[ — Fate Index —
Grim Cypher: Vibro Domain
The Grimlock is able to summon a formless barrier and manipulate all vibrations within it.
i) Reality Resonance: The universe runs on vibrations at the deepest level. Everything has a natural frequency. The Grimlock can deduce and master them all.
ii) Harmony Heal: By inducing controlled harmonic resonance within living systems, the Grimlock can stabilize disrupted biological vibrations, accelerating cellular regeneration and restoring structural coherence.
iii) Echo Guard: The domain protects Grimlock without conscious input.
Notes:
i) The form and size of the barrier will depend on the will and Gion provided by the Grimlock.
ii) When Echo Guard is on, the barrier will consume double the Gion to function. And consumption will increase the frequency of hostile attacks.]
Within the card chamber, I equipped the Grim Cypher Vibro Domain in the second slot, while the Grim Cypher Dream Engine occupied the first slot of Multi Fate. Thanks to the Flawless mastery granted by Crowned Fate, I was able to instinctively execute the two Grim Cyphers in tandem, seamlessly syncing them together. In doing so, I manipulated the Vibro Domain as naturally as operating within the Dream Domain.
The Vibro Domain functioned as the raw force, while the Dream Engine served as the control and coordination layer, translating intent into structured execution. I remained the final authority, the decision maker at the core of the system. With nothing more than a thought, the Dream Engine would interpret my intent and direct the Vibro Domain to carry it out with precision.
This synergy was only possible due to crowned fate and partially because the Dream Engine already possessed all the necessary data, data I had previously gathered, analyzed, and prepared in advance.
The Vibro Domain I summoned formed a dome with a two-meter radius. Given my current Gion reserves, I could sustain it for approximately three hours. Without further delay, I seized one of the Duskmouth cocoons and directed the Dream Engine to deploy the Vibro Domain in a controlled resonance extraction sequence, extracting and refining the silk contained within the cocoon while mixing my gion ink in it, to increase its gion conductivity.
Based on the data I had collected, the major MNCs relied on massive formation arrays to conduct resonance extraction on a large scale. These arrays allowed them to process numerous cocoons simultaneously, maximizing silk yield while minimizing processing time. While I lacked access to such formation arrays, I possessed something far more adaptable: the Vibro Domain.
This was my first attempt at executing the process, so I treated it as a test run and limited the operation to a single cocoon. If the extraction proved successful, I would then expand the procedure to encompass all remaining cocoons at once.
The greatest advantage of using a Vibro Domain instead of a formation array was the level of customization it allowed. Unlike rigid large-scale arrays, the Vibro Domain let me apply the same hands-on control once exercised by the old-fashioned card crafters who forged Napcoon cards from scratch. I could precisely determine the silk's thickness, coloration, and resonance profile to match the specific design requirements of the Napcoon cards I intended to create.
Napcoon cards had existed for so long that a vast library of copyright-free designs was readily available, along with sufficient technical documentation to implement them accurately. This abundance of accessible patterns and data was one of the primary reasons I chose Napcoon cards as my entry point for practicing card craft.
Within a few minutes, making use of the right ratio of various coloring and finisher ingredients, my first roll of the Duskmouth silk had been fully extracted and processed. It was of glossy platinum-color and ready for use. I inspected it carefully for flaws or imperfections, yet found none. The quality of the silk was nothing short of flawless.
To purchase a single roll of Duskmouth silk of this caliber on the market, I would have needed to pay nearly three times what I had spent on half a dozen Duskmouth cocoons. The disparity was staggering as it was popular in the market as the best substitute for steel cables. From this alone, it was clear that I could sustain myself by selling flawless-grade Duskmouth silk.
However, the true profits lay not in the raw material, but in the finished cards. Unless the cards I crafted reached at least fine craft quality, preferably flawless craft, I would barely break even compared to the returns from selling the silk directly.
I therefore decided to put further silk extraction on hold and focus on crafting a complete Napcoon card from start to finish. Only after doing so would I determine how best to allocate the remaining cocoons, go ahead with my previous plan or tailor the silk extraction to actual market demand.
While I had purchased the cocoons primarily to practice my card craft, my finances left little room for indulgence. I had already spent money I didn't have on crafting my gioncore card. If I wanted to continue acquiring materials and refining my craft, this endeavor needed to generate returns. Only then could the process sustain itself, turning practice into a continuous, self-funding cycle. Otherwise, I would be forced to wait for my next payday or borrow money simply to continue practicing card craft.
The roll of Duskmouth silk laid out before me contained more than enough material to produce three Napcoon cards of the design I had selected. In other words, I had three attempts to achieve a fine or flawless card.
Only by crafting a card with that durability would me crafting the cards yield greater profit than selling the single roll of flawless-quality Duskmouth silk outright.
The design I selected as the basis for my Napcoon card was known as Sleeping Beauty Napcoon. In addition to the standard camouflage and recovery effects common to most Napcoons, this variant possessed an enhanced restorative effect to skin referred to as beauty sleep.
For obvious reasons, this particular design was extremely popular among female Grimlocks. Flawlessly crafted versions of the Sleeping Beauty Napcoon card consistently commanded premium markups and still sold out within the same day. Even on this Earth, cosmetics and beauty-related products remained perennial bestsellers.
In other words, if everything unfolded according to plan, the potential returns were nothing short of a fortune.