Chapter 112: Quest time

"Remember. Replacing the fueling stone is possible, but I have yet to properly test it out. In fact, before I will finish the project of the printed charge, you should still treat those tools as a one-use kind. Just for your own safety."

Passing a small crate to my hands, Sander left me with advice. While I claimed to attempt to stress-test those stones, this sly middle-aged fox somehow managed to figure out what kind of stress those artefacts would be put under.

Because ultimately, I couldn't really wait any longer. As soon as I returned after a night spent in Ayda's loving embrace, my calendar exploded with meetings, tests, visits and other kinds of stuff that I couldn't ignore. From as soon as tomorrow, I would have at least two weeks without a single day or even a single hour for me to rest. 

The insane pile of affairs that had to be taken care of instantly overwhelmed me. Yet, no matter how hard I was trying, I couldn't find a single element of my new schedule that I could scrap or push on someone else. 

In the end, I managed to avoid all the hassle related to the change of power within the city. To signify it, I didn't even notice when the new elections were written and passed. But now that I thought about it, it could also be the reason behind a sudden increase of missing calls that I noticed about a week ago. 

"I won't dare to push them beyond the limit. While I have my own tests to conduct, I'm perfectly aware of how early the stage of development of this project is. Don't worry, I won't act as if those artefacts were the pinnacle of what we can achieve with them."

Shaking my head to reinforce the denial in my words, I still accepted the box that Sander passed to me. According to the note that I received before meeting him, I could quickly learn the insane number of types of artefacts that he managed to create in such a short period of time. 

In total, the crate that I was now holding consisted of three layers, each in four on four dimensions. Each of the point within the structure made up a single, simple box containing an artefact. With this, I was now armed in forty-eight stones, divided into a total of six types.

"Keep in mind that I'm not sure whether the repulsion stone will work as intended. In theory, it should, but I'm not actually sure about the math behind it. Maybe once my understanding of those runes will reach a bit higher level… Just keep in mind that this particular set of stones might not behave as expected."

How annoying… 

In any normal situation, this kind of information should be saved on some kind of note that I would also receive in advance. What's more, it should be circulated around the entire organisation, so that more heads could think about the possible solutions to the known problems. Yet, with how my faction was the pioneers of the field, the necessary secrecy was wreaking havoc amidst all the standard procedures.

"Once again, don't worry. I will keep my safety as the highest priority. After all, it would be a shame to kick the bucket in some kind of stupid accident right at the dawn of such an insane technology… Just thinking about what kind of day-to-day utensils we will be able to make with those… You could say that I'm filled with great expectations for the near future. But with that said…"

Turning my head to the side, I meaningfully directed my sight towards the doors.

"Yeah, yeah. Take care and good luck!"

Catching my drift, Sander nodded his head to me as he fell back on his chair. Only now did all the exhaustion he was bound to amass over the past few, busy days finally appeared on his face. It was as if his body rejected the idea of collapsing all the way to the point where my departure marked the final step of his first deadline.

Thinking about it now, it took me quite a while to prepare for this quest. With the ability to bring Ayda to earth at stake, I couldn't afford to fail the mission. Unless this strange type of quest that I received had some other rules that all the previous missions I finished, it would take at least a few days if not weeks before I could conclude it. And that's why I wasn't going to skip on any possible step in my preparations.

"Hey, before you go…"

Just as I was reaching with my hand for the knob of the doors, Sander's voice stopped me in my tracks. Freezing in place, I turned my head around with several question marks printed all over my face.

"You know… It's quite hard for me to bring that topic up, but I actually have a daughter… And she just came of age the other day…"

Scratching the back of his head, even Sander wasn't as shameless as to keep his eyes at me. Lowering his gaze in a full display of his shame, he just stood there. Almost forgetting how to breathe for a moment, I couldn't stop my hand from travelling all the way to my face. Only once a huge breath escaped from my lungs in form of a sigh, did I found a way out of it.

As if it could be called like that.

"Good for you. I will pray for her to find a suitable partner soon."

Rolling my eyes, I quickly opened the doors and escaped from the room before Sander could bring this matter back on the agenda. With Ayda by my side in her own world and hopefully soon also on Earth, I didn't have any need for any other female companions.

Especially when the intention of potentially meeting with one would have reasons behind it that were obvious to anyone who has even a shred of intelligence. 

Shutting the doors behind me,  I quickly carried away with the box filled with precious artefacts. Every single one of them could contribute a whole lot to my mission. In reality, testing their capability was the least important of the matters that I have on my head right now. When compared to my own personal wish of bringing Ayda to the relative peace of my world, those stones didn't hold almost any value to me at all. 

Outside of how they could contribute to my mission that is. Even if they could become the bridge that would connect the magic and technology on earth, even if they would be the launching point from which the world would usher in an era of unprecedented growth due to the appearance of new, seemingly endless sources of energy…

All of those prospects waned away when placed beside the image of showing Ayda around the earth. As aware as I was of how silly this dreamed-out image of mine was, I was fully prepared to commit my everything to turn that dream into reality. 

After escaping from the proximity of Sander's workshop, I quickly entered the confined area of the concrete dome that protected the entrance to my basement. Even though relative to the time on the earth, I would go out for only a few minutes at most, I still made sure to close all the doors and locks behind me.

A habit remained one only if one constantly practised it. Once I would allow myself to slack on this vigilance, I would make the first step towards creating an opening someone would be sure sooner or later exploit.

Soon with the doors leading to the basement closing behind my back, I placed the huge crate on the basement's floor before opening it up. From the barrier stones, through three different kinds of attack stones all the way to two kinds of utility ones. To say that I was prepared would be a gross understatement just when looking at how many stones was I about to bring, not to speak about all the other stuff that I procured in advance.

Starting off with putting several layers of clothing on myself, I took an entire bag filled with spares. Not knowing whether I would appear in the jungle, in a desert or maybe in the middle of a sea, I had to be prepared for all the possibilities. Set of one long gun and one handgun along with an ample amount of ammunition and explosives was yet another line of insurance that I prepared for myself.

In the end, by the time I donned every part of my equipment, I was no different from a pile of bags attached to every spot on my suit that allowed it. With a swimsuit at the very bottom turning into a loose sweater and topped with a thick winter-jacket at the top, I could remove or keep any given amount of layers to adapt by outfit for the situation in the world of my special quest.

"System, I want to enter the quest area."

Speaking to the empty air, I waited for a moment. Just like expected, no gust of wind appeared, no lights flickered, no strange shrill travelled through my spine. Just like that, I turned around and crawled my way up towards the doors. Opening them up, I could see the stairs leading to the sunken entrance to the basement. I took a step forward…

And the environment around me changed instantly. From the comfortable temperature of spring, I was thrown to the scalding freeze amidst the snowy tops of mountain-chain!