Chapter 341 - The Logbook that Records Treasures
And with that, the talk unrelated to the game came to a close for now.
At Ashe's word, who had concluded the discussion with what could only be called a complete shutout, the complex and delicate matter was settled for the time being.
…Or rather, she had probably considered it would be better for Sora and me to have some time to talk things over again.
I gratefully decided I would follow up later—later.
"Hey, sorry about that earlier! I just got so excited and carried away!"
And so, our private conversation was over. The next person Helena-san invited to the meeting was a bundle of youthful, spring-green energy.
"No, well, I ended up reacting pretty strangely myself, so let's just call it even…"
It's not just earlier; your tone and behavior right now are still off-the-charts energetic, aren't they? I thought, swallowing the retort.
"Let's start over! I'm Lux! Nice to meet ya, nice to meet ya!"
"I'm Haru. It's a pleasure."
"Sora. It's nice to meet you…!"
We shook hands in turn, and a tentative truce (?) was formed… Even without Ashe's seal of approval, I could tell she probably wasn't a bad person.
She's like… yeah, that's it… if you took the high-energy parts of Nia, Mi-na, and Rinne, boiled them down, and kneaded them with a highly-concentrated dose of self-assuredness… Trying to keep up with that would probably exhaust me in minutes.
"Regarding the matter at hand… what do the two of you know about her?"
Following me, Helena-san posed the question with an extremely calm voice, ignoring Sora, whose hand was still being shaken so vigorously she was getting flustered.
Amazing. The Northern Faction's top ranker is going wild less than a meter away, and she doesn't even bat an eye.
"I know what you can find out with a little research. A complete PvE player—or rather, a hardcore adventurer with zero interest in PvP… and, well, about that Anima of hers?"
"I-I, also, know the same… thiiing…!"
Just like with the other rankers, I had a grasp of her stats and general personality. For now, though, I wanted to endlessly object to the term 'energetic girl' I'd seen online as a gross understatement.
I wasn't even sure if 'girl' was the right word.
"That is sufficient. What I wish to discuss… no, what I would like to request your cooperation for, concerns her Anima."
At Helena-san's words, Lux, finally releasing Sora's hand, puffed out her chest with a mysterious, triumphant look. "Heh heh he~n."
This is bad, I really can't get a read on this person's rhythm—
"Lux."
"—Ah, yes. My apologies. I'll be serious."
Fortunately, the one saving grace seemed to be that Ashe held the reins. I couldn't tell if she was joking or serious, but a hint of earnestness flickered across her face.
"Alright then… since Har-kun and Sora-chan already know, I'll skip the explanation."
"Har-kun???"
"Ta-da! This here is my pride and joy, my very own Anima—its name is [Reminiel Traveler (The Traveler's Logbook of Treasures)]!"
My question, born from a deadpan stare as I wondered if I'd misheard the sudden, mysterious nickname, was completely ignored. With a beaming smile, the Traveler produced a worn, bookmarked journal with a large, golden clasp from inside her coat.
Fifth Tier Anima: [Reminiel Traveler (The Traveler's Logbook of Treasures)]—in a way, it was perhaps the most famous Anima in all of Arcadia, a manifestation of the 'ultimate jack-of-all-trades, master of none,' possessing a unique and exceedingly rare ability.
That ability was to endlessly copy the Anima of others.
It was a criminally powerful trait that made you immediately think, 'This shouldn't be allowed to exist,' but… there were, of course, several restrictions that kept it from being a broken, 'master of all,' and confined it to being a mere 'master of none.'
First, while there were no limits to copying—recording in the journal—she could only imitate… that is, wield, Anima of a lower tier than her own.
This meant that at its current Fifth Tier, she could only imitate up to the Fourth Tier… but since this wasn't a major restriction, we can set it aside.
Things get tougher from here. Second, when an Anima is imitated, its tier is further reduced by one, and its performance is slightly nerfed.
In other words, even if she imitated a Fourth Tier Anima, it would be nerfed down to a degraded Third Tier version when she used it.
And third, when fighting with a copied Anima, neither the user (Lux) nor the Anima gain any experience points.
While level-related EXP was irrelevant to her, as she was likely at the cap… she apparently couldn't gain combat experience to acquire or grow skills, nor could she accumulate the experience needed to advance her Anima's tier.
Not only that, but when Lux fought using someone's Anima with her [Reminiel Traveler], a strange feature automatically paid a 'reward' from her to that 'someone' as compensation for its use.
Specifically, she has to pay a usage fee in Luna based on the rarity of the copied Anima… and while I don't know the exact amounts, I've heard that for certain items, the price can be pretty outrageous.
Furthermore, the fourth point. This is the last and biggest problem—the cooldown time.
Like the usage fee, the time apparently varies based on the Anima's rarity… but it's so ridiculously long that regular use is out of the question.
Specifically, the minimum is one day—twenty-four hours. If the article I read was correct, the current longest record is a full week—a cooldown of 168 hours.
There was no doubt it was a powerful Anima… but to give my personal opinion after considering all the restrictions, it was the epitome of user-unfriendliness.
Even if you could use a degraded imitation, it would become unusable for days afterward… It was hardly something you could use casually on a daily basis.
Still, it was undeniably a 'game-breaking' ability.
…So, what could she possibly want our cooperation for, bringing out her [Reminiel Traveler]? The answer was, of course, obvious.
I glanced at Helena-san, and she gave a small nod of affirmation.
"We would like you to allow her to copy Sora-sama's Anima—the [Cradle of Sword-Craft]."
"That's what I figured."
Information about Sora's [Cradle of Sword-Craft] had already been shared during the previous meeting, led by Mi-na and Ri-na. Or rather—
"Well, that was part of our sales pitch from the beginning…"
"Right… Yes, I have no problem with it."
In fact, we had been informed beforehand that she (Lux) would be attending this gathering.
Furthermore, the reason the Eastern Wings had so enthusiastically pushed Sora as someone who could 'fill the void they left behind' was precisely because they had taken this into account.
—In other words, the idea was for two [Cradle of Sword-Craft] users to act as a substitute for the 'strongest artillery cannons'… though that might be wishful thinking. In any case, she was expected to fulfill a similar role.
It was the first I'd heard that they wouldn't be participating at all, but that didn't change the fact that this was a major pillar of our strategy for the 'White Throne Subjugation Battle' we were aiming for.
"It's just an imitation, a copy, but… a lot of people feel a bit 'iffy' about having their Anima used without their permission, so if you're even a little hesitant, please be honest, okay?"
Would it be rude to call her conscientious? Sora responded to Lux, who was confirming with a surprisingly earnest expression, with a carefree smile.
"It's alright. If this child can be of help… then please, I insist."
"I see—great! In that case, I'll gratefully accept!"
It seemed her calm demeanor was only momentary.
Her bright, cheerful smile returning at the unhesitating reply, Lux took the journal from the table, opened it, and presented it to Sora.
A blank page—or so I thought. As we watched, a pattern slowly began to emerge from the white surface.
It was a complex magic circle with a blank space at its center. Just as I had a suspicion, my partner must have sensed it too.
"Please!"
As if presenting some kind of certificate… no, it was more like she was receiving one. As Lux bowed her head, holding the journal aloft, Sora let out a wry smile and—
Sora gently placed her fingertip on the 'blank space.'
"Hh—ooh, heheh…!"
"Heh…!?"
At the moment of contact, more surprising than the Anima that flashed with light was Lux's strange laugh, which made Sora reflexively pull her hand back.
Watching from the side, I, too, momentarily wondered, 'What's with this person?'… but I figured it was probably that.
One of Arcadia's specialties, a direct-to-brain installation, must have just flashed through her virtual mind.
If so, it was no wonder she couldn't help but laugh—it meant my partner's Anima had produced the expected 'result.'
"A Second Tier… and even after being copied down to a First Tier, it's this…"
"Um… excuse me?"
Unlike Sora, who was at a loss for how to react, I was on Lux's side, sporting a mischievous grin.
"So, how was the rarity?"
"Mmm-hmm-hmm… let's see now. On a five-star scale…"
And so, I asked with deliberate theatrics. The Traveler, smiling gleefully, snapped the journal shut with a flourish—thwack!—and declared,
"I'd give it… eight stars!"
She announced the over-the-top rating with unbridled excitement.
—Meanwhile, beside them.
"…………I lost."
Ashe murmured with a deadpan expression, her voice tinged with a hint of regret.
In reality, there are a lot more restrictions and covenants, but I cut them out with a heavy heart. By the way, Ashe's Anima, which has already been registered, is six stars.