Chapter 93: Sunset, a Girl, a Blush
"Come on, look at the Imprint Crystal in my hand."
Lance raised the thin wafer in his hand, adjusting its angle.
He had already studied the mechanics of this gadget in his spare time over the past few days.
Once activated, this thing would act like a sponge soaking up water, completely recording the Ethereal Fluctuations within a specific range.
Speaking of which, the history of improving this type of Imprint Crystal was tied to a rather interesting academic dispute in this world.
In the hallowed halls of the Truth Council, which represented the pinnacle of human wisdom, there was an ultimate question that had been debated for centuries:
What is the true nature of Ether?
This gave rise to two diametrically opposed schools of thought: the Ethereal Fluctuation School and the Ethereal Particle School.
Both sides possessed experimental data to support their own theories, yet neither could perfectly explain the contradictory phenomena observed by the other.
Back then, to improve the Imprint Crystal technology, the Cartographer Association had funded a Legendary Mage from the fluctuation school.
The successful improvement of the Imprint Crystal stemmed from the famous "Environmental Ethereal Interference Recording" experiment.
In that experiment, the Mage successfully imprinted a location’s "ether wavelength frequencies and interference patterns" over five seconds. Then, using the field resonance technology of the Illusion System, he perfectly recreated the light, shadows, and sounds recorded at that moment.
The results of this experiment once shocked the entire continent, earning the Ethereal Fluctuation School immense academic prestige.
It proved that Ether did indeed possess the trait of transmitting and recording wave frequencies.
However, when Lance, a Transmigrator, first read this piece of history in a book, the expression on his face was utterly bizarre.
’I know this script all too well.’
’This damn déjà vu... it feels just like that specter from my past life that tormented countless physicists.’
’Barring any surprises, I probably already know the answer to this ultimate question.’
Lance even had a morbid thought: if this question remained unsolved by the time he was on his deathbed, he would run to the gates of the Truth Council and, with his last breath, roar:
"Wave-particle duality!"
Then, he would coolly breathe his last, leaving this bunch of Mages with an eternal enigma.
"...Cecilia?"
Hearing Lance’s call, Cecilia, who had been spacing out, was startled and let out an "Oh!" like a frightened fawn.
She subconsciously moved a little closer to Lance.
For some reason, the maiden’s delicate face was now flushed, as if she had a fever.
’What’s happening?’
Cecilia felt the tips of her ears burning, and her cheeks were growing warm along with them.
’The moment Senior took off his hood just now, that strange feeling grew even stronger.’
’It seems like Senior’s Talent has gotten even more potent than before.’
’Why does it have a side effect that makes my face flush and my heart race?’
’And my ears...’
’That tingling, ticklish itch makes me want to reach up and scratch them.’
’Ugh, I hate this feeling of being out of control.’
"Are you ready?"
Lance didn’t notice the maiden’s odd behavior. He adjusted the crystal’s angle and held up his left hand, once again giving his signature thumbs-up.
To go with the celebratory gesture, he deliberately grinned, revealing eight neat, white teeth, his smile exceptionally brilliant.
Cecilia took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fluster in her heart, and also extended her slender fingers to give a thumbs-up.
"Three, two, one."
HUM...
As Magic Power was infused, the Imprint Crystal emitted a soft chime, devouring and recording the scene before them, along with the afterglow of the setting sun.
"Senior, can I see it?"
Once the light faded, Cecilia eagerly leaned in.
"Of course."
Lance generously handed over the Imprint Crystal, then turned and squatted down to organize his backpack on the ground.
"I was actually planning to collect a full set after all the internship tasks are done and give them to you as a memento. That way, you’ll have something to remember this by when you go back to White River City."
"Really?"
Cecilia happily took the crystal and gently touched it with her fingertip, activating the image within.
Without using one of those expensive projection albums, a singly activated Imprint Crystal would only loop the recorded image on its surface, like a slideshow.
However, the moment she saw the contents clearly, the maiden’s expectant expression froze, then morphed into extreme panic.
"Give me the crystal when you’re done looking. I still need to sort them back home, and then I’ll put the whole set in an album for you."
Lance finished packing his backpack, turned around, and casually held out his hand.
"No, no, no..."
Cecilia, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, clutched the crystal tightly in her palm, shaking her head back and forth like a rattle.
"What’s wrong?"
Lance was utterly baffled by her intense reaction.
’Why is this girl suddenly acting so strange?’
"That... that... that!"
Cecilia’s face turned red as she stammered for a long time before finally seeming to make a decision and exclaiming loudly:
"Anyway... anyway, you were going to give this to me, Senior, so I’ll... I’ll just hold onto it for now! We can talk about the rest later!"
Seeing how she refused to let go no matter what, Lance scratched his head, feeling a little doubtful.
’Did I get a bad angle and take an ugly picture of her?’
’That makes sense. A selfie from a typical guy’s perspective could easily turn someone into a meme.’
This made Lance feel a bit awkward, and he sheepishly pulled back his outstretched hand.
"Well... alright then."
"If you like it, then keep it safe for now. Let’s pack up the rest of the materials and head back."
He didn’t insist. Since she was clearly unhappy with it, there was no point in forcing her to hand it over and die of embarrassment.
Lance turned to deal with the remaining Stone Shell River Crabs.
Behind him, in the hand Cecilia held behind her back, the Imprint Crystal was continuously replaying the short five-second scene.
In the image, the black-haired young man faced the setting sun, his smile brilliant and warm.
And right beside him, the silver-haired Half-Elf Maiden wasn’t looking at the camera at all.
Her head was tilted, her beautiful eyes secretly and intently fixed on the young man beside her.
The setting sun cast its glow upon her face.
The blush on her cheeks was more captivating than the evening glow.
[Sub-human Species·Half-Elf Research Progress LV2 (20→24/30)]
This was all the progress Cecilia had accumulated from their interactions over the past few days.
After completing the tedious task handover process in the Guild hall, Lance and Cecilia waved goodbye.
He didn’t choose to go straight home to rest.
Lance turned and headed for the bustling Artisan District.
The Fine Steel Short Sword that had accompanied him for several days was completely ruined from the intense battles, its blade chipped beyond repair.
It was his bread and butter; he had to buy a new one.