Year 1, Summer, First Month, Fourth Week.

In magic fields, two villagers were talking.

"Hey, Alfeur, finished with the crops too?" A villager called out. "Notice how everyone's more energetic today? No one's staggering or feeling faint. Think it's because of yesterday's feast?"

Alfeur glanced around cautiously, lowering his voice. "Yeah, it must be. But hey, let's keep it down, especially around the guards. We're better off staying under the radar."

***

"Karl, come on, have some breakfast. You can get back to your Alchemy after," his mother urged.

Karl reluctantly pulled himself away from his work, his mind still buzzing with ideas inspired by Chief Omero's speech. Sitting down, he looked at the meal with a puzzled expression. "Why aren't we having more of that broth from last night?"

"We mixed it with regular soup to make it last," his mother explained, stirring the pot. "Used only roots, like Marlen told us to. Other families are probably doing the same."

Karl nodded, understanding their logic, and focused on finishing his meal. Eager to escape the heavy thoughts, he decided to check on Diana's training session at the grounds.

From a distance, Karl watched as Diana expertly knocked Carion off balance with a swift move of her wooden stick. The boy hit the ground hard, struggling to retaliate.

Toni, trying to stifle his laughter, couldn’t resist a chuckle, which earned him a sharp glare from Diana. She then turned back to Carion, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Now you get it, Carion? That's why you're cut out for defense, not offense," Diana lectured.

Carion, bruised in pride, retorted defiantly, "That's not fair! You've trained every day and even fought real battles. If I had that chance, I'd be even better..."

Diana cut him off, her tone firm, "No excuses. Stick to defense or step aside."

Ignoring Carion's childish complaints, Diana swiftly moved on to spar with the other recruits.

Karl, who had just reached Toni, turned his attention to two other recruits still standing firm against Diana's onslaught. "Who are those two? They're holding up well against Diana. They look like sisters," he mused aloud, curious at their resilience.

"They’re Old Bill's granddaughters. Sania, the one with flowing locks, and her twin sister Samia, with shorter hair. They may not be on par with Diana, but they are good. Way better than us. Sania seems adept to flashy maneuvers, while Samia leans on speedy moves. I think they will be a great addition to the team."

Karl commented with admiration as he observed the fight. "They're definitely not new to this.

His gaze narrowed as he studied Sania's skilled maneuvers. "She's no rookie. The way she shifts her stance, parrying Diana's strikes from different angles, it's clear she's had her fair share of practice."

Karl’s attention then shifted to Samia. "And her sister, vigilant and strategic, always steps in at the right moment to thwart Diana's finishing moves."

Karl was in no way an experienced warrior, but his analytical mind, sharpened by months of observing Diana, told him these girls were trained.

Diana, sensing she had pushed the twins to their limits, decided to conclude the session. She feigned an attack on Sania, only to pivot swiftly towards Samia. The twins attempted a coordinated counterattack, but Diana's speed outmatched them. Samia took hits on her side and calf, falling to the ground without further resistance.

Sania lunged at Diana from behind, but Diana was already pivoting back, effortlessly blocking Sania's strike and unleashing a rapid succession of her own. Overwhelmed, Sania too succumbed, collapsing beside her sister.

Catching her breath, Diana offered her assessment, "Impressive teamwork, but you need to hone your solo skills. Fighting beasts together is one thing, but be ready for solo encounters."

"If only our entire team could sync up like you two," she mused aloud.

Karl, intrigued by their dynamic, asked, "So, are they joining our team?" Diana responded with an enigmatic smile.

The twins' reactions to the defeat were completely different. Sania sprang up, a cunning smile playing on her lips as she wiped away a trace of blood. Samia, however, remained grounded, her posture reflecting a sense of failure as if she had let someone down.

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After a rigorous session Diana fondly dubbed as 'basic training', Karl found himself meandering through the fields, his mind deeply involved in the complexities of the Arrays. The night before, he had burned the midnight oil, meticulously sketching the outlines of the extraction Arrays.

Karl's previous approach to learning Arrays and Runes had been methodical and unhurried. However, all the daily effort spent in watering the summer crops pressed him to complete the water-extracting tool, or simply WET. According to Master AI, the tool would require at least three Arrays,

‘-- To channel the water effectively, you must understand the Direction Array, symbolized by a triangle. --’

[https://i.imgur.com/oe4uWt4.jpg]

‘-- The triangle has the concept of ‘Destination’, and the aspect of ‘Movement’. It's akin to the sun’s journey from east to west, guiding the energy in a designated upward path. --’

Grasping the concept of the Direction Array seemed within Karl's reach, and he was confident of drawing it by the next day. Combining these three – Extraction, Properties Extraction, and Direction – newly acquired Arrays would be the key to crafting the WET.

The subsequent three days were a test of persistence for Karl. Although Master AI could have simplified the process by revealing the correct combination of Arrays, Karl recognized the value in discovering it through trial and error.

Initially, he experimented with many sequences of the Arrays, but it soon became apparent that plain arrangement was insufficient. Frustration crept in before realization dawned upon him – the Arrays needed to be merged into a cohesive unit.

Achieving the right combination required adjusting proportions and sizes until the mechanism functioned seamlessly. Mindful of not squandering precious resources, Karl employed white grass ink for his preliminary trials.

His final blueprint was an intricate fusion of two primary Arrays: the basic Extract Array, powered by an energy crystal, and a complex Array combining the Properties Extraction Array with the Direction Array. He aptly named this innovative complex Array as the Direct Property Array.

[https://i.imgur.com/TSE2Lp6.jpg]

[https://i.imgur.com/RiaLFxm.jpg]

As Karl finalized his design, practical challenges appeared. His primary concern was to devise a method to channel water efficiently from the depths of the well to the surface. The Array he created could move water up to six meters, ensuring the well's depth posed no obstacle. However, as the water ascended, it tended to splash wildly, complicating the collection process. His first solution was a constant, fountain-like flow, but this idea was quickly shelved due to its excessive magic energy demands, which a LQ crystal couldn't sustain.

It was Old Bill who came to the rescue with inspiration, drawing from a memory of a city structure he had encountered decades ago. His idea was straightforward but ingenious: guiding the water through a hollow conduit. By connecting bamboo sticks to form a lengthy tube, the water could be channeled efficiently and collected at the end.

Karl, immersed in the technicalities, hadn't initially considered the magic energy expenditure. But after being reminded by Master AI, he planned to run a line across the bamboo tube, leaving the Extraction Array on the tip of the bamboo outside of the well, so that an energy crystal would be inserted only when the water was required.

However, a new hurdle emerged during the half-hour test run of the Water-Extracting Tool. The Array's design began to deteriorate under the constant assault of water. Old Bill's suggestion to seek a water-resistant material for the Array drawing was again vital, yet Karl found himself at a loss, unaware of any material that was both magically conductive and resistant to water. Turning to Master AI for guidance, he was reminded of something.

‘-- Recall the plant you collected from the water stream? --’

‘The pickerel weed!’ Karl mentally answered. ‘So the plant can be used to create water-resistant magic ink. Should I apply it only to the submerged portion of the Array? I remember you mentioning its properties would diminish if not stored with a water crystal...’

Karl continued to discuss and improve the tool until he felt confident to put it to the test.

A few days later, the village was covered in pre-dawn darkness. It was an hour when villagers typically cherished their slumber, but on this day, many had forsaken their rest, drawn by the allure of witnessing the inaugural operation of the WET. A sense of anticipation permeated the air as they gathered to observe the tool.

The prototype of the WET stood at the well, waiting to be used. For these villagers, magic had always been a mysterious privilege of the nobility, a power that rendered them vulnerable to exploitation. But now, it was within the reach of their hands.

Chief Omero turned to Karl with an expectant gaze. "It's time," he said.

Nervous, Karl nodded back and slowly positioned the energy crystal within the Array. As he did so, the crystal emitted a soft glow, illuminating the intricate lines of the Array. The light trailed along the bamboo stick, weaving its way down to the well's dark depths.

A tense silence enveloped the onlookers as the bamboo tube quivered slightly against its bindings. Thin streams of water began to seep from the joints where the sticks were tied together, holding the villagers in rapt attention.

Suddenly, water gushed from the bamboo's opening, pouring into the waiting bucket below. Karl swiftly removed the crystal, halting the flow as abruptly as it had started.

The gathered crowd, initially stunned into silence by the spectacle, erupted into cheers and compliments. Among them, Toni couldn't contain his reaction. "By the Origin!" he exclaimed.

The villagers, excited by this success, enthusiastically continued to draw water, marveling at each successful operation of the WET. Their labor in the magic fields that day didn’t feel so unpleasant.

Meanwhile, Chief Omero watched the scene unfold, his kind eyes hid his real feelings. 'Finally, the time has come!' he thought, his hands clenched in silent victory. Among the villagers, only two elders noticed his expression, understanding the profound significance of the moment – a turning point that promised a future where magic was not just the dominion of the nobles, but a tool for the common folk to wield and protect their freedom.