Chapter 777
Episode 191: Pioneers of the Era (Part 1)
Honka had become a new member of the Bamel Alliance.
It was Valeria who invited him to join them. Honka hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to leave the island and stay by Valeria’s side. He felt it was the right way to honor the wishes of his friend, Marliet Hister.
“A toad monster after a whale monster? That’s adorable! Welcome to the Alliance, Honka. I’m Enya, a mage.”
[“Pleased… to meet you.”]
“Nice to meet you, Ghost Captain Lata Procida.”
“I’m Valkas, leader of the Black King’s squad.”
One by one, his new companions introduced themselves to Honka.
He looked a bit overwhelmed by the sudden flood of voices. Like most of them, Honka had little experience interacting with others besides Marliet, so even simple conversations required effort.
“Do you know Mote? He’s also a toad.”
“Yeah, since you’re both toads, maybe you’re friends.”
[“He’s a divine being, though. I’m just a mid-tier monster. How could we possibly be friends?”]
“Mote’s not that intimidating as a toad.”
Seeing Honka reminded Valeria of her former self. Embarrassed, she forced a shy smile, which intrigued the others.
“Valeria can actually make that kind of face? I think I’ve only seen it once or twice.”
“Looks like she’s softened up a bit, doesn’t it?”
“The vibe between her and Nari feels different too. Hmm, I guess Nari’s a bit of a loss, but with Valeria, it’s understandable.”
“Don’t say that so casually, Zett. It’s a good thing Sandra isn’t here right now—if she were, there’d be chaos.”
“I can hear everything.”
“Ah!”
“Heh, sharp ears, Valeria.”
Just then, Mote appeared in the courtyard of Tikan Castle, letting out a pleasant croak. Siris, riding on Mote’s back, looked unusually excited.
“Welcome, Siris.”
“Jin! My mother is finally regaining consciousness properly. I just heard the news after stopping by the kingdom.”
Jin and the others’ eyes widened.
It had been nearly half a year since King Lani began healing Talaris. During that time, Talaris had only briefly regained consciousness intermittently.
Normally, she should have recovered much more by now, but recently, the “Eye of Zito” had shown ominous signs, so progress was slow.
“Phew, is it true? Finally.”
“They say she might wake up as soon as tonight, or at the latest, by tomorrow. I thought you should know as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for telling me. I’ve felt heavy-hearted ever since you were hurt trying to save me. It’s a relief to hear she’ll wake soon.”
Talaris’s return meant Misha could resume her role as Solderet’s proxy. That also meant Murakan, who had been standing in for Misha, could finally rejoin the group.
Murakan’s comeback was a tremendous boost in the current situation. If he returned with most of his prime strength, like when he appeared in the Dark God’s temple, the Runkandel and Bamel Alliance could dominate all factions.
“Even if he hasn’t fully regained his old power, having Murakan back is more than enough.”
Above all, everyone missed Murakan. Gilly, in particular, was sometimes seen tidying up the room Murakan used during breaks.
[“Croak? Croak, croak.”]
Mote immediately recognized Honka and patted his shoulder with a front paw, congratulating him on leaving the island. The two toads had met three times before—twice before Honka gained his mid-tier status, and once after he became Marliet’s toad.
[“What? You’ll help me become a spirit if I get along with everyone?”]
[“Croak.”]
[“Why show me such kindness? What’s with this toad camaraderie?”]
And just like that, Honka quickly became friends with Mote. While Zett swiftly handed out celebratory drinks, Hedo and Sandra stepped out into the garden.
“My dear! Looks like you managed to get the communication device again!”
“Good work, Jin. It’s a relief that the princess will wake soon.”
“But why is that redhead smirking so unpleasantly? I was already annoyed that you and my dear went off to the island together. Fine, let’s settle this today. Want to follow me to the training grounds, or fight right here? It wouldn’t be bad to break you right in front of you.”
Sandra immediately launched into insults as soon as she noticed Valeria’s changed demeanor.
Tension rippled through the group. A good day, a good mood—everything could be ruined in an instant.
But unlike usual, Valeria calmly stared at the threatening Sandra and said,
“Get a grip, Sandra Ziphl.”
“Wow, just wow. What the hell are you babbling about? Are you crazy enough to want to die right now!?”
“If you really want to fight, I’m willing to spar without killing each other. But not today. Wait a little.”
Her companions were stunned, mouths agape. Valeria had always treated Sandra like a bug, dust, or something even less worthy—completely ignoring her.
Hedo was the most surprised.
He had expected that once Valeria settled in Tikan, conflict with Sandra was inevitable. If their relationship ended in disaster, he’d have to side with Sandra, and Jin would protect Valeria.
But for the first time, Valeria showed a somewhat friendly response. The woman who always talked about killing Sandra was now talking about a non-lethal spar.
Sandra, caught off guard by Valeria’s unexpected stance, huffed a bit more before turning her head sharply.
“Such fights just kill the mood. Fine, I’ll let it slide today. But don’t fool yourself—while you keep eyeing our Jin, we can’t coexist under the same sky.”
“Now, now, let’s not be like that. Let’s all have a drink.”
As the awkward conversation passed, Zett finished distributing the celebratory drinks.
It was time to check the rewards they’d obtained from the legacy site. Kwal had gone with Siris on Mote to the Sword King’s territory to retrieve them.
“Oh, so this is a long-distance communication device… It looks quite similar to the one Valeria and I are developing. Seems we weren’t wrong after all.”
Kwal examined the device and blueprints, his eyes glued to the plans for a while.
“Hmm, oh. So that’s what you were thinking here? Jen Rutber was truly a genius.”
According to Kwal, the communication device, like the Red Owl or wavelength tracking synchronization devices, was based on “wavelengths.”
“Jin, the biggest challenge in developing communication devices is precisely matching the wavelengths of each device in different locations every time. Jen succeeded by using a wood catalyst. As long as you can insert the same wood into the device anytime, anywhere, communication becomes possible.”
The manual from the legacy site included bark from trees found on Honka Island. When Kwal inserted one piece into the device’s slot, a blue light glowed.
At the same time, a hidden button popped up, indicating another device it could connect to. Since only two pieces of bark were inserted, it was the communication device on Honka Island.
Kwal pressed the button firmly, and the bark slowly burned with blue light, producing a pleasant resonance—the sound of a communication request to Honka Island.
{[Honka Island here. Legacy holders, testing the communication device, I see.]}
{[Oh, they’ve already contacted those guys!?]}
{[Is it working well, everyone?]}
Voices of Golem, Jen, and Teven came through the device simultaneously. The group was momentarily speechless, blinking in awe at the incredible performance of this new technology.
It was a moment that made them feel how rapidly the world was advancing. Ships were becoming common, spatial jump ships existed, and now, the era of ultra-long-distance communication had arrived.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
For a while, greetings passed back and forth between the group and Honka Island. The bark burned very slowly, allowing long communication with just one piece.
“Hey, Jen Rutber and Teven Hister, you’re geniuses worthy of Kwal’s recognition. Your help has been invaluable! Using catalysts to track wavelengths like this…”
{[Hoo, since you’re talking about wavelengths, it seems you understand our blueprints.]}
“Haha, as soon as I saw the blueprints, I found areas for improvement. Just changing the type of metal can lower production costs and increase stability. But Golem’s blueprints are hard even for me to understand. You’ll have to help with that part.”
If even Kwal said that, it meant no one in the world currently understood Golem’s blueprints.
{[Golem wasn’t made by us, so it’s impossible.]}
“What? Then how are we supposed to build this? If I research alone, it’ll take decades.”
{[My brother, I will assist with production. Our master recorded all related knowledge for me, in preparation for this day. We only need the legacy holders’ approval.]}
Ielo spent some time asking a few questions to gauge Quawl’s skill level, then told him that with his help, they could create a golem within three years.
“Three years, huh? You’re underestimating me, Quawl. I’ll have your brothers ready in just one year.”
“I look forward to it. By the way, have the successors tried using storage paper?”
“Storage paper? What’s that?”
“Master Jin, besides the communication device and the blueprints for the ultra-high-performance golem, did you manage to acquire anything else?”
Jin smiled slyly and replied to Ielo, “I tested one on the way here. From now on, it’ll be used to create the Rune Kandel and Bamel Alliance’s magical knight units.”
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