Chapter 356: Machine
"Your Majesty, this might seem a bit strange, but the people of Aztera have something that gives them infinite electricity," Lucaviel said in a serious tone.
"Okay."
"U-Um? Yes, so there was a deal that had been made between..."
Lucaviel explained the same information he had shared inside the Dream, just with slightly more detail near the end.
"...And the underground project I mentioned, I think I have something that might help you figure out what it is."
"I'm intrigued, go on," Rael replied with a smile.
"I have blueprints of a small bunker. It slipped into my documents one day. I don't know where it came from, and even after researching everywhere I could, I wasn't able to find out anything," Lucaviel said with a sigh. "So in the end, I stored it in my office, alongside a few more important documents."
Before Rael could reply, Lucaviel added in a hurried tone.
"Oh, and just so you know, Your Majesty, I have plenty more secret discoveries."
Lie.
"What's the catch?" Rael asked.
"Hmm... I don't know, Your Majesty. I haven't thought that far, but we could maybe discuss it over some tea?" Lucaviel replied, rubbing his hands together like a scheming little mosquito.
"Just show me the blueprint," Rael said flatly, causing Lucaviel to flinch.
"R-Right away, Your Majesty, follow me."
With that, he ran inside his manor, and Rael, alongside Lilith, trailed close behind.
Lilith leaned in slightly, a skeptical look on her face.
"You, um... charmed him?" she whispered.
Rael pointed at the air, then began writing.
<Rael Sutekh: I messed around with his mind a little. He's obedient for now, but I can guarantee this is temporary. I just need to get some information out of him, then kill him.>
<Lilith Sutekh: I see...>
Lilith nearly yelped.
<Lilith: Sorry, wrong nametag.>
"...?"
<Rael Sutekh: How did you do that?>
After a brief pause, she sighed and replied.
<Lilith: After we touched horns, we technically got married, remember? Since I left my family and discarded their last name, I took yours after the marriage... even if it was originally Zafira Sutekh's.>
Rael sighed and let it go.
She was a chaotic oddball, so he let her play around with whatever she wanted to, and finally, they arrived at Lucaviel's office.
He rummaged through the packed shelves and eventually pulled out a folder.
"Found it," Lucaviel said, heaving a relieved breath. "This is the blueprint I mentioned. But... I can get you into contact with the best people to find—"
"Didn't you say you looked all over but didn't find anything?" Lilith cut in.
"Huh? Oh..." Lucaviel's brows twitched, but he quickly composed himself. "Because of my lack of time... I didn't contact the best of the best, who are, of course, all in Aztera. Those people can track down a mosquito from the other end of the continent!"
Another lie.
Rael was starting to get a headache from the amount of bullshit this guy was spewing.
Nevertheless, he reached for the document, took out the blueprint, and reviewed it thoroughly.
It seemed like some circular object, with 10 ring-like coils arranged in perfect positions, creating a sphere.
I can also see a few wires... they're connecting to each of the 10 ring-like coils. Just what is this thing supposed to be? A portal? Hmm...
It was hard to understand, but thankfully, in situations like these, he had a certain helper.
•—Premium Shop—•
Category: Selected Item/Extra
•—Balance: 18,941,833,057 Trell—•
• Full Blueprint of Project S. (Epic): 1,000,000,000 Trell
Project S. Hm... Rael fell into thought. When Sketa Online was released to the public, the developer called themselves S.
It didn't take a genius to realize that S. stood for Solenne.
Furthermore, if whatever this project was actually tied some kind of thread to Solenne, then it was extremely troublesome.
So without even second-guessing the cost, Rael purchased the full blueprint.
But instead of the blueprint appearing in his palm, he felt a flood of information enter his mind.
It all happened so fast, but when the uncomfortable feeling subsided, his brows furrowed in confusion.
A shadow creation machine...? Rael mused. It... where's the rest of the description?
Aside from showing him how it looked, there wasn't anything else.
Frankly, he felt scammed out of 1 billion Trell, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
Rael checked the premium shop for a Shadow Creation Machine, however, there wasn't anything of the sort.
I can buy restricted items, but if there is no shadow creation machine... then...
He couldn't buy what didn't exist. Not yet anyway.
"King Arthur should know more," Rael mumbled, turning to Lucaviel. "You've done your part, and for that, I won't kill you."
Lucaviel tilted his head. "Huh...? Your Majesty, don't you want my help? I can try to get you more information about this project. O-Or other projects."
"Truthfully, what can you offer me besides this one bit of information?" Rael asked coldly.
"I..."
"If you want to prove your usefulness, then I will give you one day to come to me with some valuable information," Rael interjected. "Because as it stands, you have gone against Celestara and you had the gall to lie to my face multiple times."
Rael turned around and walked toward the door alongside Lilith.
Just as he was about to step through, Lucaviel fell to the ground, kowtowing.
"Your Majesty! I apologize! I didn't mean to lie to you, it's just... I don't want to die. You see, my wife—"
"Whom you cheated on hundreds of times," Lilith chimed in.
"M-My wife is expecting, so even if I'm a scumbag of a person, I should at least be a good father to my child, right?" Lucaviel reasoned. "So please... give me a week. I will get you the most secretive information I can. I swear it'll be worth your time!"
"Four days," Rael corrected. "That is the limit. And I want you to deliver it to me personally in Celestara."
He could make it simpler by adding this guy to his friend list, but that would defeat the purpose of molding him into someone Rael could use.
"Four days? Deal!" Lucaviel exclaimed in relief. "I will make sure to do the best I can—"
Rael slammed the door shut, having grown tired of his voice.
"So where to next? The capital?" Lilith asked with a faint smile.
And of course, Rael nodded.
"Yep. It's about time I paid King Arthur a visit."