Chapter 484 Chapter485-The Purpose of Existence
Thinking it over, Howard noticed an issue in Nula's explanation, or rather, something that hadn't been clarified yet.
"How do you plan to deal with that cause? What exactly is the cause of the monster tide? A person? A ritual?" Howard had seen his fair share of troubles.
Usually, such scenarios hid some conspiracy or scheme.
Whether it's a cult conducting secretive experiments, a mad scientist creating artificial beasts, or the moment for an ambitious person to emerge, aiming to overthrow Rodel for independence or something along those lines.
He had experienced too many such troublesome events.
"It's sort of a ritual," Nula spoke vaguely, concerned that Howard might refuse to accompany her if he knew the details.
"Anyway, you'll understand once you come with me. I need your help."
"But I'm like this, big sister!" Howard gestured towards his blood-stained clothes.
Though his injuries were superficial, they weren't the kind that could be fixed with a simple plaster.
"But you're the only one I can trust here," Nula looked into Howard's eyes, paused, and then looked away.
"If you don't want to come, it's fine. I'll go alone."
"Is it dangerous?" Howard hesitated for a few seconds before asking.
"It's somewhat dangerous, but I can handle it myself. Worst case scenario, I get injured... or you could just head to Sorona, it's not a big deal."
Hey!
What do you mean by that last part?
What does 'just head to Sorona' suppose to mean?
Howard sighed.
"If I go with you, will it lessen your burden?"
"If it's really dangerous, I guess I could help out."
Nula opened her mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent, only nodding in response.
"Alright then, go change your clothes. Your current outfit is too conspicuous!"
Howard turned and headed back to his room.
...
Watching Howard's not particularly broad back and shoulders, Nula silently sighed.
This was the first time she felt like she was truly deceiving someone.
Was the key stronghold of the Eternal Flame cult dangerous?
The word "dangerous" hardly sufficed to describe it.
Reagan was essentially a dragon's den, a tiger's lair, where entering without sufficient strength meant facing almost certain death, if not outright annihilation.
If Howard's situation wasn't so unique, Nula would never consider involving him.
After all, she, who was several times stronger than Howard, had nearly fallen at the hands of the clown mask.
Now, how would Howard, with his mere level 3 magus strength, fare?
But Howard's inability to make a significant impact didn't mean the entity within him couldn't.
Since Lorinda's departure, Nula and Dorek hadn't immediately sought out Howard to deal with another piece of intelligence – true, but that task wouldn't have taken much time.
In reality, they were verifying Howard's condition.
What exactly was hidden inside Howard?
What was its purpose of existence?
Did it possess its own consciousness?
What was its attitude towards humanity or, more specifically, the people of Avala Continent?
Until these questions were answered, no one dared to truly utilize Howard.
If, by any chance, they angered the entity lurking within him, who would face the consequences – you or me?
However, after days of investigating ancient texts and other intelligence, both of them had yet to make any substantial discoveries.
Howard's case, even among extraterrestrials, was unprecedented!
Although extraterrestrials come from another world, they are still beings; how could anyone possibly conceal something within themselves like that! It's not a simple matter of a dual personality; when Howard switches states, even the shape of his soul completely changes.
The coexistence of two distinct souls within one body is something neither Nula nor Dorek had ever heard of before.
However, they eventually managed to gather, or rather deduce, some information.
Why had the unknown soul ceased its activities and fallen into slumber after killing Amriel?
The reason is simple: a lack of energy – the energy Howard could provide was far from sufficient to sustain its operation.
This piece of information gave Nula a breakthrough idea.
In Avala Continent, what is the best source of energy?
Without a doubt, there's only one answer to this question – mana!
Now, the biggest problem is the mana accumulated within the already manufactured rune signage.
So, why not let Howard try to absorb all that mana!
The entity hidden within him is clearly a massive energy consumer, with Howard's own level 3 magus mana supply barely enabling it to act for a few seconds.
So, how long would the mana accumulated by the Eternal Flame over nearly half a year allow it to operate?
Would it be enough to initiate its energy cycle system? Nula was very curious about this.
The dangers Howard would face are certainly real, having to traverse almost the entire underground stronghold.
What might happen during the absorption of mana is utterly unpredictable.
Even whether the absorbed mana would be utilized by the entity, and to what extent, remains an unknown.
Yet, this is the highest success rate plan Nula could conceive.
Taking a deep breath, Nula silently went over the plan once more.
In this operation, Howard, unaware of the real intention, was the key player.
She couldn't let him realize her true motives beforehand, as doing so could potentially ruin the entire plan.
Nobody wants to die, a truth universally acknowledged, from the butcher on the street to the nobles in the palace; there is no distinction in their desire to live, magi and adventurers included.
You may not fear death, but certainly, nobody wishes to die in baffling circumstances.
Nula didn't believe Howard absorbing mana posed a life-
threatening risk, but she also knew she lacked the means and ability to persuade Howard.
Their current trust was entirely based on Howard's unilateral faith in her.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly." Nula retreated back into her room, casting a glance at White and stroking its neck.
...
Approximately a few minutes later, Howard reappeared at Nula's door, having bandaged his wounds and changed into clean, simple clothes.
He wore no leather armor nor carried a chest protector, going into this lightly equipped.
Seeing Howard's somewhat pale complexion made Nula hesitate.
"Are you sure you're up for this?"
Even if the wounds weren't fatal, going back into another battle after such rudimentary first aid might result in bleeding mid-
fight.
Nula didn't want Howard to end up collapsing, unable to get back up; that would be worse than abandoning Rodel city altogether.
"Don't worry, I'm more than capable," Howard confidently patted his chest.
He had been through too many similar situations before.
Sighing, Nula gave one last piece of advice: "If anything feels off, leave immediately! Don't worry about me, not at all! I have more ways to save my own life than you might think!"
Howard nodded on the surface, but inwardly he didn't pay much heed.
You might have many ways to save your life, but I might have an unkillable body.
It seems I'm on the sturdier side.
"Let's go, where to?"
Reaching behind him for his knife and finding nothing, Howard paused momentarily.
"Where exactly is this ritual you mentioned? Inside Rodel?"
"No, it's in a place quite far from here, and we can't get there by ordinary means."
Nula waved her hand, pulling out a pouch of shiny silver powder from her waist bag.
"Step back, make some room; I need to cast a spell."
Hearing Nula mention casting a spell, Howard's eyes widened with curiosity as he quickly stepped back to the door.
Though he was also a magus, the magi here were quite different from what he had imagined.
While he knew a few spells, they were basic to the point of being elementary, making him the least proficient among the magi here.
A true magus, even one specialized in close combat enhancements, usually combines spells with fighting, unlike him, who simply charges in with a blade.
With enough space made, Nula began to chant in the complex elvish language.
Though spell construction could also be accomplished through spellcasting, using the elvish language was more reliable and offered greater resistance to interference.
If attacked mid-chant, one could dodge; but if you're halfway through drawing a matrix on the ground and someone approaches, what then?
Surely you can't just don a high-level energy shield and withstand the attack.
While chanting, Nula's hands never ceased moving, evenly scattering a handful of silvery powder to form a circle over a meter in diameter—just enough space for two to stand within.
This was the rudiment of a matrix.
If using spells to create the foundation of a matrix, it would necessitate detailed rune inscriptions, but if one chants in the elf language, most of these steps can be skipped, provided you have enough mana.
Indeed, drawing a circle that could encase a city in living flames is a matter of seconds with the elf language.
Yes, the greatest drawback of using the elf language is its excessive mana consumption.
After all, this ancient language can directly communicate with the mana ocean, and merely using it requires a significant amount of mana.
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