Supreme Magus

Chapter 4147: Something Off (Part 2)

”Of course, it’s...” Lith pointed at Friya, Faluel, Morok, Nalrond, Protector, and Tista. ”Damn, I didn’t think about that. We are one person short!”

”What about Master Ajatar?” Morok asked.

”I’m not going to invite someone with Dragon Eyes!” Lith snarled. ”I might as well hand him a blueprint of the power core.”

”Bytra, then?” Friya said.

”Please, no.” Solus shuddered at the thought. ”I know she’s not the one who killed me, and our relationship has improved over time. Yet the idea of having her so close to me while I’m helpless makes me want to puke.”

”Why not just ask Ripha to join us?” Protector nodded at her. ”She’s the First Ruler of the Flames and Solus’ mother. No matter how rusty she is, most of us are nowhere near Ripha’s level of skill.”

”Thank you for the offer. There’s nothing I’d want more, but that’s not an option.” Menadion clenched her hands in frustration. ”I draw my power from Lith. Even if he gives me seven eyes, I won’t be able to replenish my mana fast enough if something goes wrong.

”I’ll be in charge of handling the Forgemastering circles and the tower. I can do that much without any trouble.”

”Then it’s settled.” Faluel said. ”It’s either my mother or Baba Yaga. They both know about the tower and are trustworthy.”

”Let’s go with Fyrwal.” Solus replied. ”I love Malyshka, but there’s no telling how much someone as skilled as her might learn just by watching and feeling the flow of energy in the Forge.

”I’m a Forgemaster first, and I don’t like to expose my secret unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

”Well said, Auntie.” Aran nodded. ”You must preserve the Verhen bloodline legacy for its rightful heirs. Us.”

His words were met with an explosion of cheers from the triplets and Leria.

”By the way, since you’re bringing all these people along, can we come too?” Falco asked.

”We won’t make a peep!” Teryon said.

”We promise!” Lenart said.

”We can’t let you in the Forge, or keeping the wild energy surges in check to protect you would drain too much of our focus.” Solus said. ”We can make the floor of the living area transparent, and you can watch from there. Yet we need someone to keep an eye on you.”

”I’ll do it.” Trion said. ”Let me help in the only way I can. I’d love to spend some time with your- our little ones.”

”And I’ll join you.” Quylla sighed. ”I’ll explain to you the little I understand, so that it won’t just be a light show.”

”Light shows are fine. Think of it as fireworks!” Falco grumbled.

”Not another lecture!” Teryon said.

”They need silence, Aunt Quylla.” Lenart cleared his throat in embarrassment.

”Ungrateful brats!” Quylla snorted. ”Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

”We’ll take the lecture- I mean, we’d love to learn from you, Auntie.” Aran said.

”We know nothing about Forgemastering, so even the basics are fine.” Leria nodded.

”Nice save.” She caressed Aran’s head. ”Also, thanks. It’s nice to feel appreciated.”

”Still, I think this is a wasted opportunity.” Morok said. ”No offense, but Orion would do a much better job than Nalrond or me.”

”None taken.” The Agni shrugged. ”I just know enough about Forgemastering to be more of a help than a hindrance.”

”It is, but we can’t share with Orion anything that we don’t want Jirni to know.” Lith replied. ”Even if he doesn’t tell her anything, she’s smart enough to figure it out once he starts disappearing and refusing to answer her questions.”

”We love your mother, girls, but we don’t trust her with the existence of the tower.” Solus bowed to Friya and Quylla. ”Not with the risk that the threat of the Gernoff makes her desperate.”

”Don’t worry, we don’t trust her either.” Friya said.

***

Fyrwal had quite a lot of work to do between her role as Beast Representative and Matriarch of the Hydra bloodline, but she made time for Solus’ request.

’I love both Ripha and Epphy, and this is an excellent opportunity to rekindle our friendship bond and form one with Verhen.’ She thought. ’I don’t care how much Fanny denies it, I bet that Ripha’s tower contributed to Ajatar’s success in becoming a true Dragon.’

She met up with everyone the following day in the Forge.

Lith and Solus had already compiled their notes about the previous day’s experiment, storing in the Library only what their assistants needed to know to perform their role.

”This is amazing.” Fyrwal said as the knowledge became ingrained in her mind as if she had studied it for years. ”You gave us very precise instructions and split them into detailed steps. Did you use the Ears to collect the data?”

”Yes.” Solus showed the Elder Hydra the modifications that the Forge had undergone after recovering the last piece of the Menadion Set. ”I’m sorry, but I can’t get into the specifics of this craft.”

”And I wouldn’t ask you to.” Fyrwal shook her head. ”I’m a Forgemaster too. Which is why I would like you to consider letting me use the Forge and the Menadion Set from time to time.”

”Sure, be my guest.” Lith replied. ”Just keep in mind that the Eyes and Ears will record everything you do and leave the collected data available to anyone who uses them in the future.

”There is no way to delete the information they add to the tower’s database, and even if there were, I wouldn’t do it.”

”I changed my mind!” The Elder Hydra said.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Quylla was explaining to the kids what every piece of equipment in the Forge was and the purpose it served. While Trion and the triplets just nodded from time to time, Leria and Aran took notes and sketches.

”Remember your role and perform only the parts assigned to you.” Solus said. ”Don’t worry about the others. If someone makes a mistake, we can always stop and start over.”

Those words were met with a barrage of silent and loud curses that the Guardians had to filter out.

”Don’t help your neighbors, it would only mess with their rhythm. Focus solely on mastering your task. Lith?”

”On it.” He turned into his Indech form, taking several deep breaths until he conjured enough Vital Storm for everyone, their copy of the Fury, and their Forge for the Mana Well technique.

”Will you use it on the power core as well?” Tista asked.

”No way. If its strength triples, we won’t be able to handle it.” Lith replied. ”Moreover, it would be a waste. Once Vital Storm runs out, the power core would go back to normal. This way, instead, I can ensure everything goes alright.”

”Has everybody gotten used to their amplified abilities?” Solus asked as the others swung their hammers and experimented on their mana flows.

Once everyone gave her the okay, she took the real ingredients out of the Greenhouse. This time, however, after refining them with her mana, Solus turned them into pseudo cores by calling upon the Elemental Storage.

She conjured the seven pseudo cores without consuming a drop of mana or a shred of focus. Solus had programmed the Elemental Storage before the start of the experiment, and the tower floor did everything that she had done manually the day prior.