"Hoh? Your timing is impeccable—arriving just after tri-Hermes finished recharging," Ozymandias remarked, his expression unchanging but his tone laced with amusement. It was clear he understood Alaric's true objective: the recently recharged Hermes. The pharaoh's smile deepened as he continued, "You arrogant fool, do you think a king's artifact is something you can covet?"
"But King Ozymandias, you wouldn't refuse me, would you?"
Alaric smiled, much more comfortably than he would have months ago. After half a year of interaction, he had grown adept at conversing with Ozymandias without the tension of their earlier encounters.
"The few from Chaldea... it seems you are just as curious. Very well, I'll allow it. Witness the supreme alchemical masterpiece—arise, Obelisk Hermes!"
Snap!
With a snap of Ozymandias's fingers, a thunderous rumble echoed beneath Alaric and the others.
The temple floor cracked, and under the astonished gaze of Fujimaru Ritsuka and her companions, an obelisk slowly rose from the depths of the temple.
It was an absolute magical crystal—a spiritual computation simulator constructed from photon crystals known as the Philosopher's Stone: Tri-Hermes!
"The Atlas Institute's Hermes? Could this be the prototype of Chaldea's spiritual computation system, Trismegistus? Sun King, where did you obtain such a spiritual computation device? Or... has the legendary Atlas Institute also fallen under your domain?"
Da Vinci instantly recognized the familiar traits of Hermes as it rose, quickly piecing together information from Alaric's earlier words.
The Atlas Institute, one of the three branches of the Mage's Association, was renowned for creating the seven ultimate doomsday weapons. Given its geographical location in the Atlas Mountains of Egypt, could it have been drawn into this Singularity through Ozymandias's chain of substitutions?
"Wait, Da Vinci, is that true?"
Mash asked, clearly bewildered as she processed Da Vinci's words about Hermes being the prototype for Trismegistus.
"Yes, it seems likely. During Chaldea's construction, Atlas may have assisted by providing the technology for Trismegistus. If this Hermes is a replica of the original Hermes that recorded everything in the world, it's no surprise," Da Vinci replied, her mind racing to connect the dots.
As Chaldea's longest-serving Servant, Da Vinci had already deduced much. The Atlas Institute wouldn't assist Chaldea or its former director for free. Most likely, the director had leveraged the legendary Seven Contracts of Atlas to secure their support. This allowed Chaldea to obtain Hermes, the prototype for Trismegistus, enabling the forbidden Spiritron Transfer.
While Chaldea's team was lost in thought, Ozymandias's booming laughter echoed through the temple.
"Ha-ha-ha! I am Pharaoh, ruler of the earth! Hermes is merely a tribute Sir Alaric retrieved from the Atlas Institute and presented to me."
As Hermes ascended, the surrounding temple began to transform. The photon crystals, identical to those Alaric had seen in Atlas's central control room, replaced the murals on the temple walls.
The once-grandiose temple now resembled the command center of the Atlas Institute. A faint blue virtual interface rose from Hermes and hovered before Alaric.
"Wait, Sir Alaric, so you were the one who retrieved Hermes?"
Mash asked, utterly confused.
The Lion King was Ozymandias's enemy, yet Alaric, a knight appointed by the Lion King, had once killed Ozymandias. Despite this, Alaric maintained good relations with the Sun King, even presenting him with Hermes. The tangled relationships left Mash feeling as though the world itself had gone mad.
Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin thoughtfully, her eyes sharp.
"Could it be... Sir Alaric is a double agent?"
"Well, it's complicated," Alaric replied cryptically, his gaze fixed on Hermes.
Months earlier, he and Nitocris had excavated the artifact from the Atlas Institute and installed it in Ozymandias's Grand Temple as compensation for taking the Holy Grail.
Alaric had intended to continue using Hermes to seek knowledge, but without Sherlock Holmes around, restoring Hermes to full functionality required Ozymandias's help. Hermes's self-recovery system alone wasn't enough to sustain operations. Fortunately, the massive Dendera lightbulb beneath the temple provided a stable energy supply. After months of trial and error, the system had been successfully linked, reducing Hermes's recharge time from six months to just one.
Finally, after several rounds of humorously blunt inquiries, Ozymandias turned to Alaric and asked, "Pose your question, Sir Alaric."
The pharaoh's tone was casual, but his piercing gaze suggested otherwise, scrutinizing Alaric's every move.
After a month's absence, Alaric's question was ready.
"Obelisk Hermes, Bird of the Underworld! Answer my question: What is the method to obtain True Ether in this world?"
Alaric's voice rang loud and clear. Hermes hummed softly, its surface glowing faintly as light began to flow across its structure.
"True Ether?"
Da Vinci interjected before Hermes could respond.
"In the waning Age of Gods, True Ether doesn't exist on the planet's surface. Besides, if you have the Holy Grail, why are you still pursuing True Ether?"
To Da Vinci, Alaric's pursuit of True Ether, despite wielding the power of the Holy Grail and commanding formidable Servants, hinted at a deeper motive.
True Ether represented more than raw magical energy; it symbolized unparalleled mystery and power.
"Da Vinci, what is True Ether?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, curious as ever.
Da Vinci's expression turned serious as she explained to the puzzled Mash and Fujimaru, "During the Age of Gods, Gaia's power hadn't waned, and the Great Source overflowed with magical energy. The magic produced then was True Ether.
Ether is the fifth element, but True Ether had an even greater planetary ratio. It was more capable of enacting magic and bending the laws of reality. After the Age of Gods ended and mystery began to decline on the surface, True Ether ceased to appear. This, in turn, caused a significant decline in the potency of magic, creating a vast gap between modern magi and their counterparts from the Age of Gods."