Along with Erik's voice, the group heard a loud explosion in the distance, so they quickly turned around, shocked. In the direction of the waterfall, everyone could see a huge amount of water shooting up into the sky. But instead of seeming beautiful, the rainbow only filled the young people with terror.
With serious expressions, Ebonique and Hiyori grabbed Erik and Zoe respectively, then ran toward the temple. Meanwhile, Erik used arms made of solidified Myst to drag Elara and Frank, as well as the sealed boxes and the machetes on the table. At the same time, the star-haired young man urgently called for his wolves.
"Kaiser, Tiberius!"
The wolves immediately dashed at full speed after the spirits, entering the temple just after them. At that moment, Ebonique quickly used her tail to shut the temple doors, just as a hurricane-force wind lashed the island, barely sneaking through the door as it was about to close.
Without a second thought, Ebonique and Hiyori ran toward the door guarded by two statues, then hurried down the hallway after Ebonique closed the stone door with her tail. Upon exiting through the second tunnel, Ebonique once again shut the stone doors and set Erik down on the floor.
Soon, everyone was on the ground and fell into complete silence, staring at the temple with solemn expressions, their mana rushing quickly through their bodies. They were all ready to run the moment the temple showed even the slightest sign of failing.
...
"… Did the basilisk wake up…?"
After several minutes of total silence, during which the temple remained unchanged, Frank couldn't help but murmur in a heavy voice. Erik spoke in a serious tone.
"It's possible, but not certain. Based on my analysis of the data regarding the basilisk's changes and comparing it to other magical creatures upon awakening, there should still be at least a couple of weeks left before it wakes up."
"Could something have somehow alerted it…?" Elara, fully trusting Erik's analysis, asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the door. Zoe spoke in a dark, restrained voice.
"If that was the case, it wasn't us, or it would have happened earlier."
"Did someone sneak into the cave without us noticing…?" Frank asked, a hint of apprehension in his tone. Erik replied thoughtfully as he reached out to pet the wolves' heads, who stood on either side of him, their fur bristling.
"That possibility isn't zero, but I'd bet on an environmental change. Just last night, Ebonique detected something significant."
"…What kind of change?" Zoe turned to look at Erik and asked solemnly. Erik repeated what he had told Hiyori, which darkened the young people's expressions even more.
"So even spirits are involved in this…" Frank said a bit wearily as he picked up the gentle Lirio in his arms. For her part, Zoe looked at Erik and spoke seriously.
"Next time, let us know about things like that as soon as possible, Erik. By not telling us, you put us in danger."
"I informed Hiyori about the possibility so she would be alert. I planned to tell everyone later, but then this happened." Erik said calmly as he looked at the boxes he had managed to bring. The fox spirit quickly stepped forward and spoke in a serious, feminine tone.
"Little Zoe, don't take your frustrations out on others."
"…" Hearing her contracted spirit, Zoe could only lower her head and bite her lower lip in frustration. At that moment, Elara asked seriously, looking at Erik.
"What are we going to do from now on?"
"For now, we need to finish preparing and get everything ready to make this place habitable. We might have to use it for the long term."
Erik said this as he walked over to one of the dome's walls, where there was a hole letting air in—one of the preparations he'd made in recent days so they could use the cave as a camp. After confirming that everything was fine with the tunnel, Erik turned to the others and added.
"After that, we have two important objectives. First, to determine if the basilisk really did wake up, and second, to gather information about the 'hunters'. Just as they set up traps at the entrances to the garden, they could have done the same at the exits, and it's unlikely we'll be lucky enough to find an unguarded exit again. A confrontation is pretty much inevitable."
Upon hearing Erik, everyone nodded seriously, agreeing with him. But at that moment, Frank raised his hand slightly and asked.
"Boss, what about the exit you mentioned before?"
"Don't get your hopes up about that." Erik said in a calm tone, then explained while picking up the half-finished machetes.
"The place just looks similar, but it has clear differences, so it's highly likely it's not actually an exit. Besides, if the basilisk has awakened, going there now would be practically suicide."
"That's true. Sorry for bringing up something so dumb." Frank said, slightly embarrassed. Erik shook his head and looked at the young student.
"There's no need to apologize—it's better to let those doubts out. I'm neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and my memory isn't the best, so a question like that could be very helpful at the right moment. And since it's impossible to know what the 'right' moment is, it's best to have the freedom to express our thoughts at any time."
"Erik is right." Elara said with a smile as she looked at Frank. "Many times, the best ideas come from the 'dumbest' questions."
With the support of the two honorable direct disciples, Frank bowed respectfully, feeling moved for some reason. At that moment, Zoe let out a long sigh, as if trying to release all her emotions through it, then spoke in a serious voice.
"We should come up with a plan B in case the temple isn't able to protect us from the basilisk."
"That would be good, but I can't think of anything…" Elara replied gravely. "If even the temple isn't able to stop the basilisk, there's not much we can do."
"Although that's true, Zoe is right—it's good to have a plan B." Erik said in a calm voice, which brought a slight smile to Zoe's face. She quickly spoke up with a serious tone.
"I think it's the most prudent thing to do, and I suggest we hide some resources and food in the cave where we first appeared. That way, we can escape there if something happens. It won't offer much protection, but it's pretty high up, so it's better than nothing."
"I like that idea." Erik agreed with a nod. "Since we have a good harvest of ingredients, we can afford to stash a couple of temporary camps in different places. They'd be really useful if we need to escape—either to hide or to throw off a pursuer."
"Then let's do that." Elara nodded after looking at the boxes full of resources. At that moment, Erik spoke in a more serious tone.
"For now, let's make the most of our time. You all handle fixing up the building on the right so we can live there. In the meantime, I'll finish working on the machetes. Now more than ever, it's important to know just how complex magical artifacts can be."
After a unanimous nod, Zoe, Elara, and Frank walked toward the building on the right, while Erik focused on the machetes. Fortunately, he had almost finished engraving the runes, so only the final touches remained, which he could do with improvised tools since he had left his proper ones on the other side.
Meanwhile, Ebonique stayed by Erik's side in silence, though she occasionally glanced at the temple with a serious expression. If her beloved contractor were ever in mortal danger, she would materialize her true form and save him, even if it meant destroying the galaxy to bury the secret of her existence. No one at her level could know about Erik until he had the power to protect himself.
At the same time, however, the dragoness sincerely hoped it would never come to that. She didn't want Erik to end up hating her, and destroying his home galaxy might fill him with hatred and a thirst for revenge. Such a scenario would be devastating for her newly rediscovered, fragile emotions. Not to mention, Ignis would hardly agree with such a plan.
…
While Ebonique debated with herself, Erik finished the final touches on the machetes. He quickly grabbed a magic chalk from one of the boxes and a flat stone, then walked over to the temple, with the wolves following him closely in a protective manner. When Erik reached the front of the temple, Ebonique snapped out of her thoughts and quickly asked, her voice urgent.
"What are you planning to do, Erik?!"
"I want to go into the tunnel to test something." Erik said calmly, placing his hand on the stone door. Ebonique immediately grew in size and wrapped herself around Erik, covering him almost completely, and spoke seriously.
"You can't! It's too dangerous!"
"If the temple on the island isn't able to contain the basilisk, one more door won't make a difference, and this is an important experiment." Erik said, his tone calm but firm. Ebonique replied, her voice almost pleading.
"Please, Erik, don't risk yourself like this. The consequences could be devastating…"
Hearing Ebonique, Erik couldn't help but let out a small sigh. He withdrew his fingers from the door and then said.
"Alright, I won't do it for now. I'll do something else instead."
"Do you promise me?" Ebonique asked, looking directly into Erik's eyes. He met her gaze and replied.
"I promise."
"Thank you…" Upon receiving the promise, Ebonique simply let go of Erik and shrank down, then wrapped herself around Erik's neck. The star-haired boy replied in a calm voice,
"You don't have to thank me. I know you worry about me. I'm the one who should be grateful."
...
With his plans changed, Erik walked over to a large stone and cut it to make a table. On the table, Erik drew a refining circle and placed one of the machetes on it—the one with the simplest rune arrangement.
Soon, Erik activated the refinement circle and added pure falamite powder to the last rune he had carved, then melted it using an electric arc he conjured with some runes.
When everything was ready, Erik ran his index finger along the blade of the machete and sent his mana through it, activating all the runes and synchronizing them with the help of the refining circle.
After a few moments, the runes on the machete began to glow in a fluctuating and uneven way, but soon they all started to pulse at the same rhythm, perfectly synchronized. With a calm expression, Erik deactivated the refining circle and gripped the machete's handle with his right hand, then swung it a couple of times.
After swinging the machete, Erik struck a nearby rock without using magical edge, yet still managed to cut through it as if it were butter. After the cut, Erik examined the runes again, then threw the machete forcefully, keeping his hand extended. The machete shot toward one of the walls, but before hitting it, it stopped abruptly—then flew back to Erik's hand on its own.
"Looks like it works properly."
Satisfied, Erik remarked as he looked at the machete once more. Ebonique, now speaking in a calmer voice, asked him a question—watching Erik work had the magical effect of soothing her, making her forget her worries and troubles.
"Does it do anything besides returning to you?"
"Yes, but just some simple things—I only improved its sharpness, its mana conduction, and its resistance. The important part was the return function, since that's relatively complex, at least more complex than the cauldron."
Erik replied calmly as he set the machete down on the table. Ebonique asked while looking with interest at the rune arrangement on the second machete, which was not only visibly more complex but also seemed to be divided into two interconnected groups.
"Are you going to finish the second one now to see if the golden chains appear?"
"Exactly." Erik answered as he drew a new magic circle. "The second one is much more complex—besides having all the functions of the first, it can self-repair, and most importantly, it has assisted propulsion with a wisdom rune that actively supports in combat."
"So, why did you want to enter the temple earlier?" Ebonique asked, a bit confused. Erik replied in a calm tone as he continued drawing the refining circle, which was visibly more complex and bigger than the previous one.
"I wanted to save time by creating the machetes inside and then bringing them out so I could test several things at once. My hypothesis is that the golden chains can't appear inside the temple—especially in the tunnels. Just look at all the runes carved into the tunnel walls; that arrangement is so complex that probably only my master Eleonora could truly understand it. It doesn't make sense for the chains to ignore that."
"That sounds reasonable, but what does that have to do with the machetes? Even if you're right and the chains don't appear inside the temples, you'd still have to take the machetes out to use them, and the golden chains would destroy them anyway." Ebonique asked, visibly confused. Erik replied in a calm tone, not stopping his work on the magic circle.
"It actually has a lot to do with it. Simply confirming that the chains don't show up inside the temple gives us the possibility of having complex artifacts functioning inside. For example, an industrial alchemy cauldron that could make potions on a large scale, or things like that.
"But even more important than that, nothing guarantees that the chains couldn't be manipulated to attack selectively. So, as a precaution, I want to keep an inventory of artifacts inside, which would allow us to rearm quickly in case of an emergency."
"And what if the chains were just a one-time thing?" Ebonique asked curiously, watching as the magic circle Erik was drawing became more and more complex, almost covering the entire table. Erik replied calmly.
"That wouldn't really change things much. If it happened once, it could happen again, so I still want to have half-finished artifacts and completed ones in reserve inside the temple."
"I understand…" Ebonique replied softly. Meanwhile, Erik focused entirely on finishing the complex magic circle, which would handle the synchronization of the runes and activate the wisdom rune.
Wisdom runes worked, in a way, like an artificial intelligence model. The magic circle adjusted the "weights" of the runic connections, performing a sort of fine-tuning to adapt the general model to the specific needs of the artifact.
"Well, now comes the important part." Once he finished the magic circle, Erik said as he took the second machete and placed it at the center of the circle.
Ebonique, for her part, remained completely silent and watched Erik perform a process similar to what he had done with the first machete. Once he finished with the runes, Erik sent mana into the wisdom rune so that the magic circle could begin the fine-tuning process. But in less than a second after the circle started, golden chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the machete.
"Well, at least now we know it wasn't just a one-time attack…" Erik said calmly as he watched the chains dissolve into points of golden light, leaving the machete completely unusable.
"Erik! What happened?! We saw a strange light!"
At that moment, Elara's urgent voice rang out from behind. Erik turned to look over his shoulder, where he saw Zoe, Elara, Frank, and Hiyori running toward him with anxious expressions. With a calm smile, Erik explained what had happened.
"It was nothing, just that the golden chains appeared because of the machete I was creating."
"So we can't have equipment…" Zoe said, her tone a strange mix of relief and bitterness. Erik shook his head and replied with a smile as he picked up the first machete.
"That's not the case. Even though complexity does trigger the golden chains, that doesn't mean we can't have equipment."
As he finished speaking, Erik threw his machete to the right, causing the others to follow it with their eyes. Under everyone's watchful gaze, the machete stopped mid-flight and shot back toward Erik, who caught it in one smooth motion.
"Intelligent return?!" Zoe exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration and surprise.
"Not really. You could call it a 'dumb return,' since it doesn't use wisdom runes—just a simple rune arrangement." Erik replied as he tossed the machete to Frank for him to try. At that moment, Elara couldn't help but ask, full of disbelief.
"Erik, are you telling me you managed to mathematically model the return function…?"
"Oh, you know quite a bit about magical artifacts." Erik looked at Elara and commented with a cheerful smile. It was truly pleasant to talk to someone who "spoke the same language." Still in shock, Elara replied.
"It's common for artificers to consult mathematicians to perfect their rune arrangements, so I know a little…"
"I see. Maybe we can work together on the next artifacts." Erik said with a smile as Frank sent mana into the machete under Zoe's watchful gaze. Elara nodded and replied a bit anxiously.
"You know I'm ready for whatever you need, but for now let's set that aside. Tell me how you managed to model the return function in just these past few days."
"Of course I didn't do it in just these past few days. Actually, it's the result of several years of work on my own project called the scouting spheres. They're true copper spheres capable of flying and sending data from the surroundings to a central module without using wisdom runes.
"In any case, to model the spheres' flight, I looked for previous literature and research, where I found different approaches to the mathematical modeling of both the flight and return functions. So I just combined them, refined them a bit, fixed a few minor issues, added a couple of new things, and applied it to my project—though I never imagined it would be so useful now."
"I see... that makes more sense, though it doesn't change the fact that you're a monster, Erik…" Elara said in a heavy voice, full of admiration and something more. Erik shook his head and replied in a more serious tone.
"It's not that big of a deal. Let's focus on what matters: we have a way to create artifacts, but down here we can't smelt metal. So we'll have to do it outside."
"That's a big risk. The surface is still a huge cavern—smoke can build up and attract attention. It would be best to do it inside the garden, since the island is no longer an option." Zoe quickly commented, having just cut through a rock with the machete before handing it back to Frank. Elara added thoughtfully,
"But to enter the garden we'll probably have to fight, and even though we have potions, it's pretty risky without proper equipment. Plus, carrying everything we took from the island would make us an easy target."
"What if we pretend to be hunters?" At that moment, Frank raised his hand and asked, drawing everyone's attention.
***
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