Jack stared at the floating options. His spectral form humming with latent power.
[AVAILABLE CONVERSION OF 8 SEEDS TO A PERSONAL ARTIFACT] CHOOSE ONE:
[SHIELD OF DUAT]
[BATTLE MAGICIAN CANE]
[NINE-ANCHOR PORTAL RING]
As usual, nothing but the names.
Jack scanned the options. The Shield of Duat and Battle Magician Cane were the same choices. The ones that had appeared when he'd converted his last set of seeds.
But the third option was new. [Nine-Anchor Portal Ring]. The name alone sparked interest. The two words. Portal. Anchor.
If it did what he suspected – creating stable points for teleportation. Or perhaps, linking locations... that was functionality far beyond a shield or a cane. No matter how magical the last two might be.
In this dangerous world, reliable method of movement was invaluable. A chance for teleportation tool? The choice was clear. He would take the ring.
He didn't hesitate. Quickly choosing: [NINE-ANCHOR PORTAL RING].
The interface shifted. Confirming his choice. A new section appeared, detailing the chosen artifact.
[Nine-Anchor Portal Ring: A ring capable of setting up to nine distinct, yet invisible, anchor points in physical locations. Once an anchor point is established, the wearer can teleport to any set anchor point once per day. Setting a new anchor point overwrites the oldest one if nine points are already set.]
Jack grinned widely behind his spectral mask. Exactly what he'd hoped for. Nine anchor points. Teleportation. Once a day was a significant limitation. But still infinitely better than nothing.
He could set strategic points. Near settlements. Secluded hideouts. Mining resources. The potential tactical advantage was enormous.
The steering wheel he had touched dissolved into a faint shimmer. The energy seemingly drawn into his spectral form.
And then, it condensed into a small, metallic ring. Around the translucent ring finger of his right hand. It looked simple. Unadorned. But beautiful.
The ring seemed to be able to adapt. As it quickly turned into spectral form. But stayed with him, even when he was cloaked with invisibility.
...
With the new artifact secured, Jack resumed his journey. The Elrush Sea stretched endlessly below as he flew on.
Two more days of relentless, non-stop flight lay ahead of him. His spectral form didn't actually feel exhaustion. But the monotony of the open sea was quite numbing his mind.
After two days that felt like an eternity, he finally saw land mass emerging on the horizon. Vast. Even from his altitude, the scale was apparent. Vestrose Island.
And nestled against a bay was Sapphire City. Beneath the towering, jagged peaks scarred by mining operations.
As he drew closer, the air grew thicker. A pungent mix of coal smoke. Metalworking fumes. And something vaguely sulfurous assaulted his non-existent nose.
The city itself was a sprawl of brick, iron, and churning machinery. Cranes dotted the skyline like skeletal fingers. Their massive arms hoisting ore from ships and trains.
Buildings clustered densely. Some built directly into the sides of the rocky landscape. The building style was a little different. But as a whole, it reminded him strongly of Lotogear City.
Compared to Lotogear, Sapphire City was bigger, dirtier, and louder. It was also radiating a more oppressive sense of desperation. Life seemed even harsher here.
The lines on people's faces were deeper. The glint in their eyes was sharper with hardship and cynicism. Petty crime wasn't just prevalent here. It felt like a fundamental part of the city's metabolism.
Jack wanted to explore the city. To judge the guilty criminals in that city of gloom. However, his first priority wasn't exploration or judgment. It was establishing a secure teleportation point.
He flew past the city limits. He followed the course of a river that snaked down from the mountains. He needed somewhere secluded. Easily identifiable. Relatively safe from accidental interference. And close to reflective surface in case he needed to quickly enter his Mirror Space.
Jack had tried to place a teleportation point within his Mirror Space. It didn't work. It must be placed in real world.
About ten miles upstream, the river widened into a calm pool. Before cascading over a series of large rocks. A cluster of dense, pine trees and thorny bushes offered decent concealment nearby.
Perfect. He settled his spectral form beside the pool. The air around him shimmered faintly as he activated the ring. A faint, almost imperceptible pulse emanated from the ring. Sinking into the ground.
A success? He tested it immediately. He flew further away. And then, he concentrated on the ring and the newly set location. He willed himself to transfer to the target destination.
He felt a strange pulling sensation. It was stretching his body like thin rubber. A disorienting feeling. And then... he was there.
One moment he was floating above the river a mile away. The next, he was standing floating spectrally exactly where he'd set the anchor.
He checked the ring. It felt cool and inactive. The daily charge used. Good. It worked just like how it supposed to. A vital piece of infrastructure for his operations was now in place.
...
Jack spent the next few days doing what specters do best. Observing. Invisible, he drifted through the city. He explored the streets, markets, workshops, taverns, and even ventured into people's houses.
He listened to conversations. Absorbed the information. And mentally cataloged the city's power structures and social woes.
He also used his time to exploit the city's primary resource. The mines. His newest acquired trait, [Grootslang's Gemstone Detection], was tailor-made for this environment.
Jack drifted through abandoned shafts. And less-frequented tunnels in his spectral form. His gemstone detection inherited from a mythical African beast pinged constantly.
It wasn't long before his Mirror Space began to fill up with raw gemstones of various sizes and types. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds. This world's weird geology threw all of them around like gravel. Concentrated in one place.
After a few days of systematic harvesting, he stopped. He had enough raw material to work with for a long time. Mining itself was tedious. His real goal was crafting.
Besides, it was not easy to mine as a specter. And secretly hauling the mined ores to the closest reflective surface was even harder. But, that was the most stealthy way to get the gemstones from the mine without arising suspicion.
He finally started to work on the gemstones in his Mirror Space. There, he shifted into his human form, Jack Night.
He processed the gem ores. And then, he laid out the gemstones and started working with the.
His suspicion was right. Gemstones in this world weren't just pretty rocks or simple wealth. They were incredible conduits for steamrune inscription.
Metal or wood required careful etching and preparation. Many gemstones seemed to absorb and amplify runic energy almost naturally.
His attempts to fuse gemstones with other objects also resulted in unexpected gain. He even incidentally created a type of materials he called Runestones. The only material he had that could withstand nine runes.
With these new materials, his two incomplete projects were finally finished.
First, the Steamrune Hoverboard. It was now a sleek, dark metal board. Inlaid with a several black gemstones. It was covered in tightly packed runes. And powered by a small, super efficient Runestone Core.
Testing it within the training area of his Mirror Space, he found it incredibly stable. It could hover a few meters off the ground. Responding smoothly to his balance shifts.
It wasn't lightning fast. But it zipped around quicker than running. And it could traverse uneven terrain with ease. It was essential for navigating this world's landscape as Jack Night.
And then, the Steamrune Backpack. This wasn't just a bag with runes. It was a complex piece of engineering disguised as rugged canvas and leather.
Runes were woven into the fabric. And etched onto internal plates with plenty of rune covered gears. A large piece of Runestone Core stabilized the spatial properties within. Allowing it to hold an impossible amount of items.
He tested it by shoving everything he could find into it. Spare parts, weapons, bullets, mined ores, random rock samples. It was holding the capacity of a small warehouse.
Yet, it could hold them without bulging. Or becoming overly heavy. Another mystical mechanism inside allowed quick retrieval of targeted items.
This freed him from carrying multiple bags. Or relying solely on his Mirror Space for bulk storage.
Once he completed these two projects, Jack turned his attention to his weapons. The Steamrune Shotgun and Handguns. They were already effective.
But, using the higher-quality Runestones, he reworked the internal mechanisms. And added new runic arrays. The result was a significant boost in power. Especially for the Energy Beam mode.
Jack spent several more days as a human incarnation in his Mirror Space. He planned to enter the city as a human being. Thus, he needed to familiarize himself with being a human. Once more.
He practiced with his improved weapons. Controlling his physical movements. And letting the sheer physical sensation of being solid ground him.
He ate, slept, and immersed fully on what truly being a human felt.
When he felt ready, he made his move. He entered Sapphire City as a human. A lone mortal figure walking to the gigantic industrial beast.
His had already decided the first stop within the city proper... the Mercenary Union.