Chapter 317
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: A Problem Has Arisen
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Hotel Leviathan's underground.
In the temporary workshop set up in one corner, Syr and Rimon threw themselves into research day and night.
It was a grueling pace only possible for a Sword Master whose stamina seemed inexhaustible and a great witch who had surpassed the limits of lifespan through magic.
And with an adult-level ghost serving as their assistant to boot.
Judging by the members alone, it was a research team more than sufficient to achieve world-class feats.
...Though the atmosphere was anything but smart, compared to that impressive lineup.
"Why can't you do that?"
"Tell me to do something I can do, you old hag! Do I look like some kind of god to you?"
"Not a god, but you're a Sword Master who can even cut down gods."
"Why don't you use your magic to summon one? Then I'll grab that god by the collar and make it do the work for us."
Sarcasm was par for the course.
They bickered with the intensity of grabbing each other by the collar.
Or she'd throw a tantrum, whining about how he couldn't even do this.
From their antics alone, they resembled nothing so much as a pair of neighborhood grannies who'd gotten into a fight over go-stop at a nursing home—far from any historic research endeavor.
'Team Leader's actually arguing with her like that... That witch sister's pretty impressive.'
That was why Yuna Kyung was full of admiration.
A verbal sparring match against that Rimon, of all people.
It was something only possible for Syr, who received the full package of deference as an elder, respect as a former empress, and acknowledgment as a capable slave.
"You old hag! Why are you draining my blood again? You think I'm your lab rat?!"
"Just use a little. It's not like it wears out."
"You think a Sword Master's blood just springs from thin air?"
"Well, you're not gonna die from it anyway."
"Hey, you fucking old—!"
...Of course, it was impressive that she took all that preferential treatment and still got cursed out by Rimon.
And the greatness of her seasoned judgment shone through in how she didn't hesitate to test the waters despite it all.
Fortunate amid misfortune, perhaps.
Or inexplicably miraculous.
Even as they squabbled, the research progressed steadily.
No matter how unreasonable Syr's demands, Rimon would curse but get it done.
No matter how absurd Rimon's orders, Syr would grumble but find a solution.
[Ah, come on! Would you two just stop fighting?!]
Thanks to that, the one dying was Yuna Kyung.
Mediating their fights.
Comforting the frightened Sera.
And on top of it all, handling all the research errands.
She was worked to the bone juggling every role alone, to the point her wings cramped up.
Her hobby magic studies had advanced at a terrifying pace, and she'd gained plenty otherwise, but...
Still, there was no helping how exhausting it was.
Thanks to Yuna Kyung's sacrifices, though, Syr's research had made considerable progress in just a few days.
Including some pretty important breakthroughs.
"Hmm, as expected."
On one side, ten clones.
On the other, dozens of clones.
Syr murmured softly as she gazed at the two statues, made from identical materials and forms yet showing a stark difference.
She turned to Rimon, who was organizing the Violin of the Heart of Darkness nearby, and spoke quietly.
"It seems the Seven Arks have an amplification effect on each other."
"...They get stronger the more that gather? Like how psychics amplify through resonance?"
"How else could the same statue show this much difference?"
Syr shrugged.
The difference between these two statues was one thing: whether Rimon had played the Violin of the Heart of Darkness for it after completion.
Just that alone had multiplied the statue's imbued effects several times over. It was too blatant to chalk up to coincidence.
"Moreover, this amplification is inherently complementary."
"You mean the Seven Arks might be designed to maximize each other's strengths from the start?"
"That's how it looks to me."
Syr said languidly.
If the sculpture knife's effect was the 'imbuement' of power,
Then the violin's power was closer to 'tuning'—adjusting flows and achieving harmony.
Impressive alone, but tuning the power imbued by the knife with the violin made it even more potent.
As if they were made to assist each other from the outset.
"If we gather the rest of the Seven Arks, the amplification could be dozens of times stronger."
"...At that point, we might as well mass-produce divine relics."
"It'd be fortunate if it ended there."
"Damn it, where the hell did junk like this even come from..."
Rimon clicked his tongue.
Tools were blameless, sure—but there were limits.
You didn't hand a gun to a child, after all.
A tool too powerful could be a sin in itself.
If the Liberation Brigade had gotten their hands on this violin and knife, collecting four of the Seven Arks...
Depending on how they used them, it might've sparked a catastrophe worse than a demon lord's descent.
That was why.
Rimon suddenly spoke up.
"Old hag, just to check."
"Impossible for me. You might manage it, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Thanks to her experience, Syr anticipated the question and answered before he even asked fully. Rimon furrowed his brow.
"Breaking a Seven Ark could cause more problems?"
"I said this power is like a seal. Force it open, and who knows what happens?"
Syr pointed out coolly.
Breaking a seal might destroy the contents—or release them.
If the sealed power in a Seven Ark was dangerous and unleashed a disaster upon release?
It'd be like burning down the thatched house chasing bedbugs.
"Tch. So we have no choice but to find and secure them before the Liberation Brigade does."
"No need to be so disappointed. Having them helps, at least."
"Only because they'd be a huge problem in the wrong hands."
Rimon sighed.
It wasn't just the Liberation Brigade that was dangerous.
Anyone with a Seven Ark.
Even accidentally breaking the seal and abusing the power could cause massive trouble.
Even with good intentions.
That was why Rimon lowered his voice.
"By the way, old hag—what about that thing I asked you to check before?"
Hearing that, Syr's usual leisurely smile faded.
As if he'd brought up a real headache, she frowned slightly and asked back.
"...You mean that?"
"Yeah."
"Short answer: still impossible."
"Can't be helped, huh?"
"Same as with the sculpture knife. And this one's even more special."
"Guess we'll only know if we crack it open."
"Want to try?"
After a moment of thoughtful silence,
Rimon quietly shook his head.
"...Nah. Not something to decide right now, at least."
"You're so cautious. If it were me, I'd check it out of curiosity alone."
"You're the one who said it might be irreversible once done."
"That's that, and this is this."
Rimon clicked his tongue, clearly displeased at Syr's seductive smile.
And Yuna Kyung looked miffed.
[...Excuse me? You two, what are you talking about?]
"Nothing to worry about."
"You don't need to know."
[You fight like cats and dogs usually—why do you sync up perfectly when hiding stuff from me?!]
Whether the suddenly babied Yuna Kyung threw a fit or not,
Rimon and Syr didn't bat an eye.
Their lips weren't so loose as to blab about unconfirmed matters.
Especially not here.
As Yuna Kyung sulked watching Rimon and Syr calmly pivot back to Seven Arks research,
And Sera patted her back in comfort,
A visitor arrived at the workshop.
"Do you have a moment?"
"Hm? What brings you here, princess?"
Rimon was puzzled.
With everyone's schedules packed lately, Li Chingwei had been hard to spot,
Let alone dropping by unannounced without notice.
Of course, Li Chingwei hadn't come just to see Rimon's face.
There was important business.
"Ainsha's back from the Holy Alliance."
"Already?"
"The Holy Alliance is under economic sanctions too, so they were more cooperative all around."
"She even secured the materials there?"
"At least the ones in the Holy Alliance."
"Good news, that."
In their current situation, plagued by economic sanction issues,
Securing materials faster meant shaving time off crafting Dagda's Cauldron. Undeniably good news.
But Rimon frowned instead.
"Then why deliver that good news with such a grim face?"
"...That obvious?"
"Hard to miss."
A groom should at least read his bride's mood, right?
Li Chingwei gazed at the nonchalant Rimon with a complicated expression before finally sighing and speaking.
"It's not all good news."
"...Indeed, all these materials are top-notch."
"Of course. Hand-picked from the Holy Alliance. Guaranteed premium."
Ainsha said impassively yet proudly, as Syr inspected the materials through her glasses.
It was well-earned pride.
Gathering this much in so short a time was only possible for her, mediator between gods and church in the Holy Alliance.
"The rest should be mostly gathered within a month."
Li Chingwei added calmly.
The Black Dragon Clan had always excelled in intelligence.
Even in decline, they retained a minimal network centered on Leviathan worldwide.
And Li Chingwei was leveraging it fully to hunt materials.
Negotiating with collectors.
Bidding at auctions.
Smuggling from museums.
Once located, acquisition was simple.
But precisely because of that, Li Chingwei wore a troubled look.
"Except for one thing."
"Hmm. I think I can guess which one."
Syr nodded after checking the lists of materials gathered by Ainsha and secured or located by Li Chingwei.
Then she asked bluntly.
"Feather of the Seven-Colored Bird, right?"
"Yes. Regrettably, even Leviathan's intelligence couldn't track that one."
"Not in the Holy Alliance either. Big problem."
"Not surprising. The bird itself surviving is the real anomaly."
Syr smiled languidly.
The Seven-Colored Bird was rare even in the Silver Age.
Thousands of years later, extinction was no shock.
"Hey, old hag. Can't we substitute another material?"
"Possible. But it'd add months to crafting Dagda's Cauldron."
The feather was a key component.
Substituting meant overhauling the recipe entirely.
Rimon clicked his tongue at Syr's casual words.
No time to waste months when urgency already pressed.
Fortunate amid misfortune, though.
Li Chingwei and Ainsha had a lead.
"Fortunately, we have a clue."
"Checked all Holy Alliance records. One sighting of a live Seven-Colored Bird in the last decade."
"My investigation suggests it's credible too."
Alive or stuffed remains,
Follow the trail, and a feather might turn up.
Li Chingwei's expression grew complicated as she continued the relatively positive news.
"The problem is, the location isn't one where you can just poke around quietly for a single bird."
"Where is it?"
Rimon looked puzzled.
Few places could make the Black Dragon Clan's princess whimper before even scouting.
"The last sighting of the Seven-Colored Bird was..."
But upon hearing Li Chingwei's answer,
He couldn't help widening his eyes.