Edric returned just then, carrying a tray with a bowl of porridge topped with dried fruit, a few slices of bread, and steaming tea. He set it down on the table before noticing the ceramic dish in front of Seren.
His brows lifted slightly as realization settled in.
“…It really worked?”
Seren nodded immediately, a clear smile spreading across her face this time.
“Yes.”
Edric let out a long breath, the tension visibly leaving his body. For a moment, he just stood there quietly before turning toward Lucien again.
“As for your reward, I thought about it while I was cooking,” he said. “I can offer you a few Artifact-grade Weave Instruments for this. Is there any specific type you want?”
Weave Instruments was the general term for magical items powered by the Weave, the force that functioned similarly to mana in this world. Artifact was the fifth rank out of seven, usually referring to high-quality creations from before the Eclipse. Most of them couldn’t even be replicated anymore, which made them valuable for their rarity alone.
Lucien thought it over for a moment before answering.
“Defensive Weave Instruments would probably help me the most right now. I’m lacking in that area.” He glanced at Edric with a faint grin. “Though I wouldn’t complain about some utility or offensive ones too, if you’re feeling generous.”
“I’ll add them, of course,” Edric replied immediately, shaking his head like the answer was obvious. “That’s only fair.”
He then looked toward Seren.
“What do you think Lucien deserves for this?” he asked before hesitating briefly. “And… do you plan to continue the treatment? If this keeps going until you fully recover, we can always increase the compensation later.”
Seren nodded without much hesitation.
“I want to continue.”
Her gaze shifted toward Lucien, calm and direct.
“How’s your current stock, first of all?”
Lucien checked the leather belt around his waist, glancing at the vials strapped along the side. Two small dark-green vials still remained on the left, while the other slots sat empty.
“…I’ve still got two Standard Healing Compounds left,” he said. “But I’m completely out of Pain Suppression Tincture and Hollowed Disruption Compound. Just give me two of each for now.”
Seren gave a faint nod.
“Then I’ll restock two of each of the three compounds for free every day for a week. Would that be acceptable?”
“Of course.”
He could always barter with food if necessary, but he’d rather save them for himself.
“Wait here while I get everything ready,” Seren said as she stood.
“In that case, I’ll go grab the Weave Instruments too,” Edric added.
The two of them left him alone at the table.
Lucien finally turned his attention to the food in front of him and gave it a try.
The porridge was thick enough that the spoon almost stood upright on its own, still steaming faintly from the bowl. The flavor leaned heavy and savory, with a slightly grainy texture that made it feel more practical than enjoyable. It wasn’t bad, though. The dried fruit added enough sweetness to break up the otherwise dense taste, and after a few bites, he could already tell it was meant to keep someone just full without necessarily being tasty.
The bread beside it was a little tough on its own, the crust dry enough that it nearly crumbled when he tore into it. Once dipped into the porridge, however, it softened nicely and became much easier to eat.
Honestly, not terrible, he thought as he swallowed another mouthful. Way better than I expected from a post-apocalypse breakfast.
When he picked up the tea and took a sip—
“—Urk!”
His face twisted instantly, and he nearly coughed it back into the cup.
The bitterness hit him like medicine concentrated into liquid form, sharp enough to linger on his tongue even after he swallowed.
What the hell is this?! Is this supposed to be tea or some kind of herbal torture method?
He stared at the cup with open suspicion before reluctantly taking another smaller sip.
…At least it woke him up.
***
A few minutes later, Seren and Edric returned carrying reinforced wooden cases.
Seren opened hers first and carefully set several vials onto the table before sliding two thin-glass vials filled with dark purple liquid toward him, followed by two more containing a deep brown solution.
“This is the Hollowed Disruption Compound and the Pain Suppression Tincture,” Seren explained calmly. “I also upgraded the Hollowed Disruption Compound. In theory, it should be capable of disrupting the pattern-behavior of Stage 4 Hollowed now. I’d like you to test it in the field when possible.”
Lucien’s hand paused halfway toward the vials, surprise flashing across his face.
“Stage 4 Hollow?”
That was the stage where Hollowed essentially became territorial creatures with instincts and hunting behavior similar to wild animals. He had never even tried fighting one directly before. They were far too dangerous for someone at his level.
And Seren was saying this thing could interfere with them?
“How strong is the effect?” Lucien asked immediately, leaning forward slightly. “Does it completely stun them like it does against Stage 3 Hollowed?”
“Probably not.” Seren shook her head once. “At best, maybe half as effective. The materials needed for the improved formula are difficult to obtain.” Her gaze lowered briefly toward the table. “The last time I tried gathering them alongside another team, my Corruption level ended up climbing this high.”
“That…” Lucien hesitated for a second before sighing lightly. “Well, I’ll test it if I get the chance.”
He carefully took the vials and slid them into the reinforced pockets along his belt.
The Hollowed Disruption Compound especially needed to be handled carefully. The glass was intentionally thinner than the others so it could shatter immediately on impact when thrown. If one accidentally broke on him instead, he would end up stunning himself instead.
“Are you done now?” Edric asked dryly from the side. “Can I start my presentation?”
Lucien snorted quietly.
“Sure.”
“Well then…”
Edric opened his reinforced case and began placing several objects onto the table one by one. He picked up a palm-sized item encased in worn brass and held it up slightly.
“This is a Wayfinder Compass, an Artifact-grade utility Weave Instrument.”
He turned it slightly in his hand as Lucien’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“It detects structural instability within roughly fifteen meters. Weak floors, stressed support walls, ceilings close to collapsing—things like that.” He tapped the side of the casing with a finger. “Instead of a needle, it responds through vibrations. I figured it would suit you, since you spend half your life wandering through ruins.”
Edric set the item down and picked up another one, this one rectangular and small enough to fit comfortably in one hand.
“This belongs to the same category. Merchant’s Scale.” He flipped it over, showing one side polished smooth. “It determines whether a substance is genuinely what it claims to be. Press a sample against this side and it’ll respond through vibrations. A steady pulse means authentic. An uneven pulse means something’s wrong.”
“What kind of things can it detect?”
“Tampered food, poisoned water, diluted medicine, counterfeit compounds…” Edric shrugged lightly. “Even forged ink compositions if you know what you’re checking for.”
Lucien let out a low whistle.
“That does sound practical.”
Edric looked mildly smug at the reaction before gesturing toward the remaining items laid out neatly on the table: a dark ceramic disc small enough to fit in a clenched fist, a narrow black-metal wristband, a spool of dark thread, and a pouch filled with fine gray powder.
“The first is a Continuity Token,” he explained. “It temporarily arrests physical failure—cardiac arrest, catastrophic blood loss, the point where the body starts shutting down entirely.”
Lucien’s expression sharpened immediately.
“How long?”
“Roughly ten minutes.” Edric’s tone turned more serious. “After that, if nobody treats you properly, you die anyway. It’s also single-use.”
Edric then picked up the black-metal band.
“This is a Deflection Band. It absorbs roughly half the kinetic force from a strike strong enough to incapacitate you.” He rotated it once before setting it back down. “It stores three charges before needing to be recharged with Shaper tools.”
He moved on to the spool, picking it up between two fingers.
“This is called a Binding Filament.” He rolled the dark thread slightly before setting it back down. “Once you cut a length and anchor both ends to a surface—tied, pinned, pressed, whatever—it becomes nearly impossible to break through normal physical force. It also turns almost invisible unless someone’s actively looking for it.” A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Basically a force multiplier for people who like fighting dirty. The spool has around forty meters. The enchantment lasts about a week per setup. After that, the thread goes back to normal and can be reused.”
Then he gestured toward the pouch of fine gray powder resting near the edge of the table.
“And this one is Sorrow Dust. If it gets into someone’s eyes, nose, or mouth, it causes around ninety seconds of uncontrollable crying and severe eye irritation. Vision gets blurred badly enough that most people can’t fight properly during that window.” He tapped the pouch lightly. “No lasting harm, though. It works on humans and most humanoid races. Stage 3 Occupational Hollowed should still react to it too, assuming they retain enough biological function.”
Edric let out a slow breath and leaned back slightly.
“I can give you three of these upfront. If Seren reaches Stage 1-A—or fully recovers—I can add more later. Maybe even newer variations.” His gaze met Lucien’s. “Would that be acceptable?”
Lucien nodded without much hesitation.
“That’s fine. I already know what I want.”
Edric raised a brow. “Oh? That fast?”
Lucien pointed one after another at the compass, the dark metal wristband, and the pouch of gray powder.
“I’ll take those three.”
The Merchant’s Scale sounded useful, but not for the kind of work he usually did. The Continuity Token was powerful, yet too situational. Ten minutes to avoid dying sounded nice on paper, but if he ended up in a situation bad enough to need it, there was no guarantee he’d actually be able to stabilize himself in time.
As for the Binding Filament, it was clever, but too setup-heavy for his taste. Useful for traps and ambushes, sure, just not something he saw himself relying on often.
In Edric’s eyes, Lucien is a freelance scout. He didn’t know that Lucien is affiliated with Twilight Covenant. And in reality, his job rarely affiliated with such items after the Eclipse.
The Wayfinder Compass will be incredibly useful for scouting outside safe zones. The Deflection Band can turn fatal hits into survivable ones even if it only halves the impact, and the fact it’s rechargeable makes it even better. As for Sorrow Dust… that thing’s perfect for creating openings or escaping bad situations.
Edric looked satisfied with the selection and gestured toward the items.
“Go ahead. They’re yours.”
“Well, don’t mind if I do.”
Lucien gathered them carefully, checking the weight of each before slipping them into his coat and belt pouches. The Deflection Band went straight onto his wrist.
As he adjusted the fit, Seren suddenly spoke up.
“What are you planning to do after this?”
Lucien paused for a second, his hand resting against the band.
Ideally, I’d like to find someone knowledgeable about the moons and ask what they think about the Eclipse… but that would sound suspicious as hell.
His transmigration still bothered him. He had no idea why he ended up here, or why it happened right after witnessing the Eclipse.
And then there was the System.
The more he thought about it, the more its abilities resembled the governing powers of this world.
The mark’s silence effect felt eerily similar to the Lady of Order’s domain over contracts and restriction. Life Drain had obvious parallels to the Reaper of Ends. Face Shift resembled the Ever-Changing, while Void Cloak felt almost tailor-made for the Empress of Midnight.
There was also the Soul Loom system, built around colored threads that each carried different effects. In some ways, those threads also seemed connected to the abilities of his own System.
Bloodline Awakening and Beast Taming, however, had little to no resemblance compared to Divine Blessings and Soul Loom.
“...I’m not really sure yet,” Lucien admitted with a wry smile.
“I’m basically a freelancer,” he continued with a small shrug. “You know how carriage drivers usually have places they hang around waiting for passengers? It’s kind of like that. I’ll check there first, and if nothing comes up…” He tapped a finger lightly against the table. “I’ll probably do some scouting around the Contested Zone or the Southern Ruins.”
His gaze shifted toward Edric for a moment.
“I can come back here tonight to continue the procedure, right?”
Edric nodded easily. “You can treat this place like your own.”
Lucien pushed himself to his feet. He stretched both arms over his head, his back giving a faint pop as a low groan escaped him.
“Well, I should get going then.”
He still needed to check whether the Twilight Covenant had any work waiting for him.