Chapter 331
Once again, Gale has been forced to fly over the oceans in the death trap of a metal cylinder container that could somehow fly with two little wings at a speed of hundreds of kilometres per hour as two jets propel it by burning fuel.
If anyone told him that it was all just physics, he'd spit in their face, telling them to go read a book and dare him to say those words again. The plane itself was a craft of magic, otherwise, how else could it fly? There was just no way.
In addition to all of that, half of the flight was turbulent. The pilots told everyone something stupid about being against the wind belt or whatever that was. Absolutely ridiculous experience with a crying child three rows behind him screaming her lungs out.
Never again!
But now, they were at the TD tower, Glory Industries' HQ The elevator dinged, and both of them entered. Pushing in a small amount of essence onto the panel, the elevator closed and started moving up at a high speed. Beside Gale was Erin, floating just a few centimetres off the ground, pretending to stand.
Note to self, the elevator was also a metal trap of a coffin. But at least the mechanics of it were sound. It was simply pulled by metal ropes.
Taking the elevator all the way to the top floor, the doors opened to a corridor that had transformed. Last time, it was all under construction. This time, it was now fully finished.
The scent of pines and amber wafted at him like he was back at a cozy cabin in the woods.
The walls were now lined with a dark red carpet that felt plush under his shoes. Potted plants stood at regular intervals along the walls, each plant was real, not the plastic kind that most lobbies used. At the end of the corridor stood dark wooden double doors, their surfaces carved with floral designs that made it all the more organic.
"Smells good, right?" Gale asked.
"The scent is noted as pleasant," Erin said.
They walked down the corridor, past the potted plants and the plush carpet, until they reached the double doors.
Pushing the doors open, Ollie's office had also finished its renovation.
A couple of potted plants by the corners of the room stood by the floor to ceiling windows that looked over Toronto's skyline. A long boardroom table dominated the centre, just in front of the two heavy wooden double doors that reminded Gale of antiques and their floral organic designs. Plush red curtains lined the windows, 4 of them that would cover the windows completely if they were untied from their gold coloured ropes.
Ollie sat behind his desk at the far end of the room, scrolling through his phone with one hand while his other hand rested on the armrest. The office chair he sat in was still the same one, though. On that note, he wore a casual hoodie and jeans, completely looking out of place in the posh new Victorian-esque feng shui.
Sarah Chen occupied one of the leather sofas arranged by the left wall. She was typing on her laptop, concentrating on something probably important. Her dark circles and coffee stained lab coat were still there like always. Same spot too, different splot pattern.
Sarah looked up.
"Erin! What's the point of giving you a phone if you're not going to use it?!" she shouted. "I sent you like fifty messages! And called you! Multiple times!"
Erin floated past her without slowing down. "Your complaint has been noted and dismissed."
"Dismissed?! I was panicking! What if something happened to you at the summit?!"
"Your observations are incorrect. Nothing of interest happened at the summit. That in of itself became the issue. Nothing happened," Erin said. "The woman of fire has once again incurred debt."
Sarah plopped herself back onto the sofa with a thud and continued mad typing. She made a couple of noises that sounded like random frustration.
Gale walked straight toward Ollie's desk. "Long time no see. Long time no talk, too. How've you been?"
Ollie set his phone down and leaned back in his chair. "Good, actually. Real good. Just chillaxin', you know? Caught up on some movies I'd been meaning to watch. Went to the park a few times. Even went hiking last weekend."
"Hiking?"
"Yeah. There's this trail up north that Cas-. I mean, there was a trail up north that I've been meaning to visit. Really pretty, around Wasaga Beach." Ollie stretched his arms. "I'm only here today because of the floating bluey and Sarah's update. Otherwise, I'd probably be home, watching Netflix."
He turned his attention to Erin, who had floated to the centre of the room and was now examining one of the potted plants, rubbing them with her hands while also trying to extend a single wire from her control module. However, nothing interesting happened when she tried.
"It seems the plants do not have functions," Erin said.
"Speaking of which," Ollie said, "the synthesis facility. That's the first step in creating an encoding factor to treat dust corruption, right?"
Erin's head turned toward him. "The synthesis facility will allow us to create material that can withstand higher complexity equations and multifaceted energy storage silos. It is the initial requirement for all higher tier crafting."
"The transcendent crafted such unique stuff though..." Gale muttered.
"Her creations are functional, though lacking in elegance," Erin said.
Sarah stopped typing. "Yinidium alloy is just one of the requirements, though. There's also an unknown unclassified gem that's needed based on your schema."
"The gem's designation is Fraedium Gem," Erin said. "It is to be used in the synthesis facility to create Compressed Yin-Frae Acid, which will serve as our primary energy storage unit."
"Yin-Frae Acid?" Gale asked.
"A highly concentrated form of stabilized Yinidirum and compressed Fraedium plates with acid. Due to our current limited production capabilities, it is the optimal solution for achieving the fastest results. Additionally, artificing energy optimization arrays can be applied to the acid to increase efficiency by approximately 340%."
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Erin floated toward the boardroom table, her control module extending from her palm to project a 3D hologram. "Yinidium alloy and Fraedium gems will allow us to create a fully operational synthesis facility. This facility will then produce the material components necessary for three key projects: the Rift Aperture System, the Star Forge, and the Origin Encoding Treatment device."
Gale clapped his hands together.
He didn't fully understand what he had just heard. The words made sense individually. As expected, his teacher was an amazing grand researcher dominatus. But if it was anything similar to the coding process he had learned about while in the Kair Rift, then he could probably figure it out eventually.
Maybe.
Probably.
Hopefully.
"Okay," Ollie said, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. "So we need Yinidium alloy and Fraedium gems. What other materials are there, just in case? Backup options?"
"There are thirty possible materials that could be used to create an enhanced version of the Star Forge," Erin said. "Similar to the one housed in the Architect's Tomb. However, we must create the Rift Aperture System first in order to gain access to planets that possess those materials. They are not available on Earth."
Gale raised his hand. "Why aren't those materials available on Earth? Like, if they exist on other planets, shouldn't they exist here too?"
"A logical question," Erin said. "The materials in question only form when an Origin Spirit is active. When a world enters what is called an 'Origin Defense State,' it increases ambient ether throughout the planet. This ether permeates into natural minerals within the crust, creating multiple sets of products that would not otherwise exist."
"Origin Defense State?" Ollie asked.
"A condition in which the Origin Spirit actively protects its world from external threats. Typically triggered by the presence of hostile foreign universal entities that invade through rifts." Erin paused. "The Origin Defense State is not strictly necessary for material formation. What matters is that the Origin Spirit of the world is active, thereby increasing the permeation of Origin into the planetary crust."
"And why is Earth's Origin Spirit not active? We get rifts all the time, increasing year over year," Ollie said.
"Earth's Origin Spirit is currently in a dormant state. It is sleeping," Erin said. "I do not know why this is the case. However, I have developed a working theory."
"What's the theory?" Ollie asked.
"Earth's Awakened society, which you refer to as 'Aur,' is classified as a Tier 2 civilization," Erin said. "Tier 2 is identified as a civilization's ability to fare into space and visit other civilizations for trade."
"So how is Earth Tier 2?" Gale asked.
"Because the citizens of this world have demonstrated the ability to defend themselves from rifts naturally, with high proficiency. The three factions—the Path, the Jiuling, and the United Knights—have maintained a stable defensive structure for over millennia despite increasing rift activity. This is a fascinating emergence. A civilization achieving Tier 2 classification through pure combat capability rather than technological advancement."
"Well, if you put it like that, I guess humans do be killing each other every year," Ollie laughed.
The hologram projected by Erin's control module shifted, displaying the full map of Earth in a sphere. Hundreds of red dots littered the map, marking where the rifts are, including ones in the middle of oceans.
"I have analyzed the current rifts on the surface of Earth," Erin said. "There are numerous that contain both Fraedium gems and Yinidium alloy within their geological formations."
The hologram zoomed in on Central America.
"The closest one is located in a place called 'Guatemala.'"
The door to Ollie's office burst open.
Rachel walked in first, followed by Kyle, Clyde, and Lily. All three of them had already seemingly packed duffel bags. A slight sugary scent lingered specifically on Clyde's bag.
"I heard a word I didn't like." Kyle's face scrunched up in annoyance.
"Guatemala," Clyde said, nodding gravely.
Lily smacked Clyde on the arm. "That was your fault."
"What? How was that my fault?"
"You tried to eat a Twinkie while an active faction war was happening in Guatemala. That's why we're banned from half the safe houses there."
"Twinkie snack time is any time," Clyde said. "It's not my fault those Jiuling guys couldn't take a joke."
Rachel turned toward Kyle. "Shut up."
"I didn't even say anything yet," Kyle grumbled.
"You were about to."
Erin floated forward slightly. "The loud one had begun moving the muscles around his mouth. He was approximately 0.3 seconds away from vocalization. The woman of fire's preemptive silencing was correct."
Kyle threw his hands up. "Guatemala was Ollie's fault!"
"Don't put that on me! Idiot! Who the hell brings Twinkies in an active war field!" Ollie shouted.
"I do!" Clyde shouted. "It was emergency rations!"
"I'm confiscating your duffel bag," Lily tried to move towards him.
"Hell naw! Gale do something!" Clyde shouted.
"Pass the bag!" Gale shouted.
Clyde threw the bag at him, instantly dematerializing into Gale's space storage. It was their win again. High caloric density rations, secured. The women of the group won't be able to take them from his dead body!
"Gale!" Rachel shouted, reaching for him. "Give it back!"
"The woman of fire may not reach for the bag of treasure!" Gale shouted, bracing himself as Rachel started moving his way.
"Wasn't Clyde the one that asked the Jiuling idiot if he wanted a Twinkie?" Ollie asked. "Or was that Kyle?"
"That was Kyle."
"Did you seriously think that shooting at a Jiuling idiot while making a deal of honour was a good idea?" Ollie asked.
"Got 'em though, hehehe," Clyde snickered.
Kyle pointed at Gale. "This is your fault."
Gale looked up from being wrestled by Rachel. "What did I do?"
"Your job was to calm down the fire princess before we got here. Look at her! She's all wound up!"
Rachel's eye twitched. "I am not wound up."
"The hell you are!"
"You idiots better not let Guatemala happen again!"
"We don't promise anything." Kyle and Clyde grinned.
Gale released one of his arms from Rachel's grasp and reached up onto her head, patting her gently. "There, there, calm down, fire princess."
Rachel froze, then suddenly pulled herself away from Gale's side. Kyle and Clyde burst out laughing.
Lily shook her head, sighing. "Idiots."
Erin cleared her throat. Or made a sound that approximated clearing a throat. She didn't actually have a throat that needed clearing.
"Now that everyone has arrived," Erin said, "we must begin preparations immediately. The excursion to this place called 'Guatemala' must not be delayed. Make haste, children."
Lily crossed her arms. "Actually, before we go anywhere, we need to address something important."
"What is it?" Gale asked.
"Equipment. Real equipment. For rift raids."
"Do I need that? I have my Erebus. It worked so far."
"That's a weapon. I'm talking about gear. Armour. Utility items. Communication devices. Emergency supplies." Lily held up her hand, counting on her fingers. "This is going to be your fourth rift raid, Gale. Fourth. And you still haven't gotten any real equipment."
"I've been fine so far. Right, Rachel?"
But Rachel just gave him a forced smile.
"That's not happening," Lily said firmly. "We're getting you proper gear before we go anywhere. Non-negotiable. None of that chaotic stuff we did before."
"Lily's right. First, we get fucked by bambi's granddad in Hotel Ghostly. Then we get fucked by Alexei trying to rescue richie rich. Then we get fucked by Tekbro and tachikomis. All without proper gear," Kyle said.
"True that though," Clyde said.
"Lily's right, Gale," Rachel said. "You can't keep going into rifts with just a sword and a prayer."
"The dark hunter doesn't pray..."
"Well, we're getting the dark hunter some gear."
Gale grumbled. It better look something cool too.
Ollie leaned back in his chair. "Tell you what. You can raid my equipment room down in Lab 7. Take whatever you need."
Kyle's eyes lit up. "For real?"
"For real. Consider it my contribution to the expedition. I'm not going myself, but the least I can do is make sure you're all properly outfitted."
"Dibs on the black ones," Kyle said immediately.
"The black what?" Clyde asked.
"Whatever. The black whatever. Black gear looks cooler."
"We should be choosing colours that suit the rift environment," Gale said. "Camouflage is important for survival. What kind of rift is the Guatemala one?"
Everyone turned to look at Sarah Chen.
"Oh, uhhhh." Sarah thought about it for a bit, then said, "It's a class 4 rift, predominantly arid climate."
"Arid?" Gale asked.
"It's a desert rift," Rachel said.
"Ollie, you sure you're not coming, bro?" Kyle asked.
"Nah. You guys got this. I'm going fishing in Quebec," Ollie said.
"But it's not even ice fishing season..." Clyde said.
"Fishing in Quebec beats Ontario."
"I wanna go fishing too..." Gale said.
"Next time," Rachel patted his shoulder.