Chapter 3483: Path of Progress (Part 2)

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 เม.ย. 2569 03:56

*** Verhen Mansion, a few days later. While Lith and Solus experimented with the tower and Kamila, Aran, and Leria practiced their Spirit Magic, Menadion listened to Silverwing and Baba Yaga as they explained to her how magic had evolved in the past seven hundred years. The Ruler of the Flames would have been done with the lessons already if the two white cores had to show her just the modern runes. Ripha, however, wanted to know all about the now-outdated magical theories that were still better than those she had developed back in the day. "I know they are not in use anymore but that doesn’t mean such theories hold no untapped potential." She explained. "I don’t want just to memorize new runes, I want to understand how Awakened came to discover them. "If I follow the entire process instead of just accepting its results, I might find lines of research that lesser minds have missed." "That’s so humble of you, Ripha." Silverwing sighed. "Seeing you are still so arrogant after everything you went through warms my heart." The Red Mother snorted. "It’s nice to see that some things never change." Whenever Menadion found what she considered a potential lead, Baba Yaga and Lochra stopped their lesson and helped Ripha in her research until she confirmed it as a dead end. "Told you so." Lochra gloated. "Yeah, still, you had no idea it was possible before I pointed it out." Menadion gloated back. "No dessert for you if you keep quarreling, girls." Baba Yaga said in the stern voice a kindergarten teacher would use with unruly children. "You are not our mother!" The two Magi said in unison. "Thank the gods, no." Baba Yaga said with so much relief that it irked the Menadion and Silverwing to no end. "But I could be. Now back to work." It was almost lunchtime when the impossible happened. Baba Yaga’s communicator amulet drew her consciousness. "Why is Lith calling you?" Silverwing furrowed her brows. "He’s in the other room. He should just walk in here and talk like a normal person." "It’s not him." Baba Yaga clicked her tongue. "Why is Epphy calling you?" Menadion rubbed her chin in confusion. "She’s with Lith. She should just-" "Very funny!" The Red Mother snorted. "I have more than two contact runes on this hellish device." "You do?" The two Magi were utterly flabbergasted. "I have three." Baba Yaga showed them the unknown blinking rune. "Who are you and how did you get your rune on my amulet?" "It’s me, Lady Yaga." The hologram of a seven-headed Hydra appeared from the blue gemstone on the communicator. "Fyrwal the Hydra. We exchanged contacts the last time we met, remember?" "Of course." Baba Yaga’s bald-faced lie made the Magi in the peanut gallery giggle. "What do you want?" "I just wanted to inform you that the Hydra bloodline is willing to accept your terms." Fyrwal said. "My terms?" Baba Yaga echoed in confusion. "Yes. The Harmonizer. We are willing to help you with your research if you help us with ours. If you are still interested, of course." "Oh, that!" The Red Mother nodded. "Is it fine if I bring my assistants?" "My clan offers its hospitality to everyone accompanying you." Fyrwal gave her a deep bow. "These are our coordinates. Please, let us know when you arrive so that our defensive systems won’t mistake you for an intruder." "I’ll be there in the afternoon. Yaga out." She unceremoniously hung up the call. "I think she needs a more accurate time, Mommy." Lochra’s voice was as sweet as honey and full of sarcasm. "I’ll tell her when I know it myself." Baba Yaga replied. "Come, my assistants." "You were talking about us?" Menadion’s eyes widened. "Yes, but before bringing you along, I need permission from your master." "I don’t have a-" Ripha’s fury came and went way like a gust of wind. "I actually do." She sighed. The Red Mother knocked on Lith’s door. "Come in." "Hey, do you have plans for the afternoon?" Baba Yaga asked. "No. Why?" "I need Ripha. Which means I need you." The Red Mother replied. "Don’t make that face. It’s to help a friend of yours. Fyrwal the Hydra." "Okay, slow down, sit down, and explain it to me from the beginning." Lith offered the three women chairs. Baba Yaga reminded him about the offer he had suggested the Hydras to make her and then told him Fyrwal had just accepted her terms. "Oh, that." Lith nodded. "I’ll gladly accompany you. There’s a lot riding on this. Faluel benefits from that research and with her, Friya. Also, anything we discover I can use to help Morok, Garrik, Ryla, and in turn, Quylla. "On top of that, I’m deeply indebted to Fyrwal for her role in rescuing Solus." "How generous of you." Lochra said. "You have a hidden agenda as big as a dictionary." "I do my best. Thanks for noticing it." He replied. "It wasn’t a compliment." "I know." "Kids." Baba Yaga clapped her hands to draw their attention. "When can we leave?" Stay updated via empire "Depends. How long do you think it’ll take?" Lith asked. "The papers I can just take them home to study them thoroughly so I’d say just the time to check the Hydras’ apparatus and prototypes." Baba Yaga replied. "Maybe observe a couple of test runs." "In other words, the entire day." Lith sighed. "We’ll go after we are done with lunch. We are going to need our strength, Solus." "Sure, but it’s nothing we haven’t studied before, and we found nothing." She replied. "True, but this time we have a secret weapon." "The new floors of the tower?" "No, the Eyes on Menadion on the actual eyes of Menadion." Lith replied. *** Lith had already been to the secret research facility of the Hydras hence it was up to Solus to remember where it was and how to access it. "Lady Yaga. Ripha. Silverwing." They found Fyrwal and Faluel waiting for them, both Hydras in their human form and standing in front of a mountain. "Why do you address everyone by their last name but me?" Menadion grunted. "To knock your ego down a peg, old friend." Fyrwal said with a smirk. "Believe me, you need it or you’ll leave this place with your head so up your ass that it will pop back out of your neck." "And why is that?" "Lady Menadion, I’m a big fan of your work." Faluel shoved her mother away unceremoniously and took Ripha’s hand into hers, bowing so deeply that her hair grazed the ground. "I can’t believe I’m blessed with the opportunity to meet you in person through my disciple." Menadion blinked several times, her expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. "I’m sorry!" Faluel raised her hands in apology. "I didn’t mean to brag. Even though I was Lith’s and Solus’ mentor, you don’t owe me anything. I swear, I wasn’t trying to-" "What in the nine hells is your daughter rambling about, Fylly?" Menadion couldn’t stand Faluel’s verbal onslaught and cut it short. "After your death, a lot of people in the Forgemastery business missed you." Fyrwal sighed. "With you and Bytra gone and no more Rulers of the Flames emerging from our ranks, every Awakened Forgemaster went through every bit of your work, trying to find a clue that would lead to a breakthrough."

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