Chapter 440 (1/2)

Chapter 440

Chapter 438: A Loose Idea

Chapter 438: A Loose Idea

ARTHUR LEYWIN

“It was a loose idea at best, Arthur,” Caera said with uncharacteristic hesitance, her tone al “A whim really If it’s not possible…I’m not an artificer…you don’t need to take it so seriously…”

I was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Seris with Real beneath h the rotting head of Sovereign Orlaeth “I’ht just work”

Caera’s answering froas conteaze

Seris’s alabaster skin was sickly gray and covered in a sheen of perspiration Even since our arrival, she seemed to have shrunk into herself

I needed to understand exactly as happening between her, thebattery

At first, it seemed impossible that she had been able to keep this up for teeks without rest Her nature was incredibly weak, her core nearly empty Her feat would not have been possible at all except for the fact that, in her desperation, she had developed her own rudimentary version of mana rotation that allowed her to absorb and purifyit into the horn

I followed the h her veins to her core, where there was a constant swirl of purification before black-tinged ory artifact From there, it seemed to condense rapidly—some inborn trait of the Vritra’s horn that I didn’t understand—before being drawn out again by the bright blue liquid

Thereleased by the horn Metallic wiring then guided it to several large crystals These were being constantly ies each Thanks to Realmheart’s ability to see the individualas chunks of stored mana were pulled out of the mana crystals and into artifacts that reminded me of old-school Earth satellite dishes

These dishes, which were covered in a coram of runes, condensed and projected theso like a feedback loop in which the portals still existed, but anyone co drawn back through the portal and deposited on the other side

As Cylrit explained it, the blue liquid was an alcheically-originated compound crafted mostly of mana beast cores and che mana In effect, Seris had invented a mana battery In this case, however, the artifact was specifically designed to utilize Orlaeth’s mana, and their attempts to pivot to alternative sources had proved unsuccessful

Caera’s idea would only be possible because ofout in a pained,herself “Go on,” I’d encouraged her, curious My own led to see how to help Seris, and her input elco away the frustrated healer as tending to her wound—which looked ht—she had said siic, and how youlike this, but…could we so the abundant aether in the relictoestion had fires in the plaza back on me Since the moment I’d appeared inside the Relicto end of countless stares Solowered distrustfully, but everyone turned ahen Iof a ure in Alacrya since the Victoriad, it seemed

At least itorders to thethe disruption artifact, everyone listened

I’d already been watching Seris’s process for quite some time She had left it to her people to answer my many questions as she instead focused on the continued transht ahead of me, Boo passed out beside her Both had pushed the the last zone I was thankful that Ellie had continued to push herself while I’d been gone for nearly twohad helped her discover an additional connection between Boo and herself Her ability to iht-yellow core, but by drawing on Boo’s inherent mana, she could push far beyond her own limits

As much as he burned out quickly, Chul recuperated just as fast Histhe Alacryan healers to treat him Now he paced around the outer peri nervous looks frois stayed near hts quiet and unobtrusive, but our connection was never entirely severed Sylvie’swith the aftermath of her experience in the Relictois, on the other hand, was laser-focused on h I didn’t experience his thoughts directly, I could still feel the gears of hislike the shadow of my own

“There are three main obstacles to this sort of conversion,” I said softly so that only the handful of people directly around ned froround up to make use of this Vritra’s y utilizes mana, the withdrawal and disbursement of that mana can’t be effective with any other source that I know of A h to handle the draw”

One of Seris’s Ied uncertainly “Yes, this has been the primary roadblock we’ve experienced Seris’s active focus has been the only alternative to work so far, but that is obviously unsustainable”

“That also e or transmission of aether,” I continued “The second problem is the projection artifacts The runes are specifically designed to ith mana, and not only that, but decay-attribute mana natively associated with the basilisk race”

“We designed additional runework,” Cylrit replied He was standing behind and beside Seris, loo over the tank where she held the Vritra’s horn, his arh pure mana, the alternative projection artifacts were useless And it is exceedingly dangerous to switch between the designs, as taking down more than one or two of the artifacts weakens the disruption”

I nodded, unsurprised “But the biggest problem is that there is no way to collect ambient aether into the machine, even if we are able to correct the other two proble like that is possible Even the Relictombs therade and collapse with time The very nature of aether is actually counter to e’re trying to do”

Sylvie looked up, her gaze sharpening “The armor draws in aether”

I shookwith that aether, it still needs the person inside it”

‘Listen, we’re not trying to revolutionize the er all artifacts across the world, right? We just need to get the little rebel queen here unplugged and buy these people soh the rest of this shi+t if you can make it all work’

I hesitated It was true that aetheric particles were naturally drawn to Regis; that fact was instruin with

We’d basically be replacing Seris with you It would be a tee at best…

‘It seeis’s mane ‘It will buy us all time at the very least’

I examined my bond carefully Lines of worry creased her brow and the corners of her lips, and there was a deep-set fatigue in her eyes, but her thoughts were clear-headed

Seris shi+fted slightly, and the disruption of the mana wobbled Her eyes hed We had no tithy exploration of as possible If ere going to do anything to help Seris and prevent Agrona’s forces fro this level of the Relictoain about the fluid battery,” I said, and one of the Imbuers launched into a repeat of Cylrit’s earlier explanation

As they spoke, I watched the particles ht liquid I exaain, as well as the relationshi+p between the severed Vritra head and Seris’s mana But I also paid careful attention to how the aether moved around this artifact as well Because such a condensed amount of mana was suspended within the artifact, very little atht frolass and into the rotting head within, casting diht from the empty sockets

‘I kind of like how this empty skull doesn't have seven different counter scenarios and plans intersecting across his thoughts at any given moment You know, like a certain sois japed

The effect was i into the space not taken up by ed it toward the device, willing it to displace themore room for the aether, which was then in turn drawn into the head by Regis’s presence The horn didn’t absorb or condense the aether like it did Seris’s mana, but I hadn’t expected it to Basilisks had no natural affinity for aether

“Bring one of the spare projection artifacts and explain the runes to me”

One of the I with the round blue-tinted metal dish He launched into a precise lecture about the function of the runes and how these differed from the ones currently in use I was no expert in this ht into aether Even as I thought this, though, I realized it e of the bestowals?”

They exchanged looks, then Cylrit said, “There were two officiants on this level at the tirona, so they were locked aithin the High Hall with anyone else who fought against us”

“The bestowment ceremony requires activation of aether to work The artifacts those officiants use are what ate those men Use the artifacts—the staff and the bracelet, primarily—to see if you can come up with a rune sequence that will allow these projection devices to utilize aether instead of mana”

“Of course,” Sylvie said with a nod, her wheat-blonde hair spilling down around the jet-black scales of the relic armor

It made me feelprotected by it

Sensing ave me a wry smile, then hurried after the Imbuers

I returned ned to store and release h density of mana within Orlaeth’s horn allowed the battery to create a draw that naturally pulled theto the rest of the devices

The real question was how—or even if—it was possible to adjust this battery so that it stored and trans aether, it already filled all the space between the ht blue liquid a lavender hue Focusing on this loosely stored aether, I pushed it toward the wires and was surprised when soht betweeninto the rest of thethe mana crystal, but that proved the aether could be transis thought suddenly, bringinghalt

What?

‘The giant is said seriously ‘The processed aether—poop crystals—some of them were about the same dimensions as these mana crystals Maybe we can swap the silently right in front of rasp “Can you hold on for a bit longer?”

Her head tilted slightly to the side, letting a lock of pearl-colored hair fall across her closed eyes I wasn’t sure if she’d heardGo, do what you need to do I will be fine”

I hesitated, certain that no reasonable person would describe her current condition as “fine,” but I knehat needed to be done, and that er

“Chul, co out of the plaza

Caera started to stand, but I waved her down “Rest,” I urged “We won’t be gone long”

“We’ll start here—the end of the chain and farthest from the source of power—and work backwards,” the head Ihblood, said for as probably the hundredth time as he instructed the other Ih Hall shortly after Chul, Regis, and I got back fro with soer assistance from the bestowal officiants and their artifacts, were able to mock up a co aether with a similar effect as the current mana disruption

I watched as the team quickly dismantled the device to replace the mana crystal and projection artifact Theaether out of the battery It traveled along the wires, dissipating where it reached the otherabsorbed into the newly placed aether crystal

Nothing happened

The I her hands, her face pale as she looked on nervously

It’s about intention, I thought to Regis Remember, the aether listens to you, responds to your intent You can’t just push it, you have to guide it

I felt Regis’s focus sharpen, extending to the aether he had sent into the crystal

A few particles displaced fro into the projection artifact Then a few more Slowly but surely, a steady trickle, then a strea, until suddenly the device activated

A wave of aht distorted the air between the artifact and the portals

It orking

A collective held breath was released as the Iave er

Seris see all the other pieces of the disruption array

“Well come on!” the Ainsworth Iet the rest of these converted over”

One by one, they changed out the original pieces of their design with the new, aether-aligned parts With each addition, I helped Regis by forcingit withhi the flow

More and nized a couple of faces, such as Sulla of Naidan Ascenders Hall and, surprising hblood Aphelion, the wounded professor I had taught alongside at Central Acadeave me a jaunty wave froned disinterest Many others were clearly ranking Highbloods or ascenders as well

It was a technically arduous process, and tiether, it took hours before the last projection artifact was finally in place, the last crystal was changed, and all the nificant deposit of aether

Although I’d done little throughout, keeping Realnificant a a muscle flexed for hours on end, and a dull headache was burning at the corners ofof relief that I released the Godrune, feeling the energy burning up fro At the sa the zone in reds, yellows, greens, and blues faded away to nothing

But so was different

I rubbed ata tension there that I couldn’t immediately identify Worried that I’d strained myself, I looked around at everyone else

Cylrit’s fist rapped firmly around Seris’s forear the I in an uninterrupted loop, spilling out into the atmosphere with no effect Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up, confused, into Cylrit’s face

“It’s all right You’ve held long enough Let go”

The flow of mana abated, and Seris stared at her hand, which she see to unclench

HerRealht into the Godrune, which represented the relationshi+p between aether andit I bit back a grin and closed natures of everyone aroundme back into the ether, aited with breathless uncertainty Even to the naked eye, the ripples in the air and portal surfaces were clear beneath a dilow, but it wasn’t until, a couple minutes later, when an Alacryan soldier appeared briefly in one of the portals before vanishi+ng again, that we all truly relaxed