The next day, in the quarry ruins.
Roy was in the Alchemy Room, attempting to process various spoils of war.
At first, he thought it would be difficult.
The dismantling and recycling of Magical Equipment involved Arcane Imprints and Rune Arrays.
Especially the Arcane Principles used by Achini La, which, from an application standpoint, differed significantly from the Wizard Arrays favored by Wizards.
But the [Eye of Hermes] was practically a Divine Artifact in this field. With careful appraisal, he could obtain enough foundational information to follow the clues and address the problem directly.
Whether successful or not, he received immediate feedback, unlike others who had to blindly guess.
This greatly improved efficiency.
After damaging several small test items in succession, [Luck's Favor] even triggered, allowing him to successfully dismantle the Mystic Lock on an apprentice-level staff through sheer "guesswork."
Immediately afterward came the knowledge granted by [Inspiration]...
Roy suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
From then on, it was the domain of the [Proficient].
Skilled operations, doubled success rates, coupled with [Inspiration]...
Roy processed the appraisal and recycling of several pieces of equipment with astonishing efficiency.
Soon, it was time for Edwin's relics.
"The methods of locking equipment are bizarrely varied, and everyone's habits differ...
I've previously experimented with binding ordinary equipment for practice, and now it's time for the real test...
You won't know until you try!"
After a while, and after destroying several more pieces of equipment, he successfully unlocked the Flash Ring.
"This is actually a skill ring capable of casting [Dimensional Leap] once per day!"
Roy weighed it in his hand, a pleased expression on his face, deeply satisfied.
"Now this is a good find!"
The colloquial "Blink" actually encompassed several similar abilities.
Previously, he couldn't determine whether the opponent had used the Conjuration school's "minor teleportation" [Dimensional Leap] or the Transmutation school's [Blink].
But either one allowed travel between the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane, enabling rapid movement.
Especially [Dimensional Leap], which even allowed the user to specify the landing point, offering greater tactical flexibility—both offensive and defensive!
Edwin had used it to escape...
But Roy envisioned more—suddenly blinking in front of an enemy and unleashing a point-blank strike!
"Though this new body's charge speed is already fast enough, there's still a visible movement trajectory.
Spells like [Slow Spell], [Grease Spell], or [Web Spell] could still interfere...
But with a spell like [Dimensional Leap], it's much better!
Once I get familiar with it, it might become a trump card!"
However, a single Flash Ring wasn't enough to satisfy Roy.
After casually slipping it onto his finger, he turned his attention to the main attraction—the Spatial Ring.
The nature of Aether stone itself was fixed, but the Arcane Imprints and Array Circuits imposed by the equipment's creator were variable.
This required extensive knowledge and sufficiently strong mental power.
Fortunately, talents like the [Eye of Hermes] and [Proficient] still worked.
Due to Melina's relics, he had also paid close attention to this technology, even going so far as to spend money on a few entry-level rings—filled with stones and the like—binding them to Andov, Olinda, and others, specifically for practice.
Now was also the time for verification!
Roy focused intently, suddenly finding his consciousness guided into an informational space.
The basic information of this ring was revealed before him.
It was actually a deluxe version with 101010 dimensions, totaling 1,000 spatial compartments!
For a portable spatial equipment, this capacity could already be considered top-tier.
Roy concentrated, directing his Mental Strength toward one of the edge compartments and giving it a poke.
Pop!
The compartment shattered!
Due to the interconnected arrays, several surrounding compartments also collapsed, causing the items within to vanish!
But Roy wasn't disheartened—instead, a hint of delight flashed across his face.
Because just now, his "deciphering" attempt had luckily triggered an [Inspiration]...
"「Creation Studies」...
Spatial Equipment Crafting!"
Roy's eyes lit up.
This was precisely the knowledge he sought, something that had been impossible to obtain from the cheap ring before!
He eagerly immersed himself, carefully studying and analyzing the information.
Truthfully, he didn't care much about what treasures he could extract from this ring.
Melina's ring was the real key!
A flawless, damage-free decryption would be no less valuable than returning to Chalkland for another exploration!
...
Meanwhile, far from Scarto City.
A novice mage clad in a Moon White Robe stood dejectedly before a Communication Array.
"Apologies, my lord...
Lord Edwin has been confirmed dead!"
The news of their defeat had been confirmed the day before.
But Edwin's whereabouts had remained unknown, with even spells like 「Divination」 failing to locate him.
Only today was the final confirmation made.
Archmage Gem sat in the command room of his Wizard Tower, surrounded by flickering Runes and swirling Magical Aura. Numerous nodes displayed vast streams of intersecting information, casting a somber shadow over his stern face.
"Edwin... you fool!
You were so confident before, talking about achievements and glory, claiming you'd secure victory in one stroke!
Yet you ended up losing your own life there!"
The novice mage delivering the bad news didn't dare even breathe too loudly.
After a moment of heavy silence, Archmage Gem shook off his foul mood and asked, "How exactly did this operation fail?"
The novice mage hurriedly replied, "Only a few peripheral members escaped, and they don't know the specifics either..."
Archmage Gem frowned deeply at this.
"Master, I want to avenge Edwin!"
Just then, a female mage in a Moon White Robe connected to the Communication Array, her holographic projection appearing before them.
"Valentina..."
At the sight of this mage, Archmage Gem instinctively rubbed his temples, feeling a pang of frustration.
She was the daughter of the Viken family, a noble house of the empire, and Edwin's childhood friend, classmate, and fiancée.
The two had been a perfect match, like heaven's own pairing, envied by countless others.
Originally, they had followed him to this remote Small World to gain experience and polish their credentials for future promotions and entry into the council.
But who could have foreseen that a single misstep would lead to such an eternal separation?
He knew full well that Valentina was acting out of grief and rage, making an irrational demand.
Yet as an experienced mage, he also understood that refusing her would only worsen his standing back home.
Worse, she might even hold a grudge against him.
He could only nod solemnly: "I'll support you with all my strength!"
After closing the communication, he summoned a composed middle-aged mage.
"Go assist Valentina...
Keep a close eye on her. Don't let her impulsive
nature cause any trouble!"
The middle-aged mage showed brief surprise before accepting the order seriously: "Understood, Your Excellency."
After this trusted middle-aged mage had also departed, Archmage Gem murmured softly in the command room.
"Wizard Roy..."
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