The Oracle Paths

The glimmer of hope that had started to rekindle after being whisked away to safety was abruptly extinguished following Homer's grim revelation. Despite their distrust, the Radiant Mage had no reason to lie. His life was on the line too!

Unperturbed, at least on the surface, Jake had already begun fervently discussing strategies with Xi in his mind, searching for a way out of their misfortune. Even for him, things were looking pretty dire.

After a brief internal monologue, whose only audience was his Oracle AI, Jake once again questioned Homer,

"Does Corvac's artifact really contain that much water?"

His skepticism was warranted. The amount of water required to purify a groundwater source of such magnitude seemed astronomical. From his limited testing, even when filled to the brim, his own Goblet of Ethershine could only hold a fraction of this groundwater source, which was already significant in his view.

However, an important distinction was that Lumyst Water from the same river half, or more precisely the same waterfall, wasn't subject to the same rules as other materials and entities that came into contact with it. Inferior quality water physically interacting with purer water wouldn't be subjected to a coin-flip chance of self-destruction as they would.

Jake's hypothesis, after traversing both halves of the Lumyst River extensively and observing his own Lumyst Cores, was that, regardless of its current purity, Lumyst Water was born at maximum purity before being released into the Lumyst River by its originating waterfall. It was only as it traveled away and lost energy through contact with various objects that the enchanting water's potency would eventually diminish, becoming neutral where the waters of the two falls met.

This meant that Corvac didn't need as much high-purity Life Lumyst Water as they had imagined to enhance the quality of this groundwater source. Still, the required quantity of water was staggering, an equivalent amount of +28 Lumyst Water to the groundwater source to match its purity.

That seemed impossible. Nonetheless, with half the water, or even just a quarter, Corvac could easily push all the water within the barrier to +25 or 26 purity. If it was +25, they could still manage with his own Goblet, but if it was +26... It would be too late for tears.

"No idea," Homer finally replied, his expression one of embarrassment. Such information was beyond his pay grade.

'In that case, let's assume it is,' Jake concluded internally with a gloomy expression.

The other Players seemed to have reached the same conclusion, because as soon as they saw his resolute expression, Amy asked guiltily,

"Do you plan to head back out despite the dangers? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Jake understood it was just shame and guilt speaking, reflecting her feelings of uselessness and powerlessness, but he didn't hold it against her. In this case, at least, her offer was sincere.

"We'll manage. Just need to dismantle this trap, find an escape, or a safe haven where the water can't harm us," he assured, his tone designed to comfort both her and the anxious survivors.

Seeing his assurance failed to ease their fears, he announced with a grim determination, "I'm going out."

A second later, he was back inside, soaked, with the furrowed and thoughtful brow of someone deep in calculation.

'The water's already reaching +15 in concentration. If the influx of the purest Lumyst Water follows our predictions, the barrier will be completely filled in 56 minutes, likely reaching a purity of 26 or 27, as we feared. With proper preparation, devising a strategy to breach the barrier or take down Corvac is well within my reach.'

[It's doable.] Xi acknowledged encouragingly.

Endorsed by Xi, Jake shared his plan with the group before getting down to work. Hephais, Crunch, and Lord Phenix, each capable of cultivating elemental Life Lumyst, set about their tasks.

The objective now was to fabricate, in the next few minutes, a submarine or at least a fortified mobile shell robust enough to withstand immediate disintegration upon exterior contact with the Life Lumyst Water. The key was delaying the initiation of the baptism.

Given the significant restrictions on their bloodline skills, the task of generating the necessary materials for the armored vessel fell to their Lumyst cultivation. Jake would oversee the vessel's construction, but his companions' contributions were equally critical.

Within a short span of ten minutes, Jake had synthesized enough Black Lumyst Steel, infused with his Lumyst, to construct a uniquely hollow metal hull with approximately 3 meters of armor thickness. The interior space was tight, barely accommodating a few individuals, yet perfectly suited for their needs.

He then dedicated the subsequent five minutes to transforming the scant Cosmic Fairy Force at his disposal into Force Lumyst, a psionic Lumyst with telekinetic-like properties, essential for maneuvering the water outside or propelling them at crucial moments.

Jake had aspirations to craft additional Lumyst variants, such as Space Lumyst and Time Lumyst, among others. However, these forms demanded an exorbitant amount of energy, capable of depleting him instantly even with full access to his powers. Delaying further would render the external water unmanageable, regardless of his preparedness level.

In the meantime, Hephais had conjured sufficient Shadow Lumyst to apply an extra protective layer over the hull. Crunch introduced a peculiar substance akin to Jake's Black Lumyst Steel but with a disturbingly elastic quality. Compared to these, the Fire Lumyst produced by Lord Phenix was less applicable in their current dilemma, though Jake appreciated the effort nonetheless.

Roughly fifteen minutes post-preparation, they were battle-

ready. Jake surveyed their peculiar boule-shaped submarine before declaring with fervor,

"Ready?"

"Ready!" came the varied responses from Hephais, Crunch, and Lord Phenix, ranging from subdued to spirited.

To the other survivors, particularly fellow Players like Lysandra, Lee Yoon, and Amy, the sight of them bracing to risk it all, their casual demeanor in the face of danger, was utterly bewildering.

"Then, let's embark!" Jake's sinister chuckle marked the commencement of their 'voyage.'

The trio's matching malevolent smirks sent shivers down the spines of onlookers, making it abundantly clear this was no ordinary underwater excursion. Knowing Jake, Amy and Meribelle had no illusions; this was a hunt.

In an instant, the quartet and their strikingly unconventional vehicle vanished, leaving the rest in the stark vastness of the artifact. When they reappeared outside next to his replica, Jake had preemptively released some of his Force Lumyst to prevent their protective vessel's cockpit from flooding. The water around the artifact was repelled without issue, but the Lumyst emitted for this purpose slipped out of his control before he could do anything to retain it.

"I had hoped to recover some of it, but oh well," Jake lamented before returning to their current mission.

"Master, the waterproofing's spot-on, but a window or two for outside visibility wouldn't have hurt," Crunch purred dryly, realizing his enhanced vision was useless in the pitch-dark submarine.

"Ugh, someone's welcome to swim in the open if they miss the sunlight that much," Jake shot back with equal sarcasm.

"Actually, scratch the windows. At least Lord Phenix's flames will be of some use," Crunch quipped slyly, casting a mocking glance at the irate figure beside him. This taunt had been his intention all along.

"That damn—"

"We're moving!" Jake interjected as the first layer of their vehicle's armor vanished from his perception.

This meant the Black Lumyst Steel forming it had either been obliterated or upgraded. Either way, the Lumyst within was no longer his. Fortunately, the moment he sensed the loss of the first armor layer, Jake shifted his focus to the underlying layer of Force Lumyst.

This innovative design approach made their egg-shaped submarine truly unique. Constructed like an onion, it featured numerous layers, each separated by a vacuum, with the limited Force Lumyst under his control ensuring structural integrity and acting as an additional sensor.

This idea might seem far-fetched, but it was actually the best solution in their situation. The multi-layer system with distinct thicknesses prevented the triggering of a baptism affecting the entire vehicle. If that happened, no matter the thickness of its armor, the Lumyst Water would have breached it in less than a minute unless their luck defied all odds.

In truth, if luck truly decided to favor them, Jake would probably be the first to shed tears. After all, his submarine genuinely had neither doors nor windows. If the alloy composing it actually withstood 28 baptisms, the real challenge would then be figuring out how to get out.