Chương 154: 154

Mark paused the video on the screen in the living room, saying, "So I still want one, but it's gonna be super high tolerance, and yet, if it is, then it might not work how I want it to work." Sally, Eliot, and Isoko were all seated around watching the video with him.

It was a 48 minute long video about spellbreakers that Mark had found on the web, and it had been filled with graphics and historical imagery and information for the modern era, because spellbreakers were based on one of the Prime Ancient Magics, Protect, and they had been around for thousands of years. Spellbreakers had mostly fallen out of favor in the modern era because individualized protective magics were simply better in a lot of ways, but the old magics were still great in certain situations.

One of the main parts of the video had been explaining how Protect actually worked. They had used a diagram of a house made of doors, which was a stand-in for a person and their astral body. Just like a person's astral body, the house had some doors that were heavily guarded and used all the time, but others that were weak and unused. Those corresponded mainly to the 6 Power Levels a person could have. Protect guarded the entire house with the same strength.

Individualized defensive magics guarded specific doors and because they guarded specific doors those specific protections could be made very strong; the nuanced-'Protect' would only be Protecting one door instead of dozens. Like a Mind Shield, or Charm, or any other kind of Mind Protection artifact, would center the Protect around that specific door, instead of around all of the entire house." Flight magic and Protect magic," Isoko said, as though she had made a big decision.

"That's the magic that I want to learn, now."" That'd probably work well for you, Isoko… Mark too, actually," Sally said, "With our normal PLs in Mind, if Eliot or I wore a basic spellbreaker it'd pop all the time."" I already have a basic Freyalan Shield and this Mind Charm, but I could get something better after I get my Obsidian Card," Eliot said, "But a spellbreaker is still a good idea. Really high tolerance, though— Oh!" Eliot made grabby hands toward Mark and the controller.

"Gimme! I need to see something." Mark handed the clicker over, smirking a little bit, knowing that Eliot was just being polite and he didn't actually need to put hands on the controller to change the video. Sure enough, the second Eliot touched the controller the screen flicked, Eliot's control rippling through the feed— The screen settled down on a different video. Based on the title, it was video #7 in a 19-video series, based on the uses of adamantium in enchanting.'

Adamantium In Protective Magics' was queued to minute 19 of 78. Eliot exclaimed, "Yes! I knew there'd be something." He explained, "I checked on this series a while ago but I completely forgot about it after watching the first video. The first one was good, and my Power is telling me that this one might be relevant. You probably want to watch all of them, Mark." Eliot pressed play.

A man's voice began, "Protect is one of the most vulnerable and yet valuable magics out there because it allows for true defense against big dangers. If you have been watching our series, then you will already know that adamantium can be eminently useful when crafting defensive items. Spellbreakers and their derivatives are no exception..." By the end of the show, Mark knew two things. He needed to watch the entire series.

That viewing marathon was probably going to take him several weeks and he would probably watch the video on forging adamantium multiple times, but he would get it done. Mark needed to add this video series to the self-study programs that Tulo Khava, the Armsmaster of the army, had told him about. Mostly, Mark decided he wanted a spellbreaker made of adamantium. Maybe even a growth-aspected spellbreaker. Wouldn't that be neat!

Mark didn't really need a 'growth' weapon since he could make whatever tools he needed when he needed them. But a growth artifact that would get better as it was used? Yes please! A growth spellbreaker, specifically, would get better at offering complete immunity to life-ending magics, only when needed. So yes, Mark needed one of those. He needed to find someone who could make such a growth item, too, which seemed like a very tall ask according to the video. Maybe someone in the settlement could do it.

But a spellbreaker made of mithril would be fine for starters, for now. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. - - - - Mark stepped off of the tram near Castle North and looked up at the big structure. It was part goods depot, quartermaster headquarters, grocery and provisions commissary, and also sky port. The Grey Whale hovered in the sky, attached to the highest parts of Castle North, shadowing the land.

The ship's guns formed the base of any major defensive or offensive operation, while the ship itself would also serve as trading ship when the settlement finally settled and started sending things back to Crytalis. People were still the majority of the settlement's defense, though; the ship was too expensive and vital for the lives of everyone here to use it for normal fights.

Eventually, when they got more ships, the Grey Whale would form the backbone of the kaiju defense squad that would protect the land on this side, when the portals opened to Memphi and trade flowed through to Earth. That was going to be a big day… but for now, the ship was just up there, in the air, mostly out of the way. Not many people up there. There were lots of people down here on ground level, though.

Most of them were buying or selling basic goods, or bringing in harvests from outside the settlement, or they were picking up their allotted food supplies from the Agriculture and Resource Management store. ARM sold basic goods, not allowing anyone to take more than their allotment, but overflow was always for sale in the shops to the sides. There was a lot of overflow. Reeni Thumb, the farmers, and the Farmers of Verdago, were very good about getting a lot of food to market.

From rows upon rows of chilled vegetables, keeping them cool and dry, to big bags of flour and rice, there was a lot to offer. They even had big, clear fish tanks taking up a wall of the shop, but those fish tanks were empty… Mark frowned a little, looking at the empty, illuminated waters. He needed to get back to feeding the fish every day.

The fish population was booming as the lake filled in more and more, and the Farmers of Verdago were making them breed and grow at an accelerated rate, but all that growth and expansion needed food to make it happen. A bunch of acolytes and paladins of Freyala were already on the job working the farms right alongside the Farmers, but Mark wanted to be out there, too. … Later. Right now he was here, going out for a different sort of job. …

A lot of people looked his way, for everyone recognized him, and he was in full battle mode, wearing his black underarmor and ceramic plating. He was ready to hunt. A lot of people in the depot were either ready to go out hunting, too, or they were coming back in with their kills, or their body parts, either floating on temporary hoverplates, or carried over shoulders, in cold boxes, or in big backpack baskets. Mark mostly ignored how people did double takes looking at him." Do you see our contact?"

Mark asked Isoko. Isoko walked beside Mark. It was just Mark and Isoko, today. Eliot was working on the computer systems in Castle South, and Sally was with him. Isoko and Mark were going to get some discounts for their spellbreakers. They just needed to find their contact, first. Isoko hummed as she looked around.

"Nope. Don't see— Oop! There they are." Isoko smiled and waved. A tall, thin woman, maybe 25, waved back. She wore hunting leathers and a cape made of ribbons of leather, with a giant bow on her back and a quiver filled with arrows on her hip. Except for the bow and arrows it was a pretty standard outfit here in the settlement. Blendcoats, like the cape she wore, were sold at a deep discount to anyone who wanted one, because Aurora wanted people to be able to hide more than she wanted them to be able to kill.

Running from monsters was often the better option, if you got outgunned. Mark didn't have one yet, and neither did Isoko. Neither of them really considered getting one, either. But Mark and Isoko both probably needed a blendcoat. The woman was Barba Sacredcut, and she was a Skilled Hunter. She was also a halfer with a specific magic to her; a minor mage capable of Harvesting from monsters. She was the younger sister of Julie Sacredcut, the caseworker who had turned Mark and Isoko on to spellbreakers.

As befitting the younger sister of an artificer, Barba was absolutely loaded with artifacts of all kinds. Mark felt better for working with Julie knowing that she was sending them out with her sister. The Sacredcuts were apparently a minor noble house, so there were a bunch of them here in the settlement. Barba met Mark and Isoko half way, saying, "Greetings, Mark, Isoko. A pleasure to meet you." Mark smiled a little.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Barba. Your sister had a lot of good things to say about you." Barba seemed to soften a little.

"Yeah." And then she stood up straight.

"We're hunting hollow gourds today. You read about them?"" We have," Mark said.

"I'm looking forward to making plants grow to harvest them. I wasn't aware that was an option."" It's a dangerous option, but as long as you can Union with them while also running away at a fast rate, then we should be fine. They won't even bother me while I pluck them, since I will be moving in certain ways and you will have their attention. We can talk about all of that more on the way out. And of course I still need someone at my side, and that would be you, yes, Isoko?"" That's the plan," Isoko said, nodding.

And then Barba paused, hesitant to ask her next question. She blurted it out, anyway.

"You still have enough adamantium to run around on? Your… uh… brother restocked you?" It was a loaded question. Mark simply said, "I can hover around well enough." And that was all he said. Barba waited for more… but then she realized she was not getting more. She stood straight and said, "Then we're off! Tram to the south gate then half an hour-ish at a speedy run down south. We're headed toward a lake."