Two hours later.
Lucius finished assembling all the magical tools, but left a few parts out.
An hour later, he finished sanding them down, and they looked brand new—though they still didn't work.
Lucius looked up.
"Old man, it's almost ready. But since I've decided to fix a few, I want you to lend me three," he said.
"Already? How are they ready? You just sanded them down, and they don't even have any mana!" exclaimed the old man. "Who are you trying to fool?"
He pointed to one of the tools. "And if you combine that one like that, it's going to explode!"
'Does he know that much about tools?' Lucius looked at the one he was pointing to, the one that was going to explode.
He made it precisely for that purpose: to turn it into a magic mine that would explode at the slightest touch.
He hadn't expected the old man to know that.
"If it explodes, it means it works, right?" Lucius said.
The old man froze. That's true…
Lucius got straight to the point. "I'm looking for the Glass Moss Root and the Heavy Load Ant. I want you to help me find them."
The old man frowned and leaned back against the wall. "What do you want that toxic junk for? I can see you're on the brink of death, but you shouldn't kill yourself. Living until your last day is the least you can do to honor the pain your mother suffered."
Lucius shook his head. "If you don't know why I want it, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. I don't intend to kill myself; I'm looking to heal myself."
The old man looked up and tried to picture how a Glass Moss Root could heal anyone. He didn't understand.
In the end, he shrugged.
"There are plenty of those toxic things in the suburban landfill, near the barrier." He pointed in that direction. South of the city. "If you find a root, it's only a matter of time before you find the ant."
"Take me there."
"Take you?" The old usurer was alarmed. "Do you think I'm suicidal? Unlike you, who wants to die young, I still have a few months left to live, and I'm going to enjoy them to the fullest!"
"It won't kill you, don't worry. I just want you to take me safely to the place and come back. In return, I can help you heal and also restore more of these things to you. Although, of course, you'll have to lend me some."
"Heal?" The old usurer paused at those words. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I do. My words are never in vain." To prove his sincerity and expertise, Lucius grabbed a tool and finished assembling it.
Suddenly, mana flowed through the reddish-copper wires, and a message in the old usurer's The Link system changed:
[Copperwind Magic Tool]
[Status: Restored.]
[Ability to convert mana into copper wind attacks that easily penetrate armor.]
'!' His eyes sparkled, and the old usurer looked up.
He was a determined man. "I'll do it," he said immediately.
"Very well, take me there." Lucius smiled after restoring the other three.
Although the old usurer had some objections about wanting three, he said nothing. He guided Lucius through alleys and secret passageways he had learned during his time here, and in less than 30 minutes they were 10 meters from the barrier.
From here, he could see out into the distance.
They were floating in the sky, more than 100 meters above the ground.
'This island floats quite high,' Lucius noted; however, due to the high concentration of mana on the ground, he couldn't see what lay below.
To his left were some stairs leading to the area of the island closest to the ground.
"It's over there. It's called Zone 0, also known as The Veil. Walk straight ahead and you'll find it," the old usurer told him before turning away.
"Aren't you staying? You'll learn a lot from what I'm about to do."
"I'm not suicidal." The old usurer waved his hands and went on his way.
Within seconds, only Lucius remained in the spot.
Taking a deep breath, he understood the old usurer.
He didn't know how many times he'd already thought it, but… 'What horrible air.' It was much worse than in the Iron Suburbs.
Staying here for too long was deadly for any low-ranking living being.
He cleared his mind of intrusive thoughts and began to descend the stairs.
The three magic tools were in his hand when he finally touched the ground, stained black by residual mana. The sound of the pipes dumping waste mana from the large industries was deafening, and the environmental pollution made it hard to breathe.
For once, he doubted his own ability.
But he gritted his teeth when he saw his ranking.
[Local Ranking: #12,450,905 (Last).]
Clutching the magical tools, he walked nimbly through the polluted area.
15 minutes later.
His eyes lit up. "Glass Moss Root!" He recognized his target from a distance. There were many of them nearby, still growing.
He ran toward them and crouched down.
He scanned the area to make sure he was alone.
He didn't pull any up just yet. Instead, he began preparing his magical tools.
He had come here not only to obtain the root; he also needed the blood of that ant. For that reason, one of his wind-based magical tools was designed to spread the scent of the root and lure it in.
So he set up two of his magical tools nearby. One next to the most developed root. Another about five meters away, which he stuck into the ground.
Finally, he held the third one in his hand and walked away.
Around the Glass Moss Root—which was a root adorned with a beautiful, bright purple flower—there was a lot of toxic undergrowth growing. He used it to hide.
And he waited.
The magical tool next to the root began to work shortly afterward, sending out small gusts of wind carrying the scent of the mature root and all the growing roots.
While he waited, Lucius took the opportunity to check the stability of his core.
Core Stability: SEVERE (Cracks stabilizing. Recommendation: avoid sudden movements.)
He understood that he couldn't fight or run too much. So he had to be quick and precise in striking any ant that might come.
'I hope there aren't several of them.' He prayed silently.
Fortunately, Heavy Load Ants aren't known for traveling in groups. So the chances of encountering two were minimal.
The minutes ticked by. The passage of time and the hands of the clock were unstoppable. Lucius had to breathe as little as possible to avoid inhaling so much toxic air; but he still felt pain in his lungs.
Blood occasionally filled his nostrils.
He clenched his fists, growing a little impatient.
But then.
Thump!
Thump!
Lucius quickly turned to his left. From among the thick undergrowth, a one-meter-tall figure appeared.
Heavy Load Ant!
Lucius got excited…
CHIRR!
CHIRR!
Suddenly, another sound caught his attention from the opposite direction.
'Am I that unlucky?' He sighed and turned to look for the other Ant, only to find nothing walking on the ground.
It was a flying beast!
'Erratic Flight Dragonfly?' He recognized it immediately. His body trembled when he saw where it was heading.
It was going to fly right over the mine!
'No!'