“Hm, so this is how it is,” Gaelius mused as he appraised the Shard with everyone sitting around a table. “Shortly said, yes, I can individualize this piece. It’s no problem. In fact, with the tri-core you see over there,” he pointed at the cylinder. “I could essentially manipulate this Eion in almost any way I want. Obviously, I also have to code in the specific schematics and instructions. Such as how it rebuilt my lab; it needed a precise plan of its components.”

“Then, how easy would it be to make this shard disconnected right now?”

“In numbers? Give me a day to program the code and then it should only take five minutes. If you give them to me in bulk, that won’t change unless it’s over something like a hundred at once. The tri-core will need to recharge at some point too after all.”

“And how fast can you build more of these tri-cores for industrialization?”

“Hm, this is for your company project, right?” Gaelius rubbed his chin and closed one eye. “I would say that the preparations would take me about a week or two. Considering I am technically still on vacation from my work in Old Eden and for the Pavilion, I can dedicate my full time to it. I also have this tri-core ready, which will massively increase my productivity. In all honesty, this thing here is like an all-powerful 3D printer, given enough samples, I should be able to replicate material of the same ilk as mithril.”

Wang’s eyes widened. “Really? Is it that potent?”

“Indeed. Of course, the energy required would be exponentially higher, but as we develop the scale of it, it should be easier and easier as it goes on.”

“I have a question,” Evelyn meekly raised her hand and the old scientist tilted her head at her. “Can the tri-core also produce organic ingredients for alchemy for example?”

“That is a good question,” he slowly nodded. “The answer is yes and no. This Eion cannot actually create organic components as we know them. What it would make is something like his body,” he pointed at Rakna. “But without his original organic half. In other words, it could function like one but it wouldn’t be able to make a full organism. It would be the same thing for alchemy ingredients. Of course, the energy itself might be able to synergize with recipes, but using it as an ingredient might be impossible. If otherwise, it would require far more research.”

“I see… I understand. I was just curious since it would help a lot,” the succubus replied.

“Are you an alchemist, young lady?”

“And a talented one!” Old Wang remarked with a smile and she blushed.

“Take a look at this,” Rakna complemented by presenting a Cardiac Scavenging Pill and the more potent potion version to the scientist. He read the descriptions with an awed expression.

“This is quite something, I admit. This whole thing will probably be even bigger than I expected if you get this kind of thing into the picture.”

“Mhm,” the therian nodded. “Coming back to earlier, I wanted to ask, is it possible to modify the details of those pills and potions to erase my involvement in it?”

“Make it anonymous? Yes, certainly,” Gaelius nodded. “I can teach the young lady a small trick to influence the final product during the manufacturing process. The basic principle is to experiment with different methods, such as modifying the transmutation circles in odd ways, or involve third-party factors until the System gets confused.”

“That’s interesting. The System does have limits like encoding levels,” Rakna mused. “It wouldn’t be weird if some items create anomalies and were repaired in some algorithmic way,” he said and subsequently noticed that he was being stared at by the three other people at the table. “…what?”

“You… how do you know about the encoding limits?” Gaelius asked with a scowl.

“Hm? What? Is that supposed to be some secret? I have two skills like that. My Soul Marble is also in that category if I’m not wrong from what I’ve seen.”

The old scientist opened his mouth wide. “W-w-w-w-what?! Which skills!? Can you show them to me?!” He suddenly shouted and stood up.

Rakna blinked in surprise. “Is it that big of a deal?”

“Are you joking? Do you have any idea of how rare those are?!” The old man retorted. “Listen, all that resides inside the System are existentially locked within its rules. Outside of it, everyone can wield as many elements as they want for example, even though it’s with various aptitudes. But, in here, it’s different. The System performs a one-time and irreversible modification to your soul and your magic essentially gets optimized to the maximum, awakening a deep-rooted facet of yourself at the same time. This is one of the biggest ‘game rules’ in here.”

“There are a few more key settings but the main point is that a skill surpassing the encoding limits is intrinsically superior to the System itself. It’s like a speck of light surviving inside a black hole; an electromagnetic wave strong enough to resist gravitational mayhem. Basically; it’s absurd. The System is almost omnipotent within its boundaries. Overpowering that authority is nothing short of a miracle.”

Rakna listened numbly to the rant and when he felt he could place one, he opened his mouth, “And you are so excited because…?”

“Because it means I can study its effect on the System!” Gaelius replied with a grin. “What if I could find a way to create a temporary breach in the System’s infrastructure and infiltrate it?”

“Then you would die,” a fifth voice echoed in the room and Rakna nearly jumped off his seat. In one moment, he didn’t sense anything, and in the next, a suffocating presence had manifested. It filled the room like snakes crawling around their bodies.

He slowly turned his head to look at the stranger standing a few meters away from them. It was a lanky man with gray skin and tribal red tattoos spread across his whole body. He had black hair strangely combed with one side straight and the other longer and wilder. He was wearing a loose and torn outfit with random visible damages sewed together.

Rakna’s eyes grew golden crosses and he scowled at what he saw. “A Phantasm?” He inquired with a wary eye. He could barely see anything else from this man. In fact, he was sure of it; the second that Crystal Sight landed on him, he had discovered that this man did not have a System Status.

The therian’s question seemingly woke up the three other people at the table, as if they had been stirred from the grasp of a spell. It also made the newcomer frown at him.

“Tch, you already have a skill capable of seeing through my race,” he grunted. “I knew we should have killed you when we still had the chance. We could have used a scapegoat or blamed it on a monster,” he scoffed under his breath but he had clearly no care about hiding his thoughts at all.

Rakna’s eyebrow twitched at the careless revelation.

“Who are you?” Gaelius asked with mounting seriousness, his aura steadily increasing. Rakna had already ascertained this mad scientist’s strength earlier. Shortly said; it was far beyond his. If there was anyone here who could confront this stranger, it would be him.

“Don’t use that tone with me,” the man spat distastefully. “You are still bound by the System. I am allowed to cut off the supply directed to you at any moment.”

Gaelius’ eyes widened in understanding. This unknown person had a disturbing similarity to the personal soldiers of Eva; the Adjudicators. He quickly came to the realization that they were facing someone deeply linked to the System itself.

“I am only here to warn you. Prior instances of Hosts gaining off-encode skills exist and you should realize by looking at the records that anyone who tried to study them either died or gave up.”

“Are you saying that--?!”

“Yes,” the man interrupted apathetically. “Do not even try. The System constantly listens and scans for traces of off-encodes. If you try, we’ll kill you. I hope you don’t throw away your life. It’s a waste of resources for us to kill high-level Locals,” he said and glanced at Rakna. “As for you… mind your actions. The protection you get thanks to the identity of your… kin, is not limitless. We can’t risk killing you anymore, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be creative. Do be careful,” he said and before he could leave, Rakna raised his voice.

“Your name?” He asked and the man froze.

He gave the therian a glare. “Brat… you already saw it. Those eyes; disgustingly insightful.”

“Humor me.”

The Phantasm huffed. “Locura.”

“Second Espectro,” Rakna added with a raised eyebrow and the man growled.

“That crystal bastard; a fucking urban legend really had to choose you, as if you weren’t enough of a headache already,” Locura groused and disappeared from the room without addressing them any further.

Everyone in the laboratory sighed in relief once he was gone and Rakna rubbed his temples. Trying to look into the Phantasm’s existence had made him terribly dizzy.

“Well… that happened,” Old Wang broke the silence that ensued and Evelyn let out a wry chuckle.

“Yes… though I’m not sure I understand what happened,” she remarked.

“It is such a shame!” Gaelius abruptly shouted and startled everyone. “I cannot study the encoding limits anymore!” He lamented and they sweatdropped.

“I’m usually the one who doesn't have their priorities straight,” Rakna snickered.

“Speaking of that, mind explaining what you meant by ‘Second Espectro’?” Wang inquired and the old scientist woke up from his lament to look at the therian as well. “That man also seemed rather frustrated by your… insight.”

“To be fair, I don’t know much more. This right here;” Rakna pointed at one of his eyes that briefly morphed to welcome a golden cross. “Is a rather new powerful analytic skill. It managed to reveal to me his name, as well as a title. I don’t know what the Espectros are. But one additional element I was able to discern was that he’s a Phantasm; the race that I’ve come to learn to be at the origin of the System.”

“Wait, really?” The old dwarf seemed startled at the revelation but Gaelius casually hummed.

“Yes, what he says is right. Phantasms are not much of a secret ‘up there’. We know that they made the System, but we have no clue why. We also have no practical information about their race as a whole,” the scientist calmly said and sat down.

“Of course, Phantasms are documented; they are body-less entities that use other living beings to interact with the physical world by possessing them. They possess intriguing traits and some have incredibly unique abilities, but this information doesn’t help much since the creators of the System are a mysterious organization of Phantasms with surreptitious members and resources; utterly disconnected from their main species.”

“An organization?” Evelyn reiterated curiously.

“Yes,” Gaelius nodded solemnly. “As of the most recent intel, they are called… the Broken Depths.”