Chapter 109: Chariots of the Lyta Flame – The Arrival of the Arcsteel Beasts In the heart of Falconridge, the newly awakened hunger for innovation roared louder than any merchant’s bell. While most patrons of construction-grade arccrete—known commonly now as “Lyta Stone”—were prominent guilds, engineers, and architects hailing from established artisan halls, a surprising surge of interest came from common tradesfolk, humble farmers, and lone entrepreneurs seeking transformation. Though they lacked wealth, their hunger for self-sufficiency made them eager to wield this miracle material. With Lyta Stone’s alchemical formulation requiring only water and a binding ritual, even a peasant could now raise a barn or forge a granary without offering coin to a builder’s guild. Small-time traders, too, recognized the opportunity. With arccrete, they could expand their stalls into full-fledged shops, erect warehouses, and reinforce supply routes—all

Chapter 111: Ember-Gift to the Flame ScholarThe aged scholar known across the Falcon region as the Crimson Sage, Seberus, found himself doubled over in a fit of rasping coughs—his long white beard trembling with every wheezing breath. Yet, even amid his faltering lungs, his sharp, arcane-trained eyes never wavered from the object that Elias had just placed upon the obsidian slab between them.It was barely the size of a fingernail, yet it shimmered with the ferocity of a dying star caught mid-collapse. A shard of impossible metal that pulsed with a prismatic aura, radiating a chaotic harmony of elemental resonance. To Seberus, a man who had devoted the bulk of three centuries to the study of mana theory and the deeper mysteries of elemental alignment, this was no mere artifact. No—this was a relic of legend, something whispered in long-forgotten tomes and the deepest echo chambers of the Guild of Arcanum. It was as if the ages themselves had parted a curtain to pr

Chapter 113: The Veil of Impenetrable BarriersLuke was utterly flabbergasted upon discovering that every single one of Elias’s five thousand allies possessed the very same unbreachable shield he himself bore.This was no ordinary defense. The Absolute Unity Defense, a supreme skill unique to Elias, was an impenetrable bastion against any conceivable spell or elemental assault.Regardless of the elemental origin—be it fire, water, earth, air, or the arcane—a spell wielded by a mage of lesser or equal rank would simply dissolve harmlessly against this ethereal fortress of mana.Luke’s mind reeled. “You’re telling me all your allies have this kind of defense?”Elias shrugged, an almost casual nonchalance in his voice. “Yep, though theirs is the ‘Lesser Unity Defense.’ It’s just a bit weaker than mine. Since I’m a four-star mage, any spell of four-star rank or below simply slides off me like water off a dragon’s scale. But for them, if they’

Chapter 115: The Shifting Veil of the Demi-Human DominionThe presence of demi-humans living amidst human settlements was no longer something that startled or disturbed the everyday rhythm of life, especially within the Falcon region—a territory bordering closely on the sprawling Ashed Lands, where the majority of demi-humans traditionally dwelled. Yet, even with such proximity and exposure, the social fabric of Falcon region towns had not entirely woven demi-humans into its seamless pattern of acceptance.In truth, demi-humans were still far from fully embraced as equals or normalized fixtures within these bustling human habitats. When a demi-human passed by on the streets, the typical reaction ranged from a few strange, lingering glances to subtle, dismissive avoidance. Most humans preferred to avert their curiosity, choosing to let the demi-humans carry on with their lives in quiet anonymity rather than sparking confrontation or discourse.The majority