Inside, Lunaris turned to Mira.
"Give your hand."
She extended it without hesitation.
He took hold of it gently.
For a mont, he simply held it, his eyes slightly unfocused.
"My Lord...?"
Mira’s voice was uncertain.
He let go.
"Don’t worry about it. I was just confirming sothing."
It worked.
The soul connection is there.
"I want to send you back to Astoria."
Mira straightened.
"You still have your docunts, right?"
She nodded.
"Yes, my Lord."
He was about to continue when a thought struck him.
He turned to Lina.
"Wait. Lina, can you read and write?"
She nodded proudly.
"Mhm!"
"Great."
He paused.
"Wait. Didn’t you say only nobles can afford school? How did you learn?"
Lina placed a hand on her chest.
"My mother knows. She taught ."
She grinned.
"I learn fast."
That makes sense. She owns an inn, so she would need to know at least that much.
"Well, alright."
He looked at her.
"Do you want to write a letter to your mother?"
Assuming she’s alive.
He didn’t say that part aloud.
Lina’s face lit up.
"I do! I really do!"
...
Lunaris produced paper, an envelope, a quill and a bottle of ink from his storage.
These were among the things he had acquired during his ti in Astoria.
He set them on the table before Lina.
"Here. Take your ti."
Her eyes lit up.
She grabbed the quill, dipped it in ink, and began writing.
Her handwriting was a little ssy, but legible.
After a few minutes, she finished.
She blew gently on the paper to dry the ink, then carefully folded it and slipped it into the envelope.
Before she sealed it, she paused.
She seed to rember sothing.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out two silver coins - the ones he had given her back in Astoria.
She placed them inside the envelope with the letter.
Lunaris watched her.
"You’re quite thoughtful."
She shrugged.
"I can’t use it anyway."
He nodded.
"I guess that’s true."
She sealed the envelope and handed it to him.
He took it and turned to Mira.
"I want you to deliver this letter to Lina’s mother."
He held it out to her.
"You rember where we stayed, right?"
"Of course, my Lord."
He continued.
"I’ve created a soul connection with you. You can communicate with through Thought Communication even from a great distance."
His expression grew serious.
"If you encounter any trouble, tell imdiately."
Mira’s eyes widened slightly at this revelation, but she quickly composed herself.
"While you’re there, gather information on the situation in the Astoria Kingdom. I want to know what happened after we left."
Mira bowed deeply.
"I accept this mission. I will not fail you, my Lord."
She straightened.
Then she sank into her shadow and vanished.
The room fell silent.
Lunaris turned to Lina.
"Mira is the most competent person I know. There’s no need to worry."
Lina nodded, though her eyes still held a trace of anxiety.
"Would you like to look around the village?"
Her expression brightened.
"Can I?"
He smiled.
She adapts fast.
He reached out and patted her head.
"You can go outside and explore. There are beastn around, but don’t be afraid. They won’t harm you."
He paused.
"If you’re nervous, you can go with Luna. The two of you can get to know each other."
Lina nodded eagerly.
"Okay!"
The door opened.
Roselle stood outside, her gaze imdiately shifting toward the entrance.
Lunaris gestured for Lina to leave.
"Go on. Have fun."
"Thank you, Mister!"
She bounced out the door, already looking around with curiosity.
Lunaris watched her go, then turned to Roselle.
"Co in."
She walked into the room, the door closing behind her.
She knelt before him.
"What are your orders, my Lord?"
"Use your Moon Saintess skill."
Roselle blinked.
She was confused by the sudden request, but she didn’t question it.
"As you command."
She closed her eyes and activated the skill.
A bright silver glow surrounded her form, pulsing gently every few seconds.
Lunaris nodded.
He could feel it.
His mana was being pulled.
So this is how it feels from my end.
"Now try borrowing a skill. Not just mana."
Roselle opened her eyes.
"A skill?"
"Yes."
She nodded and concentrated.
Her face began to show signs of strain. Her brow furrowed. Her jaw clenched.
She was pushing against sothing. Struggling to grasp what wasn’t there.
Then she relaxed, confusion evident on her face.
"I... I can’t."
She looked at her hands.
"Is there sothing wrong with my skill?"
Lunaris smiled.
"No. Try borrowing again."
Roselle looked uncertain but complied.
She closed her eyes once more.
She reached through the connection...
「My Lord.」
Her voice appeared directly in his mind.
Lunaris’s smile widened.
I finally understand how this works.
The Moon Saintess skill could indeed borrow the Eternal Moon’s mana - which now resided in him. That part functioned normally.
As for skills...
Since the Eternal Moon wasn’t actually there, the request was hitting a dead endpoint. Like an API call to a server that no longer existed.
But he could hijack this dead endpoint.
He could intercept the request and post his own response.
This ant he could give skills when he wanted. And deny them when he didn’t.
Complete control.
"I got what I needed."
A silver mana thread drifted from his finger toward Roselle.
It sank into her chest, rging with her being.
"Thank you for your help. You can keep that skill permanently."
Roselle’s eyes widened as she felt the new ability settle within her.
Thought Communication.
"It should be useful for your military departnt," he continued. "I’ll give it to the rest of your army later."
She pressed her forehead to the ground.
"I thank the Lord for his boundless generosity!"
Her tail wagged uncontrollably behind her.
"You’re dismissed."
"Yes, my Lord!"
She rose and left the room, still radiating excitent.
The door closed.
Lunaris was finally alone.
[ Congratulations ]
Skill Acquired: Skill Server
This new skill was a subskill of Skill Master.
Its functionality was quite straightforward.
It allowed him to create a server where he could distribute skills to people through soul connections. He could implent features like permissions, authentication, and other functionality that would let him share skills with linked followers easily and effectively.
And it wasn’t just one-way.
The server also allowed the upload of new skills from clients.
This ant that as long as he established this connection with all his followers, he could not only award them skills when needed - or to save them from danger - but he could also automatically acquire any new skills they obtained.
Without having to hunt them down to use Analytical Appraisal on them.
The skills would simply flow to him through the connection.
This essentially ant he would never be weaker than any of them.
Well, in theory.
In practice, many factors contributed to strength beyond just skills. Battle experience. Physical conditioning. ntal fortitude. Strategic thinking.
But that was neither here nor there.
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