Chapter 342: "Eastern" Architectural Style

Chapter 342 The "Eastern" Architectural Style

The wind began to blow toward this spot without cease. In Kaelen’s personal perception, he sensed that the gathering winds from all around brought many things with them—things that should not have existed, or at least should not have existed here, yet at this moment, they manifested in stark reality.

Lowering his head to look beneath his feet, he saw the foundation rising steadily, as though lines had long been drawn upon the earth, requiring only that materials be continuously filled in according to the layout.

Yet Kaelen waved his hand, interrupting this attempt of his.

The foundation, which had just begun to take its initial shape, dissolved into nothingness along with his gesture.

He was not doing this out of a deliberate desire to hide his talent. At this stage, he felt no need to conceal anything in that regard. Having already walked this far, so long as he did not manifest those few things that truly should not be shown, pure talent was instead his best cover.

The reason for the interruption was that a new idea had struck his mind midway through "constructing" the foundation.

Some matters, when viewed from the outside, easily left one with a fixed impression, but once one took to doing them with one's own hands, other possibilities would often reveal themselves.

Had the spell continued, it was highly likely he could have summoned a castle identical to the one Mavalio had summoned earlier.

Yet the one Mavalio summoned seemed to be merely a standardized piece of craftsmanship.

Kaelen wanted one that met the needs of his squad and suited his own aesthetic sensibilities.

Within the bounds of what conditions allowed, he naturally wished to make it as perfect as possible, considering that an assortment of war apparatuses would be integrated next.

Although the issued war apparatuses would most likely become disposable items inside the Gate of Samsara, having professional personnel right here meant he could at least determine the specific set that suited him best.

These things were already exceedingly expensive, and Kaelen truly lacked the capital to engage in trial and error later on.

Seeing Kaelen's spell come to a halt, Muri and his team members let out collective sighs of relief.

Fortunately, it had not reached an absurdly preposterous degree.

Muri patted Paxio on the chest and said, "Tell the boys to hurry up."

"Yes, Captain."

……

"Gave me a start," Hussen said with a smile. "I thought he had actually mastered it just like that. Still, this kind of talent is already quite formidable."

"Yes, indeed."

Mavalio offered a perfunctory reply.

Hussen had never learned this spell, for without the proper clearance, there was simply no necessity to study it.

Thus, he did not know that the greatest difficulty of this spell lay precisely within its foundation.

……

"Captain, you?"

Blanche looked at her captain with curiosity.

Originally, the squad members had all thought in astonishment that their captain was already about to complete it, yet just as he made a start, it still ended in "failure."

Of course, being able to initiate the spell right after reading the scroll was already incredibly impressive.

"Hmm? I haven't quite made up my mind yet," Kaelen said.

Bart spoke up to ask, "Captain, what fraction do you intend to be responsible for? The rest of us can divide up whatever is left."

This was a question Bart felt he needed to ask once more.

Kaelen pointed to the scroll in Bart's hand and said, "Feel free to browse through it as you like."

This response left everyone exchanging bewildered glances.

Aisley edged closer to Kaelen and asked in a low voice, "Captain, do you mean to say you have already...?"

"Yes." Kaelen made no attempt to hide it, at least not from his own people. He spoke quite directly, "I usually learn spells very quickly. You could call it a minor talent of mine."

Mars was stunned, Blanche's mouth fell open, Aisley and Bart nodded, and Ventura smiled radiantly.

"This scroll can be read ten times. Do not let it go to waste. It is a very advanced spell. Though you cannot use it without proper authorization, looking over it can still broaden your horizons and enrich your experience.

Mars, come over here with me for a moment. I want to work on the castle's design."

"Oh, all right, Captain."

Bart looked at the scroll in his hand and said, "Captain, how about we read the scroll later and all discuss the design together right now?"

When it came to "broadening horizons," Bart and the others certainly did not lack opportunities given their family backgrounds. The main issue was their lack of clearance; without Kaelen present, they could not possibly cast the Castle of Black Prison anyway. It would be far better for everyone to join in on the design now, which would give them a true sense of participation.

Ventura walked up to Bart and spoke, "Then let me read it first."

"Alright, here you go." Bart handed the scroll to Ventura.

Following that, Muri's squad began reading the scroll in shifts. Those who finished reading sat alone in separate spots, their faces solemn as they began to digest and comprehend the contents.

On the opposite side, only Ventura sat alone reading the scroll, while everyone else gathered around Kaelen.

Holding a tree branch in his hand, Kaelen drew continuously upon the sand, while the people beside him offered suggestions without pause.

Mars: "Captain, I think we can add some refinements to the castle's defense. For instance, on the exterior of the city walls and structures, we could sacrifice aesthetics and engrave defensive formations directly onto them. What do you think?"

"The method is excellent, but implementation would be difficult. I believe that when we need to summon the Castle of Black Prison, we will surely be facing some sort of emergency. After summoning it, we likely won’t have the time to go about engraving the city walls and building surfaces."

"Captain, my meaning was to..."

"I know, you meant to have it fixed in shape from the very moment of summoning. But it cannot be done—at least, I cannot do it at present. The demands on me would be too high. The power provided by that mysterious artifact is meant to sustain the existence of the castle, not to... bear the cost of constructing it. We must control the construction costs. It is impossible for me to summon a castle only to collapse into exhaustion right into it."

"Yes, Captain. I thought of it too simply."

"However, I think modifications to small details are perfectly fine and achievable. My opinion is that, based on these details, we should give most of our squad members as much room to play to their strengths as possible.

For example, using the Castle of Black Prison currently summoned by the Mentor as our base model, we can make minor alterations upon that foundation, setting up a 'department' for each of you.

Because I feel that for pure command and dispatch, it is quite enough for me alone to stand before that black orb."

Had any other captain proposed such an arrangement, the subordinates might very well have thought the captain was ostracizing the others. Yet the members of Kaelen's squad did not think this way. Upon hearing Kaelen’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Remaining cooped up in the command room would be a genuine waste of talent.

"Furthermore, when you choose your positions and the designs you require, you can raise your demands slightly. For certain things that you are capable of using but find too burdensome to sustain, I can share my own spiritual power or soul power to assist you."

The power dispatched by the artifact made up the bulk of it, but there was still a matter of the final stretch. For instance, the activation of a magic crystal cannon—from the injection of energy to the actual firing—involved technical issues that required specialized personnel to manage, or rather, the operator needed to possess the proper qualities for it.

Kaelen’s thought process was simple: by utilizing the framework of the Castle of Black Prison, he would bring out the unique strengths of every individual in his squad, while simultaneously sharing his own highly advantageous spiritual and soul power to aid them.

Only in this manner could the overall strength of his squad be exerted to its finest, avoiding a scenario where he had to carry five deadweights all on his own.

"Captain, my idea is to make a modification at the position of the Reis magical mirror in that castle, replacing it with a B-grade war apparatus—the Curtain of Formations. The Curtain of Formations allows for the drafting of arrays and the application of projections, which can more efficiently help me complete formations and apply them to the castle simultaneously. However, operating it strains me greatly. But with your assistance, Captain, I believe I can run it."

"That works. What about the specific details of the modification? The apparatus department will provide the items."

"The modification detail concerns the location of this platform; its surface area needs to be somewhat larger."

"You require a wider open space?"

"Yes."

"But if that is the case, the defenses on your side will be lowered, and I cannot allow you to extend this expansion beyond the outer wall. How about lowering the height?"

"No problem, Captain. Lower it beneath the perimeter wall."

"Shall I add a roof for you as well? What is the specific manner of presentation for this Curtain of Formations?"

"Once the formation is drafted on top, it needs to be unfurled."

"Then it cannot be sealed shut... Could a flagpole be designed for you, so that once you finish creating inside, it can be raised by means of raising a flag?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Good, then we shall arrange it this way."

Bart spoke up: "Captain, I suggest replacing the B-rank war weapon, the Penetrating Crossbow, with the C-rank war weapon, the Tracking Repeating Crossbow. The Penetrating Crossbow is more powerful, but I feel that under the premise of the main cannon attacking, the short-range attack methods should be more sustained and efficient. The Penetrating Crossbow is powerful, but its sustained output capacity is relatively weak."

"Good, what are the specific modifications?"

"Reduce the platform area, raise the position, and furthermore, I propose adding two close-range shooting platforms, leaving the other for Ventura to control. This way, with the two of us there, we can basically guarantee no blind spots.

The Tracking Repeating Crossbow requires physical strength to string, and both Ventura and I have the physical fitness to manage it."

"No problem." Karen nodded. "We will design it exactly like that."

Aisli spoke up: "Captain, I need a Cage of Imprisonment. I do not know if this counts as a war weapon; I only know that the phantom of the summoned demon beast inside it can receive a tremendous boost for a short period of time. Of course, I will need your help, Captain, to use it."

"Does it require a specific location?" Karen asked.

"Oh no, that cage is not large. It is mainly just for passing through that cage during the summoning."

"Then shall we place it in the command room?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Blanche, what about your request?" Karen asked.

"Captain, I do not need a separate position. It is fine for me to stand together with you, Captain. The only requirement is that the path from the command room to their respective areas can be connected, making it convenient for me to go and provide them with healing and blessings."

"No problem, that goes without saying."

Once the positions and responsibilities of the others were settled, Karen spoke up and asked: "Is our primary long-range output still going to be the Judgment-class Magic Crystal Cannon?"

Seeing that no one objected and no one offered a better opinion, Karen nodded and said: "Then we shall retain the Judgment-class Magic Crystal Cannon. I will directly take charge of guiding the firing of this cannon."

Husen came over to inquire about the progress, suggesting they could submit their required war weapon items first, which could be transported over now. Once the two teams' [Black Prison Castles] were established, the mentor would judge whether they were appropriate and confirm if there were better choices based on the specific situation.

Soon, both teams submitted their lists of required war weapons. On Karen's team, Aisli was responsible for handing it in. After she returned, she whispered to everyone about the list of the neighboring team that she had peeked at, which was exactly identical to the castle the mentor had summoned previously.

This meant that the neighboring team had completely replicated the standard template, which gave the members of their own team, who had already carried out modification plans, a sense of pride—well, a sort of superiority felt by top students.

Mavaryo and Husen walked out onto the sea, presumably to receive the war weapons. Karen guessed the teleportation point should be inside the

In the next instant, a massive starlight array manifested beneath everyone's feet, a gale swept through, and the foundation materialized in its wake.

In terms of speed, it was roughly on par with Muri's squad, but the rhythm and details were executed with far more composure; from the foundation to the outer walls and then to the structure within, everything was rendered with exquisite precision.

This was a castle entirely distinct from the standard model, bearing clear marks of customization, and it consisted of only a single building.

Beneath this building lay a space serving as Marth's array chamber, while two repeating-crossbow launch platforms flanked the middle section of the structure.

At the very peak stood the artillery battery.

Most importantly, aside from the seamless integration of the modifications, the entire castle—though maintaining its somber black hue—featured upturned eaves added to the battlements and the roof.

At the crest, downward-draping carved floral patterns had been added, lending a touch of gentle beauty to the stern solemnity.

In short, this "Gothic" ancient castle had instantly transformed into an "Eastern" fortress.

Pasio cursed, "Damn it! They even bothered with artistic design."

Muri spoke up, "Don't blame yourselves, the difference lies in the captain."

Beside him, Digat chimed in, "Captain, don't say that, we all know."

Mavallo spoke, "Excellently done."

"Thank you for your praise, sir."

"May I go inside for a tour?"

"Of course, after you, sir."

Hudson walked over, patted Karen on the shoulder, and then followed Mavallo inside.

Immediately after, Muri also brought his squad over, saying, "Uh, let's go together, together."

In truth, there was nothing particularly special about the castle's interior; because it comprised only a single building, the inside actually appeared much simpler.

Soon, everyone gathered in the control room, as it was the only place within the castle capable of accommodating so many people.

When Karen also stepped into the control room, he saw a tiny black orb hovering at the center.

Mavallo pointed at it and said, "Touch it with your hand, and then rely on your authority to draw down the power of the divine artifact to sustain the operation of this castle."

"Yes, Mentor."

Just as Karen was preparing to step forward and attempt the activation, Mavallo interrupted him and asked, "Wait a moment, I still have one question, answer me first, what purpose does this room serve?"

This room had a door, and before Karen came up, it could not be opened unless one used brute force.

Reasonably speaking, doors were rarely used inside castle structures because when war broke out, forces for reinforcement, deployment, and rescue needed to move at maximum speed, making opening and closing doors a cumbersome nuisance.

"Karen, open it."

"Yes, Mentor."

The door opened on its own.

Mavallo saw the layout inside, and then closed the door again.

Hudson had not had time to look inside, so he could only ask in a low voice:

"What kind of place is in there?"

"A washroom."

———

The next chapter will be in the morning, everyone please don't stay up late waiting, read it when you wake up in the morning, hugs to everyone!