kscans

Chapter 341 - The Logbook that Records Treasures

—And that's enough talk unrelated to the game, for now.

With Ashe's words, which concluded the affair with what could only be called a shutout victory, the complex and delicate conversation came to a temporary close.

…Or rather, she was probably just being considerate, thinking it would be better for Sora and me to have time to talk things over later.

I gratefully decided I'd follow up with her later—later.

"Hey, sorry about before! I just got so excited and carried away!"

And so, our private conversation came to an end. The next item on the agenda, invited into the room by Helena-san, was the grassy-green ball of energy herself.

"No, well, I ended up reacting pretty badly myself, so let's just call it even…"

I swallowed the retort, It's not just 'before,' you seem to be at max excitement right now, too, judging by your voice and behavior.

"Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Lux! A pleasure, a pleasure!"

"I'm Haru. Nice to meet you."

"Sora. It's a pleasure to meet you…!"

We shook hands in turn, and a temporary truce (?) was formed… Even without Ashe's endorsement, I could tell she probably wasn't a bad person.

She was like… a condensed version of the high-energy parts of Nia, Mi-na, and Rinne, kneaded together with a high-purity dose of 'does things at her own pace.' Trying to deal with her head-on would probably leave me exhausted in minutes.

"Regarding the matter at hand… What do you two know about her?"

Following my handshake, Sora was still having her hand shaken, being swung around so vigorously that she was flustered. Ignoring this, Helena-san posed a question in an extremely calm voice.

She's incredible. The number one of the North was rampaging within a one-meter radius, and she didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Whatever I could find out by searching. That she's a total 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…!"

Like the other rankers, I had a grasp of her stats and general personality. For now, I just wanted to infinitely protest that the description "energetic girl" I'd found online was a massive understatement.

I'm not even sure if it's appropriate to call her a "girl."

"That is sufficient. What we wish to discuss… no, what we wish to request your cooperation for, concerns her Anima."

At Helena-san's words, Lux, who had finally released Sora's hand, puffed out her chest with a mysterious, triumphant look. "Hmph-hmph."

This is bad, I really can't get a read on this person's rhythm—

"Lux."

"—Ah, yes. Sorry. I'll be serious."

Fortunately, Ashe seemed to be the only one who could hold her 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???"

"Aaaand tada! This is my pride and joy Anima—its name is [Reminiel Traveler (Travelogue of Treasured Bookmarks)]!"

My question, born from a sudden, mysterious nickname I thought I'd misheard, was completely ignored. With a beaming smile, the Traveler produced a worn, bookmarked journal with a large, golden clasp from the breast of her coat.

Fifth Tier [Reminiel Traveler]—perhaps the most famous Anima in all of Arcadia, a one-of-a-kind item with an ultra-rare ability, the embodiment of the "ultimate jack-of-all-trades, master of none."

Its ability is to endlessly copy the Anima of others.

It's a criminal-level property that makes you immediately think, That shouldn't be allowed to exist, but… there are, of course, several restrictions that keep it from being a broken "master of all" and relegate it to a mere "master of none."

First: while there's no limit to copying—recording in the logbook—she can only imitate… that is, wield Anima of a lower rank than her own.

So, as a Fifth Tier, she can only imitate up to the Fourth Tier… but that's not a major restriction, so we can set it aside.

The conditions get tougher from here. Second: when imitating a copied Anima, its tier is further reduced by one, and its performance is slightly nerfed.

In short, even if she imitates a Fourth Tier Anima, when she uses it, it's nerfed down to a degraded Third Tier version.

And third: when fighting with an imitated Anima, neither the user (Lux) nor the Anima gains any experience points.

EXP for levels is irrelevant to her, as she's likely maxed out… but apparently, she gets no combat experience to acquire or grow skills, and not even the accumulated experience to advance her Anima's tier.

On the contrary, if Lux uses [Reminiel Traveler] to imitate someone's Anima for combat, a mysterious function automatically pays a "reward" from her to that "someone" as a fee for its use.

Specifically, she has to pay a usage fee (in runa) corresponding to the rarity of the imitated Anima… I don't know the exact amounts, but I've heard it can be a pretty steep price for some items.

Furthermore, fourth: This is the last and biggest problem—the cooldown time.

Like the usage fee, the time also seems to vary with the Anima's rarity… but it's so ridiculously long that regular use is out of the question.

Specifically, the minimum is one day, meaning twenty-four hours. If the article I read was correct, the current longest record is a full week—a 168-hour cooldown.

It's undoubtedly a powerful Anima… but to give my personal opinion after considering all the restrictions, it's the epitome of inconvenience.

Even if you can use a degraded imitation, it becomes unusable for days afterward… It's not something you can just casually use on a regular basis.

Still, it's undeniably a "game-breaking" ability.

…And so, the cooperation they wanted to ask for, bringing out this [Reminiel Traveler]—well, it was pretty obvious.

I glanced at Helena-san, and she gave a small nod of affirmation.

"We would like to request permission for her to copy Sora-sama's Anima—[Cradle of Sword-Craft]."

"I figured as much."

Information about Sora's [Cradle] had already been shared in the previous meeting, led by Mi-na and Ri-na. Or rather—

"Well, that was part of the sales pitch from the start, so…"

"Right… Yes, I have no problem with it."

Truth be told, we had been informed beforehand that she (Lux) would be attending this gathering.

Furthermore, the Eastern Wings' wholehearted endorsement of Sora as someone who could "fill the hole they left behind" was made with this in mind.

—That is, serving as a substitute for the "strongest artillery cannons" with two [Cradle of Sword-Craft]… might be wishful thinking. In any case, she was expected to fulfill a similar role.

It was news to me that they weren't participating at all, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a major pillar of our strategic plan for the upcoming White Throne Annihilation Battle.

"It's just an imitation, a copy… but a lot of people feel a little 'eh' about having their Anima used without their permission, so if you have even the slightest hesitation, please be honest, okay?"

Devout… would that be a disrespectful way to put it? Lux's unexpectedly serious expression as she sought confirmation was met with a gentle smile from Sora, who didn't seem to mind at all.

"It's alright. If this child can be of help… then please, I insist."

"I see—Awesome! Then I'll gratefully accept!"

Her composed demeanor, it seemed, was only momentary.

At the unhesitating reply, Lux's bright, lively smile returned. She picked up the logbook from the table, opened it, and presented it to Sora.

A blank page—or so I thought, but as we watched, a pattern began to emerge on the white surface.

A complex magic circle, with a blank space in the center. Just as I had an inkling, my partner must have sensed it too.

"Please!"

As if presenting a certificate… no, more like she was receiving one. Lux bowed her head while holding the logbook aloft, and Sora, letting out a small laugh, replied—

Sora gently placed her fingertip on the "blank space."

"H-… Heh-heh-heh…!"

"Heh…!?"

The instant she touched it, more surprising than the Anima that flashed with light was Lux's strange laugh, which made Sora reflexively pull her hand back.

I, who was watching from the side, also thought for a moment, What's with this person?… but it was probably that.

Arcadia's specialty, the good ol' direct-to-brain download, must have just flashed through her virtual mind.

If so, it's no wonder she couldn't help but laugh—it meant that my partner's Anima had produced the expected "result."

"A Second Tier… so it'll be a First Tier when I imitate it, and it's this good…"

"Eh, um…?"

Unlike Sora, who was at a loss for how to react, I was on Lux's side, sporting a wicked grin myself.

"So, how was the rarity?"

"Mmm-hm-hm… Let's see. On a five-star scale…"

When I posed the question with deliberate theatricality, the Traveler, smiling gleefully, snapped the logbook shut with a flourish and a thump!—

"I'd give it eight stars!"

—she declared, her voice high with excitement, a rating that exceeded the maximum.

—Meanwhile, at her side.

"…I lost."

Ashe muttered under her breath, her expression blank but with a hint of regret.