dark blue work uniforms stood in neat rows. Several lake base supervisors stood at the front, awaiting orders.
Bang!
A sudden thunderous boom echoed in the clear blue sky as a white figure tore through the air, leaving a white sonic boom trailing behind. At a 120-degree angle, it soared toward the lake base.
His trench coat billowed as he flew at high speed. The kinetic energy dissipated as cold air particles struck Bardi's face.
The Lake Baikal region has a temperate continental climate with wide temperature variations. Average monthly temperatures range from -26℃ to -33℃, while July averages between 17℃ and 21℃.
Currently, the temperature was around minus seven degrees. Ordinary humans needed to wear thick cotton work clothes to function in this climate.
After spotting Bardi, several staff members were waved off by him and instructed to continue working.
"This kind of ceremony is unnecessary. Just focus on your work."
Bardi's gaze swept across all the facilities at the lake base. The base, rebuilt from the Admiral Kuznetsov, no longer resembled the original aircraft carrier. Its only purpose now was to support the large underground magic technology array.
The man standing behind Bardi was an old man with round vintage glasses and a balding head ringed by wisps of hair.
Jonah Sargent.
When Bardi overthrew the British Magic Alliance, this man, who had served as the deputy leader, immediately surrendered and swore allegiance to Bardi.
It had been a wise decision. His family survived and gained greater magical resources. Though already one hundred and fifty years old, his face was wrinkled with age. With the fusion of science and magic, he was now living his second prime, his body restored to middle age.
Jonah Sargent bowed quickly, flustered from having flattered Bardi the wrong way.
"How is the progress?"
Bardi reminded this sycophantic bureaucrat to focus on his work, then walked forward from the deck into the interior of the lake base.
Jonah Sargent followed closely behind, slightly hunched, and responded promptly to Bardi's inquiry.
"Like the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, the Baikal Rift Zone is one of the world's most prominent rift regions in terms of geological structure. It lies in the northern portion of the Central Asian continental deformation belt and is the largest active continental rift valley in Eurasia... The Baikal Rift stretches more than 2,000 kilometers along the S-shaped Paleozoic suture."
"According to Lady Raven's investigation and submitted report, this site is one of the viable locations to penetrate the Earth's core, connecting to a central load-bearing column to construct a massive magic array and regulate Earth's environment."
"Currently, we are stabilizing the magic technology array at the lake's center. Your Majesty, I request the assistance of Atlantis aquarists, who are not currently assigned, to maintain Lake Baikal's ecological balance."
Jonah Sargent delivered his report in one breath, quickly raising the issue of requesting external aid, then lowered his head again, trying to read Bardi's reaction.
Bardi nodded. Lake Baikal is a sunken rift valley, a vast geological fracture reaching depths of 15 to 20 kilometers.
It was the best environment nearby to reach the Earth's core load-bearing structure.
On Krypton, planetary regulation technology was already an advanced and mature field. Before settling on Krypton, Kryptonians had migrated to multiple planets, depleting each one's resources until their cores were unstable and dry, prompting yet another move.
Krypton, by contrast, had become the most stable and ideal homeworld for Kryptonians. With a history of tens of thousands of years of development, it became their cradle—so much so that many Kryptonians forgot they were once nomads reshaped through migration.
But when they interfered too deeply with Krypton's core, its environment began to deteriorate. Under the planet's calm surface, the core's fission and sudden energy eruption destroyed Kryptonian civilization in an instant.
In truth, for thousands of years, areas beyond the cities were plagued by snowstorms and volcanic eruptions. The gradual extinction of flora and fauna had already warned Kryptonians that Krypton was dying.
But they had grown too comfortable. They forgot the hardships of their ancestors' migrations, dismissing the signs as slow ecological changes that could be solved with superficial fixes.
And indeed, their superficial maintenance was effective—for a while. They transformed deserts into fertile lands, revived extinct creatures through genetic modulation, and restored lush greenery. These illusions of prosperity reassured the Kryptonian elite.
That brief moment of peace proved fatal.
The Earth's core had long reached its limits. When Jor-El's final warning was ignored, it led to catastrophe.
That... was the beginning of everything. Between Bardi and Krypton, every grudge, every feud, had started there.
All because of an arrogant upper class who indulged in comfort and ignored reality.
Bardi returned from his thoughts and said, "I'll send the Atlantis aquarists here to maintain the lakeside ecosystem. It won't suffer any damage."
This planet was his now. Bardi would not allow waste or destruction.
Even after seizing control of the Earth's core, he would treat this world with even greater care.
"You're right. Don't let anything ruin the environment."
Bardi appreciated that this was his Earth. He welcomed others who cherished it too, those who protected its ecology and treated the planet like a precious treasure.
Under Jonah Sargent's visibly delighted gaze, Bardi stepped into the transparent glass tube elevator that led to the Earth's subterranean levels.
(To be continued.)
***
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