A1-MI, #02

Dirk goes over the pages presented, taking his time to sift through all the data and design notes. After a minute or so, he pulls out a smaller notebook from his satchel and lays it on the table, turning to Adrian.

"Right. Seems workable enough. I'm slightly worried that pure adamantite might absorb some of the force, if placed in the center... but that's something for the engineers and you to go over. Can't say I'm an expert."

He flips his own notebook open, idly flipping through a couple of pages.

"Now, on to the runic theory?"
(Dirk Lyonson)

Adrian nods.

"Yes, I considered that as well. Though it should be noted that the adamantite is a simple , thin lacquer. I am of the mind that given the measurements and the lack of density, it shouldn't absorb any of the force of the impact." He writes down a few footnotes on the tome he had placed onto the table, nodding a few times to himself once again.

"Alas, I will speak with Sima as per your suggestion and ensure that this aspect of the design imposes no complications."

The undead scholar flips a page. There is a detailed diagram of the interior of the center piece. Much like the other diagram, Dirk could see that four lightning shards were embed into four separate areas at the same horizontal plane.

Around the thin layer of lacquered adamantine there were four coinciding runic arrays. Complex geometries and coinciding lines could be observed around the entire inside of the center piece, not much unlike a web weaved by a spider.

And like the web of a spider, it was organized. Symmetric, each measurement designed with the intent of fulfilling its purpose and then some.

"As you can see, the runic arrays proposed would cover the entirety of the inside of the sphere. Notice how everything is interconnected."

Four smaller runic circles around each embed lightning crystal and the ornate lines cascading around the inside of the center piece were connected to the true incenter of the sphere.

"The four smaller arrays around each of the embed lightning crystals serve a simple function. They would, in theory, absorb the power of the crystals simultaneously. The power would be channeled through the runic circuitry leading to the center where the ether crystal lies."

A larger ether crystal was in the center. It was about the size of two crystals fused into one, and it was carved into the shape of a cylinder which connected to the top and the bottom of the center piece.

"The combining of the two arcanic forces would result in an exothermic reaction."
(Adrian Montbell)

Well, now they were getting to the meat of things.

Dirk listened along, looking through the diagram as it was presented. He seemed mildly surprised by the detail put into it, but he followed his descriptions. Once the scholar was done, he looked across the diagram and spoke.

"Hrm. Interesting design. Let me see..."

He tore out a piece of paper from his notebook, placing it close to the tome, then pulled out a quill and started scrawling down notes.

At first glance, he seemed to be copying the design of the runic array. More detailed inscription would notice that the pattern was slightly adjusted, if similar. No exact measurements were placed, only a rough sketch.

That was swiftly thrown out, however. He folded the paper back and pocketed it, shaking his head.

"No, no. The pattern's fine, that wouldn't be an issue. I might suggest adding an extra array around each crystal, adjusting their size accordingly for some extra redundancy. Even if the risk is minor, there's always the chance that an array will be misaligned, or timed improperly."

He leaned back on the chair, looking back at Adrian.

"Beyond that, the design is solid."
(Dirk Lyonson)

Adrian crossed his arms, raising a single hand to his chin as he looked down at his own diagram for several minutes, ears perking to the sound of Dirk's critiques.

He slowly turned to face him. A curt nod was presented to the Redeemer.

"Indeed, Dirk. You are absolutely right. When working with such powerful forces it is important to apply the appropriate amount of contingencies and failsafe's."

The scholar began to scribble down more notes, making some new diagrams of runic circles.

"I will see to it that the cardinal arrays are adjusted accordingly to absorb and repurpose any residual mana."

After a few more minutes of note taking, Adrian closes the tome. He returns to his study and places it back inside of his desk, locking it. Once he returns, he offers Dirk a hand to shake.

"Thank you for your time today, Dirk. Know that I very much appreciate it."
(Adrian Montbell)