LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 159
“Indeed… if I design it this way…”
I could hardly contain my boredom and let out a huge yawn. Normally, I would have asked Ligon for my ring, but I couldn’t do that now. His eyes were sparkling with inspiration.
I had faced a similar situation before. A sudden inspiration illuminating my mind, and things that had been incomprehensible suddenly became clear.
In this way, enlightenment visits us unexpectedly. It’s the moment of sudden realization.
Would I take a step forward as a wizard, or remain stagnant? Everything revolves around Ligon.
If I were to rashly interfere, the bright light that had led him here would surely vanish in an instant.
That’s why I endured this boring time. As quietly as possible, without disturbing Ligon.
The blueprint was changing frequently. The complex and inefficient Mana Passage had transformed into a streamlined version, and the tangled paths had disappeared, becoming much more efficient.
Of course, the biggest issue was that I hadn’t even begun designing the Core of Mana. How much time had passed since then? I was dozing off while cuddling a Nightmare the size of a puppy.
Suddenly, Ligon, who had been excited, turned to me with a calm expression.
“Seris.”
“Uh, huh…? Yes?”
Phew—
“This design… is very similar to Trevel’s structure. No, it looks like a perfect match. I haven’t seen it myself, but… just to be sure, do you know the wizard who designed this Trevel?”
“No.”
“In that case, how do you know this structure…”
I rubbed my eyes and answered Ligon’s question.
“I could see it.”
“See it…?”
“Yes. My eyes are a bit unique.”
I concentrated mana around my eyes as I spoke. The sparkling mana rushed around my eyes, and my ordinary human pupils began to slowly change.
I could sense the flow of mana, grasp the structure of magic at a glance, and read the power contained within it—with eyes resembling those of a dragon that transcended the category of creatures.
“Ah!”
At my answer, Ligon’s eyes widened as if he recalled something. He nodded in amazement.
“Indeed… such a volume of mana at such a young age… and the robe that signifies the Tower of Dawn… are you perhaps a disciple of Haiven?”
I nodded with a flustered expression. It wasn’t entirely wrong. On paper, I was registered as Haiven’s disciple.
It seemed Haiven had misinterpreted my eyes, leading to this misunderstanding.
“I see. So…”
“Um, Ligon, where is my ring?”
“Oh, sorry. Just a moment.”
Ligon hurried over to the workbench. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small wooden box, bringing it over to me.
“Here, take a look.”
I set the Nightmare down on the floor and checked inside the wooden box. Nestled in a soft cushion was a small ring.
Indeed, the purity of the Mana Stone was significantly higher than the ring I had seen before, and the magic circle engraved inside was intricate. Was there any need to hesitate? I quickly picked up the ring and slipped it onto my finger.
In that fleeting moment, an overwhelming sense of omnipotence invaded me. Connected to the massive entity supplying mana to the entire city, I could once again grasp the magic I had lost.
At that moment, I realized. This ring could not withstand the output of my mana. If I unleashed my mana to its fullest, this ring would surely break.
However, it was enough. As long as I had sufficient mana to use Blink, I could take Su and Shu and leave this Lower Realm to fly to the Celestial Realm.
“Thank you, Ligon.”
As I expressed my gratitude and handed him a heavy pouch of gold coins, Ligon seemed disinterested in the coins and set the pouch aside, asking me,
“What do you plan to do with that ring?”
“Now that I’ve regained the magic I lost, I’m thinking of returning to the Celestial Realm.”
I had reclaimed the magic that I had lost. I couldn’t cast large-scale spells like Meteor or Blizzard with a ring of that grade, but it seemed I could continuously use spells like Blink.
In the mid-air between the Celestial Realm and the Lower Realm, at least I was minimally prepared to protect Su and Shu from the massive monsters floating in the clouds above.
“Leave Trevel? To up there in the sky?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be possible… no, if it’s you…”
“Would you like to come along, Ligon?”
I asked Ligon. At this point, adding one or two more people wouldn’t make much difference. However, Ligon showed a skeptical reaction.
“That’s not a wise choice, Seris.”
“Why not?”
“Because the moment that ring crosses out of Trevel, it will simply become a Mana Stone ring.”
“Ah…”
I gaped at Ligon’s insight. Why hadn’t I noticed that despite having these eyes? I was probably just too excited about regaining the ability to use magic.
The ring merely connects itself to any existing entity inside Trevel, helping to enable the use of magic. Of course, the moment it crossed out of Trevel, the connection with that entity would surely be severed. If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to use magic.
It was an obvious conclusion.
“Do you perhaps know what structure the massive entity inside Trevel holds?”
“Hmm…”
I furrowed my brow and shifted my gaze. I continued to move my focus along the Mana Passage that lay beneath the walls and floor. Finally, I arrived at the center of Trevel, where the massive clump of mana was located.
I could sense the brightly shining mana itself, but I couldn’t see how it was structured.
“No, I can’t see it properly.”
I shook my head in response. If I could have examined the structure inside in detail, I might have vaguely left traces on Ligon’s blueprint.
“Hmm. If I were to see it up close, do you think I would be able to grasp the structure?”
“Up close?”
I frowned at Ligon’s question. I wasn’t sure, but the chances seemed high.
“That’s what I’m saying…”
“Are you suggesting we sneak inside and steal from that massive entity?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. I meant to steal the structure. If you confirm the structure with your eyes and draw the blueprint…”
Ligon said this while swallowing hard. He then continued, staring at the massive blueprint he had created.
“I will create it. An airship similar to Trevel.”
“Oh…”
“The only thing missing in this blueprint is the core that should be at the center. If we solve that problem… we can launch a massive airship and return everyone from the Celestial Realm who has fallen to this Lower Realm back home.”
It sounded like quite the plausible story. If things unfolded as Ligon described, we would be able to construct a massive airship and ascend back into the sky.
“How do you plan to enter the center of Trevel?”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a way.”
“Hmm…”
Ligon replied with confidence to my question. He must have had some method in mind.
“Well, that’s fine. Let’s say I’ll bring back the blueprint of the Core of Mana. But can we construct it here? In this cramped workshop?”
“Hmm…”
It seemed he hadn’t thought about that problem either. Ligon fell silent, unable to answer my question.
“First, please tell me how to get inside. I need to understand the structure of the Core of Mana to figure something out.”
“That is…”
*
The next morning, I went to see Ligon and received a worn work uniform. This was the moment the reason for Ligon’s confidence was revealed.
He was, in fact, the staff responsible for maintaining the Mana Passage installed inside Trevel. I put on the work uniform Ligon had given me. It was quite large and baggy, but tightening the belt and tying up the sleeves made it manageable to move in.
“Don’t you have something smaller?”
“That was the smallest one…”
“Hmm. Alright. Let’s go.”
I set out with Ligon, who was carrying a large toolbox. It was a sunny morning, and many wizards were patrolling the city, but not a single one approached us to speak. When our eyes met, we merely nodded and exchanged brief greetings.
Ligon glanced around and murmured in a low voice.
“Hmm… there are too many wizards… What happened?”
“It seems there’s a notorious criminal who has hidden in the city recently.”
“Wow… that can’t be.”
“It’s something that would have been unimaginable back in the Karma Empire… the security here seems rather poor.”
“Hmm… I don’t think it’s that bad.”
The place Ligon and I arrived at was a large wall with few people around. Nearby was a small iron door, just large enough for a person to squeeze through.
Ligon opened the door as if he was familiar with it and stepped inside. What unfolded inside was a narrow corridor. As we moved through the passage, the narrow hallway ended, and a wide space opened up before us.
“This is…”
In the vast space, thick pipes extended in every direction. The pipes were the Mana Passages supplying mana to all of Trevel.
“Wait a moment.”
Ligon said this and approached the large pipe. He pulled out a hammer from his toolbox and struck the pipe without hesitation.
BANG-!
“What are you doing?”
“I’m damaging the Mana Passage. When replacing the pipes, one has to return the broken ones to the center of Trevel.”
How much time had passed? As he struck the pipe with the hammer several times, a small hole appeared in the bent pipe.
Ligon’s hands moved extremely quickly. He removed the bent pipe and took out a spare pipe to connect it in its place.
With the damaged pipe in hand, Ligon ignited a small flame on his palm and began to heat the hole.
Until the pipe turned black and charred.
“Done. Let’s get going.”
“Is it all finished? Won’t you get fired for that?”
“I’ve done it several times before. No problem.”
Ligon answered like that and began to walk along the massive pipe. It seemed this path was leading to the center of Trevel. I followed Ligon, calming the Nightmare wriggling in my bag.