Chapter 111: The Defense of the Azuryn Tribe (1)
With Cerus’ help, Maeve was finally able to fill many of the mana crystals with her Aether Energy. These crystals would later be combined with the smooth stones to create the alarm stones.
"I don’t think I can do this anymore," Maeve said with a tired sigh.
She slowly sat down on the ground and leaned her back against a large rock. Filling the mana crystals with Aether Energy was far more exhausting than she had expected. It reminded her of chasing down a fleeing thief back on Earth, leaving every muscle in her body drained.
Cerus chuckled softly before taking the crystal from her hand. "It’s normal to get tired this quickly on your first try," he said, giving her a chance to rest. "The more you use your Aether Energy, the more your body will get used to it. If you keep practicing, you might even awaken your true talent one day."
A special ability...
Ever since Maeve learned that she could use Aether Energy, she had often wondered what kind of ability she would eventually awaken.
She would be so annoyed if her special ability turned out to be nothing more than having a one hundred percent fertility rate. She wanted something new!
"When do you think I’ll awaken my special ability?" Maeve asked.
Cerus reached over and gently patted the top of her head. "No one really knows," he replied with a smile. "It’s always a mystery. But most people awaken their true talent when they’re finally ready."
Maeve frowned slightly because that wasn’t very helpful. She wasn’t even sure whether she was ready or not.
"But you don’t need to think about it too much," Cerus continued. "Whether you awaken a special ability or not, you’ll always be special to us."
Maeve blinked several times before quietly looking away, her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment.
Wanting to stop the conversation before he could tease her even more, Maeve cleared her throat and changed the subject. "I think... we should gather more people to help us assemble the alarm stones."
Maeve then stood up after resting for a few minutes and stretched her arms above her head. "I think I’ve recovered enough."
Cerus smiled. "Already?"
"I don’t have much of a choice," Maeve replied with a laugh. "We have too much work to finish."
She looked around the settlement. Most of the men were already outside the settlement, working with Ikarus and Axan to dig the hidden pits and set up the wooden frames.
That left many of the women available. Because of that, Maeve clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.
"Can all the women who aren’t busy come over here for a moment?"
Within a few minutes, Zini, Oraya, Nyx, and more than a dozen other women gathered around her.
"You wanted us, Goddess?" Zini asked.
Maeve nodded. "The men are busy building the hidden pits, so we’ll take care of assembling the alarm stones."
Since Nyx was taking care of Lior, she simply watched from the side and focused on making sure the little boy wasn’t bored or hungry.
On the other side, Maeve laid out all the materials on a flat wooden table so everyone could see them clearly.
On one side were the smooth stones they had collected from the river. Beside them were the mana crystals Maeve had just filled with Aether Energy, bundles of cleaned beast tendon fibers, pieces of hardwood carved into small rings, and bowls of sticky tree resin.
Maeve picked up a smooth stone. "First, we carve a small hollow inside the stone," she explained. "It only needs to be large enough to hold the mana crystal."
She showed them one that had already been carved. Next, she picked up one of the charged mana crystals.
"This crystal is the heart of the alarm stone. Without it, the alarm won’t work," she explained.
She carefully placed the crystal into the hollow. "Now comes the hardwood."
Maeve fitted the carved wooden ring around the crystal, locking it firmly in the center so it wouldn’t move even if the stone was dropped.
"The wood keeps the crystal stable." Then she reached for the beast tendon fibers. "Wrap the tendon around the wooden frame like this."
Her fingers moved slowly so everyone could follow. She stated, "The tendon acts like a sensor. When a hostile creature enters the protected area, it will detect the disturbance in the surrounding Aether Energy and send that signal to the mana crystal."
Several women watched with wide eyes, fascinated by the strange design.
Finally, Maeve dipped a small brush into the warm tree resin. "The last step is sealing everything."
She carefully spread the resin over the tendon and around the opening before placing a thin stone cover on top.
"The resin holds all the parts together and prevents Aether Energy from leaking out," she said.
Maeve waited a few moments for the resin to harden before holding up the finished alarm stone.
"There you go!" Maeve exclaimed with a wide smile. "It’s finished!"
She carefully held up the completed alarm stone for everyone to see.
From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary smooth stone. Only when viewed closely could they notice the faint golden glow hidden beneath its surface.
"The rest are made the same way," Maeve said. "Just remember to make sure the mana crystal is securely placed, the tendon is wrapped properly, and the resin completely seals everything."
The women nodded and quickly got to work. Some carefully carved the smooth stones, while others wrapped the tendon fibers around the wooden frames. Another group sealed each finished stone with tree resin before setting them aside to dry.
Maeve walked from one person to another, checking their work and offering small corrections whenever needed.
"Good."
"Wrap the tendon a little tighter."
"Don’t use too much resin. Just enough to seal the opening."
Before long, a neat pile of completed alarm stones had formed in front of them.
"I can’t believe we manage to make this much!" Oraya exclaimed.