Chapter 279: Asking For Aether Cores

Since the Aether Cores he had consumed had proved insufficient to trigger his Soul Essences’ ascension, Regaleon eventually abandoned his efforts and considered asking for more.

He had hesitated at first, largely because he was uncertain how the others might perceive such a request, but the possibility of advancement was too tempting to dismiss merely because the necessary resources had run out.

After all, if his Soul Essences were genuinely approaching a breakthrough, allowing the opportunity to slip away would be an exercise in spectacular foolishness.

With that thought in mind, Regaleon rose from his lotus position and turned towards the silver-haired Merchant, who appeared to be inspecting the contents of her Treasure Chest...

Unlike most of the group, Caelestra showed few signs of exhaustion, with Sylveris being the only other notable exception. The young girl had spent much of the battle conserving her strength as she fought behind Valmyr, whereas Caelestra had entrusted the bulk of the fighting to her Coin Legion.

Consequently, the failed Merchant had emerged from the encounter with considerably more energy than those who had personally crossed blades and claws with the Ratchyrs.

Her attention, however, was occupied by a different matter.

The battle had cost her a number of Coins. Some had been launched as projectiles, only to be crushed beneath the Ratchyrs’ incisors or shattered by their claws. Others had been sacrificed to activate her Coin Legion, leaving her with fewer Coins than she had possessed before the fighting began.

Under ordinary circumstances, such losses might have warranted a lengthy lamentation. Caelestra, however, was not particularly troubled.

This is because her Essence Crystal reserves had grown considerably, and she now possessed more than she could reasonably put to use. Even if her supply eventually ran low, she could always attempt to persuade Aelric to lead them back to the Essence Pool’s den for another collection expedition.

Whether Aelric would entertain that proposal was an entirely different question.

Knowing the green-eyed youth, he would probably consider the suggestion an insult to his precious leisure time.

Caelestra had not forgotten how little enthusiasm he had displayed when discussing their journey to the Sanctuary, so expecting him to organize another excursion merely to replenish her inventory would be optimistic, to put it generously, especially when it was a place that housed one of the largest other Anima group they had came across since their time in the Nether Lands.

Nevertheless, the loss of her Coins was hardly enough to spoil her mood. What truly deserved her attention was the number of Essence Crystals she possessed, and she was currently checking that inventory with the concentration of a treasurer examining the accounts of a kingdom on the brink of bankruptcy.

"Caelestra." Regaleon called out when he was only a few steps away.

The silver-haired Merchant paused in her inspection before glancing over her shoulder. One delicate eyebrow rose as she regarded him, her expression suggesting that she was prepared to hear either a reasonable request or an unnecessarily complicated explanation.

"Yes? What do you want, Regaleon?"

"Do you have any Aether Cores left?"

For the first time since he had approached, Caelestra appeared genuinely caught off guard.

She stared at him for a moment, as though wondering whether the battle had damaged her hearing or whether he had somehow mistaken her for an inexhaustible treasury.

Her gaze then drifted towards the spot where she had distributed the Aether Cores earlier. Several drained crystals lay scattered across the flagstones, their former radiance extinguished after he had absorbed the energy within them.

When she looked back at Regaleon, her curiosity had sharpened.

"What do you need them for?"

Her question was reasonable enough. Aether Cores were valuable resources, particularly in the Nether Lands, where opportunities to replenish one’s reserves were rarely accompanied by comfortable surroundings or a guarantee of survival.

Caelestra had distributed them carefully, ensuring that everyone received enough to recover without wasting their limited supply.

In Regaleon’s case, she had even been particularly generous.

Apart from Vaelorin and Kaeloris, both of whom had received more Aether Cores than they might ordinarily have needed, the silver-haired Knight had been among the largest beneficiaries of her distribution. She had watched him fight throughout the encounter, and the sheer amount of effort he had invested was difficult to overlook.

Even Valmyr, who had spent much of the battle protecting Sylveris while holding off their attackers, had not been the only person whose expenditure of energy deserved consideration.

Regaleon had earned his share.

Caelestra had therefore decided that giving him additional Cores was a sensible investment, although she would never have described the decision as charity. Generosity was admirable, but generosity with an appreciation for circumstances was considerably more sustainable.

"Are the Cores I gave you insufficient for your recovery?" she asked, tilting her head as she examined him from head to toe. "Or do you need them for something else?"

Regaleon could hardly blame her for asking.

He was, after all, a rather convincing advertisement for the brutality of their recent battle.

His appearance suggested that he had not merely fought a horde of grotesque creatures but had subsequently fallen into a cesspool and struggled his way out through several layers of decomposing refuse.

It was not an ordinary cesspool, either. The sort of place he resembled having visited would have contained enough stagnant filth, rotting flesh, and unidentifiable biological matter to make even the most adventurous scavenger reconsider their life choices.

His armour was chipped in numerous places, with several deep grooves marking the surfaces where the Ratchyrs’ Stour Gnaw had tested its resilience.

The Count Tier Soul Essence had protected him from injuries that might otherwise have proved disastrous, but protection was not the same as preservation of appearances. Black blood coated portions of the armour, mingling with dust, grime, and the remains of creatures that had met their end beneath his halberd.

His silver hair was no better off.

Strands that ordinarily fell in a neat disarray around his face were now matted with blood and sweat, while smudges of blackened grime streaked his cheeks and jaw. The pallor of his face made the dark stains more conspicuous, and his golden eyes, visible beneath the dishevelled strands, gleamed with a tired intensity that contrasted sharply with the state of the rest of him.

If his appearance had been intended to inspire confidence in the dignity of knighthood, it had failed spectacularly.

Nevertheless, the sight of him also conveyed something that no amount of polished armour or noble bearing could have communicated. The battle had been vicious, exhausting, and uncomfortably close to disaster. Regaleon’s battered equipment and bloodstained appearance were a testament to the effort required to survive it.

Regaleon scratched the back of his neck.

A fleeting embarrassment crossed his eyes, although whether it stemmed from her question or the request he was about to make remained uncertain. After a moment, he released a quiet sigh.

"Actually, it isn’t for my recovery. I need them for something more personal."

The words emerged more cautiously than he had intended.

There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, accompanied by an awkwardness that he rarely displayed when discussing matters of battle.

Asking for resources to survive was one thing; asking for them to pursue a personal ambition was quite another, especially when everyone present had expended considerable effort merely to emerge alive.

Regaleon was painfully aware of that distinction.

Aether Cores were valuable cultivation resources, and he had already requested some the previous day under the pretext of improving his Soul Essence Tiers. Today, Caelestra had once again allocated him a generous share, presumably believing that he needed the energy to recover from the battle.

Yet he had used every last Core without replenishing his reserves to any meaningful degree.

Worse still, the reason had little to do with his immediate survival. He wanted to feed his Soul Essences until one of them finally crossed the threshold he suspected was within reach. If his instincts were correct, the resulting advancement could bring him closer to resolving the persistent disparity between his Halberd and Armour.

It was an opportunity he desperately wanted to pursue, but that did not make the resources any less valuable to the others.

A faint uneasiness settled in his chest as he considered how his request might sound. He did not wish to appear entitled, nor did he want Caelestra to believe he regarded her generosity as an inexhaustible privilege.

The thought of having to explain why he needed more Cores after consuming so many already was uncomfortable enough without imagining the reactions of the rest of the group.

Then Caelestra’s expression changed.

Her brows drew together, and the curiosity in her eyes gave way to an assessing stare that was neither openly hostile nor particularly reassuring. It was the look of a merchant who had just discovered that a promising customer might also be an expensive liability.

Regaleon’s heart skipped a beat.

For one brief, unfortunate moment, his thoughts scattered in several directions at once as he tried to anticipate what she might say. He could explain the situation honestly, offer a carefully measured account of his intentions, or attempt to make the request sound less extravagant than it truly was.

Unfortunately, none of those possibilities seemed especially promising.

And as Caelestra continued to regard him with that increasingly suspicious expression, Regaleon’s mind raced through several scenarios...