The Runesmith

Chapter 668: Containment.

“It does seem to prefer your mana, Agni…”

Roland watched the egg siphon a small amount of energy from his wolf companion. Even when he held it, placing it against Agni’s body for a few seconds was enough for the effect to take place. The amount drawn was minimal, but he needed to be careful. He had no idea if there would be any adverse effects, or if the egg might somehow turn into a mana-devouring creature. He had already seen parasitic beings take hold of people’s brains, so this required proper study.

“Woof…”

“Not a fan of being a mother hen for a while, Agni?”

“Werf!”

“Haha, it’s fine. You won’t have to. We can probably give it mana in other ways, too.”

While it would have been a comedic sight to see his wolf forced to sit on the egg like a mother hen, Agni had better things to do. Instead, Roland could have him release his mana into a specialized container that would channel it into the egg.

Considering how little the egg consumed, sustaining it should not be difficult. Agni’s level had risen tremendously lately. If he released a few concentrated spells and Roland managed to harness part of that energy, it would likely be enough to keep the egg nourished for days, perhaps even weeks.

“Now then, should we head home?”

“Awooo!”

The teleportation gate stood assembled, emitting an irritating buzz as Roland assessed his surroundings. The egg might be a potential threat, but this area itself felt like the true treasure. With high-level undead present, it offered an ideal place to train not only himself but others back home. Robert, and even Arthur, could use it to grow stronger at a much faster pace.

It would not only increase their experience but also sharpen their combat skills. The higher the level of the opponent, the faster certain abilities improved. Arthur and Robert had already fought chained undead, and by striking them with weaker weapons, they had managed to raise their weapon proficiencies and some attack skills.

There was a vast difference between training on undead below level two hundred and those around level two hundred fifty. While this method had not yet been tested on their soldiers, Arthur and Roland planned to form a trusted elite force, one trained using these methods. The maids led by Mary would likely be the first candidates, as they could be relied upon not to reveal any secrets, even under torture.

‘The only problem will always be the church, but they have been quite docile lately.’

The Solarion Church would frown upon methods like these to gain strength, but it was not entirely forbidden. As long as no one was controlling the undead through necrotic energies, they might turn a blind eye. For training purposes, such control was unnecessary anyway, as the creature only needed to be restrained to keep it alive and in place.

The more problematic issue might be the divine runes he had created. Even if they could be disguised as divine grenades, the church maintained a monopoly over holy concoctions and blessings. They would quickly realize that these were not of their making.

‘They are not the only church around… I should probably analyze other forms of divinity that work well against the undead.’

Lunaria and Lunaris, the moon gods, were also an option. They were deities of the moon elves, and their power could be replicated through his runes. By analyzing equipment, holy items, or even elixirs fashioned by the Church of the Moon Gods, he could justify their origin to the Solarion Church by blaming it on the moon elves.

With that in mind, he used his helmet to access the overhead cameras. There, he saw an interesting scene unfolding. Other adventurers had arrived on the Drake Plains, and some had already crossed them. It seemed their scheme had been seen through, and the group pursuing them was larger than their own.

‘Will those people make it out before this group arrives?’

Although he had destroyed the bridge, the other traps he had set were already triggered. These newcomers were in a hurry and would likely reach the ruins within a couple of hours. If the groups met, it could turn into a deadly confrontation.

‘They still made it through, but they used up a lot of their resources to get there…’

Roland felt a hint of guilt about the traps he had placed to slow them down, though not enough to intervene directly. However, after a quick scan, he noticed something.

‘Not all of those traps are inactive… I suppose you can have this one for free.’

With that thought, he activated a backup trap hidden in the bee-infested area. In the confusion, the other adventurers had failed to notice it, and now he could use it to buy more time for the group he had delayed. ȐÄℕＯВĚᶊ

Through the golem cameras, he watched as the bees were woken up into a frenzy and swarmed the newly arrived party. Panic spread quickly. Some retreated toward the Drake Plains, while others scattered in different directions. The resulting chaos drew the attention of nearby drakes, which began to attack, forcing the adventurers to either flee or engage in a battle.

“That should give them enough time to sort things out or at least even the odds.”

“Woof?”

“It’s nothing, Agni. Let’s go back home.”

Agni’s tail started wagging as he heard those magical words. Soon, both of them passed through the gate and returned to the workshop. As always, he first removed Agni’s armor and let him go outside to play while he focused on the egg he had just received.

“Sebastian, we need to run a few tests.”

Inside an empty room, he placed the egg in a secure stand that he had shaped to fit it perfectly. The chamber itself had been assembled recently. It was built with defense in mind, and a heavy vault-like door blocked the entrance. If he wanted to store a priceless dragon egg, this was the safest way to do it. It was a place even his assistant could not enter, not because of distrust, but for safety reasons. The room was designed for dangerous projects that no one below a tier three battle class could handle.

‘I really hope this does not turn into some undead monster...’

He was not convinced about what would hatch from within, so he needed a room that could suppress and contain it while he conducted his analysis. Runes etched into the stand acted as the first scan. Then, from the sides, several metallic arms with multiple joints extended. They were equipped with runes, mana probes, temperature gauges, and mana resonance detectors.

“Seal the room and do not let anyone inside except me. Saturate it with low amounts of mana. Try divine first.”

“Yes, Master.”

Sebastian’s voice echoed through the workshop. Even though he had a golemic puppet body, his presence was not limited to it. He had continued upgrading his tower spirit to perform more functions, and his learning capacity remained impressive.

With Sebastian’s help, he planned to expose the egg to various mana wavelengths to see how it reacted. While he could mimic many mana patterns to activate spells, creating a perfect copy was still beyond his ability.

‘There is something unusual about this egg. Even a wavelength similar to Agni’s is not being absorbed. Perhaps I will need to create that mana container.’

Unfortunately, he could not feed it a mimicked version of Agni’s mana pattern, and the egg showed little interest in absorbing any other variations. Even when the mana was dense and powerful, it had no effect. Still, he confirmed one important detail. There was a living being inside the shell.

A faint pulse responded to his probing. It was not strong or aggressive, just present. Only thanks to his mana phantom research, which allowed him to perceive beyond normal energies, could he detect it. A tiny soul was forming within the egg. When it would hatch remained unknown, but he still intended to feed it Agni’s mana for several reasons.

“So you are alive, but what you will become is still a mystery. I should probably secure this place first, and if you prove to be dangerous…”

The vault had already been reinforced with various enhancements and thick walls lined with metal, but it was not enough. He had no idea what would hatch or what capabilities it might possess. It could spit acid and melt through regular metal, or perhaps release a poisonous fog. The possibilities were many, and each one required a countermeasure to keep his wife and the nearby residents safe from harm.

With that, he completed his latest mission. While he had not obtained whatever lay within the proper ruins themself, the treasure he received was likely worth far more. Now that this task was finished, he needed to prepare for what came next.

“Boss, you’re back!”

“That I am. Have you spoken with the union dwarves about the train?”

“Aye, they are ready to build a proper station, but they cannot decide on the design. Perhaps you could give your input, boss.”

“Plans?”

“Aye, here.”

As he stepped away from the chamber holding the egg, more work was already waiting for him. Bernir handed him several diagrams for the new train station. The underground railway was still in its infancy. In this world, most trains ran above ground, as constructing durable tunnels required significant time. The architects here also struggled to plan far enough ahead to account for cave-ins, shifting earth, and the dangerous ecosystem beneath the surface.

Since mathematics was also just a skill, everyone relied more on instinct than precise calculation. Builders depended on intuition, experience, and the bonuses granted by their crafting classes rather than strict measurements and predictive models.

Fortunately, the tunnels beneath them had been reinforced with mana, eliminating the need for support columns to prevent collapse. The area was also carefully monitored to guard against monsters entering.

Although Roland was not a train specialist, his background in the modern world gave him a clear sense of how an underground railway should function. In his previous life as a student, he had often taken the subway to and from campus. He could easily adjust the layout to improve the flow of passengers and prevent trains from obstructing movement. At first, the system would consist of a single train traveling back and forth while exchanging carts, but it could later expand to include multiple trains if it proved effective.

‘I expect the duke to provide funding once he realizes how much faster this method of transportation is compared to traditional merchant routes.’

Trains in this world were nothing new, but they were used mostly for transporting passengers rather than resources. Because of spatial items, there was little need for massive carts capable of carrying enormous quantities of materials.

They also had a major weakness compared to traditional merchant caravans: their defensive capabilities. The world was filled with monsters, bandits, and evil cults. A train that traveled the same route repeatedly became an easy and predictable target.

In the past, there had been several attempts to make trains a viable method for transporting valuable goods. However, after repeated robberies, the areas where trains operated became increasingly restricted. Merchants were forced to hire adventurers and mercenary bands for protection, which made transport quite expensive and limited its use to only the wealthiest.

But this situation was different. Everything here would run underground, monitored safely by his golems and Sebastian. Roland was confident he could guarantee safe passage, and for that level of security, people would be willing to pay even a premium.

“Did they even check the dimensions? We can’t fit something like that in here. Let me correct this quickly.”

Roland frowned as he studied the plans in front of him. It reminded him of the earlier mistake made by the dwarven craftsmen when they had failed to account for the width of the locomotive, which caused issues with the initial railway placement. Now they were repeating the same error with a station that could not accommodate more than two trains at once and would require additional excavation to widen.

The design included a circular platform where an arriving locomotive could stop. After turning, it would use a side track to move to the front of the carts it had just delivered.

‘The turning radius is too tight, and the platform clearance is insufficient.’

He picked up a pencil and began sketching on a sheet of paper. Bernir had no idea what he was doing, and neither would the dwarves, as the calculations involved were far beyond their usual methods. This was knowledge from Roland’s previous world, something he had nearly forgotten. Yet after reaching a high intelligence stat, memories of lessons and hours spent reading about engineering principles had returned with surprising clarity.

Numbers that once seemed abstract now aligned naturally in his mind. Angles, load distribution, airflow through tunnels, and concepts he had not consciously considered in years became simple and intuitive.

“Boss… what are those symbols? They don’t look like runes.”

Bernir squinted at the page as Roland filled it with precise markings and annotations.

“Just a better way to make sure nothing collapses and that we have enough space for everything.”

Roland replied casually, even though the sketch went far beyond the techniques used by the dwarven union.

He adjusted the curvature of the turning platform, widening the radius to accommodate not only the current locomotive but potential future models. He also expanded the platform, leaving room for foot traffic, emergency exits, and maintenance pathways. Only after ensuring the design was adaptable and that future expansion would not become a problem did he hand the corrected schematics to Bernir.

“Here, tell them to follow these instructions to the letter. If they ask about the drainage channels, say that water accumulation underground could become a problem sooner or later.”

“Aye, sure, boss.”

Bernir, who had just become a Soulsmith, squinted at the diagram. While he was good with his hands, when it came to trainmaking and design, he was still a greenhorn.

“Good. Then get this to the dwarves. I’ll check on everything afterward.”

As Bernir hurried off, Roland leaned back slightly, his thoughts drifting once more. There was so much work to do, and he had not yet even properly started designing the golem he needed for the competition. To do that, he would have to speak with Master Hasim and somehow convince him to make a trade.

‘Should I prepare it beforehand as a gesture, or will he get suspicious?’

Hasim was missing a leg that Roland could easily replace with one of his prosthetic limbs. He had already scanned him with the help of his armor and could create one now if he wished. However, doing so would likely raise questions about how he had obtained the correct proportions without being in the dungeon.

‘That could add to the mystery, though.’

On the other hand, such an approach might make Hasim more interested. If he believed Roland to be a far greater craftsman than he appeared, then perhaps the old master would be more willing to negotiate.

‘A risk, but one worth taking. And that eye too.’

Besides the leg, the old dwarf was also missing an eye, which could be replaced with a prosthetic. He was a perfect test subject for this technology before Roland implemented it on Arthur’s mother, and someone who could provide proper feedback, not just as a patient, but as a master craftsman.

‘I suppose I should get the dungeon fully in order. Once this is done, I might not return to that stronghold again.’

Roland had created his persona and found a new place to grind his levels. The assassin had been captured, and to his knowledge, the maids had managed to extract some information through torture. He had already read the report, and by the looks of it, things were becoming more complicated than he would like.

‘That Julius…’

Now he was no longer sure who to trust, but that question could wait until they arrived. First, he needed to prepare for his arrival, and for that, he had to do something he rarely did: be himself for once.

For some time, he had been collecting personas as if they were candy. At this point, he was no longer certain who he truly was. Was he Wayland the craftsman, the Deputy Professor, or perhaps the High Knight commander? It felt as though every few years he adopted a new identity, as he had recently done with Siegfried. Now he would finally face a Master Runesmith who might surpass him in many ways, and that was something he had very little experience with.