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871 - A Quest
🕑 Added 2025-03-22 06:55:37 +0000 UTC"Anything you're seeing that I’m not?" Aron asked, turning to Henry, who was closely examining a piece of the FOL material inside a transparent box.
Henry, having already discovered some of his ocular abilities, focused on the material, his enhanced vision revealing details beyond normal perception. Even with his abilities, the most distinct feature he observed was the presence of ultra-thin mana threads weaving through the FOL material, holding it together.
"I don’t know what you’re seeing, but from my perspective, I can say with certainty that the reason the FOL material shifts between liquid and solid states is due to the mana threads binding it," Henry said, his voice filled with intrigue.
As he spoke, a holographic projection appeared, sharing his vision with Aron. Through Henry’s eyes, the mana threads pulsed subtly, shifting from a neutral yellow to a vivid green—the color representing the esoteric mana of life—whenever they detected an unshielded person nearby. The moment this transformation occurred, the FOL material liquefied, its mana threads turning green, seemingly primed for contact and potential integration with any living entity in its vicinity.
This alone was enough for Aron to form a hypothesis on how the material's contact mechanism functioned. It appeared to extract all necessary information from the mana present in the body it touched, with life-aspected mana taking over from there.
"Where is Ayaka at the moment?" Aron asked.
"Ayaka? Who is that?" Henry replied, genuinely confused as to why he was being asked about someone he didn’t even know.
{Currently stationed in Proxima per her request,} Nova responded moments later, simultaneously displaying a file detailing Ayaka’s deployment and the position she currently held in the area.
"Inform her about the materials and request her help in researching them," Aron said after reviewing the file.
He knew that when it came to esoteric life mana, Ayaka was second only to Laifu herself, the very embodiment of life mana. However, reaching out to Laifu was neither possible nor desirable. There was no guarantee that she would act as she had during her previous conversation with Ayaka and Admiral Bianchi. At that time, she had shown no hostility and had even shared knowledge about the fundamental entities, but that didn’t mean she would react the same way now. Last time, they weren’t responsible for the emergence of new life, they had merely been accidental participants. But this time, they were directly engaging with a life-related phenomenon, significantly increasing the chances of drawing her attention. And if she did appear, it wouldn’t necessarily be out of curiosity like before. It could be a warning, an indication that they were tampering with something beyond their understanding. Entropy. (see CH:636 & 637 for a refresher)
{Is this an order or a request?} Nova asked, needing clarification to phrase the message appropriately.
"Send it as a request. If she declines, that’s fine," Aron replied. He knew he could order her to assist since she was still part of the imperial military, but forcing her hand might increase the already slim chance of Laifu’s involvement, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Also, inform her that she can use the stargates for travel during the research period. That way, she can contribute while still handling her current responsibilities," he added, aware that the usual two-year journey would be a major factor in her decision. Removing that barrier would make it easier for her to accept.
{The request has been sent. Relevant departments have been notified and are beginning preparations in case she agrees,} Nova responded shortly after.
"Thanks," Aron said.
"Can’t I have an assistant like Nova too?" Henry asked, finally calming his heart after the sudden appearance of yet another hologram. It took him a moment to realize Aron had been speaking to Nova, not him.
"Don’t you already have one from Gaia Tech?" Aron responded.
"Yeah, but it’s nowhere near as advanced as Nova."
"For what exactly? I’m pretty sure your current one can handle everything you need it to do."
"You don’t understand," Henry argued. "It’s better to have it and not need it than to find myself in a situation where I need it but don’t have it." His voice carried the unmistakable tone of someone making up justifications on the fly. He averted his gaze, knowing full well he was acting like a kid begging for the latest high-end gadget when his current one was still perfectly fine.
Aron chuckled, recognizing the plea for what it was. "How about this? I’ll give you one if you graduate in the top one hundred in the empire," he said, laying out a difficult but achievable challenge. Running an AI as advanced as Nova wasn’t cheap, after all. Plus, Henry had every resource at his disposal, except knowledge assimilation or abusing his position as the crown prince to cheat his way through the exams.
A hologram materialized in front of Henry, displaying the challenge like a game quest.
Henry laughed and immediately hit "Accept" before turning to Aron with a smirk. "The contract is recorded in the Akashic Records. You better keep your word." He extended a hand to seal the deal.
"I’m looking forward to your results," Aron replied, shaking Henry’s hand as holographic fireworks erupted around them.
With that settled, they resumed their research, using Henry’s ocular abilities to examine the FOL material further while waiting for Ayaka to read and respond to the request.
……………….
"What are you looking at?" Lee Joon Ho asked as he stepped into Ayaka’s office.
The man, once an anime addict who had only joined the exploration fleet for the promise of early retirement and the hefty payout for risking his life, was still in the military, something no one, including himself, had expected. After a long period of rest, he had ultimately decided to continue his service.
"A request from the emperor," Ayaka replied without looking up.
Without waiting for permission, Lee dropped himself into one of the comfortable chairs in her office. "A request, not an order? What’s it about? Are they finally trying to make you retire or something?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. Despite his interest, he didn’t try to sneak a peek at the screen.
"For research," Ayaka answered flatly. "That’s all I can say. The rest is classified."
She continued reading through the request, scanning the details carefully. It contained everything she needed to know about the research and a vague mention of a new technology that would allow her to travel to the empire and back almost instantly. The explanation wasn’t too detailed, just enough to let her know it was possible, should she choose to accept.
"Will you accept it?" Lee asked, leaning back in his chair.
"I'm not done reading," Ayaka replied, her eyes still fixed on the screen. "But at the moment, I'm still on the fence."
Comments
Billiam
Oh that’s actually really smart
ismail hamisi salum
But it is being used but only by a limited number of people and should a situation where its use would become needed it would then be made public but until then it will remain a secret known and used by few
ismail hamisi salum
Because that will be telling the empire that the empire can implant memories meaning they can also read them
Billiam
Wait, why doesn’t the empire use knowledge assimilation for most things? I thought they had the tech to do it (even if it’s worse than the system’s)
GripenSupremacy
TYFTC
Sol_Invictus
I wonder if the system will eventually issue a quest for this material and whether it will be possible to study it in the simulation—perhaps using scanners that the fleet didn’t have or knowledge from the system for such a scanner.
Sol_Invictus
TYFTC
Jade
FIRST!!! Thank you very much for the chapter!!!!
