[Book 1 Completed] Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World [Kingdom Building LitRPG]
B2 | Chapter 36 – Mysterious Object

It was a dome. It sat there as if it had always been there, simply waiting for them to find it like idiots.

Nothing shone off of it, and it was completely dark. It was shaped like an egg and was smooth all around. The worst thing was that it was also warm. This object was virtually buzzing with heat, whereas everything else in this environment was frigid. Not that he'd touched it, it was just radiating such heat.

"You're staring at it like it owes you money," Roland said.

"Always so helpful with your observations, Roland."

"I try."

Theodore rolled his eyes. "As for staring, I'm not staring. I'm observing. There's a difference."

"Is there?" Roland tilted his head.

"Yes."

"Huh. I don't know. Because from where I'm standing, you look like you're trying to set it on fire with your mind."

"If I could set things on fire with my mind, Roland, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We'd be having a very different conversation."

Roland blinked. "I mean, you can set things… on fire… with your mind…"

Theodore groaned.

"Do you have anything productive to add?"

"No, not really. That's why I am being difficult." Roland smiled.

"You're not usually like this. What's the occasion?"

"You need to chill, that's why."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you're kind of traumatized by whatever happened with the Night Whispers."

"Huh."

"I mean, you're human, no? It happens."

"I guess so. So what does that have anything to do with this?"

"You're expecting something bad to happen. That's why I am being difficult—to distract you."

Theodore looked at Roland's grin, dryly.

"So, what's your theory on this one?" He asked sarcastically.

"My theory? My theory is that it's going to cause us an enormous amount of trouble and probably get someone killed in the process."

Theodore's eye twitched. "And you said I am expecting something bad to happen."

"You are, and so am I, but we are both doing it for different reasons."

"Whatever. Where did these things even come from? Did someone just wake up one morning and think, hey, you know what this world needs? More mysterious fucking domes."

"Well, here comes Jack. So he'll probably have something to say about that. Right on schedule. Looking like death warmed over and twice as eager."

When Jack arrived, he looked just like Theodore had expected him to.

Hollow-eyed, check. Poorly slept, double-check. Absolutely vibrating with curiosity like a tuning fork someone had struck too hard. The man never met a mystery he didn't want to dissect with his bare hands. Probably literally, if given the chance.

"Welcome," said Theodore.

They gathered around it as if it were a bonfire. As if they were going to sing and roast marshmallows. Except the fire was potentially magical and definitely wrong and might eat their faces if they got too close.

They discussed potential things to do, and then they took action. Jack was the first to go. Hands hovering like he was blessing the damn thing. Then flattening the hands against that too-smooth surface. Like petting a snake to see if it would bite.

Using a variety of skills and spells, Jack examined the object for several minutes before turning to face them.

"It's blank," Jack murmured. "No readable signature. No magical fingerprint. It's resistant to everything. Like it's ignoring me."

Of course it was ignoring him. Why wouldn't it? Maybe it only talked to domes. Maybe it was shy.

I need some sleep, Theodore thought, sighed, frowned, and activated [Arcane Awareness].

There was nothing inside. That was rather unnerving. Usually, objects this big emitted something. They had presence. They took up space in more ways than one. Apart from the heat it radiated, however, this thing was nothingness. A void.

When he tried pushing mana in—

Oh.

Oh, that was a mistake.

It was the worst thing he had done all week, and that was saying something.

The dome quickly and ferociously devoured the mana. As if it had been dying of thirst and he'd just offered it the first drink it had seen in centuries. Like feeding a starving man soup with your bare hands, except the man was made of nothing and the soup was part of your soul.

With his breathing becoming harsh and his jaw tightening, Theodore jerked back. Like he'd ran a few miles, his heart was pounding in his chest. Despite the cold, he had sweat running down his forehead.

It had felt wrong, but not particularly painful. Unclean. Like something with too many fingers touching you from the inside out. Something that had no business having fingers at all.

Something that definitely shouldn't be touching you in the first place.

Naturally, Jack noticed it right away. When it came to magic bullshit, the guy possessed hawk-like eyes.

"Let me worry about this, Lord Theodore," he said. "I need some time alone anyway."

Of course Jack needed time alone with the mysterious magical dome that ate mana like candy.

What could possibly go wrong?

***

He returned to the problem of the land.

He had a box of soil in his office, ready for experimentation. Theodore pressed his palm against the contaminated soil sample for what had to be the sixth time today, activating [Healing Touch] and pouring mana through the skill and into the soil. The skill worked its magic and converted mana into something that could heal. Through his fingers, the familiar warmth spread, and he watched with satisfaction as the sickly gray color of the soil began to fade from the dirt and was replaced by what seemed to be more like real, healthy soil.

For about thirty seconds, anyway.

Then the contamination crept back in, like watching ink spread through water. The soil darkened again, that unnatural gray tinge returning as if his healing had never happened at all. Theodore pulled his hand back and stared at the sample with the kind of frustration that made him want to throw something at the wall or blast it with mana.

He had been trying every strategy he could think of for a long time now. Beyond that first momentary improvement, nothing worked, no matter how much mana was used, how long the touch lasted, or how various methods were tried to channel the healing energy.

It was maddening, really, watching his magic succeed and then fail in the span of less than a minute.

[Healing Touch] was working; that much was obvious. The contamination responded to it, clearing away under the influence of his skill. But whatever was causing the contamination in the first place wasn't being addressed by the healing.

It was like trying to clean a wound while the thing that had caused it was still actively making it worse.

Every time his healing magic made progress, something pushed back, undoing his work with what seemed like conscious intent.

Theodore was more certain that there was something active in the tainted soil the more he thought about it. It couldn't just be residual magical energy but an actual organism or entity of some kind.

That would explain why [Healing Touch] worked temporarily but couldn't provide a permanent solution. He was just treating the symptoms, not the underlying problem. He needed to address the root causes. It was like trying to cure an infection without killing the bacteria causing it—you might provide temporary relief, but the underlying problem would keep reasserting itself.

The question was, how should he go about solving something like that? His [Healing Touch] was insufficient, and he didn't have access to the kind of specialized equipment that might be needed for a more thorough analysis. He could ask Jack to take a look, but the man already had his hands full with the mysterious dome situation.

Maybe it was time to look deeper into his new affinities?

***

Theodore trudged through the frost-brittle grass toward Farmer Jed's field.

Like a giant black egg left behind by whatever cosmic chicken laid it, the dome sat in the center of the field. The object looked so weird simply sitting there, as if someone had made a hole in reality and filled it with emptiness, that Theodore was still unable to get over it. It didn't belong in this world, didn't fit with the natural order of things, and every time Theodore looked at it, he felt that familiar twist in his gut that told him this was going to become his problem whether he wanted it to be or not.

Theodore walked up to Jack, who was crouching next to the dome, his breath hazing against the building's surface.

The man looked like he'd been sleeping rough for a week, which he probably had, knowing his tendency to lose himself completely when presented with an interesting puzzle. Which Theodore had given him with [Rune Inscription] revelation.

"Any progress, Jack?"

Jack shook his head without looking up from whatever he was doing, his frustration written in every line of his posture.

"Nothing, my lord. It's as inscrutable as ever. I am aware of no magic that can break through its barriers and reveal its true nature. Nothing can chip away at it, either."

Of course not. Even though Theodore had anticipated this, he nonetheless sighed when he heard it verified. He had hoped Jack might provide some insightful light.

Theodore sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. He approached the dome and placed his hand against it for the first time, curious despite himself about what something that had stumped Jack so thoroughly might feel like.

The surface was cool under his palm, not unpleasantly so; the heat it had been radiating earlier was completely gone, and now it just felt normal, if a bit cold.

"What is it—"

He began, but his words caught in his throat as a familiar screen materialized before his eyes.

Side Quest Activated: Sever the boulder sent by Varyndros with a single strike.

The implications of that simple sentence swept over Theodore like an unwanted wave of realization, making his blood run cold.

Varyndros had sent this thing…

"M'lord? Is everything alright?" Jack asked, and Theodore realized he'd been standing there with his hand pressed against the dome like an idiot, probably looking like he'd seen a ghost.

Which, in a way, he had. The ghost of his own peace of mind, mostly.

Theodore sighed. The last thing he needed was to explain this Quest to a man who was already working himself into an early grave trying to solve magical mysteries. Jack had enough on his plate without adding such complications to the mix.

Theodore waved the text away and turned to Jack, schooling his expression into a mask of calm.

"It's nothing," he lied smoothly, dropping his hand from the dome. "Just... a chill. It was hot before, so I was surprised."

Jack looked skeptical but didn't press the issue.

"Perhaps we should return to town, my lord."

Theodore nodded absently.

Varyndros sent this... boulder? And now he wants me to sever it? How? Why? Why is Varyndros suddenly taking such an active interest in me?

"You go ahead, Jack," Theodore said. "I want to try one more thing."

Jack hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

"As you wish, my lord. Don't stay out too long," Jack said before he left.

***

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