Two weeks later, in the underground hidden basement, Maximus let out a sigh of relief as he gazed at the finished runic program he had inscribed.
During these two weeks, he had taken his time and hadn’t rushed through the process.
He even managed to rest and spend quality time with his family, unlike when he was setting up the formation array and felt exhausted like a dog.
Although, the process of inscribing consumes a lot of time, it also aided his study of mechanics, particularly in control and precision when inscribing runic patterns.
Working with the challenging EldRune runic language tested his patience and precision, ultimately leading to improved control over his mana.
Shifting his attention to the Aethercore Nexus, he noticed a new function that had been added.
[Highest Authority: Maximus Shadowcrest
Mana Density: Tier 1.7
Defense and Attack: Charged – 100%
Functions: Virtualization, recording, alarm…
Connection: Token – Personal Information
– Moonlight Forum]
Once the mana density reached tier 1, the mana-gathering process started to slow down.
So, it would likely take another two weeks to achieve tier 2 mana density.
The Moonlight forum had basic functions such as posting, commenting, and liking.
It also had a chat feature and the ability to add friends.
Maximus intentionally avoided adding too many functions at once to prevent confusion.
However, the runic program is already finished, any future updates could be easily made with just a single click.
Before enabling the Moonlight forum, Maximus typed his first post and instructions.
…
In Isabella’s boudoir, she was getting ready for the day when suddenly her token started vibrating.
Intrigued, she picked it up.
[Personal Information
Moonlight Forum]
“Moonlight forum?” Isabella voiced her confusion.
Weeks ago, they had been informed by Maximus about the changes happening in the kingdom, such as the mana density and purity being attributed to the formation.
It had even caused her mana, which had long been stagnant, to move.
While most of the ministers were shocked by such a change, they had no doubts about it, especially since Maximus had mentioned that his Tier 5 mage teacher planned to make Sunburnt Plateau his territory.
Curiosity piqued, Isabella tapped on the Moonlight forum.
[Forum
Chat
Profile]
There wasn’t much content on the forum, except for Maximus’ announcements explaining what had happened in the past week and outlining the functions of the Moonlight forum.
Clicking on the chat tab, she found that it was empty.
“Let’s see…” According to the instructions, she could add anyone by typing their name.
She typed “Maximus,” and several names popped up.
So, She added his surname.
[Maximus Shadowcrest…]
“Done!” Isabella clicked on “Add” and anxiously waited for Maximus to accept.
While waiting, she turned to the profile tab.
Since everyone with a token had already registered their personal information, there was no need for her to do so.
Unfortunately, all the profiles were blank and held no interesting information.
However, Isabella was curious about the camera function.
Maximus had explained in his post that it was like a photo stone, capable of capturing images using mana.
When she clicked on it, a pop-up appeared.
[Please input mana.]
After inputting the mana, her face appeared on the virtual screen.
“Oops!” Isabella hurriedly cut off the supply of mana.
She had just seen her face so clearly for the first time.
Although mirrors existed in this world, they weren’t as clear as the image displayed on the token.
Turning the mana supply back on, Isabella marveled at the highly detailed image.
“Beautiful,” she murmured unconsciously.
“Hmph, this old lady is so beautiful. How can that lustful man endure my charm?” Isabella remarked in a sour tone as she looked at her reflection.
It had been almost a year since Isabella surrendered under Maximus’ rule.
Initially, upon discovering that he had many wives, she somewhat accepted the possibility of being in a similar situation.
For the sake of her path as a mage, she was willing to endure this temporary humiliation, especially since Maximus was not bad looking and was also a talented mage.
However, Maximus had treated her like any other person, making her doubt her charm.
Yet, now, as she gazed at her image reflected in the virtual screen, even she, a woman, was almost charmed by her beauty.
So how could a lustful man resist it?
“Could it be that I’m too old?” Isabella touched her face.
“No! How can I be old?” Isabella quickly refuted herself.
She was only thirty-one years old this year, and as a Tier 2 Great Mage, she had a lifespan of at least 300 years.
Moreover, there was a high chance that she could advance to Tier 3 Nascent Mage, extending her lifespan to a thousand years.
Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, she put away her token and confidently walked out of the house.
…
Two weeks later, the Moonlight forum was abuzz with excitement.
Originally, many people didn’t understand how the forum worked, and some couldn’t even read.
But Maximus had anticipated this and added a voice function.
Instead of reading the text, the forum now played the voice of the post owner.
This was made possible because the users’ mana and spiritual signature were registered in their tokens and with a little processing through the Aethercore Nexus.
Making a personal generated voice was easy.
…
In the newly built tavern, a man with silver hair named Silver Atom sat in a chair behind the counter, enjoying his drink while tinkering with his token.
He let out a sigh, appreciating the taste of the wine.
Silver Atom was a Tier 4 Sky Knight who had chosen not to escape like the others when he learned that the entire Sunburnt Plateau had been conquered.
He had grown tired of living life on the edge of a knife, constantly either fighting or on his way to a battle.
Landon, the lad responsible for the relocation, had bribed him with good wine and spirits.
Silver Atom was known as Drunken Sword Silver and had traveled all over the world in search of drinks that could satisfy him.
There was even a time when he sold himself as a servant to a family famous for their wines, solely because they claimed to have wines that were out of this world.
Unfortunately, they had deceived him, an old fool, into a soulbound contract.
Naively believing them, he signed the contract and then asked where the promised wine was.
To his dismay, the group simply laughed at him.
How could he be worthy of the title Drunken Sword Silver if he had a sober mind?
Disregarding the contract, he went on a rampage and nearly exterminated their entire family.
However, as a punishment for breaking the contract, the dignified Tier 6 Stellar Knight regressed to a Tier 4 Sky Knight.
𝑶𝐯xt.𝓒𝑂𝑚
Helpless, he could only escape to the Curse Continent, where he now lived his retired life, unable to advance further due to the punishment of the contract.
Maximus had heard about Silver Atom’s story from Feris when he inquired about powerful or hidden hermits in the Sunburnt Plateau.
Learning about the pitiful drunkard, Maximus purchased the strongest Tier 6 wine available in the system mall and had Landon bribe him.
Although the old man had regressed in strength, his knowledge and experience were still formidable.
With ease, he could cross realms and defeat Tier 5 knights or even mages if caught off guard.
Precisely because of this, Maximus planned to have the old man become the teacher of the knight academy he was planning to establish.
But for now, Old Silver was content managing the tavern according to his own desires.
…
“Old Silver, give me the usual!” shouted a middle-aged man who had just entered the tavern.
“Go get it yourself,” Old Silver replied without raising his head, engrossed in his token.
“What are you doing, Old Silver?” the middle-aged man asked as he walked up to him.
As the middle-aged man came behind him, he saw Old Silver typing on the virtual screen under the nickname ‘Drunken Sword Silver.’
“Oh, it’s you, the old man who has been famous recently!” The middle-aged man’s eyes shone as if he had encountered a celebrity.
Drunken Sword Silver had gained recent fame on the Moonlight forum, sharing his daring and thrilling adventures.
However, many people didn’t believe his stories and considered them to be fictional due to their fantastical nature.
“Is what you said real, Old Silver?” the middle-aged man drooled as he read what was posted.
“Of course!” Old Silver proudly replied.
What he had shared were his adventures in the Gourmet Domain, the territory of a Tier 9 mage that was also a Tier 9 Gastronomancer.
In this domain, the entire world had been transformed into edible food.
Even the dirt could be eaten, with different types offering flavors ranging from sour and sweet to savory and more.
Old Silver had embarked on this adventure in pursuit of the Beer Waterfall at one time
But his dream is to have a taste of the ultimate treasure, the Mystic Dew of the Gods.
The formation of this legendary drop of wine only occurred once every thousand years and was fought over by many powerhouses ranging from Tier 6 to Tier 7.
Unfortunately, before he could achieve his goals, he was deceived and could no longer advance.
Just thinking about that legendary drop of wine, Old Silver couldn’t help but drool and sigh.