Back in the tunnel, Ben opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
The flood of information finally settled.
His mind felt clearer, but heavy questions still lingered.
Elvira hovered nearby.
Worry showed in her eyes. "What's going on, my beloved?
You're scaring me.
I've never seen you like this, not even when we were in danger."
Ben ran a hand through his hair.
Frustration slipped into his voice. "I don't have all the answers yet, but I know a few things for sure.
First, travelers are sent here with a purpose.
I don't know what that purpose is.
Second, the stronger we get, the more we learn.
At some point, everything will become clear to us."
Elvira's eyes widened as she thought it over. "No wonder travelers rarely settle in one place… and now that I think about it, I've never seen more than three travelers working together.
Does that mean travelers gain something by defeating each other?"
Ben nodded. "I don't know the exact benefit, but I know we can take their artifacts."
Elvira frowned.
She sounded doubtful. "You're certain?
I've never heard anything like that."
"They're hiding it.
No question," Ben said.
His tone turned more serious. "And it doesn't end there.
We also have enemies, beings that will hunt us down once we reach a certain level."
Elvira's face turned grim.
The thought hit her that Ben might already be at that point. "Enemies?"
"Not much to go on," Ben said. "But they are strong.
Extremely strong.
Do you know any faction that fits that?
Something strong and mysterious."
Elvira furrowed her brows and thought. "Strong and mysterious…" She ran through all the factions she knew.
She removed the ones that were too public or too weak to threaten travelers.
After a moment, she said, "The only ones that come to mind are the Magus.
Other than them, there are powerful clans, but they are all well-known and not really 'mysterious.'"
"Magus, huh?" Ben muttered.
He did not push for more details.
He saw the uncertainty in her expression.
Even Elvira did not know much about the Magus.
For him, it was better not to build theories on unclear information.
Elvira's tone softened. "So, what's your plan now?"
"First, we finish clearing this area and turn it into our second base," Ben said. "I already ordered the Krell scouts to maintain the first one."
"You mean Airi and Aqua?" Elvira asked.
"Who else?" he said. "Anyway, I planned to find an ant princess to farm biomass.
But with all the worm remains here, we have more than enough to build an army."
Elvira's eyes lit up. "You are going to create a new type, aren't you?
We need proper workers.
Give them four arms and four legs."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Four arms, I get.
But why four legs?"
"It will increase their speed," Elvira said. "Look at how massive this tunnel is.
You will need them to gather all the worm's remains into one spot." She spread her mana through the surroundings, using it to scan the area. "This area is at least a thousand blocks wide and tall.
As for the length…" She paused, then added, "Gods know how long the worm was before it shrank into that… thing."
She fell silent for a moment, then tilted her head.
Curiosity entered her voice. "By the way, can you explain how salt managed to destroy that worm?
I still can't understand it.
How could such a creature be defeated by something like that…"
Ben let out a small chuckle. "It's complicated, but basically, the salt made the worm's body shrivel and weaken.
That is why its skin cracked.
Honestly, I think the creator of that thing built that weakness in on purpose.
Otherwise, I can't imagine what kind of calamity it would be if it went out of control.
We barely survived one.
Who knows how many more of those things exist."
He raised his newly upgraded pickaxe.
Its rainbow-like sheen glowed faintly in the dim light.
CLANG.
The pickaxe struck a Grimslate block and shattered it with a single hit.
A grin spread across Ben's face.
This was real power.
Elvira stayed by his side this time and watched closely as he worked.
Ben noticed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't have anything else to do," Elvira said with a small shrug. "And watching your artifact work is fascinating."
Ben smirked.
He could see what she was really after. "You are trying to figure out how it works, aren't you?"
Elvira did not deny it.
Her eyes shone with interest. "I am, but I have not figured anything out yet.
At first glance, it just looks like a normal item.
Even when I channel mana into it, I only feel faint traces of energy from the Empyrean Crystal, and it keeps dissipating.
It is strange.
This reminds me of before, when…"
Her words trailed off.
Ben's gaze darkened a little. "You mean when you tore my arm off."
Elvira puffed out her cheeks in a slight pout.
Frustration showed on her face. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?
Can you let it go already?"
Ben's voice stayed calm, but there was a thin edge to it. "I don't know how Aetherians handle things, but as a human, we don't exactly forget when someone tears off our arm."
Elvira crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "But you are not human anymore, are you?"
The comment hit Ben harder than he expected.
He froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "Fair enough," he said quietly.
He decided not to push the topic any further.
He shifted the conversation instead. "I saw what you were working on earlier.
Do you have any other magic that might help us?
Something defensive would be good.
We can't rely on barriers like those big clans you talked about, but having some protection would make me feel a lot better."
Elvira tapped her chin and gave him a thoughtful look. "What kind of defense are you thinking about?"