Episode-792
Chapter : 1583
He pointed to the crystal petals. "Those aren't glass. That is high-grade mana crystal, cut to match the frequency of your Diamond Queen spirit. When you aren't transformed, this pin absorbs your excess mana. It acts like a battery. When you transform, it feeds that energy back to you. It should extend your transformation time by about twenty percent."
He then pointed to the long silver shaft of the pin. "And the pin itself is made of a Mythril alloy. It’s the same metal I use for my chains. It doesn't rust, and it doesn't bend. If you run out of mana, or if you get caught by surprise in human form, you pull this out. It’s a stiletto. It’s sharp enough to punch through leather armor."
Jasmin stared at the object. It was a perfect blend of her two lives. It was an ornament for a maid, and a dagger for a warrior.
"You designed this for me?" she asked.
"I’m an engineer, Jasmin," Lloyd said with a shrug. "I solve problems. Your problem was mana efficiency and lack of a backup weapon. This solves both."
Jasmin carefully took the old wooden pin out of her hair. She slid the silver rose into place. It felt heavy, solid. It felt reassuring.
She took a step back and bowed. It was a deep, formal bow, the kind a knight gives to a liege.
"I accept this weapon, Master Lloyd," she said, her voice serious. "And I make a vow. As long as I wear this, no enemy will pass me. I will guard this house. I will guard your family. I will be the wall that does not break."
Lloyd looked at her. He felt a chill go down his spine. It was a heavy promise.
"I accept the vow," Lloyd said. "But remember Rule Number One."
"Survival first," Jasmin recited instantly.
"Exactly," Lloyd said. "You protect the house, but you protect yourself first. A broken shield is useless to me. If things get too dangerous, you run. You survive. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Jasmin lied.
She touched the silver flower in her hair. She knew, deep down, that if it came to a choice between her life and his home, she wouldn't run.
"Good," Lloyd said, checking his pocket watch. "Now, go get some rest. We have a long trip starting tomorrow, and I need you fresh."
"Yes, Boss," Jasmin said, a small smile returning to her face.
She turned and walked out of the room. Lloyd watched her go. He felt a sense of relief. She was armed. She was trained. She was ready.
He didn't know that he had just armed her for her funeral.
The laboratory in the manufactory was freezing. Lloyd had opened all the windows, letting the autumn chill flood the room, but it still wasn't cold enough. In the center of the room, the Golem Heart of Anubis sat on a workbench, pulsating with a rhythmic, unstable red light. It was overheating.
"It's angry," Ken Park observed, standing by the door with his arms crossed. He was wearing a thick wool coat, looking unbothered by the temperature.
"It's not angry, it's thermodynamically inefficient," Lloyd muttered, adjusting a caliper on the artifact. "The mana throughput is too high for the containment matrix. Every time I try to ramp it up to 40% capacity, it starts bleeding heat like a furnace. If I put this in the Aegis suit now, it would cook the pilot in five minutes. And since I'm the pilot, I have a strong objection to being boiled in my own armor."
Lloyd threw his pen down on his notebook. He was frustrated. The Golem Heart was the key to the autonomous functions of the suit—the auto-targeting, the balance correction, the mana shielding—but without a stabilizer, it was a bomb.
"We need a coolant," Lloyd said. "But not water or oil. We need a conceptual coolant. Something that absorbs thermal and magical entropy simultaneously."
"Ice?" Ken suggested helpfully.
"Not just ice," Lloyd said. "I need Star-Frost Ore."
He walked over to a large map of the continent pinned to the wall. He pointed to the far, far north, beyond the borders of the Duchy, beyond the civilized world, into the white void of the Glaciers.
Chapter : 1584
"Star-Frost Ore," Lloyd explained. "It's a rare mineral found only in the deepest crevasses of the Northern Ice Shelf. It's unique because it naturally dampens magical energy. It absorbs mana and converts it into stasis—cold. It's the only thing dense enough to act as a heat sink for the Golem Heart."
"That is... far," Ken noted. "And cold. And dangerous."
"It's a Dead Zone," Lloyd added. "The magical dampening field of the ore deposits is so strong that long-range communication stones don't work there. Spirits have a hard time manifesting. It's just ice, wind, and monsters that have evolved to eat things that don't freeze fast enough."
"So, a vacation," Ken deadpanned.
"Exactly," Lloyd grinned. "Pack your long underwear, Ken. We're going north. I need you for the heavy lifting. The ore is dense, and I might need someone to punch a polar bear."
"I will punch the bear," Ken agreed solemnly. "But I am bringing extra snacks. The cold makes me hungry."
"Bring all the snacks you want," Lloyd said, turning back to the pulsating heart. "But we have to go. If I can't stabilize this, the Aegis is just a very expensive statue. And with the way the world is turning... we're going to need that suit sooner rather than later."
He looked at the Golem Heart, his expression darkening. The war with the Devils was escalating. The attack on the wedding had been a warning. They were probing, testing defenses. Lloyd knew he was running out of time. He needed his ultimate weapon, and he needed it yesterday.
"Prepare the carriage," Lloyd ordered. "We leave at dawn. And Ken? Tell no one where we are going exactly. Just say 'North'. The fewer people who know I'm walking into a magic-dead zone, the better."
"Understood," Ken said, turning to leave.
Lloyd stayed in the lab, watching the red pulse of the heart. He felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the open windows. Leaving the estate now felt wrong. It felt like leaving the gate open. But he had no choice. The paradox of power was that to protect his home, he had to leave it.
The morning mist was thick and grey, clinging to the cobblestones of the Ferrum estate courtyard. The carriage stood waiting, the horses stamping their feet, their breath puffing out in white clouds. It wasn't a royal procession this time. It was a sturdy, reinforced travel wagon, built for rough terrain and harsh weather.
Lloyd stood by the door, adjusting his fur-lined cloak. Arch Duke Roy stood opposite him, looking like a statue carved from granite.
"The Northern Shelf is treacherous," Roy said, his voice gravelly. "The ice shifts. The storms come without warning. Do not let your arrogance be the death of you, boy."
"I'll be careful, Father," Lloyd said. "I have Ken. And I have the All-Seeing Eye. I'll see the cracks in the ice before we step on them."
"Good," Roy nodded. "The estate is secure. I have doubled the perimeter patrols. The Wraiths are on high alert. Go get your rock and come back. We have a war to plan."
"I'm counting on you," Lloyd said. "Watch the shadows."
Roy snorted. "I am the shadow, boy. Go."
Lloyd turned to Jasmin. She was standing a few feet away, clutching her hands together. The silver flower hairpin glinted in her hair. She looked worried, her eyes darting between Lloyd and the carriage.
"Jasmin," Lloyd said softly.
"Master," she said, stepping forward. "Do you have the warming salves? The dried rations? The emergency flares?"
"Yes, yes, and yes," Lloyd smiled. "Ken packed enough food to feed a battalion. We'll be fine."
He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact seemed to steady her.
"I'm leaving the house in your hands," Lloyd said. "You and my father. Keep it safe."
"I will," Jasmin said, her voice trembling slightly. "I promised. The Diamond Queen protects the house."
"That's the spirit," Lloyd said. Then his face grew serious. "But listen to me, Jasmin. This is an order. Your primary duty... is to stay safe. If something happens—something big—don't try to be a hero. Survive. Alert the others. Hide if you have to. Do you understand? I need you here when I get back."
"I understand," Jasmin whispered. "Stay safe, Master Lloyd. Please come back."
"I always come back," Lloyd said with a wink. "I'm too annoying to die."