The Harvester

Chapter 371: "That's cheating!"

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

Flower Magic

⠀

The conceptual power of flowers is one that spans all civilizations and worlds. Wilting beauty is its authority and legendary is its idolization.

While it may sound harmless, this magic has the potential to dominate the world in order to grace it of its presence. Flowers incarnate beauty, peace, emotions, nature, and the cycle of life. Their interpretations and stories have been branded into history for eons.

⠀

Known Spells: None.

⠀

⠀

Formulation Magic

⠀

One of the known but unapproachable True Magics. Even those that awaken it often fail to harness its power and fall prey to their own limitations.

Formulation Magic allows one complete access to the formulas that compose all things. It is said that mathematics is the language of the beginning; as long as the caster is capable of both understanding and solving the formulas behind the existence of all things, they can banish it from reality; untie existential forces like a knot.

Similarly, the caster can also write formulas of their own and bring forth creation and destruction at whim. This is a power worthy of Gods, but which even the greatest of them fail to interact with, much less learn.

The formulas of the World are calculations that elude most beings. Even the greatest computed and artificial minds crafted in the planet of Mystral, the Nation of the Mystic, and home to some of the best magicians that have ever lived, are incapable of understating most of the basic World Formulas.

It is said that World Formulas rival the Original World Laws dictating the rules of Existence.

⠀

Known Spells: Understanding (T.1), Formulating (T.1).

⠀

---

⠀

Understanding

⠀

The staple of Formulation Magic; it allows the caster to define a target and attempt to read its formulas. This is a spell of which the results can never be predicted. The success of its casting depends purely on the caster's ability to grasp the complexity of the formulas.

Whether it will need one, or thousands of uses on a single target to even start being able to solve its formulas, is up to the user alone. Naturally, difficulties vary between different targets and one shall learn to recognize them.

⠀

Cost: 1 000 MP Per Second + Corresponding Psychic Power.

Range: Within Sight.

Cooldown: None.

⠀

---

⠀

Formulating

⠀

This is the third step of Formulation Magic.

Once fully analyzed and memorized by Understanding, the caster will be able to start solving the formulas of the relevant target. The solving process is thus the second step and is generally dreaded to be the cruelest to achieve; some even fall into madness attempting it.

Then comes Formulating. Once the user possesses both the formulas and their answers, it is possible to reverse engineer that knowledge to command the world. It can be applied to either modify, erase, or create something.

All three demand a massive amount of spiritual endurance, but they are not equal. In descending order, the cost of the options goes from modification to creation and ultimately erasure.

⠀

Cost: Variable Mana & Psychic Power.

Range: Within Sight.

Cooldown: None.

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

Rakna whistled quietly. "Two Tier 1 spells on awakening. I don't even have any yet."

"{Manifestation,}" Fray deadpanned as if reminding him.

"Well, that's kind of an exception," the therian snorted. "That aside…" He hummed while Ceresta seemed focused on properly assimilating the information of her magic as well as getting familiar with the new energies awakened in her soul.

"How is it?" He asked and she pursed her lips in thought.

"I'm… not sure yet," she replied hesitantly and flipped her wrist, a silver-greenish branch coiling around her hand and eventually blooming into white flower petals the same shade as her hair and pistils golden like her eyes. Rakna immediately recognized the flower as a Céraiste and she let out a small smile while looking at it.

"But I like it," she answered his question and he mirrored her smile.

"That's good to hear."

"Are you okay, Your Majesty?!" A voice shouted as the doors of the room opened and Elora barged in worriedly. "The readings coming from the Awakening Room have over… loaded…?" She blinked to a halt as she saw the missing and broken Awakening Orb. "…eh?"

Rakna snickered at the always-so-refreshing behavior of his Pavilion's handler. "It's all fine. I think the Orb simply couldn't cope with Ceres' magic."

Elora shot him a look that screamed 'That's possible?!'.

"Can this be repaired?"

"Um… well, uh, yes," she replied disorderly. "I've never done it myself but it's in protocols… though the last time it was relevant, I don't think even my granny was born…" She added wryly.

The therian huffed in amusement. "I'll take your word for it."

"Oh, right, Your Majesty, I have heard you will be participating in a showcase at the Arena?" Elora remarked curiously and he blinked in surprise.

"That's… true. But where did you hear it?"

"Oh, it's all over the news," she replied with an innocent smile and his eyebrow twitched.

'I mean… at least this time, it's intended,' Rakna thought bitterly. 'But how the hell did Kara spread it so fast? Is that lazy woman secretly a hard-working genius?'

"{It would seem so,}" Fray chuckled.

Rakna shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, we'll be going back now," he said and patted Ceresta on her shoulder to jolt her out of her quiet rumination about her magic. He walked to the exit with her and waved at his Pavilion's Master. "Good luck, Elora."

"Ah, yes! Thank you, Sir! I will also be sure to attend your showcase tomorrow!"

"Haha, you can look forward to it then."

⠀

* * *

⠀

"First impressions?" Back in the house with the others, Rakna asked as he curiously eyed Ceresta fervently staring at a pebble she had picked up on the ground outside. The therian could sense the stupidly high amounts of mana she had been using while doing so.

"…I need to run preliminary calculations," she eventually answered and mindlessly began to head toward the stairs. "I will be retreating to my room," she stated and disappeared upstairs.

Rakna chuckled at her distancing back. It was nice to see her being so engrossed in something. He could see that she was genuinely doing it out of personal interest.

Once she was gone, he turned to Hans who was sitting on the living room's main couch, in front of the television currently displaying the interface of a fighting game. Naturally, only a heavy frown adorned his expression as Higure grinned next to him, forcing him to play.

"I have better things to do, woman," his lips twitched in annoyance as she started another match.

"Sure, sure, now let's see if you can win this time," the lioness waved him off and noticed Rakna raising an eyebrow at them. "Oh, devourer! Want to join us?"

"…when did you even install a game on that thing?" He retorted quietly. "Maybe later," he said and focused on the azure-haired boy who was visibly repressing his infuriation as he nonetheless gave his all to win the game. "Hans, you added Cura as a friend, right? Have you contacted him yet?"

"Yes," the author simply said. "He will be at the Arena tomorrow. We can meet him there and see if he and King Gulon are willing to help on your little miracle hunt."

Rakna snorted. "Hope so. We can't do much without Gulon as things are."

"You could always eat that creature's heart," Hans retorted impassively and the therian gave him a deadpan look. "What? It is but a rational resort considering your options. You owe him a battle anyway."

"That's what you call intrusive thoughts. You don't say them," Higure snickered on the side.

"What is the point of having thoughts if you do not contemplate them?" Hans retorted with a scowl and the lioness closed her mouth with a blink, realizing she had no answer to that.

"…" She pursed her lips and turned toward Rakna for help.

The therian let out a small smirk she would usually rejoice seeing, but this one just made her have an ominous feeling. "He's right, you know. All thoughts count in life," he uttered and she grumbled to herself, turning her head right in time to also see her character in the game losing. Hans smiled mirthfully and she hung her head low in rare defeat.

"…bullies," she pouted.

Rakna chuckled at her and glanced at the house's front door on cue for it to open and allow Flavia and Evelyn to step in. Tyran and Natsu also jumped down from their respective masters and the former ran up to Pronos to play around. The Celestial Blaze on the other hand simply went to curl up on a sofa.

The Chaos Witch stretched once the door was closed and sighed. "Hah… shopping can be so tiring sometimes," she commented and then jokingly squinted her eyes at Rakna. "Though I guess it can always be worse by not having you along," she giggled.

Rolling his eyes, the therian leaned against the back of the couch. "So? Got your materials?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Give me an hour or so and I can get a divination going. It's my first time doing one but Cuniya said she would guide me," she stated.

"I see. What about you, Evelyn?"

The succubus smiled. "Everything is in order for Harvest. The latest iterations of Cardiac Pills are ready to be mass-produced. And of course, Mister Gaelius has finished designing an assortment of devices capable of harnessing the Eion Tri-Core's energy. Oh, and I bought myself a few materials for my transmutations as well," she added. "With the skill you gave me a while ago, I believe I can create powerful Chimeras from Eion for both our Guild and sales."

"Well, that company's going to be a monumental success alright," Higure snorted.

"Hm… I need to talk with Gaelius and Kara about a new kind of product too," Rakna mused aloud and everyone looked at him. He shrugged back. "To be specific; weapons. Eion-powered ones," he clarified. "I don't care if it's swords, bombs, acid, gas, or even guns," he said with a slightly more serious tone. "Chimeras are quite a nice idea too. Good job."

Evelyn blushed at the praise and he continued, "Thanks to Roias, we now know for a fact that the 'Stones of Eternity' can hurt Abyss Téra. Chances are it could even hurt Abyss Creatures as a whole or maybe offset their regeneration. It wouldn't hurt to have weapons ready to be shipped off since the conflict is already mounting."

"Hm, that is a decent plan," Hans commented offhandedly. "If anything, the cost-efficient nature of that energy is enough to be of interest in battle, strengths or weaknesses notwithstanding."

"Explosive reagents wouldn't be hard to concoct," Evelyn remarked pensively. "And we could also use some kind of liquid to preserve an Eion Fission Stone inside a capsule. That way, just throwing it would release the highest possible amount of damage at the lowest cost possible."

The room fell silent as they heard the Cambion's idea. Just imagining portable items capable of causing atomic explosions at a whim was enough to make half of them shiver.

Rakna cleared his throat. "W-well… let's tone that one down a bit, for safety purposes," he spoke carefully and Evelyn tilted her head.

"Hm, it is true that forming stable Fission Stones would require a large amount of mana, as well as a matching degree of control. With your lead, it would be easy… but for industrial lines…" She let her thoughts wander.

"No, that's… not…" Rakna sighed. "Ah, whatever. I'll be in the basement for a while," he announced and waved at Pronos for him to follow. "I probably have a worrywart of an angel to console and a Resonance to work on," he stated and walked to his training room's elevator. "Call me when Kara comes back bragging about even worms under their nest know about my showcase tomorrow."

Higure laughed. "Aye! We'll be sure to do so. By the way, Nyx is down there too," she said and the therian waved in response as the doors automatically closed.

At the same time, Hans expressionlessly tried to sneak away, only for his collar to be grabbed and pulled right back to his seat. The lioness smirked at him. "Oh, you're not leaving like that, brat. You don't get to run after stealing a win like that."

"…then you should have paid attention to the game, woman," the author grumbled.

"I am now."

The boy's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Damned cat…"

"Hahaha, adorable kittens like me shall always be forgiven," she cackled.

"You are nothing close to a kitten."

"Come on, you know you love cats," she joked. "Don't lie to yourself."

"I did," he responded with a dead voice. "I am now officially switching camps. Dogs are better."

"Agreed!" Natsu suddenly pumped his paw in the air.

"My my, you wound me," Higure feigned a pained expression right as she dealt out the last combo that spelled her opponent's defeat. "Hehe, I win again. Wanna take your revenge?"

"…" Hans believed himself to be a very patient individual. That is why… he made his decision in a heartbeat. He confirmed the prompt for a rematch and uttered one word, "[Rewrite.]"

"Wha--! Hey! No! That's cheating!" The complaints of a certain horny cat resounded unheeded for the next two hours.