Chapter 326 : A Dilemma (1)
“Regarding the Jewel of Truth! The Celestial Realm has issued further directives!”
A shout echoed from afar.
A demoted angel, carrying big news, hurriedly flew in.
Raphael landed gracefully, folding his wings of light.
With a slightly flushed face, he approached abruptly.
“Further directives, you say? Does this mean the Celestial Realm has issued direct orders?”
Lloyd asked with a delighted expression.
It was the news he had been waiting for.
He had allowed Raphael to reside in his territory specifically to receive this news.
To Lloyd’s question, Raphael shook his head.
“No. Official orders have not been issued yet. However—”
“However?”
“Rumors about additional measures have begun circulating among the 3rd-class angels.”
“Circulating rumors? Do you mean other angels have descended here?”
Lloyd was stunned.
It had already caused such a commotion when Raphael descended alone.
If another 3rd-class angel had descended, or worse, if many had…
“We couldn’t possibly fend them off.”
Even with Javier present, it would be impossible.
Even if Lloyd himself had become a swordmaster, it wouldn’t make a difference.
But contrary to Lloyd’s concerns, Raphael shook his head with a pure smile.
“Oh, other angels haven’t descended.”
“Then what?”
“A rainbow appeared for a brief moment.”
“…A rainbow?”
What on earth was this demoted angel talking about?
Raphael continued speaking.
“Yes, a rainbow. We angels often share various news and information through it. We use the letters displayed in the color corresponding to our rank.”
“Huh, you mean… a group chat?”
“A group chat? What’s that?”
“Never mind, just explain.”
“Yes. 1st-class angels use the red part of the rainbow, 2nd-class the orange, and my rank, the 3rd-class, uses the yellow… and the 7th to 9th classes use the purple part of the rainbow. Any angel can freely share opinions or information within their corresponding rainbow section.”
“So, you’re saying information appeared in the yellow section where 3rd-class angels like you are?”
“Yes. It mentioned my failure in executing the removal of the Jewel of Truth, and also the additional measures the Celestial Realm might take regarding you and the Jewel.”
“What exactly was mentioned?”
“It seems they are considering summoning you to the Celestial Realm.”
“…What?”
Lloyd was genuinely taken aback.
He asked again, almost in disbelief.
“By summoning, you mean they’re planning to take me there?”
“Yes, roughly speaking.”
“…”
“But don’t worry too much. Being summoned doesn’t mean you’ll be dragged there like a criminal.”
“Then what?”
“It seems the Archangel wants to have a direct conversation with you.”
“A conversation…”
“Yes, given your strong resistance to the Celestial Realm’s decision regarding the removal of the Jewel, they likely want to hear your side of the story before making a final judgment.”
“Hmm. But I shouldn’t expect a lenient decision, should I?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t predict that far…”
Raphael gave a regretful and slightly bitter smile.
Lloyd asked, “So, when will the summoning happen? Surely it’s not immediate, right?”
He hoped not.
He prayed it wasn’t.
Thankfully, Raphael nodded.
“Yes. The exact timing of the summoning is still unknown. The talk of additional measures is only circulating among the 3rd-class working level angels for now.”
“Then it’s not an official directive yet?”
“Yes, not yet.”
“But soon, an official directive will come down?”
“Yes, probably. If it comes early, the directive and summoning could happen within a month, and many 3rd and 4th-class angels will descend to summon you.”
“Damn.”
Lloyd clicked his tongue.
The thought of many 3rd and 4th-class angels coming down painted a bleak future.
‘At least I’m not being summoned immediately. There’s only one option left.’
A race against time.
Lloyd found his answer.
‘I can’t outright refuse the summoning. Not even with Javier and Yongyong. We can’t fend off several 3rd-class angels like Raphael. So, I need to complete the dam and the Jewel before the summoning happens.’
It seemed like the best course of action.
‘The construction is in its final stages. I need to finish it within a few days and activate the Jewel. That way, I can discover the method to prevent the restoration of fate. That’s the purpose of building the Jewel of Truth.’
He would achieve that minimum goal.
After that?
‘Let them summon me or not, it doesn’t matter.’
Once the goal was achieved, whether they summoned him or interrogated him, whether the Archangel scolded or threatened him, if things got dire, he could just comply with their demands.
‘I can check their conditions and if they seem unacceptable, I can agree to dismantle it. That way, I won’t face severe punishment. After all, I’ll be agreeing to their terms.’
It was a plan to take everything he could before giving in.
He didn’t want to suffer an unfair loss.
He didn’t want to live such a life.
‘In this world, if you don’t grab your share, you’re considered a fool.’
Even if he was criticized for being sly or cowardly, he wanted to live taking care of his interests.
This time was no different.
‘There’s no time to lose. It’s a race against time now.’
Thanks to Raphael, he learned about the Celestial Realm’s reaction.
And he prepared his response accordingly.
There was no time to waste.
From that day on, the finishing touches on the dam and the Jewel of Truth accelerated.
‘The main body of the dam is almost completed. Fortunately, we’ve implemented almost everything as planned.’
As a result, the dam’s ability to withstand external forces like water pressure was expected to be much better than anticipated.
Nevertheless, he didn’t cut corners.
‘Maintenance is more important than construction for a dam.’
Thinking of the continuous maintenance and management after the construction, he meticulously inspected the final stages.
He checked the dam’s interstitial pressure, earth pressure, vertical settlement, horizontal displacement, shear displacement, and uplift pressure.
He also calculated the stress applied to the concrete used in the dam, and the stress that would occur due to the concrete’s expansion or contraction.
He checked if there was any settlement of the dam body during the construction period.
Additionally, he secured a large spillway for emergency water discharge and installed nets to catch driftwood.
‘This way, branches or debris flowing from upstream will be filtered out, and the water discharge path won’t be blocked.’
Due to the dam’s enormity, there were numerous aspects to inspect and care for in the final stages.
Nothing could be handled carelessly.
On the other hand, the construction of the Jewel of Truth?
‘Compared to the dam, this is a piece of cake.’
He just had to stack accurately cut stones.
Of course, this process would have been tough before.
The stones to be moved and stacked were large and numerous, making it a grueling task.
But now, it was different.
“Yongyong? Bibeong? Let’s finish stacking!”
Clank!
“Bibeong!”
There were two giant heavy-duty ‘machines’ with heights measured in hundreds of meters.
And the size of the Jewel of Truth?
Each side was 66 meters, with a height of about 30 meters.
For Yongyong and Bibeong, it was just slightly larger than a game of Jenga or stacking Lego blocks.
‘But it must be done precisely. Even a slight misalignment of each block can’t be allowed.’
That was the key to constructing the Jewel.
Even a single centimeter—or rather, a single millimeter of misalignment—was unacceptable.
‘This isn’t just a structure made of materials. This structure itself becomes a giant magic circle.’
Each block, every engraving on the outer wall, even the slightest misalignment or mistake couldn’t be tolerated.
‘If the flow of mana through the structure is distorted, the magic circle will malfunction.’
It felt more like constructing a giant electronic circuit than a magic circle.
Thanks to this, Lloyd spent every day with dry eyes.
He inspected the dam’s completion process.
He checked the error rates of the Jewel blocks.
He examined the countless engravings on the outer walls with a magnifying glass to ensure there were no mistakes or misalignments.
And finally.
After about half a month of days that felt like his eyes were producing sand, the dam and the Jewel of Truth were completed.
Water was immediately filled into the dam.
Swoosh!
The site, which had been dry throughout the construction, was now filled with water.
During this time, Lloyd kept a close eye on the dam and the Jewel.
He activated his surveying skills.
‘Good. It’s holding up well. Perfect.’
The dam, filled with a large volume of water for the first time after completion, held up sturdily against the immense water pressure.
The Jewel of Truth submerged in the water was also holding up well.
Both the dam and the Jewel exhibited the exact performance he had envisioned and planned for.
Finally, a powerful message appeared before his eyes.
Ding-dong!
[A concrete dam, ‘Frontera Dam,’ the first in the history of the Lorasia Continent, has been constructed in the Frontera territory.]
[You have achieved the significant feat of constructing a new type of dam never before seen in the history of this land. This will be a monumental achievement in the civil engineering history of the Lorasia Continent.]
[Future dams will be researched, analyzed, and modeled after the construction of the ‘Frontera Dam’ across the continent.]
[You will be recognized as one of the most radical and innovative civil engineers in the history of the continent.]
[Countless aspiring civil engineers in the future will mutter your name in frustration during exam periods and break their pens.]
[As a bonus for your monumental civil engineering achievement, a large amount of RP is specially awarded.]
[You have gained 1,500 RP.]
[Current RP in possession: 1,571]
‘Hoo.’
As expected.
As soon as the dam performed its function, the achievement messages flooded in.
But Lloyd wasn’t satisfied just yet.
It wasn’t just the dam he completed.
‘What about the reward for completing the Jewel?’
As he thought about it, another pleasing message filled his vision.
Ding-dong!
[You have constructed the mythical structure, the Jewel of Truth <Aotearoa>, in the Frontera territory.]
[The Jewel of Truth Aotearoa is a mythical structure with powerful abilities and was the greatest lost legacy of all humanoid species in the lower realm.]
[You have achieved the grand feat of excellently restoring this ancient legacy.]
[This feat will elicit various reactions from many.]
[The residents of Frontera feel a sense of pride.]
[The merfolk show interest in visiting the Frontera territory.]
[The angels of the Celestial Realm look upon this with deep concern and worry.]
[Many powerholders who learn of the Jewel’s existence will feel greed and desire to monopolize it. This can be the seed of future conflicts.]
[Satan in Hell, sensing the upcoming turmoil, hurriedly opens a bag of popcorn.]
[A large amount of RP is specially awarded for your grand achievement.]
[You have gained 8,500 RP.]
[Current RP in possession: 10,071]
“Wow.”
Lloyd inadvertently covered his mouth.
‘Combining both achievements, that’s 10,000 RP in one go.’
RP is always welcome.
The more, the better.
And when it accumulates this much?
Even better.
‘I used to be thrilled with just a few hundred RP.’
There was so much to do with just that.
Now, it felt like he was not just receiving RP, but having a shower of it.
However, Lloyd did not lose his composure.
‘Rewards are just rewards. Now, I have to grab something bigger.’
Just like a salary received for working hard, this reward was just his rightful compensation for building the dam and the Jewel.
Thinking that way, Lloyd recalled what he needed to do.
The goal he had set in his heart from the moment he first heard about the Jewel of Truth from the Dragon King.
To achieve that, he dived into the water filled in the dam.
Splash!
The clear, cold water enveloped his entire body.
He opened his eyes underwater.
Sunlight filtered through the rippling water surface.
Underneath, he swam towards the submerged Jewel of Truth.
He climbed to the top of the tower-like structure.
There was an altar surrounded by railings at the top.
The altar was made of Kiaora, the final core material of the Jewel.
Lloyd stood before the altar.
‘This is how you activate the Jewel, right?’
He recalled the instructions attached to the Aotearoa blueprint.
He placed his hands on the altar.
He activated his mana heart.
He triggered his mana circle.
Bzzzz!
The invigorated mana was absorbed into the altar through his hands.
The mana awakened the Jewel.
The entire massive structure trembled.
The light from the sky opened up.
It poured deeply into the water.
Illuminating the mythical structure.
Finally, revealing the truth.
The Jewel demanded from him.
A colossal voice echoed in his mind.
Droplets and light danced before his eyes.
The sound and words made Lloyd flinch.
[To obtain the truthful answer from the Jewel of Truth, you must reveal a secret truth about yourself, known only to you, to the world.]
