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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 85
At my question, they looked at me slowly, their expressions filled with confusion.
Then, as I continued speaking, their faces turned pale.
“Bring everything.”
* * *
Having completed his shift in the Demon Realm and returning to his family for the first time in a while, the old knight Rembel had no choice but to watch Leon scrape up every last piece of moonstone with a look of despair.
Collecting moonstones had always been a hobby for them, but it was also an undeniable sign of neglecting their duties.
However, in Cascadia, minor indulgences like these had always been overlooked, so they never really saw it as a problem.
But Leon was different.
With his eyes wide open, he tracked down every last moonstone with a near-supernatural precision, even uncovering the final pieces hidden deep within their armor, confiscating them all.
“Is this everything?”
At his question, old knight Rembel clutched his aching heart and nodded.
“Yes, young master. That is all.”
“Hmm.”
“Ugh… Young master, please. This is the only hobby I have left in my old age. Just a little mercy…”
“Tsk. I told you, I’ll get you something better.”
When Leon carelessly brushed aside his plea, Rembel’s expression darkened with despair.
Why did he have to get caught now, of all times?
What terrible luck!
If only he had returned a little later, none of this would have happened.
Now, he would have to endure watching the other knights proudly show off their moonstones while swallowing his frustration.
Rembel was utterly miserable.
Then, Leon’s words suddenly caught his attention.
“Hm. There’s quite a lot, but this is nowhere near enough…”
At that, Rembel’s eyes widened.
“Young master.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“There are more moonstones.”
If I can’t have them, I’ll make sure they’re all destroyed!
I won’t go down alone!
And that was how Leon ended up raiding the Demon Realm’s surveillance outpost.
* * *
After humanely collecting the moonstones from countless knights and soldiers, I gathered them all in one place to assess my haul.
“Hey. I heard you went around robbing the knights of their moonstones? What are you doing? You should let them keep small indulgences like that.”
Melissa’s argument made sense.
I wasn’t oblivious to the hardships they faced, and if they weren’t allowed even this much, their morale could plummet in an instant.
“What are you talking about? You told me to set up a welfare system, and this is how I’m doing it.”
“…And what exactly are you planning to do with moonstones?”
“A data storage unit.”
More precisely, something that could store specific information.
“Data… what? What even is that?”
“Just watch.”
Without hesitation, I placed my hand on the gathered moonstones.
At the same time, the Heart of the Machine God activated, and an immense stream of information about the moonstones and their impurities flowed into me.
What I needed was 100% pure moonstone.
Even though I had gathered enough to fill an entire room, only a fraction would remain once refined.
But that didn’t matter.
It was enough to create a prototype for installation in the outpost.
Sorting through the information on impurities and pure moonstone, I began the refining process.
Refining moonstones typically required an immense amount of time and effort.
However, the Heart of the Machine God was a power I had obtained in place of vast amounts of mana.
In truth, if used properly, this heart could even turn weapons into scrap metal.
Since it was a power specialized in analyzing and restructuring matter, I could bypass the usual refining steps entirely.
Soon, a brilliant light enveloped the moonstones, separating the massive collection into a lump of impurities and a small pile of pure moonstone.
What once filled an entire room had shrunk to merely enough to fit two or three people.
But I was satisfied.
“The purity is higher than I expected. This should be enough.”
“My god… What even is this?”
Melissa muttered in disbelief, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing.
“This is pure moonstone? The color is unusual…”
“Technically, it’s altered moonstone. Its molecular structure has been changed.”
Normally, refining moonstone would require an extreme high-pressure, high-temperature process.
But I didn’t need that.
The purified moonstone was then divided into pieces about the size of circuit boards.
Next, I gathered some pre-prepared materials and processed them again.
For this step, I needed to have a clear blueprint in my mind.
Unlike refining raw materials, this required a significantly higher level of precision.
But that wasn’t an issue.
I already had a detailed mental blueprint of the final product.
I had designed something similar in Labyrinthos several times for other purposes.
After about five seconds, the moonstone fragments glowed before transforming into emerald-colored gemstones.
I picked up one of the gems and immediately activated necromantic magic.
Back in the Hall of Sages, necromantic magic was strictly prohibited.
So even if I wanted to create something like this, I had to rely on alternative methods.
But here, it was different.
Here, I could use magic.
I had also mastered swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.
In other words, I didn’t have to rely solely on magitech to achieve results.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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[Memory Reloading]
I stored a portion of my memory using necromantic magic, embedding it into the gemstone as a medium.
I didn’t know much about elemental magic, but when it came to human memory and souls, nothing could surpass necromancy.
Normally, I would have had to encode the data manually.
But with necromantic magic specializing in memory manipulation, that step was unnecessary.
Then, using the Heart of the Machine God, I engraved a complex magic circle onto the surface of the gemstone.
Afterward, I combined the gemstones with specific materials I had gathered in advance, creating a prototype.
The design was already complete.
I had refined similar items countless times in Labyrinthos for different applications.
To test the prototype, I held the completed device and generated a specific wavelength.
Normally, I would need additional equipment to produce this frequency.
But since I could now use magic, I generated it manually.
Immediately, the moonstone glowed, and I felt something connect to my consciousness.
Instead of resisting the strange sensation, I accepted it.
My vision blurred.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an empty void.
There was absolutely nothing here.
But a smile crept onto my lips.
[Staying in this space for an extended period may place a significant burden on the soul.]
I was already aware of the librarian's warning.
"Hmm. Let's try adding a code."
I immediately stretched out my fingertips and focused my necromantic mana.
Then, I devised a specific code and spread it in all directions.
Light began to burst forth around me, dispersing like electrical signals.
As if light were coming into existence according to the will of a god at the dawn of creation.
"Not bad."
What I had just created was none other than a multi-linked illusionary space.
By processing a special medium called moonstone along with various materials simultaneously, I linked them together and developed a technique that could immerse human consciousness into a hypnotic state without side effects.
Here, people’s consciousness lingers in a designated space as if they were caught in an illusion.
That space was constructed by coding fragments of memories that I had just reloaded using memory-reloading magic.
What exactly is this?
A similar concept existed in my previous life on Earth.
A sort of pseudo-virtual reality.
If one cannot enjoy the ocean while living in the mountains, then the solution is simple—create a virtual ocean.
* * *
A week passed as I gathered moonstones.
During that time, I devoted myself entirely to processing the moonstone into an artifact in my workshop.
It didn’t require anything particularly elaborate or intricate.
A vast white beach, coral scattered all around, and schools of tropical fish swimming in groups.
A sun identical to the real one, yet emitting light that had no effect on the skin.
Yes, everything here was fake.
A meticulously crafted illusion.
By holding the completed artifact and uttering a special command, it would activate, linking itself to the user’s consciousness.
In other words, even while stationed at an observation post in the mountains, one could enjoy the ocean during their break time.
I had successfully implemented the ocean, but the rest was still beyond my reach.
Since I couldn’t code other people’s memories, I could only build it based on my own.
"Not bad at all."
A parasol and a sunbed were placed on the beach.
Luna lay comfortably on the sunbed, holding a drink in one hand and leisurely enjoying the sea breeze.
She wore a one-piece swimsuit and sunglasses.
In fact, about half of the items in this place slightly differed from those of the Lazarus continent.
"How is it? Do you feel any sense of dissonance?"
"It’s not bad. If it were too realistic, it might feel unnatural, so this level is just right."
Luna answered while slightly lifting the edge of her sunglasses, even though her eyes were closed.
I had no idea why she even bothered wearing sunglasses if she was going to keep her eyes closed the whole time.
As she said, this was an illusion, not reality, so I had implemented various mechanisms to prevent confusion between the two.
A good example was the enormous magical constellation floating in the sky.
A massive constellation, visible even during the day, was an obvious deviation from reality, regularly reminding anyone using the artifact that this was not the real world.
Additionally, I had incorporated an interface resembling a game menu in the users' field of view, displaying options to exit and access various amenities.
"Is all of that really necessary?"
A voice came from below my feet.
It was none other than Melissa, who was buried in the sand with only her head sticking out.
She had originally claimed to dislike the ocean, but after testing it a few times, she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.
The sea had taken her family away.
If she hadn’t sobbed her heart out after taking down the Kraken, she would likely have still avoided the ocean entirely.
Of course, the psychological assurance that this sea was 100% safe probably played a role, too.
"Why do you keep reinforcing the idea that this isn’t real?"
"If reality and illusion become mixed, accidents can happen. But for someone who dislikes the ocean, you sure are enjoying yourself."
At my remark, she fell silent for a moment before turning her head away.
Judging by her reaction, she had gotten so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten her initial reluctance.
She always acted so sharp and decisive, yet she had her airheaded moments, too.
"Since it’s an illusion, it feels different from reality the longer I stay here."
Perhaps that sense of detachment helped alleviate her aversion.
After all, this place was designed solely for relaxation.
It was impossible for it to feel identical to real nature.
"But is the ocean all there is?"
"For now. It’s not easy to create more."
In truth, I had only been able to construct this beach relatively quickly because I had tested a similar field at the Hall of Sages.
If it were any other location, I would have needed to fine-tune countless details, which would have taken much longer.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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