Ethan’s expression darkened. Blackie, that rascal, was getting greedier by the day, and his demands were piling up one after another.
’If it weren’t for you blurting out Bongo’s secret just now, I’d have already beaten you black and blue’, he cursed silently.
Shatterstar’s voice chid in, seeking his authorization about Blackie’s newest request.
"Are the materials enough?" Ethan asked aloud. He might have been irritated, but he wasn’t the sort to shortchange his comrades.
[Insufficient!]
The chanical response was blunt, just two words.
"Then why bother asking?" Blackie snapped, glaring.
Ethan gave a wry smile. If the materials weren’t there, then the whole question of proceeding was pointless. Shatterstar’s logic circuits still couldn’t compare to a human’s common sense. Even if he had agreed, Shatterstar would have likely returned with: Insufficient materials, unable to manufacture.
But then the system spoke again, its tone carrying a trace of sothing more deliberate.
[Materials are insufficient, but attributes can be converted through a runic array. He... can help achieve this.]
A spotlight blinked on, landing squarely on Micah.
Micah squinted, half-blinded by the sudden glare. "So that’s it? You’ve been eyeing my inscription skills this whole ti?"
[Main Pilot, this individual’s runic inscription technique is remarkable. No record in my databanks shows any other practitioner across any universe with such a thod. If incorporated into the system, it would significantly increase the efficiency and quality of all items and chs produced.]
This ti, Shatterstar’s voice wasn’t public. It spoke only to Ethan, whispering directly into his ear.
Ethan was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Shatterstar’s intelligence to take genuine interest in Micah’s talents.
He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Your system... it’s truly not synchronized in real ti with the First Universe?"
Shatterstar’s words had reminded him of the Blood King’s warship, he had openly stated that ll internal functions of the vessel were transmitted back to the First Universe in real ti.
[My system lacks that capability. When I was created, KH3106 raised security concerns. If I were linked to the First Universe and then compromised, I would cease to have any value.]
Ethan considered this and slowly nodded. That explanation made sense. If the First Universe fell and all their progress was sent back, Shatterstar wouldn’t be an ark but a beacon—a ti bomb waiting to detonate. KH3106 wasn’t that foolish.
"Micah..." Ethan started, but then hesitated. Runic inscription was the man’s specialty, after all.
Micah exhaled, his face clouded with conflict. "I can sketch out the Five-Elent Array for attribute conversion. But... what I just learned, I can’t teach. The journal doesn’t contain secret techniques, only the insights of soone else. Real composition requires comprehension."
Ethan understood. The journal Morzan had given him wasn’t a manual of secrets, just notes, experiences, glimpses into another Rune Weaver’s understanding. If Micah could grasp so much from that alone, then he was no ordinary talent—he was a true prodigy.
[Then there is no other way. Shatterstar cannot comprehend.]
This ti the system’s words echoed for everyone to hear, its tone carrying an odd trace of regret.
Ethan found himself chuckling. So this so-called intelligent system really does mimic human emotion.
"Still," Micah added, "whatever kind of runic arrays you need, I can sketch the designs directly."
"Good," Ethan said, relieved. With Micah drawing the arrays, Shatterstar could record and replicate them for manufacturing.
Without further delay, Micah began sketching the Five-Elent Array, carefully inscribing the conversion patterns while Shatterstar recorded every stroke. Once the inscription was complete, the array ca to life, ready for him and Blackie to use for energy sharing. With minor adjustnts, it could transform into a system for attribute conversion and amplification.
Once Shatterstar had logged the process, it moved on to forging a new weapon for Blackie. Its system calculated each step with surgical precision, incorporating not only Micah’s inscription but also patterns from other universes to maximize the blade’s destructive potential.
Ethan had initially wanted Julian’s sword reforged. But Shatterstar explained that wasn’t necessary. It had already scanned Julian during manufacturing, producing a blade tailored perfectly for him. His greatsword’s sharpness and durability were already at the peak of its materials, and since Julian fought with raw strength, he had no need for extra attributes.
Julian accepted the explanation with satisfaction, and Ethan couldn’t help but admire Shatterstar’s practicality.
Blackie’s sword, however, took nearly three hours to complete. The delay ca from fusing ores of multiple elents and etching complex arrays into the weapon.
When it was finally unveiled, Blackie practically danced with excitent. The weapon looked identical to the Blazing Rainbow Sword, but its body shimred in four distinct colors, each representing one of his attributes. Whenever Blackie infused energy into the blade, its hue would shift. Lightning sparked and arced when he summoned that power. Fire blazed when he called flas. Mist unfurled with water. And when he unleashed wind, the very space around the blade seed to ripple and tear.
It was a weapon to brag about for a lifeti. Even Julian looked faintly envious, and Ethan himself had to resist the urge to snatch it away.
"Hahahahaha!" Blackie roared, swinging the sword with gleeful abandon.
"Don’t get too smug," Micah muttered sourly from the side. "Careful, or your kid will end up calling soone else ’Dad.’"
The jab cut deeper than any blade. Blackie froze, his laughter dying on the spot. He turned and glared at Micah with murder in his eyes.
"You say that again and I’ll cleave you with this sword!"
Micah rolled his eyes. "Who drew the array?"
"Uh..." Blackie faltered instantly. He owed the man for the weapon, and even he couldn’t deny it.
Micah smirked, stepped forward, and clapped an arm around Blackie’s shoulder. "Tell you what. Once Boss gets the Source Energy Crystal and we all hit Voidbreaker rank, I’ll go with you. We’ll take Red Snow back together. Whoever dared to steal her, I’ll seal the bastard for a hundred thousand years with runes myself."
Blackie’s face burned with embarrassnt. After a long silence, he finally muttered, "When I return to my tribe... I’ll pick a few beautiful tribe mbers for you to marry."
The words barely left his mouth before Micah’s face twisted. He kicked Blackie square in the chest, sending him sprawling.
"I treat you like a brother, and you want to pawn off your tribe’s Qilin won on ? Damn it, if you ever bring this up again, we’re through!"
His outrage was genuine, every word brimming with indignation.
Ethan, watching the spectacle from Shatterstar’s display, couldn’t help but laugh. This, he thought, was the bond between n.
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