Babel

Without any major incidents, Linnaeus retrieved his made-to-order ring and its accompanying chain. He didn't particularly care for flair, as standing out rarely had any benefits, so the design was rather plain. Despite this, wearing the necklace stirred something inside him as, with the exception of his recently acquired Interspatial Ring; he never really owned anything like jewelry before...As time progressively marched forward, the differences between the present Linnaeus and his past self became more extreme. His capabilities were steadily increasing and, with proper dieting, small changes had begun to occur within his body.Though he may never become a mountain of a man like Krone, discarding the appearance of a weak and emaciated youth would save him a lot of trouble. If his looks could give his enemies a moment of pause, that was all he really needed to ensure victory or; at the very least, a slight advantage.With his newly acquired necklace hidden behind the layers of his fur-laden clothes, Linnaeus made his way to the plaza where he had arranged to meet with everyone else. It didn't surprise him that he was the first to arrive so, with nothing better to do; he spent the interim period observing the flow of traffic and how people went about their daily lives...If he watched closely, it was possible to distinguish between the actual residents of the Fifth Floor and those who were still aspiring to reach the top of the Crucible. There was a certain energy about the latter group, a palpable tension that created an invisible separation between them and the much happier floor residents.Since he was considering expanding their Party into a Company, it was necessary to find people that were wholly focused on returning. His current members already lacked drive; seemingly content with staying on the Fifth Floor for the remainder of their days if it was necessary. Because of this, he really couldn't afford to scout anyone else with a lackadaisical mentality as it might be the catalyst for their Party's dissolution once they experienced a setback.As things stood, Eliza was the main glue that held their Party together but; over time, Linnaeus felt as if he was slowly taking that position for himself. Eliza didn't care about returning to the Tower but, if he continued aiming for it, she would support him. This was the same for Emilia who, despite having the desire to return to the Tower herself; wasn't bothered by the possibility of failure.Regardless of what happened, Emilia would continue to live life at her own pace. Though rare, there were other Vanargandr on the Fifth Floor so it wasn't impossible for her to join one of the existing tribes or, if she was confident in her own strength; build her own...Krone was the one to care the least about reaching the top of the Crucible but, so long as Eliza had the intention of doing so, he would continue to support the Party. He was a very prideful man, one who simply couldn't part with his personal sense of honor. Thus, with Eliza supporting him, Linnaeus didn't have to worry about Krone betraying them as, before that, he would have to betray the thing that mattered the most to him...---About an hour before their agreed-upon meeting time, Linnaeus had the impression that someone was trying to sneak up and ambush him. Turning his head, he wasn't surprised to find Emilia trying to blend in with the flow of traffic; her ears perking up the moment he looked over.With an expression that showed both approval and disappointment, Emilia stopped trying to mask her presence as she pranced over to Linnaeus' side. By the time she actually reached him, her usual smile had returned as she looked, sniffing the air for a brief moment before asking, "Are the others not here yet~?"Shrugging his shoulders in response, Linnaeus followed up by answering, "It is still early. I'm certain they will be alone shortly...here."Since Emilia was getting a mischievous glint in her eyes, Linnaeus whipped out a few interesting food items he had found during his exploration of the market. He had anticipated that Emilia would be the first to arrive so, in preparation, he prepared a fair amount of unique foodstuffs to keep her occupied.Never one to refuse food, Emilia happily accepted the crepe-like article from Linnaeus' outstretched hand before plopping down next to him. This caused some of the males that had been eyeing her to give Linnaeus the stink eye but, after associating with Emilia for a few weeks, it no longer bothered him. Rather, it was when someone mistook him for a girl that things became truly troublesome.Fortunately, after a haircut; giving him much shorter hair; it was a lot harder to mistake him as a female, at least compared to before. All he needed to do in order to deter most people that wanted to 'confirm' his gender was radiate a bit of bloodlust, spooking all but the most stouthearted and foolhardy individuals...After taking a few rather sizeable bites of the meat-filled crepe, Emilia tilted her head adorably as she extended the aromatic article, asking, "Have you tried this? It is really good. You can take a bite if you want."Since he had only purchased the goods to pacify Emilia, Linnaeus hadn't tried most of the food he had purchased. He was even content with low-quality foodstuffs but, if she was offering, he wasn't going to outright refuse. The smell attested to its rich flavor so, without hesitation, Linnaeus took a much smaller bite than the voracious Vanargandr, earing a happy smile from her in the process.Though it was a bit greasy, the meat within the edible wrap was some of the most flavorful that he had ever experienced. It was a little spicy but, rather than being unpleasant, Linnaeus felt as if they were intended to encourage further consumption...While Linnaeus was focused on the flavor and composition of the meat, Emilia had very different intentions. The flavor of what she ate didn't matter as much as the energy contained within so, while it tasted quite good, it didn't leave much of an impression. Rather, she had seen through Linnaeus' intentions from the start so; after he took a bite of her food, Emilia made a show of licking the area with her tongue, her scarlet eyes focused on him throughout the entire process.Understanding what she was trying to do, Linnaeus felt slightly exasperated but, as usual, it didn't really show on his face. He just stared back at her with a calm expression on his face, casually pulling out an apple from his Interspatial Ring to make it clear he hand no intention of taking a second bite.With her ears drooping somewhat pathetically, Emilia finished up the remnants of her meal before turning her attention to their surroundings and asking, "Do you think people can really be happy to live in a place like this? I've never seen so many people living so close together, content with staying in one place for their entire lives. It is kind of weird..."Linnaeus felt he wasn't the best person to ask about society at large but, with nothing better to do, conversing with Emilia didn't seem like a bad idea.After ruminating over her words for a few moments, Linnaeus ultimately shrugged his shoulders and said, "I think they live like this in order to make their lives more convenient. It probably makes them feel safer as well; since they are less likely to be attacked if a lot of people stay in one place..."Hearing Linnaeus' rather brief explanation, Emilia nodded her head in agreement as it wasn't all that different from her tribe. A large tribe was a status symbol and, as Linnaeus suggested, it became a lot easier to protect the younglings and pups when there were more people. Though the demand for resources increased exponentially, it was possible to maintain balance by sending off virile males to form new tribes with those who have returned victoriously from the Tower.Though Linnaeus' words seemed to strike out the heart of the matter, Emilia still felt it was strange to stay in one place. If you experienced similar stimuli every day, life would become very boring and, if you never knew adventure and hardship, complacency would become your default state.Emilia could see with her own eyes that the people around them were slightly plump and, judging by how they carried themselves, they were wholly unprepared for an attack. They also seemed to make compromises in order to maintain their convenient lives; leading to the very corruption that Linnaeus seemed so afraid of.Back in the seemingly endless plains and expansive jungles, you would never have to worry about anything like a criminal organization or corrupt governors. The only thing anyone really cared about was the success of the tribe as a whole. While status and prestige were important, the best way to gain these things was to contribute to the tribe directly. Stockpiling wealth and suppressing others was a completely nonsensical idea as it seemed to invite trouble rather than promote unity.After observing these things for herself, Emilia understood why her Ancestors had turned away from the Tower while nearly every other race congregated toward it. They lived fulfilling lives as explorers, hunters, and gourmands. This didn't seem to be the case within the megacity and, with what she had learned about the Slums, Emilia was absolutely certain that building a society that never moved only invited rot and stagnation...If she didn't know they were separated by several hundred generations of distance, Emilia would have invited Linnaeus to come and join her tribe when they finally escaped the Tower. Now, part of her humored the idea of just forming a new tribe with him inside the Tower but, unless his sister and lover were in agreement, this would probably be very difficult.Still, it was something to consider as, while Linnaeus may not see her in the same way; Emilia already treated him as a part of her family. Just as she would back in her own tribe, Emilia would protect him and do everything in her power to make sure they are successful. Since Linnaeus wholehearted put his all into protecting the things he cared about, she believed he would do the same for her...With this thought crossing her mind, Emilia unashamedly leaned against Linnaeus, the side of her head resting against his. Though this clearly bothered him, Linnaeus was an inordinately tolerant person. So long as it didn't cross the line, he allowed them to behave as they please; just like how the more mature members of her tribe behaved towards those still learning.This was another thing that Emilia had come to appreciate about Linnaeus as, instead of pushing others away, he was willing to suffer a bit of discomfort to strengthen the unity of the Party. If he really wanted to, Linnaeus would be able to scout other Vanargandr without too many issues. Once they realized the kind of person he was, they would naturally gravitate towards him as Vanargandr were a very communal species; one that relied on skinship and physical intimacy to strengthen their bonds...---Feeling Emilia lean against him, Linnaeus withheld a sigh, unaware of the thoughts running through her mind. She had a habit of sticking to Eliza as well so he knew it was largely due to her nature as a Vanargandr that compelled her to behave like this. So long as she didn't cross the line like before, he didn't really have the heart to push her away. Rather, the more time he spent with her and Eliza, the calmer he felt. It was like their presence filled a void within his heart, slowly turning him into a more complete person...

With about thirty minutes left until they were scheduled to meet, Eliza arrived in the plaza to find Emilia, once again, clinging to Linnaeus. This caused her mood to diminish but, after the previous incident; she ultimately just released a small sigh before dodging through foot traffic to approach the duo.Sensing Eliza's approach, Emilia's ears perked up and, as a compromise of her own, she stopped leaning against Linnaeus' shoulder; rising to her feet to happily exclaim, "Liz, you're late~"Hearing Emilia's remark, Eliza gave her a pointed look before dodging the former's attempt to hug her, replying, "Our meeting time isn't for another half an hour. You and Lin are just a little early, that's all."After stating her piece to Emilia, Eliza chose to momentarily ignore her; closing the remaining distance to Linnaeus and giving him a spontaneous hug. This caused the latter to tense up but, compared to the past, he calmed down quickly before reciprocating.Before things could get out of hand, Linnaeus lightly pat Eliza's back, his eyes taking in their surroundings as he said, "We're drawing a lot of attention..."Though she wanted to remark that it didn't matter if others were watching them, Eliza knew that Linnaeus was still an inherently cautious person. She also didn't want to put too much pressure on him so, after squeezing him a little tighter; she released his body and said, "I haven't eaten yet. I imagine you already bought food for that glutton, right?"With Eliza releasing his body, Linnaeus continued to observe their surroundings for a few seconds longer while; in response to her question, he pulled out a small bag of cookies. He had expected something like this to happen so, knowing Eliza's preference for sweets; he made sure to obtain some in advance.Seeing Linnaeus profer a bag of cookies in an instant, a smile blossomed on Eliza's face as she reached out to secure them for herself. This was, hopefully, enough to keep her occupied until Krone finally arrived; though Linnaeus would never voice this thought out loud...---Though it was starting to seem as if Krone was going to arrive late, he ultimately beat the clock by a few minutes.To prevent an incident where Eliza lambasted an ally in public, Linnaeus preempted her actions by rising to meet the grey-skinned man, making it clear he hadn't done anything wrong by saying, "You have arrived just in time. Did you finish everything you needed to do? If we're late, the next convoy won't be until tomorrow morning."For a brief moment, Krone had been considering whether or not he should apologize so, hearing Linnaeus' words; he felt slightly conflicted. In the end, however, he nodded his head, answering, "I have finished my preparations..." before, in a much lower tone, adding, "I had intended to be earlier...I got sidetracked along the way...sorry."Now, it was Linnaeus' turn to be surprised but, as per usual, it didn't really show on his face. He just nodded in response to Krone's words, saying, "I understand, thanks for explaining things. I never doubted you had a reason. Besides, you are still on time so there's no need to apologize. Come, If everyone is ready, we'll be on our way."With the brief exchange between Linnaeus and Krone, Eliza felt it would be too awkward for her to say anything so; without further incident, the Party moved on to their destination: a Company-owned building that specialized in the transport of personnel and goods between Central City and the Monster Ant Colony.Though it was possible to reach the colony on foot, everyone had agreed that a five-day journey wasn't really something to look forward to. The risk of being attacked by bandits increased when traveling in small groups so; after the recent attack, they opted to travel with a convoy.By paying a variable transfer fee, they could either act as simple passengers or; in order to save on Kindling; serve as escorts for the convoy. The latter was, by and large, the more popular option so it wasn't uncommon for a convoy to be escorted by well over a hundred people.It was common sense that, if you wanted to traverse the common routes; traveling in a larger group was a lot safer. The only reason Linnaeus and co hadn't done so previously was largely due to the former's paranoia; combined with the fact that Eliza and Emilia had basically been broke at the time.Now that they had a bit of flexibility in their finances, securing passage with a convoy not only decreased the chances of a bandit encounter but it also reduced the total travel time by a fair amount.Rather than walk or run, they would be traveling in large reinforced wagons that were pulled along by a type of domesticated monster known, 'affectionately', as a Dumbswallow. They were large bipedal birds that stood well over three meters in height; their muscular frames covered in a thick plumage of vibrant feathers.The two most notable traits of a Dumbswallow were their almost comically oversized heads and their muscular three-toed feet. The former gave them a somewhat cute appearance, as they also had somewhat big eyes and curved beaks but; as the name suggested, they were notoriously dull creatures.Due to generations of selective breeding from a very small genetic pool, they had now reached the point that; if you didn't stop them from eating, a Dumbswallow would literally eat until their stomach ruptured. This made them somewhat dangerous as, with their powerful legs, they could even dent 20cm thick plate-iron with relative ease.Fortunately, while they were somewhat notorious for their intellect, Dumbswallows imprinted on their owners immediately after birth. This made them surprisingly easy to handle, so long as you knew how to properly care for them...When Linnaeus and co first laid eyes on the rather colorful creatures, Eliza's eyes lit up as she couldn't help but remark, "They are so adorable..." in a subdued tone. As for Emilia, she had to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand; her opinion of the birds clearly different from Eliza's.Linnaeus saw their contrasting reactions and before he realized it, a small smile had spread across his face. This immediately made him feel as though something was wrong, however, so it lasted for less than a second before he stated, "Don't gawk, Emilia. The last thing we need is you getting sent careening across the market after spooking the birds..."Hearing Linnaeus comment, Emilia's ears drooped slightly as she looked toward him with a slight pout on her face. Still, she followed his order and, though she didn't realize it; this was the correct decision as the closest Dumbswallow had been eyeing her; it's feathers beginning to puff up in response to the 'danger' it felt...Fortunately, without any incidents occurring, Linnaeus managed to find one of the Merchants affiliated with the Company and, without too much hassle, they were able to secure escort roles in the convoy. Though this required them to sign a contract, they ultimately only ended up paying a total of four-hundred Kindling between them. In exchange, they would have to proactively defend the convoy; turning over most of the materials obtained in exchange for a monetary reward.Since most people prepared their supplies before heading out to locations like the Monster Ant Colony, most Merchant convoys saw it as an opportunity to secure cheap materials. After all, they had massive wagons that could hold a ton of additional materials and drop items; items that the escorts would have had to leave behind unless they wanted to strain their SP reserves.Though this arrangement annoyed Linnaeus quite a bit, as the stipulations of the contract made it so that the convoy could essentially take detours; Eliza explained to him that only fools would do such a thing. For a Merchant Company, reputation and trust were more important than the actual items they traded as; without these two things, nobody would purchase from them.Unless a business had a monopoly, there were no benefits in exploiting mercenaries and small Parties as the negative reputation they acquire would quickly bring them to ruin. Thus, while the contract did have a few troublesome clauses, these were actually written in to give the Company a bit of wiggle room when it came to choosing a route.Depending on various factors, such as natural weather phenomena, environmental hazards, and monster hordes, it was sometimes necessary to change routes in order to ensure the safety of the convoy. If the contract forced them to follow an exact route, there was a good chance they could walk into an irreversible situation, the most common of which was having bandits intermixed into the escort; feeding route information to their companions.Being a cautious person himself, Linnaeus could understand the concerns of the Company so, after Eliza's explanation; he ultimately signed the contract. At the same time, however, he made a mental note to always investigate the Companies they worked with in the future. It made him feel uncomfortable to simply trust people on principle alone; especially when binding contracts were involved...---In total, the convoy consisted of twenty-three carriages; each pulled by a duo of Dumbswallows. They were capable of setting an average pace of around 100km per hour and, if properly fed, it was a simple feat for them to travel upwards of fifteen hours per day. To guarantee this, the total number of Dumbswallows was twice the necessary amount; half of which would be 'resting' by trotting along without pulling a wagon.Linnaeus' Party had been assigned to the fourteenth carriage, a six-wheeled wagon formed from Ironwood and reinforced with Blacksteel plating. It was transporting non-essential goods, such as bolts, screws, and additional plating. These would only be necessary if a carriage was disabled during a monster attack so there were only two Parties assigned to protect it, Linnaeus' and one led by a stout man with dark-red hair and a beard that extended to his chest.Since they would be traveling together for more than two days, Linnaeus restrained his urge to simply ignore the man. Instead, he approached the stout figure who, despite appearing to be middle-aged, was only slightly taller than Linnaeus himself. This was due to the fact the man was clearly a Dwarf; evident by his short stature, intricately groomed beard, trunk-like limbs, flat nose, and small, pointed, ears.Seeing the youthful and rather frail figure approach him, the Dwarf raised one of his thick brows, asking, "Aye, what can ah do ye for, lass?"Hearing the man address him as 'lass', Linneaus had to forcibly restrain a facial twitch in order to form a wry smile as he replied, "My name is Linnaeus Finnian. Our Parties will be working together over the next couple of days so I thought I would introduce myself. Also...I am not a girl..."Without making any effort to hide his surprise at all, the Dwarven man gave Linnaeus another take before remarking, "Sorry, lad. Ye might've guessed it but ah'm a Dwarven folk. Names Yorgen Kilncrusher. Ain't easy tellin tha gender of other tribes apart. Hope yer an understandin' lad."Toward the end of his words, Yorgen extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, a somewhat crooked but good-natured smile on his face. Linnaeus hesitated for a brief moment when he saw this but, realizing the other party had no malicious intentions; he ultimately extended his own, much smaller hand...Despite their comparable heights, Yorgen's hands were more than twice the size and thickness of Linnaeus'. They were also incomparably rough and calloused, a stark contrast to the delicate and nimble fingers of the young Manalyte hybrid. This made their handshake somewhat awkward but, known to be a social bunch, Yorgen just laughed it off after a cheeky remark; easing the tensions between the two Parties with humor.

When she finally returned to the Inn, Eliza found Emilia laying on the bed while Linnaeus idled near the room's open window, an increasingly familiar scene. This time, however, she could tell something was wrong but, even after looking around for several seconds, Eliza was unable to find anything amiss; ignoring the fact that Emilia was lazing about in her underwear.Still, her intuition told her something was wrong so, after a momentary pause, she walked over to the bed and asked, "You...what did you do?"As if she had only just noticed Eliza's presence, Emilia's ears perked up before she turned back to face the clearly annoyed woman, answering, "Nothing happened between Linnaeus and me, if that is what you're asking. I wanted to do something but he refused me. You can ask him yourself if you want."Without having to put Emilia's suggestion into play, Linnaeus preempted any questions Eliza was going to ask, explaining, "Don't get mad at her, Eliza. My carelessness caused a scene...Emilia had the opportunity to take things further but listened when I told her to stop."Hearing Linnaeus' words, Eliza adopted a frown but, instead of causing a scene, she ignored the lazily laying Emilia, turning to Linnaeus as she asked, "Tell me...what did you do to set her off?"Knowing there was no sense in talking around the issue, Linnaeus honestly admitted, "I wanted to practice drawing. In an effort to keep Emilia from bothering me, I chose her as my subject matter. I wasn't satisfied with the result so I ended up tearing it to pieces and setting off a chain of events that led to the misunderstanding..."As ridiculous as his explanation sounded, Eliza knew; if anyone could cause a misunderstanding over something as simple as a drawing, Linnaeus was the one to pull it off. This gave her a small headache as, without her teaching him and encouraging him to practice whenever he had free time, Linnaeus probably wouldn't have tried drawing Emilia.Since Emilia had apparently stopped when told, something that was a little surprising to Eliza, she decided to just drop the matter. It was too awkward to discuss after Linnaeus accepted the blame for everything that had transpired.Deciding this was an opportunity to strengthen her own bond with the normally taciturn youth, Eliza released a subdued sigh before asking, "Have you taken a bath yet?" To this, Linnaeus shook his head while Emilia, having waited for this exact development, rolled to a seated position with a cheeky smile on her face.Before the over-eager Vanargandr could say anything about joining them, Eliza gave her a stern glare as she stated, "You didn't behave properly the last time. You won't stop trying to corrupt Lin so I'm not going to let you take a bath with us anymore...!"Like a deflated balloon, Emilia appeared to have lost all motivation, her ears drooping sadly as she collapsed against the bed and complained, "Eliza is a tyrant..." in a voice she knew the latter would be able to hear.Despite Emilia's apparent lamentations, Eliza really wanted to prevent the wolfish woman from taking a bath with Linnaeus. The last time they went in together, she clung to him the entire time, even going so far as to try and help his little Linnaeus and chrysanthemum. Eliza had to boot her out of the bathroom since Linnaeus seemed unable to say no until things had already escalated...This time around, however, Linnaeus, having learned a lesson from the earlier incident, surprised both girls by stating, "I will bathe alone from now on. I didn't think much about it in the past but it is becoming increasingly apparent that my silence and acquiescence are becoming an issue. I do not want to create a divide in the Party by causing the two of you to fight over small matters. With how things are developing, I also fear how future Party members would interpret our situation...if I want to be a good Party Leader, I need to properly consider my actions..."Though she knew it wasn't exactly Emilia's fault, Eliza had a very strong desire to pull on the girl's ears and tail after hearing what Linnaeus had to say. She had always expected him to put his foot down at some point but, before that happened, she wanted him to become comfortable around her. This put a big hiccup in her plans, even if it proved that Linnaeus was beginning to mature in a good direction.Fearing he would take things even further, Eliza nodded her head in understanding, saying, "I can understand your concerns. Still, I can't sleep comfortably without you at my side so, please, don't move into a different room any time soon. We don't have any new Party members to worry about and, even if they do complain, that just shows they are jealous or harboring selfish intentions..."Here, despite their differences, Emilia quickly supported Eliza's argument, adding, "Vanargandr are a communal species. I feel very lonely if I have to sleep alone. My instincts make it so that I feel happier when sleeping next to the person that may determine my fate. It builds a strong bond of kinship, one that allows me to fight to the fullest without worrying about being abandoned in the middle of a fight..."Hearing the duo's arguments, Linnaeus couldn't help but stare back at them with a moderately deadpan expression on his face. He actually felt their sleeping together wasn't a bad thing so it was a little strange to hear them compromising; to the point that Emilia even used her racial traits as an excuse to justify them sharing the same bed.So as not to worry them too much, he ultimately took a deep breath through his nose, adopting his somewhat awkward smile as he explained, "I had no intention of moving into a room of my own...I, too, feel more comfortable when we sleep together..."In response to Linnaeus' words, both Eliza and Emilia beamed; their satisfaction at his words made very apparent. Then, as she was prone to do as of late, Eliza walked over and, after a small nod from Linnaeus, wrapped him in her embrace; squeezing him tightly while stroking the back of his head and muttering, "I'm glad...really..."---Following the awkward series of events, Emilia and Eliza shared a bath together before Linnaeus took his own turn. They were strangely insistent that he got after them but, as it didn't matter at all to him, Linnaeus had no problems agreeing to the arrangement.Once everyone had taken their chance to bathe, they all idled around for a little over an hour before leaving to have dinner and discuss things as a Party. During the wait, Eliza taught him some drawing exercises, helping to instill the basics into him so that he would improve at a faster rate.Eventually, Linnaeus knew he was going to have to draw both girls but, for now, he just did his best to draw basic geometric shapes so he could block out objects better.During dinner, everyone talked about their exploration of Central City and their fortune finding suitable equipment. Emilia had been the most direct in her approach to enhancing her current setup, having a made-to-order spear that cost nearly all of her excess Soul Kindling. She spent the remainder on her wardrobe, purchasing a total of five outfits and an undisclosed amount of underwear.Eliza's shopping was a little more complex, even though she also spent a fair amount on both clothing and shoes.Though she didn't rely on weapons all that much, Eliza purchased a small magical rod that could increase the effective range of Magic by 10%. This was only an additional five meters but, at times, even a small increase in range made the difference between life and death.Since she had proactively searched for discounted items, Eliza hadn't spent much to actually obtain her magical rod. Instead, most of her Soul Kinding was spent on obtaining a set of thin bracelets, one increasing SP Regen by 6% and the other and providing a bonus of +2 Int just by having it equipped. She had managed to get a slight discount by purchasing them together and, though she would never admit it; finding a shop owner that was easily distracted by the size of her bust...Of everyone present, Krone's shopping was both the most straightforward yet complex. Rather than purchase equipment, he visited various blacksmithing shops, directly purchasing refined ore in the form of small ingots. Since different materials provided different boosts to his attributes, he wanted to expand his collection of raw materials until he could mix and match different types to achieve the desired effect.To this end, Krone had purchased a total of thirteen ingots, the most notable of which had cost him 40,000 Soul Kindling; despite only being the size of a thumb. Still, Krone didn't regret the purchase in the slightest as the material was a valuable mineral known as Adamantite, one of the hardest substances available within standard markets.Though it was known to fracture when impacted by magical attacks, Adamantite was extremely resilient when it came to physical blows. Using it, Krone could increase his Constitution by a total of 15% and, though it wasn't reflected in his Status, it was a given that his defense had increased by a phenomenal amount; albeit at a considerable cost to mobility.This was where other materials came into play as, by mixing the properties of Adamantite with other materials, chiefly Athricite, he could sacrifice a small amount of physical defense to increase his resistance to magical attacks and significantly reduce his weight. These two metals were often formed into a compound to reduce the weight of Adamantite armor so, following the example of Blacksmiths and Armorers, Krone took advantage of his Blessing to form compounds freely.It was things like this that made Linnaeus somewhat envious of Krone's Blessing as it had a truly ridiculous amount of versatility. He could even benefit from absorbing the racial traits of his own allies, something that had yet to come into play but would undoubtedly become relevant as their rapport continued to increase.Fortunately, the more he learned about his own Blessing, the more practical it seemed for just about every circumstance. The only restriction seemed to be his imagination, focus, and, as could be expected, his SP reserves.As he grew stronger, Linnaeus slowly overcame these restrictions so, in the distant future, he liked to imagine being able to just tank a direct blow from a powerful enemy without even flinching. He would probably never just stand there and let someone hit him but, just thinking about the image in his mind filled him with motivation to improve.It was with thoughts like this in mind that, after the usual dinner concluded, Linnaeus spent a few hours just practicing with his Blessing. His current goal was to reduce the amount of time it took for him to produce complex geometric shapes, something his [Drawing] practice actually helped with quite a bit.If he could reach the point where he could form blades to accurately intercept the path of his enemy's attacks, he could avoid taking direct blows and bleeding SP. He was already capable of using simple barriers to interfere with their movements so it was really just a small improvement; one which would provide a qualitative improvement to his skills.Once he mastered this, Linnaeus' next challenge was to polish his accuracy so that he could use his Blessing effectively from a distance. Then, believing it to be the penultimate form of his ability to conjur barriers, Linnaeus wanted to master being able to restrain or trap his opponents.Since it was possible to create a barrier to interrupt an opponent's movement, forming something like a ring around their neck would give him a distinct edge over just about any foe. If he could reach the point where he could bind them mid-movement, they would be injured by the sudden cessation of momentum; all while becoming immobilized due to the barrier itself. Then, before they could recuperate, he could seal their movements completely by locking down their joints and leveraging their own power against them...just thinking about it made Linnaeus feel a little excited...

Chapter 73: A Moment of Reflection