Chapter 4279: The Astral Codex and Everythings! III

He made the card of light disappear and then reappear.

"They come in different tiers of rarity, of course. From the Common ’Echo’, to the Uncommon ’Resonant’, to the Rare ’Harmonic’, to the Legendary ’Transcendent’, to the Mythic, one-of-a-kind ’Primordial’ Arcana that represent the absolute pinnacle of an Authority."

"Some Astral Arcana Glyphs, when activated, can collapse Young Early Creatures, or if the Astral Arcana Glyph in your Grimoire is rare and powerful enough...you could even collapse an Elder Early Creature if you can activate the Card. It is a system for kings and gamblers, not for soldiers. A single, well-timed play can change the course of a battle."

He let the information settle, allowing Noah to process the sheer, elegant brutality of such a system.

"I will grant you a Blank Living Astral Codex, a Grimoire." Vulcan said, his voice a low, final offer.

"And I will grant you a single Astral Arcana from our own vaults. A powerful, versatile tool to begin your collection. All of this... in exchange for the methodology of your Living Existential Armor."

...!

Noah sat in the silence of the forge, the weight of the offer a physical thing in the air.

He thought of the Early Laboratories, of THE Living Concept, of the noble, flawed ambition of Elara and her kind.

He had no obligation to them. They were his captors, his jailers, no matter how politely they had treated him.

The Justiciars would be made with or without his help. His refusal would only delay the inevitable, and cost him this... this unprecedented opportunity.

He was a Tyrant. He was a Cheat. And a deal this good was a cheat in its own right. The choice was clear!

At the offer of Forgemaster Vulcan, a trade of knowledge that could reshape the very foundations of power in this ancient age, Noah was about to give the command to RUIN/EDEN.

But this wonder of Ruin was already a dozen steps ahead, her own silent, lightning-fast calculations concluding before he had even finished processing the proposition.

|Analysis of Proposed Trade: [Schematics] for [Living Astral Codex].|

|Conclusion: The value of the offered knowledge is incalculable. The Astral Codex represents an entirely new modality of power, one that operates outside the known systems of Glyphs and Haki. Acquiring it is a strategic imperative.|

|Risk Assessment: Sharing the full, unadulterated schematics for [The Aegis of the Architect] would grant a potential adversary access to your unique, growth-type technology. This is... suboptimal.|

|Solution: I have already designed a secondary set of schematics, Master. A ’public release’ version, if you will.|

| - [Justiciar Core Modulator - Public Model]: Capable of producing a stable interface, but at only 50% effectiveness.|

| - [Living Existential Armor - Public Model]: Requires 100% more Everythings to power and has no factor of growth with the user.|

| - Failsafes: I have also integrated several conceptual ’backdoors’ into the design, which will appear as normal structural components. In the future, should any armors built from these schematics be used against you, I can activate these failsafes to shutter 50% of their power instantly.|

|Recommendation: Proceed with the trade. You will be giving them a functional, powerful blueprint, but not the true secret. You will be giving them a candle, while keeping the sun for yourself.|

Noah smiled, a slow, cold, and utterly tyrannical expression that was hidden behind the calm mask of his face. Perfect.

He nodded to Forgemaster Vulcan, a gesture of a king accepting a treaty. "We will trade."

The great forge fell into a profound silence.

Far from the personalized forge of Vulcan, im the periphery- The other Early Creatures, who had been observing with a detached, academic curiosity, now leaned forward, their ancient eyes fixed on this unprecedented exchange.

From Noah’s hand, a bundle of pure, informational light, containing the brilliant, flawed, and booby-trapped schematics of RUIN/EDEN’s design, floated across the space.

Vulcan, in turn, waved a massive, bronze hand. From the very air before him, a book materialized.

It was a radiant, obsidian Grimoire, its cover a smooth, starless night bound in what looked like polished gold. It radiated an ancient, scholarly air, and its cover was not blank, but was inscribed with a single, intricate, golden etching: a circle of countless, tiny pages, all opening at once.

It was a book that promised infinite knowledge.

The Grimoire floated over to Noah, its presence a quiet, heavy weight on the air.

"This," Vulcan rumbled, his voice a low, resonant lecture, "is a Blank Living Astral Codex. A vessel. To bind it, you must impress upon it your own, unique signature. Any type of your Existential Authority will do. It will become a part of you, as much a sword or shield, or limb."

Noah reached out, not with his hand, but with his will. A wave of clear, pure, boundless Mana flowed from him, a gentle, cerulean river that wrapped around the obsidian book.

The Grimoire responded instantly. The countless golden pages on its cover blazed with a brilliant, blue light, and with a soft, melodic chime, the book floated towards him.

It did not land in his hands. It came to rest on the right side of his waist, its form dissolving from a physical book into a shimmering, conceptual Codex that seemed to be woven into the very fabric of his white-gold wrappings.

Vulcan smiled, a genuine, appreciative expression of a master craftsman seeing a fine tool find a worthy wielder.

"I have already given a single, Common Astral Arcana Glyph into the Codex. A small gift, to get you started. You may take a moment to understand it, and this new system. I... will go through the schematics of your Living Armor."

HUUM!

Both beings now had their own new methodologies to view.

Vulcan became engrossed in the bundle of light, his ancient eyes blazing with a new, fervent, intellectual fire. Noah, in turn, sent his authority out.

The Living Astral Codex, now a part of him, detached from his side and floated before him, its conceptual pages opening in his mind!

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