Chapter 19: Artificial Genius—Crystal Core Transplant Success

The morning mist hung like gauze, winding through the silent graveyard behind the Fran Magic Martial Academy.

Cold tombstones stood in quiet rows, and on one was carved: The Grave of Father Lynn Dashan.

Lin En squatted before the tombstone, his fingers brushing away the dew and fine dust settled on its surface.

He placed a bottle of spicy liquor and a piece of black rye bread wrapped in oiled paper gently in front of the stone.

These were his father’s favorite foods, as far as memory served.

A step behind him stood Lynn Viel, her thin body wrapped in a plain cotton dress, looking especially fragile.

Her pale face was tilted up at the name on the tombstone, tears silently rolling from her eyes to splash onto the damp earth at her feet.

She bit her lower lip hard, trapping her sobs deep in her throat, her slender shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Lin En stood up, not looking back, his gaze heavy on the gravestone.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Crystal Core—source of strength and analysis—spun slowly, its cold rationality unable to fully suppress the pain surging from the original owner of this body.

“Dad,” he spoke, his voice low yet as unyielding as steel tempered by flame.

“The Blood Wolf Bandit Gang—destroyed. Skull Ridge is now a Lava Lake. Your vengeance is done.”

He paused, taking a slow breath.

“But it’s not enough… not nearly enough.”

His voice dropped lower, weighed down by something deeper.

“Mom lies in her sickbed, her life draining away like sand in an hourglass… Viel…”

He finally turned, looking down at the small, grief-stricken figure behind him, flickering like a dying candle in the wind.

Viel lifted her tear-streaked face, meeting her brother’s gaze.

In his eyes, she saw a heaviness she’d never known before—and a strength that made her heart inexplicably steady.

“She’s still so small, Dad.”

Lin En’s eyes returned to the gravestone, as if making a final promise to his sleeping father.

“This world is too cold, too hard, too dangerous. I swear, no matter the cost, I’ll bring Mom back! And I’ll protect Viel! I’ll see her grow up safe, never again touched by the darkness we endured!”

“Daddy…”

Viel could hold back no longer.

Her cry broke through the dam of restraint.

She threw herself at the tombstone, small palms pressing to the cold stone.

“Viel will listen to big brother! Viel… Viel will protect Mama too! I promise!”

She shouted the last words with all her strength, as if trying to carve her resolve into the stone itself, sending her oath to the father in another world.

The child’s voice, shaky but resolute, struck Lin En’s heart like an invisible hammer.

He watched her small, trembling figure leaning on the grave, and a single clear, urgent thought seized his mind:

Viel needed power.

A strength strong enough to protect her, even if he was no longer there.

The door to the quiet room closed silently behind them, shutting out the world.

This was a temporary residence arranged by Vice Dean Morton—simple, but safe.

Viel sat nervously on a hard wooden chair, little hands twisting her dress hem.

Lin En crouched before her, meeting her eyes.

“Viel.”

His voice was exceptionally gentle, carrying a calming strength.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m going to place a very small seed inside your body.”

“Seed?”

Viel blinked, her tear-streaked eyes confused.

“Yes. A… Seed of Wisdom.”

Lin En explained using words she could understand.

“It will make you stronger, your senses sharper—like… You’ll be able to see and hear things you couldn’t before. From now on, you can learn at the Academy how to protect yourself and protect Mom.”

He avoided complex Magic terms, but the words protect yourself and protect Mom lit a spark in Viel’s eyes.

She nodded firmly.

“Mm! Viel’s not afraid! Viel wants to protect Mama!”

That pure, fierce desire to protect—this was the catalyst Lin En needed.

“Close your eyes, relax your body, like you’re about to fall asleep.”

Lin En guided her.

Viel obeyed, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to relax her small, tense frame.

Her long lashes trembled.

Lin En took a deep breath.

In his Sea of Consciousness, two crystal-clear Mental Cores flared, spinning faster!

Vast mental power condensed, transforming into billions of invisible needles thinner than hair.

His world shrank to the microscopic.

In Viel’s Mana Sea, traces of spiritual potential—like dust in a chaotic nebula—became visible under his intense focus.

“Coordinates set… anchor at origin…”

Lin En intoned silently, precise as a navigation system.

His mental needles became invisible chisels, building at the smallest level.

“Vertex A… spatial coordinates stable…”

“Vertex B… angle locked at 109.47 degrees…”

“Face center C… symmetry check passed…”

Every step demanded absolute precision.

Constructing a stable, self-sustaining lattice was far more delicate than when Lin En had built his own.

Agonizing pain like red-hot needles stabbed at his temples; waves of dizziness tore through his Sea of Consciousness.

It was not just the drain of spiritual energy, but a brutal test of will and control.

He forced his breathing steady, each heartbeat a heavy drum against the dam of his mind.

And Viel, enduring it all, reacted even more violently!

Her small body arched as if yanked by unseen force, then slammed back into the chair!

Tremors wracked her from fingertips to toes, every bone seemingly screaming.

Her brow knotted tight, her face twisted in pain, teeth buried in her lip until a bright trickle of blood appeared!

Cold sweat soaked her dress.

Her little hands gripped the chair so hard her nails turned white, scraping the wood with a harsh creak, as if trying to claw through the solid frame!

“Ugh… ah…”

Shattered, pained sobs slipped through clenched teeth—her body’s helpless cry against unbearable pain.

“Hold on, Viel!”

Lin En’s voice was taut and urgent, a lifeline thrown through stormy waves.

He remembered all too well the agony of forging his own Crystal Core, and could feel her mental barriers wavering under the onslaught, the process at risk of collapse or backlash at any moment.

He had to be faster—and steadier!

At the critical moment—injecting activation energy and stabilizing the framework—an immense will surged from Viel’s Mana Sea.

It was a flood of emotion—born from bloodline, from an aching desire to protect her mother.

The silent volcano erupted!

That pure, powerful intent collided with the Seed of Wisdom Lin En was implanting, both sharing the same origin.

Resonance exploded!

Buzz—!

A gentle yet unbreakable force rippled through Viel’s Mana Sea.

The spatial ripples and energy waves left by construction were instantly soothed and healed by the instinctive desire to protect.

The lattice, once faint and unstable, solidified as if given a soul.

Lin En’s eyes lit up with joy.

It was done!

A tiny, pure-white cubic Mental Core hovered at the center of Viel’s Mana Sea.

It shone like a newborn star, its structure perfectly symmetrical, eight vertices and six face centers forming an unshakable network.

Though its light was still weak, the potential and protective essence within were clear.

Lin En slowly withdrew his spiritual power, letting out a long breath.

Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave, but his spirit soared.

He gently patted Viel’s hand.

“Viel, it’s done. How do you feel?”

Viel slowly opened her eyes.

In that instant, Lin En saw a shimmer of light in her clear gaze.

She blinked in confusion, then her eyes widened in wonder.

“Big brother… it’s so bright…”

She murmured, staring curiously at a simple Magic Lamp in the corner of the room.

“Inside the lamp… there are so many tiny lights dancing… And…”

She tilted her head.

“Outside… I can hear the leaves falling so clearly… The wind smells like grass… And… a little… iron?”

She wrinkled her nose, puzzled.

That faint metallic scent drifted from the distant training field—something she could never have noticed before.

Stranger still, when she looked at Lin En, a warmth and comfort—like sunlight—flowed into her, making her want to draw closer.

“This is… the Seed of Wisdom?”

Viel looked up, her eyes filled with awe.

“Yes, Viel.”

A relieved smile spread across Lin En’s weary face.

“From now on, you’re an amazing little genius too.”