CH664 The Intellectual Romantic II

***

"Actually, I think it might be a good idea for you to learn [Zaxan’s Transmutation]."

Eleanore continued,

"I remember you complaining that you did not receive the knowledge for the Energy Transmutation method you encountered during your Stele Trial, while the rest of us received at least part of the inheritances or techniques we encountered in ours. I have a feeling that [Zaxan’s Transmutation] may be the foundation needed to help you recover that missing knowledge."

Alex’s eyes immediately lit up.

Not receiving the knowledge for Energy Transmutation had been a significant disappointment for him.

After thinking about it for a long time, he had eventually come to a conclusion about why that might have happened.

Unlike the others, who had directly ’met’ the original creators or owners of the inheritances they later received, Alex had only encountered a series of phantom images during his own Stele Trial.

At the time, he had concluded that those images were some form of recorded memories—either memories held by the hall where the trial took place, or perhaps memories of the Plane itself, preserving the most significant advancements in the field throughout its history.

Either way, the key issue remained the same.

Even if those entities had witnessed the Energy Transmutation method being used, that did not necessarily mean they understood how it had originally been created.

Back in his previous life, phones and computers were everywhere. Countless videos existed online explaining how they were made. But simply watching those videos did not mean the viewer truly understood the manufacturing principles behind them.

And if that viewer were a complete layman, it would be impossible for them to accurately pass on that knowledge to someone else.

The situation with the Stele Trial—and his failure to receive the inheritance—could be viewed in much the same light.

"You are not wrong," Alex said, voicing his thoughts as he fell into contemplation.

"What alchemists refer to as Plant Essence can loosely be described as a more potent form of chemical energy already existing within the plant itself. However, each plant possesses its own unique Plant Essence, much like how each plant has its own distinct chemical profile.

"If we assume that a specific chemical profile gives rise to a unique form of chemical energy—which we describe as Plant Essence—then at its core, [Zaxan’s Transmutation] is essentially an energy conversion process that shouldn’t naturally be possible."

His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts deepened.

"And if the process works for all forms of Plant Essence—chemical energy—then what happens if we expand its scope beyond that? If we can convert Plant Essence into another form of energy, then we should, in theory, be able to push it further and convert different forms of energy into one another as well."

"My thoughts exactly," Eleanore said with a nod. "However, based on what you described earlier about the original process requiring Legends, I suspect the command of Laws would be necessary to properly facilitate it.

"I am not confident I could ever master a Law with that level of utility. In fact, I am not even certain such a Law would be particularly useful to me in my chosen paths. But whatever the case, the limitation does not exist for you... or rather, for OmniRune."

Alex looked at her, realisation dawning. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I see... you are referring to the relationship between consciousness and Law comprehension that I theorised some time ago."

"Yes," Eleanore confirmed. "Along with OmniRune’s natural processing advantage. I suspect both comprehending the process and actually applying it would require an absurd amount of understanding and computational power. It may very well be something beyond even the brainpower of a single Legend. However—"

"Processing power is not a problem for OmniRune," Alex finished for her.

Eleanore smiled.

"So? Are you interested now?"

Alex gave a helpless, wry smile.

"Fine. You got me. I am interested," he admitted. "Though realistically, it is not something I am likely to make progress on anytime soon."

"Nor am I expecting immediate results," Eleanore replied.

After all, this was something that seemed to belong firmly within the realm of a Legendary-level projects. In truth, considering Alex was attempting to approach it largely alone, it might be more accurate to classify it as an Epic-level undertaking.

’The ability to convert one form of energy into another at will...’ Alex thought inwardly.

’If OmniRune could truly master such a function, the utility of that ability... I cannot even begin to imagine the full scope of its versatility.’

A faint smile formed inside his mind.

But then, another thought followed immediately behind it.

’With how obsessed the universe seems to be with balance... would it even allow something like that to exist, though?’ Alex wondered.

But a moment later, he shook his head.

’No... the balance the universe imposes—or perhaps the balance imposed upon it—is not one that encourages stagnation. It exists to ensure the system continues functioning properly and does not suddenly collapse under its own contradictions.

’It would be difficult to achieve the desired result because I would have to break through the established moulds. But since the universe itself is not stagnant, those moulds would inevitably shift to accommodate genuine advancement.

’So it is not that the destination is impossible... only that the journey towards it will be difficult.’

Alex’s reasoning settled firmly in his mind.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

’Well... it would not be fun otherwise, would it?’

Eleanore watched him quietly as he disappeared into his thoughts, contemplating the possibility of that distant end goal and the countless steps required to reach it.

She did not disturb him.

Instead, she simply watched him with a soft, affectionate smile.

Alex had many different sides to him, and any one of them could be described as impressive, exceptional, or even charming.

But to her, Alex was at his best when he was building something—when he was tinkering, inventing, or trying to force a new idea into existence through sheer stubbornness, brilliance and, as he would describe it, madness.

She felt that if one stripped away all his other identities—noble, mage, warlord, silver tongue, business mogul, and everything else—one thing would always remain.

Something that could never be taken from him.

His curiosity.

His relentless need to understand, improve, and create.

At his core, it was his intellect that drew her to him—no, that draws her to him—even hopelessly at times. Especially in moments like this.

Perhaps because, growing up, Eleanore had long accepted a reality that she would likely never marry for love, she had unconsciously reshaped her own understanding of what romance meant.

Where others imagined long walks together, shared meals, laughter, dates, and simple domestic warmth... she had trained herself to value something else.

Intellect.

Most importantly, the ability to work together—to create together—to make meaningful intellectual progress side by side.

To her, working on a grand research project like this—something that could potentially change the very way they understood the world—was itself the most romantic gesture a partner could offer.

And by that measure... Alex was the most romantic person she had ever met.

Perhaps the most romantic person she ever would meet.

Eleanore’s eyes trembled slightly as that realisation settled fully in her heart.

She realised then, deep down, that she had already made her decision.

Her mind was made up, and nothing would change it.

Alex, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to the quiet change happening beside him.

For the next half hour or so, the two of them discussed their plans in detail, refining every step until they were satisfied they were ready to begin.

And not a moment too soon.

Fresh intelligence from Raven Horn soon arrived, informing Alex that the BattleBanes were already on their way back to BloodIron—with cargo that was almost certainly the requested divine statue.

***