The central core image was suddenly hollowed out.
The six arrays simultaneously drew upon magical energy, creating a suction force far exceeding that of ordinary True Magic. Even the few mages in the town standing on the periphery could feel their own magical energy being drawn to the arrays.
Lin Yuan's hand, which was resting on the stone platform, did not move.
Black and silver magic surged from his palm.
The innermost runes of the central core instantly lit up, and the light spread outward along the channeling spell established by Mystogan. The first True Magic hummed first, followed by the second and the third. The six previously dry pathways were simultaneously filled with magic.
The two complete arrays lit up first.
The damaged runes on the east side also began to flicker, but due to the limited speed they could withstand, the light quickly became unstable. Mystogan immediately twirled his second True Magic, reducing the magic power surging towards the east side by half, and then sending the excess into the two slower-starting stone towers.
His judgment was correct.
The problem is that Lin Yuan sent in too much magic power.
The crystal used for measurement lit up the first mark, then immediately skipped the remaining marks, turning a blinding white. All five True Magic vibrated simultaneously, and the magic power stored inside the wands was even forced back.
"Slow down!" Mystogan shouted.
Lin Yuan immediately stopped attacking.
The black and silver light transformed from a raging torrent into a steady river, continuing its advance along the six pathways. Mystogan pressed down on his two True Magic with both hands, constantly adjusting the proportions that the various arrays could Take Over.
The mages on the perimeter were ready to take over, but they waited in vain for the order from the person in charge.
"When do we go in?" someone asked.
The person in charge stared at the central stone platform. "It seems... we won't need it anymore."
The first stone tower lit up completely, followed by the second. The two sub-arrays on the east side slowly took shape under restricted conditions, and the last two gradually caught up as well.
According to the original plan, this process should be completed by eight high-level mages in groups, with each group responsible for only one path, and two other people replacing those who have consumed too much magic power.
Now, the magic in all six pathways originates from the same person.
And there was no interruption whatsoever.
Mystogan could see more clearly than the people on the outside. Lin Yuan could not only fill the array, but also had the spare capacity to change the output at any time according to his adjustments. If a certain channel tightened, the magic power flowing to that channel would immediately decrease; if another branch of the array expanded, new magic power would fill the gap in the next instant.
This level of control was already astonishing enough, but what he truly couldn't comprehend was the total amount of magic power.
In his hometown of Edolas, magic must be stored in Magic Crystal and True Magic items. Every use of town lighting, vehicles, communications, and everyday appliances consumes resources that cannot be replenished naturally.
Even in the capital, the whereabouts of every batch of Magic Crystal are recorded. Remote towns have to turn off some streetlights and restrict vehicle traffic in order to maintain the annual rations until the next delivery. Releasing magic power so recklessly as seen here is almost unimaginable there.
If the magic power flowing through the array were converted into Magic Crystal, it would probably be enough to sustain an ordinary town for a whole year.
But Lin Yuan's breathing didn't even become disordered.
Mystogan suppressed the shock in his heart and refocused his attention on the formation. The sixth stone tower finally lit up to its top, and six beams of light rose simultaneously, converging into a light blue curtain above the reservoir.
The central core began to spin rapidly.
The drainage channels, which had been closed for several days, were opened one by one. The water flowed down the True Magic waterway inside the mountain, and the water level began to slowly drop after crossing the warning line.
"Maintain the current output," Mystogan said. "Three more minutes."
Lin Yuan did not answer, but continued to send magic power into the core.
Three minutes later, the formation completed its self-circulation. The magic in the surrounding air was absorbed by the runes, gradually replacing Lin Yuan in maintaining the six branch formations. Mystogan pulled out five True Magic in turn, and the six stone towers remained stable.
Lin Yuan withdrew his hand.
The black and silver light then disappeared.
The outer mages never stepped into the formation. The person in charge looked at the waterway that had been restored to operation, then at the supplies and recovery potions originally prepared for ten people, and for a moment didn't know what to say.
Finally, he simply took out the task sheet and stamped it heavily in the "completed" section.
The rain had stopped when the two left the reservoir.
Mystogan remained silent the entire way. He carefully slung the five True Magic back over his shoulder and glanced several times at Lin Yuan, who was walking ahead of him.
There was no panting, no sluggishness, and no fatigue often seen after a large depletion of magic power. Lin Yuan's condition was almost identical to before he stepped onto the central stone platform.
Halfway down the mountain path back to the station, Mystogan finally spoke, "Just now, how much magical power did you use to activate the formation?"
Lin Yuan stopped and carefully sensed the still abundant magical power within his body.
"Less than 20%."