[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have successfully cleared the twin overseers’ trials and become their master.]
[The reward (Interspatial ring (10 m3)) has been issued.]
Amidst of enjoying the thrill of a mission accomplishment, the twin overseers began to explain.
“The whole pocket dimension is actually not just a stronghold; it is a weapon of mass destruction — a citadel of war.” The words struck Victor like a bolt of lightning, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Garry elaborated with a firm tone, “This place was designed for interplanetary combat and served as the vanguard of the Steelrose Order. It’s basically a giant magitek fortress capable of defending against and launching assaults of unparalleled scale.”
As if electricity in a short circuit, Victor’s mind struggled to grasp the whole thing. The sheer magnitude of what he had inherited was simply overwhelming. He wasn’t just gaining control of a resource-rich pocket dimension; he was now the master of a war machine, a tool of unimaginable power that could potentially grant him dominion over entire planes.
With this weapon at his command perhaps not even a Sigil Conversion or even Nexus Conjurer rank Magus would be able to face his wrath. He could claim hegemony over the Luminos Kingdom and its surroundings, proclaiming himself as a sovereign. That would be like a dream come true! Just imagining it sent chills of excitement all over his body.
“Victor… No, Master Victor, I presume.” Garry’s voice softened as he addressed him. This was the first time they had called him by his name, and the addition of “master” before it meant that their allegiance seemed to have some honesty. “Our purpose is to aid you in wielding the power of this citadel, to help you understand and harness its true potential.”
Gabrielle also spoke up. “We are bound to serve you now, Master Victor.”
As she spoke, Victor felt a strange warmth on his right wrist. The mark there began to glow softly, and he could feel there was a tangible master-servant connection between him and the two overseers. This sent a surge of exhilaration through his veins. Now that he was entrusted with a weapon, a citadel of war that could turn the tide of any conflict, would he even have to use the players like he always did?
But then Gabrielle’s tone shifted slightly as she continued, holding up her hand as if pinching the air. “Only, there’s a teeny tiny problem…”
“A problem?” he asked. Somehow, it felt like he had just been rug pulled. Although he knew the adage “too good to be true,” he was still hoping that there was nothing wrong with it.
He braced himself for the answer, his heart pounding in his chest.
Garry sighed, glancing at his sister before addressing Victor. “The citadel, as it stands, isn’t fully operational. Most of the mechanical golems that were meant to serve as its army are… well, non-functional.”
Victor’s stomach dropped. “N-Non-functional? How many are we talking about?”
“Nearly all of them,” Garry admitted a little apologetically, though Victor was unsure if that was a schadenfreude instead. “The few that are still operational are in poor condition, barely fit for battle. They need extensive repairs, and many parts are beyond salvaging. The ones you faced in the past were the last few that were in good condition.”
“And there’s another issue,” Gabrielle added, continuing where her brother left off. “This citadel, powerful as it is, was designed to move between planes, to travel across the stars, and engage in battles on different worlds. But the resource that powers this capability… it’s almost depleted. Without it, this place is grounded.”
“Was all of this for naught then?” Victor clutched his head like a desperate man. The elation he had felt moments ago had gone down the drain. This citadel of war was little more than a crippled relic. The vision of conquering kingdoms and declaring himself a sovereign seemed to have faded.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
As for repairing it?
You could simply forget about it, as not even the wealthiest Sigil Conversion Magus could finance such a project. Heck, the entire Arcane Radiance College might bleed itself dry before the citadel is fully restored. What a cruel twist of fate.
“Rest assured, it’s not as bad as you think it is,” assured Garry quickly, seemingly to have noticed the despair in Victor’s eyes. “As long as 20 to 30 percent of the essential mechanical golems are repaired, the rest should be able to manage. Once that core is operational, the citadel can begin to repair itself and expand its functions.”
Victor felt a small spark of hope reignite within him. If he could repair just a portion of the citadel, then perhaps that would be enough to help him secure a footing in the region. That alone was more than worth it.
“So, what’s the resource we need?” Victor asked. If life gave him lemons, he would make lemonade — or in this case, he would rebuild this whole place from the ground up; it would be worth it in the long run.
“First of all,” Gabrielle began, “the primary resource needed to restore the citadel’s core systems is called aetherite.”
Victor blinked, almost unable to believe his ears. “Aetherite? That’s one of the rarest and most volatile magic minerals in existence!”
Garry affirmed, “Precisely. Aetherite is not only incredibly powerful but also extremely difficult to obtain. It serves as the energy source for the citadel’s most advanced functions where mana crystals won’t cut it, including its interplanar travel capabilities. Right now, this citadel is stuck in a stable subspace near Seraphia, and we couldn’t mine astral bodies for resources.”
Without mercy, Gabrielle added to the list: “Second of all, we need a large amount of voidstones. Without those, even if we jumpstart the engine, we can’t get out of this place.”
“V-Voidstone?!” Victor almost choked on his own spit. These people must be insane to expect me to procure those legendary resources and in large quantities at that!
While aetherite was rare, it wasn’t completely impossible to find. This mineral was still available around the Luminos Kingdom, and he’d heard rumors that the Arcane Radiance College owned an aetherite mine somewhere. If he could secure a source or find a way to purchase it, he could begin the monumental task of restoring the citadel. Difficult, but not insurmountable.
Voidstones, however, were a different story altogether — being extremely, extremely rare. After all, they were the main ingredients in constructing nexus gates and making interspatial rings. Just a single kilogram of voidstone could fetch at least a thousand advanced-grade mana crystals, which was a fortune beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest and most powerful Magi. Victor didn’t even have a single intermediate-grade mana crystal, let alone the advanced ones needed for such a transaction. And even if he had the wealth, finding someone who actually possessed voidstones and was willing to part with them was another near-impossible challenge.
“The good news is that there are still small reserves of aetherite left in the citadel,” Garry continued. “Not enough to restore everything, but sufficient to get the core systems operational and perhaps activate some of the advanced defense mechanisms for a short period of time. As for voidstone… well, the last piece we had was used to anchor this citadel in this place.”
“I understand.” Victor nodded, then raised his hand as if to reject the proposition. “But for now, voidstone and even aetherite might be hard to come by in any significant quantity. Instead, I’m thinking of starting small, like repairing some of the mechanical golems first.”
“Well…”
The twin overseers began listing the rare materials that were in short supply. Despite the citadel being a pocket dimension with rich resources, it made sense that the island lacked certain crucial materials like metals. Only that some of these materials weren’t available in the Thornwood Forest or, more specifically, the ravine mine where players and those brainwashed mercenaries were mining. This meant he would have to venture beyond this place to acquire what was needed.
Victor rubbed his chin as a plan began to take shape in his mind. “Then, we’ll start by repairing at least 20 percent of the mechanical golems. Once that’s done, they can handle the mining and repair work for the core systems.”
This was the plan that he came up with:
- He would initiate an expedition to a major city, with Brightmoon City being the closest and best candidate.
- With the help of the players, Victor would establish a reliable supply chain to procure the necessary materials. If luck was on his side, he might even stumble upon some aetherite.
- Once the materials were secured, the next step would be to repair the mechanical golems. These golems could then assist in further mining operations and in repairing the citadel’s core systems.
- Profit.
On paper, the plan was simple overall. As long as nothing went awry, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
Victor took a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts. “All right. I guess we pretty much figured out our next course of action. I’ll restore this citadel to its former glory.” As broken as the current state of the citadel, it was still a weapon with untold potential. It was a road worth taking.
“Oh right,” Garry suddenly interjected. “There’s something important I forgot to mention. There are actually some of your acolytes stuck in a hidden location within this pocket dimension. They’ve been trapped there for quite some time.”
“Say what?”