Chapter 820: Nevermore: A Peculiar Little Thing

Chapter 820: Nevermore: A Peculiar Little Thing

If anyone else had seen what the person sitting on the ground with his arcane marble had just done, they likely wouldnt believe its legitimacy. Certain rules and norms existed that everyone assumed to be true, so it was natural that when someone didnt play by these rules and decided to make up their own laws for how things worked, no one would take them seriously.

However, Jake had never been one to just believe it when someone said something couldnt be done. Especially not when it came to anything his Bloodline could do. Jake still only had a faint grasp as to the gravity of what he had pulled off, but he knew it was impressive if anything the books claimed regarding mana constructs was correct.

Mana constructs were, by nature, temporary. No items made up entirely of mana could exist, and even mana with souls elementals had a limited lifespan. Mana itself was a malleable element that made up everything and was, in the eyes of many, the purest form of energy. It was one of the three fundamental energies, with many believing inner energy and vital energy were derived from mana. Jake didnt really believe this, as he had heard differently, so he kind of ignored those notes. It was this lack of caring about what others had researched and claimed should be possible that allowed him to make the small marble in his hand.

Jake had made a prediction that paid off. He had been told before that his stable arcane mana registered as something physical and not made of mana. However, it was more accurate to say that his stable arcane mana registered as non-summoned simply due to how stable it was. Any analyst would still be able to figure out it had mana in it everything did to some extent but Jakes stable arcane energy was more akin to a naturally occurring piece of metal than a pure mana construct.

That was actually a pretty good comparison. Jakes stable arcane affinity was very much akin to something like metal in that they were both very, well, stable.

Everything contained mana, and everything leaked and absorbed mana at different speeds, with absorption nearly always faster than the leakage, which was how raw materials grew in rarity and energy density as time passed. Most metals were known to be very slow at both of these things, making them take a long time to improve in rarity in the wild. This lack of leaking and absorption also made metals incredibly stable, which was where the entire concept of stability came from.

Stability merely meant to be unaffected by the environment both good and bad.

Yet, no matter how stable a magical construct was, it would never be as stable as a real item. It would always just be a collection of mana as it lacked aspects that made it truly physical and corporeal. Lacked the Records to be an independent item. Even if a metal or earth maga summoned a giant wall, it would disappear within a short period, assuming it wasnt just made by manipulating material that was already there. With time, the internal mana structure would simply be broken down if the source of the mana was a person and not environmental mana.

In the same way, a weapon summoned by a metal mage also needed to be constantly supplied with new mana. More importantly, It also wouldnt be Identifiable despite looking very much like a regular item. Yet the arcane marble Jake had just made was. It registered as a standalone item, entirely separate from Jakes own existence and mana. This meant that even if Jake died, the orb would remain, something utterly impossible for any other kind of mana-summoned object. Holding it in his hand, Jake also felt it would remain for a long time. A very, verylong time. Unsurprisingly, considering the word perennial in the item name.

Now, it had to be mentioned that creating an actual item out of nothing using only mana was theoretically possible; however, not for someone like Jake. With enough Willpower, it was possible to will something into existence, including real items, but the sheer Willpower required was entirely out of the realm of possibility for anyone doing this Challenge Dungeon. Making something from nothing was the kind of feat only gods or perhaps peak S-grades could reliably pull off.

In conclusion Jake had pulled off something a C-grade shouldnt be capable of. He had created a true item out of nothing but his own stable mana. He had created something real. A marble capable of existing, even long after Jakes own death, assuming he messed up dodging one time too many.

One may ask what the function of this item Jake had miraculously made was, and well it was very tough and would exist for a long time, so that was definitely two things. Ah, it was also a little pretty, and its sheer uniqueness definitely made it a nice collectors item. As for practical uses

Yeah it was entirely useless. It was just a very hard marble, and any Origin Energy within would instantly be destroyed should something break it. In fact, Jake felt that the Origin Energy would work actively to destroy itself and anything that broke the stable barrier that defended its existence. It was pure instinct to aim for mutual destruction, as should the marble break or leak in any way, the energy would instantly dissipate and greedily be absorbed by the environment.

Instinct was actually quite a keyword here. Jake hadnt been the one to really intend to create something called a Perennial Arcane Marble. It had all been up to the Origin Energy. In the same vein that Jake didnt intend how a core would mutate and transform when he infused this unique energy, he also didnt control what the energy would do this time. He only sent with it the hope that it would be stable and not break apart, with the Origin Energy then doing the rest of the work itself by forming the marble.

The more I think about it, the more this Origin Energy seems kind of alive, Jake thought to himself as he lifted the marble and looked at it more closely before he got up and headed straight toward the Architect to submit it. Or, maybe its more correct to say it makes things come alive? It definitely makes whatever I infuse it into change by itself when infused

Jake still felt very unsure exactly why this energy worked the way it did, and he felt he wouldnt fully figure it out for a long time. The best he could do was figure out aspects of the energy and be satisfied with that. To focus on the outcomes and not the underlying explanation for everything. Then again, maybe he could ask the Architect if she would spill a little bit of insight. With her direct system connection, she had to know something, right?

Reaching the door leading into her room, Jake didnt even have to knock as it opened by itself. Walking inside, the Architect sat in her usual spot and opened her eyes to regard Jake right as he stepped inside.

Sure, there was still the possibility of just making an elixir even if Jake had written it off he could also just be boring and submit a potion? Nah, that would suck too much. As Jake was thinking, he suddenly got an idea that would be awesome if it worked.

With excitement, he tried to pull a certain item out of his inventory and, surprisingly enough, found himself successful. With a grin, he held the mythical rarity Cradle of Souls Kindling as he peeked inside with the hope of getting lucky. It would be perfect.

Using the extracted Soulflame, Jakes Alchemical Flame would upgrade several grades at once, and Jake would even have technically crafted it as it was fully born when he took it out of the Cradle. All that needed to happen was for Jake to get lucky by having a good Soulflame inside, and he would be golden.

However, reality proved cruel as Jake checked the Cradle and found no good Soulflame available. Soulflames had the qualities of elementary, low-tier, mid-tier, high-tier, pinnacle-tier, and Supreme Soulflames, and as Jake looked inside, he saw that while the area where arcane affinity Soulflames spawned was still expanding, the best Soulflame with his affinity was a mid-tier one. Ah, but he did spot a few high-tier Soulflames in there. Sadly, these were all of different affinities.

Alas, sometimes Jake couldnt get super lucky. After infusing what little mana he had remaining into the Cradle to give his arcane affinity a bit more of an edge in the battle of affinities, he put the Cradle away again, finding himself back at square one.

You know what fuck it, lets just focus on the poison, and I am sure I will get on something along the way. If not, maybe I can just submit my inability to get on anything good as a Creation Jake thought self-deprecatingly as he went toward the alchemy lab to play with poisons.

Within the Architects room, she was looking at the marble in front of her. It didnt look like much, as if it was just a small gem or pearl. There was none of the aura a high-quality item would usually leak, but just a completely inert object. Yet the Bound God found it more than intriguing, even if it raised more questions than it gave answers.

Still looking at it, she felt the probing of her fellow ruler of the World Wonder as the Wyrmgod curiously approached her. Likely because he had seen the Chosen leave her chambers.

I see he has handed in another submission. My guests grow curious, so-

No, Nevermore cut him off. Not only am I unwilling, I am incapable of sharing.

Incapable? the Wyrmgod questioned. Like with?

Yes, the same as with four of the Creations from the man called Eron, the Chosen of the Lifesoul Daolord. Truly curious to see two individuals with such aberrant Bloodlines appearing on the same planet, the Architect answered.

The Wyrmgod grumbled but stopped probing as Nevermore kept looking at the small marble. He knew that when the system set down a hard line like this, there was no need to keep trying. It had decided to block certain information, making it so there were things not even she could see, and what she could see, she was physically incapable of sharing with anyone.

She wanted to probe it more but she knew that even if the system allowed it, all she would be doing was breaking the marble. Breaking the stable energy surrounding the spark would result in the spark infusing the rest of the energy to destroy itself. A truly peculiar Creation with no real uses to anyone.

However, even if it didnt have any practical use cases, this small marble was Perennial. Everlasting. Something that shouldnt be possible. With time, all items degraded. A sword will lose its energy, becoming inert. A magic circle will need constant repairs to keep active. Any structure will require maintenance even a small rock would change with time, finding itself affected by the environment.

Yet, despite how much the world would change or how many eras would pass this small marble would remain. Unless destroyed, it could potentially continue to exist forever a fate usually only reserved for the divine. Achieved with not a single smidgen of divinity.

Peculiar indeed