Chapter 476: Observer of the World (3)

“Reclaim…”

Lennok unconsciously mumbled, repeating Lapis’s words.

He had long known that the previous Lighthouse Keeper, Madria Falcia, was a transcendent powerhouse, by no means inferior to other Ascendants.

Hadn’t the dispute between the Autonomous Region and Vulcan been resolved instantly just by her personally visiting the mega-city of Vulcan once?

Her overwhelming presence could suppress most of the world’s vested interests by her mere existence.

But Lennok hadn’t expected Lapis to describe the recovery of her power, which had vanished after she failed to ascend and died, as ‘reclaiming’ it.

He knew that the qualifications and abilities of the Lighthouse Keeper were passed down through generations.

But was it possible to recover a separate authority in a different way?

Lapis, sensing Lennok’s question, continued speaking naturally.

“My grandmother didn’t leave me with nothing before she passed away. It’s just that due to my inadequacy, I haven’t been able to properly reclaim it until now.”

“So you’ve found a way now.”

That probably had something to do with Lapis securing a bridgehead for the Eastern Continent’s main forces to advance to the Central Front.

“I’d like to explain that properly. Can we meet sometime soon?”

“I’ll check my schedule. I’ll contact you when I’m about to leave.”

Lapis never called Lennok for trivial matters.

At least, this young Lighthouse Keeper seemed to hold Evan in high regard, treating his abilities and status with definite respect.

Whether it was the Drug Lord’s raid or Jindun’s Labyrinth, whenever she asked Lennok to come to her, it was never an unimportant matter.

Perhaps it was because Lennok was the one who personally received her grandmother’s last message.

Thinking that, Lennok immediately hung up the call, checked his calendar, and stood up.

“The urgent matters currently ongoing in the city are…”

The most pressing tasks included the company’s listing proposal related to the expansion of the distribution business into the open market, and the schedule for submitting his second thesis, participating in the technology expo, and receiving advanced research equipment.

Among them, the listing issue didn’t necessarily require Lennok’s direct participation, and there was still time until the expo.

The only thing that bothered him was having to personally bring the research equipment into the lab…

“I can deal with it when I get back.”

Meeting the dean to discuss the expo and being selected as a technical advisory committee member would have to wait until he returned.

He had a lot to do, but adjusting priorities was always familiar to Lennok.

Lennok contacted Jenny, Meyer, Sebastian, and Madame, requesting updates on ongoing matters. With a little time to spare, he headed to a nearby printer.

He picked up the top sheet of paper from the printer, which was tirelessly churning out hundreds of pages of various documents.

[A Study on the Correlation between Existence Projection Rate and Spirituality]

“Existence Projection Rate…”

He knew what the term meant, but it was the first time he had heard it used directly during his medical examination with Alejandro Murphy.

Lennok had asked Davi to search for and print out all related terms and papers to learn more about its meaning.

Existence Projection Rate.

A concept that defines the flow of time not as a continuum, but as an infinite succession of frozen moments, and refers to one’s own ratio of existence in that single moment.

It was a method created to clearly define the concept of life rather than holding significant magical meaning, but it was later re-examined by military sorcerers.

Even if Existence Projection Rate alone held no particular meaning, by calculating the error when compared to the magnitude of Spirituality, one’s ‘will to exist’ could be quantified.

How much one believes in and accepts oneself as oneself.

In this world, where biological data, spiritual body, and even Mind Imprints are distorted and altered, it served as a clue to prove oneself, even if not perfectly whole.

Because self-assurance, for a superhuman who has built up their Hierarchy, must be something unshakeable.

In that sense, what did it mean that someone with a will to exist similar to Lennok’s had visited the Central City?

Lennok knew he should by no means underestimate that fact.

“To say there’s a mirror reflecting one’s will to exist on a land running on the sea… even Zen koans have their limits.”

After reading the paper intently for a while, Lennok shook his head and put it down.

Papers related to Spirituality often contained unusually obscure and difficult-to-understand phrases.

Because of this, research related to military magic or Spirituality was often not officially recognized in academia.

In the meantime, Lennok checked the replies that had immediately returned from other brokers and picked up his coat.

“Alright… I guess it won’t be a big problem if I leave my post for now.”

Davi, who had been busily tapping his front paws on the laptop, leaped onto Lennok’s shoulder.

“Are you going right away?”

“This is why I left the alibi that Van was injured.”

He backed up the data on his laptop and immediately looked for transportation to the location Lapis had told him about.

“It’ll take time for the equipment to arrive at my private lab. Now’s the only time I have spare.”

“Can we make it back before the equipment is delivered…?”

Lennok grabbed Davi’s front paws, which were spouting ominous words, stuffed him into his coat, and immediately left the lab.

“A transcontinental train ticket departing the city in two hours. Can I reserve a first-class seat?”

“Can I also apply for the pet-friendly service?”

“…”

The transcontinental train he had taken with Evelyn Marcia when returning to Vulcan from Jindun’s Labyrinth.

Most transportation relies on land routes because there are many areas across the continent where even magic makes flight difficult.

Nevertheless, the levitation train, treated as a product of magic engineering, boasts considerable speed despite its poor facilities.

Instead of sleeping soundly on the train, Lennok focused on writing his thesis with Davi, and within less than a day, he arrived near the Trama Mountains that Lapis had mentioned.

Screech…!!

“It’s on the same route we passed when returning from the Labyrinth…”

Lennok stepped off at the station and immediately looked up at the towering mountains stretching before him, muttering.

“Were these mountains here before?”

“Master just slept soundly the whole time, except when you were talking to the black wizard.”

“…”

Indeed, immediately after the Labyrinth incident, he had been almost unconscious except when confronting Myeong.

Unable to answer Davi’s sharp retort, Lennok quietly gathered his backpack and exited the station.

As soon as he left the station and stepped into the mountains, someone came out to greet him.

No, should it be called a person?

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

A form like a baby dolphin floating in mid-air.

It floated around Lennok, scattering faint light, as if welcoming him.

Lennok realized that the voice echoing from it had a somewhat familiar tone and slightly opened his mouth.

“…Lapis?”

“I couldn’t come in person, so I sent a spirit in my stead. Please understand.”

“No, it doesn’t really matter, but…”

“…!!”

Davi, who had been curled up in his arms, seemed to tense up.

Since Davi disliked other spirits, which wasn’t new, Lennok immediately asked what he was curious about.

“It seems you’ve contracted with another spirit. Is it a spiritual body you chose yourself?”

A long time ago, even before Lennok met Lapis in person, she had sent a bird-shaped spirit to request a conversation.

The form was quite different from the spirit he had met back then.

Rather than the spirit he encountered then having transformed, it was more likely that she had contracted with a new spirit.

“It’s my first time seeing a sorcerer contracted with more than one spirit.”

Lapis replied quietly, as if embarrassed.

“I’m by no means a genius sorcerer like Evan.”

“What’s with the humility now…”

Lennok couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.

Who among Lapis’s peers led an organization like the Eyes of Blue?

Regardless of her self-deprecation, it was clear that her abilities had reached an incomparable level.

Lennok then began to ascend the Trama Mountains, guided by the dolphin spirit.

Before him was a massive tunnel located within a huge valley formed by the twin peaks of the mountain.

Lapis spoke.

“This is Pajeop Valley. It’s been almost half a month since the operation ended, and the cleanup is almost complete.”

Hundreds of people, seemingly Watchers, busily moved back and forth, transporting supplies and clearing traces of the battle.

But what caught Lennok’s eye wasn’t the Watchers themselves, but the paved road they were constructing.

They were setting up signposts, leveling the ground, and laying sturdy stone slabs in arrangement. This work would be unnecessary if only Watchers were to share the path to the Central Front.

“Are you planning to open the valley?”

“We plan to designate Pajeop Valley as a joint zone and share the path leading to the Central Front.”

Lapis said.

“Once the administrative agreements with the nearby city-states are finalized and the necessary procedures are completed, it will function normally.”

“…”

Designating Pajeop Valley, the path to the Central Front, as a joint zone without occupying it.

Lennok read Lapis’s intention in that brief statement and nodded.

“You wish for the Central Front to become chaotic.”

“As expected, you understand immediately. That’s right. At the very least, we need the front lines to move in that direction.”

Lapis chuckled softly and lowered her voice.

“Though it hasn’t been officially announced yet, the Spell Alliance and the Guido Cult have signed a temporary ceasefire agreement.”

“…”

“This means the Apostles, acting under the Cult’s directive, will temporarily cause less havoc on the front lines. A rigid power structure on the front lines like that isn’t desirable for latecomers like us.”

“You’re preparing for war.”

“We have been for a long time.”

Lapis naturally picked up on Lennok’s words and spoke again.

“From a practical standpoint… the fact that the Eyes of Blue captured Pajeop Valley became quite a hot topic in the northeast.”

“You mean you need to pay attention to outside perception?”

“It would be troublesome if the Lighthouse Keeper were evaluated as abandoning her mission and operating the organization for personal gain. At least for now.”

Such a flexible response, satisfying both practicality and justification, was unbelievable coming from a girl not even twenty years old.

Lennok, therefore, couldn’t help but wonder why Lapis had summoned him at this time.

“Designating the path to the Central Front as a joint zone doesn’t seem to have much to do with the organization’s long-term vision.”

Lennok rubbed his aching thighs, having climbed the mountain for a short while, and asked.

“Even less so with reclaiming the previous Lighthouse Keeper’s divine power. Was this not the main point from the beginning?”

“I learned through direct experience that when the entire organization moves, it must always move with at least two objectives.”

The dolphin emitted a quiet resonant sound, gently tapping the nearby cliff with its fin.

At the same time, a subtle ripple of energy emanated, revealing a hidden space.

It was barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but even to Lennok’s eyes, it was very cleverly concealed.

It wasn’t a naturally formed terrain but a hidden sanctuary artificially created. It was clearly the result of magical intervention.

“It’s one of the secret passages that penetrate deep within the Trama Mountains.”

“…A passage?”

“It was the core reason why we chose Pajeop Valley among the candidate sites for advancing from the Eastern Continent to the Central Front.”

Lapis said so, and in her spirit form, fluttered towards Lennok.

“The inside is all cleared. You can come in slowly.”

As she said, compared to the narrow entrance, the passage inside the mountain was very neatly organized.

The internal facilities had been cleanly constructed, and lighting was installed to clearly illuminate the paths branching in all directions.

Construction equipment that hadn’t been tidied up yet remained, but the smoothly paved floor and firmly coated walls resembled a formidable fortress.

Only then did Lennok realize that the construction actively underway outside wasn’t limited to just the valley.

“The reason for capturing Pajeop Valley wasn’t just to open a path. You’ve been pouring your resources into this side instead.”

“I’ve thought about it for a very long time.”

Through the back of the spirit illuminating the dark corridor, Lapis’s telepathic message echoed.

“How can I fill my grandmother’s void? How can I fully inherit the mission she protected…?”

“…”

“And I realized.”

With a somewhat sorrowful tone, she quietly said,

“That I can never replace a great Ascendant like her.”

The winding corridor continued endlessly, splitting into multiple directions and then rejoining.

Lennok endlessly walked along this secret passage, which spread out like an ant’s nest beneath the bedrock of this massive mountain range, following Lapis’s guidance.

Lennok used his mana sensing to realize that the direction she was guiding him towards was the peak of this mountain range, and he quietly began to listen to her words.

“Even if we had enough time, I wasn’t confident that I could become an Ascendant to succeed the previous Lighthouse Keeper and properly inherit the mission.”

“…”

“Regardless of doing my best in my current position, I knew that someday, power and qualifications comparable to hers would definitely be needed. As the leader of an organization, I had to look further ahead and prepare.”

“So, you’ve been preparing for this for a long time?”

“Establishing a bridgehead to the Central Front is just an external justification. The true objective was deep within the Trama Mountains.”

The corridor suddenly widened dramatically, and the bedrock overhead receded, revealing the darkening sky.

Whoooooosh!!!!

Passing through the intricately winding passages inside the mountain bedrock, they arrived at the deepest part of the Trama Mountains.

The heart of the mountain, exquisitely hidden between cliffs and bedrock. At its end stood a resplendent crystal tower.

It gathered all the surrounding light, projecting its radiance entirely towards the sky, becoming an eye that illuminated the darkness.

It resembled the Lighthouse he had seen in the Floating Island cluster, but unlike the half-ruined Lighthouse in the Autonomous Region, it was perfectly intact.

As Lennok stood looking up at the towering crystal tower, an intense blue light flashed across the night sky.

Flash!!

The blue light descended before Lennok’s eyes, trailing a tail of light, rotating to form a circular portal, and beyond it, began to display an entirely different landscape.

“This is…”

Even standing on the ground, the landscape beyond the portal held a shimmering aura from an incredibly high altitude.

It was as if he were sharing someone else’s vision, encountering a scene different from where he stood.

The landscape slowly magnified, as if drawing him into someone’s sight, and Lennok’s body instantly arrived within that landscape.

From the lowest floor of the crystal tower, he instantly reached the summit of the tower. At its end, the Lighthouse Keeper he remembered stood with her back to him.

Lapis slowly turned her head and looked at Lennok.

Her deep, sunken blue eyes reflected the quietly darkening night sky.

“The Second Lighthouse.”

“…”

“Compared to the First Lighthouse remaining in the Autonomous Region, its scale and ability are both inferior, but this isn’t the end.”

Lapis said, embracing the dolphin spirit that had jumped into her arms and was nuzzling her.

“From now on, the Eyes of Blue will create new Lighthouses across the continent and begin observing and fixing the Outer Sea.”

“…I see.”

Lennok nodded.

The manifestation of an unfamiliar ability, something he had never seen during his previous encounters with Lapis.

What exactly did she mean by reclaiming the previous Lighthouse Keeper’s divine power?

Why were her current words the ultimate goal the Eyes of Blue would reach?

The speculation that had been lingering in a corner of his mind was turning into certainty.

“Instead of inheriting the previous Lighthouse Keeper’s mission with your own power, you intend to forcibly expand the vessel by creating new Lighthouses?”

This was not merely a resolve to continue the previous Lighthouse Keeper’s mission.

For a Lighthouse Keeper, the existence of a Lighthouse was an essential domain for exercising their divine power.

It wouldn’t end with just the one broken Lighthouse in the Autonomous Region.

Lapis intended to erect new Lighthouses across the continent and forcibly unlock the Lighthouse Keeper’s qualifications and divine power through their combined strength.