Chapter 80: Scenario XI

The investigation continued for several hours.

The researchers divided their work into smaller groups. One group examined the damaged construct, another inspected the stone pillars, while the remaining members measured the spiritual energy circulating throughout the chamber.

Ryan stayed with Lorian’s group and focused on the silver threads extending from the construct.

At first, he assumed that the threads were simply connections carrying spiritual energy. However, after comparing their arrangements with the records from the League’s archive, he began noticing several differences.

Some threads were thicker than others. A few were connected directly to the construct’s spiritual core, while the rest extended toward the walls.

There were also several smaller threads branching from the main connections.

Ryan carefully recorded their positions.

"Research Guardian Lorian, I think we should examine these smaller connections separately."

Lorian looked at his notebook.

"Did you find something?"

"These smaller threads don’t seem to carry the same amount of spiritual energy as the main ones. However, their arrangement suggests that they might be responsible for regulating the flow."

Lorian examined the readings collected by another researcher.

"You’re right. The energy distribution is uneven, but the smaller connections appear to be maintaining a certain balance."

He looked toward the damaged construct.

"If these connections are responsible for regulating the energy flow, then the construct might have been designed to perform a specific function within the network."

"Could it be a control unit?" Ryan asked.

"That’s one possibility. However, we don’t have enough information to confirm it."

Lorian called another researcher and asked him to record the new observations.

Ryan continued examining the structure.

After a while, Orven approached them.

"Have you found anything interesting?"

Lorian explained their observations.

Orven listened before looking toward the damaged construct.

"A control unit, huh? That would explain why so many threads are connected to it."

He crouched beside the construct and examined its lower body.

"However, I don’t think this is an ordinary control unit. Look at the way its core is positioned."

Ryan turned toward him.

"What about it?"

"Most spiritual constructs have their cores placed near the center of their physical structure. That makes it easier to distribute energy throughout the body. But this one’s core is positioned slightly toward the back."

Orven pointed toward a damaged section.

"Perhaps it was designed to receive energy from the network and distribute it through the surrounding connections."

Lorian considered his explanation.

"That would support the possibility that it was a regulating unit."

Ryan looked at the construct again.

If Orven was correct, then the structure might have been designed differently from ordinary spiritual puppets.

Instead of functioning independently, each construct could have been assigned a specific role within a much larger system.

He wrote down the possibility.

Meanwhile, another researcher approached them.

"Research Guardian Lorian, we’ve finished examining the western pillars."

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes. There are several spiritual connections hidden inside them. Most are damaged, but a few are still functioning."

Lorian stood up.

"Show me."

The researcher led them toward the western side of the chamber.

There were four large pillars arranged at equal distances from one another. Their surfaces were covered in old engravings, many of which had become difficult to recognize because of the damage.

The researcher pointed toward the second pillar.

"There’s a small opening here. We detected spiritual energy coming from inside."

Orven examined it.

"These aren’t ordinary decorative pillars. They contain internal structures."

He took out a small instrument and placed it against the surface.

A faint light appeared.

Several thin lines became visible beneath the stone exterior.

Ryan examined the arrangement.

Unlike the connections around the central construct, these threads were arranged in several parallel layers.

Some extended vertically, while others formed small circular patterns.

’Another type of spiritual structure?’

He opened his notebook and began drawing the arrangement.

After comparing it with the previous observations, he noticed that the pillars seemed to have a similar structure to the smaller regulating connections around the central construct.

However, their internal arrangements were more complicated.

"Could these pillars be supporting the network?" Ryan asked.

Lorian examined the readings.

"Possibly. They might be responsible for stabilizing the energy circulating through this chamber."

Orven nodded.

"If that’s true, damaging one of these pillars could affect the entire structure."

Alden, who had been observing the investigation from a short distance away, approached them.

"Then make sure nobody touches them unnecessarily. We don’t know how much of the original system is still functioning."

The researchers acknowledged his instructions.

They continued examining the pillars without attempting to activate them.

After another hour, the initial inspection was completed.

Lorian gathered everyone near the center of the chamber.

"We’ve identified three different types of structures so far. The central construct, the supporting pillars, and the connecting threads extending through the walls."

He looked toward Ryan and Orven.

"Based on your observations, what do you think this chamber was originally used for?"

Orven answered first.

"I believe it was a regulating chamber. The pillars might have stabilized the energy, while the central construct controlled its distribution."

Lorian turned toward Ryan.

"What about you, Mika?"

Ryan glanced at his notes.

"I agree with Orven’s assessment, but I think there’s another possibility."

"Go on."

"The central construct might not have been controlling the entire network. It could have been responsible for managing the connections within this particular chamber."

He pointed toward the threads extending through the walls.

"If each chamber had a similar structure, then these constructs might have been connected to a central control system somewhere deeper inside the facility."

Lorian remained silent for a moment.

Then he looked toward the old diagram.

"The central chamber..."

Ryan nodded.

"The diagram showed twelve auxiliary constructs surrounding a central structure. If those twelve constructs were connected to the surrounding chambers, then the central structure might have been responsible for coordinating all of them."

Orven looked interested.

"That would make the entire facility one enormous spiritual construct."

"Possibly," Lorian replied. "Although we should avoid treating the entire facility as a single construct until we have more evidence."

Alden looked toward the researchers.

"Can we continue to the next chamber?"

Lorian checked the recorded readings.

"We can, but I recommend leaving the central construct untouched for now. We should first understand how the surrounding structures are connected."

Alden agreed.

"Then we’ll proceed carefully. Combat Guardians will inspect the next passage before the research team enters."

Two Combat Guardians moved toward the northern passage.

The rest of the team began packing their instruments.

Ryan took one last look at the damaged construct.

He had initially thought the mysterious fragment was simply a connection component belonging to an ancient spiritual structure.

However, the discoveries inside this chamber suggested that the network was far more sophisticated.

It wasn’t just a collection of connected threads.

It appeared to have different components performing different functions, all working together according to a specific arrangement.

If he could understand how those components interacted, he might be able to reconstruct the original network.

That would be an enormous achievement for the League.

More importantly, it would bring him closer to completing the Soul Weaver inheritance.

A few minutes later, the Combat Guardians returned.

"The passage is clear. We haven’t detected any immediate danger."

Alden nodded.

"Good. We’ll move to the next chamber."

The expedition members entered the northern passage.

Unlike the first corridor, this one was slightly wider. Several broken stone structures were scattered along the sides, and the walls contained more of the silver engravings they had seen earlier.

Ryan walked behind Lorian, carefully examining the markings as they moved.

After several minutes, they reached another chamber.

It was smaller than the first one.

Unlike the previous room, there was no large construct at its center. Instead, several stone platforms were arranged in a circular formation, with a damaged crystal structure positioned in the middle.

The crystal was about the size of a human head.

Its surface was covered with several thin silver lines, and faint spiritual energy could still be detected inside it.

One of the researchers immediately took out his instrument.

"There’s still energy inside the crystal."

Lorian approached carefully.

"How much?"

"Very little, but it’s stable."

Orven examined the surrounding platforms.

"These structures look like receiving stations."

Ryan looked toward the crystal.

Unlike the previous construct, this object had no visible physical components that could move or perform actions.

However, several spiritual threads extended from its lower section and connected to the stone platforms.

He crouched to examine one of them.

The threads were arranged in a circular pattern, with several smaller connections branching toward the outer platforms.

’Could this be used to receive information from other chambers?’

He compared the arrangement with his earlier notes.

There was a noticeable difference.

The first chamber’s construct had several outward connections, while this crystal structure seemed to have multiple connections leading toward a single point.

Ryan shared his observation with Lorian.

The senior researcher studied the arrangement.

"That’s an interesting possibility. If the previous construct was responsible for distributing energy, this structure might have been designed to collect it."

Orven nodded.

"Or perhaps it collected information from the surrounding constructs."

Alden looked toward them.

"Can we determine its function?"

"Not immediately," Lorian answered. "We’ll need to examine the connections and compare them with the other chambers."

Ryan stood up and looked around.

They had discovered two different types of structures in the first two chambers.

If the facility really functioned as one enormous spiritual system, then every chamber might have served a separate purpose.

He wondered how many different types of constructs they would find before reaching the central chamber.

For now, the researchers began documenting the crystal structure.

Ryan returned to his notebook and carefully recorded its arrangement.

He had a feeling that the next few days would be much more interesting than he had initially expected.