Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 935: Coinage Moonstone Investigation II

CH935 Coinage Moonstone Investigation II

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This realisation sent ripples through the Moonstone Base, as it meant the creator of the Coinage Moonstone not only had a means of obtaining a significant amount of Spatial Energy, but could also design a method that not only exploited it, but a system that utilised it regardless of its stability state.

This seemed like a little matter to most Artisans, but in the eyes of Space Mages like Master Sahira, this was a big deal—a very big deal.

Master Sahira’s discovery was expanded upon further by the second important beneficiary of the forced advancement side project.

Surprisingly, this was a Gnoll Artisan who specialised in Condensed Energy Materials—materials similar to Mana Stones, but very different.

The Gnoll was originally a Tier IV Master Alchemist who had been brought onto the project as an assistant. However, due to the demands of the project, they were ‘strongly encouraged’ to undergo the forced advancement, quickly rising to become a Tier V Grandmaster Alchemist.

This, of course, left a sequela in the newly minted Grandmaster’s body. However, it wasn’t something time and, importantly, the promised resources couldn’t fix.

Thanks to the Grandmaster, the researchers at the Moonstone Research Base confirmed Master Sahira’s hypothesis.

The Coinage Moonstone gemstone was indeed formed by condensing Spatial Energy, which became part of a system designed to contain the Interspatial phenomenon in a stable structure that would theoretically never degrade unless acted upon by an intentional external force.

However, this introduced another problem.

The Coinage Moonstone gemstone was essentially the outer cover of a vacuum-sealed system device. Once the cover was opened, the vacuum state would break, potentially damaging the internal parts—in this case, the Runic Formation likely contained within the gemstone.

Since the gemstone was made by condensing Spatial Energy, it was possible for the Grandmaster Alchemist who specialised in this field of Alchemy to potentially reverse the process. However, one wrong move while doing so could irreparably damage the Runic Formation inside it, or, more importantly, the internal Interspatial Space.

Though the path forward was known, none dared take it again.

The stalemate continued until the alliance of major powers forced the Elarion Empire to bring out one of its trump cards.

One of the Empire’s former member of its Elder Council, an Archmage and Tier VI Epic Space Mage, was essentially forced to take the field.

Shockingly, the Coinage Moonstone had become so important that even a figure possessing the dual prestige of an Archmage—someone on the cusp of Transcendence—and an Epic Artisan was forced to move.

It was the job of the Epic Space Mage to secure the internal space within the Interspatial Ring while the gemstone was being opened.

With an Epic-tier artisan present to hold the sky for them, the Moonstone Base was reinvigorated with life.

The Gnoll Grandmaster Alchemist reverted a portion of the Coinage Moonstone gemstone back into Spatial Energy, which was then used by the Epic Space Mage to secure the integrity of the internal space while allowing a team of Grandmaster Runesmiths to quickly make contact with the internal Runic Formation.

With a team of half a dozen Grandmaster Runesmiths working together, the internal formation of the Coinage Moonstone Interspatial Ring was quickly copied before the ring degraded and broke down.

In essence, an item that took only Alex—at the time a Tier II/III Artisan—to make required the combined efforts of about seven Grandmasters working together to access and obtain the precious formation.

However, that was not the end, as the research team was soon met with another roadblock.

While they were finally able to extract the precious Runic Formation, none of them could make head or tail of the Runic logic of the formation. It was as if the formation, though written in runes, was written in a completely foreign language.

There were Rune Glyphs the Grandmaster Runesmiths understood, and others they had never seen before—never mind make sense of.

Even the Runes they knew, strung together in the manner in which they were arranged in the formation, made no sense.

Never mind creating a groundbreaking effect like an Interspatial Storage Space phenomenon, they shouldn’t even have been able to function as the most basic Runic Circuit.

For a moment, the Grandmasters thought they had copied it incorrectly. However, that was unlikely.

It was possible for one Grandmaster Runesmith to copy it incorrectly, but for all six or so of them to do so? That was unlikely.

The research team quickly came to one unanimous conclusion. This was a safeguard for the item, deliberately implemented by the creator of the Coinage Moonstone Interspatial Ring.

For months, the Moonstone Base tried and failed to decipher the logic of the Runic Formation. Eventually, the base was dispersed, and the formation was shared amongst the different powers to have it deciphered in-house.

Whichever power deciphered the formation first would enjoy the benefits of Interspatial technology, while the other powers would only have themselves to blame for falling short.

As far as Master Sahira knew, the formation remained undeciphered. Nonetheless, taking part in such a groundbreaking project was the biggest achievement of her career.

She and many other researchers who took part in the project would forever remember the name—Oni Head, Hattori Hanzo.

A man now recognised as being at least a Tier VI Artisan, with great proficiency in multiple disciplines: Forging, Alchemy, Space Magic, but most of all, Runesmithing.

—

Master Sahira shook her head as her thoughts returned from her memories, and her focus returned to the young man her favourite student had introduced to her as her liege.

“The Coinage Moonstone Interspatial Ring?” Alex was genuinely surprised. “Are you saying you created or participated in the creation of the item that was the grand lot at the Golden Palace’s Auction Festival two years ago?”

“What?” It was Master Sahira’s turn to be surprised. “That’s not what I meant. How could I have participated in the creation of such a historic piece?”

The Master Space Mage looked at Alex strangely—as if looking at a lunatic.

“But you just said—”

“I meant I participated in the research into deciphering the creation method of the ring!”

Alex tried to speak, but Master Sahira cut him off.

“Oh…” Realisation dawned on Alex.

‘So, she was part of the elite research group put together by the continent’s major powers to decipher my little trinket.’ Alex thought to himself, amused.

“Is the Coinage Moonstone that great a piece?” Alex asked.

***