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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 160
Since it was created solely to control the unstable mana flow in the mine, all other functions were not just minimized but completely blocked, except for durability and the obelisk’s inherent protection.
Each mana stone pillar contained a staggering 88 palm-sized moonstones.
I unfurled a massive magic circle that enveloped the entire pillar and swung my hand forcefully.
Before my eyes, hundreds, thousands of intricate magic circles interlocked like gears, spinning in perfect harmony.
Each and every one of them was a different magic circle.
Once a person sets their mind on something and gets a sense of progress, they start attempting all sorts of things.
Back when I was researching mana stones in Labyrinthos, I had spent countless hours before finally grasping a clue about unstable mana flows.
At that point, I started wondering if I could make use of that knowledge.
I don’t remember exactly how long it took to create a mana stone pillar back then, but now, it only takes me a few minutes to make one.
If each individual piece is unstable, then when brought together, they can create harmony.
At least, that’s what I believe the Heart of the Machine God does when it comes to magical systems.
“Well, since I can do it now, I might as well remove the complicated security codes and enhance the stability…”
I overlaid a necromantic spell on the entire mana stone pillar.
Now, analyzing the structure of this pillar won’t be so easy.
Looking at the completed pillar, I felt an odd sense of satisfaction—proof that my skills hadn’t dulled yet.
Then, I gathered the mana flowing within me into my palm, intentionally making it flow irregularly.
An immense repulsive force erupted, and the mana began to rampage and condense unpredictably.
A slight mistake in control could have shattered my body, yet I maintained the flow as naturally as breathing.
Slowly, I created a simple magic circle and observed the situation as if testing a waterway.
For now, I had only completed one out of four pillars, and the magic circle was just a simple prototype, so I couldn’t fully confirm the effects.
But it was a promising start.
Now, all that remained was copying and pasting the rest of the pillars.
I gathered the remaining materials and created four more mana stone pillars using the same method.
During the process, I made sure to construct them in a modular fashion for easy transportation.
That’s when it happened.
A fireball composed of mana suddenly flew toward me, narrowly missing and heading straight for the pillars.
Boom!
I didn’t bother reacting.
After all, I needed to test the pillars’ durability anyway.
KWAANG!
A heavy explosion echoed, and black smoke billowed into the air, but my eyes saw everything clearly.
Hmm… They really do hold up well.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that I was quite annoyed by the situation.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“I believe I’ve already told you—cease the mining operations immediately.”
Turning toward the voice, I saw a man in his thirties wearing a robe, glaring at me with a cold, piercing gaze.
I didn’t recognize his face, but the robe he wore told me exactly who he was.
“You’re from the Vergal Association, aren’t you?”
“…Then you must also know why I’m here.”
“Yes, well. I noticed you blocked the entrance.”
“…When someone blocks an entrance, isn’t it common sense to consider why it was blocked?”
They say that even if one is a noble, the Vergal Association never compromises when it comes to disasters.
That certainly seemed to be the case.
His abilities were quite advanced for someone his age.
The woman standing beside him, nervously fidgeting with her head lowered, was no different.
Two Fifth-Circle mages.
“I was going to have this conversation anyway, but you arrived sooner than expected. Let’s talk inside.”
I gestured toward a nearby mine administration building.
Though both of them narrowed their eyes at me, they followed without a word.
“Please, have a seat.”
“I am Raida, an inspector from the Vergal Magic Association. This is my twin sister, Ravena.”
“I’m Leon Cascadia. It’s an honor to meet such renowned figures…”
I had heard of them before.
The story of the genius twins who had saved countless lives from mana disasters.
They had rejected invitations from the Magic Tower and instead traveled across the continent, studying, preventing, and mitigating mana-related catastrophes.
Considering that news of their work had been circulating for years, they must have been active for quite some time.
“I clearly instructed you to halt the mining operations, yet you continue working as if evacuation isn’t even a consideration.”
“Yes, that’s correct. Because the work must go on.”
Hearing my response, his fists clenched tightly.
“Do you even realize what you’re doing right now, Lord Cascadia?”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m doing it.”
“…Are you trying to extract as much profit as possible before the mine inevitably collapses? Because you still have time before it happens? Do you not care about the lives of the workers?”
I shrugged at his accusation.
“No, I fully intend to keep extracting profit. Why else would we operate a mine?”
“You can’t be serious…”
“Inspector, do you know how many workers are currently in this mine?”
“What?”
“There are tens of thousands of people working here. Some came because they were struggling to survive, others because they saw an opportunity.”
“…”
“And now, you’re telling me to take away their jobs?”
“Are you joking?! What good is money if they all die?! You can’t buy lives with wealth!!”
Sure.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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It makes sense that he wouldn’t know.
“You’re making a flawed assumption—I have no intention of letting this place collapse.”
“…What?”
“Do you have any idea how much I’d lose if it did?”
“That’s impossible!”
His anger erupted once more.
As if responding to his emotions, his elemental mana violently pressed against the surroundings.
“Mana disasters cannot be stopped by human hands! And the Cascadia Mine is the largest-scale case I’ve ever seen.”
“Hm…”
“I won’t repeat myself. Cease operations and withdraw immediately.”
“I refuse. While the Magic Association does hold authority over disaster management under the Central Continent Union, enforcing control without negotiation is an overreach of power.”
"……."
Raida grasped his staff and stood up.
"It seems the young master doesn't understand how dangerous this situation is."
"The same goes for you, Administrator."
I, too, stood from my seat.
"Let me ask just to be sure—what exactly changes if we evacuate immediately and seal that place off?"
"……."
"I asked if you can stop the disaster from happening."
The one who answered my question wasn't Raida but his younger sister, Ravena.
"The disaster… can't… be stopped… But… we can… prevent casualties…"
"Are you leaving it be because you don't know how to handle it? And I’m supposed to accept the material damage as a given?"
"Are… are you even… human?"
Ravena's expression twisted in shock.
To them, I probably looked like a madman obsessed with money at the cost of human lives.
Of course, I had no intention of letting that misunderstanding persist.
"So, what you're saying is that if we prevent the explosion, both casualties and property damage can be avoided."
"That's completely unrealistic!!!"
Raida finally snapped, launching Magic Missiles into the air.
"The Vergal Association has been granted the authority for forced enforcement by the Central Continent Union. According to that agreement, the Cascadia Mine is now under complete lockdown. Should you resist, we are under no restrictions in using force against you."
The tension between Raida and me reached a boiling point, as if a fight could break out at any moment.
Before it could escalate, Verus and Raida’s sister, Ravena, stepped between us.
"Calm down, young master! Vergal contributes to the welfare of the continent. If you kill its people—"
"B… Brother! No matter what, using force like this is—w-wait a minute! Are we actually admitting defeat to this man?!"
As the room descended into chaos, Verus frowned even more.
"Being called a genius mage has nothing to do with this matter."
That old man had quite a temper himself.
It was Raida, her older brother, who eventually mediated the uproar.
"I’ve given you my warning. The more you interfere with that mine, the higher the chances of an explosion. If you want to get yourself killed, evacuate everyone else and do it alone."
They weren’t backing down either.
Of course, this land technically belonged to Cascadia.
Then, at that moment—
Something unusual rippled through the undead I had stationed in the mine.
The currents were moving faster and more violently than I had anticipated.
If left alone, the chance of an explosion happening soon was only about 10%.
There was still some leeway before a full-scale detonation.
But at this rate, if the current trend continued, the mana disaster could occur within a matter of days or weeks at most.
"Young master?"
"The longer we drag this out, the worse it gets."
I had planned to take my time, but if things were moving ahead of schedule, I needed to take care of it now.
It shouldn’t be this unstable.
There were many variables, but in the end, even this kind of unstable turbulence followed specific laws.
Just like how a person walking doesn’t suddenly start flying.
As I pondered, I was able to deduce the cause.
"Administrators, did you do anything inside that place?"
"What do you mean by 'did anything'?"
"I'm asking if you tampered with anything when setting up the containment magic circle."
At my question, the two of them only exchanged glances without answering.
They had no clue.
But according to my knowledge, there was only one reason why this phenomenon could occur.
"Did you, by any chance, install a Mana Anomaly Fusion Magic Circle inside?"
"H-How did you…?"
"Did you?"
"…Yes. The turbulence seemed severe, so we needed to mitigate it…"
I let out a deep sigh.
"Do you not understand that this situation is completely different from a normal unstable mana current? Do not install such magic circles recklessly in a quadruple-reversal mana stream. Verus, gather the workers and follow me."
"W…What are you planning to do?"
"What else? Are we going to just let that valuable mine blow up? We need to stabilize it immediately. The mana stone pillars are already prepared, so let’s get to work."
"Understood."
At that moment, Ravena, who had been hesitating until now, suddenly shouted.
"Wait! Didn’t you say the workers should be evacuated? This situation is extremely dangerous—"
"Sorry, but I need all the hands I can get, so would you kindly shut up?"
It seemed they hadn’t set up this kind of installation before, but with turbulence of this degree, adding a Containment Magic Circle and a Mana Anomaly Fusion Magic Circle would only make the instability extreme.
Normally, when things were this messed up, recovery was impossible.
But for me—
I was actually quite familiar with it.
Since I lacked natural talent, I had made every possible mistake.
And now—
The mana surgery begins.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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