Chapter 956: Two Minds

Dylan traced a secondary connection running beneath the main regulating network.

"See this?"

Ariana leaned closer.

The line was faint, partly obscured by damage to the old record. It appeared to branch away from the central circulation system before reconnecting near one of the outer stabilizing assemblies.

"We assumed these were auxiliary distribution channels," Dylan continued. "Redundant pathways for emergency power routing. But their placement doesn’t make sense for ordinary distribution."

He pointed toward the repaired mechanism beside the central vessel.

"They connect to the regulating lattice before the crystal’s primary output junction. And this assembly isn’t merely a secondary valve. It’s designed to accept a separate Myst input."

Ariana’s gaze sharpened.

"External regulation."

Dylan stopped speaking.

For a moment, he simply looked at her.

Then his grin widened.

"Exactly."

Ariana straightened.

"The secondary channels aren’t meant to distribute stored Myst," she said, the implications coming together rapidly. "They’re meant to power the regulating lattice independently during maintenance."

"Or emergency restoration," Dylan added.

"Which means..."

She looked toward the inactive crystal.

’Oh, that clever bastard.’

Her eyes widened behind her glasses.

"We don’t need to restore the crystal’s full capacity first."

Dylan folded his arms with immense satisfaction.

"No, we do not."

"We only need enough external Myst to activate the regulating lattice and establish the first stable circulation cycle."

"And once the crystal begins maintaining its own charge..."

"The temporary supply can gradually be reduced as its internal circulation takes over."

Dylan pointed at her enthusiastically.

"Now we’re talking!"

Ariana was already reaching for her previous calculations.

"Wait. That explains the deviation in the third test."

Dylan leaned over the table.

"The one with the altered conduit response?"

"Yes. We observed a temporary improvement in stability even though the crystal’s internal charge remained almost unchanged."

"Because the adjustment affected the return channel."

"Not the crystal itself."

They looked at each other.

Then back at the diagram.

Ariana began turning pages.

"If the bypass is functional, we can establish a temporary regulating cycle without relying on the crystal’s output. But we’d need to isolate the main distribution network first."

Dylan nodded immediately.

"Otherwise the external supply spreads into the upper conduits instead of remaining within the regulating lattice."

"Which would waste energy and introduce fluctuations before the crystal can support them."

"Exactly."

Ariana tapped a formula with one finger.

"Then the stabilizing mixture needs to be adjusted. We designed it to help the crystal retain supplied Myst during direct activation. But under an externally regulated cycle, the return flow should already be controlled."

Dylan leaned closer.

"So we reduce the retention correction?"

"Partially. Not completely. The crystal’s internal channels are still deteriorated, and we don’t know how much structural stability remains."

"Then use the existing mixture as a starting point and adjust it for circulation rather than storage."

Ariana smiled.

"Yes. That should work better."

She paused.

"Although we’ll need to verify the bypass’s tolerances before attempting anything. If its original containment components are damaged, the external supply could fluctuate."

Dylan nodded.

"I can inspect the assembly and confirm which fittings still need reinforcement."

"And I’ll need the Alchemy team to prepare a modified stabilizing solution."

They continued.

Rapidly.

Far too rapidly for most of the chamber.

Ariana began discussing the sequence of Myst regulation, the conditions required for the first circulation cycle, and how the crystal’s internal response should be monitored as the external supply gradually stabilized the lattice.

Dylan answered with references to secondary conduits, isolation valves, pressure distribution, and the mechanical tolerances of the maintenance bypass.

One observation led immediately into another.

Neither needed the other to finish every sentence.

Ariana would identify an alchemical requirement, and Dylan would explain which physical mechanism could support it. Dylan would point out a limitation in the ancient infrastructure, and Ariana would adjust the proposed Myst flow to account for it.

The discussion became increasingly abbreviated as both students realized they were working from the same understanding.

Several Alchemy students moved closer.

One began taking notes.

Another followed the explanation until Dylan mentioned a particular regulating assembly, at which point her expression became uncertain.

A Forgemastery student nodded through the engineering discussion, then frowned when Ariana began explaining how the stabilizing mixture would alter the crystal’s response.

Near the edge of the workstation, Sheila listened carefully.

’I understood the first part,’ she thought. ’I’m considerably less certain about the rest.’

Edith’s expression remained composed, although she had stopped attempting to follow every technical reference and was instead identifying the practical requirements emerging from the discussion.

More materials.

A separate power supply.

Inspection of the bypass.

A controlled activation sequence.

Those were things she could organize.

Liam watched Ariana and Dylan exchange another series of increasingly complicated observations.

He recognized several terms.

Myst circulation.

Regulation.

Stabilization.

Something about distribution pressure.

Beyond that, the conversation had become an impressive exercise in making ordinary language inaccessible.

’I understood approximately four words,’ he thought.

He reconsidered.

’Five, if I count crystal.’

Ariana pointed toward one of the diagrams and said something about maintaining the initial circulation phase without prematurely opening the distribution junction.

Dylan immediately responded with a correction involving the bypass’s secondary regulating assembly.

Liam looked toward Sheila.

Sheila looked toward Edith.

Edith looked at the notes in her hand.

’If anyone asks for my opinion,’ Liam decided, ’I’m recommending they continue speaking to the people who understand this nonsense.’

Fortunately, nobody asked.

Ariana finally paused.

She looked over the calculations they had assembled, then toward the central crystal.

The excitement in her expression remained, but she took a moment to organize her thoughts before turning toward the others.

"Alright. I think we have a workable approach."

Sheila stepped closer.

"Can you explain it simply?"

Ariana smiled.

"Of course."

She placed one hand against the engineering diagram.

"We’ve been trying to make the central crystal power the reservoir before restoring the mechanism that allows the crystal itself to maintain stable circulation."

She indicated the secondary channels.

"Dylan discovered that the original designers included a maintenance bypass. It should allow us to power the regulating lattice independently, without relying on the crystal."

"So we’ve been approaching the restoration backward?" Sheila asked.

"In a sense, yes," Ariana answered. "But our earlier work wasn’t wasted. We needed those experiments to establish the crystal’s condition and understand where its circulation was failing."

She looked toward the other Alchemy students.

"The formulas weren’t necessarily incorrect. We were applying them under operating conditions the system wasn’t designed to support."

Several students exchanged looks.

Then understanding began to spread.

"The return flow," one girl murmured.

Another looked down at her calculations. "That’s why the third mixture improved the response but never maintained it."

"Because the lattice wasn’t regulating the next cycle," someone else added.

Ariana nodded.

"Exactly."

A student near the outer workstation hurriedly retrieved a previous test record.

"Then we can reuse these measurements."

"And possibly part of the stabilizing mixture," another said.

Dylan leaned against the table with a satisfied expression.

"Look at that. All those hours of suffering were educational."

Ariana smiled at him.

"They were useful."

"Educational suffering. The finest kind."

The atmosphere in the chamber had changed.

The students were still exhausted, and the reservoir remained inactive, but the frustration that had settled over the operation was beginning to lift.

They had something concrete to attempt.

Not a vague hope that the next mixture might succeed.

A procedure supported by the system’s original engineering and the results of their own experiments.

Sheila looked toward Ariana.

"How long would the new process take?"

Ariana considered the question carefully.

"If the maintenance bypass is functional and the crystal responds as expected, approximately one to two hours."

Edith immediately looked up.

"Do we have enough materials?"

"For the initial procedure, I believe so. We should be able to modify one of the stabilizing mixtures we’ve already prepared rather than starting completely over."

"And the external Myst supply?"

"We’ll need controlled contributions from students with sufficient precision," Ariana said. "Not necessarily enormous reserves. Stability matters more than volume."

Dylan nodded.

"The bypass was built for maintenance. It shouldn’t require the kind of output needed to power the entire structure."

"But we need to verify that before using it," Ariana reminded him.

"Yes, yes. Inspect before celebrating. The usual tragedy."

Sheila considered the estimate.

"One to two hours. You’re confident?"

"Reasonably," Ariana answered. "I’ve worked with comparable stabilization principles before. Not a reservoir of this exact design, but the underlying circulation process is familiar."

She glanced toward several of the Alchemy students.

"And I’m not the only one. A few of us have experience with controlled Myst regulation. We can divide the stages and monitor different parts of the process."

Her expression became more thoughtful.

"The important thing is not to rush the transition. We have to establish the first stable cycle, confirm that the crystal can retain it, and only then begin reducing the external supply. Reconnecting the main distribution network too early could destabilize everything."

Sheila nodded.

"Then we do it properly."

Edith was already organizing the next steps.

"I’ll arrange the materials and make sure the necessary students remain available. Anyone not directly involved in the technical procedure can assist with preparation and transport."

"That would help," Ariana said gratefully.

"We’ll also need someone to keep the workspace clear during activation," Dylan added.

"That can be arranged."

Ariana returned to her notes.

"If we start preparing now, we should be able to begin the first controlled stage before sunset."