Village Head's Debauchery

Valeria and Merisela, who were beside them, nodded.

"Alright," Orion responded.

The leaders of the Healers' Association's various branches turned to give Seraphina a nod before exiting the room.

After they had gone, Orion, the Village Chief, and Stronghold Leader Zogar finally noticed a small box in the centre of the table. Their eyes were fixed on it as they approached because they sensed that something was amiss with the container.

"It's good that you're finally back, husband," Seraphina abruptly said.

Orion snapped out of his thoughts and focused on her, nodding. "I wasn't expecting to wrap things up this early, though. Fortunately, everything worked out well for the best," he responded.

Seraphina nodded. She decided to table the rest of the conversation for when she returned home and instead enjoyed the remainder of her day with him.

Seraphina cleared her throat loudly to attract the Village Chief's and Stronghold Leader Zogar's attention. They both snapped out of their thoughts and focused on Seraphina.

"Ahem! As you all know, apart from our efforts to discover the main reason for the cause of the development of the Four-star Vylkr vines, we have also been working on the Devourer's bracelets to uncover how to replicate the less potent Vylkr energy within them. However, our trials have ended in failure, so we decided to focus on the Devourer's bracelet instead," Seraphina began.

Before she could continue, the Village Chief immediately interjected, "Isn't the experiment on the cause of the development of the Four-star Vylkr vines more important?"

"It is, however, allow me to finish my explanation, Chief," Seraphina responded before she continued, "As I was saying, after several failed experiments in trying to uncover the reason behind the development of the Four-star Vylkr vines and the reduction of the potency of the Vylkr energy, we then decided to turn our attention to the Devourer's bracelet in hopes of discovering something worthwhile from it. Fortunately, I am happy to say that we have done so."

"We dismantled the Devourer's bracelet piece by piece, teaching ourselves to identify and categorize each component, including the heart, gears, conduits, and casing. We noted their functions and interconnections, recorded the configuration and arrangement of the internal mechanisms, and studied how the Vylkr energy is channelled and regulated throughout the mechanism. We then extracted the core components, such as the Devourer's heart and gears, which are essential for the Vylkr energy circulation, hoping to understand its functionality."

"Each task was handled by a single person due to our familiarity with one another and our aversion to making mistakes, as we didn't have enough of these mechanisms to run several trials. Initially, we anticipated the task to be difficult, as we had never worked with such a mechanism before."

"However, after recording its configuration and arrangement and learning to identify and categorize each component, it was easier than we had imagined. Though it remains a complex mechanism, with several years of experience in fields like ancient medicine and alchemy, one can realize that it's not as complex as it seems."

"So what are you trying to say?" Orion asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Even after listening to Seraphina's words and understanding everything she had said, he still couldn't grasp the conclusion she was heading towards.

"Healer Seraphina, we would appreciate it if you could directly reach the conclusion of what you are trying to tell us," Stronghold Leader Zogar said.

Unlike Orion, who could construct a flying contraption or Seraphina, all he needed was for her to get to the point to understand what she was saying.

The Village Chief nodded in agreement, sharing their sentiments.

Hearing their response, Seraphina sighed inwardly and explained, "What I am trying to say is that after properly studying the Devourer's bracelet, we are now able to make one of our own," she said, a proud smile emerging on her face as she noticed their astounded expressions.

Silence enveloped the surrounding area within mere seconds.

"You… can replicate the Devourer's bracelet?" The Village Chief asked, his trembling voice shattering the stillness.

Seraphina nodded confidently, her smile growing even more radiant and assured.

"But how? The materials used in creating the Devourer's bracelet are unknown even to the gods' chosen ones, and you have confirmed your lack of knowledge about them. How is it possible to recreate it?" Orion asked curiously.

Did she finally discern the material used for creating the Devourer's bracelet?

He didn't doubt Seraphina's words; instead, he wholeheartedly believed them, making him eager to learn how she had achieved such a remarkable feat.

"To answer your first question, yes, we were able to recreate the Devourer's bracelet, and no, neither I nor the others understand the type of material or alloy used in making it," Seraphina responded before quickly adding, "Allow me to explain. By using alchemical transmutation, we can refine and purify any material within acceptable limits into the base structure for our new bracelet."

Hearing Seraphina's words, a look of realization descended upon Orion's expression. She had used the old bracelet to forge a new one by understanding its layout and functions.

Witnessing Orion's look of realization, Seraphina shifted her attention to the bewildered expressions of the Village Chief and Stronghold Leader Zogar and sighed before explaining the transmutation process in detail.

Within seconds, their eyes also widened in understanding.

"However, that was the easy part. As it turns out, the intricate designs on the Devourer's bracelet weren't just for show. They were sigils meant to fortify the bracelet and protect it from harm, along with a few safety measures for the wielder. This is why they could command their Devourer bracelets, deactivating and activating them at will," Seraphina added.

"So, how did you solve that issue? Considering that you recreated the Devourer's bracelet, that meant you found another way, right?" Orion asked, his brow raised, his voice laced with curiosity.

Seraphina nodded. "Yes, we did. The only thing we could use in place of the sigils are runes, which are much more powerful for this task. Fortunately, just as I am well-versed in alchemy, we have someone like Thoren who is well-versed in runes," she responded.