"Right!" Frank put the Chaos Crystal in the box and closed the lid. He smiled at Hailuot. "Compared to the Olden Cemetery, the energy source in its lower level is an immeasurable treasure."
Hailuot replied flatly, "I only want to reclaim the Olden Cemetery. What's in the lower level of the Olden Cemetery isn't something I have the authority to ask about."
Frank tossed the box back into the cabinet and nodded in agreement. "A wise view! This world has too many unknowns. Until we know what something is, leaving it unchanged is the safest course.
We have a plan to make the Skeleton Maze produce Death Energy again. Want to hear it?"
"That was already one of the reasons I came here."
"Good, let's begin..." Frank raised his hand. The Starlight forming the Magic Array scattered, and a map of the Skeleton Maze rose into view. Frank marked several regions on the map and said to Hailuot, "The Energy Extraction Magic Array in the Olden Labyrinth has already created a siphoning effect. It can't convert the excess Chaos Energy into Death Energy quickly enough. Instead, the array is transforming that excess into Chaos Beasts.
To reclaim the Olden Cemetery completely, we must reach its lowest level, seal the energy extraction point, and find a way to limit the flow of Chaos Energy.
Of course, we have no way of doing that right now.
Fortunately, many Adventurers enjoy hunting Chaos Beasts inside the Olden Cemetery, which consumes the overflowing Chaos Energy. We've designed a device that compresses Chaos Energy within a small area. Once its concentration falls to a critical point, the area will produce Death Energy."
Frank tapped a spot on the three-dimensional map, and a small area turned black.
But that small patch of black, compared to the entire Skeleton Maze, was like a single sesame seed on a flatbread.
Hailuot asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"As the Lord of the Old Graveyard, you can seal off this area. You don't want those Adventurers stealing the equipment, do you? They're like locusts."
Hailuot found this entirely reasonable. In the game, Players would rush over to smack even a stray dog on the roadside twice—let alone leave valuable Magic equipment untouched.
"And then what?"
"No need to rush." Frank snapped his fingers, and the magic map on the table vanished. "Right now we only have one Chaos Energy Compression Furnace, and we don't even know if it'll work. After all, we've only ever tested it with Chaos Crystals—we don't know whether it'll perform as expected once placed inside the Olden Cemetery.
Experiments must proceed step by step. First, we'll install one Chaos Energy Compression Furnace and gather data. Then we'll decide what to do next."
Hailuot understood this wasn't something to rush. He'd already waited centuries; he could wait a bit longer.
"When do we go install the Chaos Energy Compression Furnace in the Olden Cemetery?"
Frank considered for a moment. "Tomorrow, then. Today I'll run a full calibration on the Chaos Energy Compression Furnace. Come find me tomorrow, and we'll head to the Olden Cemetery together."
"All right, I'll come find you tomorrow."
With the time set for the trip to the Olden Cemetery, Frank held out his hand to Hailuot. "Give me Master Laem's manuscript. I want to craft this great spellbook with my own hands."
Hailuot handed Mage Laem's manuscript over to Frank.
Frank took it and began reading it closely.
Every so often, he let out a gasp of admiration.
Meanwhile, Hailuot used the opportunity to contact the Soul Eater and report his progress.
The Soul Eater, who was leisurely farming monsters, replied, "I'm jealous of your luck. You got a Threefold Talent Hero, and now you've obtained Master Laem's manuscript too.
And it hasn't even been a full day!
Give it a little more time, and you'll probably steal my Number-One Player title from me."
Hailuot said helplessly, "I have no interest in the Number-One Player title! But shouldn't you be more concerned about the Family Cemetery?"
"I'm no longer the Old Dominator, so the Family Cemetery is your concern, not mine. Still, I never expected the Azure Society's rebellion to have such lofty ideals. I'm almost tempted to join the Azure Society myself."
"I'm sure they'd welcome you."
"Still, I'll pass. A lot of my quests with the Sorrow King are at critical points right now. I can't afford any mishaps."
After thinking it over, Hailuot said, "Dorothea wants to meet you."
The Soul Eater waited a moment before replying, "Let me think about it... So many Lords in the Rotten Wasteland are vying for a seat among the Seven Regents. Dorothea's strength is only barely competitive, so I can't place my bet on her too early."
Since Dorothea had come up, Hailuot couldn't help complaining, "I feel like Dorothea is running Scorched Earth City into the ground. She handed the Western District's Public Order to a Player Guild! If someone in the Empire dared suggest privatizing the public security bureau, who knows how many people would end up on the chopping block."
"Hahaha... you mean the Eight-Armed Ape Guild, right? They pay Dorothea a sum of gold each month. These days, Dorothea will sell anything to arm her forces. The Undead don't care about the Living Faction's well-being. As long as the Vampires' blood supply keeps flowing, that's all that matters."
"What does the Eight-Armed Ape Guild get out of it?"
"I don't know much about running Guilds. I only know that the Eight-Armed Ape Guild is a Branch Guild under the Yamata no Orochi Guild. The Yamata no Orochi Guild is one of the ten Major Guilds. In the Players' world, a Major Conglomerate provides its financial backing, so it is extremely powerful.
Oh, right, you could also ask your mother to pull in some investment, ship some gold our way."
"I think Mother is more likely to bring out a cannon and blast the both of us."
"Very possible!"
As father and son chatted, their once-distant relationship grew closer.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Frank had already read through Laem's manuscript in detail.
"I've said it before... If Master Laem hadn't spent all his time traveling for the sake of our ideals, he would have written a masterwork worthy of being passed down through the ages. Crafting a spellbook for Mage Laem may be the greatest achievement of my life."
Hailuot ended his call with his father and asked Frank, "Will Master Laem have me bring out more manuscripts later? Should we wait until we have more before making the spellbook?"
Frank waved the manuscript in his hand, his excitement undiminished. "The wisdom in these manuscripts is enough to open a mystic domain and form the foundation of a spellbook. Whenever you bring more manuscripts, we can add them to the spellbook. Its power will continue to grow with the addition of Master Laem's wisdom."
"Then I'll leave these manuscripts with you. When should I come collect the spellbook?"
Frank didn't answer. Instead, he asked Hailuot, "Master Laem mentioned some of your insights into Magic in his manuscripts and spoke highly of your magical knowledge. I'd like you to help me reorganize these manuscripts and add your annotations. Then, as a co-author, you can take part in completing the... most crucial step in making the spellbook."