Lucille was in her living room, writing out some of her plans on sheets of paper as she sat on one of the couches. She wasn’t wearing her suit jacket but she was wearing her violet pants. Next to her, the snoozing Scytale was coiled up and completely silent, breathing slowly. His silver scales shimmered with a soft golden aura, however, the dense light element of the fruit he ate was being digested, enhancing his lifeforce and bloodline. Ouroboros and Apophis were once again in their sheaths on her belt. Opposite her, the door opened and then shut, and a third individual entered the room.
“Now, what brings you here, on a day that’s not Saturday, and in a room that’s not your workshop?” she asked, not looking up.
Sedric crossed his arms and sighed. “Could you stop nagging me about the workshop thing? I’ve been leaving it,” he complained.
Lucy looked up and shrugged. “I’m just pointing out how strange it is,” she replied innocently.
“Yeah right,” he muttered, looking away. Then he made an odd expression after having a realisation and glanced at her. “How did you know it was me when you didn’t even look up?”
She tapped on her head with a pen. “Spiritual energy. I saw you from the moment you entered the hallway.”
“That’s a bit cree-” He snapped his mouth shut when he saw her narrowed eyes. He gestured to the piles of paper on the coffee table in front of her to change the topic. “Are you busy?”
“I’m not doing anything important, no,” she replied, stacking the papers together and pushing them aside. “What do you need?” she asked.
“I have a question about magic I would like to ask,” he began hesitantly. “What does arcane mana really do?”
She observed him for a moment and then replied. “Normally I would say cast spells, but somehow I don’t think that’s the answer you’re looking for,” she said with a slight smile.
“Yeah... not that,” he replied, not finding her joke very funny.
“Well, then sit,” she said, pointing her pen at the opposite couch. “We won’t need to write anything down, and you don’t have your folder on you, so we won’t need the table over there.” She indicated with her thumb to the small round table between the back of her couch and the window.
He sat down on the couch opposite her as she began to explain.
“Before we begin, do you know what the difference between arcane mana and non-elemental mana is?” she asked him, crossing one leg over the other.
He frowned, thinking, but shook his head. “I didn’t think there was one.”
“It’s not like anything will change by knowing the difference, but it will still be helpful. Arcane mana is just non-elemental mana controlled by someone. That’s it,” she stated. She could see he didn’t understand, so she explained further. “Arcane mana is non-elemental mana that contains your mana signature. Because everyone has a unique mana signature, the properties of arcane mana can vary depending on the person.”
She pointed an index finger up, and a small white spinning ball began to form just a centimetre away from her finger’s tip. It gained several small rings that spun around it and had a silvery sheen as it made a small humming noise. He watched it curiously as she elaborated, “For example, the default colour of my arcane mana is very different to everyone else. I was born with no elemental affinity, so my arcane mana takes on the colour of my spiritual energy. So do my mana-circles.”
She snapped her fingers and the ball scattered. “But a different colour is a very rare kind of unique change. Most still have the normal translucent dark blue colouration when they cast arcane spells. The changes could be very small, such as making your runes last slightly longer, or could be more impactful, such as making your spells more resistant to disruption.” She gestured to him. “As a crafter who uses arcane mana, finding out your unique property might be helpful, but it’s not essential. Most people go their entire lives without working out what arcane mana does for them.”
“Anyway, that’s not really what you’re asking, so I’ll move on.” She continued, “Arcane mana has three special properties to it that make it different to elemental mana. The first is that it’s non-reactive. Complex spells almost always use arcane mana to stabilise them, ensuring conflicting elemental energies don’t mix.”
He nodded in understanding, making her go on. “Secondly is the fact arcane mana is, most of the time, a mana that can turn solid. Not like earth mana, or turning water into ice mana. It can transition between physical and non-physical easily, all while remaining non-reactive. Alchemists love to use it so their elixir ingredients don’t mix until the right point,” she told Sedric.
“The third property is less known and usually less understood. Arcane mana governs the natural, mundane, non-magical energies. It deals with force, and changes it to other kinds of forces,” she said, leaning back on the couch.
“Mundane…. energies? Like what?” he asked, confused.
“Energies like light, sound, heat, vibration, electromagnetism, kinetic, even gravity to a certain extent,” she explained, twirling a pen.
Sedric frowned. “Light and sound have their own elements.”
Lucille sighed. “I’m not talking about elements here. I’m talking about the energies that exist in the absence of mana. The vibration of the air would still create sound, regardless of the element. The sun of the plane would still beam down different types of light on us, irrespective of light mana.”
She pointed her pen at him again. “Sound cancelling barriers are arcane spells. You don’t use the sound element for those. And magic barriers work by halting the force behind an impact, and spreading it across the shield so it can sustain the force without breaking. Then you have the normal Mage Orb spell, which produces a globe of light to see by.”
He rubbed his chin as he gazed at the floor, trying to understand the concept. “So then… as a crafter, how does manipulating forces help me?” he asked.
“Force reduction, distributing stress, and arcane spells are also great at ensuring the mana density running through the engraving is maintained using pressure. For you as a crafter though, it means you can craft magic items of all the elements,” she said, “Without worrying about elemental conflict because you can use your mana to isolate the mana types. Your mana also won’t conflict with the elements themselves because of the non-reactive aspect of arcane mana.”
“Hm….” he replied, thinking about it. He looked up. “I’m still confused about the actual applications of it though. Magic items rarely deal with volatile element combinations, so it feels a bit useless for me in that sense.”
“Well, unless you need a magic item with a very specific purpose, arcane runes are only responsible for supporting functions in that regard. They are the most commonly found rune type in magic spells though,” she explained, reaching for her brass jug, which was on the table in front of her. “They serve as the fundamental framework for any spell intermediate level and up. There’s no such thing as an intermediate spell without arcane mana and arcane runes.”
He blinked. “Really? Why’s that? Is it just because they’re non-reactive?”
She shook her head and began pouring some coffee into a mug on the table. “It’s because arcane runes are the only runes capable of transmuting mana into the different elements. If you have a fire affinity but want to cast a fusion spell, you need arcane mana to change it into the other element, unless you have dual elements. Even then, you’d still need arcane mana to evenly distribute the mana throughout the mana circle, otherwise, it would collapse.”
He considered it for a moment, and then his eyes widened slightly. “Would that mean I could make magic items that contain materials with conflicting elements, and they wouldn’t degrade? Like, if I used a fire element gem, and also used a water element liquid to reduce heat damage to the engraving’s runes….”
“Yes. You could protect the elements in your magic items quite easily,” she responded, nodding as she took a sip of coffee. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. “But don’t go testing this out. Unless you can calculate the exact mana density and quantity of each element in each material and correlate it with the strength and grade of the arcane runes, you’d be risking a total collapse of your item or even an explosion, thanks to the Mana to Mana Principle. You’re not there yet.”
He was looking rather shifty until the last sentence, obviously already coming up with ways to do exactly what she warned against. But when she mentioned ‘Mana to Mana Principle’, his expression changed to become puzzled. “What was that principle again? I’ve forgotten a lot of that sort of thing after I gained my class…”
“It’s the third Fundamental Theory,” she replied, twisting herself so she could kick up her feet on the couch. “Mana attracts mana to itself, at greater speeds and quantities the more of it there is. In the magic item situation, if you don’t balance the elemental ratios properly, your fire mana or water mana would begin attracting its element, and then when there’s too much, the arcane or other elemental mana would change to the dominating element, ruining your spell engraving and materials.”
“Wait, so the Fundamental Theories apply to crafters as well as magic users?” he asked, surprised. “I thought it was just one of those things that nobody needs again outside of school unless you’re a magic addict.”
She shrugged. “If you’re a warrior, then who cares? But as a crafter, it’s very important. Even when you attach skills instead of spells, you need to understand how the mana will turn into the skill.”
His expression turned awkward. “Um, I don’t know how to attach non-spell skills to items yet….”
Lucille gave him a dismissive wave, not looking at him. “Obviously. You need to be Rank-3 to do that. And surprise surprise,” she said, giving him a slight smirk as she glanced at him. “You need spiritual energy to do so. That’s the entire reason why I want you to be Rank-3 before you begin making the item I want.”
“…..so spiritual energy isn’t just a cultivator thing?” he asked with a strange expression.
She rolled her eyes. “Everybody seems to forget that spiritual energy existed before the Heavenly Realm. Heroic Power needs spiritual energy. Mages and wizards need spiritual energy. Sorcerers need spiritual energy. Spirits need spiritual energy.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “The reason why most people can only access the stat at Rank-3 is because usually, it’s only useful for them then. When you start using abilities that can wipe out entire cities, you need the extra control.”
He scratched his chin, considered it, and then shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’m more interested in the Mana to Mana thing.” Then he paused, and his expression became slightly nervous. “And now I’m worried that the other two Fundamental Theories are important to me somehow. Could I please have a refresher?” he asked sheepishly.
She grinned slightly and sat up straighter as she sat sideways on the couch. “The first one is the Mana Metaphysics Principle. All mana is naturally in a semi-material state and this only changes when the power of the mind is applied. Because of this, you only see natural mana phenomena in the physical realms, which contain sapient creatures. And the denser the mana, the more material it becomes, turning into a physical substance. Because mana attracts mana, this can happen often.”
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She paused to point a gloved finger at him. “That’s how Origin items are made, by the way.”
“Huh… that… actually makes sense,” he replied, slightly shocked.
“The second principle is Mana Resonance.” She continued, taking another sip of coffee, “All mana particles are intrinsically linked, and the closer they are together, the stronger the link. Elemental mana has stronger links to its kind, but weaker links to other kinds. Non-elemental mana is linked to all equally.” She propped her chin up against the armrest of the couch, still sitting sideways. “That’s how mages and wizards can ‘resonate’ their runes externally, while their mana construct is internal. They can ‘copy’ their runes, and then project the copies within their field of influence.”
“So, not as important to me,” he stated.
She gave him a funny look. “Of course it is. Multi-layered spells can only be engraved into items through this process. And then there’s your own ‘field of influence’, which is the term for how far you can extend your mana before it loses your mana signature. It helps you manipulate several magic items at once.” She paused and then raised an index finger. “Again, that can be increased through spiritual energy. Your mana signature is just a version of your spiritual energy signature, after all.”
He blinked. Then he put a hand on his forehead and held up his other hand to pause her. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said, sounding perplexed and bemused. “What’s this about multi-layered spells and engraving? I haven’t learnt about that yet, but that feels like something important….”
“Ah.” She glanced at him and then turned around to sit normally on the couch. “True, I haven’t gotten to that part yet in our discussions. Well, you know what properties gemstones carry in magic, right?”
“Sure,” he said, frowning a little at the simple question. “Any magic item needs one. Every crystal is capable of containing mana, so they’re used as power sources for spells. The colour of the gemstone also indicates its affinity. Red for fire, blue for water, white for air, brown for earth, yellow for light, black for dark, and then violet for space.”
“So,” she replied with a smile. “If gemstones can be filled with mana, can lose mana, and they can also have affinities… doesn’t that make them mini mana pools?” She smiled wider and continued as Sedric’s expression gradually grew more stunned, “And what do mages put inside their mana pools? Runic models.”
She put her mug down and spread her hands. “Gemstones are vessels for artificial mana constructs. By placing permanent rune projections within the gemstone, you can create an item that will cast multi-layered spells, and the larger and higher quality the gemstone, the larger its own field of influence. Gemstones are also not controlled by the limitations of a wizard’s heart circles, or a mage’s runic model, so the spells within can be of vastly different structures and types to a normal mana construct’s.”
“But wouldn’t that mean I could just go ahead and put a bunch of runes within gemstones, and then call myself a crafter after selling them?” he asked, disbelieving. “I may as well just sell stones on a stick and call it quits!”
Lucy gazed at him silently for a moment. “Sedric. You’re describing a magic staff,” she said in a dry voice.
“…you’re joking.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not. Granted, there are vastly more steps behind making a good staff besides just putting spells in the gem and sticking it on top, but dedicated staff crafters are known to have rather… cushy jobs in comparison to other crafters,” she said.
He held his chin. “Should I change my profession?”
“You don’t even know how to craft one item with a multi-layered spell inside. How exactly are you planning on getting a Grand-mage’s Grand spell inside a jewel the size of your fist?” she asked in a wry voice, raising an eyebrow.
He coughed and looked away. “Maybe I won’t then.”
She smirked but moved on. “But this isn’t to say the other aspects of magical item crafting are redundant. Gemstones themselves come with limitations. Firstly is that they are expensive,” she stressed, giving the brown-haired man opposite her a look. “Most people try to use as small and as few gemstones as possible. Do you think every crafter gets free access to the Commission Head’s vault?”
“Yes, you’re rich. I understand,” he said in a tired voice.
She shook her head in amusement and then continued, “Another thing is size limitations. Make runes too small, they won’t contain enough mana to function. Make them too big, and you won’t have enough room for the entire spell in the gem. A crafter needs to be able to calculate what sized gem is correct for what they need, basing it on the element of the spell, and how many spells you plan to include in your item. Sometimes an item needs auxiliary gemstones when there’s no space, and the crafter needs to know how to properly link the spell lines together.”
“Then there’s the item’s body,” she said, gesturing to him. “Carrying around only gems is impractical, and unless you’re familiar with magic, insert mana into the gem from the wrong direction and the whole spell model collapses. You still need to make sure the item can be carried easily, and its shape is right for the type of spell you’re crafting.”
“Sounds like there’s fewer components in it than less powerful magic items though…” he mused. He became surprised when she vigorously shook her head.
“Absolutely not,” she stated firmly. “Your job will get even more complex. Remember, each gemstone had a limited capacity for mana. By putting runes inside, you are permanently reducing its capacity, and the gem will no longer have the main purpose of being mana storage. And the smaller size of runes used in crafting means the spell will be weaker if cast straight from the gem. You need to substitute for that.”
She held up her hands and began counting on her fingers. “You’ll need to craft an activation function and link it to the correct spell frame. For that, you need to determine the right mana-conductive material. Then there’s the amplification material to increase the spell’s power. The metal type for the linkage mana lines. The element transmutation substance. The atmospheric equaliser. The binder congealer. The sealant. The protection enchantment. The power container. The spell toggle. The negative integrity diffuser. The density regulator.”
She shrugged before his wide-eyed stare. “There are more features you need to take into account when crafting the body of the item. And for each one, you need to ensure the elemental integrity and ratios of each material and the actual mana in the spell lines is okay, and won’t conflict with or escape the item. You need a very solid understanding of the alchemical properties of each substance you’re dealing with, and all this does not take into account the actual amount of magical theory you need to design the spell within the gemstone.”
She leaned back and crossed her arms. “You want to design your own items. But don’t forget that’s not what most crafters do. Usually, they carefully follow the instructions on blueprints handed down for millennia by their masters, becoming good at making only want the blueprint tells them to. They don’t know how they are making what they’re making, they just know what to do.”
“Now I see why custom item makers are so rare,” he muttered, rubbing his head. “That is… well, my skills don’t tell me what half of the things you just spoke about are.”
“And you’re even starting at a better place than them due to having a comprehensive Legendary class. A Legendary class, on average, requires a foundation of four or more decent quality side or main classes to reach its rarity, usually Epic ranked or higher.” She held her chin and thought for a moment. “I believe the Runestarred Arcane Inaugurator was built on the foundation of enchanter, all-purpose smith, and magic engineer. It shows the three classes were already very high quality and comprehensive before merging.”
She watched as he pondered over her words with a complicated expression, frowning slightly.
“If you wish,” she said with an unreadable gaze, “I could directly hand you the blueprints of the items I want made, and then let you use trial and error to make them. Eventually, you’ll reach a decent enough quality and could move on to the next one. We could use this method instead of having me teach you magic and engineering theory each Saturday.”
He looked up to stare at her like he was shocked such words were even coming from her.
Lucille rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to be stubborn and keep trying to make you learn something if you don’t want to. I’m not an idiot, I can tell you’re uncomfortable when I try to teach you.”
“Oh… that…” He grimaced. “It’s not that you’re not helpful, it’s just that-”
“I’m 18. I’m aware,” she stated dryly. “I can perfectly comprehend that for most people the idea of someone younger than them trying to explain or even order them to do something is not pleasant and can feel undermining.”
“Uh.” He stared at her. “It kinda feels even worse when you say it so openly like that…. and with that tone of voice….”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “Just… consider the fact that I am actually the Commission Head, and haven’t been placed under the command of someone else, being manipulated by the Counts like a puppet on strings. If they didn’t respect my capabilities in some measure, there is no way you’d still be sitting here as my contracted crafter.”
She rested her chin on her hand as she looked at him. “So, do you want to continue what we’ve been doing, or would you rather just have the blueprints?”
“Can’t I have both?” he replied, blinking innocently.
She stared at him incredulously and then ran a hand down her face. “No, you can’t have both. I haven’t even drawn up any other blueprints yet, what are you expecting from me?”
“Then I guess we’ll just keep doing what we have been…” he muttered.
Lucy assumed it was because he was too embarrassed to admit he could see what she taught him was useful. “Although, if you want something to do….” she mused, thinking. She stood up and walked over to the table behind her, then grabbed a pen from the stationary container on its surface. She also grabbed a blank piece of paper on it and then began drawing on it. Sedric stood up and walked over to see what she was drawing, curious.
“So, you really do draw the blueprints?” he asked, to her nod. “But… how? The one you gave me which I have in my workshop has such a high level of complexity. You must have spent ages making it.”
“Not really. It was about one afternoon,” she replied nonchalantly.
He stared at her. “Excuse me? You spent one afternoon coming up with an entirely new magic item, yet you’ve just told me how hard it was to design one today? And you’re still trying to say you used only one afternoon to draw that blueprint up?”
She looked up with a slight frown. “You don’t know?” She stopped to check her memories and then shook her head. “Never mind. It seems I haven’t told you yet. Anyway, I have an eidetic memory.” She went back to drawing on the paper.
He blinked and paused to try to remember what that was. “The thing where you remember anything you’ve seen?”
“Mine’s several stages above that. Eidetic memory means I remember every sight, sound, scent, touch and taste I had at the moment, normally temporarily. However, for me with my soul power, I can also remember every thought I had at the time, remember the exact pattern the atmospheric mana was in around me, as well as have permanent perfect recall of the memories,” she explained, switching to a new page.
He scowled at her. “That feels so unfair. So you can easily copy any blueprint you see. How could you be that lucky?”
Lucy gave him an exasperated glance. “I wasn’t born with it. I had a good memory, but not even the base stages of what is considered ‘eidetic’.” She gestured to her head. “There is a reason why one of my strengths is spiritual energy. It’s very useful.”
She straightened up and turned to look at him. “It wasn’t without thought that I began using it either. I’ve demonstrated that I use illusion magic,” she said, smiling. “Good memory is extremely helpful when you want to create a realistic illusion.” She passed him the two pages she had drawn on, revealing that they had two mana-circles sketched on them. “When you go back, play around with these two single-layer spells on your items.”
She smirked and crossed her arms. “They will make up the basis of the first magic item I want you to craft.”
Sedric glanced between the pages and her with wide eyes. “Wait, really? This is actually a component of a magic item?”
Lucy nodded. “The actual item I need to be crafted will contain a three-layer spell, but these two spells use some of the same fundamentals with lesser power. It will at least help you understand what I mean when I say arcane mana deals with ‘force’ after all.”
He gazed at the pages, and he held his chin as he analysed the diagrams. “I might go test these out now then. Thanks for making time.”
And with that, he turned around and left the room, obviously eager to start making items. Lucille kept her smile until he was gone, and then her expression reverted to nothing as per usual. She sighed as her eyes rested on the pages on the table.
If he can make any progress with those spells, then all the better for me. Force damage seems to be my only weakness right now, so those energy-repulsion circles will likely be a core component of most of the protective accessories I design.
I think my expression regulator is degrading. I find myself slipping up and showing this more often than not. Didn’t I change the default?
She closed her eyes as she briefly checked her soul, rifling through the rigid silvery-white structures and constructs to find one of her mental processes. She exhaled and opened her eyes again.
Of course. The thought strands responsible for it are just as motivated as me to do anything about it. Figures.
She snapped her fingers and the illusion mana scattered, and she then made her way over to the windowsill. She crossed her arms as she looked out into the garden below.
Question is, do I even bother trying to reset it? It’s just going to do this again. It might not be worth keeping the passive regulation on. Scytale couldn’t care less with how long he’s known me, and I’m pretty sure Vincent’s clued on to the fact I’m not actually a smiley person.
She tilted her head as she considered that thought further.
Well… it’s not like I was being very subtle with that conversation about killing and soul reading. But after what Conlan did the day before……
She turned away from the window.
I knew what I would be dealing with by taking this path. I knew I’d have to see him try to ruin my subordinates' lives again. But…. seeing him like that with them…..
She rubbed her temples and walked back over to the couch.
I don’t want to think about this anymore. I have a private meeting with the four main families in a few days. I’ll fix up what I can now so I’m fine for that, and then I’ll consider what I’ll do about my expressions.
She sat down on the couch and sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
I hope I don’t need to seal my past memories on Adrianna’s side.
…
A dark-haired girl closed her pocket watch as she stepped in front of a pair of large, dark double doors, two guards on either side. It was the second last day of her debut event. All the direct bloodline members who had come to her event would be there, as well as the most important vassal members. The eastern wing of the Pavilion had been set up for the meeting, most nobility unaware it was even occurring.
She held up her pocket watch for the guards to see, where they politely bowed and opened the door. She stepped through it, and a doorman on the other side noticed her and straightened up to reveal her presence.
“NOW AN-”
“Nope,” she stated flatly, interrupting him.
He gazed at her with a nonplussed look on his face. “….no?”
She shook her head. “No.” She stepped forward and crossed her arms. “If there was a single person in this room who doesn’t know the name of the Faction Head by now, then they’re a failure of the highest order. I don’t need to be introduced when there are only about thirty people here,” she explained wryly.
“But-” he was stopped again when she held up her pocket watch.
“This is coming from the Faction Head,” she reminded him.
He hesitated but bowed and took a step back, giving up all plans of continuing her introduction. She gave a satisfied nod and turned around, then walked down the short staircase in front of the doors. Not many people noticed her entrance, but Count Ravimoux, who had been standing next to one of the tables around the edge of the room, did. He glanced between the doorman and her with a lazy smile on his face.
“I see you don’t enjoy the idea of another grand proclamation of your entry?” he said with amusement.
She nodded to him. “Good evening, Count Ravimoux.”
The black-haired man placed a hand on his chest with a shocked expression. “Just ‘Count Ravimoux’? How cold! And after I had thought we had grown close enough to be on a first-name basis, ‘Lucy’,” he said with a wide smile.
She picked up a glass of wine from one of the tables and sipped it calmly. “You should be thankful I didn’t call you ‘Reggy’,” she replied wryly.
After a pause, the smile fell from his face and he stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Oh yes, I’m very thankful indeed,” he said in a low voice. “In fact, you should be thankful you didn’t call me ‘Reggy’.”
She didn’t look at him as she took another sip of her wine. “Oh, what do we have here, the Faction Head is being threatened by one of the Counts.” She glanced at him with a slight smile. “And by someone from the Black County too. How stereotypical.”
He gazed at her silently for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by her response, and then clicked his tongue and sighed. “Count Ravimoux it is then,” he said, crossing his arms.
It seemed their discussion had been noticed by others because a woman with long grass-green hair was watching them curiously some distance away. She started walking over, making the people around her notice, which happened to be several individuals with silver hair. Vincent had also been with them and also walked over. Two of the silver-haired men followed, one of them with two women near him.
The green-haired woman nodded to Count Ravimoux and then stepped forward to greet Lucille with an energetic smile on her face.
“Hello! We haven’t met yet, but I’ve heard about you. I’m Melissa Evisenhardt,” she said, giving Lucy a slight bow. She stepped forward and raised a hand.
Lucy nodded, placing down her glass, and went to hold out her hand to shake hands with her. “Hel- …..hah?”
She stared at the woman with wide eyes.
Melissa Evisenhardt had begun pulling on her cheeks.