Chapter 291: Master Quartz Galore

I am not planning to use Master Quartz quite just yet, and the reasoning will be explained in this chapter.

I already have an idea for the new quest to fight Van, I am considering Naoto playing the villain during this, and attacking Van as a Jaeger of Zephyr.

I do know Naoto still has a couple of instance keys to use for further training, I will take a look at what has happened thus far, and invite certain party members. Look forward to it!

And remember, no chapters on Wed/Thurs. See you guys Friday!

As always, Giliath demands your power stones!

*****

Putting the new Quest, [Van's Determination] that the Gamer System gave to me at the back of my head for now with a look of anticipation in my eyes, I continued the conversation. I heard Professor Schmidt give me a stern warning, surprising me.

"The devices my teacher left behind will react to one another if they are within a certain vicinity, Naoto. If the Second Genesis starts reacting, notify me immediately. I'll continue my own research. Everything is pointing toward the Claudel family. It might be best for me to go investigate this in person, especially if there is a risk of another Genesis at play.", Professor Schmidt said to me.

"Understood, Professor. Sounds like there might be more than one at play currently, huh? Didn't you say they were lost?", I asked him.

"They are lost, and that therein lies the problem. One made it into your possession, deeming you its owner, Naoto. This could just be the beginning. Others may or may not be lost now, but it is possible they might start showing themselves in the coming future. I need to go back to headquarters back in Leman and ponder this, before seeking out the Claudel family. I am afraid I will become unavailable for quite some time. I ought to see to this personally.", Professor Schmidt responded, with a nod of his head. I could see the seriousness of his eyes. The Oct-Geneses were not a joking matter. I do not know the extent of the powers they can achieve, but if it's anything like Artifacts, the most potent ones even had the potential to rewrite reality. I am assuming that was why one of the Sept-Terrions, Demiourgos, was so sought after over the other Sept-Terrions, as it was the Sept-Terrion of Mirage, the most unpredictable element.

Thinking that, I let out a chuckle. It was possible I might not even get to meet Professor Schmidt tomorrow, if he is going to leave for Leman early in the morning.

"Heh, I guess we'll miss each other then. I'll be sure to keep the Second Genesis safe.", I said back with a confident look. I then looked back at Tio, who was still at Professor Schmidt's side, before continuing to speak. "But even with Professor Schmidt leaving the picture, that still won't stop me from coming to Crossbell. You won't have to wait long, Tio. I'll be heading there bright and early.", I continued, smiling at Tio.

"Mmm. I will look forward to your visit, Naoto.", Tio said to me, happily nodding her head. As Tio anticipated my trip tomorrow, we heard Professor Schmidt scoff at us. He still didn't get up from the main seat in the basement room. Some concern remained in his eyes, but going over the Second Genesis wasn't the only topic I wanted to discuss with Professor Schmidt. He spoke to me, asking what I wanted to bring up next.

"Hmph. At least you sound like you got your head wrapped around it, but covering the Oct-Geneses wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk about with me, was it, Naoto?", Professor Schmidt asked me.

"Correct, Professor. There was something else I wanted to show you. Since everyone present here is part of the Foundation, I don't think I will have any issue in showing these. Everyone, please have a look.", I suddenly said, becoming the focus of the camera again. I took a moment to push Lechter off screen. He clicked his tongue, but he saw my seriousness, and he knew what to do. Princess Alfin watched on with interest, especially since I activated my Inventory off-screen again.

I took this time to store the Second Genesis away, and took out five individual items to replace it.  

Each one appeared to be large, colored marbles of varying colors. A few inches in diameter, much larger than a normal Quartz. Almost three or four times larger, in fact. One was colored golden-brown, one was blue, one was colored purple like the night sky, one colored green, and the last one colored silver. Each color represented a different element. In Zemuria, there were seven known elements. Four belonged to what was called the Traditional Elements, while the latter three belonged to what was called the Upper Elements.

Fire. Earth. Water. Wind. Time. Space. And Mirage.

The latter three won't appear on Zemuria unless certain conditions are triggered. The most common trigger would be if the Septium Veins scattered throughout deep inside the earth ran amok. There are means that can tamper with the Septium Veins directly. Witches of the Hexen Clan would often do so to channel their magic. Larger, complex spells require such a use, such as the one Roselia is going to teach Emma and I this month, Lucifen Lied. I can only assume this spell will forcibly connect the Septium Veins beneath Heimdallr to let the Infernal Castle rise up. In the witches' eyes, these veins are called Spirit Veins. They went by many names.

And Quartz and Master Quartz are a visible representation of the elements we currently see all across Zemuria. I was rewarded with five Master Quartz thus far through quests I've previously accomplished. They're the driving force that allowed people to build characters in any fashion they wanted to when they played the games. That was one of the great aspects of the Trailsverse, its customization. If you wanted to build Rean as a mage, you could. If you wanted to build Rean as a dodger, you could. If you wanted to build Rean as a battery tank, you could, with the right setup.

Just getting these Master Quartz was the start of it. I, however, did not have plans to utilize them yet. I wanted to bring these beauties to Professor Schmidt's attention first. I mean, some of these only appeared in Reverie. If I tried slotting in Reverie Quartz or Master Quartz, what would happen to the Enigma II I got?

There was a very high chance these Master Quartz would short circuit the entire thing, and possibly cause it to explode. That was of the same thinking of not wanting to try out those SR or UR Quartz yet, for that matter. Too many unknown variables at this time.

I really didn't want that to happen. And well, guess what? I have the leading engineers in my sight that create these things as if it was eating candy to them.

Tilting my laptop downward, it started to examine the desk before us. I placed the five marble-like spheres on top of it, slowly becoming visible to everyone present in the basement room. Jona was one of the first in the room to raise his eyebrows.

"Are those...Quartz? They appear far too large to be your normal-sized Quartz though. Just what in Aidios's name is going on this time?", Jona responded, raising his eyebrows seeing five large marble-like spherical objects before him.

"Our seniors back at Leman have just started to produce prototypes of these spheres. They are meant to augment the combat orbments we still have in production, allowing one's skills to become honed even further, and powering them up at the same time. These combat orbments haven't even hit the market yet, and will likely not for at least another couple of years. They were called, 'Master Quartz', if I recall?", Tio mentioned, trying to recall what exactly Master Quartz were. Just hearing this alone was good, it meant they were already known to Tio, it wasn't like she was completely in the shadows about the existence of Master Quartz.

I knew Professor Schmidt knew of them. I did show one to Professor Schmidt back when the Enigma II was created, but Tio was still clueless about their existence then. Seeing her more knowledgeable about them now, I felt relieved. That would mean there was hope in wanting to ask something of the engineers present here. Professor Schmidt nodded his head at Tio, confirming her doubt.

"On that mark, you are correct, prized pupil. They are currently under strict watch back in Leman, as we don't know the full extent of their latent abilities. The Master Quartz we've been able to produce thus far have gone through extensive testing. They haven't reached our quota of being passed off as finished products. Not to say that we haven't received adequate results. And yet, I see five finished products before me. Tell me Naoto, did that damn Russell do this?", Professor Schmidt asked me. As he said that, he proceeded to put out the cigarette off to the side.

"Haha, that's a good guess, Professor, but Miss Erika had no involvement in this. I cannot give you an explanation on how I obtained these Master Quartz, but it is as you see it. They are finished products. The only thing I don't know is how much orbal energy can be extracted from these things. I haven't done any personal testing yet. I was hoping you guys could create an inhibitor chip that could potentially restrict the energy being stored inside of them. I fear if I try using any of these Master Quartz in their present state, the Enigma II you worked so hard to create for me will potentially combust into flames.", I responded, obviously worried about what could potentially happen if I decide to use these Master Quartz as-is.

For example, one of my five Master Quartz, Andvari, only made an appearance in Trails to Reverie. By then, Arcus II combat orbments were spreading around the market like wildfire. Its orbal energy output was a lot higher than the Enigma II. Arcus II devices could store so much orbal energy that it allowed users to utilize Sub-Master Quartz, effectively slotting in a second one. I only had an Enigma II combat orbment, which couldn't utilize such a high output of energy. One of my five Master Quartz, Phantom, came from Trails to Azure, so using Phantom probably didn't have any unforeseen issues, but if I put Andvari in there, it was possible my Enigma II could break down entirely.

A test I wasn't willing to try out after seeing Professor Erika and Professor Schmidt worked on it through a collaborative effort.

"That doubt is sound. Any wrong move and even Her Highness's room could explode, leaving nothing left. It is good you reached out on this matter to us first.", Professor Schmidt answered me. Princess Alfin immediately frowned, and Jona became surprised.

"That...doesn't sound good at all.", Princess Alfin retorted, obviously worried at what Professor Schmidt just said.

"You saying these are ticking time bombs!?", Jona also retorted in shock. Seems he hadn't come across Master Quartz yet, but in a way, they were. It just depended on how much orbal energy could be stored inside of one.

"If handled incorrectly, yes. Which is why you did well to consult with me first on this matter. I take it, you want me to take one with me to study it, I assume?", Professor Schmidt asked me. I nodded my head.

"If you would, Professor. I was hoping we could catch each other as you leave for your flight tomorrow morning. We could do this exchange then. It won't just be one, either. I will give you two. One which I think cannot store a whole lot of orbal energy, while the other may potentially can. if you could somehow limit the power if it's too strong, and make them usable for the Enigma II, that'd be fantastic.", I replied.

"I'll see what I can do. I can take the two you mentioned with me, but as for the rest of this task, I may leave it to my prized pupil here. This would be a good challenge for her to continue her studies with orbal energy.", Professor Schmidt said, looking at the small, blue-haired girl before him.

"Mmm. Leave it to me, Naoto.", Tio happily responded, nodding her head. Seeing Tio wanting to take charge of this, a smile appeared on my lips. Unexpectedly, I heard a notification sound off inside my mind, causing me to get distracted again.

[Ding! As a result of Tio showing newfound expectations of wanting to put her knowledge to the test, she has taken the initiative of wanting to make Gamer Naoto's Master Quartz usable. If Gamer Naoto tries to use the Master Quartz given to him through the Quest rewards, there is a good chance that it will fail, causing Gamer Naoto's Enigma II to crumble. Tio hopes to prevent this, and is now looking forward to working with Gamer Naoto on the matter.]

[Ding! Due to Tio wanting to work alongside Gamer Naoto, Tio's Favorability Meter has been unlocked.]

[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto placing his trust in Tio on the matter concerning Gamer Naoto's Master Quartz, Tio's Favorability has risen to 25%.]

*****

To leave off on a good note,

[Insert your favorite picture of Tio Plato here!]