Free Web NovelChapter 699: Identity In A Name I
CH699 Identity In A Name I
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Names...
’Names possess power.’
When people hear such words, they often immediately think of True Names and the conceptual powers granted to those who possess them.
However, the saying was not limited solely to that.
Names carried identity, and more often than not, the true power behind a name originates from the identity attached to it. freёwebnovel.com
The ’power’ behind the name ’Ludevicus’ stemmed from the identity associated with it—the Imperial House of the Virellian Empire.
For names— identity, purpose, and power were often deeply intertwined.
—
Alex lay beneath the canopy of the Heartwood Tree as he pondered over the philosophical musings left behind by the Heavenly Venerable within one of the books he had studied during the man’s stele trial.
Within the text, the Heavenly Venerable had argued that understanding the true meaning of the name of something allowed one to better comprehend its nature. After all, a name often encapsulated the identity, purpose, and power of the thing it represented.
Even when multiple names were used interchangeably to describe a seeming similar object or concept, it did not necessarily mean those names were truly same.
If one looked deeply enough, one would eventually discover subtle distinctions hidden beneath those supposedly synonymous names—differences that revealed they were not entirely the same thing after all, even if only by the smallest margin.
Why was Alex contemplating the philosophical ramblings of a long-dead man?
Because he was attempting to understand something.
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Some time ago, Alex had experienced a sudden epiphany regarding a possible method for controlling divine energy.
The idea itself was surprisingly simple—incorporate divine energy into the thing he understood best; Runes. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
If he could somehow integrate divine energy into runic formations and then use that same energy to power the formations themselves... then would that not effectively mean he was successfully wielding divine energy?
Unfortunately, one fundamental problem still remained.
He still had no reliable way of actually moving or manipulating divine energy in the first place.
Alex’s proposed solution came from a deceptively simple concept inspired by the very epiphany that had sparked the idea.
He summoned Sugud, who at the time had been occupied with inspecting the thousands of individual crossbow components delivered by the commissioned blacksmiths throughout the city.
Alex returned the Theolonium box Sugud had previously crafted for him, accompanied by a small request.
Approximately three days later, Sugud returned the box to Alex—this time with a subtle modification.
Alex pressed down on a noticeable circular indentation located at the top of the box. Immediately, a small object partially emerged from within it.
Alex grasped the object and pulled it free, revealing a Rune Pen.
He nodded in appreciation before dismissing Sugud so the Mechanic could return to his ongoing assembly work.
To accelerate production, Sugud had successfully enlisted several members of Fortuna to assist with some of the less technical aspects of assembling the crossbow components.
The Mechanic had intentionally designed the crossbows to contain nearly fifty individual internal manufacturing parts.
Even then, he remained extraordinarily meticulous with the outsourcing process, going so far as to commission more than seventy separate components in total.
This ensured that even if someone somehow acquired a complete list of all commissioned parts, linking them back to a single product would remain exceptionally difficult.
In fact, even skilled artisans would likely assume the parts belonged to at least three or four entirely different products.
With assistance from Fortuna members whenever they had spare time, Sugud eventually assembled the numerous manufacturing pieces into just four major field-assembly modules.
This allowed the crossbows—whether pump-action or bolt-action variants—to be collapsed into compact transportable sections before later being reassembled within minutes upon the battlefield or any other operational location.
As before, Alex brought the Theolonium box into the Sanctuary Pocket Dimension and had Lord Bonsai infuse it with excess divine energy condensed within the fruit hanging beneath its canopy.
Once the box had been sufficiently filled with divine energy, Alex carefully carried it over to the nearby Rune Table.
Spirit Sight Lv2!
Alex pushed this ability of his Truth-Seeker Eyes to their highest operational level as he stared intently at the box before him.
Slowly, he inserted the Theolonium Rune Pen—already loaded with Runic Ink—into the specially designed slot within the box.
A broad smile gradually spread across Alex’s face as he watched the divine energy stored inside the box begin flowing directly into the Rune Pen... charging it.
The process took roughly ten minutes before the pen became fully saturated with energy.
Alex did not mind in the slightest.
Once the Rune Pen had finished charging, Alex eagerly picked it up, ready to finally test it upon the Rune Scroll already spread across the Rune Table.
’Huh?’
However, no matter how much Spiritual Force he exerted, the divine energy simply refused to move.
Alex’s brows furrowed deeply.
Rune Pens were intricately designed tools created specifically to infuse the loaded Runic Ink with energy during the inscription process. Even the Runic Ink itself had been carefully formulated to efficiently conduct and transmit whatever energy the Rune Pen supplied to it.
In theory, the ink should have carried the divine energy from the Rune Pen directly onto the Rune Scroll, allowing the energy to naturally flow along the drawn structure and take the form of a completed rune.
Yet his ’cheat’ method had utterly failed.
The Rune Pen and Runic Ink system had been refined for countless years through the combined efforts of Pangea’s three major Artisan professions, eventually reaching a level where the system could utilise nearly any form of mana supplied by the user.
If divine energy was truly, as Alex suspected, simply mana utilised by deities... then his method should have worked.
But it did not.
’Why...? I don’t understand!’
Frustration surged through Alex as he nearly slammed the Rune Pen onto the table.
Then suddenly—something changed.
The tiny Fortune-Suppressing Dragon, which had previously remained coiled lazily atop Lord Bonsai’s crown, abruptly stirred awake. Stretching its small body, the creature somehow managed to appear both majestic and strangely adorable at the same time.
Its whiskers twitched before slowly swaying through the air as though searching for something unseen. Then, after a brief moment, they suddenly stiffened as if they had finally locked onto a target.
The diminutive dragon levitated, then gently glided through the air before stopping directly above the Guardian of Happenstance Rune Scrolls.
The small yet regal creature opened its maw slightly, appearing as though it were inhaling or devouring something invisible.
Alex carefully observed the entire scene, but even with the Spirit Sight ability of his Truth-Seeker Eyes, he could not actually perceive what the dragon was feeding upon.
Even so, he could make a fairly educated guess—
Providence.
More specifically, the Providence associated with the Guardian of Happenstance Rune Tattoo Set.
After seemingly satisfying itself upon whatever invisible substance it had consumed from the Rune Scrolls, the tiny dragon slowly turned towards Alex—
Or more accurately, towards what he was attempting to do at the Rune Table.
The dragon glide-slithered over gracefully.
It curiously moved its gaze between the Theolonium box resting upon the table, the Rune Pen in Alex’s hand, and the Rune Scroll spread out before him.
Then, unexpectedly, an annoyed expression flashed across its tiny face.
For some reason, Alex suddenly got the strange impression of a child on the verge of throwing a tantrum because it could not understand what was happening around it.
Without any warning whatsoever, the Fortune-Suppressing Dragon abruptly dove straight into Alex’s skull.
A moment later, it emerged again, silently chuckling to itself with unmistakable triumph.
’Did it just read my thoughts?’ Alex stared at the dragon with an exasperated expression.
The little creature seemed to possess absolutely no concept of personal boundaries whatsoever. It treated every aspect of Alex’s internal space as though it were its own private domain—especially his mind.
Now that the dragon seemingly understood what Alex had been attempting to accomplish—or at least part of it—it began observing the box, the Rune Pen, and the Rune Scroll with noticeably greater seriousness.
Then, as though struck by an idea of its own, the tiny dragon suddenly dove directly into the Rune Pen held within Alex’s hand.
Almost instantly, Alex felt a strange sense of connection and control over the pen—more specifically, over the divine energy contained within it.
His eyes lit up immediately.
Without wasting another second, Alex began moving the Rune Pen across the scroll.
The pen danced smoothly over the Rune Scroll, leaving behind intricate lines and curves that intertwined into elaborate glyphs radiating an unmistakable ’divine’ charm.
’It worked...’
A smile spread across Alex’s face as he successfully inscribed his very first Rune Circuit powered entirely by divine energy.
Moments later, a golden flame ignited upon the scroll, dispersing the lingering darkness within Alex’s mind and filling the surrounding area with a warm, overwhelmingly positive aura.
’So... a Flame Rune Circuit powered by divine energy becomes a Flame of Hope, huh...’ Alex mused inwardly.
Then suddenly, his vision wavered violently.
Alex quickly grabbed onto the table for support before carefully lowering himself into the nearby chair.
At the same moment, the Fortune-Suppressing Dragon shot out from the Rune Pen. The tiny creature itself appeared noticeably drained. It glanced briefly towards Alex before wobbling weakly back towards its ’nest’ atop Lord Bonsai’s crown.
Alex eventually recovered after roughly fifteen minutes, though he still felt sluggish, mentally exhausted, and strangely unmotivated. It was painfully obvious that his mental energy had been heavily depleted.
’That toll is enormous...’ Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
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