Chapter 622: Lantern
I successfully brought back a transparent gemstone. According to [Appraisal], it’s Achroite. It’s a colorless tourmaline, and tourmaline generates electricity when heated, right?
It’s about the size of a crystal ball used by fortune tellers, and it’s influenced a bit by the Wind Spirit and the Fire Spirit. Conditions are perfect.
In my workshop, I began checking various aspects of the sphere. Now, to carve out the inside and create a dome…
…
In my mind, Soleil started screaming in despair. But hey? I picked this up for that purpose, right?
Ah, blood tears.
But I think it’s meant to be used, don’t you? What? You say to just display the gemstone? No way. Imaginary Soleil is getting in the way of my work.
This won’t do; if the real one finds out, it’ll definitely end up the same way. I need to somehow peel off just the outer layer.
After thinking it over, I decided to use [Teleportation].
However, I couldn’t just extract the contents of one object, so I slowly carved away, creating a sphere within the sphere, and then… First, I made a tool out of Spirit Iron, patiently changing its shape as I carved away.
In the end, I broke down the shape of the tool and let the Spirit Iron flow out. Time to [Teleport] the inner sphere!
What I ended up with was a somewhat awkward sphere and a dome about 4 millimeters thick. Alright, with this, Soleil won’t cry, and I’ve achieved my goal.
I polished the inside of the dome to make it smooth and shiny. —And while I’m at it, I should tidy up the contents to erase any evidence. Should I make a slightly smaller dome first?
For now, that’s enough for today. Time to play with Rishu and have dinner!
I made garlic soy butter sautéed swordfish. I seared the surface to a nice crisp with butter — the aroma of garlic soy sauce wafting over the tender, fluffy swordfish.
A refreshing dressing accompanied a salad of baby greens and seaweed. Rice and miso soup rounded out the meal.
The thick swordfish was moist and tender. The butter soy sauce paired perfectly with both the salad and the rice. Since I made the swordfish a bit larger, it might be getting a little rich, but a squeeze of lemon is just right.
The next day, I focused on the basic frame. Since it’s meant to be portable, I decided on a lantern shape.
I’ll make it so that I can insert a Magic Stone into the oil compartment, and instead of a wick on top, I’ll use a Magic Circle. One to ensure the comfort of the Spirits, and another to repel ghosts, as Grandfather Paorul taught me.
The latter also serves as a ghost repellent, but in the Land of Ruin, there are so many ghosts that avoiding encounters seems impossible. I might as well add a purification feature too. The one over there is entangled with the Black Spirit of the King’s Branch, so it’s impossible, but I might need it eventually.
Ah, to protect the Spirits that enter the dome, I should also enhance the lantern with protection and fortification.
What metal should I use as the base? Spirit Silver seems like the right choice.
Silver has a spiritual influence, while Iron has a physical one. That’s how Spirits perceive it. Humans too? Gold is said to be a very stable metal, both physically and spiritually, often used for protection in armor and such.
I start by sketching several Magic Circles on a plate of Spirit Silver. To ensure they don’t easily fade, I’ll carve them while flowing in ink.
On the Achroite dome, I’ll add a transparent Magic Circle with special ink. This one is the most potent purification spell. I adapted Grandfather Paorul’s Magic Circle, making it clearer in its requests to the Spirits.
I’ll combine the completed Magic Circle plates, adding Spirit Silver to let it flow like mercury and shape it into a lantern.
I stuff a few Magic Stones, about the size of my thumb, into the oil compartment. The Magic Circle plate serves as a lid, and on top goes the Achroite dome. The round hole in the dome fits perfectly over the lid of the Magic Circle. When I lift the handle, the dome tilts, allowing me to remove the lid, and the hole in the dome becomes the entrance for the Spirits.
Alright, alright. The shape looks good.
Next, I’ll create a smaller dome and make another lantern in the same way, with a slightly rounded design and a different Magic Circle.
…Alright, this one looks good too.
I’ll have Haulon or Grandfather Paorul evaluate it, and if it’s good, I’ll attempt to venture into the Land of Ruin again. Since I modified the Magic Circle, I think I’ll show it to Haulon.
It’s a type that won’t activate unless it’s liked by the Spirits, so showing it to Grandfather Paorul, who can’t see Spirits, would be awkward. But Grandfather is loved by the Spirits, after all. He’s always got a zabuton under him.
With Spirit Silver for repairs and tools for drawing the Magic Circles, I [Teleport] to the desert.
It’s spacious, so I might as well dismantle a dragon later — but I should really do that in a colder place. Otherwise, it’ll just turn into dried meat. Maybe back to the Northern Lands.