A couple of days later, Guklaro announces that the Dungeon is now safe to re-enter and that efforts will be made to create a safe enclave within. A lot of trees had been felled during my fight, so there is a lot of building materials ready to be processed.

Guklaro still hasn’t thanked me, but Esofy, Tana, Uloru, and the others did. Well, Irela didn’t say anything, but that’s enough coming from her. I haven’t planted Dryad’s Grace’s seed yet; I’m not sure where to put it. I have considered the island’s orchard, but that would help Guklaro, and right now, I’m not feeling generous towards her.

I take my new staff on my flight to Kayafe; perhaps she has heard of something similar, it should make for an interesting topic… and I haven’t talked to her recently, so she’s probably lonely.

I initiate contact, and we greet each other, then I explain.

“It’s the first I’ve heard of something exactly like it, but some items have been known to be bonded to a place, or have a domain centered around them. I bet that it is an influence from the skills you chose to use with the Bond crystals,” Kayafe explains. “Still, it is really impressive to have made something of that caliber. Although, I suspect that it was held back by the materials you used; if you had materials from Heroic or Exalted monsters, you could have ended up with a high-grade Exalted-tier item.”

“Yeah, but the only way for me to get something of that quality would be to ask Safyr for some scales or something. I am not nearly strong enough to take down an experienced Heroic monster, not to mention they are typically much higher level,” I am thinking of the Seven-Eyed Mountain Gazer I saw in the mountains of the Dungeon.

What would I be able to make with its materials? Especially considering I’ll know more about inscriptions by that point…

“Hmm,” Kayafe hums. “How many magic items do you have now? Five? How did you get that many?”

I tell her. My hair ornament and Kyhosa came from my Kyholo; technically, I didn’t make them.

“Hmm,” Kayafe hums again, thoughtfully. “The only ones that don’t make sense are your Diadem and this staff now. From what I know, there simply shouldn’t have been enough meaning there to trigger the transformation into a magic item.”

“What do you mean?” I ask curiously. “The staff had plenty of symbolism.”

“Symbolism is not enough, Alysara. Take your Kyhosa, for example. There were no enchantments, nothing to reinforce its abilities, yet there was no way it wasn’t going to become a magic item. The reason is that the circumstances were so meaningful. It’s a one-time thing, made with all the love and care your parents had at the time; that was what made it into a magic item.”

I don’t see the issue, but I wait for Kayafe to finish.

“Your eye wraps became a magic item because it shared in your growth over years. Your Dedication to Myrou and the Kyhosa you made for your sisters also became a magic item for much the same reasons your own Kyhosa did. The raw, heartfelt meaning is what fueled the magic. But what of your Diadem and staff? How were they so meaningful to you? It’s an enigma that I don’t understand.” Kayafe says.

“Well, for one, the magic is fueled by experience.” I explain what I saw during the transformation. “It makes sense; the magic framework is created when the conditions are met.”

“Yes, that part makes sense in isolation, but if that is the case then magic items should be commonplace… but they’re not. What I mean is that there has to be a trigger for the process to happen; think of experience as fuel that is burned, but not the spark that starts it.” Kayafe explains her position.

“Then it’s a mystery that needs to be explored!” I say optimistically, “If we can figure this out, then making magic items might be a lot easier. With my [Sense Magic], I should be able to get to the bottom of this!”

“I hope you’re right...” Kayafe says, clearly not sharing my own enthusiasm.

We continue talking about the workings of magic, and theory crafting based on my observations, until my mana runs out. I fly back home and continue my mana studies to finish my book on [Sense Mana]; by completing that, I should be able to raise my [Sense Magic] level up to almost seven hundred.

It’s going to take a couple of months, but now we have time; there is nothing pressing anymore.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ruluna paces back and forth; that damned spy has not shown up in months! She has everything prepared. She has consulted her fellow archmages and paladins. Some of them disagree with the idea that they should alert the spy that they are onto them; others agree that, if anything, it will stop the spying.

Despite all of the spying, no one contested the Leviathan, which is most bewildering. Someone knows of it. Someone should have tried to muscle their way into taking it, even it meant the lives of that hamlet, but no one did, not even to get the last of the scraps. This leads to the question, who is the spy? Are they friend or foe? What is their agenda? Who do they work for?

It is because of these circumstances that the headmasters have agreed to Ruluna’s plan, to initiate communications. So now the question is, how can they talk to the spy? It has to be one way, right? They are looking, not touching anything; they can’t interact with anything. So how do they communicate with the spy?

The answer is simple. Retaliations. Or rather, clever use of notifying retaliations so that the spy can trigger a retaliation which will light up a letter. With that, they can talk, but on the very slim chance the spy is illiterate, an independent spy commoner who just so happens to be so gifted, then there are some symbols to help with communications.

A knock alerts Ruluna to a guest, Flame Paladin Julaly.

“You can’t just stay cooped up here all year; perhaps the spy just gave up.”

“We don’t know when they will spy again; if that happens when I’m away, then we may miss our chance.” Ruluna counters.

“There’s no use in secluding yourself; besides, there’s trouble brewing,” Julaly says darkly.

“What do you mean?” Ruluna asks.

“Apparently, there were two more Leviathans that washed ashore, and Forren Kingdom got one; they are already drafting soldiers,” Julaly explains.

“So? There’s a reason why they haven’t expanded any further than they have… and what nations do has no standing for our orders; we’re an inter-national mercenary order, it’s none of our business,” Ruluna says.

It doesn’t matter who rules; the Order will still be there.

“You may say that, but the Headmasters disagree, especially since the Order of Lightning was hired by the rebellion that happened last month.”

“And?” Ruluna retorts. They aren’t the Order of Lightning; they didn’t participate in some rebellion in a foreign country.

“For Venaro's Scroll, Ruluna!” Julaly swears. “Forren Kingdom is abolishing the Orders! Five dukes died when the palace was stormed headed by an Order! They are angry and now consider the Orders a threat to their rule!”

In other words, it is their problem; if the Kingdom takes over, then their Order will at best be dissolved and at worst executed.

“What is the Republic doing? Surely they are responding to the actions of the Kingdom.” Ruluna asks, now more serious.

“Yes, they are. Troops are being sent to Kineto City and Lova Fort.”

“So they are sending troops to our border?”

“Where else? They can’t get past Bastion City, and those healers won’t back down; they will destroy any army that attacks Port Liera no matter what the army is equipped with; our border is the weakest of the three.” Julaly sits down next to Ruluna. “Their plan is probably to get our Leviathan materials to hopefully raise a strong enough army to maybe attack one of the other two nations; that, or they will conquer the Frostwoods.”

Ruluna sits down at the table opposite Julaly.

“So, we’ll be going to war soon? I don’t see a future where the Republic doesn’t hire us.”

“It will take some time to make something of the Leviathan materials; luckily, we got ours first. Lady Lysha is certainly going to be elevated in the eyes of the people for securing the Leviathan, and she will rely on us again.” Julaly leans back in his chair.

“So, not just yet. Who’s going to lead the war efforts? Since the Kineto family is near the border, I assume it’s going to be them.” Ruluna asks, leaning forward and resting her head on her hands.

“The Kinetos will be managing the defenses for sure, but it is Lady Lysha herself who will be leading the attack.”

“Lysha? She isn’t all that experienced; what are they thinking?!” Ruluna respects Lady Lysha, but she is too inexperienced to lead an army, no matter what her Bond level suggests.

“It’s politics. Julaly almost spits the word. “If she fails, then her brothers will have a chance at being elected as the Heir to the Runa family.”

The internal politics of the Republic is weird: only a member of House Vanu Runa can govern Vanu City, and each generation one of the siblings will be elected, by the citizens, as the family heir who will lead the city. The other family members will marry off to some other House or one of the five lesser families: House Vanu Roda, Vanu Sera, Vanu Doka, Vanu Dao, and Vanu Kasha.

Each major House governs its own city: Vanu, Kineto, Sep, Yora, Hova, and Ora. Each of the Major Houses and their five Lesser Houses makes up the senate, making laws and decisions that will determine the future of the Republic.

Lysha is vying for heirship; while the Leviathan will help her with that, her rash decision to lead war efforts will be her undoing, and it seems that her brothers are willing to let her take the fall, playing with peoples’ lives.

Just then, Ruluna feels a familiar feeling of being watched. She cracks a smug grin at Julaly... who doesn’t seem to have noticed their little spy.

“It looks like staying here paid off,” Ruluna says and stands up; she then looks up and points two fingers to her eyes and taps her temple, saying: “I know you’re watching me.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I got caught? I ponder as I watch the fire mage.

She then moves a small perceptive field to several items arranged on a table. One of the items produces a shape in the air; a spell that conjures an illusion, but uses the shape of the mana so it can be read by someone with [Sense Mana]?

Interesting. They turned retaliation items into something that I can use to talk to them with.

I raise my perceptive pressure, just around the items. I am holding onto my unused Treant’s Eye and using it as a proxy for protection. All of the items activate, and I memorize what each of them is. It seems like most of them are lettering, but I don’t know what their language is; luckily, they have accounted for that and given a few options for basic communication. I activate the item I assume means ‘peace’; one was a scroll and the other a sword. I then activate the one I think means that I don’t know how to read their language.

The two people look at each other and start talking; they really thought I could read their language, didn’t they? They only have a few basic ways to say something. Basically, ‘can you read?’ and ‘are you friendly?’ However, what she does next surprises me. She lifts up a necklace and points to her temple, then looks up... which I assume means me.

A telepathy retaliation item or a trap? I will have to stop using my proxy and scapegoats for it to work; it’s very risky, she is more than three times my level, and her Bond is just as high as mine, she is a strong foe… however, I have survived against the Mind Eater, and she doesn’t have a mind Class. All things considered, it’s as safe as it can get; the one thing that causes me to pause is how she knew I was watching her.

What to do? Take the risk or no?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ruluna waits; a minute passes, then two. This is her last gambit to really know who the spy is; they could be lying that they are friendly and have mind mages at the ready to attack her through the telepathic link, but she is ready to take the risk. In order for communications to happen, someone must take the first step and be put at risk; in the card game Battles, the first to play is always disadvantaged.

Ruluna waits, her heart pounding in anticipation, and then she feels her mana being drained as the communication retaliation activates, and she gasps as her [Track Senses] finally locks onto the spy. They are far, far, FAR, to the northwest, impossibly far, surely her skill has to have it wrong, no one can scry that far! It’s so far; all she knows is just a direction, not even a triangulated position.

Ting! Track Senses has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 140!

14th Breakthrough: You have tracked someone’s senses over a thousand kilometers; this will help you track true masters of scrying.

“Who are you?” Ruluna says out loud as well through the telepathic link.

Julaly looks concerned as she speaks, but doesn’t say anything.

“La Srsuu.”

What? That isn’t a language she knows. Ruluna looks at Julaly then points to herself.

“Ruluna.”

“Alysara.”

Ruluna’s heart skips a beat. Did she hear right? Alysara, from the world notification? Then that must mean...

“Julaly,” Ruluna says, addressing her companion. “It’s Alysara, and... I think she is from our ancestor’s homeland.”