After receiving the materials, Ren Isana began his preparations. He gathered some tools and started grinding the Crystal Cores into powder.
This step required extreme caution. He had to use his own Magic Power to shield the Crystal Cores, preventing their innate Magic Power from leaking out during the grinding process.
If that happened, the Crystal Cores would be ruined, wasting a massive amount of money for nothing.
Ren carefully carried out the delicate procedure. This sight opened the eyes of Asuna and the others—who knew it required such a meticulous technique?
Under Ren's careful grinding, the Crystal Cores were entirely reduced to powder. They still emitted a faint blue glow; just looking at their appearance, one could tell this batch was incredibly pure.
Once the grinding was complete, Ren moved on to the second step. He added the remaining materials in a specific sequence, ensuring they wouldn't negatively react with the Magic Stones.
"How are you supposed to tell them apart?" Asuna asked, unable to hold back her curiosity as she intently watched Ren work.
"Look at the glow. Haven't you noticed? I've added several different materials, but that pale blue light is still there. If you close the curtains, you'll be able to see it much more clearly." Ren didn't hide anything, happily explaining the process to his employer.
Hearing Ren's explanation, Asuna thought about it and realized it made perfect sense. It really was exactly as he said—no matter what Ren did to the mixture, that distinct glow remained.
"I see. This is so complicated. Just watching you do it is giving me a headache." Even though it was only a few materials, the depth of knowledge required was immense.
"Why else did you think it was so expensive?" Ren quipped while continuing to process the materials. With the final addition of mercury...
...the basin of materials in Ren's hands was fully prepared. The mixture was glowing, its quality visibly exceptional.
"Done. Next up is drawing the array. Let me check the feng shui of this place." Saying this, Ren got straight to work.
He first closed his eyes to sense the flow of Magic Power throughout the room. After determining the correct orientation, he took out a specially prepared brush, dipped it into the glowing mixture, and began making his anchor marks.
Once the anchor points were set, Ren practically crawled on the floor, his rear sticking up in the air, and started drawing.
Watching Ren meticulously sketch out the lines bit by bit, the girls didn't even blink. The whole thing looked incredibly complex. Ren drew based on the four anchor points he had established, following a very specific sequence.
Asuna and the others couldn't understand a single thing they were looking at. They had assumed that drawing a Magic Array just meant drawing a big circle and filling it with some symbols. Who would have thought it was this intricate?
It wasn't just drawing a circle outright; rather, the various internal runic lines had to naturally connect to form the outer boundary. A single mistake meant the entire Magic Array would fail to activate, or worse, it could explode right in their faces.
"This really is complicated!" Asuna complained, rubbing her temples as she watched Ren's intense focus. She genuinely hadn't expected Array Magic to require such profound knowledge.
"If it weren't complicated, hiring someone to draw an Array wouldn't be so expensive. The labor costs far exceed the material costs," Yukino Yukinoshita noted, understanding the situation perfectly.
It was expensive for a good reason. Just watching Ren draw made it obvious—even if someone wanted to learn this, there was no guarantee they ever could.
It took Ren over half an hour just to finish drawing the entire Magic Array. Throughout this entire process, his mental focus had to remain at its absolute peak.
Asuna and the others stood there watching for that entire half hour. Seeing that Ren had finally finished the Magic Array, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"Next up, the final step!" Ren placed his depleted tools outside the boundary of the Magic Array, then stepped right into the center of it.
Seeing this, Asuna and the others continued to stare unblinkingly. Suddenly, a surge of Magic Power erupted from Ren's body.
The next moment, this Magic Power sank directly into the Magic Array beneath his feet. In an instant, it was as if someone had flipped a switch; the entire room was bathed in a brilliant, pale blue light.
The Magic Power Ren injected began to spread along the magical runic lines he had drawn, fully forming a Magic Array that perfectly enveloped the entire room.
Standing in the center, Ren carefully inspected the Magic Array beneath his feet. Once he confirmed there were no issues, another massive Magic Circle suddenly materialized right above his head.
Seeing this, the three girls blinked in surprise. What was he doing now? But their rising questions were answered almost immediately.
The Magic Circle above Ren's head abruptly plummeted, slamming directly into the Magic Array on the floor.
*Hum!* Everyone heard a deep, resonant hum, followed by a gentle breeze sweeping through the room. The brilliant light instantly dissipated.
"Done!" Ren clapped his hands together, a massive weight finally lifting from his shoulders.
Hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately fell to the floor. To their surprise, there was no longer a single trace of the Magic Array on the ground.
Even the intricate lines Ren had painstakingly drawn earlier had completely vanished. This sight left Asuna utterly amazed. She crouched down and ran her hand over the floorboards.
Then, she asked in astonishment, "Has the Magic Array merged with the floor of the room? Is that it?"
Ren nodded at Asuna's question. He crouched down beside her and injected a sliver of Magic Power into the floor. "Look. As long as you inject Magic Power into it, the Magic Array will activate."
As he spoke, the girls watched him channel his Magic Power into the ground. The Magic Array slowly materialized once more, instantly illuminating the room again.
Only this time, the light wasn't nearly as blinding as when it was first activated. Instead, it emitted a calm, steady glow. Everyone could clearly feel the same ambient energy they had experienced on the third floor of the school.
"That's amazing! How long can this Magic Array be maintained?" Asuna's eyes sparkled. Looking at the active Magic Array, she felt incredibly satisfied with her purchase.
"It can be activated for about eight hours a day, and it should last for roughly two to three years. Once it passes that timeframe, it'll need to be redrawn. After all, it's not a perpetual motion machine!" Ren estimated before explaining its daily usage limit and overall lifespan.
"That's more than enough!" Hearing his answer, Asuna nodded in satisfaction. Two or three years was plenty of time; she might not even need it for that long.
"Whenever you want to use it from now on, just inject your Magic Power into it. Of course, if you don't care about burning through its lifespan, you can just keep injecting Magic Power every time the array fades," Ren said, standing up and brushing off his hands as he relayed the final instructions.
Asuna nodded, fully understanding the mechanics. If she was at home, she might as well just keep it running. It wasn't like she'd use up its entire lifespan anyway.
Having made up her mind, Asuna immediately pulled out her phone and transferred 10,000 Valis to Ren. The job was done, so it was time to pay up.
After sending the transfer, Asuna smiled brightly and said, "Thanks for your hard work, Ren-kun!"
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