Chương 50: Chapter 46: You have legs. You can walk by yourself.

You can walk by yourself.

Before them lay a cavern so vast Fabrisse couldn't make out its far wall. Embermoths wandered between the crystal pillars, each carrying a tiny ember beneath translucent wings. Their amber light broke apart in the crystal growths until the whole cavern glowed with the same quiet splendor Fabrisse remembered from the Temple of the Twelve Flames during the Midwinter Rite, when thousands of lanterns were lit at once. This made the temple feel almost modest. No architect could have planned something like this.

"Fabri!" Liene grabbed his wrist.

"Come on! There's a whole cluster over there!" She was already tugging him toward a narrow crystal outcropping overlooking the chamber.

"Look! They're building another bridge!" she whisper-exclaimed.

"And over there! Those little ones are carrying crystal dust! Oh, and those—" She stopped. Celline watched the two of them with a grin that was immediately troublesome. She reached into her satchel and produced a slender crystal stylus. He recognized it at once. A Recorder's Stylus. One touch, and it preserved a single moment in crystal. No ink was involved. Liene let go so abruptly that Fabrisse nearly pitched forward.

"I, um..." She cleared her throat.

"You have legs. You can walk by yourself." The stylus dimmed. Celline sighed.

"Missed it." The crystal formations near the center drew Fabrisse's eye. They were noticeably younger than those by the entrance, rounded edges instead of sharply faceted. Some grew around the silk supports; others still clung to amber resin. Even from here, he could tell they were still growing. Remarkable. He wondered how quickly emberwax accelerated deposition.

"... Fabri?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Liene said. Celline slipped the Recorder's Stylus back into her satchel, whispering.

"Alright. Fun's over. From here on, be extremely careful. There are far more Embermoths in the central chamber than near the outskirts." Liene nodded.

"They don't like people taking pieces of their home." Celline pointed beneath a nearby silk bridge.

"We leave the nursery growth and anything they're still working on alone." Then she pointed to a small cluster of thumb-sized crystals on an isolated outcrop.

"Take these instead. They're old enough to harvest without causing trouble. The moths will replace them within a few years." The three made their way toward the isolated outcrop. Liene immediately reached for the nearest crystal.

"Wait." Celline grabbed her sleeve. Liene stopped. Celline tilted her head up. An Embermoth passed overhead, its wings glowing with amber light.. The three remained still. Only after it disappeared into the chamber did Celline nod.

"Now." Celline reached out again.

"Wait."

"What now?" Liene stopped again. Celline waved at the narrow gap between two crystal supports.

"You're going to bump that."

"Linny. You think you're going to fit that?" Liene looked at the opening.

"So who's extracting it?" Both girls turned toward Fabrisse. Liene immediately shook her head.

"He can't." Stolen novel; please report. You haven't even let me try…

"Why?" He asked.

"You're clumsy." Liene turned back to Celline.

"Then you." Celline stared at the gap.

"I'm clumsy too."

"You're tiny."

"That's unrelated."

"Look at that opening." Liene pointed between the crystal growths.

"You fit perfectly. Your idea. We'll support you. You're not going to fall into the chamber or anything." Celline narrowed her eyes at the two of them for a long moment.

"Fine." She reached into her satchel, and kept reaching. Fabrisse watched as she produced a neatly coiled length of climbing rope.

"Why do you have a rope?" he asked. She looped one end around her waist.

"Sometimes the truth lies under a bridge where people insist on holding secret meetings."

"Have you been arrested before?"

"Not successfully. It's not that weird," she reassured.

"Liene's also never been arrested even though she's much more scandalous."

"Hey!" Liene protested. Celline shoved the other end of the rope into her hands.

"If I tug twice, pull me back up." Celline lowered herself carefully into the narrow gap, finding purchase on small crystal ledges as Liene steadily paid out the rope.

"Little more... little more… Don't move." Another Embermoth drifted by. Celline stayed still until it had passed. Only afterward did she say, "I'm going down now."

"Watch the moths," Liene whispered to Fabrisse.

"Warn Celline if one comes back." He barely nodded, his eyes already on the stone beneath the outcrop. Pale silver dust filled the narrow cracks where crystal met rock. An Embermoth drifted by, and the dust flashed. He crouched almost at once. Crystal Catalysis Dust. There was no mistaking the metallic sheen. He'd only ever seen tiny laboratory samples. His allowance couldn't buy even a spoonful. Here, it had gathered naturally. It was his lucky day. My Glowing Stupenstone reacted to Aetheric Catalysis Dust...

what if it reacts to this too? [SYSTEM NOTE: Your Perception has triggered a new Quest.] [Quest Received: Hidden Potential] Objective: Upgrade your Glowing Stupenstone Recipe Discovered: [Glowing Stupenstone] + [Component I: Crystal Catalysis Dust] + [Component II:???] + [Component III:???] Reward: +100 EXP Active Skill: Reverse Engineering (Rank I) – Analyze an alchemical product to identify one of its constituent ingredients.

Success depends on your prior experience with similar reagents and crafting techniques. Note: Every Glowing Stupenstone possesses one dormant evolution pathway. The Stupenstone cannot devolve after it has evolved. Additional Note: There are 3¹⁷ possible component combinations. Wait. That implied any Stupenstone could react to aether. The one inside his satchel wasn't unique. If he repeated the exact experiment from Laboratory Four... He could make another. The first Glowing Stupenstone had led him to the Eidralith.

This seemed like another gift, assuming the Eidralith would grant him the unique ability to utilize their aetheric potential. He could test the theory as soon as he returned to Laboratory Four. But first— He looked down at the silver dust. One component was sitting right in front of him. He leaned forward.

"Fabri?" Liene whispered.

"Where are you going?" His hand was already inside his satchel. A moment later he withdrew a small specimen vial, a fine sable collection brush, and a folded square of treated sampling paper.

"Oh..." Liene said.

"Are we doing another experiment?

"How did your newest one go? Did the rock do anything this time?" Fabrisse was already coaxing the first grains of dust onto the paper. Liene didn't seem to mind the lack of an answer. She crouched beside him, lowering her voice even further.

"Can I help?" She waited exactly one second.

"Can I help?" Fabrisse nodded. Liene knelt beside him.

"Ooh! Hold on." She rummaged through her own satchel.

"I've got tweezers somewhere..."

"You brought tweezers?"

"I always bring tweezers." Together, they began carefully collecting the glittering dust.