Upon hearing Elara's announcement, Ethan and Chen quickly snapped back to reality and focused their gazes on the hallway. There, they could see some surviving golems and a few others that had arrived running alongside those emerging from the walls, looking around as if searching for something but unable to spot them.
"Your idea worked. Though they're weaker than the previous ones, they seem even more effective… These formations should last hours, maybe even days if we maintain them well…" Ethan commented in a somewhat odd tone, to which Chen nodded before glancing at Erik, who was returning to normal after using his technique, and spoke with confidence.
"Now you can fully focus on your treatment. With these formations, we can hold out without issues until you recover."
"Perfect, then focus on preparing the formations you're going to deploy correctly. Also, I have some ideas, so if this can last a few hours, we can discuss them while I receive my treatment." Erik said as he brushed back his falling hair, to which Chen and Ethan nodded seriously.
"Let me accompany you. I'm used to working with you, and given the situation, Ethan can easily handle the rest until I return." Chen said in a serious tone, to which Ethan nodded gravely.
"Let's do that. I'll start preparing materials and doing some general calculations that work well for both systems while you handle your part."
"Erik, let me accompany you too. Though I'm not at your level, I'm still an artificer, so I can help you search through the storage areas you mentioned to select things we can use."
Christine quickly added with a serious and slightly suggestive tone, causing Erik's eyebrow to twitch slightly. At that moment, Elara and Zoe exchanged glances and swiftly nodded, reaching a silent agreement. Zoe stepped forward and spoke in a calm tone.
"In that case, I'll help with selecting items. Though I'm not well-versed in any craftsmanship, I understand weapons perfectly, so I could pick materials or weapons that better complement the knights. Besides, I'm physically several times stronger than a mage, so now that we barely have any storage artifacts, I can be useful for carrying things or similar tasks."
"Perfect, then come with me. The rest of you, stay alert and communicate with me if anything happens." Erik quickly accepted the lifeline Zoe offered to avoid that dangerous 'man-eater' who was clever enough to craft a solid and irrefutable argument to get close to him.
"""Understood!""" the others nodded in unison.
While the rest agreed, Christine shot a venomous glare at Zoe, who simply raised her chin and looked at her with disdain before following Erik, who began walking toward the shelter with Frank, Chen, and the wolves.
…
"This place is beautiful, Erik. Even in design, you're immensely talented." Christine couldn't help but comment as she entered the shelter, gazing at the area illuminated by Erik's conjured light spheres. The star-haired young man replied in a calm tone while activating the elevator.
"Though I built it, the design has nothing to do with me. Honestly, I'm terrible at the arts, including design. The one who designed this place was my personal maid. She and my master love gothic style."
"I see… Your maid is very talented. She could really make a career in design. I'd even be willing to pay good money for a design of this quality. Do you think your maid would be willing to design something for me?" Christine commented, eyeing the elegant and spacious bed in the distance with a hint of excitement in her eyes. Erik shook his head and replied calmly, a subtle, almost nostalgic smile of amusement on his face.
"I could ask her, but I highly doubt she'd be willing. In truth, my maid is only a maid out of 'passion.' Her wealth isn't far off from my masters', and neither is her power."
"Seraphina Ravenspell, the Shadow Queen… My grandfather told me a bit about her." Zoe remarked in a somewhat restrained voice, recalling the endless warnings from her grandfather not to bother that 'crazy woman' the moment he saw her by Erik's side.
"The Shadow Queen is your personal maid…?" Christine said with her eyes wide open, having heard some rumors about that dangerous woman. Erik nodded casually as the water in the small pond began to rise.
"Yes."
"…"
Christine fell silent for a few seconds, almost processing the information, while Chen and Frank exchanged confused glances, unfamiliar with the name. At that moment, the water finished forming the cabin, and Erik stepped inside while commenting calmly.
"Well, let's go in."
…
"…Your level of mana control is truly impressive, Erik. Your 'forced activation' is very 'fluid.'" Christine, who decided to drop the topic of the maid, commented inside the elevator with a slightly respectful tone as she observed the conjured runes on the floor surrounding them like a ring, interacting with the carved runes.
Forced activation was a technique actively used in the development of magical artifacts to test rune functionality, so it was something every artificer knew. However, while everyone learned it, only the best could 'dissect' such a complex and complete rune arrangement to activate specific parts as Erik was doing. That required almost surgical mana control, something achieved only with centuries of training.
"Well, it's an essential part of development, so I've had plenty of practice." Erik replied casually as he watched the runes carved on the floor begin to glow. At that moment, Zoe, somewhat bitter for not being able to join the conversation, asked about a small doubt she had.
"Erik, how did you know the internal spatial expansion of your shelter wouldn't be affected? Is it because of what you said about it being modular?"
Erik nodded as they started descending in the elevator and explained in a calm voice.
"More or less. In reality, since internal spatial expansion is something critical that can't go wrong or the user would end up dead, just like the suspension system that keeps your katana in place defying gravity, it's something extensively studied and brought to its simplest and most effective state.
"In a magical artifact, anything can fail except the spatial expansion system, so it is highly reliable, and it doesn't rely on any wisdom runes either. Therefore, I had a certain level of confidence that it would still be working, a confidence that solidified when I saw the cabin in the basilisk's cave."
"Now that you mention that cabin… In the end, we didn't find the missing ingredient to practice that strange technique." Zoe suddenly remarked in a thoughtful tone, prompting Frank and Erik to turn to her with a hint of surprise, having completely forgotten about it.
"That's true. With everything that happened, we couldn't focus on that technique…" Erik commented thoughtfully, which led Chen to ask curiously while looking at Zoe.
"You found a technique here?"
"Yes, a rather strange bio-mystical technique called 'Gaze of Arkhé,' as Erik translated it. But that technique required a potion to practice, and there was an ingredient Erik didn't recognize in the formula."
"That technique could be a very important clue about the origin of this place. Would you mind telling me more about the technique, Erik?"
Christine quickly interjected with a serious tone, quite far from her usual sensuality. At that moment, several runes appeared in the air, creating light spheres that shot out in all directions to illuminate the second floor of the shelter, and Erik replied calmly.
"I'll give you a copy of the notebook where I wrote everything related to the technique later. For now, let's focus on the immediate urgency. Though that technique might truly be an important clue, our concern right now is survival."
"You're right. Let's focus on your treatment, Erik. I can feel your strength starting to drop slightly." Zoe quickly said with a serious and slightly worried tone, which made Erik nod and comment as he stepped out of the water cabin.
"Yes, I pushed myself quite a bit earlier, so the potion's duration was affected."
"Tell us what you need us to do, Erik. Let's prepare your treatment first before anything else!" Chen quickly said in a serious tone, to which the others nodded firmly. Erik smiled calmly as he walked toward the 'room' in the center and spoke in a relaxed voice.
"Let's go in. I need to gather some things from here."
…
Upon entering the circular room, the group found themselves in a space with pure white floors and walls, featuring long white tables engraved with countless runes across their surfaces. On the tables were all sorts of glass vials of different types and sizes, as well as various magical artifacts, including burners and even cauldrons. Additionally, the walls were lined with cabinets, shelves, glass display cases, and more, all filled with ingredients, empty potion vials, finished potions, and beyond.
"This place looks quite impressive… Is this your alchemy workshop?" Zoe asked curiously as she entered. Erik nodded and replied calmly while heading toward one of the glass display cases, completely covered in carved runes.
"You could call it that. In reality, it's a 'minimalist' recreation of my actual alchemy workshop. Since I created this place as a mental peace exercise with the idea of having everything necessary to 'survive' in case I ended up on a deserted island again, who would've thought it'd actually come in handy."
"Life is truly curious sometimes…"
Zoe commented, recalling what Erik had told them about being stranded on a deserted island, as she watched what he was doing. At that moment, Frank asked in a serious tone as Erik took several potions from the glass display case.
"What do you need help with, boss?"
"Basically, I need you to operate a magic circle I'll draw. I'll give you instructions on how to operate it and when to add the potions since I'll be submerged and unable to use mana."
"I'll do my best…"
Frank said with a somewhat apprehensive tone, fearing failure, which Erik noticed. As he closed the glass door, holding nearly 20 different potions in a solidified Myst barrier, Erik turned to look at Frank and spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, it's not that complicated. These potions are 'smart potions,' and they'll handle most of the work. Even if you make one or two mistakes, it won't affect me much."
"All of those are 'smart potions'…?"
Chen asked, then swallowed hard as he looked at the potions, imagining the fortune they must cost. Erik nodded casually and explained while starting to check the cabinets, drawers, and shelves in the workshop.
"Yes, my masters created several foolproof methods to heal me in case I overexerted myself and damaged my mana system. I originally thought it was excessive, but time proved them right. If it had just been the medical capsule as I initially suggested, I'd be a dead man now."
"My grandfather always says that experience can't be improvised, and in the long life of a mana user, the unexpected and unlikely will sooner or later happen… I think I understand his words a bit better now." Zoe commented with a hint of realization in her gaze, to which Erik couldn't help but respond while checking a cabinet.
"Wise words. I'll make sure not to forget them."
"They certainly are…" Zoe said with a somewhat melancholic expression but quickly snapped back and spoke in a serious tone.
"But then you only need Frank for your treatment, right, Erik?"
"Yes, the rest of you can start checking the storage areas. The cabinets and shelves are working fine, so a good portion of the inventory is accessible, though the more delicate and/or valuable items I placed in secure storages that use wisdom runes, so those are inaccessible." Erik nodded as he pulled out a case full of high-quality magical chalks from the cabinet.
Hearing this, Chen couldn't help but glance at the potions in the Myst barrier with a slightly bitter smile. Erik had basically implied that he didn't consider those potions 'valuable,' or he would've put them in the 'secure storages' he mentioned. Deciding to see it as a positive, since it increased the chances of finding good things in the shelter, Chen quickly asked in a serious tone.
"Erik, I assume you keep herbs, bones, and other alchemy-related things here, right?"
"Exactly. Here's everything related to alchemy. Outside is everything related to artificing, and upstairs are everyday items like clothing and such, plus a part of my personal library." Erik nodded as he grabbed a few more things from another cabinet, to which Chen nodded and commented.
"Perfect, then I'll start here. Many things used in alchemy are also used in creating formations, so I might find something useful."
"Then I'll look for materials outside." Christine said as she turned to look at the door, at which point Zoe announced in a firm voice.
"We'll look."
Christine clicked her tongue in annoyance, which brought a disdainful smile to Zoe's face. Erik, ignoring the small dispute between the pair of beautiful women, walked out of the workshop with Frank and spoke in a serious tone.
"Perfect. Then, after eating something, Tiberius will stay with Chen and Kaiser with Zoe. They'll guide you through the place. Just be careful with the glass display cases. Generally, I keep things I've been working on there, so some might be experimental, incomplete, or things I was studying, and they may not be safe to handle."
***
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