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Chapter 185: Eve of Departure
🕑 Added 2022-06-21 10:07:48 +0000 UTCAN: Got some editing suggestions? Suggest it on the Google docs here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5Uuo4ybVZO3qHymqzqYXRgLRU0NMCxp8y5L0iNmeF0/edit?usp=sharing
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I wake up with the familiar sight of my old room around me, and as I move my stiff body, I am instantly crushed in an embrace as my mom hugs me.
“Aly! You’re awake! Oh, thank Myrou! I thought we lost you!”
Dad is working in the shop, but Mom calls for her, and she runs up, looking relieved at the news that I am awake.
“We were so scared you’d never wake up again!” Dad expresses her worries as she joins mom in hugging me.
“Let me breathe!” I gasp, trying to breathe from their crushing embrace.
They loosen their grip but don’t let me go.
“How long have I been asleep?” I ask once I catch my breath. Fearing that It might be longer than I think
“Three days,” Mom answers.
Three days isn’t that bad. I don’t feel any worse than normal either, but I suppose there are no anima nerves to signal how low it is. I’m going to have to talk with Kadona about the condition of my anima.
What’s even more worrying is that until I can cleanse my cursed skills, I may not be able to make anything. Crafting and artistry are the lifeblood of the Runalymo people; to be unable to make things will not just hinder my ability to continue my trade with the Runalymo but also my tailoring business.
I don’t think I am entirely without options, I should be able to make mana silk and other mana-based materials with [Manipulate Mana], but it will still cause me a lot of trouble. It means that I am unable to continue my research in inscriptions.
I still have the legendary point for mastering [Manipulate Mana] and my mythic point… This can all be over with if I just use one of them. No, I shouldn’t. There’s only one mastery point I can get for [Manipulate Mana], and it’s the only one best suited for my skill. As for the Mythic point… getting even legendary points are hard enough, and who knows, I may need it for something else.
I can live without crafting, I can slay monsters in the Dungeon safely, I can make mana silk, and I can focus on building my Airship business which I have a trial tied to. I have options open for me; I have time to work this out.
That doesn’t mean I should just sit on my hands about it. I need to find a way to at least restore my anima, and in order to do that, I need to explore other lands and the dungeon.
I try to get up, but Mom stops me.
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to rest!”
“I need to talk to Kadona and Uloru; I also need to talk to Tusile about something,” I say.
I also need to see what my sacrifice was for; I need to see what the Entylamo has become. I need to talk to Tusile about the Lunaley now that the flagship is complete, but there’s one other issue. I don’t want to risk making more ammo for the airship cannons, and so far, I am the only one who can make them; that has to change.
I should teach others how to improve their mana manipulation type skills; hopefully, they’ll get [Manipulate Mana], but skills like [Solidify Mana] and [Liquify Mana] should work too. They should just be improvements over [Weave Mana] which is already a known skill that a few people in the village has.
Of the ones closest to solid mana is Dad; she can technically make solid mana but not through a manipulation type skill, but rather through a forging skill. I should teach her proper mana manipulation.
“Let her go, Feyan,” Dad says. “She’s an adult now, and she’s already had plenty of rest; the body knows when it has had enough”
Mom sighs and lets me go. “I just don’t want anything else to happen to her,” Mom says, clearly distraught.
I hug Mom and purr, like she used to when I was younger, to calm her. I expand my perception to find the twins, curious as to where they are since they aren’t here. They are at Topobe’s learning tailoring. They’ve become very good at it, and if I am going to teach dad how to manipulate mana, I might as well teach them too.
“I’m going to let Yafe and Yafel know I’m well,” I tell Mom and Dad before walking to the tailor’s shop.
“Aly!” the twins instantly drop what they’re doing and run over to me, tackling me in a hug. “You’re awake, sleepyhead!”
Topobe looks slightly annoyed that her apprentices are slacking off, but news about what happened has probably made its rounds through the village, so she doesn’t say anything.
I greet my old tailoring teacher and thank her for looking after my sisters before examining their work. [Inquisitive Perfestion] is content with their work, showing that they are just about ready for the next step.
After sharing a moment with the twins, I decide not to impose on the master tailor any further and go on with my tasks. I find Kadona and Uloru sparring on the beach and teleport over closer to them.
“You’re awake!” Uloru exclaims.
“Hmm,” Kadona nods her head. “Her anima has stabilized now, but it’s dangerously low.”
“Is it that bad?” I ask.
“No, it’s worse. I don’t know you’re still alive, but I don’t think it’s possible to go any lower.” Kadona says solemnly.
“I see. Then I need a way to restore it somehow. Will you help me?” I ask.
“We can try, but I don’t know if it can be restored,” Kadona says.
“It can,” I say confidently. “We should look in the Lunaleyan lands, though; they may have someone, an artifact, or maybe just a clue.”
“Lunaley?” Kadona asks, utterly confused.
Oh, right, I only told the elders, and it seems they never told anyone else.
I fill Kadona and Uloru in on the details as we walk to the village hall. Only Guklaro is there right now, but she can fill the others in later.
“Alysara, I’m glad to see you well. It’s rare to see you here; what do you need?” Guklaro asks, seeing us enter.
“As you are aware, the airship is done, but there are a few things you should know about it first,” I explain all of its functions and needs, the most important of which is the ammo situation, which ties into another situation about my predicament.
“I see, so its defensive capabilities are a limited resource,” Guklaro says after listening to my long explanation.
“Yes, but with my perceptive abilities, I can steer it away from any potential danger so we may not have to use it.”
“Is that everything you needed to say?” Gularo asks.
“No. Now that the Entylamo is complete, we can finally trade with the Lunaleyans. With the Entylamo capable of long-term habitation, we should start selecting people to trade. I can translate their language, but it’s better to teach you their language.”
I completely overlooked the fact that only I know the Lunaleyan language, so I’ll need to act as a translator during the negotiations.
“Also,” I continue, “When you neet them, you should speak to them with caution. They should be seen as rivals, not friends, at least until proven otherwise.”
“You told me about their war but are there other reasons not to trust them?” Guklaro asks.
“Their warriors are stronger,” I say, “And our best defense is being hidden from them. They’ve been trying to get information from me through subtle manipulation the entire time, and no doubt they will try to get information during your negotiations; I think no one is better for the job than you.”
Tusile may be the better leader, but Guklaro is naturally cynical, which I think is the better trait at the moment. Plus, we’ll be wanting to make trade deals with the other countries.
“Thank you for your endorsement, but I’ll need to call a Convocation of Elders to have a select group of representatives chosen to represent all of our villages. It won't be practical to have one elder of all villages, there’d be too many to meet with the Lunaley, but thirty should be a good number.”
Thirty? I think the Lunaley might only be expecting five at most; I will have to warn them so they can prepare.
“It will likely be a week or two until we depart,” Guklaro continues. “Since we need to get everything in order and make choices on who gets to go.”
“Don’t forget to bring some warriors and mages. It’s not like the Nexus; there’s much more crime there than here.” I warn her.
“I’ll make sure to bring that up in the meeting.”
After going over a few more details, I walk to the docks to finally see what the Entylamo has become.
The Entylamo (Exalted):
Created by the most knowledgeable master of mana and magic, this airship warps space inside, so it is far larger inside than outside and can support hundreds of people for long-term habitation. It sports powerful weaponry and armoring the likes few in the world have ever seen. Powered by a strong reactor and mana-gathering capabilities, this airship can put up a fight equal to all but the most powerful beings. It can hover indefinitely and fly at near the speed of sound in times of need.
Examining the inside of the airship, I notice that it is roughly forty percent larger than I initially made it. Its battery and storage rooms are significantly larger, while there are many more residential and workshops.
Its enchantments are gone, but that’s only a natural thing when an item becomes magical, but that also means that the mana upkeep needed to power those enchantments aren't there, and that is reflected by the fact that the separated systems from the reactor have become one system meaning it’s defensive capabilities just became that much stronger.
The two laser cannons, for instance, can draw upon the power output of the reactor, which has also seen a massive upgrade, seeming to produce over a million mana per hour. The emergency system’s batteries have gained a valve so it can be refueled, but its mana can’t be drained by another system.
The cannons themselves have been upgraded to be more powerful, although the ammo I made is left unchanged, probably because they are technically a different item.
I start wondering how it will feel to ride it now with the state-of-the-art changes and the transformation into a magic item. Will it be like before? I can’t wait for it to claim the skies as its own; it marks a new age for the Runalymo.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“She’s a few days late!” Headmaster vulpun says, pacing in Ruluna’s study room.
“Do you have to be here?” Ruluna complains. “Something probably happened; nothing we can do about it. I’m trying to learn [Manipulate Mana]!”
They traded for the skill and the first five breakthroughs, but these first five are almost worthless; anyone could figure them out! Well, at least the information Alysara gave is a little more advanced and goes into great detail; just reading her writing gave her all five knowledge levels, and she’s sure if she could have gained more, she’d get ten levels in each breakthrough.
Now that she thinks about it, why is that? It’s common knowledge that just because the skill has all of its levels, that doesn’t mean you’ve truly mastered it. Perhaps that is why so few people master skills to such a degree that they get a world notification for it, but Alysara has hinted at something before, almost like there can be more.
There’s always more. Ruluna ponders. There’s always more knowledge, more control of the skill, more breakthroughs, but why does the skill cap out where it does? To limit its power? Or… perhaps, like getting breakthroughs, one can unlock more levels? That’d be ridiculous… right?
Something in Ruluna’s gut tells her that she might be on to something, but her mind is adamant that can’t be the case. Why would it?
But if there is a time when one does unlock more levels, it’d be when they get the world notification.
Ruluna can’t shake that idea from her the back of her mind.
Alysara has over forty breakthroughs; there’s no way she will be able to reach that point, so what does it matter? Ruluna argues with herself.
“Are you listening, Ruluna?” Headmaster Vulpun says.
“Do you want me to learn this skill or not?!” Ruluna says irately, annoyed at how her superior can’t entertain himself with something else.
Vulpun opens his mouth to say something, but fortunately, a messenger interrupts him, opening the door.
“Headmaster! She’s here!” The messenger salutes.
“About time! Come, Ruluna, let's see what took her so long” Headmaster Vulpun leads the way out and to the meeting room where the three-tailed girl stands elegantly, her long royal blue hair looking perfect as usual.
“I am sorry for the delay,” Alysara bows. “I had fallen ill for a few days.”
“That is unfortunate, but I am glad to see you well now,” Headmaster Vulpun says with a polite smile. “Your goods are in the usual place.”
“I, unfortunately, will be unable to continue making armor and weapons for you for the foreseeable future” Alysara delivers some bad news. “However, there is some good news; we’ll be arriving in a week or two.”
“What do you mean?” Headmaster Vulpun asks. “You’re here now, or do you mean…”
“Yes, or vessel is complete, our Elders will be sending some representatives, expect around… thirty of them.”
“Thirty?!” Vulpune exclaims.
Comments
Shadeymankey
Seems odd the dragon isn’t the first one she asked about her anima…or did she and I forgot
Pawzom Lz
Assisting in events and killing units are not necessarily the same thing as in one side chapter I believe dragons got a LP for assisting in killing the soul lich or whatever it was named? But that could also have had more to do with the sheer amount of danger it posed compared to normal legendary creatures. Tho you are probably right in that her using the gazer and any potential friends it have wont help her get a point. Maybe bait him into attacking the gazer, and then have a clone teleport to the location he teleported from and set explosives there for when he teleports back to get the killing blow if he got injured so she gets the LP, because if I remember right then a killing blow of a legendary creature should always give a point? I know Aly is intentionally not using items when fighting since she wants to focus on levelling her bond up, but I think she should try to come up with item combinations and traps for when her current classes + bond level just arent enough. The mana weaved scrolls, explosive mana crystals and such she used before just requires her Manipulate Mana and have a lot of potential that she can go back to using now that inscription is temporarily unavailable. This gave me an idea though for an interesting item she can make once AP is fixed. A scrying mirror that upon activation will allow the one that looks at it to see the location the gazer is in, which means it can see you back, which means it will try to kill them. If she can find legendary gazers(after having figured out a scapegoat or method that can protect her from them) she can essentially just make mirrors and send them to people she wants dead.
synik
If she didn't get a LP for saving her entire race because Safyr helped her, I doubt she'd get an LP for killing the assassin if the Gazer helps. From what we know of the guy, he can follow the perception of an individual back to the source. IMO the best path for a kill attempt would be to use a perceptive knot in a space layer that is lethal for a person to be in and trick him into jumping there before cutting it off and leaving him. Granted that assumes he can't jump back out, but we really don't have any idea what he is capable of at this point.
Jemini
I think, with the number of people going over that Aly needs to support this time, she's going to wind up having to travel there in person. If they're really concerned about her safety (due to her importance to their people,) they can leave her real body on some small island somewhere nearby. I'm certain Aly can spot a suitable place without much trouble. About the only issue is the fact that retaliatory items will have more effect on her if she does this, so she would have to be careful.
Jemini
The elders do have regular meetings, but it's a separate thing from the tournaments. (Recall how the mad priestess launched an attack on one of the earlier Convocations of elders.) However, in this case, it sounds as though they are calling the Convocation early for the sake of this discussion.
Jemini
@Pawzom Liz Actually, no. It was confirmed that this was an author's mistake. Once we all brought it up back on that chapter, Comiak went back and corrected "airship" to "vessel." So, no. They don't know about the airships. They were not supposed to know about the airships, and Comiak confirms they were not supposed to know about them by the very fact he edited the mention of it out of that chapter.
Pawzom Lz
I'm not saying I dont want her to get LP points, but the 2 upcoming LP points I see her getting for Manipulate Mana and Astral Projection will probably be from Safyr's trial and from The Eyeblight Assassin. Assassins tend not to be direct fighters, so I see her baiting him into the layer with that Eldritch Gazer, which will probably call for reinforcements or leave him weakened enough for her to set up another trap for him or something and then she will get a LP for the killing blow or something. She might not even need 2 LP and might be able to get away with just the one from Safyr's Trial to upgrade MM and then get a breakthrough for manipulating miasma, which means she wont need another LP for dealing with cursed skills anymore.
Pawzom Lz
If doing something special like that for the first time is considered a legendary achievement then I feel like the introduction of an entirely new profession should be just as special, if not even more so, as its overall potential is much higher, since even if people manage to cure their cursed skills in the future as a result of her discovery, an appropriate class that it can be inserted into will still be necessary, but inscription is something everyone can benefit from in one form or another either through making and/or wearing items with inscriptions in them til modifying islands or more as Aly have considered at a few points. From a certain point of view you could even view purifying cursed skills as a form of profession(once MM is upgraded and miasma can be manipulated), just a very niche one, which is very different from inscription that just requires language, intent and magic monster ink which means it will become a far more stable profession. It's quite clear inscription will become the more widespread and famous profession overall since it does not have any specific skill requirements, as with all other professions(ofc skills can still be used with it and will be required for more high end items), unlike curse purification which will require an ultimate skill for the one that wants it as a profession, which wont even be necessary if people start figuring out how Aly cured her first skill with just a LP point, as then they can just copy that.
It'sATap
@PawzomLz I think that the point would only be awarded the first time because the achievement is finding out a viable way to cure a cursed skill and being the first to use it. Not just the act of curing a cursed skill.
Pawzom Lz
I used to think curing a cursed skill should give a LP, but now I am torn about it. On one hand it is clearly something special with nobody having managed to do it before(at least as far as we are aware, if it does not give a point then it is entirely possible one or more have succeeded.). But on the other hand it is essentially just a skill that was acquired in an invalid manner and then becoming valid. Problem here is that if she can acquire a LP from it then it will cascade things in a very absurd manner. Get cursed skill, fix it with LP, get LP for fixing, get new cursed skill, fix with LP from fixing previous, etc. Ofc she needs something to slot it into but if Alysara manages to do this she can essentially get any class specific skill in the world and then begin the process of slotting them all into her race... In regards to her fixing her anima there might be a solution in the healing nation, where people are not citizens unless they are healers. Sounds like a fun bunch.
BeepBoop
They could have assumed that 'airship' meant 'ship powered by air', aka sails.
It'sATap
I feel like curing a cursed skill should be a fabled point. Like the one tier above legendary, right? Legendary things are things have have been mostly done or were somewhat possible to do prior. But fixing cursed skills? That's a solid not possible for anyone, maybe in the entire realm since it requires intimate knowledge of miasma and magic.
TaylorTot
The problem is she has somthing like 13 different bodies. She can be having those talks at the same time. But i agree they could have been done better.
D
Her jumping from one person to the other in short intervals with just a sentence to be said, felt strange, almost rushed. Would have been better if she didnt do it at all and just gave a short overview of what happened. Or, it should have been flashed out more, but i guess that would have meant to write more, so i guess the summary version is more practical and reads less... jarring.
synik
At this point, I'm expecting she's going to go to the island searching for an anima fix, someone (maybe Aly) from her side is going to get kidnapped by assassin guy, she'll have to figure out a way to kill him and FINALLY she'll get a legendary point. I mean, I get why the author has made it difficult to get one. This isn't a power fantasy story so it should be hard. But it is quite frustrating by now to see feats that look quite legendary and don't count for reasons. I also get that once she gets one it'll start a cascade of progress. Legendary point -> fix manipulate magic -> get another legendary point for curing a cursed skill cuz SHE BETTER! -> fix astral projection...so fine. Just hope it doesn't get dragged out into stupidly annoying situations. It's already frustrating because of how close it feels like the airship should have been, but reading the description it sounds like it fell a little bit short of legendary.
Pawzom Lz
How come Ruluna only have 5 Manipulate Mana breakthroughs? Shouldnt a few from Fire Manipulation carry over? I thought she was a fire mage so she should have had that before, and that combined with being part of a fire order she should have had quite a few breakthroughs in it.
Pawzom Lz
I'm just guessing here, but with the ships arrival, once he finds out about it and that they are traders, he will start looking into it and I am guessing he will find out that they wont be trading weaponry with anyone else but the one kingdom they already are(or was this part cancelled? I cant remember), and that agreement does not include ships. What he at that point will try to do is make sure that does not escalate to include the flying ships while probably trying to find ways of disrupting the agreement between the Runalymo and the kingdom they are trading weapons with, and then aim to become the new faction they trade weapons with, which not only would give his empire access to their weaponry but would allow him to get closer to Alysara. Which would essentially be 3 birds with one stone.
David Brims
Also, maybe because Aly didn't do all the crafting herself? Saving her people wasn't a legendary feat only because Safyr helped. So maybe since she didn't craft the entire ship herself, it wasn't as strong a magic item?
Pawzom Lz
I agree others could probably try that. THE Assassin however wont as if he were that stupid he wouldnt be capable of reaching legendary status and successfully control the empires intelligence and anti intelligence units so successfully. In the absence of capable rulers he has been holding the empire together almost single handidly despite not being a suitable ruler himself.
David Brims
Fair points! Though incomplete information can also lead to stupid aggression sometimes. That will particularly be the case if someone weaker than the Assassin thinks a bit of piracy is a good idea. Actually, that might be entertaining!
Pawzom Lz
If he predicts where the ship is gonna land somehow and then waits there in another layer with his void bond it will probably be too late for her to react in time(unless her recent breakthroughs and research into layers will allow her to see past it), but in regards to him taking hostages its not her decision to make. Her people is sending along elders for a reason and they are the ones that will be in charge, and with the knowledge of him being a legendary assassin, that wants to capture them and take their ship, they would not have the qualifications to be elders in the first place if they allow themselves to be blackmailed and hand the ship and themselves over. What they can do instead is threaten to just sail over his homeland from a safe distance and bombard their cities and outer defences so their enemies can finally get past and invade them. This is where the Assassin needs to be careful, as the wrong action can result in him thoroughly making an enemy out of someone capable of making ships that can just sail above the defensive fortifications his empire have relied upon all along to keep themselves safe and bombard them from above. Or at least that is the way it will appear to him. He does not know this is their only battle capable ship. Information is important in warfare and he does not have any, which is why he have to assume they have many more than just the 1 ship. Hell, this ship is a trading ship, he needs to assume there are specialised warships out there.
David Brims
I agree there's an excellent chance Aly could spot him. But can she spot him in time to stop him getting on board? Particularly if they're docked? He's a legendary assassin, he's got to be incredibly fast. Or what if he takes hostages among crew or elders who aren't currently on board? Hopefully if someone tries this it won't be the Assassin because I don't think Aly can stop him yet.
Pawzom Lz
Aly will spot him though, so he wont be able to sneak aboard. She will have a clone there to help it get past exalted/legendary creatures on the sea and he can only hide from her when hes not moving as was shown in the banquet chapter. Assassins arent straight up fighters, they are ambushers, so he will become far less effective just as a result of her being there. His teleport skill is also only in relation to scrying abilities(I think?), which means if the airship is flying, and with Aly having been better at dealing with tracking, he wont be able to get up there, especially if she just stops ''looking'' at him once he gets close to spotting her clone back with his backtrack skill. This is however when he will realise his mistake in regards to Alysara. He thought she was a Lunaly with a special evolution, but now soon he is gonna realise she is a Runalymo with a special evolution instead, which will make him want her far more than any of the other ones.
David Brims
@ABsolute, probably not. But hostages are a thing. And they might not need the whole crew alive if someone like the assassin dude brings a few men with him and threatens to kill anyone who doesn't assist him. And then carries through with the threat a couple of times with whoever protests the most.
TaylorTot
I think that must be it.
TaylorTot
They are probally expecting an air dingy not a airship. I think they will be quite surprised.
ABsolute
Would he even be able to pilot the thing?
David Brims
My concern is if that legendary Assassin personally comes after the airship it would be super hard to stop him from commandeering it. I mean, its' defences are not well geared to stopping someone sneaking on board, particularly while it's docked. In some ways, it becoming a magic item is bad because it will be more attractive for that sort of attack.
Ex Caseus Fortis
It seems a bit absurd that creating the airship didn't give her a legendary point. Maybe it wouldn't be considered that advanced compared to the technology of other races? But we know that no one else has the same enchanting/inscription abilities that Alysara has, so that seems a bit unlikely. There is also the possibility that her anima was just too low to fuel the airship turning into a legendary item and awarding her a legendary point.
AClassroomSpider
thanks for the chapter!. .
GoHazard
I mean more like reacting to the size/level and such
Pawzom Lz
Unfortunally they already know its ain airship as that was dropped casually in a conversation a few chapters ago and there was no reaction. Was kind of underwhelming...
Pawzom Lz
The Convocation of Elders reminded me of the tournament that happened earlier in the story. Was that not supposed to be a regular yearly thing or something similar or do I just remember wrong?
GoHazard
Can't wait to see them react to the airship
