Chapter 1052: Transcription
Arriving at the gorge, the three mages from Skyhold Fortress, led by Rafael, began their investigation, searching for the location of the alchemical array.
When they first arrived, they encountered a Unicorn Demon Lord. Dida La led a group and swiftly slew the demon lord.
The shockwaves from the battle damaged much of the gorge, yet still no trace of the alchemical array could be found. Only some remnants of alchemical golems were discovered in the blasted earth—these remains were covered in rust, almost entirely decayed, and had clearly been out of commission for countless years, their parts no longer usable.
Aside from these, not a single clue could be found—nothing at all related to the alchemical array, only the rolling mountain ridges.
With nothing to show for their efforts, Rafael grew impatient. This was the place where the Archfiend was sealed; if they couldn’t find the alchemical array, they couldn’t just dig around recklessly. Careless excavation could easily destroy an array that hadn’t yet been discovered.
Even the slightest damage to the array could bring enormous trouble. Without knowing the array’s location or finding the complete array diagram, no one dared to make a move.
With no clues left to pursue, Rafael finally started to dig gingerly at a spot that seemed to bear traces of an alchemical array.
He dug a pit more than ten meters deep, but still found no sign of the array underground—just more decayed alchemical golem remains unearthed...
Leon looked at those alchemical golem remains, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. The design style and some of the smaller details all seemed familiar, but the parts were so badly decayed they looked like a pile of ugly dirt clods—press them even a little and they’d crumble to dust...
Even after boldly digging into the earth, they found not a single trace of the alchemical array. Rafael was baffled, even beginning to doubt whether an array truly existed here.
"Archmage Leon, there's absolutely no sign of an alchemical array here. Is this really the place where the Archfiend is sealed?"
Leon floated in midair, surveying the gorge and the veins of mountains surrounding it from above.
Endless runes flickered in Leon's eyes, slowly converging into the shape of the mountain range. Yet, halfway through their assembly, the runes suddenly collapsed...
Leon shuddered slightly, his magic even growing unstable, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Just now, by referencing the runes against the mountain range, Leon had only managed to complete half the assembly before it collapsed. But that was enough for him to see: this was a colossal alchemical array, with the gorge as its core and the surrounding mountains forming its components.
This was a Sky Rank Alchemical Array. Only an array of this level would prevent him from outlining its framework with runes. If it were just ordinary mountains—even with all the vegetation precisely reconstructed—the runes wouldn't have collapsed.
"This gorge, and even the entire mountain range with its ridges, together form a gigantic alchemical array!"
Leon shared his findings with Rafael, who was so astonished that he immediately flew up to investigate for himself.
On the ground below, Diras just sneered.
"Archmage Leon, I think you've truly lost your mind. Those Bloodfang Tribe orcs are obviously hiding something—they don't want to tell us the truth. All this talk about Archfiends and alchemical arrays, it's probably all lies. And you still believe them?
You really dare say the whole mountain range is a giant alchemical array? Do you have any common sense? How could ordinary mountains possibly form an array, let alone suppress a Demon Overlord?
Just get down from there—stop embarrassing yourself. It's fine not to understand, but spouting nonsense just makes you look foolish. So what if you got tricked by the Bloodfang Tribe? But insisting on this nonsense just makes you look even more ridiculous..."
Diras mocked Leon without restraint, and most of the others were skeptical too. After all, Skyhold Fortress was the best at alchemical arrays, and they'd searched for hours without finding a single trace. For Leon to spot the array's scope so easily—maybe it really was fake...
Even Rafael, hovering in midair, frowned and observed carefully, but still had no clue—though he vaguely felt that this mountain range centered on the gorge was somehow odd...
Leon glanced at Diras, runes flashing rapidly in his eyes. He couldn't outline the whole array's framework, but tracing parts of it was much easier.
Within seconds, Leon had sketched out the array framework at Diras's location, then spoke a rune and let it fall to the ground.
To everyone else, that spot was just ordinary earth, but to Leon, it was a node of the array—the place where the glyphwork lay.
Diras happened to be standing right on a line of glyphwork. As Leon's rune entered the ground, it subtly disrupted the energy flow—where no one else could sense it, the built-up energy erupted from the glyphwork.
In everyone's perception, a demonic force suddenly surged beneath the earth, with thick black smoke erupting from the ground and enveloping Diras. Two level-35 Unicorn Demons appeared right beside him.
The sudden change left everyone stunned. The two Unicorn Demons, faces twisted with malice, attacked Diras the moment they appeared.
Diras's eyes were wide with terror. He hurriedly unleashed his Shadow Cloak, shadows surging out and spreading wildly. The darkness rose from beneath the earth, swiftly enveloping the two Unicorn Demons and shrouding them completely.
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Diras's mana surged, two runes appearing on his Shadow Cloak. The shadows beneath the earth writhed like monsters in the night, swallowing the two violently struggling Unicorn Demons.
Diras's face was deathly pale, still shaken as he leapt up, glaring at Leon with clenched teeth.
"Archmage Leon, are you declaring war on us Shadow Tower mages? You bastard from the lowlands..."
Leon landed calmly on the ground, glancing at the furious Diras.
"Diras, weren't you saying this wasn't the site of an alchemical array? I was just providing some evidence. No further questions, right?"
Diras's face shifted between green and white as he glared at Leon, teeth clenched.
"Archmage Leon, you did that on purpose, didn't you? You set me up! Damn bastard—if I hadn't reacted fast, those filthy demons would've twisted my head off!"
Leon looked utterly unconcerned.
"Diras, do you really think I can control this alchemical array? Don't be ridiculous. That's not even a funny joke—this is a massive Sky Rank array!"
Diras opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. Accusing Leon of manipulating the array just to set him up—he didn't even believe it himself...
Diras glanced at the others, but clearly no one thought Leon had set him up. Everyone saw it as an accident—after all, this was a massive Sky Rank array, not something anyone here could control...
Up in the sky, Rafael was flushed with excitement, gazing down at the gorge and surrounding mountains, muttering to himself.
"Yes, this is the central node. These ridges and the gorge are all glyphwork—my god, what a colossal alchemical array. It must be a Sky Rank array..."
Rafael landed, walking up to Leon with excitement, his eyes filled with shock and respect.
He'd previously thought Archmage Leon's rune inscription skills were extremely strong, and that he was a powerful creator specializing in alchemical potions. The healing potions he'd made, especially those for treating injuries, were better than those of most creators in the Odin Kingdom.
He hadn't expected Leon's skills in alchemical arrays to be so impressive too. He'd almost immediately thought to fly up and map out the entire mountain range.
It was an astonishing idea—and in such a short time, Leon had confirmed that the mountain range, centered on the gorge, was a gigantic alchemical array.
And in record time, he’d found the location of the array’s glyphwork—those lines fused with the earth itself!
Diras, that fool, didn’t even understand the basic structure of an alchemical array—how dare he question a master creator? Are all Shadow Tower mages idiots?
Rafael’s eyes were filled with shock. Unconsciously, he now saw Leon as an equal, no longer looking down on Andalusian mages as lesser than those of the Odin Kingdom.
All Skyhold Fortress mages specialized in alchemical arrays, because their greatest weapons ranged from the smallest floating fortresses to the vast Skyhold itself.
It all depended on alchemical arrays. Others might not see Leon’s strength, but Rafael knew: to discover the array’s location, sketch its framework, and then pinpoint the glyphwork nodes—all in seconds—was an incredible feat.
Rafael himself, even knowing where the array was, could never have handled it as easily as Leon did.
Rafael even suspected Leon had deliberately set up Diras to be ambushed by the two Unicorn Demons—but he kept that thought to himself.
A master creator skilled in alchemical arrays, being mocked by an outsider—he’d have deserved it if he’d died...
In that instant, Rafael lost all respect for Diras. It was a creator’s pride...
Rafael instinctively lowered his stance, switching to a creator’s way of communicating as he began to discuss with Leon.
"Master Merlin, this array uses the mountain range as glyphwork. The energy circuits seem simple but are hidden in complexity. The whole array is three-dimensional, with both visible and hidden aspects. Copying the whole thing at once would be nearly impossible—it’s a Sky Rank Alchemical Array, after all..."
Leon pointed to the gorge.
"You can’t copy the whole array using traditional methods. Instead of building the framework first and then filling in the details, we can split it into a hundred sections using the gorge as the dividing line—copy the details first, then assemble the framework."
Rafael suddenly understood, tried Leon’s method, and immediately gave a thumbs-up.
"Indeed, Master Merlin, you’re absolutely right. This method may be slow, but it’s the best approach for a massive Sky Rank Alchemical Array. If we tried to build the whole framework, even with our skills, it would take a year and still not be done. This way may be tedious, but it’s the fastest possible."