Silence followed after Loar answered Kyran's third question.
Loar silently observed Kyran's expression and was surprised that there was neither surprise nor disbelief shown in them.
The questions Kyran had asked were not heaven-defying. When he first entered the special place, he asked the sa questions from the platform masters he had t. Asking questions was allowed. Although, it did not an the Tower would allow the answers to be spoken. Just like Kyran's last question. Loar was about to answer, but he suddenly realized that he could not utter a word.
In his experience, he was able to ask the sa question and got an answer, so he thought the question was okay. However, the Tower suddenly forbid it, which further piqued Loar's interest in Kyran. He was already interested in him because he effortlessly destroyed Ar-Lo. Then he realized Ar-Lo's energy core was undamaged, and the reason was his array had been altered to protect it without him noticing.
Who else could alter it if not Kyran? After all, the Tower would never ddle with a master's platform arrangents.
For the first ti in a while, Loar had a challenger who actually piqued his interest. He initially thought that Kyran was only an Automasmith. But from how Kyran altered his array, Loar was convinced he was also an Array Master.
It was not uncommon to be an Automasmith and an Array Master. One could say that both go hand and hand. However, what made Kyran stand out from the rest was that he was not from Loar's plane but still managed to alter his array. Apart from that, he had very weird magic, a bane of Automatons.
Loar paused, 'Ah. He did say his magic is not Mist so... I guess it is not a bane or should I say, it is a new bane for all automatons?'
On the other hand, Kyran was silent because he fell into contemplation.
From all the clues he had gathered, either openly or subtly, the tower's special place was designed to enhance participants' battle capabilities, just as the overlapping voices had said.
Winning was not necessary, but the experience. For this reason, it was prohibited for a platform master to tell participants any information about the other masters. Data gathering was essential in battle, but Kyran's blatant questioning probably was not allowed. He probably had to gather intel differently.
Then there was the fact that Loar lost a few tis but remained a platform master. This might be because he did not 'die' on those occasions he lost to a challenger. This also ant winning would allow participants to move up, and losing might an going down a platform. But this was only Kyran's conjecture. It was also possible that winning or losing did not matter for a participant and would allow the participants to move up a platform as long as they did not die.
As for challenging the special room's Champion, Kyran believed it was the ultimate goal. The reason participants could only challenge the Champion after winning the 100th floor was by then, they had already gained enough experience to challenge him or her.
[This doesn't make sense, Void Halfling.]
True Void suddenly spoke.
'What's wrong?' Kyran asked.
[During my master's experience in this place, he $%@*(#)!@&*$—Oi! This again?]
True Void complained.
Kyran's brow twitched ntally. It appeared the tower could also filter True Void's account of his master's experience even through telepathy. He only found it weird that the tower would only filter his predecessor's experience in this place and not with his other training experiences, like the knowledge training, for example.
'Or maybe its because, this special place is inside the tower while the other trainings happened in a different place?' Kyran wondered.
After thinking about it for a while, he thought it was possible.
Finally, Kyran said to True Void, whose complaints were starting to give him a headache, 'It's fine. I'll know the answers eventually. We'll proceed as planned. I'll move up and challenge the Champion.'
True Void sighed.
[The champion, huh. Seriously, Void Halfling, if he or she is called a Champion, then he or she is definitely a powerful one. You have to be careful. Tsk. If only you have a child—.]
'Okay, that's enough,' Kyran cut him midsentence with black lines on his head. To think True Void was still spouting nonsense about a child at a ti like this.
After sorting his thoughts, Kyran took a deep breath and looked at Loar.
"Thanks for answering my questions," he said while bowing a little toward Loar.
Frowning at Kyran's calm attitude, Loar said, "I feel like I wronged you for not giving proper answers."
Kyran raised his brows and shook his head at once, "No. It's fine. I just needed a confirmation that's all."
With that, he stood and looked above.
Loar followed his line of sight and saw he was looking at the next platform.
'Ah. Such an impatient guy. He already wants to go up...' he thought, feeling a little exhausted at the thought. Though they did not exactly fight vigorously, he would rather dally for a few hours before going up if it were him.
"There is no rush in going up," Loar told Kyran. Part of the reason he said this was that it had been a while since he had soone on his platform to talk to. Another was that he wanted to ask so questions of his own and wanted Kyran to stay to answer them.
Kyran lowered his head and looked back at Loar. He said, "I still had 99 platforms to go to and can't stay—."
It imdiately made Loar frown.
"What?" He said in his monotonous voice, making it sound like he was angry when in truth, he was just surprised. "This is your first platform?"
Kyran nodded apprehensively. If Loar did not ask a question after his 'what' comnt, Kyran would think he was annoyed at what he said.
"Yeah," Kyran answered a little reluctantly. However, this made him realize sothing, and his mind began to race.
'Don't tell this is not the first platform?'
Just as Kyran was thinking this, Loar already said, "That can't be right! I'm on the 51st platform."
"What?" True Void, who had been staying quiet because he did not want to talk to the annoying Loar, exclaid in surprise.
"What's with this preferential treatnt again? The 51st? Impossible. Simply impossible!"
Loar's initial shock from Kyran's admittance that this was his 1st platform shifted to his magic item once again.
He was really fascinated by how Kyran created such a unique item. In his plane, countless Automasmiths tried to create an automaton that could change shape, but the closest they ever did was let it have transformation capability. Even that was limited to three transformations and must conform to the materials and shape of the automaton.
Kyran's magic item was different, though. From a small armor, it changed into a hexagonal shield, then now into a bracer. The shape and quantity of all three were all different. And it was not even an automaton since it did not have any energy core. Not to ntion, it could speak!
"It spoke again. Does it have a na?" Loar asked, looking at Kyran.
"Don't call it!" True Void imdiately replied and added to Kyran, "Void Halfling, don't answer him!"
Kyran's eyes widened at how openly True Void had called him, and he exclaid reprimandingly, 'True Void!'
Loar's eyes constricted after hearing what the magic item had called Kyran. He imdiately asked, "Did you just call him Void—?"
"He didn't!" Kyran denied at once.
True Void, however, had other ideas. He replied at the sa ti as Kyran, "Yes! So what? Piss your pants now? I'm telling you to stop calling it! If you don't stop, I'll change you into—."
"True Void!"
True Void gasped, "Oi!"
He glared at Kyran.
"You started it."
"You! You! That's not nice!"
Black lines appeared on Kyran's head hearing True Void's blatant imitation of Loar.
On the other hand, Loar blinked at the banter happening between the two. His gold eyes glinted in fascination after realizing Kyran's magic item answered like it had true intelligence.
It was not a simple magic item. While in Loar's plane, automatons needed energy cores; maybe in Kyran's plane, it was not necessary! And there was also how they addressed each other... Void Haf-what? And the item was called True Void!
"Nice. You're automaton has birth intelligence! And you two... have relations to the Void?"
Kyran and True Void fell silent. The forr because he was surprised at Loar's carefree attitude, while the latter was unsure whether to be happy getting promoted from an item to an automaton.
Wait, both are still items!
Kyran cleared his throat and looked at Loar before saying, "Actually... its just how I created his array, and about the Void its just a title..."
His voice trailed off after hearing how absurd his excuse was.
Loar was not an idiot. He imdiately noticed Kyran was reluctant to comnt about the 'Void' remark or even his automaton. But hearing the Void comnt made Loar's blood boil. He already knew Kyran was interesting, but this discovery was a lot more.
Unbeknownst to Kyran, any information about the Void in Loar's plane was a mystery. They knew every Rune magic, and Automata knowledge ca from the Void. This was why anyone who could find information about the Void and integrate it into their creation could beco a true Deus ex Machina. That was the true goal of all Automasmiths.
Sensing Kyran's reluctance, Loar had a feeling that in his plane, having any relation to the Void might an not a good thing.
Which was simply not nice.
"Listen, Kyran," Loar started, then paused, "I can call you that, right?"
Without waiting for Kyran's reply, he continued, "I don't know your circumstances, and I won't even ask. Rest assured, where I co from, anyone who knew anything or even is related to the Void is soone who will be highly regarded."
Kyran gaped at him. He kind of expected that probably the only plane that did not welco Void magic was the Human plane—but hearing soone from another plane telling him that Void was highly regarded sohow made him happy.
"So you don't have to worry," Loar added, his monotonous voice sohow having warmth in it. "Anyway, since I did not give you proper answers to two of your questions, you can ask anything again."
The sudden shift of subject caught Kyran off guard. Even True Void gaped at Loar as if he was looking at soone who had short-term mory.
"Err... that's okay. I think, I'll—."
"Co on. I have a few questions of my own, what do you say we chat a bit, huh? Don't worry. I won't ask too much about your circumstances. I only want to know why your automaton—."
"I'm not an automaton!"
"—called you Void Haf-what was that?"
Kyran could not help but scratch his head. It seed Loar indeed had been bored after not having any challenger for a while. Now, he could not wait to have soone to chat with.
'Maybe I should not have proposed the three questions,' Kyran sighed. On second thought, maybe befriending Loar would be beneficial to him. Who knew, Kyran might end up going to Loar's plane in another training, and learning about his plane might be a good idea.
"Halfling," Kyran replied with an amused smile.
"Hafling? What's that?"
"Half."
"Oh, halfling. That's a weird na."
[Oi, Void Halfling, are you really going to talk to him?]
'Doesn't hurt really.'
True Void snorted.
[If I did not know better, I'd think you only feel grateful on what he said about the Void.]
'That too,' Kyran admitted.
With a sigh, True Void finally relented and said, [Fine. Just be careful on what you tell him. Don't slip too much!]
Kyran looked at him incredulously. He did not want to hear that statent from him.
"Co on, sit down. Let's chat," Loar insisted.
Kyran chuckled. He initially thought Loar would harbor bad feeling toward him for destroying Ar-Lo. Now, he found him a little interesting.
Finally, Kyran nodded and sat down again.
For the next couple of hours, the two chatted. Mostly, it was Loar asking questions and Kyran answering with a sowhat complicated expression. He was unused to being bombarded with questions. However, Kyran found Loar's carefree attitude, though his voice still sounded bored, refreshing. It was a different kind of devil-may-care attitude Nolan had.
Approximately two hours later, Loar was the one who cut their conversation because the ti Kyran had to move up had finally arrived.
"Word of advice. Try to set your own terms when challenging the rest of the masters," Loar told Kyran.
Kyran nodded, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
Soon, a beam of light descended on him and True Void, lifting them off the platform.
As the beam of light carried the two to the next platform, Loar's expression turned thoughtful.
"Interesting guy. Hopefully my original self, will et him soday."
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