Chapter 1266 — Remains of a Myth
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
According to the intelligence gathered so far, within the peculiar environment of the War God's divine realm, objects that drew upon magical power found themselves unable to replenish it from their surroundings—though whatever magic was stored inside the objects remained unaffected. The Explorer puppet could still operate within the divine realm on the mana-storage crystals it carried in its body. By the same principle, Kamael could bring along a massive array of mana-storage crystals to prevent himself from suffering "attrition" once he entered the divine realm.
He glanced down at the silver-white metal case connected to his side. On its top was a transparent crystal "skylight," through which he could see neat rows of pale blue crystals set into grid plates carved all over with runes—and several more layers of such mana-storage plates lay within the case. So long as he did not unleash any large-scale spells, they would sustain Kamael's activity in this bizarre environment for quite a long while.
Though his own mana reserves far surpassed those of an ordinary mage, and he could survive here on his own strength for a good while yet, as Windsor Mappel had said, doing so would ultimately be draining away his own "life foundation"—far too dangerous. Unless an emergency arose, Kamael did not intend to pit his magic-formed body directly against this withered environment.
That mirror-like portal hovered quietly above the divine realm's plaza. The White Knights began establishing a temporary forward base centered upon it, setting the necessary equipment into place; a repair station, a medical station, and a supply point were arranged one after another. Meanwhile, two White Knights came to the side of the portal and began setting up a special device.
The device's main body was a metal cylinder studded with numerous rune interfaces, no taller than half a meter—hardly a complex structure. From its base extended a "drag chain" formed of linked alloy plates, their surfaces engraved with precise conduction runes and inlaid with lines of mithril, adamantine, and other mana-conductive metals, all interlocking through fine, sturdy hinges—at a glance, it looked costly indeed.
After anchoring the metal cylinder to the ground, one of the White Knights carefully brought the alloy "drag chain" before the portal and pushed its leading end through the "mirror" surface.
A moment later the rune chain gave a faint shudder, as though someone on the far side had connected and secured it. Then Kamael saw a pale glow surface upon the metal cylinder fixed beside the portal, and the runes that had been dim flickered several times before lighting up in rapid succession.
"Theory confirmed—the mana's coming through," said one of the two White Knights responsible for the installation, rising to his feet, his voice muffled beneath the heavy helm. "Master Kamael, the mana supply station is up and running."
Kamael nodded in satisfaction, a trembling resonance within his body: "Excellent... at least now, while we're near the portal, we can replenish our mana losses at any time."
"What do we do next?" The other White Knight looked at Kamael, floating in midair with a great crate drifting behind him. "Do we proceed to the plaza exit as planned?"
"Wait a moment," Kamael said gravely. "Our senior advisor is coming to provide technical support."