Chapter 284: Suitable Alternative

"Finally!"

Caelestra’s exclamation escaped with such genuine enthusiasm that a small smile bloomed across her face. Had her hands not been occupied with the Essence Crystals, the silver-haired Merchant might have applauded Regaleon’s decision.

She had watched him deliberate over the matter for long enough that his eventual agreement felt almost like the successful conclusion of a particularly troublesome negotiation.

"Since you’ve finally decided to experiment with the crystals, then I suppose we should begin immediately."

"Uhm, Caelestra, please don’t use the word experiment around me. It stresses me out."

Regaleon’s caution carried a faintly embarrassed quality, although the apprehension in his golden eyes was unmistakable.

Evidently, he had yet to reconcile himself entirely with the idea of substituting Essence Crystals for Aether Cores, and describing his undertaking as an experiment only served to emphasize the uncertainty surrounding it.

There was something rather peculiar about how a single word could make a perfectly reasonable decision suddenly feel like an invitation to disaster.

Caelestra’s enthusiasm subsided slightly when she noticed his expression.

"Oh, I’m sorry. I was just too excited."

Her apology was sincere, although the small smile lingering on her lips suggested that she found his discomfort somewhat amusing.

For someone who could confront danger with a commendable degree of composure, Regaleon possessed a surprisingly human weakness for situations in which he could not predict the outcome.

As a matter of fact, Caelestra was probably looking forward to his Soul Essences’ advancement even more than the Forgotten Knight himself.

Ever since she had witnessed his Halberd evolve from Baron Tier to Viscount Tier, the phenomenon had occupied a particularly prominent place in her thoughts.

The transformation had been extraordinary enough to capture her attention, but learning that Regaleon could apparently facilitate such an advancement by allowing his Soul Essences to absorb Aether Cores had only deepened her fascination.

The mysterious reddish energy they could also absorb from slain creatures had added another layer to the puzzle.

Caelestra had spent much of her life cultivating her own abilities, carefully managing resources and searching for opportunities to strengthen her Soul Essence so watching Regaleon circumvent some of those limitations had naturally stirred a rather uncomfortable mixture of curiosity and envy within her.

Aetherium alone knew how jealous she had been.

The ability to increase the Tier of a Soul Essence was not merely a convenient advantage. It was the sort of opportunity that could transform a practitioner’s future, elevating an ordinary talent into something extraordinary.

People would fight desperately for such a privilege, and powerful factions might readily sacrifice fortunes, armies, or entire territories to obtain even the smallest fragment of knowledge that made it possible.

Great Kingdoms could wage wars over less.

Although Veyrath had previously suggested that he possessed a method of improving their Soul Essences, Caelestra’s confidence in the failed Alchemist had deteriorated considerably after his recent behaviour.

His conduct had not merely been disappointing; it had been an egregious display of unreliability. Whatever knowledge he possessed, entrusting him with something so consequential would require considerably more faith than she was presently willing to extend.

Veyrath, meanwhile, appeared blissfully unconcerned with the doubts surrounding his reputation.

The auburn-haired Alchemist remained engrossed in replenishing his depleted Aether reserves, concentrating on the Aether Cores with the earnestness of a man who had decided that cultivation was preferable to answering uncomfortable questions.

His cauldron had already consumed considerable energy during their earlier battle, and he seemed determined to restore his reserves before another crisis deprived him of the opportunity.

Aureleah and the others were similarly occupied, each making use of the Aether Cores Caelestra had distributed. The ruined temple had become a temporary refuge where the survivors could recover their strength, although the scattered corpses and lingering stench made it an exceptionally uninviting place to do so.

Sylveris, however, was not among those cultivating.

As she had yet to become an Awakener, the fourteen-year-old girl could not absorb Aether through the same methods as the others. Instead, she had attached herself to Aelric, who appeared to be enduring a different kind of ordeal.

From where Regaleon sat, he could see the green-eyed youth wearing the thoroughly exhausted expression of someone who had discovered that surviving a battle against monstrous creatures was considerably easier than entertaining an inquisitive teenager.

Sylveris, for her part, seemed entirely oblivious to the inconvenience she was causing.

Considering Aelric’s usual indifference towards almost everything, Regaleon suspected that the youth’s present predicament might be the closest thing to punishment the Nether Lands could offer him without introducing another monster.

Caelestra eventually held out the Essence Crystals.

Regaleon accepted them carefully, examining their translucent surfaces before raising his head to meet her gaze. The crystals felt cool against his fingers, their smooth exteriors concealing the concentrated Aether within.

"Thank you, Caelestra. I really appreciate this."

For once, the silver-haired Merchant did not respond with a teasing remark or attempt to extract an amusing concession from him. Instead, she offered a small, genuine smile, although there was something inscrutable in her expression that Regaleon could not quite identify.

"There’s no need for that. Just make sure you put them to good use. Besides, if you manage to advance your Halberd with them, you can consider that repayment for my efforts."

Regaleon returned her smile without adding any superfluous assurances. He understood that Caelestra was not offering the crystals merely to earn his gratitude, and he had no intention of diminishing her generosity by turning the moment into an exchange of unnecessary pleasantries.

With the crystals secured in his hands, he moved away and searched for a relatively clear patch of flagstones. Finding one near a fractured pillar, he lowered himself into a lotus position and arranged the crystals before him.

The stone beneath him retained some warmth, the lingering heat having displaced the chill that had once settled across the temple floor.

Nearby, the bodies of the Ratchyrs lay in disordered heaps, their twisted limbs and leathery wings forming an unpleasant reminder of the battle that had only recently ended.

It was hardly an ideal environment for cultivation.

Nevertheless, Regaleon had no intention of postponing the attempt any longer than necessary. His Soul Essences remained restless, their persistent hunger pressing against his consciousness with an insistence that made ignoring them increasingly difficult.

Whatever had begun during the battle had clearly not concluded, and he wanted to discover whether the Essence Crystals could provide the energy required to complete their advancement.

However, before he could even begin, he encountered an unexpected obstacle.

Unlike Aether Cores, whose energy could generally be absorbed through conventional cultivation methods, Essence Crystals required a slightly different approach.

Their Aether was concentrated within a comparatively stable structure, and simply directing his cultivation towards them produced little meaningful result.

Regaleon frowned at the crystals.

He could sense the energy within them, but sensing it and extracting it were two entirely different matters. It was rather like knowing that a locked chest contained a fortune while possessing no key to open it. The wealth was present, the opportunity was undeniable, and yet neither fact was particularly helpful if he could not access what lay inside.

Caelestra noticed his difficulty and promptly crouched beside him.

"You’re trying to absorb the energy directly, aren’t you?"

Regaleon glanced at her. "Is that not what I’m supposed to do?"

"Not quite. Essence Crystals aren’t Aether Cores. You can’t expect them to behave identically simply because they contain the same energy."

There was a trace of amusement in her voice, but she quickly adopted a more instructive tone.

Since Caelestra was the only member of their group with practical experience extracting and manipulating the crystals’ energy, she was naturally the best person to guide him through the process. Her Coins depended on the Aether contained within these materials, and she had long since developed a method for drawing that energy out without compromising its usefulness.

She explained the principles behind her technique, describing how she directed a controlled flow of Aether towards the crystal to loosen its internal structure and encourage the stored energy to emerge.

Although she had originally developed the method to facilitate the production of her Coins, its underlying principles could also be applied to extracting the Aether for cultivation.

Regaleon listened attentively, committing each instruction to memory before attempting to reproduce the process.

His first attempt yielded little more than a faint shimmer across the crystal’s surface.

He adjusted the flow of Aether and tried again, taking care not to overwhelm the crystal with excessive force. The process demanded a degree of precision he had not anticipated, and he gradually refined his approach until the faint shimmer became a steady glow.

Light began spreading from the crystal’s centre towards its outer edges.

Regaleon felt the energy within it stirring in response to his efforts, the stable structure that contained it gradually loosening. He maintained his concentration, carefully guiding the process and preventing the emerging energy from dispersing before he could absorb it.

Then, at last, he felt it... Aether.

The energy flowed from the Essence Crystal in a thin, luminous stream, entering his body and spreading through his Aether Veins. The sensation was familiar, yet subtly different from absorbing an ordinary Aether Core.

There was a distinct resonance to it, a quality that reminded him of the energy he had encountered while cultivating at the Essence Pool.

Regaleon barely had time to examine the difference.

The moment the Aether entered his body, his Soul Essences stirred. Their previously restless hunger surged with renewed intensity, and the energy he had drawn from the crystal was seized almost immediately, vanishing into their depths before it could replenish his depleted reserves.

His golden eyes widened slightly.

It was working.

Whether the Essence Crystals could provide enough energy to complete their evolution remained to be seen, but his Soul Essences had unmistakably responded to the Aether they contained.

Regaleon tightened his grip on the crystal and continued drawing out its energy. As the last of its luminous contents began to flow into his body, the strange agitation within his Soul Essences grew stronger, as though something deep within them had finally found the nourishment it had been desperately seeking...