Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 696: In-house Agreements

CH696 In-house Agreements

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"So instead of purifying the medicine yourself, you intend to pass the work on to me?" Alex’s brow arched again."If I could, I would handle it personally," Eleanore responded with a hint of jest in her voice. "However, I lack the crucial flame and fire-control techniques. I possess nothing comparable to AetherKindle to assist me. Furthermore, I guarantee the entire process will require no more than a single day of your effort.""That is not merely ‘a single day’. A great deal can be accomplished by me within span of one day," Alex replied, shaking his head with a sigh.He gently pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, already sensing the onset of a headache.'I truly should not have committed to assisting her research for a treatment against berserk transformation...' he lamented silently.Despite his internal grumbling about the increased workload, Alex had no intention of halting Eleanore’s research. The project held far too much promise to be set aside.While they already had several countermeasures in place to safeguard their future domain from outbreaks of berserk transformation, the phenomenon remained a palpable threat within this plane. Sooner or later, one of their people might encounter it—especially once they officially established and expanded their own territory.Consequently, it was far more sensible to begin developing a treatment—or ideally, a complete cure—before any such crisis materialized.'Besides, both the Black Scars and the BattleBanes have already pledged to aid in acquiring live subjects for experimentation... alongside the previously arranged trade involving wild divine statues.'Backing out now would be illogical,' Alex concluded in his mind.He glanced up at the two individuals seated across from him."You both are increasing my workload when your roles should be to help diminish it," he commented with a dry tone."Very well. However, in return, the two of you will also be required to perform a task for me."Alex extended his hand, its fabric sinking directly into the very essence of space. Moments later, he retrieved an object from within his Pocket Dimension."I wish for the two of you to refine this for me," he stated."Theolonium Ore?" Eleanore’s eyebrows shot up in surprise."Indeed. Raven Horn mentioned that the refinement process is a highly confidential secret, exclusively guarded by the deity temples. Given that you two are among the most skilled Alchemists and Forgesmiths of the younger generation our plane has to offer. If anyone outside the clergy can unravel the process, I anticipate it would be the pair of you," Alex said, a smile gracing his lips."It will not be simple," Sugud replied, his expression deeply furrowed."The same sentiment applies to most of the requests you make of me," Alex remarked casually.Sugud could only offer a wry smile in response to that."But precisely what do you require refined Theolonium for?" Eleanore inquired. "Its sole known utility is the storage of divine energy. It’s not as if you can personally utilize divine energy yourself.""How can we be so certain of that? Who is to say I won’t eventually devise a method?" Alex retorted with a grin."A similar assertion was once made regarding Spatial Energy back in Pangea, as it could not be properly contained. Yet, eventually, a method was discovered. And now? Spatial Energy serves as a fundamental pillar supporting our plane’s interplanar conquests."So, wouldn't it be intriguing if we uncovered a practical application for divine energy as well? Wouldn't that finally make those parasitic Navi somewhat valuable?" Alex’s grin broadened slightly.A subtle shiver coursed through both Eleanore and Sugud as his words kindled the same alarming realization within their minds.'He intends to utilize the Navi as a power source...!' they deduced in unison.Navi were notoriously difficult to eradicate. This was a truth that even high-ranking professionals in Pangea—those who surpassed the Legendary Rank—had long come to accept.However, what was relatively straightforward for such higher existences was the act of sealing away a Navi.In fact, numerous techniques existed for accomplishing this. Nearly every major nation possessed at least several established methods capable of sealing divine entities.Since Navi proved exceptionally troublesome to eliminate permanently for any entity not of Navi origin, the dominant powers of Pangea gradually adopted a more practical strategy: simply seal them away and permit their divinity to gradually decay over time until the Navi eventually perished.This approach proved far more cost-effective.Should Alex indeed succeed in discovering a method for harnessing divine energy and converting it into a usable power source, those pragmatic higher powers would undoubtedly exploit sealed Navi, extracting every last drop of their divine energy.

Furthermore, it could easily become another major revenue stream for the Golden Palace—or whichever organisation Alex eventually chose to market the method through.

Looking at the man seated opposite them, Eleanore and Sugud almost felt as though they were staring at a madman.

And yet, strangely enough, neither of them doubted that he might actually succeed. In fact, both firmly believed that if there existed anyone insane enough to accomplish such a thing... it would undoubtedly be Alex.

Eleanore, in particular, gazed at him with a faint glitter in her eyes.

Anyone familiar with Alex and his bloodline would naturally assume that this madness stemmed from the Furor side of his lineage.

However, those truly close to him—especially his wives—knew better. Alex possessed his own distinct brand of craziness and quiet insanity, one that rivalled even the madness inherent within his bloodline itself.

Worse still, the two complemented each other disturbingly well.

Case in point, although Alex currently spoke with a dangerous glint of madness in his eyes, his pupils remained their usual ruby-red colour—meaning he was not under the influence of Calm Madness.

’People often say there is only a thin line between genius and madness,’ Eleanore thought inwardly. ’But in his case... that line no longer exists. Whenever he does something, one must choose for oneself what they are truly witnessing—genius... or madness.’

Without question, she saw genius.

And for a distinct reason... that excited her.

Alex himself remained entirely oblivious to the unsettling gleam within his eyes as he spoke. Nor did he feel anything unusual or amiss about his own state of mind.

Instead, he simply stared intently at the two before him, silently pressing them for an answer.

"You’re making this sound like a trade. What—solve your problems and you’ll solve ours?" Eleanore said with an amused smile.

"I suppose it is a trade," Alex admitted. "But it is not a matter of ’if’—it is a matter of ’and’. I’ll resolve your requests, AND the two of you will resolve mine. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Eleanore replied without hesitation.

Sugud nodded as well.

"Excellent. Then let’s deal with this immediately," Alex said suddenly. "Sugud, I’ll handle the rune inscriptions later once all the crossbows are completed. As for mass production, there is actually a simple solution—assembly production."

"Assembly production? Would that even work?" Sugud asked sceptically. Although he was not unfamiliar with the concept, he still found it difficult to imagine in practice.

"The crossbow is not a sword or a suit of armour. It consists of multiple individual components. As long as you properly assess and standardise the parts supplied by different craftsmen, the overall quality of the final product should not suffer significantly once you assemble everything personally.

"More importantly, since only you would possess knowledge of the final assembly and complete blueprint, the secrecy of the weapon’s true design would remain protected," Alex explained.

Sugud nodded thoughtfully as he considered the proposal.

"If you are still concerned about security, you can also commission several dummy parts alongside the genuine components," Alex continued. "That way, even if someone notices the large-scale orders and somehow acquires every part, they would still struggle to determine the actual design."

"Speak with Udara regarding that matter. She should be able to help you devise a foolproof operational plan," he added.

After a brief pause, Alex continued once more.

"You can also consult Raven Horn regarding the commissions. He understands the local artisan circles better than anyone else here. He should be able to connect you with craftsmen who are both capable and trustworthy."

Sugud nodded again.

With that, his concerns had largely been resolved.

Alex then shifted his attention towards Eleanore.

"You are going to help with the potion refinement, right?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes," Alex replied, returning the smile with a playful glint in his eyes, "but not in the way you are imagining. Instead of merely giving you fish, why not teach you how to fish for yourself?"

"What do you mea—?"

"What would you think about obtaining an AetherKindle of your own?" Alex interrupted with a question of his own.

Eleanore froze in surprise.

"You speak as though Primal Origin Flames grow on trees," she commented dryly.

"I may not be capable of mass-producing them quite so casually," Alex replied, "but what if I could pass on a fragment of AetherKindle to you?"

A strange duality flickered within Alex’s eyes at that moment—a mixture of brilliance and madness intertwined so seamlessly that the boundary between the two became impossible to distinguish.

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