Chapter 504: Mid-Term Settlement (5)

Following the Doctor’s words, the other members naturally stepped onto the statue’s hands.

Just as Lennok was about to step onto the eighth hand placed before him, a voice from behind raised an objection.

“How do we verify the authenticity of information, if it’s not an artifact?”

The gangly doll, Chebyen, asked, her jaw creaking.

“What if someone just guesses and fakes their results…?”

Even if one achieves results by inputting Old World information, what about cases where they just make something up and get lucky?

Can information that lacks any logical context be properly recognized as a valid result?

“For that part, we borrowed Sabrina’s Spirit Speech. We’ve had her help since the statue was first created.”

The Doctor said, pointing at Sabrina with his furry body.

“When information is entered with the help of her Spirit Speech, it cross-verifies whether the user possesses convincing evidence themselves.”

“Cross-verification?”

“Well, it’s not that difficult.”

Sabrina hopped down from the statue’s knee and stepped onto the palm of the leftmost hand.

As Sabrina, kneeling on the giant palm and forming a hand seal, drew upon her magic, the ancient runes carved into the statue began to glow.

Chiiik…!!

A new arrangement of runes appeared, forming concentric circles around Sabrina’s feet.

Concurrently, countless runes crawled up the palm, covering the entire first arm and beginning to glow brightly.

Shaking her hand, she stood up and pointed at the arrangement she had inscribed, saying,

“Just input the magic pattern like this, and you’re done. Then, my Spirit Speech inherent in the statue will activate and detect if the user is lying.”

“……”

“Everyone knows these magic patterns don’t last long once imprinted, right? Don’t worry about leaving traces; let’s get this done quickly.”

As Sabrina finished speaking, one by one, they began to step onto the statue’s palms.

Kugugung…!!

The statue’s fingers gently curled, embracing the users atop them as if to protect them, and its eight arms rose to different heights.

Members like Soryu, Maiya, and Vernon also formed hand seals and drew upon their magic, skillfully imprinting their power onto the palms of the statue they stood on.

What was peculiar was that the imprinted magic patterns were altering the state of each of the statue’s arms in real-time.

Jjeojeok…!!

The arm of the statue that Soryu touched began to be covered in cold frost, freezing solid.

A strong scent of alcohol wafted from where Vernon infused his magic, and sticky blood dripped from the arm touched by the Blood Elder.

Even the arm touched by the doll, which had changed into a giant puppet’s arm, and the arm touched by the muscular man, which began to sprout thick fur, were affected.

But among them, the most striking was undeniably the arm of the statue that Maiya stood upon.

Kiririk…!!

The tightly packed, high-density magic patterns on the statue’s palm emanated an undeniably vivid presence.

The patterns, deeply embedded in the statue’s palm, seemed to even devour the power emanating from the statue itself.

Concurrently, the arm’s very form began to transform into giant gears, reassembling itself in real-time.

It wasn’t merely reflecting her magic onto the statue’s form; it was as if her raw magical power was poised to alter the very nature of the statue itself.

Even Lennok, watching from a distance, was slightly awestruck by her undeniable power.

It wasn’t merely a level that transcended Hierarchy.

It was proof that even after reaching 8th level, she continuously refined herself, attaining an incredibly high level of mastery.

A phantom wandering due to her obsession with the failure of the Ascension Gate, the core project of the Machine City, Machina.

Therefore, the level of self-refinement Maiya Rensleat achieved must far exceed the limits an ordinary person could conceive.

Just as Lennok thought that, about to draw upon his magic for the last time.

The muscular man perched on the statue’s finger opened his mouth.

“Hold on, the numbers don’t add up to proceed with the settlement as is.”

“Logier, what do you mean?”

“That one standing at the back. Isn’t he supposed to participate in this settlement?”

The man called Logier glanced and pointed at the shadow standing backstage in the theater.

A figure that hadn’t stirred since Lennok entered the theater, steadfastly holding its position.

There was no presence, no reaction, but everyone was aware of the fact that it stood stock-still in this space, alive and breathing.

“There are two newcomers, so one of them has to make way, don’t they?”

Logier grinned at Lennok and said,

“Let’s settle it cleanly, just the two of us.”

Logier’s blunt proposal, made with no intention of concealing his thoughts.

But instead of bothering to respond, Lennok chuckled.

The Doctor, too, seemed to find Logier’s suggestion quite amusing, as he chuckled softly and said,

“There’s no need for that. That one isn’t a member gathered to participate in this settlement.”

“…He’s not?”

Logier’s expression soured slightly, revealing his discomfort.

“Well, it’s not strange to think that, but… it would be faster to show you directly.”

As the Doctor spoke, Sabrina simultaneously flipped the theater’s light switch.

Click!

One of the old lights hanging from the ceiling flickered on, illuminating the exact spot where the figure stood.

What was revealed beneath the light was the expressionless form of a lion giant. Lennok already knew who that giant was.

Turan, the White Lion of the Pandemonium that rampaged through the Blaiver Tower’s Western Continent branch.

Despite the lion giant, whose life he had personally ended and handed over as a corpse to Agneta, being blatantly alive in this place, Lennok paid it no mind.

Though it was breathing normally and balancing on two feet, its eyes were somehow cloudy and out of focus.

From the moment he confirmed its presence in the theater, Lennok knew that Turan was irrevocably broken.

“This is…”

Logier too, realizing Turan was not in a normal state, frowned deeply.

“It seems you’re unfamiliar with him since your fields of activity don’t overlap, but he was once a friend, a member of the organization.”

The Doctor said softly.

“Are you just making a dead corpse work?”

“We created a damaged brain through genetic regeneration and transplanted it. His cerebrum didn’t fully regenerate, leaving him an imbecile, but he’s become a very reliable friend for heavy labor.”

“…Hah.”

Only then did Logier, realizing the white lion before him was the one who transported this statue here, let out a sharp laugh.

“It seems you’re quite confident in your strength too. If unavoidable circumstances arise, it would be good to give us a heads-up.”

The Doctor added slyly.

“It would be such a waste for that fine body to return to dust without even breaking even.”

Logier snorted.

“You’re talking nonsense. Don’t even dream of it.”

“Anyway, he’s not a participant in this settlement. So, there’s still a spot for Victor to join.”

The Doctor gestured to Lennok with his eyes.

“Shall we continue?”

“……”

Without a word, Lennok, under the gazes of the others, formed a hand seal on the statue’s eighth palm.

Woong…!!

As he drew upon his magic, he twisted and distorted its properties and patterns, causing it to transform.

It completely transformed into a form and color befitting a manipulation-type unique sorcerer.

The moment he poured the drawn-up magic onto the statue’s palm.

Jijijik…!!!

With an inexplicable noise, the very form of the statue’s arm began to collapse.

“…!!”

Trapped within pitch-black, alien, inky magic, the space itself seemed to warp and invert, and the statue’s neatly arranged fingers and arm twitched as if convulsing.

Drrrduk!!

The statue’s eighth arm convulsed in place, as if receiving a forbidden command.

The others also watched the scene with a somewhat intrigued expression.

“As expected of a unique sorcerer, their magic infusion is utterly bizarre.”

“Can you even call that an imprinted pattern…?”

The statue’s arm, which had briefly convulsed, soon quieted down, yet the inky magic flowing intermittently along the arm still flickered as if it could erase the arm at any moment.

“Ughhhhh…”

The furry body, letting out a groan of great displeasure, eventually sighed deeply.

“There’s no problem with the statue’s function. It’s simply an aftereffect of the unique magic infusion.”

“If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a big deal, but…”

“It’s taken longer than I thought. I’ll start.”

Clack!!

Logier, pulling out a horn pipe carved from what looked like a goat’s horn, said,

“This is the World 2.0 artifact found in the central city of Kriven, the [Horn of Resilient Heart]. Its activation requirement is a physical ability user of Level 5 or higher. Its specific ability is gaining mental resistance through powerful exhilaration. The maximum range of effect is over 1000 people.”

An artifact that can grant mental resistance to over 1000 people, he said?

The moment Logier placed the horn pipe on the statue’s hand, where he had infused his magic, and stepped back, the statue’s hand moved and gripped the horn pipe.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned towards the statue’s eyes.

Two faces, and five eyes on each face, began to open one by one from the left.

Krrrik, Krrrik, Krrrik, Krrrik!!

Four eyes, wide open on the statue’s face, silently observed their surroundings.

The other members murmured their impressions quietly.

“About causality adjustment level 4? Not bad.”

“World 2.0 artifacts and rules tend to have relatively low variability. Considering that, this artifact must hold quite high value.”

Sabrina’s and Soryu’s evaluations weren’t bad.

Logier, who went first, said as if thrilled,

“Of course! I had to dig through Kriven’s Sealed Fortress to find this. If it were cheap, I would’ve killed all those guys guarding it.”

“……”

Meanwhile, Sabrina, standing right beside him, pulled out a heavy sack from behind her Spirit Speech Orb.

Thud!!

Pulling out a huge statue of a one-armed man from the heavy sack, Sabrina said,

“The [Statue of the Blade Arm], kept in the Ramashuria Cathedral in the Southwest. It’s enchanted with a spell that inflicts uniform bleeding within a 400m radius.”

As she placed the statue on the hand of the main statue, its fist clenched again, and the main statue’s eyes began to open one by one.

Three eyes. Among them, the last eye didn’t fully open.

Sabrina murmured, seemingly frustrated.

“This is ridiculous. How hard was it to get, and it’s not even adjustment level 3?”

“Statues generally have low versatility, so their adjustment variability is lower. Something like a foundation stone supporting a statue would be more valuable.”

“It doesn’t matter if the adjustment value is low because of Spirit Speech anyway.”

“If you’re done, it’s my turn…”

Following Sabrina, the others, scattered around the stone slab, began to present their achievements one by one.

Unlike the previous two who spoke about the Old World artifacts they had collected, there were a few others who presented information known only to themselves.

Those who had completed their settlement stepped down from the statue’s hands and began exchanging other information.

In contrast to the chilly silence that had prevailed moments ago, the atmosphere became quite active.

“We found an advanced base of the Extraordinary Awakening Corps at the Lion’s Spire in the north. If you want to hear the details, speak to me separately.”

“One of the Hedro Warlord’s generals died. The Order Alliance is holding the body. The exact location is here…”

“A spell weapon belonging to a military spirit sorcerer who disappeared in Yorta 20 years ago has appeared in an underground auction house. It will probably be listed in the catalog two months from now.”

So, even if it’s not just the achievement of collecting Old World artifacts, exchanging necessary information for them holds value?

Lennok silently waited his turn, observing the unfolding situation with interest.

Chebyen and Vernon each took out the Old World artifacts they had obtained and placed them down.

Maiya also presented a small, mechanical-looking box and stepped back.

As the statue’s hand clenched into a fist, the eyes carved onto its two heads blinked incessantly.

Most of the artifacts or information submitted for settlement were between levels 3 and 5, stopping at the point where they affected five eyes on one of the statue’s faces.

Only the item Maiya presented reached level 6, causing the eyes on the second face to twitch.

This implied that the magnitude of observed variability from the existing database was as important as the artifact’s inherent ability or function.

After the turns of the other six were over, only Soryu, sitting with a cold expression, and Lennok remained, having presented nothing yet.

“It’s my turn.”

As the gazes of others began to converge, Soryu first flicked his finger.

Kiririk!!

Concurrently, a long bracelet released from the inside of his wrist wriggled onto his palm like a living snake.

Soryu said in a chilly voice,

“This is a World 1.0 artifact, the [666th Restraint Apparatus], stored in the royal vault of Kabahim.”

As soon as they heard the explanation, groans erupted from various parts of the stone slab.

“Hmm…”

“He found a World 1.0 artifact?”

“That’s incredible… I recall it being an item Ember was searching so desperately for.”

“Among these, it must be the most valuable item.”

With gazes filled with a certain expectation, the statue clenched its fist, and its eyes began to open rapidly.

This was the fastest rate among all the artifacts or information submitted so far.

Instantly, the statue’s eyes surpassed adjustment level 5, the sixth eye fully opened, and it stopped just as the seventh eye was about to open.

“Causality Adjustment Value near level 7, then.”

“It’s a World 1.0 numbering artifact. It’s not strange for it to have such powerful variability that it shakes up existing data.”

“The Doctor will be busy for a while…”

“Just one more.”

While the others were whispering, Soryu immediately spoke up from his spot.

“Preparations for Kaiushyu are almost complete. We plan to begin operations as soon as Je-byeok vacates the area. If you intend to participate, speak to me separately.”

“……”

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.

Indeed, Soryu’s presence in Kaiushyu at that time wasn’t to acquire the Archangel’s Tear.

As Hylaea had said, they must have been conducting an operation for something hidden in Kaiushyu.

Judging by the others’ reactions, it didn’t seem like an ordinary matter, but there was no way for Lennok to know unless he asked directly.

“That finished faster than expected…”

“Now, only that friend is left?”

“Let’s see what amazing achievement he has brought.”

As Soryu finished speaking, all gazes naturally converged on Lennok.

Not only Chebyen, but Vernon, Sabrina, Soryu, and Maiya were all watching him intently.

They assumed that if an unplanned member had come this far, he must surely have brought an equivalent item or information.

Feeling their undisguised curiosity and expectation mixed in their gazes, Lennok inwardly nodded.

‘Was it indeed the right choice to participate at this point?’

If it were merely a session to confirm achievements, Lennok would have simply tossed in a suitable artifact and moved on, but the atmosphere was distinctly different.

It felt beyond just confirming each other’s achievements and exchanging information; it was about evaluating the achievements themselves and receiving rewards.

Considering that the Doctor was the one who spearheaded this atmosphere, it must be a system where achievements are evaluated by their adjustment level, and appropriate compensation is given.

With that in mind, Lennok needed to present his best achievement without incurring any loss to himself.

A result related to the Old World’s laws, yet one that would pose no immediate risk to Lennok.

There was no need to hesitate. Wasn’t it precisely for such a situation that he had dragged his weary body back to Pandemonium?

This was the best timing to sell the information Lennok possessed for the highest price.

On the statue’s hand, which was distorted by flickering noise, he whispered a magical message.

“The Guido Cult’s internal supply of materials and recruitment of personnel will become significantly difficult for a while. If you want to do something against the cult, now would be the opportune moment.”

“What?”

“Amrita, the Cult’s 10th Apostle, has died. Her Apostle spell will be unusable for a while.”

“…!!”

At Lennok’s completely unexpected words, the others quickly turned their gazes towards the statue.

The moment they heard Lennok’s words, the eighth hand, on which nothing had been placed, clenched tightly into a fist.

This meant it had judged that very information to have a strong correlation with the rules of the Old World.

Kiiing!!

Concurrently, the statue’s eyes began to fully open at a distinctly different speed than before.