[D'sP] Plank To The Face - Chapter 389 (Patreon)

After their assurance that everything is fine, Ace leaves the coup and starts to dig into what exactly the options are for the wizard tower. While the messenger’s coup was a standard build, with apparently options for the person running it to customize the place. The tower would be something for Ace to customize.

And once he begins to dig into it, that appears to be true. It seems that the system isn’t the one making the wizard tower, but a conglomerate that is focused on providing buildings to the system. In fact, the deeper Ace looks into it, the more it becomes clear that even if a building or two might be spun up by the system whole cloth, most are actually built by someone.

This means that in theory every building is fully customizable. But only in theory. The reality of it is that the buildings are already built and the system stores them until needed. This is doubly true for any system rewards that aren’t basically consolation prizes line the coup. After all, the commonly handed out buildings get churned through pretty quickly, while the special prizes, like for instance wizard towers, end up sitting around for a while.

However, while the system wasn’t going to let Ace browse through a catalog of options, it did give him some common changes. For his wizard tower in particular, Ace lands on what the system calls “the segregated” option. Which given world history is not what he is going to call it.

Nevermind that what is separated isn’t what most people seeing that word would assume. Rather, it is simply a wizard’s tower with special areas set aside for nobility. This includes an entrance to those areas that only those allowed to can enter.

Ace went for the simplest model where the two entrances are on opposite sides and incorporated it into the inner wall opposite the main road. Or as most are calling it, dungeon street. The system even did a bit of custom work to integrate it into the wall instead of just plopping the building down. Which was more impressive now that Ace knows it wasn’t conjuring up the entire building to begin with.

Though he soon regrets sticking around to get a good look at the place. If the messenger bird building has attracted a bit of a crowd, this one upped it. While the coup’s tower was pretty visible, it wasn’t to the extent of the wizards tower. The thing was a mini-skyscraper all on its own with six to seven floors from the look of it.

And it wasn’t some spindly mess either. The building had a decent size footprint and went straight up. If Ace was honest, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Oh, and of course it maintained the towns theme, IE, bones. It was an ivory tower where the ivory part was more true than many would have been comfortable with pre-system.

Ace shakes his head and jumps over the wall to escape the crowd. Behind him, a few people who must be new to the town try to follow. That does not work.

While the number of people living in the inner circle isn’t exactly numerous, they take their privacy pretty seriously. So, as they’re soaring through the air, planks of wood are tossed out from somewhere inside the wall. Those planks smack the outsiders squarely in the face, catapulting them backwards as the planks rebound back where they came from.

A good number of people in the crowd laugh at the hooligans. It wasn’t a common scene, but it also wasn’t uncommon. New people wouldn’t believe the stories. Someone would get drunk or a “smart” idea and try to sneak into the inner circle. Then they’d go flying for one reason or another.

While no one had signed up to guard the place, there were always a few people hanging out. Combine that with the fact that those from the inner circle are quite adept compared to those outside? You end up with all those attempts failing as they get detected and kicked out.

Oh, and even if the people just hanging around didn’t catch them, there was a good chance that one of the Barrais would be around. They take care of those who were missed. That and the more malicious attempts tend to be wrapped up by them.

Ace ignored this all as he used the inner circle entrance to the wizards tower. Inside, the tower is pretty empty. The nobles section in this setup takes up about a quarter of the tower, though all of the top floor, because of course it does.

Oh, and the bottommost basement floor, the third down where the tower core is? That floor is under even stricter restrictions. At this moment, only Ace can enter it by both system restrictions and some fancy enchantments as well. A restriction that Ace doesn’t plan on changing for the moment.

Though the tower isn’t completely empty. There is a bunch of furniture including the third floor where both the public and the private area is one giant library. In the center of the library stands a desk for librarians, so they can cover both sides if needed. However, it is clearly set up so that it can be separated in case they wanted librarians for specific sides.

Also, there ended up being nine floors. Six above ground and thee below. The reason it looked like there could be seven is because the top floor was a room and a half tall. That extra height wasn’t being used for anything at the moment. However, going by some mounting points in the ceiling, it was probably meant to set up some sort of solar model.

Ace finished up his examination of the tower by dropping off the books on enchanting, plant magic, fire magic, and the leadership skill family in the private section. The one on fire having been a reward to Ruby. Jim had also gotten a book, but it was on archery and was being kept in his Guild. And in all likelihood, there were other books out there, but they hadn’t been turned in yet.

That all out of the way, Ace heads into the bottommost basement floor where the tower core resides. He hadn’t been sure exactly what he was expecting, but what he saw was disappointing. Then again, he admits to himself; he was probably comparing it to the few times he had seen the dungeon’s core.

The tower core was many times smaller, only about the size of a marble and not a shooter, either. It didn’t help that the core only had a dull glow and for the most part appears quite grey. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t a functional core yet. There was still one step left before the tower was truly complete.

Sure, if you made a wizards tower yourself, you’d have to wait for the core to gain a soul, but this was a system reward. From the description, the only reason it didn’t come pre-ensouled was simply because it is cheaper for the system to teleport around materials as compared to actual beings.

Well, what the system actually said was that you could get the tower with a soul already in place, but it was going to cost you extra. Ace was simply guessing about the core reason for this. Even if it made sense.

Whatever the case, it was now time for the last step, that of waking up the tower. Ace steps up to a stone pillar with a handprint engraved on it that perfectly fits him. Oh, and there’s a small needle near the end of each finger and at the center of the palm. This was going to require some blood it seems.

Ace didn’t particularly mind this. Well, after checking the system again to make sure this was actually required, and it was. Then he presses his hand on the imprint and the world goes white.

Not because everything is white or that he is seeing white, but whatever Ace is seeing acts like a blind spot to such a degree that nothing can be seen. His mind subbing in an expanse of white which is strange in and of itself since complete darkness would be the more traditional view. Then some details begin to slip in.

There are stars, flickering points, perfect spheres, infinite in size, yet smaller than a point. More must be out there, but his mind struggles to even hold those relatively close. Despite that, the number of them are uncountable, both for how many there are and the fact that some are constantly leaving his range and at the same time more enter.

No directions yet Ace feels there is an area where he is that is separate from the stars. Outside of this vision, Ace’s nose begins to bleed, but just as quickly the system is patching him up and removing the blood. Though this outer sign of distress is simply an afterthought as the system is forcing his brain to remain healthy despite veins trying to burst all over the place and neurons trying to burn themselves out.

Ace feels guided towards the stars that seem the brightest, though only by comparison as all the points shine brighter than any actual star. However, Ace ignores this guidance as those are simply the closest. Instead, he is in a quieter area now where the stars are more sedate.

That one. He can not point or even speak, but the system bridges the gap. Out with the pillar, the needles suddenly reveal holes in their tips and begin to suck down his blood. Though it doesn’t just gather in the depression around the handprint.

Instead, ribbons of the stuff begin to hover through the air and encapsulate the tower core in runes old even before this dimension was formed. The star falls despite direction and distance being meaningless and Ace faints. Though his body remains standing, propped up by the system.

Over an hour later, Ace wakes up. He can sort of remember that there was a white space and stars, but trying to even put himself within that space causes a headache. For while the system had kept him safe, part of that was allowing his mind to never have known something in the first place. A thing that naturally happens to those that are not ready.

Whatever the case may be, the ritual worked and the blood runes had been absorbed into the core. Not that this caused any sort of imprinting or anything. It was simply the medium used to power such an ancient working. The tower now had a soul.

Yes, it was very much asleep. Yes, if nothing was wrong with the tower it wouldn’t ever wake up. However, that simply means the tower will be better at its job. An awakened structure doesn’t always agree with those using it, while a sleeping one is much more like a computer except with a sapients intuition and what not.

Ace nods as he can feel the tower thrum with Mana. He was happy with how things turned out. This was the right place for it. Though he did have to laugh as he remembered what some people had suggested.

Whether it was right on top of the dungeon dome or inside the dungeon itself, they all had weaknesses. The inside a dungeon suggestion in particular was shot down right away as apparently you can’t own land inside of a dungeon. Kind of puts a crimp in it when you need ownership and a strong claim to a piece of land to place the tower. Like, Ace had checked and he couldn’t even put the tower outside of the current outer wall despite them still having stuff out there and having control of the land.

Ace shakes his head, he needs to test the tower. It should have some things already as part of the standard wizards tower package. “What does 1 minus 2 plus 3 divide 4 times 5 equal?”

[tower], “[2.75]”

Ace shivers, the disembodied voice is particularly flat and creepy. While that supposedly fades with time, Ace isn’t certain he is going to come around and ask the tower math problems anytime soon. Even if it might help him figure out some of the paperwork he has piling up at the moment.

Material Placement - Chapter 388

Seventeenth - Chapter 390