Chapter 108: Power Core
Ryan listened to the details of Alicia’s report with an attention that masked his genuine surprise at the young assistant’s efficiency.
While she finished explaining how they had managed the resources and patrols in his absence, Ryan began to think that Alicia really was gifted at this sort of thing.
She was far better than he had initially anticipated when he first assigned her the settlement’s administrative duties.
The young man remained composed, not allowing his face to reveal too much relief, and gave a slow nod to validate a job well done by his subordinate.
"That’s fine. I’d like to discuss the specifics with you in more detail later," Ryan remarked with a calm tone, intending not to overwhelm the assistant in the middle of the meeting with the elders.
Alicia nodded, her expression showing a hint of satisfaction at having met her lord’s expectations, and slowly moved toward the entrance of the grand wooden hall.
She positioned herself next to Beatrice, who continued to watch the door with her usual silent posture.
For a moment, Ryan found himself reflecting on the defensive state of his home. He recalled that while returning to the village on the back of the wyvern, he hadn’t seen a single demon corpse strewn about, nor any recent damage to the forest’s vegetation surrounding the hidden portal.
After all, it had been a good idea to leave Mirian in charge of security. Ryan knew perfectly well that if he had left the impulsive Helen in command of the defense, the warrior would have laid waste to much more of the forest in her eagerness to showcase her raw strength.
Furthermore, Helen probably would have wasted time toying with the enemies to enjoy the thrill of combat, and it would be a severe problem if even one of them managed to escape the area.
Additionally, it would be a disaster if some scout managed to flee and tell the Demon King what was actually occurring in this place.
Then Kenia, one of the most experienced elders of the elven council, addressed Ryan after looking at Runa with a mix of curiosity.
"If she is here, it means there is a way to resolve the main issue, isn’t that right?" Kenia asked, seeking direct confirmation from Ryan.
Runa took a step forward. She crossed her muscular arms over her chest and looked at the elders with that seriousness that only appeared when she spoke of her craft.
"Yes, but as I mentioned earlier outside, we need something to serve as the central core for the transport relic," Runa interjected with a firm tone that caught the attention of everyone present. "And that object must possess immense power in order to anchor the space of this entire settlement."
Kenia frowned and leaned forward in her carved wooden seat, analyzing the blacksmith’s words.
"Can you be more specific about what exactly you need?" the elder asked with interest.
"Let’s see... I’d say we need a relic capable of containing the pure power of a high-class demon. That would serve as the energy core to feed the spatial distortion spell we plan to apply to the relic," Runa explained, moving her hands as if drawing the design in the air.
"Like a principality?" Karol asked from her spot to the right of Ryan, interjecting with her usual tone.
"No, I’d say something even higher. We need a core with power similar to an Infernal rank," Runa replied sharply, leaving the mage in silence for a second.
"Infernals are far above archdemons in terms of mana density. With a core of that magnitude, we could accelerate the construction process and ensure the village doesn’t disintegrate or something worse. Otherwise, it will take us much longer to find a way to create that energy on our own without a relic as a core."
The elders looked at one another with expressions of obvious discouragement on their age-marked faces.
The silence that followed Runa’s declaration was heavy and laden with a hopelessness that began to fill the room.
"But there is no way we have such a relic in our storehouses."
One of the elders murmured while shaking his head.
"An Infernal... I think that’s asking too much for our current situation. I wasn’t naive enough to think this would be easy, but this is beyond our capabilities,"
Said another elder with a sigh of resignation.
"But she is saying that if we get that core, the transfer is actually possible. So, there is still hope if we can find a way to obtain it," another elven elder commented, trying to maintain a bit of optimism for the rest of the council.
And just when their hopes seemed lost and the meeting threatened to sink into a debate over the impossibility of the plan, Ryan intervened with a calmness that broke the gloomy atmosphere.
The young man moved calmly and searched through his magic inventory.
’That thing I obtained... I thought it would be a good card to use against a demon king, but right now this is more urgent.’
"Do you think this relic will work as a core?" Ryan asked with a pragmatic tone.
Ryan pulled an object from his magic inventory that pulsed with a vibrant energy, causing the air in the room to turn cold all at once.
It was the relic he had obtained on the 75th floor of the A-rank dungeon, that dangerous place where they were attacked by the Children of the Demon King before consolidating his current group.
The object was like a small jar with a black lid, and in the center, a sort of gem was embedded in a strange metal mount.
Runa stared at the object with wide eyes, hardly daring to touch it.
Ryan held the relic in his hand, waiting for the expert’s response while the rest of the council watched with absolute wonder at the treasure their king had just revealed.
Even if they had never seen one personally, their eyes reflected the fact that they recognized it.
A relic capable of sealing demonic power was exactly what he needed for his ambitious work of moving the elven village.