"And what is a spell tower?"
"Tsk, do we really have to start from this point...?"
After organizing the information in his mind, Vane suggested a name:
"Do you remember the Witch King?"
[The Witch King – Former ruler of Leithanien, the most powerful warlock in Terra's history.]
"Of course I remember, after all, you said he was someone we should keep a close eye on... but isn't that guy dead?"
"Strictly speaking, he didn't die, but that's not the point."
Vane pulled out a pair of glasses from somewhere and put them on, adopting a serious posture.
"Ahem! Student, do you know how the Originium Arts used by the Terra came about?"
"Where did you get those glasses from...?"
"Pay attention in class!"
Unable to resist clenching his fist, Gorth suppressed the urge to punch, knowing he truly didn't know the information.
Having received a satisfactory response, Vane continued his explanation:
"Originium Arts is a general term that refers to the methods by which one guides the energy within Originium into a specific form and uses it for a specific purpose."
"Although the Originium Arts of Terra's creatures may seem like magic, they are essentially applications of science."
"Science?"
"That's right!" Vane pushed up his glasses.
"Originium is a very peculiar substance that contains extremely high levels of energy."
"Whether it was the work of Precivilization or not, they even seem to have the function of connecting with each other and storing information."
"Based on this characteristic, Originium Network... I'll call it that for now."
"Terra's creatures can draw power from the Originium Network by connecting to the Arts Unit; essentially, it's a technology that retrieves information from it and materializes it."
"The more adaptable a person is, the more permissions they obtain on the network, and therefore the greater the energy they can exert."
"For example, in Kazdel, where the second brother is from, although the abilities used by the Sarkaz are called witchcraft, their essence is also a kind of alternative magic that inscribes Originium Arts into their bloodline."
Upon hearing this, Gorth suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
"So, according to you, Originium Adaptability is like a high-performance phone competing for WiFi?"
"It's a bit strange... but it's pretty much the same."
After tossing down his glasses, Vane returned to his original state.
"Having heard this, you should understand what a spell tower is now."
"... a repeater?"
"Bingo!" Vane gave a thumbs up.
"The essence of a spell tower is a large-scale Arts Unit. The Witch King expanded his spellcasting range by building towers throughout Leithanien."
"And the most dazzling achievement of this feat... was using natural Catastrophe to annihilate the Gaul fleet during the Four Emperors War!"
[Gaul, a powerful nation in Terra's history, similar to Napoleon's France, which was fragmented and gradually conquered after the Four Emperors War; Victoria was a nation born from its remains.]
After listening to Vane's description, Gorth roughly understood the other party's thoughts.
"You mean you want me to use the forest as a spell tower to expand my shadow?"
"That's right!"
Seeing that Gorth understood what he meant, Vane exclaimed excitedly:
"Besides expanding your territory, don't forget my earlier suggestion."
"Your creations are all energy entities. If your output can't keep up as they grow, then use an entire forest to supply them."
"Don't forget, your forests are all mutants enhanced by my blood, absorbing the Daichi's energy while fighting... more than enough to sustain their output!"
"... Why do you always have such a strong fascination with gigantic forms?"
"Nonsense, don't you understand that bigger is better? Besides, isn't the boss a perfect example?"
After hearing Vane's description, Gorth realized that the idea was indeed possible, but he still couldn't be happy.
"But according to you, after a battle... vast swathes of land will turn into desert."
"..."
After falling silent, Vane looked at Gorth with a strange expression and couldn't help but touch his forehead.
"Have you lost your mind? Do you really think you're Druid?"
"I think your brain is probably fried."
After pulling Vane off, Gorth couldn't help but sigh.
"We're Soul Knights, not Apocalypse Knights. Don't try to cause any big trouble on this Daichi."
"I think you've been playing too much Stardew Valley! Isn't it normal for people to be eaten in this man-eating Daichi!?"
"I don't care, I'm the client, give me a different plan."
"You son of a bitch..."
"Waaah--"
A blush gradually rose on Vane's cheeks, then faded under the Wendigo Spirit's gaze.
"Ahem, how about we try the Shadow Legion?"
Adhering to the principle of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, Vane proposed another possibility.
"Use your seed as the core, then use shadows to sculpt the form. Since you have horns on your head anyway, it's okay to cosplay Holy Lord!"
"Those creations don't possess intelligence either..."
Although he was very tempted, Gorth still rejected the possibility.
"Vines can only respond to simple commands, and besides, using shadow soldiers is not as efficient as directly expanding seeds into vines."
"... You're here to cause trouble, aren't you?"
After being refuted time and again, Vane's gaze towards Gorth became increasingly hostile.
"Ahem... Why don't you think of another one? This time I definitely won't argue."
Knowing he had indeed gone too far, Gorth simply suggested a direction himself.
"By the way, speaking of gigantic combat power... do those Behemoth you mentioned count?"
"Behemoth?"
Startled by this sudden idea, Vane began to think about it, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"Hey! Maybe it really works?"
"Ah?"
Gorth, who had intended to change the subject, did not expect that Vane had actually come up with something. Recalling the Behemoths comparable to gods in the intelligence, he subconsciously wanted to refute but then consciously shut his mouth.
"Yeah, it's Behemoth! Third brother, you're a genius!"
Sensing Gorth's confusion, Vane cleared his throat and began to explain.
"Ahem, I talked to you about Behemoth before, but you might not know much about them."
"Unlike the Terra creatures and Originium Network deployed by the Precivilization, [Behemoth] are native to this planet."
"Wait! You mean the Terra came from another planet...?"
"Hey, don't interrupt."
Waving to stop Gorth from asking questions, Vane continued to let his imagination run wild.
"I've simply divided the Behemoth into two categories."
One type is the ecological Behemoth, whose Behemoth is mostly the ecosystem itself.
The existence of the most powerful Sami Behemoth alone altered the entire northern ecosystem.
"The second type is conceptual Behemoths, which possess unique and enormous bodies and wield peculiar powers."
For example, the Temporal Beast, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, wields the power of time, just as its name suggests.
After listening to Vane's explanation, Gorth had a general understanding of the Behemoth, but he still had some doubts.
"You mean you want me to develop in the direction of Behemoths, but how does that have anything to do with me?"
"No no no~"
Vane wagged his finger, looking at Gorth with disdain.
"The definition of Behemoth is actually quite simple; it just needs to meet the following criteria."
1. A large and resilient body.
2. The life characteristic of immortality.
3. The ability to integrate the ecosystem into its own cyclical system.
4. Special powers.
"..."
After hearing this, Gorth touched Vane's forehead.
"He doesn't have a fever..."
"Listen to me carefully! ( ง °皿°)ง⁼³₌₃"
"Profound..."
Looking at Gorth squatting down, Vane also felt unusually tired.
"Hmm... In short, you possess all the characteristics required for Behemoth."
Without interrupting, Gorth calmly gazed at Vane, awaiting his explanation.
"1. A large and resilient body: This can be achieved using the methods I mentioned earlier."
2. Undying Life Trait: A characteristic of Soul Knight, as long as you are riding a mount, you will not be injured until the mount's health reaches zero.
Upon hearing this, Gorth's body trembled, while Vane smiled with satisfaction.
"And our skills have no cooldown. The moment Wendigo Spirit dies, you can summon it again, thus... achieving a different kind of immortality!"
"Go on..."
"Hmph... 3. The ability to incorporate ecosystems into your own cyclical system: Your forest is itself a type of ecosystem, and with your shadow abilities, you can completely incorporate any ecosystem!"
"... What about power?"
"Haven't you always had that kind of thing?"
Vane narrowed his eyes, his smile eerily unsettling.
"Special powers: fire, poison, energy absorption, damage reduction, and even an enchantment that guarantees freezing upon a second attack, regardless of size..."
"It sounds... like it could actually work?"
Seeing hope in those words, Gorth suggested:
"Can I add you in too?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Like the King Snow Ape before, if I control Behemoth to eat you, wouldn't I be able to use all your abilities?"
"Huh? What's that? It's scary..."
"Ah... I was just kidding."
Looking at the silent Gorth, Vane felt a chill run down his spine.
"Don't joke like that, but... I really am a genius, right!"
"He is indeed a genius."
This demonstrated its feasibility, and surprisingly, Gorth didn't question it this time, but...
"But the same problem remains."
"Gurgle!"
Vane's laughter stopped abruptly, and he looked at Gorth with a hint of fear.
"No way! You promised no nitpicking!"
"So it was already there before..." Gorth sighed.
"The most obvious problem is that integrating all these capabilities requires a core that can withstand the energy."
"And according to you... you're responsible for the energy of the entire forest and the operation of the battle."
"The core of the boss's system is to run under load without inflicting damage or bugs, but even then, the boss is still in excruciating pain. So where am I supposed to find something like that?"
After saying that, Gorth quietly looked at Vane, who was already frantically rubbing his head into a mess of weeds.
"Oh! Don't ask anymore! I'll just offer the solutions; you figure out the rest yourself!"
Knowing that Gorth's concerns were valid, Vane grew increasingly anxious.
Yes, finding a core capable of withstanding the energy levels of Behemoth is no easy feat.
He did know that the core of the Temporal Beast was sealed somewhere in Laterano...
But if you're going to use that thing, you might as well just use the core directly!
Using the core of Behemoth power it... isn't that redundant!?
"[Vampire curses!] I don't care anymore, figure it out yourself!"
Enraged, Vane grabbed the two baby dragons, and the startled Zekrom angrily bit him.
The man and the two dragons vanished in the light, leaving only Vane's self-deprecating complaints.
"Those cores aren't so easy to find. I'd rather kill a Behemoth than waste my time on that..."
"..."
After gently rubbing Ifrit's head, who was looking a little disappointed that her playmate had been taken away, Gorth summoned Shadow Wolf to play with her.
Staring at the shadow that rippled like the surface of water, Gorth murmured:
"A high energy reserve capacity, excellent energy flow properties, and robustness..."
Where can we find such a core?
The adults' worries were naturally irrelevant to the child's consideration, Ifrit continued to play happily.
"Yes, yes! Throw it this way!"
"Aww!"
Gorth glanced in that direction subconsciously, and suddenly froze.
"You two! Stop right there!!"
Looking at the man and wolf kneeling on the ground, Gorth calmed himself down and tried to speak as gently as possible:
"This is a very important thing; you can't use it as a ball to kick around."
"I'm sorry..." Ifrit honestly admitted her mistake.
"I just feel that this red stone is very comfortable to hug, and... it should be very sturdy."
"That's no excuse for you to kick the Magic Stone around like a ball. This thing is very precious..."
Ifrit, who hadn't heard anything more, looked up and saw Gorth frozen in place, motionless.
"Third brother, what's wrong?"
Gorth didn't reply, quietly gazing at the shimmering Magic Stone in his hand.
"Found it..."