Adam, with Lyra's help, began the arduous task of mapping the world. Lyra directed him to duplicate and teleport in multiple directions, branching off as she scanned for signs of life. Once located, his duplicates created more copies to head towards the hiding humans and bring them into the dimension.
A New Beginning for Humanity
The mapping progressed rapidly: 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% complete, with more people continuously being saved. Eventually, Lyra located herself and joined Adam inside the dimension. Side by side, they watched the holographic map, tracking the remaining survivors. 70%, 80%, 90%, and finally, 100% of the surface area was mapped, and every living human was safely relocated into the dimension.
"We've saved over a million lives," Lyra told Adam, "but now, what's your plan for them?"
They were safe for now, but they would eventually need to reclaim their world. Lyra pointed out an ideal area on the map: a fertile continent encompassing 30% of the land and sea, complete with a large lake, mountains, and proximity to a beach – perfect for a new utopian civilization. Adam and Lyra teleported there, scanning the vast space to plan the layout of the new settlement. They envisioned multiple layered walls covering each section, leading to a central residential area, with designated zones for farmlands and industrial development.
Adam and Lyra then entered the dimension, addressing the residents. He explained that a safe location had been found and asked if they were ready to leave their current refuge. Trusting Adam's mission to save them, everyone agreed. Still disoriented from their ordeal, the residents stood confused, unsure of what came next.
Adam used a giant projector and speakers to display the exact land layout, including farmlands, residential areas, and fresh water sources. He told them that they would all have to work together to make this place thrive and expand it themselves.
With farmlands magically raised by Adam, they had enough food supplies to last 50 years, but it was their collective decision to grow this civilization. Leaders began to emerge, helping make decisions, while many found residential areas to rest. People started moving to different zones, taking on roles to help the new society flourish.
The Evolving Threat
Unbeknownst to Adam and Lyra, an unforeseen consequence was unfolding in the outside world. Adam's extensive use of magic and the lingering mana remnants caused the zombies to evolve into variants. Each became a unique zombie with distinct abilities: some grew into giants, others developed overgrown muscles, acidic spits, tentacles, or sharp claws. Some even evolved with intelligence. As Adam and Lyra were busy establishing the new civilization, these evolved zombies became increasingly hostile.
Adam shifted his focus back to the primary mission, asking Lyra about the artifact's location. Lyra had thoroughly scanned the surface area, but the artifact was nowhere to be found. Adam began questioning the residents of this world about how the plague started, hoping for a clue to the artifact's whereabouts. Together, Adam and Lyra started gathering information, trying to piece together the origin of the plague. As days passed, after helping the survivors gets back their hopes of renewal. Adam and Lyra make their decision to located the artifact with the information gathered.