“They’re all floating, but none of them are touching even if they look chaotic,” Julilah observed. “Formations in harmony so that the base formation and the formations on the objects don’t interfere with one another.”
Formations engraved in different rare materials were on display, making a thoroughfare to the main building. Formations appeared in mid-air, changing colors and form.
One’s mind started to relax as they neared the main building. The Mana gathering formation was the best quality in the city. The Mana density had already shocked Qin and Julilah, who believed simple formations could run off just the ambient Mana in the Fourth Realm.
Their minds focused and they felt their concentration increase. Their thoughts became more concise as they looked at the parts of the formation instead of being interested in the effect it had.
Their eyes moved from the flashy designs to the ones on the buildings.
They entered the main building and Rugrat showed his token again. It didn’t take them long until they reached a side room. Rugrat had to show his token so much he kept it out before they reached the final room.
He knocked on the door and it glowed with a formation, opening. A woman looked up from her book. Glowing letters rested in the air above her. She moved the books slightly and the words changed. It was a magnifying tool that also made a holographic projection. Although it looked simple, it used at least three or four different formations.
“Yes?” she asked, looking perturbed.
“These two are here for classes.” Rugrat put down the token and took out two more necklaces.
She frowned and pulled out a metal plate. She inserted the token into it, reading some information before she checked the other tokens. She nodded and passed them back. “Miss Qin and Miss Julilah to learn basics of formation making with Journeyman Alexi.”
She stood. “I can take them over there. They shall finish classes in three months,” she said, dismissing Rugrat.
“See you two later. If you get into trouble, come to Vuzgal,” Rugrat reminded them.
They both nodded, feeling at a loss all of a sudden.
“Your room and food has already been paid for, just in case you spend all of your money on formation equipment. Make sure you make use of the library, too. It’s an adventure—go and discover!” He gave a hearty laugh.
He might sound funny and he was odd, but he meant well. Hearing his words, they felt better and started to look forward to their lessons.
Rugrat headed off.
They turned and saw the woman was already down the corridor. They ran after her, shooting glances at each other.
The woman knocked on a door that seemed to be in the darkest corner of the building. A voice that could be barely heard on the other side of the door paused and the door opened.
Julilah and Qin looked into the room, seeing fresh-faced teenagers and young adults all looking at them in interest.
Even though they were young, they were all level thirty. Qin had been feeling proud about her level, but to these people they were only on the same level. They also wore the clothes of the formation department of the Crafter’s Association.
All of their emblems were copper in color, though.
The man at the front wore a gold emblem. He looked to be middle-aged, slightly balding, and had a lifeless, bored look in his eyes.
“These two are exterior students for your class,” the woman announced.
“Oh, take your seats and don’t interrupt class,” the teacher said.
The woman turned and walked away as Qin and Julilah walked into the class, feeling everyone’s eyes on them as they found two seats but they were forced to sit apart from each other.
They smiled awkwardly as they took their seats.
There was disdain in the others’ eyes, looking down on their common clothes and their lack of medallion. They weren’t one of them—just an outsider who thought they could learn formations.
“For you just joining, I am Teacher Alexi.” He let out a cough and then tapped on the board.
“Formations, at their base, are a conduit for Mana, turning Mana from raw energy into something. Many call formations the physical form of a spell. They are not wrong. Anything that someone can cast, you can make a formation for. With more power, it can have a greater effect.” His tone made him seem bored of his own content, but Qin and Julilah were spellbound, listening to him intently.
“Formations and spells have the same power ranking system as each other. There are formations that use Elemental Mana which is commonly stored within Gems. This is replaced by pure Mana stored in mana stones. Formations can draw on the surrounding mana to store power and amplify their effects. Higher levels of mana stones, Earth, Sky, Celestial and Divine power more powerful formations. There are legends about formations being so perfectly placed that they are in tune with the ten realms and the ten realms supply’s the formation power. While the power of a formation is important, we look at the effects of a formation to determine it’s ability!” Who can tell me about the diferent grades of formations!”
Someone raised their hand but Louche’s eyes moved to Qin and Julilah.
“Well we have some new faces here, could you present the different abilities of formations to the class?” He asked with an innocent smile.
“Well if formations are following in the lines of spells then there are a few stages. A formation at it’s basic level must have power function and direction to function properly, then there are the levels of power, using elemental mana, using pure mana from mana stones. After that, you’ve got using the surrounding mana to amplify your formation, to do that you need to have a formation in tune with nature around it so that one action is multiplied in force. So how an explosion will go off and the wave of pressure will be the thing that kills people, not the actual explosion. Domains are next where the formation controls an area completely, say an illusion formation it will be impossible for someone without the same skill or higher than the person who laid the formation to know that they are in an illusion formation. Then there are formations that can change the environment that they are in, then formations that change the mana around them, refining it or changing it into different affinities. Spatial realm is where the formation master can create a formation that hold’s a separate space from the rest of the world which the creator is like a god, free to destroy or create. This is easier to do than with mages I would think who follow the same standards. They have to cast spells and supply power, the formation masters if they can keep it connected to the ten realms can power this new space without losing a portion of their power. Though the resources required would be massive,” Qin shook her head as Professor Louche had an alarmed look on his face.
“I thought that there was only the domain stage and that had five stages within it already?” One of the student’s asked his peers.
Professor Louche cleared his throat, taking control of the class once again.
“Very good, spatial storage is the pinnacle of formations, though it is possible to get smaller versions of it that are not as big as a city.”
A student put up his hand with Louche pointing at him.
“If creating space is so hard, how come we have storage rings, Professor Louche?”
“Storage rings can use a number of tricks to store items. They can be hollowed out on the inside and there is a spell to reduce the size of the item and weight. These combined formations have been refined over time, spreading them across the realms. Though as more items need to be stored inside, then stronger formations are needed. If someone was to create a large enough space, they could store a small city inside and they would be able to live and breathe in there without issue. Now, back to the topic on hand. Formations are made up of lines, runes, and shapes on the outside. Inside they are Mana lines, sub-formations, and control parameters.
“A simple formation can be carved and filled in with one type of Mana medium, though a complex formation containing multiple formations can hav
e different Mana mediums or reactants inside the formations. Why do we need different reactants? To control the power of the Mana, convert it, or alter it into a new attribute. Having the wrong reactant can lead to the formation failing. Even in some formations there can be different reactants used at the same time, depending on the complexity that you are dealing with.
“Lines contain the power of the Mana. They can guide power, act as a buffer or an overflow, regulating power. Shapes are usually sub-components of a formation, or sub-formations as they grow in complexity. Runes are speaking control to power. Think of the lines and the shapes as the human body and its Mana system, but the runes are the words, motions, or thoughts that one might use to cast a spell. This is part of the reason there are limitless types of formations and it is not rare to be the first person to create a formation.
“Everyone has their own style in formation making. They learn from different Masters, they conceptualize formations differently or they want to hide the technical aspects of the formation from their competitors. This adds their own flair to their work and can make the formations incredibly confusing. Copying one’s formations works, but you’ll be just shooting into the dark. Each formation master needs to find their own path to formation making.
“What I would suggest is that you make your library of runes as simple and as small as possible. Otherwise you’ll have to write out a ton of symbols and you might not have that much space. When making a formation, most will copy others or they will research the smallest runes that they can use and combine them all together, with the different shapes and connecting lines. Even if someone wanted to know what the formation did, they would need to have the different books a formation master used when researching how to make this formation. Otherwise, they would need to see it in action or be told what it does.”
A shiver ran down Qin’s back, just thinking about the information they would need to understand to realize what a formation could do.
***
Rugrat was working in one of the smithies in Vuzgal when he got a call from Erik.
“Special teams are back,” Erik said.
Rugrat put down what he was working on and then headed off toward the castle.
Roska and Niemm were there. Gong Jin’s half team was in Alva.
Erik was reading a group of messages as Rugrat entered.
“Have a fun trip?” Rugrat asked.
“Not really,” Roska grumbled.
“Everyone okay?”
“Yeah.” Niemm nodded.
Rugrat paused for a second before he nodded. Losing someone under your command was tough. Especially if you blamed yourself for it, or you were in a team as close as the special teams.
“We were able to turn around twenty dungeons into crafter dungeons all over the place. We captured two dungeon cores.” Roska pulled out the dungeon cores and Rugrat held up his hand as she tossed them to him. He put them into his storage ring as Erik looked up from his not-so-light reading.
“The crafting trials should activate over the next several weeks,” Niemm said.
“Any major complications that will come back on us?” Rugrat asked.
“No.” Niemm shook his head and looked at Roska, who shook her head as well.
“All right, well, then you’re on building duty starting tomorrow. We’ve got plenty to build in the city still.”
Erik got a message through his sound transmission device and answered it.
“Good work. Get some rest,” Rugrat concluded while Erik was on the device.
They both saluted. Rugrat returned the gesture in Erik’s place as they headed out.
Erik finished the call a few minutes later.
“There are some people from the Alchemist Association here. They wish to talk. Looks like Old Hei got my message.” Erik moved to the door. “Let me know what’s in the reports.”
Rugrat looked at the pile of reports. “I can show them around!” Rugrat yelled as he turned to look at where Erik had been but he’d run out of the room already.
“Dammit!”
Chapter: Overpriced Messenger
“Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of Earth-grade Mana stones combined with the two dungeon cores, all of the contributions from the Blue Lotus, the Crafter’s Association and the Alchemist Association, I guess?” Rugrat walked out of the totem located in Alva and walked to the dungeon headquarters.
Better food in Alva, anyway. He went straight for the Alva Dungeon’s core. He disabled the formations protecting the dungeon core and stepped into the central chamber, standing underneath the dungeon core. A Mana mist floated around in the bottom of the chamber, being drawn into the dungeon core, and a cable-thick line of Mana shot up into the Mana storing formation in the ceiling above.
Rugrat took out the two blue crystals. The Mana mist in the room started to be pulled in toward them as they floated upward, reaching up toward the main dungeon core there. The smaller dungeon cores stopped beneath the main core, a blue light started to come off them being drawn into the original dungeon core. They quickly dissolved, turning into streams of light that wrapped around the main dungeon core that started to spin and rotate faster. It was like watching someone wrapping up a ball of wool.
The two smaller dungeon cores were reduced to nothing as the main dungeon core took on a lighter blue color, with hints of purple showing in the dungeon core crystal.
The Mana density didn’t change as much as it had the first time.
Rugrat frowned and started to circulate his Mana system. His Mana veins started to glow as he looked around the room, exerting his domain.
“The Mana density on this floor can be completely refined by the dungeon core,” Rugrat said to himself. “The Mana density here doesn’t push the dungeon core to its limit. The Affinity Mana in the surrounding area will start to be purified as the dungeon core pulls in more Mana. What about when we connect up the other levels, though?”
The dungeon core started to slow down its rotation, a precious crystal, commanding the Mana within the room and across the floor. The Mana density decreased slightly, but the purity of the Mana increased.
==========
Quest Completed: Dungeon Reborn
==========
Upgrade the dungeon core, returning it to its peak condition.
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Rewards:
+10,000,000 EXP
==========
==========
Title: Dungeon Master III
==========
Control over the Dungeon building interface.
Grade: Common Earth (Can be upgraded)
Ability: Dungeon Sense, 15km radius.
Cooldown: 12 hours per day
Increase all stats by +1
Able to bestow title Dungeon Hunter (2 remaining)
==========
“Not bad at all.” Rugrat felt his Strength increasing.
The second dungeon core was absorbed as well, one of the notifications he had just received, changed.
==========
Title: Dungeon Master III
==========
Control over the Dungeon building interface.
Grade: Greater Earth (Can be upgraded)
Ability: Dungeon Sense, 30km radius. (Can be used 4 times a day
Increase all stats by +1
Able to bestow title Dungeon Hunter (4 remaining)
==========
==========
Quest: Dungeon Master
==========
You have returned your dungeon to its former glory. Advancement quests are unlocked. Grow your dungeon’s power!
==========
Requirements:
Increase your dungeon core’s grade to Sky Common
Increase the Strength of your minions (Complete)
==========
Rewards
40,000,000 EXP
Dungeon Master Title IV
==========
“Not bad, only need to increase the level of the dungeon c
ore in the future. The cities get more options with a larger population,” Rugrat thought aloud.
“With more dungeon hunters we can find more cores to add to our dungeons and expand them or create secondary bases. The experience is welcome as well,” Rugrat looked up at the mana storing formation, as the dungeon increased in grade it was able to process more mana than ever before, purifying more than ever before. The mana density inside the dungeon increased in purity and density. It wouild passively help them grow as time went on. Increasing one’s concentration, the mana cultivation speed and their recovery. Children born there would be more in tune with mana than other children in the Mortal realms that were not from a big clan or sect.
He left the headquarters and then went to the smithy. He did a round checking on others, trying to bide his time before he headed to his own smithy and threw some materials into the furnace.
“So how were their classes?” Egbert asked some time later as Rugrat was beating on metal, refining it from Mortal grade to Earth grade.
“Not sure, but they should be fine. If not, we’ll tear the formation school apart,” Rugrat said as he worked. “Anything change around here?”
“Not really. The medics have been competing against each other since you left, gone through five or so tester minions I summoned. I swear that they start shivering as soon as I animate them,” Egbert said.
“They paying for the materials at least?” Rugrat finished on a lump of metal and put it to the side, letting it cool. He took out another red-hot ingot and hammered it out into a sheet, sprinkling Mana stone dust on it before he folded the metal. His arm was glowing and his hammer had blue veins in it. Blue and green Mana sparks shot out from where the hammer struck metal, injecting Mana into the metal’s structure.
“Yes.” Egbert sounded distracted.
“Something up?” Rugrat asked.
“Aren’t you a high-class blacksmith? Shouldn’t there be a bit, you know, more?”
“You don’t always have good days filled with inspiration. Some days you just have to refine materials, check your enhancers and go research, or just bang out weapons and tools. Being a Master doesn’t mean that you necessarily have inspiration every time you touch a hammer. Some days you just have to grind through it. Good and bad, even if you’ve had a boring time doing it, you’ll pick up the tools of your trade the next day and the next. Doing it again and again until that moment of inspiration, that moment where something clicks, and then boom! You can shoot off for weeks just working on a single idea.” Rugrat put the hammered metal to the side and pulled out another piece with his tongs. “And some days you’re just wondering what to do, so you refine some more metal.”
The Fourth Realm (The Ten Realms Book 4) Page 66