Discovery from Ruins

It had already been a few months since Ian entered the Eldritch path, and the improvements were obvious. His strength and recovery had increased significantly, but what surprised him most was his newfound affinity for plants. Initially, he had assumed that Mindbloom was some sort of gem or stone, and he had expected his attribute to lean towards space manipulation or intelligence. However, it turned out to be deeply connected to trees and nature. This was unexpected, but he didn't mind, progress was progress.

Alongside his work, Ian had been going to the gym regularly. His physique had improved, and he had even stepped into the ring for some sparring matches. The physical training, combined with his Eldritch abilities, was making him a formidable fighter.

On the other hand, his progress with Architect had been slow. He had expected it to be a slow path, but it was even more difficult than anticipated. Right now, he was only capable of breaking small pieces of metal apart and attempting to fuse them back together. However, this required a deep understanding of the material's composition, and to create more complex structures, he needed an even stronger foundational knowledge. So far, he had barely managed to join a few broken metal pieces together.

Currently, Ian was at Master Ordan's facility, experimenting on an advanced circuit structure. He had been examining it in meticulous detail, trying to replicate it, but every attempt ended in failure. The material kept bursting apart before he could even stabilize it.

He had been stuck on this problem for days. He tried using stronger materials, but nothing available seemed to withstand the process. Then, an idea struck him, perhaps the materials from ruins were special and they might hold better. That's when he remembered the remains of the creature he had fought; it wore some strange metallic rings on its legs, perhaps he could try with that.

Deciding to act on his idea, he brought the materials to Master Ordan. Master Ordan agreed to his suggestion and they extracted the rings and all other materials on the creature, carefully cutting and refining them. Ian didn't dare to touch the body before, unsure if it might wake up again. He hadn't even used the storage ring but kept it in a secure place. If not for Master Ordan, he wouldn't have opened it until he felt he was strong enough. With Master Ordan supervising, Ian felt much more confident.

After removing the interesting materials, Ian kept the rest in his storage bracelet for later use.

Using the extracted materials, Ian began constructing the circuit again. This time, the results were drastically different. As he worked through the process, something clicked. The circuit diagrams were stable and held together perfectly, finally, success!

Master Ordan laughed heartily. "Well, look at that! It actually worked."

Ian smiled, though he was more relieved than anything. Master Ordan took the final product and examined it in detail, analyzing the speciality of that particular material.

With a deep chuckle, Ordan said, "You might have just discovered something important here."

"I will go and see if we can create this type of material."

Ordan then gleefully left to do his thing.

Satisfied, Ian packed up and returned home. Upon arriving, he heard laughter and noise coming from inside.

Inside, he found Myrra, Velke, and a little girl playing a game together. The girl, named Lura, was Myrra's younger cousin. She had bright, inquisitive eyes and an energetic demeanor. Her golden-brown hair bounced with every jump and spin, and her skin was fair, dotted with a few freckles across her nose. She was petite, small but quick, matching Velke's movements step for step. Seeing them together, it was clear that Lura and Velke were close in age, making it natural for them to play together often.

Over the past few months, Ian had gradually settled into his role here. Velke visited frequently, and Lura had also become a regular presence. Even the Eldritch members had come over a few times after he invited them for dinner, as had the people from the workshop and Myrra's family.

Myrra, in particular, was here almost every day. She lived nearby, and at this point, she was more familiar with Ian's home than he was. She knew where everything was kept, often moving around as if it were her own place.

"You're back," Myrra said, noticing him. "You look really tired."

Ian smirked. "Yeah, but the thing we've been working on, it's finally coming to fruition."

"That's great news." She nodded, understanding the significance of his discovery. As someone who worked in the field, she knew how difficult such advancements could be.

Inside, Velke noticed Ian first and waved excitedly. "Ian! Look, Lura keeps cheating!" he declared with mock indignation.

Lura gasped, placing her hands on her hips. "I do not! You just don't know how to play properly!" she shot back, sticking her tongue out.

Myrra chuckled, shaking her head. "They're both terrible at losing."

Ian smirked, stepping closer. "Sounds like a serious dispute. Should I be the judge?"

Velke nodded eagerly. "Yes! And the loser has to do ten push-ups!"

Lura groaned. "Ugh, fine! But only if Ian plays the next round with us!"

Ian hesitated for a moment but then gave a small nod. "Alright, deal."

Myrra laughed. "Guess you're stuck now."

As the game continued, laughter filled the room. Velke and Lura bickered and teased, dragging Ian into their antics, while Myrra occasionally chimed in with amused commentary.

The next morning, Ian headed to Master Ordan's facility as usual. As soon as he arrived, Ordan greeted him with an amused smile.

"Ian, come here," he called.

Curious, Ian walked over. On the table in front of Ordan was a new set of material, it looked similar to what they had extracted the previous day.

"See this? We made this based on that material," Ordan said. "Now, let's get started. And don't worry about your usual work, I've already sent a message to that stingy woman. You're on leave today."

Ian blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that, but seeing Ordan's enthusiasm, he simply smiled wryly and went along with it. Today was going to be another tiring day.

They spent most of the day in Master Ordan's workshop, working on creating a puppet. Master Ordan focused on processing and configuring the parts, while Ian etched the necessary circuits to connect them. The atmosphere in the workshop was intense, but there was also a sense of excitement as they pieced everything together.

"Pass me the power core, Ian," Master Ordan said as he adjusted a small metal joint. Ian handed him the piece without hesitation.

"Here," Ian replied, looking over the instructions again. "Is it stable?"

"It should be," Master Ordan said, inspecting his work. "Now, let's finish this."

As the final pieces were put together, they stepped back to take in the completed puppet. It looked simple, but the complexity of the inner workings would make it a breakthrough if successful.

Master Ordan looked at Ian. "Okay, Ian, start it."

"whoosh," the puppet's limbs jerked to life. It moved, albeit awkwardly, like a creature coming to life for the first time.

Ian quickly ran some calculations on a nearby device "It's 30% more efficient than expected!" he said, showing the results to Master Ordan.

"Amazing," Master Ordan said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This could be a new discovery. Those guys from the council will be impressed..."

Ian nodded, but Master Ordan was already thinking ahead.

"Good work, Ian. Now, start writing the paper for this one. We'll submit it to the Academy of Engineering," Master Ordan added, clearly proud of their accomplishment.

"Got it," Ian replied, already mentally planning out the paper.

Master Ordan then paused, as if remembering something important. "By the way, are you planning on giving exams next month?" he asked casually.

Ian was caught off guard, his mind drifting for a moment. "Exams?" he repeated.

"There's an entrance examination every year for college admissions and stuff," Master Ordan explained. "I've been thinking, you might want to go learn more. You could apply. If this paper gets accepted quickly, it could really help your chances. Plus, I can write a reference letter for you."

Ian felt a mixture of surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, Master Ordan. That would mean a lot."

Master Ordan gave a nod. "It's already late. Go home, rest up, and begin writing that paper tomorrow."

"Okay," Ian said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He packed up his things and made his way out of the workshop.