"Lirio, try to search." Frank quickly took the adorable spirit into his hands and ordered with a serious tone while bringing it closer to the root that Chen was holding.
After 'sniffing' the root a couple of times, Lirio looked at Frank and then let out adorable squeaks while pointing outside the bathroom. Frank quickly turned to look at Erik and explained in a serious tone.
"Lirio says it remembers the smell and that there's something very similar beneath us."
"Go find it. In the next 5 minutes, the magic circle can operate on its own." Erik ordered with a serious tone, to which Frank quickly nodded before running toward the elevator.
Not long after, Frank returned running to the bathroom holding a piece of wood that Erik could recognize from a distance. This caused Erik to widen his eyes with a hint of surprise and comment with realization.
"Eldora wood… I see, now it all makes sense…"
"Eldora wood? Are you saying this is a root from an Eldora tree?" Chen couldn't help but ask in surprise while looking at the root in his hands. Erik nodded, then commented with his gaze fixed on the wood in Frank's hands as he entered the bathroom.
"Yes, that's why I didn't recognize it. After all, the Stellar Empire only sells processed wood and has never wanted to make a deal for a full tree, no matter how much they're offered."
"So how did this end up in your workshop?" Chen couldn't help but ask while fixing his gaze on Frank, who only looked away, unwilling to speak. With a calm expression, Erik explained to the suspicious Chen.
"We found Eldora trees near where we found the basilisk, so a young root must have slipped in with what we gathered."
Hearing Erik, Chen couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief, then looked at the star-haired young man and almost whispered in a heavy voice.
"Does the Stellar Empire have anything to do with this 'trap'?"
"We initially thought the same, but then we discovered even more extremely rare vegetation, so it's very unlikely. For now, we're working under the hypothesis that this place somehow manages to gather 'samples' of flora and fauna from different parts of the galaxy." Erik shook his head, which prompted Chen to ask with equal parts disbelief and confusion.
"How is it possible that something like this wasn't in the primary exploration reports? Did the higher-ups hide it?"
"Unlikely. My masters wouldn't have hidden such a crucial detail from me. It's more probable that the primary explorations didn't uncover anything, just like with the basilisk. So, for now, we're the only ones who know." Erik shook his head again and explained, which led Chen to nod in understanding before commenting with a small smile.
"Bad luck for the Stellar Empire… Their monopoly is over, and with it, their main source of income…" Chen turned to look at Erik and commented with an almost flattering smile.
"Don't forget your friends later, rich man, hehe."
"… For that, we'd first need to get out of here alive, and the one who discovered it was Frank, so the rich man would be him." Erik rolled his eyes and retorted, which led Chen to look at the young student and ask in a serious tone.
"Student Svensson, would you be interested in a business cooperation with our Ming family?"
"I-I was just working under the boss's orders. The credit is all his; I only played a very small role." Frank quickly replied, somewhat nervously, which led Chen to look at Erik with a smile.
"…"
"I already told you, first we have to get out alive, so let's focus on what's important." Erik commented with a sarcastic voice, then looked at Frank and added in a more serious tone.
"And you, Frank, the credit is yours. I'm not someone who lives off others. Though, if you don't want to face all the hatred from the Stellar Empire and the Meridian Federation alone, we can share part of the credit with Zoe and Elara. Even if the Meridian Federation wants to do something about it, they'll think twice before provoking the 'princess' of the Arcane Order, one of the most powerful swordsmen of all time, and two of the most prolific artisans in the entire galaxy."
"Thank you so much, boss. I'll follow your instructions." Frank quickly bowed and commented in a serious voice that tried to conceal his excitement. Meanwhile, Chen looked at Erik and commented in a respectful tone.
"Your little group is truly terrifying…"
"Our masters are. We're nothing on our own." Erik shook his head and replied in a calm tone, then looked at the root and ordered calmly.
"But for now, let's store the root. Right now, we have much more important things to focus on."
"Alright, I'll leave it in your workshop." Chen nodded seriously, then stored the root with extreme care. Meanwhile, Erik looked at Frank and ordered seriously.
"It's about time for the next potion, and this time you have to activate the third algorithm in the circle."
"Understood, boss!" Frank responded with enthusiasm, then got to work, at which point Chen commented while turning to look at Zoe and Christine, who were walking toward the bathroom.
"I think I've got pretty much everything I need now. I'll have a short discussion with Direct Disciple Willians to decide how we'll deploy the formations based on your suggestions."
"I'll leave that to you, then. For now, draft a tentative plan, and we'll discuss it in depth later." Erik nodded and instructed calmly, to which Chen nodded before leaving the bathroom as the pair of beautiful women entered.
"Hey, Erik~" Upon entering, Christine greeted with a sweet smile, at which point Zoe commented in a more serious tone.
"Hi, Erik. There's no significant news outside, but Tomás sent you a small report on the movement patterns of the Golems; it seems there are changes. Also, Elara and Ethan asked me to let you know they can come if you need them. Either of them can take command of the mages."
"Changes? Let me see." Erik quickly commented with visible intrigue, so Zoe promptly pulled some loose sheets from the storage pouch while asking.
"Do you need me to hold them for you?"
"That would be a big help. Right now, I can't move or use mana." Erik commented with a small smile, to which Zoe nodded, then held the sheets in front of Erik as he read at great speed.
"They're getting slightly slower and clumsier…?"
While reading the detailed report, Erik couldn't help but murmur to himself, then read Tomás's opinions written on the last sheet. After reading everything, Erik paused briefly to reflect, then looked at Zoe and ordered seriously.
"… I more or less agree with Tomás's analysis. The ruin might be deteriorating, but we need more data. Have the mages focus on trying to adapt to the surrounding Myst and periodically note their experiences. Also, have someone start keeping a record of the brightness level of the walls and the intensity of the music.
"Lastly, tell Tomás to get me some Golem cores. Now with tools, I want to study them and determine if there are differences between the cores I already have and the ones he brings me. While you're at it, also tell Elara to come; I want her to help me with some calculations later."
"I'll inform them immediately."
Zoe quickly nodded, then left the bathroom while giving Christine a warning look. The beautiful blue-haired girl smiled smugly with slight mockery, then looked at Erik and asked in a melodic voice.
"Do you need help with anything, Erik~?"
"Yes, in the end, I didn't make the list of materials I'm going to use because I was talking with Chen, so for now, I'll dictate it to you so you can gather them." Erik nodded and commented while looking at the beautiful blue-haired girl, who quickly approached, swaying her hips sensually, and commented cheerfully.
"Tell me what you need. I assure you I'll gather everything."
"Alright, I need some leather from…"
Erik quickly began listing a series of materials while Christine listened attentively, completely confident that she wouldn't forget anything thanks to her excellent memory. But by the time Erik finished, Christine couldn't help but ask with a hint of surprise, as she got an idea of what Erik wanted to do just from the list of materials.
"Are you going to create storage pouches…?"
"Yes, although the pouches we're using work, carrying around spatial artifacts without security is a huge risk, and if you add to that the shoddy modification I made to make them work, there's a non-negligible risk of collapse that's best avoided. So now that I have access to materials and tools, the best thing is to make a batch for everyone." Erik nodded and explained calmly. Christine stared at Erik and asked in a more serious tone.
"Are you seriously going to create storage pouches from scratch…?"
"Yes. Treating the leather is a bit annoying, but with what I have in the workshop, it won't take too long." Erik explained calmly, to which Christine could only sigh softly, then looked at Erik with a slight gleam in her eyes and commented in a gentle voice.
"I understand. I'll start gathering the materials and making the initial preparations."
"I'm counting on you." Erik nodded calmly, so Christine began walking outside with quick steps. At that moment, Frank couldn't help but look at Erik and ask curiously.
"Boss, are you really capable of treating leather to create storage pouches?"
"Yes, I can." Erik nodded casually at the question, to which Frank could only comment with respect.
"Worthy disciple of Master Silverwood…"
"It's not a big deal. It's not even that hard, just a bit annoying to do. If you explored a bit beyond domestic artificery, you could do it too with some practice."
Erik commented in a calm tone, knowing that domestic artificery, in which Frank had specialized, was more like assembling pieces to create a puzzle. Meanwhile, Frank could only smile with a hint of bitterness, as although he was just an apprentice in Domestic Artificery, he was fully aware that what Erik described as 'annoying to do' was actually a test for 3-star artificers.
…
Some time later, while Frank operated the circle on the floor seriously, Elara entered the bathroom along with Zoe, at which point she asked with a smile that was both relieved and worried. Although Erik looked quite calm, the terrifying bruises on his body left no doubt about the severe damage he had suffered.
"How are you, Erik? Does it hurt a lot?"
"Just a little, it's getting better. More importantly, I need you to help me with some calculations." Erik commented calmly, still fully submerged in the glowing liquid with only his head out. Elara quickly nodded and approached while commenting seriously.
"Tell me what you need."
"I need two things. But first, do you clearly remember the '3D map' of this place that I made earlier?" Erik asked in a calm tone, to which Elara quickly nodded and replied seriously.
"Perfectly, I've even been working on a 2D projection of each floor."
"Perfect. Since we need to start moving toward the exit, it's necessary to determine a route. So, I want you to, taking into account all the data we currently have on the golems, activity periods, and so on, create a model capable of defining 'safe' routes in the middle of this 'labyrinth.'
"These routes don't have to be perfect by any means, but you must keep in mind that our situation can change, and there are many things we don't know, so the model has to be 'dynamic.' Also, it's highly likely that I'll add this model to the Scouting Spheres so they can calculate exploration routes more easily, so you need to take that into account when designing it."
"I'll get to work on that immediately with the others." Elara replied in a serious tone, to which Erik nodded and then commented calmly.
"That's the first thing. The second thing I need help with is developing a rune array for precise fire control. In my workshop, I have a pretty good furnace, but since it uses wisdom runes, it became unusable, which is a shame because it would be very helpful in this situation. So, I want to rely on your experience as a fire mage and mathematician to help me develop a rune array to revive it."
"You came to the right person for the job. I'll leave the development of the model for defining routes in the hands of the other Sacred Geometry mages with a good mathematical foundation, and I'll personally help you with the furnace. I can see it's of great importance to you." Elara commented with a calm but confident smile. Erik nodded with a satisfied smile and replied.
"Then I appreciate it. It really is important because if we want to increase our chances of survival, we need to conduct proper exploration to avoid danger. Therefore, we need the capacity to mass-produce Scouting Spheres, and for that, a good furnace is indispensable."
"Then with your permission, I'll go take a look at the furnace to get an idea of how to proceed." Elara replied in a serious tone, to which Erik turned to look at Zoe and commented with a smile.
"Show her the way, Zoe."
***
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