Chapter 84: The Rune Factory

For the entire day that followed, Charles assisted others in the laboratory, helping to process various materials. The current subject of their experiment was a creature mutated by radiation.

Since the Gate of Origins had opened, a massive influx of source energy had begun to spill out, exposing many creatures to its radiation and triggering evolution or mutation. Naturally, the True God Cult had a branch in Atlant as well; two had already been destroyed, but most remained hidden. All mutated creatures found within these cults were sent to the academy, delivered to various laboratories for dissection and study, so that the subsequent changes could be understood and mastered.

However, the existence of radiation creatures was extremely peculiar, resembling monsters and demons from myth and legend, and differing greatly from totemic beasts.

“Junior, I didn’t expect you to be from Harrison. I heard it’s terribly poor and backward there. You must have had trouble gathering resources, right?” During a break, several young students gathered around him, curious.

“Indeed, it’s far inferior compared to this place, which is why my main totem hasn’t been able to evolve,” Charles replied, shrugging helplessly.

He understood well—these people saw him as a country bumpkin from the provinces. The fact that no one mocked him openly was already a sign of their manners.

He was soon bombarded with questions, as they were intensely interested in the ancient empire across the ocean—noble marriages, customs of daily life—even the most mundane details were fair game.

Thus, Charles quickly became part of their group, fondly called “Little Charles” and treated as a younger brother.

“Charles, you have master-level totem rendering skills. Please render the inheritance factors of this creature,” Garfield instructed.

The others were taken aback, surprised that this quiet junior possessed such unexpected abilities. They themselves were only at proficiency level and hadn’t advanced despite years at the academy.

“Alright.” Charles nodded and walked to the cultivation tank at the center of the laboratory.

Inside was a strange creature: humanoid in appearance, but with four arms, standing 3.5 meters tall and covered in a layer of fine gray scales.

Charles gazed down at it. Two pieces of source crystal provided by the lab were ground into powder, their energy flowing and enveloping the specimen, forming a massive gray-white cocoon.

Moments later, mysterious spirals emerged from the cocoon, weaving and swirling in the air, creating dazzling and enigmatic patterns.

With swift, precise strokes, Charles rendered diagram after diagram on parchment—comprehensive conceptual maps of inheritance factors, detailed interpretations of various parts, and the most profound directions for core evolution.

Totem rendering skill signified one’s understanding and mastery of inheritance factors. Master-level meant he could dissect and research them thoroughly, even reconstructing damaged portions based on other areas.

The others watched, stunned, realizing he truly possessed master-level skill—not some talentless recruit who entered by connections.

“Now, construct an auxiliary totem and study its habits and other information,” Garfield commanded.

Everyone hurried to work, placing Charles’ diagrams beside a machine for scanning and construction.

Crystals were ground into powder, quickly forming a heap that made Charles’ eye twitch. Clearly, constructing totems in the rune factory consumed vast amounts of source crystal. Leslie had provided him with one machine, but at his current means, he couldn’t afford it.

He had asked Lyle and learned that source crystals could be purchased at the academy with a student ID—each standard unit costing twenty thousand.

In just a short while, dozens of crystals had been used, equal to more than half his net worth.

Of course, this was mainly because the creature was massive and extraordinary—a mutated radiation being requiring much more energy.

For a typical totem beast, less than a third would be necessary, but even that was enough to make his teeth ache.

That evening, after a rushed meal, Charles hurried to the basement—the rune factory had arrived!

It was kept in the basement because rune factories required absolute quiet during operation, free from external noise, wind, or disturbances, to avoid malfunction.

From the moment he had arrived, Charles had dreamed of owning his own rune factory, so he would never again be dependent on others.

Now, an expensive machine worth over a hundred million stood before him in the flesh.

The rune factory was five-point-two meters long, two-point-one meters wide, and one-point-eight meters tall, an irregular rectangular box. On its surface were rows of glass tubes and a dense network of wires. In places, it resembled circuit boards from his former life, covered in intricate patterns.

Charles took a deep breath, placed a diagram inside, and set a source crystal in the energy slot.

With a soft crack as the crystal shattered, the conduits lit up, spreading instantly across the entire machine.

The factory began its silent operation, while Charles constructed a complete inheritance diagram, integrating it with the corresponding details from the blueprint.

After more than an hour, the totem construction was finally completed.

Charles rubbed his sore eyes and carefully retrieved a spherical crystal.

The orb was about the size of a thumb, entirely transparent, with a violet butterfly at its core—resembling a piece of amber.

The Violet-winged Butterfly, once Bruce’s totem, was an obvious choice for his experiment.

This sphere was the totem orb. Once the awakening was completed, it would become his auxiliary totem.

Of course, with many better options available, Charles would not waste one of his three auxiliary totem slots on the Violet-winged Butterfly. He was merely ensuring he fully grasped the rune factory’s functions, so he could one day transform Firefly into a true totemic creature.

But before that, he needed—money!

Firefly was a pseudo-totem, possessing an energy level beyond even ordinary radiation beasts. To fully transform it into a totem, the source crystal required would be several times—perhaps dozens of times—that used for the radiation creature.

Early the next morning, Charles sought out Lyle, asking about ways to make money.

Lyle spoke candidly, recommending he work in shops selling totem orbs. With master-level rendering skill, it would be a waste not to use it.

“Are there other ways?” Charles pressed.

Lyle smiled. “There’s another option—join the Academy Enforcement Team. You could earn rewards by apprehending criminal students or recapturing escaped totem beasts from the laboratories.”