The discussions for the second base started very quickly with Aerith arriving at the abnormal Dimension. Initially she had been rather unhappy at my sudden decision to just build another base with no warning, but after hearing the reasoning she very quickly got to work, understanding the reason behind my decisiveness.
“Still, we can’t just build a big base here. I’m thinking of having this more as a storage and processing plant while also maintaining some defences. Since this won’t be our main base, we’ll need to focus more on defensive countermeasures to buy time for people to evacuate…” Aerith paced back and forth around the road, tapping her pen on her lip while glancing around. “Alright, I have a few ideas. My only concern is fuel for transport, we’re starting to run thin as it is.”
Folding my arms, I sighed and nodded. It is indeed a pain point for us at the moment, one I would be glad to be rid of. The research into using mana as an energy source is slow, a breakthrough is badly needed but because they’re researching blindly there is little hope from that front. The other hope we have is finding another town or city, yet…
Frowning, I recalled the Void Machinery book had a machine that used the Void to connect two locations, allowing one to open a path to shorten the distance. From the description in the book, the void was chaotic and turbulent. By combining technology and Void magic, gates were made that drastically reduced travel time. Five days of travel became a ten minute walk. But the machinery itself was way outside of my experience, it’s so complex that it made my head spin just looking at it.
“How long can we survive with our current fuel?”
“I don’t know, it’s not my area to manage. Sheep would be best to ask that.” Aerith, shrugging, turns back to her clipboard before tilting her head. “Though, about a month ago I heard we had enough for five or six months, but that’s before using a bunch for cleaning up.”
“So not much then…alright. We will go with your idea and build this area as a processing area.”
With that, we head back and leave the Dimension behind. The reason why I wanted to make a base there is purely because of the fact it will be a huge benefit for food and magic stones, leaving it undefended means if another group ever found it they would claim it. A small outpost should help, but if we didn’t have the resources like fuel to fully build a base then we would leave it alone.
“So Ruby, now you’re out of your office, what is the plan?” Kate, who was driving, asked me a question that I knew others would be asking.
“Right now, managing the base. I intend to check in on how everything is going, get some plans underway before starting my workshop. I’ve left Machinist to rot for a bit because of the Nexus event, but with the peace brought along after the Nexus event I intend to make sure we use it completely.”
“What about advancing to Lvl 4?”
“There is a lot to do, I’m starting to understand why the previous iterations failed. Between solidifying our position, seeking out other survivors and advancing, we have so much to do. As for now, I think it’s safe for us to build our foundations first before we advance. For example, reaching our peaks with physical and magical strength, discovering the bonus objectives and more. Those Void Legion guys were on par with us and the System said they were peak Lvl 2, which means we are lacking in a lot of aspects.”
“So basically we’re going to train?”
“And explore. We need to seriously find others, establish trade with other large camps and potentially find more inheritances left behind by the natives of this world. I have ideas about how to achieve most of this, but getting it into action will require effort from everyone."
Pulling up to the base after a few hours, we drove through the gate and parked up. Bidding farewell to Kate, I think about my next steps before turning towards the magic and research building, previously the mana refiners. The small building had expanded and they were now in the process of building their own workshop, though not one given by the System, one provided by Kate.
Entering the building and seeing Juliana, I made my way over. She stood there with a large frown, arms crossed while tapping her elbow with one hand, apparently in deep thought. On a table in front of her sat four radios, each one inscribed with a different magic circle and in the middle of the circles is a magic crystal.
“How goes the research, Juliana?”
“Hm? Ah, Midnight. It’s…well, we’re still at a roadblock.” Turning, she sighs, unusually down. Pointing at one of the radios, she spoke further. “Regardless of how we inscribe them, the magic circuits don’t seem to connect with the power circuits of the radio. While we’re getting close to converting mana to energy, or rather electricity, we still can’t figure out how to connect the two.”
Glancing at the magic circles carefully, my mind flashes with knowledge, incomplete and chaotic, but it makes these magic circles seem simple, bland. Remembering the world shift and when I had glanced at the sky, I recalled the gigantic magic circle that seemed to cover the world that had severely damaged me just looking at it.
Picking up a highlighter that was nearby, I drew a few circles on the radios, spots that I knew were wrong. Although I knew they were wrong, I didn’t understand why.
“Midnight, you know about magic circles?”
“Not really, no. I just know these parts here are wrong but I don’t know why.”
“Hmm. Interesting, but how do you know?”
Explaining the time I saw the giant magic circle that gave me some knowledge, Juliana nodded slowly while looking at the magic circle. “So that means the non-marked areas are correct?”
“I don’t know. I just know those are wrong, the others I honestly have no clue about.”
“That’s fine, we’ll retry them.” Taking out a notepad, Juliana started to write while I looked around at the work the other researchers were doing. Some were researching enchantments on guns or armour while others tested the use of the monster cores. We knew from research that one could absorb the magic within these cores, which makes it easier to increase the tier of magic. But some inconclusive reports stated that by using this method the magic was weaker than if you trained naturally.
Leaving the research building, I made my way to the next building, or rather, the new arena. This arena is an idea I had just as I started the one month of being locked in my office, an area where we could train ourselves physically. Roughly the size of two football stadiums, it’s sectioned off into nine different training areas. While most were aimed at physical training, like gyms, sparring areas and more, two were made for magic training and one was a proper arena meant for fighting. This sat in the middle, with stands for people to come and watch.
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Such a large project had yet to be finished and in fact wasn’t a focus but the foundation had been completed and the structure was slowly being built. Noticing a change from the original plan, I walked over to where the planners were and took a look at the blueprint. Around the entire building is a ring, intended to be used as an obstacle course. Nodding with satisfaction at this alteration, I left the building behind.
With night approaching, and after a day of checking in on various areas of the base while accompanied by the spirits, who seemed eager to be by my side, I headed back to the office to find Isabelle waiting for me. Upon greeting me, she informed me that the materials for my workshop had been set aside, with additional pieces in case of any errors. Thanking her, I asked her to pass a message to Winter, who had been preoccupied with weaponsmithing and building the workshop blueprint she’d received.
Entering my office once again, I stopped by the egg and saw nothing had changed. Ghost, Geralt and those that fought with Winter and Aerith hadn’t received an egg, only I had, which confused me. They had received rather unique items, such as Void weaponry that we had no idea how to operate. Turning my attention away, I picked up the next item I had received; the Void Crystal.
Sitting down on the ground and crossing my legs, I breathed out and held the crystal with both hands. Unlike monster cores, this crystal wasn’t for absorbing, instead it’s used to gain an understanding into Void Magic. I didn’t understand it, but it had helped me figure out why I could easily use Fire and Ice magic.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the crystal in front of me, clearing my mind of all thoughts. Very quickly, I found myself surrounded by nothing, absolutely nothing. I couldn’t see anything, a complete darkness surrounded me, to the point where I couldn’t even see my body. I knew that my body was there, but the darkness stopped me from seeing it.
No, calling it darkness is wrong. This is nothingness, void. Nothing exists, not even darkness that needs light. But there is something here, at least that would be the knowledge of what the ‘void’ is. I knew it meant nothing, but knowing and understanding are different concepts. Closing my eyes once more, I took in what it meant to be within a complete void.
Trying to understand the concept of ‘nothing’ in a space is extremely difficult. This is also why Fire and Ice were very easy for me to comprehend, because as a species we knew how fire and ice worked on a scientific nature. But when it comes to the concept of ‘nothing’ we don't understand it thoroughly. Yes, imagining an empty space is easy, but it’s not that simple.
After some time, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and opening my eyes once more, I frowned slightly. I’m being watched, something is here within this nothingness, I wasn’t alone. This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, the first time I had been overwhelmed by the void and left after less than a minute. Now, I can last several hours, but at some random point this feeling of being watched appears.
I didn’t understand how, after all, logically this space is only a magic created by the crystal to understand the void. So how is it that something can be here? How could it survive? Or is it my imagination? Not wanting to find out, I release my concentration and leave the crystal, the feeling of being watched disappearing as I open my eyes. I remained in the same spot as before, with the same posture.
Closing my eyes, I took in what I had taken away from this session. The feeling of nothingness on my skin, the understanding that I’m building of what the ‘void’ is. Emptiness that can’t be easily found, but existed. Standing, I stretch and place the crystal back in my draw before walking over to the window, peering down at the base.
The scenery at night is impressive, spirits roaming around without a care as the people that occupied it moved around the base, either heading home for a nights rest or heading out to do work. Hearing the door to my office room open, I turned my head to see the person I had requested Isabelle summon earlier and with a smile I greeted him.
“Silver, it’s been sometime. The new look is quite appealing, you know?” Standing there is Silver, who had faded into the background for some time. After we had found Trinity’s group, he had requested to be moved away from Jupiter’s team and instead be placed under Sheep’s before asking to not be in the leadership team. Since then, he’s mainly kept to himself, with only Dawn and Jupiter keeping in touch with him
He too had reached Lvl 3 and had changed rather drastically. Half draconic, half human, he had pitch black hair and eyes, a scaled black tail and two horns that came from his forehead, curving towards the back of his head. He wore a simple shirt and shorts, with a robe over the top of them and two swords on his left hip.
Giving me a nod, he sat on the chair opposite me while remaining silent. He had always been quiet, and giving him a light smile I sat opposite him before leaning forward.
“I asked Isabelle to bring you here because I have a request for you.” Waiting for a reaction, which only involved a nod, I continued. “I want you to be my sparring partner.”
This time the reaction is more than a nod. A raised brow followed by his eyes widening meant he found this request to be unexpected. However, as quickly as the surprise came, realisation followed before returning back to its normal stoic expression.
“You want to work on your weakness?”
“Bingo. Between everyone else, you’re the most suited. You use a sword, have high reflexes, agility and strength and know a few techniques. With the Void Legion potentially being a future threat, as well as other unknown threats, I think it’s best to work on the weakness of close combat. As for payment…”
Standing, I walked over to the bookshelf and taking two books, I placed them down on the desk. Silver, glancing at them, had an expression of interest before picking one up and glancing through it before putting it down. “And if I said no?”
“They’re yours either way, no one else is currently stronger than you in terms of swordsmanship.” Seeing him nod once, he took the two books.
“I agree. When do you want to start?”
“Not now, but in a month or two. There is far too much I need to do now before I can fully focus on training.” Seeing him nod, I watched as Silver walked to the door and left the office without so much as a word. Isabelle entered shortly after with a stack of papers.
Seeing her head towards her desk, I knew she was looking to digitise everything she had brought in. Stretching my neck, I got up and bid farewell to Isabelle, heading out once more. Looking up at the night sky, I smiled slightly as the spirits, as usual, floated over and sat on my shoulders and head. Walking to the centre of the base, the dead centre, I stopped before a small tree.
This is a reward that Winter had gotten from defeating a Void Legion Captain. She had landed the killing blow, and while the others had received several rewards, the unique reward had gone to her. She had told me this was a ‘mystical tree’ that, with time, would grow and provide ‘benefits’. The benefits were unknown, this is what the System had told her, but in the span of a month it had already grown to the height of my waist.
“You beat me here.” Turning at the voice, I felt my smile widen as Rebecca walked over to me, similarly covered in spirits. Stopping by my side, Rebecca looked at the small tree with a small smile. Taking her hand in one of mine, we both went over to a bench and sat down.
“We haven’t really spent much time together recently, have we?” Hearing her voice, I nodded slightly in response before shuffling over and leaning against her shoulder as the spirits scattered, escaping from being squashed.
“Mm, we’ve become rather busy. Even though we don’t need sleep anymore, there is so much to do that it’s unreal.” Watching the spirits, they all sat under the small tree or on the small branches, a small glow emitting from the spirits. It seemed like they were the ones responsible for the tree growing quickly, it’s like they were feeding it mana.
“Well, it’s nice to know we still have some free time like this, though it’s not long.” Both of us chuckle. Our house, and bed, had been empty since the world shift, constantly being busy to ensure everything was ready for the Nexus Event. We had agreed that unless it’s an emergency to not use our telepathic link to talk. We didn’t want it to be a norm to communicate like that, instead wanting to only talk in person.
“After a few months and once we’ve stabilised a bit we’ll be okay and have more time. Oh, did you hear? Diana is…” Gossiping like we were teenagers, we both spent the next few hours until dawn just talking about everything we found interesting, both of us forgetting our duties, just for a bit.