"Not what I had in mind..." Ben sighed before adding, "Do you know anything about this liquid? It suddenly burst out when I mined this gemstone." He took out the white gemstone, holding it up for Elvira to see.
Elvira's eyes lit up. She quickly grasped the gemstone from Ben's palm and scrutinized it with her magic, looking deep into its interior. "This gemstone enhances holy elemental magic. I thought this was just a myth." Her gaze then shifted to the shimmering white liquid. "If this crystal really has holy energy, then this liquid should have some too... or there's something else here giving off this element."
"Does holy energy hurt things here?" Ben asked. "The Krell Soldier barely lasted a second before vanishing without a trace." He then looked toward the other end of the base. "At least this should take care of the leftover hellworm. No need to worry about some wildlife invading our base."
"With how high we are, I wouldn't worry. Most beasts won't be able to reach us anyway." Elvira waved off his concern before continuing, "How about making a boat and checking where you found this crystal? We need as much of it as we can."
Ben raised an eyebrow. Could grimslate even float on that liquid? It would need to be thick enough to stay above the surface... Worst case, they could just use Elvira's magic. "What about the holy energy?" he asked.
"Honestly, I don't know much about it. Very few people actually use holy magic, and I've never met any of them." Elvira shrugged. "Some say this magic can even bring back the dead. Others claim it's a destructive force. So yeah, it's not surprising that it killed the krell soldier instantly. In the end, we just call it 'holy' because it's pure mana."
"Hmm... Oh well, you're the expert." Ben didn't really get it, but he wasn't too interested in figuring it out either. If it was just pure mana, wasn't it just... mana? Why call it holy? In games, this kind of thing was usually just the opposite of dark magic—something like a light element but with more healing properties.
'Whatever.' Shoving those thoughts aside, Ben focused on his task. Using hundreds of blocks, he built a large boat—thick, heavy, and sturdy.
"Can you cast a spell to make this float?" he asked, staring at his creation. He would hate it if all this just sank immediately. The boat was three blocks thick, three blocks high—a simple design without sails since it would be moved with magic. It wasn't like there was any wind here anyway.
"I can," Elvira said. Then, after a moment of thought, she added, "Actually, now that we have this gemstone... If you give me some time, I can create some kind of mechanism to push it forward and drive it. How many gemstones do you have?"
Ben glanced at her. He had a feeling she just didn't want to waste her own mana. But, to be fair, she had a point—it was better to keep her mana in case they needed to fight later. "I have 189 blocks," he said.
"That's more than enough. I'll just use this one for now." Elvira nodded before turning away, heading back to her lab. She needed to incorporate the Eldergleam crystal into the mechanism to make it work.
Meanwhile, some distance away, the Nephirid Draeven was already on the move.
The Nephirid main base was far from Ben and the others, but they had long since built a transportation system to make travel easier between areas. Right now, Draeven was on a boat, rowing his way through a river of magma. A bizarre creature, a mix between an octopus and a reptilian beast, was pulling the vessel forward.
Two of its tentacles clung to the sides of the boat, anchoring it against the current. Its entire body was covered in gray scales, and its bulging eyes barely peeked out from beneath the molten surface. Draeven was not alone. Two more Nephirid stood beside him, their glowing eyes fixated on the path ahead.
"Heh, Draeven, thanks for choosing me to come along," one of the Nephirid grinned, his voice rough like stone grinding against stone. His name was Vek'tal, a seasoned warrior. "Never thought I'd get to see an Ashborn up close, let alone travel with one. Feels like I should be bowing or something." He chuckled.
Draeven smirked, "You bow, and I'll push you off the boat."
"Ha! Still the same old Draeven," Vek'tal laughed, slapping his knee. "No nonsense, no patience for ceremony. That's why I knew you'd make it."
The other Nephirid, a leaner figure with molten-red veins pulsing under his scaled skin, finally spoke. "It's not just a title. Becoming Ashborn means you were forged in the flames and came out stronger. You carry the will of the embers now." His tone was more solemn—this was Tzarek, the one who always thought deeper than the rest. "And you chose us for the pilgrimage. That means something."
Draeven crossed his arms, his glowing eyes fixed ahead as the magma river churned beneath them. "Of course I chose you two. Who else? Some highborn with their silver-plated armor and soft hands? I need warriors, not decorations. Vek'tal, you've survived more battles than I can count, and Tzarek, your mind is sharper than any blade. I don't just need fighters—I need Nephirid beside me."
Vek'tal grinned. "Hah! You hear that, Tzarek? He needs us. Makes me feel all warm inside."
Tzarek rolled his eyes. "We're literally surrounded by magma, Vek. Try to contain yourself."
Vek'tal smirked. "Draeven, can you show us the molten core?"
Draeven glanced around, lowering his voice. "Sure, but don't go blabbing. You know the tradition, no one supposed to see it."
Vek'tal scoffed. "Hey, what you think I am? Don't you know I can keep secret?"
Tzarek snorted. "Oh, you mean like last time? When you 'kept secret' so well we all got locked in the Ash Vault for a week?"
Vek'tal crossed his arms. "That wasn't my fault! That was—"
Tzarek cut him off. "Oh yeah, right, the 'cultural misunderstanding.' Apparently, greetings don't involve actually trying to wrestle the High Overseer into a lava trench."
Vek'tal huffed. "How was I supposed to know he was fragile?"