Gems of Virtue And Talents

Lucas POV : 

After spending more time than expected tinkering in my workshop, all the experiments with the crystals finally paid off in the creation of an item.

[Imperfect Gemstone of Earth]

[Uncommon]

[A gemstone crafted from a pure crystal of Earth, containing the mana of the crystals used in its creation]

[Mana: 200/200]

At first glance, this gemstone may not seem impressive, but, in fact, it serves as an excellent substitute for crystals in golems or other applications. Creating a gemstone is far simpler and requires fewer resources. It involves polishing a crystal using earth magic and compacting the energy into a gemstone, resulting in purer and stronger magical energy compared to a normal crystal.

Now aware that I couldn't stay secluded in my workshop all the time to create gemstones, I attempted to command a golem to execute the process and automate it. However, the outcome was far from my expectations.

[Wasted Gemstone of Earth]

[Basic]

[A gemstone wasted due to the incompetence of its creator]

[Mana: 10/10]

'Well it seems that for now, I'll just need to create a bunch of gemstones to create even more golems to speed up the building of the city

'System, is there a way to have an overview of my ressources and my city?'

[The host has not yet unlocked this function]

'I see, thanks,' I expressed my gratitude to the system for the clarification as I returned to my work, determined to create more gemstones. As I immersed myself in the process, I found my understanding deepening, much like a skilled worker improving with each task. Then, in one of my final crystals, something remarkable occurred.

[Gemstone of Earth]

[Rare]

[A gemstone crafted by someone with knowledge of its creation, surpassing the energy contained in the crystal from which it was made]

[Mana: 600/600]

[Congratulations! You've created your first true gemstone made from an elemental crystal]

[You've acquired the talent Novice Jeweler]

[Novice Jeweler enhances your knowledge about gemstones and their crafting, you now have access to engraving, you can engrave the gemstones with marking symbolizing magic circle that will allow these gemstone to replicate the magic that engraved on them]

'This is incredible,' I marveled at the talent's description. For example, what I could do is engrave the magic circle of Regeneration to automatise the growth of vegetables for the city.

But first I need a tool to engrave directly on gemstones, I created a pencil made of rock with a hole in the middle to encase a gemstone in. I took one of the uncommon ones and put it slowly into the pencil. In safety, I created a shield of Earth around the pencil in case it exploded but it seemed that with a gemstone the risk of explosion was far lower, the gemstone adapted to the pencil without a problem.

[Prototype Arcana Carver]

[Uncommon]

[A prototype of an Arcana Carver, a tool used by the mages of the Seven Cities to carve spells into elemental gemstones or crystals. Despite its surprising form, the Arcana Carver is functional.]

[Novice Gemstone Carving]

[Mana: 200/200]

"So, the items I created give me Novice Gemstone Carving," I noted, taking hold of the pencil-shaped tool to examine its properties. As I did, a myriad of information flooded my mind. It detailed gemstone carving techniques for creating something known as 'Gems of Virtue'—magical gems that allowed non-mages to use spells.

"This is considered Novice rank?" I was astonished by the potential revealed in the information. While these Gems of Virtue didn't recharge on their own, making them a costly investment for large-scale warfare, I realized their potential for creating formidable individuals when implemented in a specialized task force.

Focusing on my goal of crafting Gems of Virtue for regeneration spells, I acknowledged my lack of familiarity with traditional magic circles. Unlike many mages who employed magical circles, I relied on imagination and direct mana usage.

"Let's test something first," I decided, channeling my magic within my body toward the staff. Rather than releasing it instantly, I held it back, closely observing the patterns woven by the Regeneration spell in my staff. It was a challenging feat, and although my mana remained stable, the effort to restrain the spell's release burned through my entire body.

"So, this is a magic circle," I mused, recalling every intricate pattern formed during the creation of my Regeneration spell. Without delay, I transformed the Regeneration spell into a force that manifested the pattern on the wall—an experiment to understand and replicate the concept of a magic circle. I left a hole in the middle of the circle where I promptly implemented an uncommon gemstone. When I put in the gem, the carvings were lit in a green light reminiscent of the earth attribute.

[Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon, is pleased with your research on the application of crystals and your dedication to magic.]

[Rewards: Mage's Guild Blueprint]

"Sar-Elam? I never heard of him, but with a title like 'Seventh Dragon,' I could assume that he is a wizard. So, why is his title Seventh Dragon?" I pondered for a while before deciding to explore the contents of the blueprint.

[Mage's Guild Blueprint]

[Epic]

[The Mage's Guild is one of the most important buildings in a city of the Seven Cities. It is where mages are trained in the art of weaving mana and serves as a trove of knowledge.]

[Requirements: 100 units of each elemental crystal, a cup of water from a fountain of mana, 50 units of wood, 50 units of stone, 5 units of pure mana crystal]

[Transform 100 people per year into mages for 5000 gold each]

[Requires the presence of a mage to oversee the construction process]

[Construction Time: 50 hours]

"This is a costly building," I muttered, realizing the substantial requirements for an already established city. However, with my current population of less than ten, it wasn't a structure to consider at this early stage.

"And don't get me started on the cost of creating 10 mages; it's ludicrously expensive," I mused, glancing at my Arcana Carver and a gemstone placed on the slab.

'Let's start!' I exclaimed inwardly as my heart raced with anticipation. This could mark an enormous advancement for our city and future civilization so I wasn't letting go until I didn't carve a Gems of Virtue for Regeneration

With the Arcana Carver in hand and the temporary talent bestowed upon me by the artifact, I directed the flow of mana from the gemstone within the tool. The tip of the pencil emitted a vibrant green glow as I touched it to the gemstone. To my satisfaction, the Arcana Carver carved through the gemstone seamlessly.

Guided by memory and intuition, I let the Carver dance in my hand, creating an intricate pattern on the gemstone. Flashes of magic appeared at regular intervals, marking the completion of each careful stroke. The process unfolded with a rhythmic precision, a dance of craftsmanship and magical energy.

[Congratulations! You created your first Gem of Virtue.]

[Reward: Blueprint of an Elemental Area]

[Elemental Area: An area delimited by elemental crystals that transforms normal stone into elemental ones.]

[Requirements: 500 pure crystals of an element and a skilled mage to set up the array]

"Another blueprint that I can't afford to create," I sighed, realizing the significant cost associated with constructing such a building. I shoved the blueprint back into the system before l/ooking at the Arcana Carver

[Mana 186/200]

'So creating a Gem of Virtue for this spell only cost 14 mana, then I looked at the gem

[Gem of Virtue of Regeneration]

[Uncommon]

[A Gem crafted by a novice craftsman holding a weak spell]

[Use : 5/5]

"I see, there's a use limit for each gem," I noted as I examined the analysis. "But first, let's bring the fifty golems to life using the gems," I thought, swiftly placing the crafted gems into the shells of the golems stored behind my workshop.

[Talent Upgraded !]

[Novice Golemancer -> Advanced Golemancer]

[You have enhanced mastery in creating golems, enabling the crafting of even more robust shells for them.]

[You've attained your first advanced talent.]

[Reward: Talent subsection unlocked]

I gazed at the successive system windows, initially surprised by the unexpected upgrade to the talent. My pleasure grew as I realized the acquisition of a new function within the system.

Without hesitation, I clicked on the talent button that had appeared.

[Advanced Golemancer: Creating golems 5/5000, Creating an intelligent golem 0/1]

[Novice Jeweler: Creating gems using any materials 78/100, Manipulating elemental crystals 10/10]

"So, this function just allows me to see how I can upgrade my talents?" I pondered as I examined the window for more details, finding none. Quickly, I closed it.

I issued orders to the golems to construct four houses for the group, scheduled to be ready by noon. The previously assigned construction of the cellar had been completed. With approximately twenty golems still at my disposal, I commanded them to dig a new field and a cave. The field would be imbued with the Regeneration spell, ensuring rapid growth for the crops. As for the new cave, it would serve as a testing ground for my magical creations.

"But for now, let's upgrade my Jeweler talent," I decided, focusing on creating more gems. Having already crafted a [Gemstone of Earth], I concentrated solely on its production. It proved challenging, with these gemstones being more intricate than the uncommon ones. Nevertheless, after about two hours, I successfully finished the remaining 22 [Gemstones of Earth].

[Talent Upgraded!]

[Novice Jeweler -> Advanced Jeweler]

[Your mastery over gemstone creation has been enhanced, enabling the crafting of superior gemstones.]

I opened the talent window to understand what lay ahead for my next upgrade.

[Advanced Jeweler: Creating elemental gems: 0/2000, Creating a legendary elemental gem: 0/1]

"Well, this will be a long journey," I muttered, observing the astronomical numbers. "But patience is one of my virtues. If it means creating 5000 golems and 2000 gems, I'll do it, even if it takes me a month or two."