Chapter 290: A Distant Gaze

Late Evening - Mid Winter : Atlas, Bahamut

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-Hmm... It looks like I will need another reactor...- *Click-HHHMMmmm* The miniature nuclear reactor inside the small carbon box in front of me promptly quieted down once I flipped a lone switch on it. -I guess its finally time to take a look at this freaky circuit board, huh...-

As I continued to morph the two cherry-sized steel rails poking through the top of the box, I simultaneously started studying the circuit and moving things around within the chassis.

Currently, I was working on reconstructing a slightly altered version of the Acardi railgun I found in the mountains to see if it would have any worth to a few people I thought could use it, mainly Krystallo, Chloe, and Maria.

But while I was confident I could improve it, it was quickly becoming more complicated than anticipated. -Well.. how advanced can Acardi computing logic be...-

Stopping the reconstruction of the rails for a moment, I focused entirely on the circuit board's connection to the functioning reactor and ran through tens of millions of trial-and-error experiments to attempt to learn its logic before eventually beginning to remold a large section of it.

Thankfully, while the board itself looked undeniably complicated, the logic of it was similar to binary. -But that should be good for now...-

Quickly finishing the rails and constructing a second reactor, I hooked everything up to the circuit board and began cooling the system with a rune engraved inside the chassis. -Alright, let's give it a quick test...-

*hhhhmmMMMM* As the reactors ramped up again, I monitored the circuit and capacitors more closely, using a metal needle to bridge the gap between several areas to make sure nothing was leaking before finally testing the armature bridging the rails at the base of the carbon box, where something like a metal dart would typically sit. -Looks like the change in the rails fixed the leak... Maybe I don't have to worry about it blowing up this time...-

After quickly ensuring everything was being properly controlled and the capacitors were full, I created a small steel marble and held it in front of the armature before finally pressing a tiny button on the circuit board.

*Click-CRACK* The marble nearly instantly ripped through the sound barrier, bringing it to a half-molten state before I caught it, but regardless of that, I was disappointed.

-Hmm...- It needed to be faster to have any practicality outside the realm of humans, not even being fast enough to completely liquefy the un-strengthened steel marble. -For that much energy, it feels too slow... Are the caps out of sync?-

Looking closer at the capacitors, I flipped the switch again and immediately noticed they were indeed slightly out of sync.

But something felt off about it. The area of the circuit board controlling the capacitors was identical to the one in the handheld railgun I found, the same as their connections to the rails. -Is it because of temperature or some environmental differences? Maybe mana-strengthening caused it?-

Descending into thought, I ran through the design of the railgun in my head once more but continually questioned why.

Once the capacitors eventually refilled, I flipped the switch without hesitation, but the electrical bursts were just as out of sync as anticipated, and to make things even odder, one of the capacitors released slightly more energy than the other.

"Haaah..." I could only let out a distressed sigh as I looked up at the ceiling. -For it to be in the original, that delay must have a reason, right?-

Although there was always a possibility that the Acardi survivor made it himself and simply made an error, I was skeptical. -It looked too 'mass manufactured' for that...-

Thinking back to when I first found it, I ran through everything I could remember but found nothing requiring them to be out of sync. Eventually, I began questioning whether there was supposed to be some kind of circuit switch or if the capacitors were meant to be on separate circuits, but that wasn't the case based on my memory.

"Hmmm..." -I wonder if I should just sync them...-

*Click* "Pardon the intrusion, my lord. Are you alright?"

Glancing up at Chloe, I gave a gentle nod. "Just stumped on something."

"To be able to stump the lord... It must be a very complicated problem." She sounded quite curious.

"Well, I'll be pleased if it is, but I don't think that will be the case." -Sometimes, the simple issues are the most troublesome to understand...- Quickly coming to a decent stopping point in my thoughts, I finally set down the carbon box and looked up at Chloe. "In any case, what brought you here?"

Her posture quickly straightened and turned formal. "The madam told me to bring you this. She told me you left it in your room when you left the nest." She quickly moved the box in her hands out in front of herself.

I tilted my head immediately. "Huh?" -What did I leave?- Quickly taking the box from her, I didn't waste any time opening it.

*click* -Hm?-

My eyes went wide instantly. "Oh, this thing?!" -So much happened that I practically forgot about it...-

It was the small rectangular device made of dense woven carbon I had taken from Kaelallan's treasury.

Immediately pulling it out of the cushioned box, my aura flooded into it, and I noticed a very familiar battery and countless other technologies I could now recognize. -Antimatter batteries, a tiny reactor, and even.. a processor? I think?-

It was freakishly small and complicated, but at the same time, it drew in my curiosity like a black hole. -It's definitely from the Acardi... It's much more advanced than what I saw in the mountains too!-

My fascination grew by the second, but even though my thoughts started accelerating, they were forcefully slowed down again.

"There was one other thing as well," Chloe spoke with a suddenly serious tone. "The madam has asked for you to come to her office quickly. She says it is urgent."

-Huh? Something urgent?- My mind shifted gears in an instant. "Alright, in that case, let's not dally." -I can work on this later...-

With a quick nod in agreement, Chloe opened the door and promptly brought me to Mother's office down the hall.

But just before we could reach the door, it opened, and a vast volume of aura zipped through mine with ease and started scanning my body.

It wasn't uncomfortable at all, but I couldn't deny that I was a bit confused. "Is something wrong, Mom?"

Upon seeing me tilting my head with an innocent confusion, her tense posture finally eased. "Phew... I apologize, sweetie..."

With her using her aura to usher me inside, I quickly walked on in and sat down.

But she continued with a worried tone before the door even closed behind me. "At the academy today. What happened?" Her face was wrought with anxiousness as she spoke.

-Did something happen with the Chalastís family?- Her worry quickly started spreading to me. "Well, I met with the deputy again and confirmed that the Holy Kingdom has had ties to the academy for much longer than we previously discussed."

"But did you get hit by anything?! Anything like a spell or weird magic you didn't recognize?"

I tensed up immediately. "I.. don't think so? Why?"

She quickly let out a breath of relief. "Phew, thank goodness..."

My confusion only continued to compound.

"While you were at the academy, I just felt a sensation that churned my stomach.. and when I heard that there was a large shockwave felt throughout the academy, I got worried that it was related to you..."

-Huh?- My eyes instantly shot open. -Did she seriously sense Odr?- But after giving it a moment of thought, I shook off the possibility and summed it up to coincidence. "In any case, did you end up finding out anything in regards to the Chalastís family?"

She immediately shook her head. "I haven't had enough time, sweetie..." Her voice sounded considerably lethargic. "However, even if the family is unrelated to the Holy Kingdom, I beg of you to be careful at the auction. I will be sending two escorts with you just in case and managed to get you a VIP room, so there should be plenty of security, but please be cautious."

A bit of worry quickly crept into my mind as silence filled the room. "Is there any reason you are so worried about the auction?" -Is she just airing on the side of caution?-

She nodded without the slightest hesitation. "The Chalastís auction is all about privacy and anonymity, so it is known to gather all kinds of dragons that I don't want you and Krystallo meeting... But I trust you and your strength... Just promise me that you won't hesitate to use it if you have to, even if it causes some collateral damage."

The serious look in her eyes made my mind freeze for a moment, but I agreed regardless. "Of course."

"Hooh..." She let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "In that case, let me explain a few more things..."

Our discussion continued for a couple more hours after that, discussing everything related to the auction, such as unspoken rules, and even beginning to refine my plans with the deputy, forcing me to take a less brute-force approach before finally letting me go.

By the time we finished, morning had rolled around, and it was finally time to make our last preparations for the auction, but there wasn't much to prepare on my end, so I ended up helping out Krystallo, showing her how to use the presence nullification artifacts Mother provided and giving her a few other suggestions.

But before we knew it, we were in a human-sized carriage with countless runes to prevent anyone from peeking inside.

In my eyes, it didn't make a whole lot of sense; after all, "Shouldn't the guards at the gate verify who is in the carriage?"

But it was mostly just because I was misunderstanding it. "The knights at the gate have devices to read things such as what family the carriage is from and can read medallions set in the door." He motioned toward the door where six empty areas for medallions were. "Then, when we finally arrive and get out, a headcount will be taken to ensure no foul play occurred."

-But.. that doesn't ensure that the people in the carriage are who they say they are...- Deciding to simply follow along, we quickly made it to the gate and set out medallions into the door before finally entering the academy and coming to a stop.

*Click* As the door opened, we were immediately met with the view of a building I had never seen. -What is this?-

But the masked butler who opened the door spoke as if reading my mind. "Welcome to the Auditorium, esteemed guests. I hope your ride was pleasant."

The escort riding with us, Krystallo, and I silently nodded in unison.

"That is good to hear. Now, would you all like to visit the ballroom, main hall, or perhaps-"

I quickly flashed him a small rose gold token with the text 'EGT1' on it. Mother gave it to me to ensure we received the room she reserved.

However, unlike what I expected, the butler's demeanor and expression didn't change even the slightest. "I see. In that case, please follow me to your room. The security group is waiting to meet you."

Glancing around as we stepped out of the carriage, we were met with the gazes of several masked people in luxurious clothes, wearing beautifully crafted masks, looking in our direction, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn't spread my aura out as per Mother's warning. -But.. I feel a little too blind without any aura around me...-

Noticing my uneasiness, the main escort quickly reassured me that he had us covered, but I decided to spread out a thin field of space mana regardless of that. -If the deputy couldn't detect the amount I was using to watch his brain activity, then no one will be able to detect this…-

But the moment I sent it out and expanded the cloud of space mana to fill the area my normal aura would, I felt a sudden gaze in the distance. -What the?!-

But while I knew about where it came from, deep within the Auditorium, there wasn't a single disturbance in the area when I looked. -W..what the hell was that?-