Chapter 251 - A Godly Artifact

To everyone's surprise, Arnold had taken his time setting up as per Mystique's request, and it has been a few hours since they arrived at the vantage point of the place they assembled.

Several rounds of scouts got dispatched and returned, yet he was still in it.

It was already past afternoon, but even then the sweltering heat thrived as he basked under the blazing sun; it didn't stop him from committing to such tasks.

With Sylvester and Veronica, they had set up a few tents that were out of the enemy's sight. Rations and other equipment were kept in safe storage.

But then, he couldn't help but observe from the sidelines, like the rest of them, how his work came to fruition as he started from scratch.

Other than Arnold asking for the necessary resources that Sylvester provided, he had to assemble and even crawled to the bottom of the alleged siege weapon that he constructed.

Athan crossed his arms, in deep thought as he got the gist of how the structure resembled the one Arnold had earlier, with the glass shards from his ice prowess, and melded a few of the magic stones to an intricate figure. But then, there were still other elements he had to consider, lest it was less similar than before.

Most of all, while he had ever heard of the man in front of him who would be so passionate to do so, he was still in awe with how hearsays bore truth, as he ended up staring at him first-hand. 

'His actions reminded me of Mystique's behavior when it comes to these things— Like a hobby or something…' Athan rubbed his chin as he hummed a little. 'Perhaps it does run off their blood to be so into it…'

Athan stopped his ponders, and peered as soon as Arnold got up from it, with him wiping off the dirt and sweat on his face with a spare handkerchief he had beneath the robe.

"I suppose I'm done with my job here..." He then looked around with a deep scrunch on his forehead. "Has it been this hot around here?"

"Only because you're doing it without an ounce of shade, Arnold," Sylvester muttered as he hunched his shoulders.

Athan then nudged his arm to the side. "Matt, stop it."

"What? Not that I'm saying anything wrong though."

While Arnold caught the tone of him, dripping in satire, it didn't get the best of him as he huffed back at him. "Because this one needs the power of the sun."

'Power of the sun?' he got taken aback as he thought of it over again. 'How powerful could it be that it would be able to harvest such from the heavens?'

All of their gazes locked at the small metal box, inscribed to an array of magic stones, with a long line connected to the smartphone and to the one he made. Athan was now lost in his thoughts as he remembered after the decade war, they started to harness the power of the sun while it was a primitive version.

But right now, it was already realized, and he couldn't help but point it to Mystique, the mastermind of the occult creations she had throughout her lifetime.

It was already scary to think, now she got another chance to live, she's improved so much. If not a little close to him, then perhaps she had already developed way ahead than he ever thought of her.

'His Grace, Arnold, was able to follow— a slow and arduous process— but it came off successful as he claimed. But I'm then curious about the smartphone…'

Arnold was in the middle of testing, and they noticed that the magic circuit had yet to fizzle out or any disturbances that were bound to occur. So far, everything went smoothly after several trials.

"I guess this should be it." He heaved a sigh of relief as he hooked his hands to his hips with a smug smirk. "Now, all we have to do is wait past sunset…"

One could tell he was the happiest man alive, and only he got so worked up when it came to inventions like this.

His geeky side was shown, and Athan wanted to take this opportunity.

"Right..." His crimson eyes then glanced at the horizon, with the crown of the sun hidden, inch by inch, behind the ranges of dunes from far afield. "Your Grace, if I may ask."

"Please do."

"About that… The smartphone of yours." He watched the ground, where the artifact was positioned. "Does she have more of that?"

An evil grin came to his lips. "Why? Do you covet this godly artifact of mine?"

"I beg your pardon. I didn't mean it that way, for I would've no idea what that is— Might only kill me in the process if I tap once like a landmine."

Arnold squinted his eyes and irked when Sylvester threw a quick scoff at him. He wasn't that knowledgeable of the artifact, implying how one would end up dead upon misusing an object similar to a double-edged sword.

However, before the tension would go south, Athan decided to drop a hint at him. "I've heard Violette was capable of making so many of that 'godly artifact' if you will, with enough resources and manpower."

His claims caused the Grand Duke of Blackwell's eyebrows to furrow, unsure of what his words uttered. "Mysti? Creating this artifact? So many at that?!"

"Indeed."

"Then, it might've been the end of the world— Could you imagine such a thing where everyone had a dangerous artifact?" He then let out a dry chuckle, for he tried to ride on his measly jokes.

"That's what she claimed. You don't think so?"

Arnold stopped, then a hum came from his lips as he scratched his stubble jawline. "I don't think so, not that I know of as there would be more than three then."

"Three?"

"Indeed, as far as I could remember, Nathan also had it. But neither of them had to show more."

'So, she hadn't started to do a small production of it?' Athan wondered right away. 'Not only that, so many mysteries shrouded from Nathan as well. I've asked Matt and Veronica, but none of them were suspicious of him— If I ask more, then I'd be suspicious of a sworn ally…'

Though their conversation stopped when one of the scouts rushed towards their direction, panting hard and deep.

"Your Highness, they've come!"