NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93: Fueling Stone
"Could it be…"
Standing in place, I was unable to move even an inch. Not only because seeing those shiny stones confirmed at least a small part of my theory, but also due to the implications of the time it took for them to turn from simple, carved gems to proper magic stones.
Both unable and unwilling to hold back my excitement, I rushed towards the table where the few pieces carved by Huskarl were left. Gently placing the new batch in the three different corners of the table, I finally took the piece of the prepared stone in my hand.
With two examples made from the two halves of the original gem, I could test two things. The time I spent reading patiently through the book could now pay off. But instead of sitting down with the carving tool and attempting to add more runes that would turn this piece into a usable artefact…
I made sure to write some simple labels for each of the stones I spread on the table before grabbing the two energy-filled ones and stepping through the doors back to Ayda's world. Right as my right leg was about to cross through the portal though, I felt a slight vibration coming from my pocket.
Most likely a notification or some message on my phone. Something that definitely could wait, given how it was not a call. Ignoring the matter, for now, I quickly moved out of the room where my spawn point was currently set.
Walking out of the Inn, I once again appeared on the streets of the small village taken over by Ayda's followers. As much as I wanted to share the first part of the good news with my girl already, I managed to stop myself from doing so. Being the complete novice in the topic that I was, it could easily turn out that my happiness would be short-lived.
Only by receiving Huskarl approval and confirmation could I make sure that at least this small part of my plan would be achievable. Yet, I wasn't even sure if I would tell Ayda the news even with that confirmation.
From one side, even the fact that I could charge the stones on Earth, even the fact how quickly I could do it… While those opportunities would prove to be of great use, they were far from enough to satisfy my grand plans. Even if Huskarl's approval would mean that I managed to obtain an immense edge over everyone else in either of the worlds, I ultimately decided that it was better to wait for all of my preliminary tests to conclude before sharing the good news.
Walking through the streets of the village towards Huskarl's workshop, I could already tell how this place would have to change depending on how a high degree of success would my test show. Even though the houses and buildings in this place were quite run-down and unkempt, even if all the other tests were to fail, I could already see this place becoming an important centre of trade just because of what I could achieve here.
"Oh? You are back already?"
Noticing my appearance, Huskarl appeared to be quite surprised. With her brows raised high, even her thin arm stopped moving the hammer up and down on the iron mold before her.
"Did you forget something? Or is there something you just realised you don't know?"
Instead of her outright hostile attitude from before, this petite girl seemed to be genuinely curious about the motives of my second coming. And there was absolutely no point for me to keep her from learning my purpose here. After all, I was the one most eager to know the answer to my tests.
"Yeah, I came to ask you about something."
Pulling out two stones from my pocket, I passed them on an open palm towards the girl. Her brows moved even further up before her face tensed. Her pupil dilated as if she didn't believe what she was seeing.
"Surely I am wrong, but just to be sure. Those are not…"
Slowly raising her eyes towards my face, Huskarl twisted her lips in an anxious smile.
"Yes, you are right. Those are the stones that you carved for me. Would you mind telling me whether they are fueled properly?"
Once again, I had no other choice but to rely on the automatic translator that somehow made my speech understandable to the girl and her words comprehensible for me.
"Y-yeah…"
With her hand shaking as she reached out for the shining stones, I could tell that this girl was fully capable of understanding the implications behind the situation. From what I heard so far, the places where one could actually turn carved stones into magical ones were all fully occupied by powerful forces, each taxing a hefty amount for the usage of the magical clog they control. Having something on a scale that belittled the local common sense like the amount of magic concentrated in my basement was alone a game-changing factor.
"Great. If that's the case, then would you mind trying to carve some basic runes on it? I mean, I would love to see how an actual finished product looks and works like."
Asking this question, I expected the girl to answer relatively soon, but she just continued to stare at shining gems in her hand. Raising her eyes at my face after a lengthy moment, I could tell that there was something worrying her.
"I'm sorry… But those stones are overflowing. Attempting to carve more runes on them right now… Instead of making magic stone, you somehow turned them into a fueling stone."
Placing the gems on the anvil with the utmost care that only some fragile explosives deserved, Huskarl finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she looked sharply at me, as if she wanted to jump at me and pluck my eyes out.
"You do realise that if you left those pieces in… that important place of yours, they would ultimately explode? As great as the fueling runes of the level I used usually are, the particular design I used didn't have any protection against the overflow… Just a little bit of magic energy more, and their internal structure would collapse, leading to a violent release of all the energy stored."
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but return with my thoughts to my basement. To my basement that was raging with enormous amounts of magical energy. To the same basement where a copious amount of freshly carved stones continued to charge.
"One last question then…"
With all the blood flowing out of my face, I looked seriously with a hint of panic at Huskarl.
"Does the most basic design marked with number three in the book, has any protections against the overcharge?"