LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 77: Chapter 77
Ethan and Arthur remained in the area for a while, observing as the floating island slowly disappeared beneath the waves.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get to witness the magical process of an island sprouting out of nothing and becoming overgrown with plants."
Even after the death energy dissipated, no plants grew on the island. The landscape remained covered in black soil and lifeless rocks. Three days later, the island began to shake violently and finally sank below sea level.
"It seems the relationship between magic stones and these floating islands is different from what we've assumed."
In the past, people in the Sea of Calm generally believed that magic stones were ores naturally produced on floating islands. Some islands had them, some didn't, and there was thought to be no intrinsic connection between the floating islands themselves and the stones.
From the guild, Ethan had learned that most floating islands did, in fact, contain magic stones.
After what he witnessed, Ethan began to suspect that the relationship between the islands and the magic stones might be the opposite of what everyone believed.
Ethan had moved the Goddess of Dawn a safe distance from the island to avoid any potential effects from its sinking. Now, standing quietly on the poop deck, he let his mind wander over these thoughts.
Aside from contemplating the connection between islands and magic stones, Wilson's use of the death stone provided new insight into the power dynamics of the New Sea.
"With Wilson's strength, he still had to serve under someone else and work tirelessly to return here from the depths to recruit others. It's easy to imagine that Beckford's power must utterly overwhelm Wilson's."
"Otherwise, there's no way Beckford would have let him leave with such a powerful magic stone. Beckford clearly wasn't worried about Wilson rebelling… and Wilson doesn't strike me as the type of loyal subordinate who wouldn't try."
It wasn't that Ethan looked down on Wilson, but from his behavior, it was clear that Wilson was an arrogant fool. He acted invincible just because he had some strength. Someone like that could only be controlled by overwhelming power, forcing them into submission. Beckford's strength must have been truly terrifying to keep such a subordinate in line.
"Based on what we know, Beckford must have access to a magic stone even stronger than this death stone, and his mastery of magic stone energy far surpasses Wilson's crude attempts."
Wilson's ability to gather death energy, manipulate bones, and create armor was impressive. Ethan couldn't help but wonder how other magic stones might manifest their abilities.
Even if a magic stone didn't create armor out of thin air, using its energy to form a defensive barrier around the user would already be a major headache.
Ethan's thoughts turned to Brent. As an experienced adventurer with a reputation in the New Sea, Brent likely possessed a high-quality magic stone. During their previous encounter, Brent had only shown a fraction of its power, but Ethan could still sense the immense energy it contained.
If Brent had used a technique similar to Wilson's during their battle, how would Ethan have countered it? Brent's stone wasn't a death stone, so Ethan couldn't rely on energy restraint for an advantage. Moreover, Brent's control over magic stone energy was leagues ahead of Wilson's. Looking back, it was clear that Brent had gone easy on him during their fight.
"Seriously, what a saint," Ethan muttered, feeling a bit annoyed. "Who shows mercy to someone trying to kill them?" He couldn't help but feel underestimated.
Shaking off these thoughts, Ethan turned his attention to Arthur. Together, they raised the sails of the Goddess of Dawn and set off in a random direction.
When there was no specific destination, sailing across the Sea of Calm could become monotonous. However, Ethan had obtained plenty of spoils from the island and now had many things to occupy himself with.
The first issue was the death stone.
The magic stone contained immense death energy, and its uncontrolled release made it particularly dangerous. Over time, prolonged exposure to the negative energy would inevitably turn Ethan into an undead creature.
For now, the magic stone was wrapped in earth and sealed with magic, but this was only a temporary solution. The seal couldn't last for long.
Unless Ethan returned to State Island immediately to hand over the magic stone to the guild, he would need to find a more secure way to store it.
For the next few days, Ethan locked himself in his room, working tirelessly on a solution. The task of steering the ship was left to Arthur, who was given no specific destination, he was simply told to let the ship drift at sea.
It wasn't the right time to explore new islands or search for spatial energy until the problem of the magic stone was resolved.
After five days, Ethan emerged from his cabin, dragging a small box behind him. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary container.
"Well, it's just an ordinary box," Ethan admitted.
He had experimented with four or five different designs before this one finally worked.
"This box doesn't do much, but it absorbs and converts the energy released by the magic stone into pure magic, which it stores here."
Ethan pointed to a strange-looking metal bottle attached to the box. The contraption wasn't aesthetically pleasing and looked more like the work of a preschooler than a craftsman.
Arthur, standing nearby, couldn't help but comment. "Your craftsmanship… really needs some work."
Ethan was a little embarrassed. In his rush to complete the project, he hadn't paid much attention to the appearance of the box, but even he had to admit it looked terrible.
"Thank you for your suggestion. Improving my crafting skills is officially on my to-do list."
In the future, he would need to create a variety of tools and equipment, so improving his forging skills was essential. He now regretted not learning the basics from Chaxi back then. Even casually listening in would have been better than having to figure things out entirely on his own now.
"So, what's the purpose of the stored energy?" Arthur asked.
"It's not very useful at the moment. It can only replenish the energy consumed by my two bracers and the Book of Inheritance."
The box had been hastily made, resulting in poor energy conversion and a lot of waste. However, since the death stone's energy was so immense, Ethan was able to harness the excess released by the stone to power the magic circles in the box. Afterward, his own energy refined it further, resulting in a limited amount of usable magic energy.
Ultimately, the main purpose of the box was to neutralize the harmful effects of the death stone on himself and others. For now, that was enough.
With the death stone's storage resolved, Ethan turned his attention to the spatial energy.
This mass of energy couldn't be absorbed by his space-time orb, so he had temporarily stored it in a cigar holder. While this was an emergency measure, Ethan quickly began working on better storage once they returned to the ship.
Unlike space-time energy, this spatial energy was purer in its attributes but far harder for Ethan to utilize. After more than ten days of research, he concluded that the best he could do for now was to use its unique properties to create simple magical equipment.
He decided to use part of the energy to enhance two belts.
"Space Folding."
Ethan showed Arthur the improved belt. Unlike the box, this one wasn't as ugly because it had been built on an existing belt.
"These compartments, originally meant for storing potions, magazines, and other small items, now have their internal space expanded several times over using the spatial energy. You can store far more items without changing the exterior size."
"The same size?" Arthur immediately picked up on the limitation.
"Yes, the same size," Ethan confirmed.
To demonstrate, Ethan took a dagger and tried to place it in one of the magazine slots. Due to the slot's original size, the dagger couldn't fit at all.
"See? That's the drawback."
Arthur nodded. While the interior space was significantly expanded, the entry and exit points remained the same, meaning larger objects couldn't fit inside.
"How much more can you store?" Arthur asked.
"I've tested it a bit. Using a small portion of the energy, I've managed to expand each slot to hold five times its original capacity."
A slot that could previously hold one magazine could now hold five. This improvement was significant, as the belt had many compartments. In addition to magazines, Ethan could store a variety of small items, including his regular cigarettes and cigars.
"This is just the beginning. Once I better understand this energy, I'll be able to create fully functional spatial storage equipment."
Arthur, examining the belt in his hands, was already satisfied. For someone who relied primarily on his sword in battle, the enhanced belt allowed him to carry more life-saving supplies without being encumbered.
"It's perfect. I can carry more potions now," Arthur said, clearly pleased.
"Exactly."
Previously, Ethan had opted to make cigarettes instead of potions partly because carrying bottles of liquid everywhere was cumbersome and inconvenient. Large quantities of potions added weight and were prone to breaking during battles.
With this new belt, many of those problems were solved. Potions stored in expanded compartments wouldn't be exposed to external forces during combat, reducing the risk of damage.
In fact, the inspiration for this belt came from the inventory systems in games like Diablo. Ethan had long wanted to create similar spatial storage equipment.
Now, he finally had a piece of functional spatial gear, and the fact that he had made it himself only added to the excitement.
"Of course, there are still many shortcomings. But this is at least a good start," Ethan said, his voice filled with confidence. "I'm sure I'll be able to make even better equipment in the near future."
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