Chapter 313: The Return on a Floor

Ren turned back to the public floors.

Below the fourth platform’s entry, the board divided the higher floors into another band. He read its charge, then the individual rewards beneath it.

Second band — platforms five to eight. Entry per attempt: 300 merit.

Fifth platform — Water control. Hazard: fractured crystal. First clear: 950 merit. Repeat clear: 500 merit.

Sixth platform — Seal passage. Hazard: closing seal. First clear: 900 merit. Repeat clear: 450 merit.

He checked the remaining floors before returning to those two. The Water exercise would let him compare another control task with the flames. The seal passage had a different objective, though he would need to read its full instructions at the platform.

"Fifth," he told the attendant, setting his plate down.

She charged the entry fee and kept the plate while he climbed.

— • —

The steps to the fifth platform were cut into the spire, with open air beyond the rail. A climber sat beside a wider turn, sleeves pushed up and hands resting between their knees. They shifted their feet to let Ren pass.

He paused where the upper landing came into view. Its ring was still dark.

"I saw that mark respond once," the climber said. "During an inspection. The attendant made an entry, and the climber came back down."

Ren looked round. "Did they go any farther?"

"Not while I was watching. I don’t know what was recorded."

"Thanks."

They nodded and stood, pulling their sleeves down before heading toward the counter. Ren continued up.

— • —

A cistern stood just beyond the fifth platform’s starting mark. From its lip, a pale crystal channel extended across the stone, suspended on faintly shining supports. It rose, dipped and curved back on itself before reaching a basin on the far side.

Ren could see through its thin walls. At three places, the channel narrowed to the width of his thumb.

The instructions required him to move water from the cistern through the entire channel and fill the receiving basin to its mark before the term ended. A fracture would fail the attempt.

He traced the route with his eyes, checking the narrow sections before stepping across the line.

The timing ring lit around the platform.

Ren placed his hands on the cistern’s rim and took hold of the water with Water Law. He lifted a small stream over the lip and guided it into the channel. It ran along the first broad stretch, its moving shadow crossing the rock below.

At the rise, the stream slowed. Water gathered behind the first narrow section as he continued feeding it from the cistern. Ren eased the supply and drew the leading water through, reducing the pressure against the crystal.

The stream thinned almost to a trickle. He increased it cautiously until water was passing through without collecting behind the neck. An inscription faded at the edge of his vision while he found the balance.

He followed the stream along the next curve. It picked up speed on the descent toward the second constriction, and he checked it too abruptly. Water bunched in the dip while the flow beyond it dwindled.

Ren reduced what he was sending from the cistern, then worked the gathered water through. The crystal remained whole, but restoring the flow took time. More of the timing ring had gone dark by the time the stream reached the final bend.

For the third neck, he began adjusting along the approach. He kept the supply small enough to pass through and drew it onward without letting it press against the walls. Water spilled from the channel’s end into the receiving basin.

He held that flow while the level rose.

The broad sections could carry much more, but forcing extra water into them only left him dealing with it at the next constriction. He worked back along the channel, easing the feed wherever it began to gather. With less water backing up, he could maintain a steadier stream into the basin.

The level climbed toward the mark. Ren checked the first neck again, then the dip, keeping the flow even through both.

When the water reached the line, the completion mark lit beside the basin. Several timing inscriptions were still shining; they went dark together as the trial ended.

Ren released his hold. The last water drained along the channel, leaving droplets against the pale walls. He checked the narrow sections as he took his hands from the cistern. None had cracked, and he knew where a smoother run would save time.

— • —

At the counter, the attendant credited the first-clear reward and returned his plate. Ren checked the sixth platform’s entry once more, then slid the plate back.

"Sixth."

She charged the next attempt and directed him up.

— • —

A wall crossed the sixth platform, with a stone door closed in its center. At the starting mark stood a block with two carrying handles. Beside it, an inscription explained the task and showed the receiving socket beyond the wall.

Place the weight in the receiving socket before the term ends. The seal releases during the shaded interval. Forcing the door ends the attempt. The passage opens at shutdown.

Ren read it before crossing the mark.

The timing ring lit. Gold light spread over the door, admitted by the formation along the platform’s rim. He left the block where it stood and watched.

The light withdrew. As the door fell into shade, it slid sideways into the wall, revealing the socket a short distance beyond. The opening stayed clear for several breaths before the light returned and the stone moved shut.

Ren counted through the next cycle, watching how long the door took to open fully and when it began closing. The interval matched the first. He looked from the block to the socket, judging the distance he would have to carry it.

Part of the timing ring had already faded, but there was enough left for the crossing.

He took both handles and lifted. The weight pulled against his arms; he settled his grip and brought it close enough to carry without catching his knees.

When the shade returned, Ren waited for the door to clear, then walked through. He lowered the block into its socket while the opening was still wide behind him.

The completion mark lit. The timing ring went dark, and the door remained open. Ren stepped back through it and returned to the stair.

— • —

The attendant credited the clear and set his plate on the counter.

Ren left it there while he looked at the Water floor’s repeat reward. The task ended when the basin filled, so a better run would take less time. He could start with a steadier feed and avoid the long correction at the dip.

After another entry charge, though, the return would be modest. He could still improve his handling of the channel, but he had already learned where he was wasting effort. Another attempt could wait; he wanted to inspect the ground beside the princess’s pocket when he got home.

He took the plate and put it away.

— • —

Ren moved aside from the counter and opened his slate. He entered the totals for the visit, including both Fire attempts and the floors he had just cleared.

Merit spent: 1,000.

Merit earned: 2,850.

He checked the entries against the posted rewards, then silently asked the System whether the new exercises had changed his Law comprehension.

[WATER COMPREHENSION: 11.0% → 11.1%.]

Water was the only change. The seal passage had required him to observe its timing and carry the weight; it had given him no deeper understanding of Earth. He remained at Stage Six.

Ren closed the slate. Above the public floors, the upper landing’s ring was still dark.

He turned back to the attendant.

"Someone told me they saw the upper mark respond during an inspection. What does it check?"

She looked up from her slate.

"The entrance mark recognizes lineage. Merit doesn’t qualify you."