A big chunk of stone. Or, it looked like a stone at the very least. The larger slab was just on the edge of what the Core could see, and even then it had been forced to focus its sights to an extreme degree. That had certainly required some manner of [Mana-Manipulation], to the point where it thought itself deserving of another upgrade. But, no message from the [System] came along, forcing it to accept its mediocrity.

‘Is this what you thought would solve the issue?’ the Core questioned, more than a little confused at the sight ahead. The Queen had stopped walking after she reached the material, so she wasn’t trying to get over it. This was what she intended to show off. But… why? ‘I don’t know if you have noticed or if you have forgotten, but I am more than capable of creating [Stone] and other materials that might be needed.’

‘I know that little rock,’ the Queen said. ‘But I also know you haven’t interacted much with materials of the [Magical] variety, and I think you might be interested in taking a closer look at this slab before us. You can never know if what you find might interest you.’

Well, the Queen had brought the Entity out into the wilderness for a reason, so the slab was near-definitely not just a regular slab. But, that could be not be seen instantly, making the Core slightly confused about its true nature. The Mana looked to be the same as the one found in Stone, the jagged sides reminded it of the shapes the material would make when chipped off a larger part, and it certainly seemed something the Core could find down in the caves easily.

So what was different? Not quite ready to expend a whole thousand Mana to just see if it could move the slab closer to the Dungeon, the Core instead used [Appriasl] to see if there was anything noteworthy to glance at. If it showed up as [Stone], then it would likely just give up. If anything else showed up? Well…. then the material would have the Core’s attention.

Electrum

Rare material found in the wild. Estimated volume: 15 cubic meters.

Huh. The Core had semi-expected it to show nothing at all, though that might have been due to its encounter with the question marks earlier that day. [Electrum]... the name did not ring that much of a bell, though it was quite obvious that it was different from the stone that the Core had spent so much time around. It was a [Rare] material, which must have meant something, but the Entity was not entirely sure what else there was to be so surprised about.

‘Is it due to it being worth a lot?’ the Core asked, thinking about the possible currency that could be gained by selling it off. Since it also could make it now, it supposed it could try to do that if the needed showed itself.

‘It is worth quite a bit, yes,’ the Queen answered. ‘It is quite rare to see such a slab in this part of the world. Most mined pieces of Electrum come from down south, and even then the amount is quite scarce. There are so many places that desire this material yet only so much can be passed around. This is due to its inherent abilities that are usually only seen in materials with a higher [Rarity]. Can you guess what this ability is?’

‘I have no clue whatsoever,’ the Core answered, not able to phrase it any more politely. While it would have loved to study it for hours to figure out the truth, it truly didn’t have the time for such a thing and would rather just have the truth put out in a timely fashion. There were times where study could be had and times where the Queen already knew the answer and could just supply it if asked.

‘A shame. I would have thought that the stronger interaction with your analysis skill would have hinted at the right answer. Yet, I suppose I can explain it to you outright if you truly desire it,’ the Queen stated. ‘Before you is a piece of material that is known for being extreme Mana-Conductive. When connected right, it can work flawlessly to both transmit, stabilize, and keep up Mana-Currents. Everything that might require constant mental power can be put over to this piece of material without having any flaws present. This means, little rock, that it can be used to give us more area to work within some sense of the word.’

‘What do you mean by this upkeep that it can do?’ the Core stated. ‘An example would be great to have.’

‘Sure. How about an actual example in front of your very… sight, I suppose,’ the Queen asked. ‘Here is what I need you to do. Form a Mana-Tether and connect it to me on one end and the Electrum on the other. That is all you need to do.’

Not thinking much about it, the Core did as asked. Forming a Mana-Tether was easy enough, even when it was quite far away from the Core’s Domain. Connecting it to the Queen though? That became slightly harder, the Entity having to spend several seconds completing that task. The distance, while not much farther than twenty meters, was truly putting a strain on its mental capacity. Yet it did it after those seconds and could start the second part. It dreaded that, materials not having some easy edge where the Mana-Tether could be fitted on. Instead, more Intent than the Core liked had to be expended to make sure that the Energy understood where it needed to be. Yet even before that, the end of the tether needed to be positioned just right.

Starting that first step, the Entity moved it over towards the larger slab. However… when it got within a meter, there was no need to push the Mana-Tether at all, it naturally went towards the material. If that didn’t befuddle the Core, the fact that it connected without issue, and then started pumping Mana to the Queen certainly did.

‘Your reaction is quite obvious with how much Mana you’re putting out. Perhaps try to limit yourself a bit more, please, lest you will bankrupt our reserves in a minute or two,’ the Queen stated, seeming quite happy with the reaction. ‘Also do disconnect that tether of yours. Having to recycle that Energy is quite annoying.’

The Entity hadn’t realised how much Mana had been wasted in those minutes yet was quick to regather itself. That was slightly harder when it realised that the Mana-Tether showed no resistance when being removed as well. It was easy to put on and it was just as easy to remove. There was no hardship no need to be annoyed at how it had been settled on originally. The Core… the Core truly did love that material.

‘I am beginning to understand why you wanted to show me this. Does it always attract the Mana no matter the distance or is it in a certain radius that it begins?’ the Core asked, just to be sure. Either could be worked with, though it would prefer the latter.

‘It’s only after a certain radius that it can attract Energy,’ the Queen gladly answered. ‘You will have to find materials that are a bit rarer before you get something with that former quality. This is already quite the good find, you know.’

Oh, the Core knew. It knew it so very deeply. Already, it had started to gather more Energy so that a larger slab of Physical Arcane could be manifest to lift the larger slab over to the Dungeon’s Entrance. There were so many things that it wanted to do. But, first of all, it needed to replace its inner walls with Electrum. With how naturally Mana-Panels would be able to stick onto that material, it would make the entire process that much easier. It could revolutionize the way that the Core worked. Just how much better could its day get?

‘I know,’ the Core finally responded. ‘Are there any other downsides to this material other than the lack of constant Energy-Gravitation?’

The Physical Arcane had arrived from the spot inside the Domain, having floated the entire at higher speeds. With precise care, the Core started to have the larger slab of material put onto the larger platform. it was slow and steady but it could hold up the weight easily. And while the Core couldn’t prove it at the moment, it was decently sure that the Electrum was physically reinforcing the Arcane material, the connections being formed between the two through time. The Entity found it fascinating, certain that it would test out on longer exposure in the future. Perhaps even try it with a creature? A [Giant-Ant] that had the class of [Enhancer] sounded very fun. Combined with an [Infested Giant-Ant], it could increase the danger of the battlefield by quite the margin.

‘Well, all of these perks do come at a price,’ the Queen said, making a small chuckling noise for some reason. That didn’t seem good. ‘Remember how I mentioned how utterly scarce the supply of this material was? That is mostly due to how it is created. For this to be made, it requires extremely intense exposure to Mana over several aeons. Any moment in the process where it is stopped, the material will be ruined and can’t become Electrum. But… that also means one thing for you. To create it, the actual Mana-Cost is higher than you might realize.’

The Core wondered how high it truly was. Spending a hundred Mana on the process outright, it… got a small grain or two. It was the size of the small pieces of pebbles in the dirt outside. To create a cubic meter, how much would be required? A million Mana-Points?

‘I don’t think we will have more of this material for a long time.’

‘How utterly unsurprising,’ the Queen mentioned. ‘We are still going to use what we have to its fullest, however.’

‘Oh, most definitely.’