The place Corina set aside for the Mandragora was hidden in the southeast corner of the room. She'd clearly wanted to make sure it wouldn't get trampled during an attack. A few small pipes brought water from the lake as irrigation, while the ground itself was springy gray soil. Outside the area designated for planting, small shoots of grass were starting to poke up everywhere within sight.

 

The Kindlesprite was close at my left, as usual. Like her helmet, the rest of her armor lacked the medieval aesthetic I expected from metal armor. The way it snapped shut around her body without a seam was clearly magical though. As soon as everything was in place, the few small gaps between the shaped pieces had filled in with unattributed Mage Armor. It was rather cool, though I couldn't say if it was practical or not.

 

We had some time before the others came to work on the garden. I planned to make the Mandrake before that, but first I wanted to look into the Elegy thing. Last time, no CP cost was listed. I assumed it was because I didn't have a Room large enough to target. Now that I did, I could check the cost and maybe apply it if it didn't stop me from getting the Mandrake.

 

 

Good. I have fifty seven CP, so I can get both. There's even enough to do the Gate Room... But maybe it's better to prioritize the next Nymph instead. Based on the Unique tag's description though... Could I apply the Elegy and a second Field Effect to the same room? I frowned down at the screen. I don't really know what Field Effects even are. What would be good for this Room? The screen shifted at the thought.

 

 

That's a little... underwhelming. But then, if it applies automatically it's basically a free buff, right? Are there stronger variants if I'm willing to pay more? The thought was directed at the Interface. After a moment of waiting, nothing changed. So maybe there's something I'm missing. I shrugged it off. It was something to look into another day. Until then, I'd just wait for the natural conversion and focus on applying the Elegy to my Rooms.

 

The screen shifted back to the Elegy. I tried to think of a reason not to apply it now... But ultimately, this was inevitable. If nothing else, I needed to activate my 'Blessings of the Night' buff. So I confirmed the prompts that appeared.

 

The change was subtle- at first. The air felt cooler, as if it carried a breeze on a summer night. A slight tingling went through my Body, causing a swell of restive energy that threatened to overwhelm me. Mana stirred around me, gaining a strange depth as new types manifested. Variants of darkness and air mana that hadn't appeared until now, and even a few more complicated types like space mana. There was a surge of such mana above, and then- the ceiling faded away as if it were an illusion.

 

The entire Room lit up under a bright white light, making me blink my night-adjusted eyes. The breeze I'd felt previously picked up into a warm wind, a gentle sound accompanying its flight. My vision finished adjusting, showing me a great moon looming low over us.

 

Despite my initial impression, it was not Earth's moon. I was intimately familiar with Luna's appearance, and this one had no craters or scars. Instead, great veins of golden light ran across its white surface, rushing between low mountains and through shallow valleys. Many of them converged in vast lakes of gold, and a soft radiance came from those places that gave the surface a pale yellow tint. Around the moon's edges, my Aura Perception revealed a faint halo of prismatic light.

 

A new wave of mana swept across my Body, far more than before. A lightness, a cool flame- something indescribable. Everywhere it touched was energized, and I felt a delirious fear that I might burst from overexcitement. Then the mana crashed into the shell around my Heart.

 

For a horrifying moment, I felt it creak under the weight pressing down on it. The dark clouds that I had ignored up until now swirled within, whipping up into a frenzy.

 

Then an answering surge of power pulsed out from within the darkness. A viscid light that passed through the barrier effortlessly and blended together with the Pale Moon's mana. It spread out through my Body, calming me without dampening the power granted. After just a few more seconds, everything had fully settled into place.

 

I felt remade, much as I had after the Refinement Pattern. But the feeling now was somehow even more intense. It was as if some fundamental part of me had changed instead of a simple physical restructuring. The feeling left me at once exultant and terribly anxious. What changed? Was it for the better or the worse?

 

My thoughts were interrupted by a voice to my left. "Selene? Can you hear me?" The Kindlesprite was standing close to me, concern nearing panic leaking into her voice.

 

In retrospect, I felt she'd called out to me a few times already. "Sorry, I'm fine..." I paused, looking at her more closely. "Are you alright?"

 

A faint white glow was emanating from her, and the fading panic in her aura left behind a strange tranquility. Compared to the vacuum-like lack of emotion that her aura normally presented, it was like looking through perfectly clear water. "I believe so. I feel stronger. It's- strange. There's something warm... But I can't identify what."

 

I stepped closer, focusing on the information my Aura Perception was giving me. Near her Core, obscured as it was by her Body, there was a concentration of cheerful mana. It wobbled around, globs occasionally scattering into her aura before being dragged back towards her Core. Where it wandered, it consumed the Pale Moon's mana and grew fat on the power.

 

I wasn't sure what to think of it. It didn't seem harmful at least. Her entire body was infused with it, causing the glow from earlier. Perhaps that was why she felt stronger, though it could've also just been the effects of the Elegy. Aside from the odd stickiness of it, it seemed like ordinary mana, similar to the moonlight mana that filled the Room.

 

I bit my lip and refocused on her. "There's some unusual mana near your Core, but I don't know what that means. Tell me if anything changes. Okay?"

 

She nodded, quirking her lips up slightly. "As you command." Then she lifted her damaged right hand. "It seems the regeneration buffs are working properly."

 

As she said, the damage was healing visibly faster than before. Hopefully the extra healing would help a lot. I'd have to get the building with the Clay in it opened up to the moonlight, somehow...

 

Movement caught my eye, and I turned to see some of the Fairies approaching. Mica was in the lead, and they called out joyfully as the distance lessened. "Selene!" A moment's flight brought them close enough to speak without yelling, but the Earth Fairy sailed past and circled me before speaking. "This is incredible! It's so warm and bright- and everything seems so much clearer somehow." 

 

Aria cleared her throat to get our attention. "We brought all of the seeds, but I still need to see the Mandrake. We won't know what kind of plants Chérie needs to make without understanding the main ingredient."

 

"Right." I'd already read through the Creature entry, so I skipped that and confirmed the Create prompt. Compared to what I was used to so far, the gathering of power to make a Mandrake was a little underwhelming, and the result... Was a small plant. Theoretically, there would be a large root underneath, but I had no intention of digging it up just to look.

 

The Fairies began to flutter around, talking to each other. Aria had mostly taken charge, but I wasn't really invested in the conversation. So it was easy to break away when a strangely vexed Sculptor made her way over.

 

She immediately spoke with an urgent tone. "My Lady, I was looking after a Core that was close to forming when it suddenly vanished. I was unable to locate it or understand why. I am... sincerely regretful for my failure."

 

I frowned back at her, only slightly intimidated by the frustration boiling in her aura. Her words were alarming, but they also felt familiar... "Ah- maybe..." I tapped through the Interface until it shifted to the Kindlesprite's Repop menu. "Yeah. Looks like the Dungeon picked it up. It says a Kindlesprite will repop in five hours." I felt my frown return. "But you said it was close to forming... How long would it normally take for a newformed Core to grow into a Kindlesprite?"

 

The Sculptor still seemed anxious, but her excess emotion was quickly boiling off now that she knew what had happened. Her eyes lost focus as she thought about my question. "It is mostly dependent on how much mana is fed to the Core, but between three and six days is the standard range." Her lips tightened pensively. "Ordinarily I would look after and engrave the Core during that time... But I still have my other duties. I apologize for disturbing you, my Lady." She nodded deeply, almost a bow, before moving to leave.

 

"Ah, wait a moment. Let me see you for a second." I needed to confirm something before she left. Seeing her hesitate, I stepped closer and focused on my Aura Perception once more. Near her Core and radiating outwards, there was a buildup of golden mana. However, it was nothing like the creamy mana around the other Kindlesprite's Core. Just... normal mana. Light attribute, closer to what I'd expect from sunlight than the moonlight flooding the air. "Huh... I guess that's all then, sorry. Wait, just call me Selene, okay?"

 

She blinked at me in confusion. Then she caught up to my words. "Ah. I apologize, Selene. I-"

 

"It's fine, you were stressed. Sorry for being so insistent about it." The titles are just too awkward...

 

She hesitated, on the verge of another apology. Then she nodded. After a short exchange to confirm she wasn't needed, she left to get back to her work.

 

Which left me to get back to mine. Next on the agenda- Corina's 'Mana Well' thing...