CH388 Stick with the Old or In with the New

***

"You said it yourself. If you cannot rebuild Rune-Tech in a way that allows it to function on this plane, then you'll eventually have to give it up for another path. And from what you've explained… it seems you can't rebuild it while bound by this plane's rules. So it makes sense for you to give it up for a better path," Zora said.

"Why do you think it would be a better path?" Alex asked, genuinely curious.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zora replied. "Your new path would contain both Rune-Tech and whatever glyph-tech you create from this world's glyph system. A combined path that would be stronger than Rune-Tech alone."

Alex's eyes widened slightly as the idea landed. He hadn't considered that angle.

But in the very next heartbeat, a strange tension curled quietly in his gut. An instinctive warning.

A feeling that whispered:

'Mixing things together doesn't always create something better.'

He paused, frowning faintly as the unease sharpened.

He didn't know why, but something deep within resisted her suggestion.

More surprisingly, once he felt that resistance… he instinctively began searching for reasons to reject the idea rather than objectively weigh it.

He noticed what he was doing. He was almost startled by it—but he didn't stop himself.

"I don't think that will be the best option for me," Alex finally said. "If I follow that method, then I'll have to repeat it with every major plane I visit—every world that has its own unique glyph system. My path will become needlessly convoluted."

He sighed softly.

"A professional's class path is meant to streamline and clarify one's focus. Time is finite. But this path would only make things more complicated as I visit more and more planes."

"Unless, of course, you choose to stay on this one," Zora pointed out. "And is that so terrible? This is at least a Class 6 world. Once you've established yourself here… do you really need to concern yourself with other planes?"

"I understand your point," Alex answered. "But choosing to limit oneself and being forced to are two entirely different things. I don't want to be forced to limit my possibilities."

He looked at her fully.

"I have many identities—man, son, professional, noble… and with each comes its own goals and ambitions. As a person, I want to go as far as I can on this path of power—on the path of cultivation. If I'm forced to limit myself by which planes I can tread, I'll always feel like I didn't go as far as I could have."

A quiet seriousness fell over him.

"Regret is a powerful enemy, Zora—one I have no intention of making."

He exhaled.

"At least… not the kind of regret where I know I could have done something, but didn't."

Zora looked at him quietly.

She was struggling—not with him, but with herself.

She wanted to nag him, to shake him out of what she feared might be an impossible ambition. She worried he was reaching for something forever beyond his grasp.

After all, knowing what lay within one's limits—and what lay outside them—was a core principle of being a professional. That was the purpose of choosing a Class. You committed to a path by letting go of what didn't belong or couldn't be attained.

Still… he's right.

'I can't push him to give up. Not yet. Not without trying.' She thought.

'I'll support him for now,' she concluded inwardly. 'But if he can't produce results… I'll push him to let go as soon as possible. I won't allow his potential to be wasted.'

"Alright, Alex." Zora smiled softly, but her eyes remained sharp with resolve. "It's your path. You have every right to walk it however you choose. But remember—you're not alone anymore. You can't lose yourself chasing an unattainable goal and forget what you already have."

Her eyes hardened with a determined glint.

"I won't let you."

Alex understood her perfectly.

She was giving him room for now— giving him time.

But if he didn't achieve meaningful progress soon—if he showed no signs that preserving his Rune-Tech path was even feasible—she would withdraw her support. And she would pressure him to find a new road.

While he just could ignore her when that time came… doing so would risk losing her.

And that was something he would never allow—not when her concern was genuinely for his sake.

'A supportive wife is a treasure I must never take for granted,' he told himself.

"Actually," Alex said suddenly, "part of the reason I'm being stubborn about Rune-Tech is for all of our sakes. Not just mine."

Zora blinked, raising an eyebrow.

Alex lifted the shattered Interplanar Formation Core Orb—the one Eleanor and Zora herself had brought to him.

"The Grand Formation Array encoded into this orb is based entirely on Runes," he explained. "Even the coordinates leading back to Pangea are rune-based. And since we can't repair a portable formation core once it's damaged…"

He let the implication hang in the air.

"…it means we'll have to build the Interplanar Formation from scratch."

"Even if by some miracle I manage to create a glyph-tech based on this world's glyph system, we still won't be able to use it to return home," Alex concluded. "It would be incompatible with the rune-based coordinates encoded inside this orb."

He lifted the damaged Interplanar Formation Core once more.

"If you think about it, it's actually a brilliant safety mechanism. Planes close to Pangea in power or civilisation—especially Class 6 and above—will definitely have their own glyph systems and unique cultivation frameworks. Hardcoding the return coordinates in Runes—based entirely on Pangea's Array Mastery—is a simple, elegant and effective form of interplanar security."

Zora rolled her eyes dramatically.

"What?" Alex asked, genuinely confused.

"I already told you I was going to support you," she said, glaring lightly. "You didn't need to give me some overlong justification."

"Huh?" Alex blinked, caught flat-footed.

Zora burst into laughter.

"Serves you right, you know-it-all," she teased mercilessly.

Alex could only manage his trademark wry smile.

But Zora's expression sobered just as fast as it had brightened.

"I'm guessing you want to keep our situation quiet for now, yes?" she asked.

"Just for a little while," Alex confirmed with a calm nod. "At least until we gather more information about this plane. No reason to cause panic when we aren't even sure of what we're dealing with yet."

Then his lips curled into a confident smile.

"And thankfully, we managed to catch someone who might be able to provide exactly that."

Zora nodded, fully understanding.

Together, they walked back to the camp.

The camp was lively—far more than Alex expected, given the day they'd had –the brother-in-arms they've had to bury already.

But a closer look immediately revealed the cause.

Kavakan was busy dramatizing the battle with ridiculous enthusiasm. His booming voice carried through the valley as he proudly recounted how he 'crushed skulls with his bare hands' and how the humans 'shook in fear before the mighty tiger'. His only stated regret was that he couldn't wield his twin axes in full beast form.

Meanwhile, Fen –taking up the role of the expedition group's official chef– entertained the group as he manipulated water tentacles to assist in food preparation. The delicious aroma rising from his cooking fire had every soldier and follower swallowing saliva by the mouthful.

For a brief moment, despite everything, the expedition looked almost… at ease.

Alex reaffirmed his decision to let them enjoy it. A peaceful first proper meal on a hostile new plane was a blessing.

Once the meal ended and the group settled down, Alex rose to his feet and signalled to two particular people.

"Eleanor. Kavakan. With me."

They followed him to the edge of the camp, where their information source was being held—the short, thin nicely-garbed captured hostile native.

The man had been bound securely, was currently conscious… and trembling.

And as Alex soon discovered, he wasn't just any soldier or warrior. He was a devout follower of one of the plane's Navi.

**38**

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