[Chapter 269: Whispers in the Crystal]

Searanox collapsed onto the velvet sofa positioned against one of the polished granite pillars on the highest floor of his central tower. The rich, crimson fabric absorbed his weight, issuing a weary sigh of compressed air. His gaze swept over the opulent, cavernous space. The distant, rhythmic hum of internal machinery echoed through the massive spire. Silence pressed in around him. The grand room featured vaulted ceilings adorned with intricate carvings. Huge bay windows offered a panoramic view of the settlement below, but the sight offered him zero comfort.

`I keep losing vital resources. First, I lost control of my outer dungeons. Now, I have lost two active combat teams. If this attrition continues, the daily drain on CP will become unsustainable. The city's reserves would remain stable for the time being, considering the daily cost dropped thanks to the harvest the automated drones bring in. But this fragile balance cannot endure. I lack a clear path forward.`

The bitter realization rang hollow in his exhausted mind. He possessed zero immediate solutions. His total TP reserves were inching upward after he spent a fortune summoning new defensive drones for the settlement. That sluggish regeneration served as a frustrating reminder of his limited capabilities. He needed to clear the newly spawned dungeons before the encroaching Empire forces cleared them first. Their scout units were already probing the outer edges of his established territory, acting like ravenous wolves testing the structural integrity of a wooden fence. Beyond that immediate threat, he still needed to venture into the nodes surrounding the city. Furthermore, the deeper floors of the Labyrinth demanded exploration. To compound all of these external pressures, his own citizens continued to undermine their collective survival with their petty, internal squabbles and endless, shortsighted demands for better living conditions.

`This is fucking great, why can't it be as simple as in the beginning... I could work on my Magitech understanding, level up my job class.`

He flexed his fingers. The armored gauntlets felt incredibly heavy, despite their lightweight nature. Upon second thought, dedicating a single hour to his personal progression would yield zero tangible benefits. Establishing a functional workshop required an investment of more than an hour.

He leaned his head back against the soft sofa cushions. The velvet texture felt cool against the exposed skin of his neck while his thoughts spiraled down a dark, familiar rabbit hole of logistics and warfare.

`I could gear out the girls and Iris with the loot confiscated from the empire.`

He traced the vivid memory of the confiscated weapons and armor plating stored in the vault below. Each individual piece represented a potential lifeline for his companions in the heat of battle. Ultimately, distributing the gear would alter very little. They possessed the power to clear the dungeon without the need for supplementary equipment. A faint, genuine smile touched his lips for a fraction of a second. Personal pride warred with practicality. He suspected they could obliterate the beasts on the second floor of the Labyrinth utilizing nothing but their innate skills.

His armored fingers drummed against the wooden armrest of the sofa, establishing a staccato rhythm born of intense, restless energy. Then again, the extra defensive stats would provide a significant advantage in the deeper, more treacherous zones of the Labyrinth. The tempting thought lingered in his mind, but he pushed it aside, postponing the decision as the crushing weight of more pressing, immediate concerns settled back onto his shoulders.

Seeking a momentary distraction, he summoned a basic reconnaissance drone. The familiar hum of mechanical activation vibrated through the air as a metallic sphere materialized beside his shoulder. Thanks to his accumulated system boons, maintaining the construct cost him a mere single point. That incredible efficiency offered a small comfort in the grand scheme of things. The small, spherical orb drifted out through the open balcony doors. Its polished metallic shell caught the bright light of the midday sun as it descended toward the streets below. He watched the sprawling cityscape rise up to meet the drone's descent, directing the machine's flight path down toward the commercial district, specifically targeting the shop belonging to Zibnak.

`Come on, my green-skinned friend. Open your shop. I have some valuable merchandise for you to appraise.`

He projected the thought outward through the mental link, a futile gesture born of frustration and desperate need. The drone continued its rapid descent. What the visual feed revealed was the exact same darkened storefront as before. The familiar goblin merchant was nowhere to be seen. The area surrounding the shop appeared abandoned.

`Still closed.`

The simple observation echoed in his mind, acting as a disappointing refrain in the endless symphony of his daily struggles. He let out a deep sigh. The sound vanished into the vast expanse of the hall. Reluctantly, he severed the psychic connection with the small reconnaissance drone. The vivid memories of the city streets faded into the dark background of his consciousness, leaving him alone in the quiet room once more.

As he sat on the sofa, consumed by the weight of his mounting responsibilities, a familiar voice cut through the silence of his thoughts. The telepathic transmission possessed a sharp, insistent edge.

<Searanox, could you come to the Storage floor. Clara has asked for your presence; its urgent.>

He pushed his frame off the velvet sofa. The rich fabric whispered as his weight shifted and released the cushions. He closed his eyes, taking one final second of total isolation. Then, with a long, decisive stride, he crossed the polished granite floor toward the node stone.

In a flash of energy that left vibrant spots dancing in his vision, he materialized on the storage floor of the spire. He scanned the chamber and spotted Iris standing near three unorganized piles of salvaged armor, weapons, and a chaotic assortment of items that caught the artificial light of the room. Clara stood a few steps away, positioned beside the wooden sorting table. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her hazel eyes were wide, a mixture of terror and awe.

"Specify the problem," Searanox demanded. His deep voice shattered the tense silence of the storage vault. His tone remained clipped and professional as he walked toward the two women, his armored boots ringing out against the stone floor.

"It is... My Lord, this crystal... it spoke to me." Clara's voice was barely a whisper. A trembling, undeniable fear laced her words. She turned her body toward him. Her slender, fragile hands clutched a smooth crystal. The item pulsed with a otherworldly inner light.

"The crystal spoke?" Searanox narrowed his eyes. He shifted his piercing gaze away from the trembling girl and focused on Iris. The wolf-like companion remained impassive, acting as a silent sentinel in the shadows of the loot piles.

Iris's voice echoed directly into his mind.

<It appears that she has found a communication device.> Iris's voice echoed in his mind, a silent stream of thought. <Don't speak of anything of importance, you never know if they are listening.>

"Clara, detail everything that occurred," his command left no room for hesitation, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of genuine curiosity.

Clara kept her iron grip on the crystal sphere. Her knuckles turned stark white from the intense pressure. "I was sorting the new inventory, exactly as you ordered. While cataloging, a voice manifested from the glass. The voice demanded to speak with an individual named Pandora. I picked the object up and peered inside. The visual... it looked like a devil." Her voice cracked and broke on the final word. Her eyes widened even further as the traumatic memory of the demonic visage flashed through her mind.

"Did this entity say anything else?" he pressed the issue, keeping his tone low, measured, and devoid of any panic.

"No, My Lord. Following your previous standing orders, I abandoned the task and ran to fetch Iris. When we returned to the table, the demonic figure had vanished from the glass. Iris informed me the object functions as a tool to converse with individuals over immense distances." She extended her arms, offering the crystal to Searanox.

Searanox closed the remaining distance. His presence felt overwhelming in the confined space between them. He stretched out his right hand. His gauntleted fingers closed around the smooth surface of the crystal. A brilliant flash of light illuminated the dim storage vault for a fraction of a second. The item vanished from Clara's trembling hands, absorbed into the spatial storage ring on his finger. The room plunged back into heavy silence. The crushing weight of the unknown threat hung thick in the cool air.

"I will keep it secured inside my spatial storage ring. We lack the means to trace the connection at this current moment. Storing it in a dimensional void is the only method I can think of to prevent the enemy from gathering intelligence on our operations. They already possess knowledge regarding my identity and the city," Searanox stated. He walked toward the heavy wooden table. The polished surface reflected his expression. He ran his armored hand across the smooth wood, his fingertips tracing the natural grain as his mind rapidly cataloged the implications of this new, unseen threat.

"They know your identity and our location? How did they acquire this information?" Iris asked. Her calm facade shattered. Her silver eyes widened with alarm. Her pointed ears twitched as the weight of his words settled upon her mind. The instincts that governed her existence flared to life with burning intensity. The very air surrounding her frame seemed to crackle with questions. Her tail gave an involuntary flick, striking the stone floor with a sharp crack.

"One of the captives leaked the intelligence to them. I lack the timeline of when the transmission occurred, but the captive confessed the action to me during interrogation. I am already upgrading the city's defenses. Panic is unnecessary. I doubt they would launch a full-scale invasion against the city in the immediate future." He paused, shifting his attention back to the terrified human girl. "Clara, resume your duties. If you discover any additional items resembling this crystal, seal them away inside a storage ring without hesitation."

He then turned his body to face Iris. His gaze remained unwavering. He dropped the volume of his voice, keeping the commands between the two of them. "Gather the girls and every single silver-rank combatant available. Lead them down into the Labyrinth. Clear all beasts roaming the second floor. Stay away from the ruins located on that level. Focus your attention on the beasts. Be warned, a portion of the creatures possess aerial mobility, while others burrow beneath the earth and disguise themselves as mundane rocks."

He took a step closer, emphasizing the gravity of the mission. "Pack a good amount of drinking water. If you determine the silver-ranks possess the competence to survive without your direct intervention, divide the forces. They need to accelerate their leveling process. Any hand-holding will breed weakness."

While issuing the final commands, he unclasped the ruby earring from his earlobe. He placed the metal into her waiting paw. A faint pulse of blue light washed over her hand as she absorbed the jewelry into her own storage ring.

"I require their levels pushed above level fifteen," he added. His cold tone brooked zero arguments or excuses. The stated requirement hung in the air.

"Your commands suggest you are preparing for an all-out war," Iris observed. Her voice dropped to a low rumble, barely above a whisper, yet the sound carried the immense weight of her unspoken fears. Her razor-sharp claws extended a fraction from her fingertips in a subconscious display of aggression before she forced them to retract. The scent of her own rising anxiety filled her keen senses.

Searanox stared deep into her silver eyes. His own facial expression hardened, settling into an unbreakable mask of determination. Any lingering trace of the faint warmth she occasionally witnessed in his gaze vanished, replaced by look he held on the day he reached level ten.

"That is because I am."