CHAPTER 155: ASHCODE

The last thing he did was check the weapons and orbs he took from the ruins.

As he opened his pocket space, they rained into his room. He had to close it to stop the outflow with a speechless expression. It was a flood.

They were all treasures and all looked in good quality, with each having a hue of violet either at the hilt, full body, or a part. It was like a legendary blacksmith had been trapped inside the ruins and forced to make them all, and among them, a few stood out.

They glowed with intensity as if they demanded attention, and those few were what he went for.

He reached for a sleek, unassuming armor, its surface pulsing faintly. As his fingers brushed it, the armor dissolved into a black liquid, seeping into his Red Sun uniform. It reformed as a subtle, obsidian-like pattern across the fabric, blending seamlessly with the uniform, unlike the usual metal armor worn over the uniform.

The sensation even gave a sense of comfort, as if the armor enhanced his very being.

"Is this even possible?" Baines muttered, brow furrowing as he sensed its effects: heightened resilience, a faint hum of protective energy.

He discarded it for now and picked up a one-handed axe, its black hilt crowned with a violet blade that pulsed like a heartbeat. His frown deepened. He tested another weapon, then another, each radiating similar power.

He went and picked some of the treasures that didn’t have the same intensity, and his brow settled, albeit lightly. Their effects weren’t as ridiculous as those that shone the brightest.

In summary, all the treasures that shone the brightest were all on the level of his collections.

"It doesn’t make sense," he said, shaking his head. "How did the storm create this many treasures?" Their effects were staggering—some amplified body attributes, others channeled or enhanced energy with terrifying precision.

Yet, for all their power, most paled in comparison to what he truly needed for his ambitions. That realization tempered his awe. Another was, everything couldn’t be handed on a silver platter.

These treasures required soul-binding to unlock their potential. As the sole wielder of the Authority of Extraction, Baines could bypass some restrictions, but binding thousands of artifacts to a single soul was impossible, even for him. At that point, it would just be beyond greed.

Among the treasures, a stone tablet caught his eye.

Roughly the size of his waist in width and height, its dull surface was etched with intricate runes.

Without hesitation, Baines formed a soul connection, and the tablet hummed to life. The runes glowed, and a massive double-sided door materialized before him, its surface carved with the same cryptic symbols as the stone tablet.

With a low rumble, the doors swung open, steam pouring out as if announcing its existence in the world.

As the mist cleared, Baines beheld a breathtaking library.

Vast and otherworldly, its floating shelves and spiraling staircases seemed woven from magic and futuristic design, each connected by a strange mechanism. Empty study spaces stretched across the floor, their surfaces pristine, untouched.

But the library was a paradox of grandeur and emptiness. There were no books, no treasures, no occupants, just silence.

A figure materialized, clad in a flowing violet robe adorned with intricate patterns. A monocle perched on its right eye, glinting faintly. "Master," it said, bowing deeply, "I am the loyal servant of this humble library."

Baines studied the figure, recognizing it as the being he had made a connection with in the tablet. "Are you a spirit?"

"Yes," it replied, its voice calm and deferential.

Baines nodded. Just like the spirits in the blood house he had met, this entity didn’t have a soul. But that wasn’t the reason he made the connection.

’My pocket space has now become a chaotic jumble, and sometimes I forget the things I put inside.’ He mused, but this library and its spirit could store everything for him.

He stepped inside, opening his pocket space to its fullest. A torrent of treasures poured out—weapons, technique manuals, cores, plants, gold, even preserved corpses—forming towering heaps. He kept only his original collections and a small sum of gold.

"I don’t know if there’s a library ranking of some sort, but place the most important and valuable at the highest point of the library. Do you have a way to discern their value?" Baines asked.

"Yes, Master," the spirit replied, gesturing to its monocle. "This discerns their value, and I can organize them accordingly."

"Good. I’ll stay here for a while. Alert me if anyone knocks on my door."

The spirit librarian bowed, "Yes, Master." Before starting its work.

Baines settled into a study area, turning his attention to the cores of concentrated Ashenfall energy.

With the ruins gone, these were his key to progress. Crushing an orb would release Ashenfall’s essence, which, using the mist-based formation from his gore vessels, he could absorb to form new stars.

But the process demanded vast quantities, and creating ashenfall stars wasn’t their only use.

The cores were already pre-formed power sources. They were similar to concentrated mana that formed crystals. Meaning, he didn’t need to go through the tedious process of creating a power core; he already had numerous.

He wasn’t just going to limit them to the creation of vessels.

As he had said, they already contained power, so if he fed them to his sword, magic, and alchemic units, he could elevate their ranks with minimal effort.

’I’ll power them up when we go to war against the flameheart kingdom.’ The time for his next massacre was drawing near. He just needed Ralph to find his brother.

Finally, they were like core centers. With the right surgical process, others could wield ashenfall without him having to bestow his authority upon them.

The number of cores was numerous, with varying sizes; however, it wasn’t unlimited. Everything will be consumed instantly if he just uses them just like he had thought.

After a rough number allocation, his focus shifted to the Barns Company.

Beyond Project Internet, he envisioned a vast enterprise. His plant manipulation abilities, inspired by the Ashenfall treasures, would produce pills with effects tethered to weapons, creating unique products. ’It’s time to use my plant abilities to the fullest, and with the inspiration I got from the ashenfall treasures.’

His workers would eventually take over production, but for now, he would lay the foundation for what would become the Baek Company.

Eye interrupted his thoughts with a message:

[MAGIC BINARY OF SPELLCODE LANGUAGE FOR INTERNET IS COMPLETED]

It displayed a series of codes, followed by:

[RECOMMENDED NAME: ASHCODE - BY VITKA]

"Alright, all the information we absorbed from the silent staff, and anywhere else, segment them in tiers and place restrictions for only those with the right authority to access them," Baines instructed.

[ACCESS SYSTEM IN PLACE]

"Good. Tell them they have this month to launch it."

[UNDERSTOOD]

’Everything is falling into place,’ Baines thought. Until his next mission, the Barns Company and Project Internet would be his focus