The harmonious morning sun cast its glow over Sacred Heart City, where life proceeded much as usual. The revelation of the Underworld Deity's conspiracy by Yann did little to alter the course of life for the inhabitants of the city, or so it seemed, as some resisted the idea of change altogether.
The shattering of one's sense of superiority by a single statement was utterly devastating, leaving one's confidence shaken and precarious. Such a blow was unfathomable and impossible to reconcile with.
The only noticeable change within Sacred Heart City in recent days was the emergence of two new rumors, now fodder for gossip among its residents. One rumor, circulating among the lower and middle echelons of society, spoke of a confrontation between two or more lord-level masters on the outskirts of the city, resulting in the creation of a vast, desolate crater spanning several kilometers.
The other rumor, circulating among the upper echelons, claimed that the Vice Governor of the Eastern Province, the most powerful figure in the entire province, had his estate breached by two esteemed-level masters, who also incapacitated the esteemed-level experts under his employ.
Many believed this to be an assassination attempt, anticipating significant upheaval in the Eastern Province. However, the next day saw the Vice Governor, though visibly shaken, resume his duties unscathed. Rumors also circulated that he had harshly reprimanded his two beloved sons.
Opinions diverged regarding the events of that evening; some speculated that a powerful force with antagonistic ties to the Sahm family in the Sheng Luo Empire had administered a warning to Engim, serving as a deterrent not only to him but also to the Sahm family.
Others whispered that these individuals were skilled operatives sponsored by a foreign entity, poised to collude with Engim in a clandestine plot to overthrow the Godlo Empire.
The truth of the matter remained known only to Novgorod, Slav, and Engim.
"Niya, pass me the carving knife, and Euénie, heat the fifth-grade Wind Elemental Core to its melting point using high-temperature flame magic," Yann commanded, his gaze fixed upon a set of armor intricately adorned with magical runes.
This marks the fifth ensemble it has fashioned. Each suit of armor encompasses a breastplate, leg guards, pointed boots, arm guards with elbow articulations, gloves, notably reinforced pauldrons, a fully enclosed helmet with a mere slit for vision but capable of opening and closing, and a neck guard...
The fabrication of such an array of armor components is already quite time-consuming, yet even more so is the delineation of their enchantments. Typically, this endeavor would require the expertise of a premier enchanter, necessitating at least half a month or more to complete each set. Yet, in less than five hours, Yann managed to finalize the entirety of five sets!
"Done! Finished!" Yann exclaimed joyfully, placing the last nearly molten elemental core into the central groove of the magical array.
"Who are you really? This process is entirely different from standard enchanting procedures! How could a melted elemental core still be of use when its magic circuits have been completely disrupted?" Euénie widened her eyes, her mouth agape in disbelief.
While Niya had read extensively and accumulated a wealth of knowledge, her understanding of enchantment was limited. However, Euénie, as a bona fide ninth-grade mage, possessed both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in enchantment.
Indeed, Yann's enchanting speed and methods defied her preconceived notions, especially his final step of liquefying all the elemental cores and pouring them into the grooves of the magical array.
By the way, Yann's inscribed magical arrays were unrecognizable even to her, a ninth-grade mage. At best, she could vaguely discern them as arrays associated with Fireball spells.
Yann's delineation of magical arrays also possesses unique subtleties.
It follows a divergent path from the magical craftsmanship upheld for millennia on the Roland Continent.
"You don't understand, do you? Although the elemental core has melted, the magic elements within it remain intact," Yann explained, picking up a pile of weapons, preparing to begin carving.
"While the liquid resulting from the melted elemental core retains its magical properties, its lack of magic circuits causes it to dissipate rapidly... Are you saying you simulated the magic circuits of the elemental core with the magical array? That's impossible..." Euénie had lost count of how many times she had been astonished, as Yann continued to challenge her understanding time and time again.
"What's so impossible about it? Simulating the magic circuits of the elemental core is not such a difficult task," Yann scoffed disdainfully, his knowledge as a sovereign lich surpassing the current magical standards of the Roland Continent by countless magnitudes.
"Throughout history, countless enchanters have attempted to simulate the magic circuits of elemental cores, but not a single one has successfully achieved it. To simulate the magic circuits of an elemental core, one must first conduct thorough research to understand the intricacies of the core's magic circuits. Then, based on these circuits, one must modify the magical array being inscribed. Even if the magic circuits of a first-grade elemental core were integrated into a Fireball magical array, the degree of modification to the entire magical array would be beyond comprehension!"
Indeed, as Euénie pointed out, attempting to inscribe the magic circuits of an elemental core onto a Fireball magical array would require a complete overhaul of the array, making minute adjustments until the magical array and the magic circuits were in perfect harmony.
However, the reality was that no two elemental cores in the world were alike. Even if the same magical array encountered two different elemental cores, the engineering effort required would be just as extensive!
Therefore, the core motive force of the magical arrays currently used on the Roland Continent remained the primitive method of securely placing the elemental core intact in the center of the magical array to drive its operation.
However, this approach resulted in significant energy wastage, a deficiency not present in Yann's highly efficient method!
"The world is full of wonders; the magical standards of your plane are simply too low. I possess a universal method that can simulate the magic circuits of any elemental core, allowing the use of a single magic circuit for any number of magical arrays," Yann remarked lightly.
Having existed in the Plane of death for countless years, magical development had long since transcended conventional limits, yielding miraculous phenomena beyond the comprehension of Euénie and Niya. In truth, Yann's acquisition of this universal magical circuit was a fortuitous occurrence, the result of a stroke of luck from a genius on a lower plane.
Later, that genius's plane was annihilated by troops dispatched by Yann's lich of the previous life—a method whose knowledge he alone retained was enough!