Chapter 216

The first joint civil engineering project between Dwarves and Humans.

You could say it was a pretty historic event. And the first piece of equipment for that event had been completed.

Well, even though I made it sound grand with that kind of description, it wasn’t anything too impressive.

It was a metal shovel and a pickaxe.

Shortened, of course, to match a Dwarf’s height.

“It’s truly amazing no matter how many times I see it. How can it be this sturdy without even being imbued with Source Power?”

“It’s a relief that the quality of metal found in this village is quite good. Of course, since the working environment is practically medieval, the production output and the types of things we can make are limited to about that level…”

“Medieval? I don’t know what that means, but either way, it’s pretty usable. I thought humans only made things out of something called plastic? Guess that wasn’t entirely true.”

With that, Hans tapped the floor with the iron shovel as if he were satisfied.

Of course, it must have been something he had forged himself in place of Miyu, who lacked the strength to hammer metal. But the reason such things could be made at all was entirely thanks to Miyu’s knowledge.

You could say the intellectual property belonged to Miyu.

“I’m definitely getting curious about human technology. Even if we restore the flow of the River to its original course, it’d still be worth studying. Hahaha!”

“Ah, haha…”

It was definitely a compliment, but Miyu couldn’t laugh freely.

Probably because she was uncomfortable with the idea of being constantly entangled with the Dwarves in the role of a ‘teacher.’ Well, even if it weren’t Dwarves, she still hadn’t fully overcome her shyness.

“A-Anyway, if everyone in the village makes the tools using the method I taught you, we’ll be able to secure enough supplies for the construction. I mean, I’d love to make heavy equipment like cranes, but with what we have here, that’s impossible…”

“This is plenty. What good is having strong muscles if we don’t use them? As long as we have shovels and pickaxes, we can do anything! Now, just tell us how to build a boat that can cross to the other side of the river!”

From the looks of it, the Dwarves intended to dig the canal themselves and redirect the water.

To modern humans who had become accustomed to using specialized heavy equipment, this would be a terrifying idea—but on second thought, it wasn’t all that shocking.

Humanity in the past had built things like pyramids and other magnificent structures without the aid of machines, using only simple tools to cut, transport, and stack stones one by one.

Compared to ordinary humans, Dwarves possessed far superior physical strength, so this level of civil engineering work would likely be nothing to them.

As I was thinking that, Iri, who had been watching Miyu and Hans work alongside me, said,

“Leave this part to me and go ahead.”

“Right. I’ll leave it to you.”

“This way, Aaron! Let’s go!”

With Evangeline perched on my shoulder, I exited Hans’ house.

Once all the construction equipment was complete, the work would begin, and the Dwarves would take care of the rest, so there was really no reason for the kids and me to stay in this village any longer.

It would be proper to return to New Valhalla City and wait patiently until the construction was done and the River of Source Power was restored to its original state—then come back once the Dwarves were in a position to take on new commissions.

But—

“Before that, I need to confirm it with my own eyes.”

They kept talking about Source Power this, Source Power that—it made me want to see it for myself.

It was partly out of pure curiosity, but more than that, as a reader and a transmigrator, I had a gut feeling that I couldn’t just let this go.

“What exactly is Source Power?”

I had heard Evangeline’s explanation, but it was still a vague and uncertain concept.

How exactly was it different from mana flowing in clusters? How did Evangeline, who had once died, return from that place?

And why could the Dwarves manipulate it yet be unable to properly observe it? What potential did this so-called Source Power hold?

Even now, as we walked and she continued explaining, I still couldn’t fully grasp it.

“So then, does that mean Source Power is a form that exists before mana is manifested?”

“You could say that. Or not. This body has said it before, hasn’t it? In the River, all kinds of [Mystics] are born, and when every soul and concept dies, they lose their form and flow into it.”

“You did say that.”

“The River of Source Power has been called Hwangcheon, Sando River, the Jordan River, the River Styx, and by many other names. But what’s interesting is that these are all just human-made conc—”

“Concepts.”

“I said concepts.”

Hmph.

Evangeline snorted a bit petulantly before continuing.

“Then how is it that humans, who cannot even observe the flow of Source Power, came to notice it and attach names and narratives to it? And why do [Mystics] take on the forms described in human myths and traditions? Even the supposedly wise witches and wizards failed to uncover that mystery before their lives ran out.”

“So in the end, we just don’t know.”

“Don’t dismiss it like that. There’s one theory that explains it well enough.”

“And what is that?”

“God.”

Evangeline stated it clearly.

“I’m not talking about the Divine Race that humans currently define as enemies. The old gods like Thor, Loki, or the Titans are just beings from stories created by humans. In essence, they’re not so different from this body, a ‘witch.’”

Evangeline spoke in a slightly bitter tone.

I glanced up to see her face atop my shoulder. It was quite different from her usual demeanor—showing a faint, bitter smile that was anything but childlike.

“What I’m talking about is something from before all that. A being that existed even before all [Mystics] were born, the origin of all origins. Not something created by human imagination, but something that includes humans and the entire universe itself. The Creator that existed before the name ‘god’ was ever coined by mankind.”

“……”

As a transmigrator, I knew the most fitting name for such a being.

It was none other than—

The Author.

“So what you’re saying is, Source Power is connected to the Wri… no, the Creator?”

“That is what this body believes.”

“Then why is such an incredible force erased by some human-made thing like ‘Anti-Rain’?”

“That is…”

Even this body doesn’t know… Evangeline’s voice grew quieter, sounding uncertain.

But that alone made it all the more worthwhile to confirm the River of Source Power with my own eyes.

‘Why did the Author pull me into this episode?’

If the issue was merely that Anti-Rain had flowed this far and was causing problems, then they could’ve just coaxed another transmigrator into taking action instead of me.

What exactly did he want to show me? What was he trying to say by bringing me here?

And how exactly was Source Power connected to the transmigrator perks I used?

What relationship did it have to the Hunting Grounds, and how was it related to the tickets I could buy in the shop?

‘Maybe it’s a stretch, but if he brought me into this episode just to show me those things…’

Then maybe this incident would be the foundation for me to take a huge step forward. I might gain something far greater than simply gaining a body capable of using Lv.6 Arcane Modules.

With that kind of calculation in mind, I followed Evangeline’s guidance to the location where the flow of Source Power could be observed most clearly.

However, even with my eyes equipped with all sorts of high-sensitivity sensor modules, this so-called Source Power wasn’t visible at all.

“Is this really the right place?”

“It is indeed.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“It’s not something easily seen with a regular human’s eyes. Among Elves or Dwarves, only those with outstanding aptitude, or perhaps those of the Divine Race, Archangel Race, or Dragonkin, could observe this flow without difficulty.”

“You don’t belong to any of those groups, though.”

“Hehe.”

Evangeline gave a strange chuckle.

“Ehem, that just goes to show how great a witch this body is!”

“……”

“…?”

“……Yeah.”

“What’s with that weird silence just now?!”

“It’s nothing.”

If she weren’t so cute, I might have smacked her, but since she was cute, I let it go.

Still, if it’s something ordinary (?) humans can’t observe, then wasn’t there no point in coming all the way here? Would’ve been nice if she told me that in advance.

As I was grumbling a bit in my thoughts—

“You needn’t worry about that.”

“Hm?”

“Aaron, are you not connected to this body? Thanks to this body, you can use magic—so sharing this body’s vision is no trouble at all!”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, that was true.

I could use magic.

I had just forgotten since I never really had a reason to use it.

I mean, to use magic properly I had to have Evangeline at my side, and even then, it wasn’t all that powerful compared to the combat modules I had—so it just wasn’t worth it.

Of course, saying that out loud would make Evangeline pout and complain about me forgetting her gift, so I kept my mouth shut.

“So then, what do I do here?”

“Leave it to me.”

With that, Evangeline began waving her short arms through the air, chanting some unknown spell. At the same time, she tried to send me telepathic instructions… but my anti-signal module blocked them.

Wait, it blocked that too?

This thing’s performance really is something else.

“…I shall begin again from the top.”

Anyway.

Following Evangeline’s advice, I deactivated the modules, and while she continued her magical preparations, I waited quietly. Soon, she sent me another telepathic message.

—Relax your breathing little by little.

—As if you were right on the verge of falling asleep.

Following her words, I began to calm my breath.

Still, even while doing something this important, why didn’t this girl ever come down from my head? Why was she so obsessed with being up there?

Those idle thoughts faded quickly.

“Phew…”

Thanks to Evangeline’s help, I soon entered a trance state. And then, she sent me one more message.

—Open your eyes.

—But don’t get too absorbed.

I calmed my mind as she instructed and opened my eyes.

A new world unfolded before me.

I saw the flow of light.

That light wasn’t just something bright—it was a spectrum of all colors, like a rainbow.

Sometimes it flowed across the ground like a river, sometimes it poured down like a waterfall, and sometimes it surged upward like it had hit an updraft, spreading and flowing throughout the entire world.

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped my lips.

And at that moment, I realized something deep within me. Just like how animals instinctively know how to walk and nurse the moment they’re born.

‘Evangeline was right.’

The River was connected to God.

And in that place—

I observed the presence of the Author.

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