Chapter 765 - Mora (Patreon)

POV Nathaniel

I ignore the newbies entering the guild Headquarters on the 4th floor of Beyond and continue to listen to Weslin. He is talking about a new way he came up with to use his void to fuck over mana users. Obviously, I listen to this carefully and think of countermeasures as I like to do.

Weslin’s void, Morwag’s unbinding, and any other sort of disruptions. As someone who likes to rely a little bit on mana, a tiny little bit, it is in my favor to know about all of that.

In exchange, I, of course, tell Weslin how I would deal with his methods. I am sure a week or two later, he will come up with a way to get around that, and I will adapt as well.

I could probably spend some time talking to new recruits. At least, that is something the vice guild master would like me to do, thinking I might be easy to order around, but I refuse. Of course, he doesn't push much as there will soon be contract renegotiations and he doesn't want to sour our moods before that.

I interrupt Weslin. “I need to head out, I have a meeting with Crimson Forge in a few minutes.”

“Oh, that item you guys have been working on for what? Three months? Ever since your 3rd tournament ended? When are you going to tell me what it is about, newbie?” he asks.

“Probably in a few more months, but likely before your tutorial ends, so you'd better be here if you want to see.”

“Any hints for your good pal?”

“Well, it will use their specialization, my blueprints from the Academy, and a few more crafters from tutorial floors, a shitload of arcane materials I have gathered, and loot from the Ancient Armory I got before the Ruler of Diligence buried it. Especially the Red Heartstone. It will include input from our guild’s favorite crazy catboy, blueprints and materials Brich stole, our examination of Calvorn, and inspiration from several low pristine items owned by our guild and Crimson Forge, plus a few additional pristine items we rented for a day or two for a million or two shards. Also, my bones and pieces of my flesh that are apparently way too mana conductive, and that Lily grew like it is some sort of plant and made more durable.”

“So, low pristine rarity?”

“Weslin, my bud, I haven't cried since I was a child. The closest I got was when Biscuit shared his childhood memories with me, but even then I held it back because I’m a manly man. But damn, if this item won't be at least low pristine, a growth item, an ego item, or some other fancy ridiculous stuff, I will knock on your door late at night and cry for hours. Manly tears, of course.”

“Of course,” Weslin nods.

I nod as well and, preparing to leave, I ask, “Malika?”

Weslin answers, “It's going pretty well between us. She is still annoyed that I became S rank, so she keeps going on dangerous Beyond quests, and I worry about her at times. But I got used to how she is, and even if she died, it would be doing something she loves. That’s how she is.”

“Okay, pause, stop here,” I put away my departure a bit and lean closer to him. “It is all fun and stuff that she is a demon. I mean, haha, they like to fight and die. Typical demon, right? But Weslin, they are like children. They also only listen if you prove yourself worth listening to. If you are okay with her dying on some difficult quest she takes because she is trying to become equally strong as you, okay. But if you would like her to stay alive and live her best life for as long as possible, as the most delightfully maniacal lunatic she can be, just kick her ass in a duel. I mean, not what you usually do, where you hold back. Make it embarrassingly obvious she can’t keep up. Then talk about how you think it's not a good idea to do the dumb shit she does.”

“Will that work? I mean, I know demons…”

I don't let him finish. “Of course it won't. She is a demon. You need to do it repeatedly. You are half human, so you might not understand fully, and worry she will hate you or that your relationship will change. I can tell you that she will be annoyed for a while, but then she will listen. Not 'listen' as in do what you say, but 'listen' as in finally hear what you say and take that into consideration.”

As many times before, Weslin reaches up to scratch his bald head, but once again, his hand twitches as he realizes there is hair there. And as many times before, he touches it and then still scratches his head.

“I guess,” he answers, just that.

***

Crimson Forge Headquarters in Megacity, located on the 4th floor of Beyond, is dug into the side of the mountain from which the city grows. There isn't even a single building out for anyone to see. In exchange for more space and safety, they sacrificed light and the outdoors.

As many times before, I am fascinated by the defensive arrays set all over the place. There are even webs of metal alloys spread densely through the entirety of the walls as far as Pathfinder allows. A few of the defensive mechanisms are even small tunnels through which a special, trademarked secret mix of molten metals flows constantly. Multiple tunnels, multiple speeds.

That movement of the special molten mix at specific temperatures and speeds generates a field that I still have a hard time properly understanding, as it doesn't deal with mana that much. It is a clear inspiration from the prison cell of that deer champion trapped in the Astral Prison floor. It is not to that extreme, but they are attempting to mimic it, or possibly just experimenting for the love of the game. I wouldn't be surprised, knowing the main trio of crafters.

As always when I come here, I examine the mana based defenses and sneak in my control to take over some parts. My Preeminence Eyes and other abilities are just way too good for me not to do it. There is even a part of me constantly dedicated to handling and using the eyes, whose abilities I continue to improve. Just my sight can carry my will and allow me to influence mana.

It doesn't work by sending my mana ahead and then using it. I just look, and it somehow works. I don't think it is a spatial component or something similar, as Min-Jae theorizes it might be. I also don't think it's manipulating the others' mana, as Sophie says. I think it still includes my mana, though I have to work on how exactly it reaches into the distance.

An alarm from an array I dug into too deeply brings my attention back, and I glance at my guide. He is an A rank from Crimson Forge, a thylarin with six arms and wearing a fascinating set of armor with two sets of folded mechanical wings on his back. It is something I know these lunatics have been working on.

He smiles at me and waves his hand, using a bracelet on his wrist to stop the alarm. "Isolde was sure you wouldn't notice this trap she set for you, and said it holds a signature as close to yours as she could make. She said that in your past five visits, she used simpler traps for you to get slightly careless, with each of them widely different from this one."

"That's cheating."

"She said you would say that and asked me to say: 'hahaha.'"

"Damn," I sigh.

Meanwhile, I continue what I have been doing since I noticed that trap thirty seconds ago.

I use that dumbly similar mana signature to sneak in more of my mana, setting it so even if they notice a higher level of it, they will end up blaming the raised signature they used on the trap itself. I set a logic core with my preprogrammed sequence on one of the defensive nodes nearby.

In a day or two, it should cause all magically flushing toilets to stop working.

Who the hell even makes a master sub system that deals with magically flushing toilets alone? I understand it allows for simple mana redistribution, less work, less materials, and easier upgrades, but damn.

"Is Brich also here?" I ask my guide, just in case get his attention away from what I'm doing.

Meanwhile, the two-winged door made of matte silver metal with ornaments of a dragon head closes, cutting off all sound, air, and light while reflecting mana and primordial energies. The two of us continue to walk through the dimly lit but extremely wide hallway that allows for the movement of enormous machinery. Somewhere in the distance, I hear the clanging of huge machines that they have built and other kinds of facilities.

"Brich won't be here today. A few days ago, he, Savant, and Kaari set out on an expedition to one of the floor's more dangerous locations."

"Oh, Kaari is still in the tutorial?"

"Yes, but this should be her last expedition. In a few days, she will make a push for the 13th tutorial floor before their tutorial ends."

"I see. Did Savant steal anything yet from you guys?"

My guide chuckles and, as if affected by that, the mechanical wings on his back flicker for a moment. "Mostly blueprints, knowledge, and a shoulder bone from a Champion we held in our treasury. He is either holding himself back, or we didn’t notice other things he stole."

"What was so interesting about that bone?" I ask curiously.

The thylarin shrugs. "That Champion used to have a trait, skills, and passives that allowed him to grow wings if he willed it. Isolde thinks Savant wants to gain the ability to fly that way."

I snort. "If he had improved in kinetic energy, he wouldn’t need that."

"Sir Nathaniel, I think you sometimes forget how impressive some of the things you do are. Such control of kinetic energy to fly in the way you do is very extraordinary."

We pass by a smaller group of crafters who head to their lab, and they slow down, taking their time to look our way. A few of them bow towards me shortly and then continue to whisper something in between them.

"Nah. I could already do it on the third floor." I answer my guide.

"And how many people with kinetic energy did you see fly that way?"

That causes me to pause. "Not that many?"

"Exactly. To be able to constantly channel and radiate kinetic energy for uncanceled and smooth flight is extremely rare. It is easy to cause a short burst and move in 'jumps' or 'bursts'. But your ability to handle the mental strain of constant channeling is extraordinary."

"I won't lend you any money."

That causes him to laugh out loud and wave his hand. "You always say that, yet you always become nicer to me after I compliment you."

He continues walking first, and I stop and stare at his back.

Am I really that simple of a creature?

I take a step and then follow him again, thinking about it for a moment before I come to the conclusion. Yup, I am. Sometimes.

We almost reach the main facility of the Headquarters, and I observe the process as he unlocks the massive metal door. Then we pass through a short hallway where he unlocks a huge crystal door. Another hallway follows, and these doors are entirely made of wood. When they open with a creak, we enter a perfectly smooth half sphere.

The floor is made of pale blue stone. Above, the cupola projects a moving, beautiful view of nature. There are pointy, rugged mountain peaks in the distance, unlike any on Earth. Though it is day, the clear blue sky shows polar lights of yellow, orange, and green colors mixing. The rest consists of hills and plains, all covered in tall yellow grass that sways as if in the wind. There are just a few trees, but they are white with red leaves.

All of it feels a bit off. The mountains are too big, and the grass is too tall. It is as if the scale is slightly wrong.

I know this is the world where Eldrin, Isolde, and Silverweave are from. They are the top three crafters of the entirety of Beyond. All of them were attendees from the same tutorial and even the same group, taking the first through third rankings in the leaderboards for crafters.

These three are here as well, each standing twice my height. They are taller than any lynthari or thylarin, and even taller than velnar. Though unlike velnar, they are very slim. Not bulky, not wide. Just very tall. Their bodies are slim to the point where the length becomes unsettling. Long legs, long arms, long torsos, everything stretched just slightly past what feels right.

They look light, almost too light for their size, yet they don’t feel weak. The way they stand makes it obvious they are balanced perfectly, built for movement and speed rather than strength. Their skin is pale red, smooth and even, marked with gray tattoos that seem grown into them rather than painted. Each of them has different tattoos from the others.

Their eyes are large and pale yellow, a bit wider than human eyes. Ears are slightly pointed and short.

The three of them feel similar, the way members of the same species do, but not identical. Tall, slim, dangerous in a calm, effortless way. That is the vibe, even if I know each one is a weirdo in their own way. They are from a race called mora.

“We have a problem,” Eldrin says first. He smirks faintly, not at anyone, but at the idea that this problem could be fun if pushed far enough. “We are missing a material, and we will not be able to get it here in Beyond or the tutorial.”

Next Chapter