Ruluna has progressed fast in her ability to track my perception!

She’s managed to get past my perceptive knot; instead of trying to follow the complex perceptive information path, she instead hoped around and followed it until she found the exit or until a new loop which greatly increased her chances of finding the knot’s exit. I’m not angry about this turn of events; rather, I am pleased to know my weakness in a controllable situation rather than a dangerous one. I can improve and revisit my ability to hide my perception, but I feel like thee will never be an obstacle or way to hide that can’t be defeated.

It’s been four months since I started working on the flagship, and I’ve been keeping up with my training. Yrania doesn’t go near the villages and only stays on Temple Island with Safyr. I guess that Safyr has forbidden her from visiting since she doesn’t want people to be emboldened and bothering her.

In other news, I’ve finally discovered the mana transforming inscription I needed! It’s still inefficient, and I’ll need to research the most effective form, but I finally have it! I’ve barely started researching the most efficient coreless inscription, and it will likely take another month or two. However, even if I get it done, I will still need to wait for enough materials to make the Airship reactor.

I’ve been keeping up with my armor deliveries to the Lunaley, and I’ve taken the initiative to obtain more materials to hopefully get the airship reactor finished faster. I was right when I guessed that the Lunaley had someone who once had [Manipulate Mana], but since it’s not common knowledge, there must be a reason why.

The obvious thing is that it’s either suppressed, was suppressed, or encrypted in a way that most could not work out until it was forgotten. It’s possible that the Lunaley now has advanced methods for decrypting hidden messages, or it was a bluff to try and get a better deal; however, from my argument with Vulpun, I get the impression that he really did value my knowledge less than he normally would.

Or maybe I’m wrong about him; I’m not a specialist in diplomacy and can’t wait to pass Tusile off to him. Either Case, I want a new method to hide from trackers, but how? I can fake a perceptive source that will fool most, but the more skeptical trackers, or those that know how I do things, will look further, and that’s why I have perceptive knots; however, now that those can be beaten, all they do is buy me time.

I’m not counting that I can hide from all but the best trackers with my low perceptive pressure, I already have an example of someone beating that, and it only takes one time to put me into a very bad situation.

Obviously, a combination of all of my perceptive techniques is best, but a new way is needed; but what even is that? I can try to improve my perceptive knots, but how will it overcome its weakness? Perhaps a four-dimensional perceptive knot? But I can’t even look into the fourth dimension with my [Sense Space] yet… perhaps peering into other spatial layers is a shared breakthrough? What’s the harm in trying?

I focus on pushing my perception through the spatial layer, and with increased perceptive pressure, I easily break through the layer. Alien mana fills my perception, strange and unknowable. Their color is unlike anything I am used to with normal mana; the concepts they represent are impossible in the normal layer.

Ting! Sense Magic has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 920!

46th Breakthrough: You have seen into different spatial layers; this will help you understand alien and normally unstable mana

It seems that seeing into other layers is shared breakthrough, which means I can probably get it for my [Sense Soul] as well, but I’ll do that later. For now, I have a new method on scrying safely; I can observe the shadow of the normal mana on other layers, at least, in theory.

Is it even a ‘layer’? That implies a separation, a break between each layer, but that isn’t true.

[Sense Magic] should have little, if anything at all, to do with space; it can’t look beyond this realm as far as I understand it. However, ‘layers’ aren’t actually separated by boundaries since all layers make up this realm; it’s more like they are simply out of focus which is why they cast a shadow.

So why haven't I noticed the shadow of the alien mana before? That is simple, at least for this layer; there is a uniform spread of mana, so it casts the same amount of shadow everywhere, making it look like there is none.

I flick through several layers, observing how each of the mana are different and how they look at their base components. They aren’t anything special when looking at their composition, MM, and elementary particle, and their MM force is a little wonky but nothing impossible. Unsurprisingly, it’s just another form of mana; rather, it’s their elemental ‘direction’ that is alien in a way I can’t fathom how to even begin to understand.

Eventually, I flip to the strangest layer yet; there are many types of mana congregated in a mountain-sized form that should have cast a shadow on the normal layer, yet there is none. However, that isn’t even the most surprising thing; the mana resembles a being's mana signature! The closer I look, the more I can make out its form, a large mass of writhing… something.

I analyze it tentatively.

Ǝ̸̢̟̹́̂̈́͜͝l̵͕̱̟͒̄͘͜͝b̴͔̝̭̠̾̏̚̕ɿ̵̬̩̠̱͗̄̓̎i̸͉̳̦̽͌̈̓͜Ɉ̷̨̩̬̙̓̐͆͠ɔ̷̛͉͖̺͛͒̃ͅʜ̵͇̮̦̭̐̅̒̓ ̷̛̲̼͔̘̀͊̀Ɔ̴̭̱̻̯͊̈́͘͝ơ̶̦͓̺͎͛̎̕υ̵̡̫͕̹͗̀̓̾n̸̗̦̥̯̎̈̓̽Ɉ̸̘̼̋̅͊͘͜ͅǝ̵̰̜̠̞̀̈́̂̊ɿ̵̤̗̞̝̿́͛͝ƨ̴͎̩̱͚́̎͗̚ǝ̸̣̙̝̔͒̓̌͜ǝ̴̱̹͕̺͌̅͂̋ɿ̵̪͖̗̬́̓̃͝ (Grand), Level 782 Ƨ̵̧̤̲̂͋̒͜͠ʜ̷̮̹͍̠͋̾̿̔ɒ̶̬̜͙̘͗͑̆͑b̷͕͎͖͕̔̌̐͗o̵̮̳̘̥͋́̃̌w̵̧̰̥̃̋̈́̕͜l̵̝̼͎͊̑̿̿ͅǝ̴̥̻̳̪̇̃̈̄ƨ̸̮̰̣̫́̍̒̇ƨ̶̣̠̖̞͛̀͆̈́ ̸̡͕̬͓̋͛̈́͒Ƨ̴̟̲͔͆͂̊̂͜ǝ̴̢̗̺̏́͋̕ͅn̶̰̙̣̦̑̓́̕Ɉ̸̟̻͚̬̉̑͘̚i̵̡͔͖̭̒̉̐̌n̶̢̛̘͕̻̈́̈́̊ǝ̶̣̣̼̤͗̓͐̍l̷̛͚̬̰̋̑̋͜ (Grand), Level 554 Я̶̯̥͍̝̋͒̿̚ǝ̴̛̟͚̞̼̓̂̕Ɉ̴̤̩͇̱̋͐͑͂ɒ̸͎̮͉̦̍̑̊̆l̴̡̫̤̹͐̊̓̎i̴̲͖̩͍͗̇̔͠ɒ̸̯̹̮̱͛̒̄͘Ɉ̸̢̨̠̺́̍̓͊ö̸͈̦̹́͂̆̓͜ɿ̴̜̙͈͔̀̊̕̚γ̷̞̻̰̬͒͋̌͗ ̶͉̭͓̤̎̅̈͠Ӛ̷̹̩̺̪́̎͑̌ɒ̴̮͉̠̪̀͐̈̆z̵̫̻̰̣̄͛́̉ǝ̵̢̡̲̀͐͑̆ͅɿ̴̘̰̝̟̋͐̈́͝ (Major), Level 648 ꓘ̴̨͓͖̟͒̐͑͠i̶̖͕̗̹̒̌͌̽γ̶̙͎̐͌̅̉͜͜ʇ̷̤̳̜̫̐̓̍̕ɿ̴̠̞͔̜̓̑̚͝ƨ̸̪͇̻͚̀̎̇̇b̷̜͕̙̳̎̉̐͗ Bond

As soon as I recognized that this was a living being, a dreadful sense of doom and being watched assaulted me, and a split second later, my head feels like it's going to burst open! The scent of blood fills the air, and as I clutch my head, I feel my hair wet around my ears.

I immediately retreat my perception as I fall to the ground with a scream and curl up as the pain slowly subsides. And that’s when I see it, dozens of shadows swarm around my house as if they are looking for something, each one a writhing and squirming.

I lay as still as possible until the shadows drift away, floating back up toward the sky. It seems they can’t detect me, but I also can’t see the shadow of the one that attacked me.

So that’s what Gaze attacks feel like.

I heal myself and start debriefing myself on what had just happened. Whatever that was, it used gaze attacks, at least two of them as well as perceptive pressure, although it was not as strong as I can make it. It also stopped attacking when I stopped seeing it. Is that because the attack was in perceived self-defense, or was it retaliatory? But the perceptive pressure also stopped; can they only see me if I see them?

Whatever it is, I am sure it has a retaliation base class or skills utilizing gaze attacks, and it called for help. What’s more concerning is that I can’t see its shadow, only the ones that came to help it.

Yet another reason to be wary of the layers. I don’t know what kind of alien monsters are out there, and not all cast a shadow. But why is it here? It’s almost as if it was positioned here to look for enemies. It can attack anyone who sees it, regardless of which layer they are on, something spells have a hard time doing. But gaze attacks? They attack where you are looking, no matter where that is.

I should stick to the layers I know are safe from now on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Governor Ora Ara Van looks out his window at Vanu city; they’ll be at the gates soon.

“Remember, I’ll handle Alysara; you do the trade,” Ryn says sternly.

She keeps an ornate jewelry chest in her lap, the continents inside one of the most valuable things in the world.

“She’s the one we’ll be trading with!” Van complains. Sometimes his sister can be so troublesome. “How can I simultaneously do the trade but let you do it instead?!”

“It’s not my fault your bone-headedness almost cost us her favor last time!” Ryn argues back. “Besides, it’s your idea to trade this for her to marry into our house! How stupid can you get?!”

“She’s far more valuable than some material we’ll never use!” Van argues back,”In two hundred years our family has not trusted anyone to make something of it.”

“That’s because no one has been good enough to make something out of a legendary material!” Ryn says. “You’ve seen Alysara’s skill, she’s more than worthy to make something of it, but we can’t just give it away!”

“If we give it to her for her hand in marriage, then it will stay in the family! What’s the problem?”

Ryn groans, “She’s going to see right through you! We need to hire her services instead to make something out of it, build a good relationship with her, not try to obtain her like she’s an item!”

“Alright! We’ll do it your way,” Van says, throwing his hands in the air. “What should we have her make it into? A weapon? A crown?”

They promised it to rule together, which means they both should agree to something before doing it, but as the one who was elected as governor, Van holds tie-breaking power, something that he rarely uses. His sister has rarely led him astray, and he agrees that she might be a little smarter, but his father always praised him for being wise enough to know who to listen to.

“A ruler does not have to be great,” his father would say. “Just wise enough to listen to great people.”

It was his father’s influence that helped him become governor over his sister, so he must do his best to surround himself with great people who know what the best is for his city and citizens.

“A weapon. A legendary material should always serve a function that will help its user.” Ryn answers.

They pass through the gate without issue, and soon the carriage stops in front of the Order of Flame’s headquarters, where Alysara will be. Headmaster Vulpun and Archmage Ruluna are at the entrance waiting for them.

“Governor Ora Ara Van, And Lady Ora Ara Ryn, we welcome you to the Order of Flame’s Head Quarters. Ambassador Alysara is already inside.” Vulpun says, bowing to them while Ruluna mimics his movements.

“We brought the Items you requested,” Van says as the coachman carries a crate from the back of the carriage.

“Thank you, the Lifedrop Necklaces will be given to you inside,” Vulpun says, escorting them inside and to the meeting room.

Alysara is already inside, but Van immediately notices the slight difference in her. The way she stands, the movements of her tails, the beauty essence in her clones, it seems like she’s advanced a lot in her Bond since the last time he saw her.

“Greeting Governor Ora Ara Van, Ora Ara Ryn,” Alysara bows as they enter. “I hear you have a trade proposal for me?”

She has somehow grown more beautiful and enchanting over the previous year.

“That is right,” Van says, and Ryn steps forward; she opens the ornate box in her hands to reveal a blazing uncut gem. “We would like to hire your services to make something out of this Fire Elemental Heart.”