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'Fiona's coming...'
That's what Cedric heard Darwin tell Elric. Cedric initially thought that there was a threat he had missed because Darwin sported a strange expression; he even ended his meditation because he noticed this, but it turns out that Darwin only has this to say to their captain.
'They must have something that allows them to tell when she's coming. They also probably forgot to tell me.' Cedric mused to himself. He thought of this because he didn't sense Fiona's presence anywhere near his field of senses.
But since there weren't any threats he missed, then it's fine. He came out of the tent for nothing, but that's fine too. And since he's not feeling drowsy to begin with, he might as well spend his time productively.
Drawing several runes in the air, he gathered and purified materials to make base defenses.
'Ordinary defenses won't cut it.' He mused to himself. 'Fortunately, even though the corruption eroded the resources around us, in a way, it also elevated their quality.'
Resources like stones, ores, metals, woods, etc. had varying levels of innate resistance to corruption. Most of them might have been contaminated, but it definitely takes time to completely corrupt them to the point of no return. Even similar materials had different levels of resistance against corruption, and most of it boils down to the quality of said materials.
Take metal ores, for example. Ores that contain a higher density and quality of metal would have a higher resistance to corruption. Even as persistent as corruption was, it would take time before they were corrupted completely to the core, making them unusable.
Some resources also react differently to corruption. The process is quite similar to aging meat; as the exterior gets contaminated, the remaining good parts get concentrated in the center of the material, forcing its quality to increase.
It's this process that made it possible to discover surprising amounts of high-quality materials around. And for someone who had Cedric's skill level and vast knowledge of how to handle all types of materials, creating something good was within the realms of possibility, provided that they had the means to purify corruption from the materials, of course.
'Ballistas, catapults, traps—perhaps I can even make an underground chamber for this base—and puppets—yeah, I can make puppets. Puppets that are at least Tier 5 Superhuman level could serve as cannon fodder in times of need.'
Cedric was so immersed in his ideas and work that he zoned out. Resources were plucked, purified, and handled around him consistently as he moved. He worked in a far corner of the base to not disturb the people who were resting.
He vaguely sensed the presence of new people entering the base; they were humans and someone whom he was vaguely familiar with. Most importantly, they weren't a threat, so he ignored them and remained focused on his task.
"Hmm..." Cedric hummed as he inspected his recent creation.
It was a giant ballista that was about 9 feet tall. He could've made something better if he had materials of higher quality, but he had to make do with what he had around.
This ballista didn't need physical arrows. It instead uses energy to form arrows to shoot at enemies. He installed an array formation for that.
He already knew that their Holy Son had been holding back, but this was just insane. Every innovation he created here, if made public, could turn the tides of the war in their favor. But that's only if the Holy Son was willing to impart his knowledge, of course.
"The corruption level of this base was almost non-existent. It's almost the same back at the civilization," Lissandra commented. "Just this alone makes a huge difference to the exploration of the Black Lands. If he could extend this formation to cover a larger area, the land reclamation projects would be faster."
"Unfortunately, that has to be postponed for now." Fiona finally calmed down. "We're not in a position to even consider vying for land currently. Anyways, we need to talk to him. Elric, if you could, please."
Elric nodded and walked towards Cedric's side. He then softly called, "Hey, Cedric. Some people want to talk to you."
That made Cedric tear his attention away from his mini-project and finally pay closer attention to his surroundings. He looked at his captain and nodded.
He then walked towards the three people who had just arrived. Before saying anything, he bowed first and then asked, "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Hi, Cedric. If you don't mind, we kind of need to talk to you in private," Fiona replied.
"You can use my tent," Elric offered.
"Thanks. But you're coming with us; I believe your presence is required. Do you mind, Cedric?" Fiona asked.
"No, no."
"Great."
The five of them then went to Elric's tent and held their meeting there. Before anybody could say anything, though, Cedric drew a rune in the air and slapped it to the nearby surface of the tent. It rippled, and the people inside felt the isolation of the sound.
"It's a privacy seal that ensures any sound doesn't escape outside," Cedric explained. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all." Fiona and the other two elders shook their heads. "If not for you, we would've done something similar."
Elric sat on the corner and minimized his presence. Although he's Cedric's captain, he felt that his presence was unnecessary here. These three were here for Cedric, and in a way, he was the reason for it. After all, he made a brief report of what Cedric has done so far. They're most likely here for Cedric's innovative seals, so frankly, Elric had no business being here.
"First things first, I apologize for my neglect," Fiona suddenly said, which greatly surprised Elric. "I didn't know that I slighted this generation's Sage; please pardon my offense."
'Sage!? ' Elric exclaimed inwardly as he looked incredulously at Cedric's calm expression.
The fact that he didn't make any effort to deny this made it more shocking to Elric.