Before fully devoting himself to training and shedding the remaining mortal husk, Lucien decided to make his final preparations. It would be disastrous if another invasion occurred while he was in deep seclusion.
But this ti, he was not alone.
The Sovereign of All Nations had beco his greatest ally. With their authority, they issued new laws and decrees. Orders to survey dungeons for any irregularities, to patrol them regularly and to destroy dungeon cores the mont sothing seed amiss.
Anyone who reported such irregularities would be rewarded and those who brought the destroyed corrupted dungeon cores to any governnt office would receive even greater compensation.
During this period, the Holy Empire also underwent a massive purge. Pope Augustus finally revealed the evidence he had long gathered. The records of the evil deeds of corrupt officials.
Those n had served their purpose and there was no reason to let their wicked roots remain in the Empire any longer. It had been Augustus’ Oracle Skill that stayed his hand before. His visions told him that their ti had not yet co.
And indeed, during the previous war, the items those corrupt officials had hoarded for years beca crucial resources. Supplies, artifacts, even the catalyst that awakened Elias’s "Path of Dawn" skill.
Their greed... had ironically, saved lives.
Now, however, the Oracle showed him nothing. The threads of fate concerning them were silent.
He realized it was the right ti. Evil must be purged.
Pope Augustus requested Clara’s assistance and she obliged. Yet when Lucien saw her leave, his heart pounded uneasily. She wore a faint knowing smile as if she were planning sothing.
"She wasn’t gonna do anything culty, right?"
He shook his head. Clara would be a trendous help. Now that her vision had returned, she wouldn’t feel sick seeing colors all the ti. She could also now wield Divine Sense at will.
Lucien didn’t want another traitor among humanity, so he agreed to let her go with Augustus this ti.
anwhile... the Supre Leader of the Wildlands Federation, the forr Elven Chief Elandor, began visiting Lootwell frequently. Lucien was surprised to discover that Elandor was Elunara’s father.
The elves had banished Elunara from their holand before. Elandor bore the guilt. He had been powerless at that ti. He had agreed to it, knowing that if he didn’t, it would have been even more dangerous for her.
When Elunara was young and immature, she had often predicted people’s deaths. To elves, who enjoyed long lives, such predictions were seen as ons of misfortune. They ca to believe she was cursing them... especially since she alone possessed affinity for Dark Magic.
In truth, the misunderstanding had been cleared years ago and Elandor had searched for her ever since. It was only during the war against fate that father and daughter t again.
And now... their relationship is starting to heal. But... it was still strained.
Even so, Elunara refused to leave Lootwell. She said she loved this place more than anything in the world. As the principal of Lootwell Academy, she felt responsible for the children there and couldn’t bear to leave them unattended. She had found bonds here stronger than blood.
Hearing that, Lucien felt pride swell in his chest. His people were loyal beyond asure. Elunara had already reached maximum loyalty toward him. He had already copied her skill before.
And there was only one skill Lucien wanted from her. Her five-star skill...
Fate’s Debt.
And so, Lucien began his own preparations.
He reached into his Inventory and took out a certain item. The Heart of Balance. It’s one of the legendary drops from the corrupted monsters. It was supposedly able to stabilize the mana or energy flow of an entire region.
He embedded it at the center of his territory.
The change was imdiate.
The previously fluctuating divine energy across his lands beca calm, flowing with graceful harmony. Every current of energy harmonized as if guided by invisible hands. It was like art made visible in the air.
With this, everyone could train in their own hos without needing to search for dense energy zones. Absorption beca easier and the flow of energy beca smoother and safer.
What astonished Lucien most was how far the gem’s influence spread. It reached not only Lootwell but even the neighboring territories. The entire eastern border was now bathed in tranquil energy.
Before long, his friends arrived to investigate. They had long since learned that if sothing extraordinary happened, it would likely begin in Lootwell. And if not, Lootwell would surely know why.
Aldren Hornvale and Roneth Needlehart, now young barons who had inherited their fathers’ mantles, ca to visit. They had beco close friends of Lucien’s.
He hadn’t brought them into the Black Mass War. Not out of distrust but because they were not fighters to begin with. Lucien knew their strengths lay elsewhere and he didn’t want to see them die aningless deaths. He had asked them instead to protect the territory and support Vivian in his absence.
He still felt a pang of guilt leaving them behind even though they have shown their intention to fight with him. But their friendship remained unchanged. No bla, no bitterness, only camaraderie and gratitude.
Lucien then explained the stabilization phenonon to them and even shared his drops to help them grow stronger.
Next ti, he thought, they would fight beside him.
...Though deep down, he hoped there would never be a next ti.
When they departed, Lucien observed the changes sweeping through Lootwell once more.
A massive forge now stood in its heart.
At his request, the Crafting Division had embedded the Heartforge Core... the UNRANKED drop from the Giant Goblin... into a great furnace. This core could transform any forge into a living, adaptive furnace that resonated with its user.
The Crafting Division had installed it into their grand furnace which they now called the Heartforge Furnace. And indeed, production flourished. Weapons and equipnt were crafted with unmatched precision. Failure was nearly impossible. The flas themselves seed alive, instinctively adjusting to the craftsman’s intent.
But Elk, the Crafting Division’s head, refused to let beginners use it.
"If you want to be called a craftsman," she said firmly, "you must learn the basics first. Power ans nothing if it’s borrowed. And a true craftsman can’t depend on a tool’s rcy!"
Lucien agreed wholeheartedly. The Heartforge Furnace was now used only for mass production... never as a crutch for learning.
He also spent ti studying the contents of the Monster Lords’ Organ Storages and was thrilled by their potential. With them, his territory could advance technologically by decades.
His first project was upgrading Morphis.
He now possessed nurous Soul Cores from the Organ Storages. These Soul Cores could be embedded into equipnt circuits, allowing weapons to grow alongside their users and even manifest new abilities.
Of course, Lucien chose the mightiest among them. A dragon’s Soul Core. And then, he asked Seren to embed it into Morphis. It’s a fitting upgrade for the weapon he would carry into the Big World.
During this period, he also spent ti observing the other Beacons of Light.
Seren and Anya, in particular, worked astonishingly well together. They find out that Seren’s Essence Shift could also refine ingredients... and paired with Anya’s Blessing of the Hearth, they created dishes unlike anything before.
Grass that tasted like steak, pills that nourished like a full al, dew that could replace sleep, bread that restored mana, soups that healed both body and spirit, and many many more. Those two could work wonders.
Elias excelled in administration and had befriended Kael who had transford from a timid rchant into the unshakable leader of the rchant Association. His keen eyes missed nothing and his refined mastery over Space Magic had grown formidable. Lucien often thought Kael could have been a protagonist in another story.
Ronan had beco Lukas’s right-hand man. Together, they oversaw Lootwell’s defenses, often sparring with such intensity that their duels shook the territory. It’s much to the delight and education of the soldiers who gathered to watch.
Robin, anwhile, trained under Sebas. He had proven himself in the war, saving countless lives by stealing weapons from enemies before they could strike. Now, under Sebas’s tutelage, he was rapidly becoming a force of his own.
The forr Assassin Chief and the Magic Tower Master often visited Lucien as well.
Lucien brought them to et his parents to ease their guilt and to tell them they were not to bla for the past.
The Assassin’s Guild had since disbanded. Its mbers wanted to join Lootwell too. But... they must undergo under Clara’s "purification" first. And now, they are fully integrated in Lootwell forces.
After speaking with Luke and Cienna, even the Assassin Chief pledged himself to protect what remained of this world.
...
Lucien had also planted Spirit Mountains, one of the things taken from the Monster Lords’ organ storages. These structures could produce Spirit Crystals over ti.
He planted one beneath a mountain in Lootwell and another within his Divine Energy Core. It would take years, perhaps decades, before Spirit Crystals ford. But their potential was unimaginable. These were treasures capable of changing the fate of nations. To think he now possessed two... even Lucien could hardly believe it.
With Lootwell secure and flourishing, Lucien turned to his final task.
Planting global safety asures.
Among the relics he recovered was sothing he’d seen in Zothrak the Magus Goblin’s mories.
Massive obelisks known as Nullspires.
Their purpose was simple but vital. To nullify rift energy before it could manifest. If placed wisely, they could prevent rifts from ever forming.
Lucien began scouting the world for suitable locations to place them... where the laws of the world would support their function.
They were not perfect and he couldn’t be sure how long their effects would last but for now... it was enough.
For the first ti in a long while, Lucien could rest easy. He could finally train without worry.
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