Chapter 255: The Science of Runes

While the scientists responsible for mental engraving were developing ways to implant second and third runes, other laboratories on Eldrath were conducting their own investigations. Noah had observed both research programs over the same planetary years. The engraving teams concentrated on improving their machines, while another group of scientists studied the structures of the runes themselves.

At the central research institute, several goblin researchers were examining industrial rune patterns obtained from the Arcane-Industrial Integration Package. These designs had been used in machinery for years, but many of the arrangements within them remained poorly understood.

A younger researcher enlarged three mana-regulation runes on the laboratory display.

"Look at this section. It’s almost identical in all three."

The senior researcher leaned closer. "Move the second one beside the first. I can’t see the connections properly."

She adjusted the display.

"There. The lines are arranged the same way, even though the rest of the patterns are different."

"Huh. I hadn’t noticed that before." He studied the designs for a moment. "Have you tried removing that section?"

"Not yet. I only noticed it this morning."

"Make a copy without it. I’m curious whether the rune will still work."

The researchers prepared the modified design and tested it alongside an unchanged version. The original rune regulated the mana output normally, but the altered pattern failed to function.

They repeated the experiment using another rune with a similar arrangement. Removing the corresponding section produced the same result.

The findings attracted the attention of several other scientists working in the laboratory. Until then, most industrial rune designs had been treated as complete patterns. Engineers incorporated them into machinery without needing to understand every individual arrangement.

The new experiments suggested that certain sections performed identifiable functions.

Over the following months, researchers began comparing runes that served similar purposes. They arranged the designs into categories, including mana regulation, energy transfer, and stabilization.

Some patterns contained nearly identical sections despite having different overall structures. Others produced similar effects using arrangements that appeared unrelated.

The scientists began modifying individual sections to examine how those changes affected the runes.

Many experiments failed.

Removing certain lines prevented the rune from functioning. Changing others altered the mana output or caused unstable reactions.

One afternoon, a researcher brought another failed sample to the senior engineer.

"Another broken regulator. That’s six today."

The engineer took the sample and examined it.

"Which section did you change?"

"The connection near the center. I made it wider."

"And the output?"

"It kept fluctuating. I thought a wider connection would allow more mana through, but the readings were all over the place."

The engineer checked the measurements.

"Try the original width again, but leave the other changes in place. I’m curious whether this connection is causing the fluctuations."

The researchers repeated the experiment and found that restoring the original connection improved the rune’s performance.

They continued making small adjustments and recording the results.

Gradually, the institute accumulated information about how specific arrangements influenced the movement and regulation of mana.

The discoveries encouraged several researchers to examine the possibility of creating new rune designs rather than relying entirely on those contained in the original knowledge package.

Meanwhile, the scientists working on mental engraving were conducting their own studies of rune compatibility.

The original Mindmark Rune could remain stable inside a goblin’s mind, but engraving another pattern presented additional difficulties.

Some industrial runes could be implanted alongside the Mindmark without causing significant interference. Others became unstable even when the implantation machine completed the transfer correctly.

The researchers began testing combinations on prepared materials before attempting them on living goblins.

During one experiment, an engineer examined two samples containing the same Mindmark Rune but different secondary patterns.

"The mana-regulation rune is still stable," she said. "But the energy-transfer rune is interfering with the Mindmark again."

Her colleague checked the placement of the patterns.

"Are they overlapping?"

"No. I checked that first. The engravings are separate, but both readings started changing after the second transfer."

"That’s strange. The energy-transfer rune works perfectly well in machinery."

"Apparently, it doesn’t behave the same way beside a Mindmark."

They repeated the experiment using another energy-transfer pattern. The results were more stable, although the researchers continued monitoring the samples before approving further tests.

The differences led the engraving laboratory to establish a compatibility archive.

Every tested combination was recorded, including the order of engraving, the response of the existing runes, and whether the resulting patterns remained stable.

As scientists developed successful methods of engraving a third rune, the archive expanded to include combinations of three patterns.

The researchers discovered that a stable pair did not guarantee a stable third engraving.

Some combinations remained intact throughout the procedure. Others experienced interference when the third pattern was introduced.

Changing the order of implantation sometimes produced different results, further complicating the research.

These findings were shared with the teams developing multiple-rune implantation machines, helping them identify combinations suitable for further experiments.

At the same time, rune researchers continued investigating the underlying structures of industrial designs.

Their experiments had produced enough information for several teams to attempt original rune construction.

One group focused on a recurring problem involving fluctuations in mana output.

Existing industrial runes could regulate mana flow and stabilize machinery, but sudden changes in demand still caused irregular output in some equipment.

The researchers decided to develop a new rune capable of regulating those fluctuations more effectively.

They began by combining structural arrangements taken from familiar regulation and stabilization runes.

Their first design failed to activate.

The second produced an irregular mana output.

The third worked under constant operating conditions but became unstable whenever the equipment’s demand changed.

After another unsuccessful experiment, one of the researchers leaned back in his chair.

"Well, that one’s useless too."

His colleague examined the recording.

"Not entirely. It worked until we increased the demand."

"For about three seconds."

"Three seconds longer than the first two designs managed. Look at the readings before it failed."

The researcher pulled the display closer.

"The output was stable at first. Then it climbed too quickly."

"Maybe the stabilizing section isn’t responding fast enough."

"Could be. Let’s change the connection between the two sections and test it again."

The next several attempts produced gradual improvements.

After months of experimentation, the team developed a pattern that maintained a more consistent mana output when the test equipment’s demand changed.

The researchers tested the design repeatedly, using different operating conditions and comparing its performance with existing industrial runes.

The new pattern consistently reduced fluctuations in mana flow.

The results were sent to another laboratory for independent verification.

Its engineers manufactured the rune using the supplied diagrams and repeated the experiments. After correcting a minor discrepancy in their testing equipment, they obtained similar results.

The central institute officially recognized the design as a new industrial rune developed entirely by goblin researchers.

They named it the Flow-Balance Rune.

News of the achievement spread through Eldrath’s scientific institutions.

Other researchers began applying the same methods to develop new rune patterns. Some modified familiar structures, while others attempted arrangements that differed considerably from those found in the original package.

Most designs failed during preliminary testing, but the researchers learned from the recorded results.

Over the following years, several additional original runes were successfully developed.

The institute’s archive gradually expanded beyond the patterns originally provided to Eldrath.

Noah observed these developments through his planetary connection. The goblins were conducting their own experiments, exchanging findings between institutions, and developing new designs without any further assistance from him.

As the collection of original runes increased, the mental engraving researchers began examining whether the new designs could also be implanted.

Their first candidate was the Flow-Balance Rune.

The scientists already understood its function in machinery, and preliminary tests suggested that its structure could be engraved alongside the Mindmark.

However, their initial experiments encountered difficulties.

Some transfers produced incomplete patterns, while others caused fluctuations in the existing Mindmark.

The engraving researchers contacted the team responsible for designing Flow-Balance and requested assistance with the pattern’s arrangement.

During their meeting, an engineer displayed the damaged sample.

"The machine can engrave most of the pattern, but this section keeps interfering with the Mindmark."

The rune designer examined the highlighted lines.

"We can move that section, but I’ll have to check whether the rune still regulates mana properly afterward."

"How much of the design would need to change?"

"Probably just the connections around this section. Give us a few days to test it."

The rune-design team returned with a modified version after confirming that it retained its original industrial function.

The engraving laboratory tested the revised pattern on prepared materials containing a Mindmark.

The results improved considerably.

After repeated successful tests, the institute approved a controlled live experiment.

The first subject already possessed a stable Mindmark Rune. Medical personnel examined the existing imprint before the procedure, then monitored the subject while the machine transferred the modified Flow-Balance pattern.

The transfer completed without significant fluctuations.

Once the equipment was disconnected, the attending physician approached the examination chair.

"How’s your head?"

"Fine. A little uncomfortable, but nothing serious."

"Can you still see your original Mindmark?"

"Yes."

"And the new pattern?"

The goblin closed his eyes.

"It’s there too. I can see both."

The physician asked him to describe the engravings separately. His answers matched the reference diagrams.

Further examinations confirmed that both patterns remained stable.

The researchers repeated the experiment with additional subjects, eventually establishing that the Flow-Balance Rune could be engraved successfully as a second mental rune.

However, its industrial function had not been demonstrated inside the goblin mind.

The scientists could confirm the presence of the engraving, but they had not discovered whether the subject could activate it or use it to regulate mana.

The institute recorded this distinction in its research archive.

Over the following years, additional original runes were tested for mental engraving.

Some proved unsuitable despite functioning normally in machinery. Others were modified to improve their compatibility with existing Mindmarks.

Several eventually succeeded as second or third engravings.

The resulting compatibility records became increasingly valuable to the multiple-rune research program.

Following the fatal fourth-rune experiments, some scientists returned to these records to investigate whether the choice of rune patterns contributed to the catastrophic instability.

They began testing combinations involving newly developed runes, including the Flow-Balance Rune.

Several combinations produced more stable readings on prepared materials than those using older industrial designs.

However, the results did not resolve the fourth-rune problem.

During a research meeting, one scientist presented a sample containing four complete patterns.

"This combination stayed stable through every test we ran," he said. "We’ve tried it six times now."

The medical director examined the records.

"That happened with the earlier combinations too. The prepared samples were fine, but the subjects still died."

"I’m aware of that. I thought the Flow-Balance Rune might reduce the interference."

"Maybe it does on these samples. But we haven’t shown that it prevents the reaction inside a living mind."

The researcher nodded and opened the earlier failure records.

"Then I’ll compare the readings with those from the last fourth-rune experiments. There might be something different in how the patterns respond."

The director approved the additional investigation but maintained the suspension of live fourth-rune experiments.

Several more years passed as researchers continued studying different combinations.

Although some of the newly developed patterns demonstrated improved compatibility during laboratory testing, none provided a confirmed method of safely engraving a fourth rune.

The institute continued recognizing three mental engravings as the established limit under current technology.

Meanwhile, the research into original rune construction continued expanding.

Scientific institutions across Eldrath contributed new designs and experimental findings to a shared archive.

Industrial engineers used the growing collection to develop machinery for different applications, while the mental engraving researchers examined which patterns were suitable for implantation.

The scientists also began establishing formal procedures for testing new designs. Experimental runes were examined in machinery before being considered for mental engraving, and proposed combinations were evaluated using prepared materials before any living subject underwent a procedure.

At the central institute, the lead rune designer gathered several researchers to discuss the next stage of their work.

Most of the runes successfully engraved into goblin minds had originally been designed for industrial equipment.

Even the newly developed Flow-Balance Rune had been created for machinery before researchers adapted it for mental engraving.

The designer brought up the original Flow-Balance diagram and placed its revised version beside it. Several sections had been moved or rearranged to prevent interference with the Mindmark.

"Look how much we had to change," she said, pointing between the two designs. "We nearly had to redraw the whole thing just to make it work beside a Mindmark."

An engineer leaned toward the display.

"Well, it was built for a machine. We weren’t thinking about putting it in someone’s head when we designed it."

"That’s what bothers me. We keep taking industrial runes and changing them until they’ll fit. Why don’t we design one for the mind in the first place?"

The engineer scrolled through the compatibility records, stopping at several patterns that had passed the institute’s engraving tests.

"That could work. We’ve already got a decent list of arrangements that don’t interfere with the Mindmark." He glanced back at her. "What would the new rune actually do, though?"

"I haven’t decided. I’d like to work out a stable design first. There’s no use choosing a function if the pattern falls apart the moment we engrave it."

The engineer opened another record.

"Then I’d start with these. They’re the ones that stayed stable during the second- and third-rune tests."

The research director approached while they were comparing the diagrams.

"What are you working on?"

"We’re thinking of developing a rune specifically for mental engraving," the designer explained. "Instead of modifying another industrial pattern, we’d use the compatibility results to design something new."

The director studied the records on the display.

"Have you started drawing it?"

"Not yet. We’re going through the patterns that performed well during implantation. There are several arrangements we could use."

"All right. Go through the failed combinations too. Some of those patterns looked fine until we added another rune."

"We’ve got those records here," the engineer replied. "We’ll compare them before putting together the first design."

The director nodded and returned to the other researchers.

The designers continued reviewing the compatibility archive, marking arrangements they could incorporate into a new pattern and excluding those associated with unstable engravings. They opened a new design file and began drawing the first proposed structure.

Noah observed their work through his planetary connection. The goblins had begun studying mana using the industrial runes supplied through the original knowledge package. They could now create their own patterns, identify compatible combinations, and develop designs intended specifically for mental engraving.

At the central institute, the researchers continued working on the first rune designed from the beginning for implantation within a goblin’s mind.