Ch177-Upgrades People Upgrades (2/2)

Sylver walked over to one of the workbenches and picked up a small glass flask. He swirled the liquid inside around for a few seconds, before he floated it over the dirty glass vat, and poured the contents of the flask inside. 

Within seconds it started to sputter with a blue flame that burned through everything inside the glass vat, and gradually cleaned and disinfected it.

“I have a ring that will make him appear to be a regular level 62 [Human] warrior. But I’ve only got one. I meant to give it to you, but it will probably be easier for you to bullshit your way through the fact that they can’t see your status, than that they can’t see Spring’s,” Lola explained, as Sylver walked back to her, and sat down in one of the couches in the “meeting area” that hadn’t been here 5 years ago, and was a new addition by Misha and Masha.

Sylver liked it. He could talk to people in the safety and secrecy of his workshop, while on a comfortable sofa.

“So, you think Edmund is somewhere in the Schlagen mountains…” Lola tried to say casually but was just short of stuttering.

“That’s where the you know what was damaged, according to your own notes. I only have 4 attempts to track him. I’ll go to the mountains, and if it confirms Edmund is in that direction, I’ll know for sure. If not, I’ll travel in the direction the tracker pointed, and then track him again, to triangulate his location,” Sylver said, as he brushed invisible dust off his robe, and sat down opposite Lola.

“When are you leaving?” Lola asked.

“In a couple of days… I want to see Ciege and Benjamin, it’s been 5 years, he must be able to walk, and run around by now… Do humans talk when they’re 5 years old? No, never mind, don’t tell me. I’ll sit down to drink and catch up with Salgok, and then there’s Bruno and Faust… How much of a pain in the ass is the new head priest? Do you want me to have a talk with him?” Sylver asked, and saw an odd smile form on Lola’s face.

“Thank you for the offer, but there’s no need. He and I have an understanding. Even if I need to remind him about it every couple of months. The man has a problem with his memory, but he’s nothing I can’t handle,” Lola answered.

Sylver drummed his fingers against his knee as he stared at the three metallic ribs in the distance, and gradually found a suitable framework that would work well with them.

“Do you have any Sympera? About 2 kilograms, ideally 3,” Sylver asked, and predictably Lola’s eyes became as wide as saucers.

“You’re making yourself a staff?” Lola asked after she thought it over for a moment. 

Sylver gestured towards the three ribs in the distance and made them float over to them, by focusing on the metal plate they were on.

“I got these from my namesake, and they are exceptionally conductive,” Sylver explained, as he picked one up, and was surprised to feel Ria slither up his arm, into his hand.

He stayed quiet as she sent a tendril up the hole at the bottom of the rib, and went inside the rib.

Sylver remained quiet as pitch-black smoke began to pour out of the tip of the rib, and promptly destroyed the small tea table that Sylver had been holding it over. Sylver contained the smoke and moved it away from himself and Lola, who was the same as him, just silently staring at this marvel of magic.

“There are symbols everywhere in here. There must be thousands of them,” Ria said, as the smoke stopped pouring out, and instead, ice started to form at the rib’s tip and quickly formed into a ball of spiky ice.

Sylver pulled a pencil out and drew on what little remained of the tea table, 5 small sigils.

“Could you find these, and activate them in that order?” Sylver asked as he pointed the rib, and Ria, down towards the 5 sigils he had drawn.

It took less than a second, before the tip of the metallic bone exploded with bright white light, and promptly flickered out.

“It certainly explains the odd mana channel form,” Sylver said, as Ria removed herself from the rib, and went back to being wrapped around his forearm.

“Do you still need 3 kilograms of Sympera? Because it will take months to gather that much, even for me,” Lola questioned, as Sylver was already in the process of making a blueprint in his head.

“No… I mean, do start gathering it, but there’s no rush… Ria, did doing whatever you did hurt? Any feelings of discomfort? Anything?” Sylver asked the metal band wrapped around his arm.

“No, I didn’t feel anything. The code is an extremely old variant of the one used in Eden’s Garden, but I can familiarize myself with it, it won’t take too long,” Ria said…

If Ria agreed to come with Sylver and agreed to live inside of a hollowed-out staff, then Sylver would have completed another item on his bucket list.

He’d seen, and used, sentient staves in the past, but all it took was trying to channel mana through them one time for them to tear themselves out of his grasp, and get as far away from him as possible.

But having a staff that could cast magic on its own, and wasn't afraid of Sylver’s mana, on account of being unable to feel it, was beyond perfect.

“If we chained compressed mana crystals in a series and…” Lola’s mumbling became completely inaudible as she lifted her hand up to her mouth and began to chew on her fingernail.

“Let’s go have pancakes first. I have some things to think over, and Ria and I will need to discuss what the future holds for us,” Sylver said, and forced himself to break out of his train of thought, and forced Lola to stand up too. 

Her eyes were so unfocused that they worried Sylver a little.

“I’ve actually given it a great deal of thought, and I have an answer,” Ria said.

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