Crownless Reincarnation: New World? Nah I'd win-Chapter 67: Apostle Zaina [1]

He glanced back at Velyrian. "Show me everything."

Velyrian didn’t need to be told twice.

With a motion of his hand, he gestured for Akamir to come inside.

Akamir walked past Milo, who was looking at the Ven core seriously.

The core pulsed slightly as it floated at the centre of the room.

"Hmm?"

As Akamir walked closer, he felt a slight pull from the core.

He quickly moved back from the core as he looked at the thing in astonishment.

’Wait, how can it be—?’

It doesn’t make sense unless it has its own gravity.

"How heavy is that thing again?" Akamir asked, looking at Professor Velyrian.

He looked up at him from his wheelchair. "It’s a few tons. Why do you ask?"

"A few tons won’t give it its own gravitational pull, Velyrian," Akamir mumbled, rubbing his chin. "It’s definitely far more than that."

’Come to think of it, when I first saw it there was no gravity around it.’

Akamir still remembered the time he first came into its contact.

But unlike that time, now this thing has a gravity that’s pulling things inward.

’That’s concerning.’

Velyrian tilted his head, the excitement still present in his eyes.

"We measured it multiple times. The outer shell doesn’t weigh much. But—"

"The inner mass is dense," Akamir finished for him.

"The readings we’ve been getting are inconsistent," Milo nodded beside them, arms folded.

"It’s like the core’s mass fluctuates depending on the observer."

"That shouldn’t be possible," Akamir muttered, stepping forward again, more cautiously this time. "Unless it’s alive. Or sentient."

Velyrian chuckled like he had heard a joke. "That’s not possible. It’s a thing, not a living being."

"Grade Zero Sealed Artifacts have their own minds," Akamir replied quietly. "You should know better than me."

He stared into the orb, watching the pale-blue energy shift and spiral inward like a heartbeat.

’Yep, it definitely wants me to get closer.’

"It’s not a Grade Zero Artifact," Velyrian defended with a tired groan. "Ven is classified as a Grade Four artifact."

Akamir looked back at him, blinking in surprise. "You are kidding, right?"

"He isn’t," Milo said, awkwardly. "Ven is a Grade Four artifact."

"That thing can connect us to the Clandestine....the world of mana," Akamir said, trying to emphasize his words.

"And you are saying it’s merely Grade Four?"

"That’s the problem," Milo replied. "Ven at its core is just a teleportation portal and every one of them are classified—"

"It can lead us to a higher plane of existence."

"Still a teleportation portal."

Akamir groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, whatever you say," he grumbled. "But we should still keep in mind about it being alive—"

"You are focusing on the wrong thing, boy!" Velyrian yelled grumpily as he glared at him. "What a buzzkill you are."

"Pardon me for being smart then," Akamir said, folding his arms. "So, what’s the great thing you did?"

"Look at Ven," Velyrian said, pointing at the thing. "What’s the difference from before?"

Akamir narrowed his eyes at the glowing crystal.

The more he focused, the faster he noticed small glowing carved stones rotating around it.

"Wait... Are those runes on stones?" Akamir mumbled, looking back at Velyrian.

The elf grinned. "Exactly. I made two opposite runes on either side of the stone. At first, Ven didn’t react, but it gradually accepted it."

Akamir’s eyes lit up with cautious curiosity. "You forced Ven to adapt to an artificial rune system?"

"Not forced," Velyrian corrected with a sly smirk. "Persuaded. There’s a difference."

Milo crossed his arms again, clearly still on edge. "It took weeks of tuning. Half the runes shattered before Ven even acknowledged them."

"But these ones remained?" Akamir stepped closer to get a better look.

"They’re stabilizing it," Velyrian explained. "Or maybe it’s stabilizing them. Hard to tell."

"Opposing runes usually repel or neutralize each other," Akamir muttered, eyes narrowing. "How are they not exploding?"

"Because they’re feeding off Ven’s internal mana balance," Velyrian replied.

"It’s not just acting as a conduit. It’s functioning as a regulator. Like a nervous system."

Akamir’s mind raced.

"That... shouldn’t be possible. For something to interpret runes, adapt to them, and then regulate their flow—it needs pattern recognition... A decision-making."

"Exactly," Velyrian said with a maddening grin. "You were right about it!"

Akamir didn’t reply; instead, he just stared at the Ven.

For some reason, he felt like he did something he shouldn’t have.

"Quick, grab the plant," Velyrian said, patting his arm. "And throw it at Ven."

Akamir looked at him for a second before he picked up the pot of a dying plant and threw it.

Woosh!!

The plant, when coming in contact with Ven, began to glow.

Slowly, it started to regenerate, and in a blink, flowers began to bloom.

A flower that was a beautiful red but with... black and white patches on it.

The pot fell down as the glow dimmed till it wasn’t there.

"See?" Velyrian pointed at the pot in excitement. "It didn’t die unlike before!"

Akamir used telekinesis and made the pot float towards him.

He grabbed it and began to examine the thing.

Everything was beautiful and lively except the patches of black and white.

They felt less like mistakes...

And more like warnings.

"What are these patches?" Akamir asked, looking back at Velyrian.

Velyrian’s excitement faltered for a moment.

His smile thinned. "That’s... the part we don’t fully understand."

Milo shifted uncomfortably. "It’s like the Ven healed it but—wrong. Like it filled in the gaps with whatever it could find."

"But we are still going somewhere," Velyrian said as he grabbed the wheels and began to move.

Akamir quickly grabbed the handle and pushed him to his desk.

"If we go on at this rate and take into account a few more breakthroughs before you—"

Velyrian said, as he looked at Akamir in excitement.

"We can maybe complete Ven in the next ten years."

Akamir frowned. "...That’s a long time."

"For you humans, it may be," Velyrian replied. "But it’s a blink of an eye for me."

Akamir just nodded as he kept on staring at the crystal that pulsed softly.

"Say..." he mumbled, rubbing his chin. "You really have no plans to open the gate, right?"

"Of course not," the elf denied aggressively. "I am not foolish enough to do such a thing, boy."

Akamir chuckled. "Yeah, you aren’t."

Just as Akamir turned his gaze away, he heard an unrecognizable whisper in his ear.

He stiffened. "Did... did you hear that?"

Milo raised a brow. "Hear what?"

Velyrian was already scribbling something down. "Don’t tell me the thing’s talking to you now."

"Uh, no," Akamir mumbled, rubbing his ears. "Anyway, I have something to ask from you."

Velyrian paused as he looked at him. "What is it?"

"There are rumours going on," he said softly. "About a company that has found things from the spirit world."

Velyrian scoffed. "That’s impossible."

"Yeah, I thought the same," Akamir mumbled, rubbing his chin. "But let’s say they are real... what do you think the elves will do?"

"They will try to get the source of the things, from where they are getting the items," he replied, grimly. "And they will go to any lengths for it."

Akamir gave him a look. "...I see."

"But knowing the current empress," he said, going back to his work. "She will just offer an appropriate price."

Akamir didn’t look reassured.

He stood silent for a long moment, watching the soft pulses of Ven.

’Looks like I need to be a lot more cautious with how we deal with the elves.’

The Imoyan company, for better or worse, doesn’t have ties with any big foundations.

They are part of no factions, making them free but also an easy target.

’I need to do something to strengthen them.’

Akamir thought, rubbing his chin.

’And fast as well.’

There was a lot for him to do, and time was spilling from his hands.

He began to walk out of the place.

"I will see you later."

Velyrian said without looking at him.

"And learn all the runes quickly so we can work together."

"Sure."

Akamir replied as he walked out of the office.

As soon as he did, Nayomi began to float just beside him.

"You should attend the next class,"

she said, looking at him.

"It will be important."

Akamir tilted his head in response. "And why do you say that?"

"It’s today,"

she said solemnly.

"When Zaina awakens her powers as an Apostle."