Chapter 101: The Central High Tower

Ace’s cowlick suddenly floated naturally, and with a snap, transformed into the Spirit of the Book.

“So much, so much knowledge. Some of it is old, but still delicious!” The Spirit of the Book excitedly danced around. Accompanied by his dancing, Mana flowed slowly. It was somewhat stiff, but still managed to record all the books.

“Copy a version and transmit it to my Grimoire,” Ace said to the Spirit of the Book.

“Yes, Master.”

The Spirit of the Book nodded, clutching his plump belly. He then transformed back into a cowlick. With the flow of Mana, the book information stream slowly uploaded to the Grimoire interface in Ace’s vision.

Ace looked at the uploading book information stream, turned, and left the area.

Time flew quickly. Ace saw that there was still one hour left before the four-hour limit, so he turned back.

“There are no danger warnings at the crossroads. It seems the mirror image hasn’t encountered any problems, or the problem is too big for him to signal.” Ace looked at the empty crossroads, his thoughts racing, making deductions.

He cautiously walked near the steel door but found no sign of danger.

“Bang!”

Ace transformed into an old mechanical gear, rolling and leaping up the stairs.

As he entered the steel door, Ace sensed a magical rhythm.

“It is I,” the mirror image said, stepping out from behind the steel door. “I set up a scanning spell here, mimicking the Mana rhythm on the iron door, to monitor and record the situation.”

Their eyes met. Their souls trembled, and their frequencies slowly aligned.

“I see. It seems this city has been abandoned for a long time. You discovered the Steampunk Magic Weapon manufacturing factory, but it seems the equipment and artifacts inside were all removed?” the host body Ace muttered to himself.

“Yes,” the mirror image Ace interjected. “It is highly likely it was Nicholas. I will ignore him for now. We should go up and prepare. Tomorrow, we will explore the Central High Tower. We might encounter that unknown explorer.”

Traversing the deep, gloomy underpass and its dense network of forks, Ace finally returned safely to the surface with the aid of the magical signal base stations.

He did not rest but continued to hunt and kill powerful low-level Monsters using cruel methods, collecting the powder of Monster souls filled with intense resentment and hatred, storing them carefully.

Subsequently, he began to meditate. Although the effect of meditation on increasing mental power was now minuscule, it was still effective for restoring Mana and mental energy.

The next day, sunlight streamed down, scattering in patches, illuminating Ace’s face through the tree canopy.

He opened his eyes, stood up, and went to the rock wall. He condensed his mental power into a feeler and gently touched the starlight. The rock wall recessed, and the bottomless underpass emerged.

The routine remained the same: Monsters led the way, the mirror image followed, and Ace’s host body brought up the rear.

Relying on the magical signal base stations, they quickly reached the vicinity of the steel door.

The mirror image Ace meticulously checked the scanning records, confirming that no one had passed during the night. They then entered the underground city.

The intensely hot sphere of fire still radiated light and heat. Following the entire steel dome, it illuminated the underground city as if it were day. Ace and the mirror image did not head directly to the Central High Tower but first went to the performance hall they had discovered earlier.

“We will set up an ambush here, arranging the corresponding Magic Arrays and Rune Arrays. We have both physical attack options—the Glycerin Magic Tubes—and spiritual attack options—the Resentful Soul Powder. If the unidentified explorer is an enemy, this spot should be enough to take him out, provided he is not a Great Hero.”

The host body Ace’s eyes glowed with anticipation, preparing to dig the trap.

“We must also prepare for the unexpected. We cannot appear together. If necessary, I will lure the enemy here and destroy myself along with him.” The mirror image Ace said with a hint of sorrow.

“Begin the preparations then.” The host body offered no comfort to the mirror image; it was meaningless.

Hidden magical patterns, Glycerin Magic Tubes transformed into chairs, broken stones, and crossbeams, and a massive amount of resentful soul powder permeated the entire building along the magical patterns, making the hall eerie and terrifying.

Ace frowned. He reached up and plucked the cowlick from his head. Snap!

The Spirit of the Book rubbed his sleepy eyes and let out a displeased yawn.

“Use your Concealment ability to hide most of the magical fluctuations and the aura of resentment in this building,” Ace said, holding the Spirit of the Book and flicking him twice with his finger.

The Spirit of the Book immediately woke up, activated the Concealment ability. Accompanied by the pulse of Mana, the building’s eerie atmosphere and magical fluctuations were masked. If one did not inspect it carefully, it would be difficult to notice.

After completing the task, the Spirit of the Book, with a patting sound, transformed into a cowlick and was re-inserted into the center of Ace’s hair.

Ace thought for a moment. He designed several Rune Arrays based on the Air Pressure Rail Inferno Soul Spell in the hall, linking them to the Grimoire via the signal base station. If necessary, he could use concentrated firepower to draw the enemy in.

Ace and the mirror image reached the Central High Tower. A wave of intense heat washed over them, making them feel the tower’s scorching temperature. This gigantic sphere of fire definitely involved advanced and intricate forms of Mana application!

The host body Ace placed several transformed Glycerin Magic Tubes near the Central High Tower. He then transformed himself into a rusty iron nail, adhering to the wall of an abandoned building nearby.

The mirror image Ace directed several Monsters to cautiously enter the rusty, mottled Central High Tower. The outermost ring inside the tower was a spiraling steel staircase.

Inside the staircase were massive, interlocking machines. They emitted peculiar magical fluctuations. The materials used to construct these machines seemed extraordinary.

The mirror image Ace directed the Monsters to climb the stairs while he carefully observed these unique machines.

“The texture and the way it absorbs Mana suggest it is a material highly suitable for conducting magic. Although it looks like steel, it is not ordinary steel. It seems to be an alloy smelted by mixing steel with some kind of conductive substance.” The mirror image Ace observed and analyzed.

“Wind, Sharpness, Cutting, Spiral.”

Accompanied by a strange cadence and the mirror image Ace’s visualization of the Wind Element rune series, the wind element Mana gradually gathered in his hand. It was a bit sluggish, likely due to the influence of the Mana-inerting power.

The mirror image Ace injected a portion of his Inherent Mana. The quasi-spell quickly completed. An arm-length Wind Blade spiraled toward a visible gear on one of the machines.

Sizzle!

The Wind Blade seemed to encounter resistance, then slowly weakened. It only cut a small portion into the gear before dissipating.

“This is abnormal. The spiraling Wind Blade was infused with my Inherent Mana. It should have a stronger cutting effect and last longer.”

The mirror image Ace walked up and touched the machine with his hand.

Buzz!

He felt his soul tremble. His Inherent Mana also trembled, and the machine began to siphon the Mana from his body!

The mirror image Ace pushed hard, finally breaking free from the suction. He looked at the machine with lingering fear.

“I am a mirror image. My essence is a mixture of soul fragments, Mana, and magical materials, a purely magical creature. If my Mana is completely siphoned, I will simply vanish! This substance can siphon more than just Mana. It seems to siphon mental power and even the soul. My soul fragment might cease to exist entirely!”