novelGlobal Chapter 2043: The Elyssian Stone
Chapter 2043: The Elyssian Stone
Each element that existed around was covered with more aether, as if coating it and improving its quality. In response, the elements tended to congregate in this area, too, even if the pace was very, very slow.If she didn’t know the area had been dead for a long time, she would’ve thought this patch of land and this spot absorbed the aether from the region.
However, it was more likely that the bit of aether and life left behind congregated to this spot, condensing through the years of accumulation.
And why would it accumulate here? Obviously, because of something special.
It was not easy to ’swim’ by even a few meters here. There was naturally a resistance to foreign objects, not to mention it felt like there was a whirlpool made of mud around her.
Moving by a single inch consumed mana and energy—elemental and physical. Still, she persevered and headed in the direction where the energy was densest.
It was about a hundred meters below the mysterious grassland, and was the direct center of the ’whirlpool’.
It was like a giant emerald, irregularly cut, had a certain grandeur embedded into it. It had its own internal glow, but gave an impression of a crystalline beating heart.
She was unconsciously attracted and went over, using much of her remaining mana to approach.
When she reached a certain distance, the whirlpool stopped moving. Though they were surrounded by soil, in Althea’s consciousness, it was like she and the emerald were floating. It was a very mysterious sensation.
She didn’t know that if someone else was in her exact position, they could very well have imploded.
Fortunately for Althea, an awakened pseudo-elf, this was nothing.
As for Garan, he would also survive in its vicinity, but Althea simply had a much better affinity to it due to her combination of elements, which was why she was the one summoned.
The whirlpool stopped slowly. When the earth went completely still, it was only then that she realized this giant emerald was surrounded by hundreds of smaller, translucent crystals with magical, iridescent sheen.
When she realized what they were, it made her heart palpitate.
Aether crystals. Hundreds of them.
"What..." she thought, though she naturally could not open her mouth otherwise soil would enter.
She pushed down the temptation to take every piece, for now. She focused on the emerald, which she knew must be the Elyssian stone.
It simply had that ancient signature that her bloodline resonated with, making her understand Naia’s words that only people like them would be able to obtain it.
She instinctively held out her hand, closing distance but not daring to touch it yet, just in case it was hostile.
However, she felt a pulse that resonated with her own energy, and the stone floated straight to her palm like she was a magnet.
Her eyes twitched when a sharp part of the stone swiped her palm, making it bleed. However, she didn’t really notice it because upon contact, when its innate energy made contact with her own, she caught a glimpse of its Truth.
It didn’t express anything explicitly. The images were vague and intermittent and felt more like impressions on fog rather than an actual image. But, somehow, she understood.
Elysian, among a few other life crystals, was connected to the aether of the world. They could be said to be partially responsible for producing them, like how trees were with oxygen.
They were ethereal things that existed from the beginning of time. However, they might not be visible or even approachable to most people.
It must be why only an elven blood—the race closest to nature, to the truth—could access it.
However, it wouldn’t produce aether from nothing.
It converted the existing life and death that circulated in the world, cleansing them and then recirculating them as ’cleaner’ energy.
As for the waste, well, the gathered amount of darkness—mostly from the wars, especially before the elven stepped forward—condensed through several millennia and eventually exploded, giving birth to monsters.
Even until now, the ubiquitous killings, deaths, and hate fuelled the creation of these things.
At the same time, it was also because the stone was placed in such a dead zone filled with death that it was unable to produce enough aether. To a degree, the reduction of aether she had observed before...could have something to do with this exact stone.
She decided it was safe to take it with her and wondered if it was safe enough to put in her space. It was too big to be carried around comfortably, after all. At the same time, she worried that the immense energy would destroy her space, whether it was the system’s or the space stone’s.
Unexpectedly, as if hearing her thoughts, the entire crystal changed its appearance. From the boulder-like illuminated emerald, the shimmer dulled down, and it suddenly seemed like a lifeless rock. She blinked, worried for a moment. But she could still sense the same energy inside of it just by instinct, so she calmed down.
She smiled, placing it in her space for a few seconds and observing if there was anything amiss. Seeing as her space was fine, she then took in the rest of the aether crystals. She hadn’t heard of people being unable to store aether crystals in spaces, and fortunately, they were indeed safe to store inside.
She looked at the new discoveries with her mind’s eye, a pretty smile on her face. The aether crystals would definitely help her town catch up to their peers.
As for their bodies and foundations, considering how everyone kept training and fighting, she was not too worried even if they over-consumed crystals.
However, she would likely get Volohov and the rest to formulate a proper consumption guide with aether crystals, so that the users would be able to maximize the energy while minimizing side effects in themselves.
As for the stone, she was also very curious about it. It was not intrinsically harmful, nor did it steal other energy. Rather, it encouraged the circulation and enhancement of aether itself.
It made her think: If she planted this in Alterra, she wondered how much would change?