Chapter 541 542-Ingenious Plan

Chapter 541 542-Ingenious Plan

Watching Jelia with her eager, almost cat-like anticipation, Ali simply shook her head, unsure how much of her advice had actually been absorbed.

Clearly, the iron pot wasn't something Jelia had been carrying around.

And the wild vegetables simmering within it, while abundant outside, were still sourced from the wilderness.

Fortunately, Code 19 was dead, and Gick's attention wouldn't be on them for the time being.

Monka had already set his plans in motion.

Whatever his intentions, Gick couldn't access the village's secrets without confronting him.

As long as Monka remained alive, the villagers of the forest settlement stood united as one.

How would Gick deal with Monka?

Assassination? Imprisonment?

Neither seemed like viable strategies.

Such conventional tactics wouldn't catch a figure as prepared as Monka unawares.

Besides, killing him directly would likely eliminate the last person knowledgeable about all the village's secrets.Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m

"It's quite the predicament," Ali remarked, though her face betrayed a sense of schadenfreude.

It's natural, after all.

Seeing one's adversary in trouble brings a special kind of joy.

If one doesn't feel this satisfaction, then their so-called hatred might just be pretense.

True hatred doesn't choose means, doesn't care about onlookers' gaze, and seeks only the demise of its object.

That's the essence of pure loathing.

It appeared the contents of the pot were nearly done.

Ali watched as Jelia served herself a portion in a bowl, taking it to a stone to start eating with some bread.

Roronora, too, had his own bowl.

It seemed Ali was on the verge of resorting to eating with her hands.

With a sigh, Ali stood up: "After we finish eating, Roronora, you're coming with me. Regardless of how the villagers decide, it's time we made our move."

Seizing the moment while Gick's attention was tied up with Monka presented the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Understood."

Though uncertain of Ali's plan, Roronora knew that since Jelia had instructed him to follow Ali, he would comply with her directives.

With a nod, his focus returned to his bowl.

A twitch flickered at the corner of Ali's eye.

Was she truly less important than a bowl of stew?

She decided to step outside for some fresh air before her frustration reached a boiling point.

Navigating through the increasingly narrow passageway, Ali emerged once more into the embrace of sunlight.

This was the moment to test the spell matrix from the booklet.

However, most human magi would only face death.

"What an ingenious concept."

Observing the halo floating in the air, with a disk about the size of two palms at the heart of the hazy luminescence, a spell matrix suspended there, emanating a soft golden glow that turned the surrounding mana mist into a pale gold.

This was the complete form of the matrix from the booklet found in Code 19's Space Ring.

A spell matrix of unclear function, currently demonstrating only the capabilities for powerful mana condensation, purification, and solidification.

While potentially useful for cultivation or creating specific mana environments, it holds no significance for Ali.

If it were merely a matrix for this purpose, she has access to many superior alternatives.

What she desires is the "key" from the other booklet!

This simple rule-based encryption is a completely different concept from the complex spell encryption on the Space Ring.

Spell encryption, though intricate and with the risk of self-

destruction, is ultimately based on the properties of mana.

Draining the mana directly renders any encryption spell ineffective, meaning spell encryption can be forcefully solved, even quickly.

However, the rule-based encryption in the booklet differs significantly.

Setting aside whether a brute-force solution even exists, if there is one, the time required to break it poses a huge problem.

Time is precisely what Ali lacks the most!

If she can't decrypt this intelligence quickly, the booklet will become nothing more than waste paper after this period.

The spell matrix rotates slowly, its pale golden light faint yet stable.

Within a radius of thirty meters, mana converges into a space of three meters in radius, effectively increasing mana concentration tenfold!

While this effect is undeniably impressive, as mentioned before, it lacks relevance.

Neither as a magus nor to Ali personally does this spell matrix reveal sufficient value.

"It seems I must find another way. This spell matrix might have been useful to Code 19, but it's utterly useless to me."

Ali felt a tinge of disappointment.

Initially, her hopes were high, as all signs pointed to this being the key she sought.

Yet, the outcome was beyond her expectations.

Perhaps Code 19 never intended to leave a "key" behind.

Maybe he had contemplated it but ultimately feared his secrets being exposed and chose not to preserve it.

The true answer to this question now lay only with Code 19.

With a sigh, Ali regrouped her thoughts.

If there were no shortcuts available, then she would face the challenge head-on, fair and square.

Gick's power was undoubtedly limited.

He could mobilize magi up to the first level at most.

Magi of higher calibers weren't individuals who could be easily commanded; they were akin to strategic deterrence in tactics and strategy.

The extent of destruction a special-level magus could unleash was beyond ordinary imagination.