Winds began to blow continuously toward this spot. In Karen's personal perception, he sensed that the converging gusts brought many things with them—things that shouldn't have existed, or at least shouldn't have existed here, yet now they manifested in solid reality.
Looking down at his feet, the foundation was steadily rising, as if lines had long been traced on the ground, needing only to be filled in according to the blueprint.
Yet Karen waved a hand, breaking off his attempt.
The budding foundation dispersed along with his motion.
He was not deliberately trying to hide his talent. Under current circumstances, he felt no need to conceal anything in that regard. Having come this far, as long as he kept the things he truly shouldn't display under wraps, sheer talent was actually his best cover.
The reason he had stopped was that, midway through "building" the foundation, a new idea had struck him.
With certain matters, viewing them from the outside easily gave one a preconceived notion, but when doing it with one's own hands, one often discovered alternative possibilities.
If the spell continued, barring any accidents, he would summon a castle identical to the one Mavaglio had conjured earlier.
However, the one Mavaglio had summoned seemed to be merely a standardized piece of craftsmanship.
Karen wanted one that suited his squad's needs and aligned with his own aesthetic.
Within the bounds of possibility, he naturally wanted to make it as good as possible; after all, there was still the arrangement of war implements to consider.
Although the issued war implements would most likely end up as one-time consumables inside the Gate of Samsara, at least professionals were present right here, allowing him to determine the setup best suited to them.
The equipment was already exorbitant; Karen truly lacked the capital to engage in trial and error down the road.
Seeing Karen's spell cease, Muri and his squad members let out a collective sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, things hadn't gotten so absurdly exaggerated after all.
Muri patted Paxio on the chest and said, "Tell everyone to pick up the pace."
"Yes, Captain."
...
"Gave me a scare," Husen chuckled. "I almost thought he'd mastered it already. Still, this level of talent is plenty impressive."
"Yes, quite," Mavaglio replied perfunctorily.
Husen had never learned this spell, for without the requisite clearance, there was simply no point in studying it.
Thus, he did not know that the greatest difficulty of this spell lay precisely in the foundation.
...
"Captain, you...?"
Blanche looked curiously at her captain.
Originally, the squad members had thought in astonishment that their captain was already about to complete it, yet just as he made a start, he had still "failed."
Of course, being able to initiate it right after reading the scroll was already extraordinarily impressive.
"Hm? I just haven't made up my mind yet," Karen said.
Bart spoke up, "Captain, what fraction do you plan on handling? The rest of us can divide the remainder."
Bart still felt the need to clarify this question.
Karen pointed at the scroll in Bart's hand. "Just browse through it as you like."
This answer left everyone exchanging glances.
Aisli leaned closer to Karen and whispered, "Captain, do you mean... you already...?"
"Yes." Karen didn't hide it—at least not from his own subordinates. He said directly, "I generally pick up spells quite fast. You could say it's a minor talent of mine."
Mars looked astonished, Blanche opened her mouth in disbelief, Aisli and Bart nodded, while Ventura beamed cheerfully.
"This scroll can be read ten times, so don't let it go to waste. It's a high-grade spell. Even though you can't cast it without authorization, looking through it will broaden your horizons and experience. Mars, come over here with me for a moment; I want to work on the castle's design."
"Oh, alright, Captain."
Bart looked at the scroll in his hand and said, "Captain, how about we read the scroll later and discuss the design together now?"
When it came to "broadening horizons," Bart and the others certainly didn't lack for it given their family backgrounds. More importantly, none of them had authorization; without Karen present, they couldn't cast Black Prison Castle at all. Participating in the design right now gave them a far greater sense of involvement.
Ventura walked up to Bart and said, "Then I'll read it first."
"Alright, here you go." Bart handed the scroll to Ventura.
Subsequently, Muri's squad began reading the scroll in shifts. Those who finished sat alone in solemn reflection, digesting and processing the contents.
On the opposing squad's side, Ventura was the only one reading the scroll, while the others gathered around Karen.
Karen held a branch, drawing continuously in the sand while the people beside him offered suggestions.
Mars: "Captain, I think we could refine the castle's defenses. For instance, on the outer walls and building exterior, we could sacrifice aesthetics and carve defensive arrays directly onto them. What do you think?"
"A good idea, but difficult to implement. I believe when we need to summon Black Prison Castle, it will surely be in an emergency. Once it's summoned, we won't have time to carve arrays into the walls and exterior surfaces."
"Captain, I meant from—"
"I know. You mean shaping it from the start of the summoning. But that can't be done—at least, I can't do it right now. The demands on me are too high. The energy supplied by that mysterious divine artifact sustains the castle's existence, not... the cost of building it. We must keep construction costs under control. I can't summon a castle only to collapse from exhaustion and be laid out inside it."
"Yes, Captain. I oversimplified things."
"However, I think modifying minor details is doable. My suggestion is to give most of our squad as much room to shine as possible based on those details. For example, using the Black Prison Castle that the instructor conjured as a baseline model, we can make minor adjustments from there, establishing a 'department' for each of you. Because as far as pure command and deployment go, standing before that black orb myself will be more than enough."
If any other captain had made such an arrangement, their subordinates might well think the captain was sidelining them. But Karen's squad members didn't think that way; upon hearing Karen's words, they all nodded in agreement.
Leaving everyone in the command chamber would truly be a waste.
"Then, when selecting your positions and required designs, you can aim a bit higher. For things you know how to use but find too taxing, I can share my spiritual power or soul power to assist you."
The divine artifact's provided power accounted for the bulk of it, but there was also a 'last mile' problem. For example, firing a magic crystal cannon—from energy injection to discharge, the technical operation required dedicated personnel, or rather, the operator needed the requisite qualifications.
Karen's concept was simple: use the framework of Black Prison Castle to bring out the specialties of every person in the squad. At the same time, he could share his advantageous spiritual power and soul power to assist them.
That way, the squad's overall strength could be maximized, avoiding a situation where he had to drag along five burdens on his own.
"Captain, my idea is to modify the position of the Reis Spell Mirror on that castle and replace it with the Grade-B war implement, Array Screen. The Array Screen can be used to draft spell arrays and project them, helping me apply arrays to the castle simultaneously with much higher efficiency. However, operating it is very demanding for me. But with your help, Captain, I think I can run it."
"That works. What are the specific modifications? The implement depot will supply it."
"The specific modification is this platform's location—the area needs to be a bit larger."
"You need a wider open space?"
"Yes."
"Then your defense here will be compromised. I can't let you extend it beyond the outer wall either. How about lowering its elevation?"
"No problem, Captain. Lower it below the outer wall."
"Shall I add a roof for you? How does the Array Screen physically function?"
"Once the array is inscribed onto it, it needs to be unfurled."
"Then it can't be completely enclosed... How about designing a flagpole for you? Once you finish drafting inside, you can hoist it up like raising a flag."
"That works, Captain!"
"Good, we'll arrange it that way."
Bart said, "Captain, I recommend replacing the Grade-B war implement Penetrating Crossbow with the Grade-C war implement Tracking Repeating Crossbow. The Penetrating Crossbow is more powerful, but with the main cannon handling heavy strikes, short-range offensive means should be more sustained and efficient. The Penetrating Crossbow packs a heavy punch, but its sustained output is relatively weak."
"Alright. What specific modifications?"
"Shrink the platform area and raise the height. In addition, I suggest setting up two short-range firing platforms, the other to be operated by Ventura. With the two of us, we can essentially eliminate blind spots. The Tracking Repeating Crossbow requires physical strength to span, and both Ventura and I have the physical conditioning for it."
"No problem," Karen nodded. "We'll design it like that."
Aisli spoke up, "Captain, I need an Imprisonment Cage. I'm not sure if it counts as a war implement; I only know that phantom monster beasts summoned within it receive a massive boost for a short duration. Of course, I'll need your help, Captain, to use it."
"Does it require a dedicated space?" Karen asked.
"Oh, no. The cage isn't large. The beasts just need to pass through it during summoning."
"Then place it in the command chamber?"
"Alright, Captain."
"Blanche, what are your requirements?" Karen asked.
"Captain, I don't need a separate station. Standing alongside you will be fine. My only request is that there be open pathways from the command chamber to where the others are stationed, so it's convenient for me to heal and buff them."
"No problem, that goes without saying."
Once everyone else's positions and duties were settled, Karen asked, "Are we keeping the Judgment-class magic crystal cannon as our primary long-range output?"
Seeing no objections and no better alternatives proposed, Karen nodded. "Then we'll retain the Judgment-class magic crystal cannon. I'll take direct charge of guiding its fire."
Husen came over to inquire about their progress, suggesting they could submit their lists of requested war implements first so transport could get underway. Once both squads erected their Black Prison Castles, the instructor would assess suitability based on specific conditions and confirm whether better options existed.
Soon, both squads submitted their war implement requisitions. Aisli handled delivery for Karen's squad. Upon returning, she whispered to everyone that she had peeked at the adjacent squad's list: it was identical to the one on the castle the instructor had summoned earlier.
This meant the neighboring squad had completely replicated the standard template. This gave the members of Karen's squad, who had already devised modification plans, a sense of pride—a top-student superiority, as it were.
Mavaglio and Husen stepped out onto the sea surface, presumably to receive and guide the war implements. Karen guessed the teleportation point was situated within the training base.
Seeing the two instructors absent, Karen simply concealed his left hand within his sleeve and summoned the Key to the Rubik's Cube to help him deduce and simulate the structural details.
By dusk, a large cruiser sailed in. Workers began unloading cargo, lining up massive iron crates bearing seals along the shore.
Karen looked at the three large iron crates before Muri's squad, then looked at Mavaglio standing nearby.
Since Muri's squad had requested the exact same war implements as those on the castle Mavaglio had demonstrated, shouldn't those three implements not have been teleported away in the first place?
Paying the cost to teleport them back, only to ship them right back out—wasn't that taking off one's pants to fart?
When the iron crates were opened, Karen noticed faint traces of residual heat around the magic crystal cannon's muzzle, and a subtle energy fluctuation lingering on the Penetrating Crossbow...
Karen, who was drinking water, nearly choked. It really was the exact set Mavaglio had used.
However, everyone in Muri's squad wore solemn expressions. Karen was confident they had noticed as well, but none dared ask or laugh, as Mavaglio stood right beside their squad.
Karen's squad unboxed their crates as well. The magic crystal cannon exuded a majestic aura. Karen walked forward, reaching out to stroke its barrel, a phrase suddenly springing to mind:
*Now this is a man's true romance.*
The Array Screen was hauled out. Mars gazed upon this war implement; previously presenting a somewhat scholarly air, he now wore a rare, ferocious grin.
Hailing from a knight order, he had surely dreamed of personally operating a war implement of this caliber countless times. Now his dream had finally come true.
Bart and Ventura circled their Tracking Repeating Crossbows, admiring them endlessly, while Aisli used her handkerchief to polish the colossal metal cage before her.
To Blanche's surprise, a Priest Astral Chain composed of seven interconnected crystal beads was presented before her. This sacred relic could vastly amplify a priest's spells; during expeditions, it was considered standard issue for priest units within the knight order.
"Captain?" Blanche was overjoyed.
Karen explained, "I added it to the requisition list. I didn't expect it would actually be delivered."
"Thank you, Captain!"
Seeing his squad members so fond of their "new toys," Karen felt gratified as their captain.
Once today's training concluded and they returned to the hotel, he would personally inform his squad members that the "new toys" they were currently stroking would all end up as one-time consumables inside the Gate of Samsara.
They might not lack pocket money or point coupons, but their families would never provide them with such vast sums of point coupons to purchase items like these.
Therefore, if they truly wished to possess them in the future, they would have to work hard alongside him, taking on more missions, earning more point coupons, and being more frugal!
With everything unpacked, Mavaglio and Husen stood in the center, Husen announcing: "Present your results, everyone. First attempt to summon the Black Prison Castle. Which squad will go first?"
"Our squad will go first," Muri raised his hand, then looked over at Karen's side with a shake of his head. "I really didn't expect you could add so many extra things."
Karen smiled. "It's not too late for you to add them later."
All six members of Muri's squad gathered around Captain Muri and began casting the summoning spell together. Soon, a massive astral sigil appeared beneath their feet, winds swirling as the foundation gradually materialized. Buildings and walls steadily rose, and eventually, a small castle took shape before them.
Blanche remarked, "Why do I feel like this castle is..."
Aisli chimed in, "...a bit ugly."
The outer wall was uneven, obvious misalignments marred the corners in several places, and the structure within looked somewhat warped.
Karen felt that had he just arrived on the island, he might have mistakenly assumed Muri and his crew were paying homage to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
All in all, the entire structure exuded a crude style that twisted the laws of architecture, making one worry whether it might collapse as an unsafe structure all on its own, even without anyone attacking it.
Embarrassment showed on the faces of Muri's squad members. In truth, this was an inevitable flaw when six people pooled their efforts to cast a single spell.
Mavaglio spoke up, "To achieve this in such a short time is truly commendable. You will not leave this island tonight. Use the time to deepen your understanding and make adjustments. Late-night snacks, tomorrow's breakfast, and energy replenishing potions will be brought to you shortly."
"Yes, Instructor."
Mavaglio added, "Don't bother adjusting the style anymore. It will be enough if you can produce the standard model properly. Once the adjustments are finished, I'll guide you through the attunement."
"Yes, Instructor."
As captain, Muri had no choice but to unconditionally submit to detention.
Immediately afterward, Mavaglio turned and walked toward Karen's squad.
Paxio poked Muri's arm and muttered, "I have a feeling we might end up serving as the foil."
Muri said, "Drop the 'might'."
Paxio grumbled, "Then why did you push to go first?"
Muri replied, "Because I was worried that if they demonstrated first, we'd feel too embarrassed to bring ours out at all."
Paxio pondered for a second and said, "Wise move, Captain."
...
"Karen squad, begin your summoning."
"Yes, Instructor."
Karen held out his hand. Seeing the rest of the squad step back, he said, "Together."
"Hm?"
Everyone was puzzled, but they obediently walked over and, mimicking Muri's squad earlier, stacked their hands atop their captain's.
In the next moment, a massive astral sigil blazed beneath their feet, wind surged, and the foundation materialized in its wake.
In speed, it was comparable to Muri's squad, but in pacing and execution, it was far more composed. From the foundation to the curtain walls to the internal architecture, everything took shape with exquisite precision.
This castle was entirely different from the standard model, bearing clear hallmarks of customization, and it comprised only a single central building.
Beneath this building lay an open space designated as Mars's array chamber. Flanking the midsection of the structure were two repeating crossbow platforms.
At the very summit was the cannon emplacement.
Most importantly, aside from how seamlessly the modified sections had been integrated, though the castle maintained its dark hue throughout, flared flying eaves were added to the battlements and rooftops.
Over the roofing, down-curving carved patterns had been introduced, lending softness and grace to the solemn rigor.
In short, this "Gothic" fortress had instantaneously been transformed into an "Eastern"-style citadel.
Paxio cursed, "Fuck! They even threw in artistic design!"
Muri said, "I don't blame you guys. The gap lies with the captain."
Beside him, Digat chimed in, "Don't say that, Captain. We all know."
Mavaglio said, "Very well done."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"May I go inside for a tour?"
"Of course. Please, after you."
Husen walked over, patted Karen on the shoulder, and followed Mavaglio inside.
Immediately after, Muri brought his squad along as well, saying, "Uh, we'll join you, we'll join you."
In truth, there was nothing peculiar about the castle's interior. Because it consisted of only one building, the inside appeared even more minimalist.
Soon, everyone gathered in the control chamber; it was the only space inside the castle that could accommodate so many people.
When Karen reached the control chamber, he saw a small black sphere floating in the center.
Mavaglio pointed at it and said, "Touch it with your hand, then rely on your authorization to draw down the divine artifact's power to maintain the castle's operation."
"Yes, Instructor."
Karen was just about to step forward and attempt the activation when Mavaglio interrupted him, asking, "Wait. I have one more question. Answer me first: what is this room used for?"
This room had a door. Before Karen came up, it could not be opened without using force.
Normally, doors were rarely used within a castle's interior, because in wartime, forces for support, redeployment, and rescue needed to flow at top speed; opening and closing doors would be cumbersome.
"Karen, open it."
"Yes, Instructor."
The door swung open on its own.
Mavaglio caught sight of the layout inside, then shut the door again.
Before Husen could look inside, he could only ask in a low voice, "What is that place in there?"
"A bathroom."
Chapter 343