Chapter 397: 397 Write Once, Read Anytime, Delete Never

Chapter 397 Write Once, Read Anytime, Delete Never

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A/N: Happy 2024 to everyone! Once again, sorry for the irregular upload schedule. Rest assured, I AM NOT DROPPING THIS NOVEL. It's just that transit is a bit of a bitch, and some minor personal issues seem to take away most of my free time. But fret now, I am trying to figure out a solution very soon.

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While the entire Sect indulged in the strenuous lessons on combat, Shuri was holed up in a secluded corner of the Sect working on an elaborate project.

It all started out as a faint idea - the concept of combining digital signals to build data. Binary could be used to represent nearly anything. Having a physical way to represent this binary data, and being able to read and write it would essentially create the data storage system she needed. She had to wrack her brain for days to figure out a valid plan of attack.

First, she limited her search to topics familiar to her, which was mostly Automagy. Programming mana cores was in her wheelhouse, but she could not imagine a program that could be used as a dense data storage device with read-write capabilities. She harkened to the idea of the modular spellcasting device - the Magi-Core - she built for Yohn. The data contained had to be hard-coded into the core. Furthermore, the modular spells built by reorienting the device would reset once the spell was cast. There was no inherent way to build in information storage in Automagy as once the core was deactivated, it would reset. Even golems, considered to be the pinnacle of Automagic application, perform a set or preprogrammed series of tasks repeatedly - even the most advanced ones have a limited range of tasks they can accomplish.

Therefore, she took a step back and explored all adjacent topics, of which Enchanting appeared to be the closest. Enchanting offered an avenue. Jean knew that mages could engrave messages, audio or video, inside mana gems. They could edit the messages as well, which meant that reading and writing were possible. Furthermore, it was possible to ensure that even if the mana gem isn't constantly powered with mana, it wouldn't lose the data within.

Shuri could have stopped there, but she decided to dig deeper. Shuri was patient. It was one of her most endearing traits. It was also the reason why she survived for so long in the Palace. Although the Sect had corroded a large portion of her patience, it was still engraved into her bones. In total, she had spent five days brainstorming for solutions. She figured wasting another day wouldn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things.

Through sheer coincidence, Shuri stumbled upon a book about Ritual Formations in the Library. It was just lying in the middle of the desk there, and she decided to place it back on its shelf. On the way there, she perused through its contents, as she hadn't read this one before. Due to her eidetic memory, even a brief read could engrave the contents into her brain. And it did. By the time she reached the shelf, she had finished it cover to cover, but she did not place the book in its place just yet as another idea struck her.

She quickly rushed back to the desk and pulled out a large roll of parchment and her writing utensil. Then, her hand flourished over the blank page, filling it up with intricate diagrams as the convoluted thoughts in her mind started to imprint themselves on it. Ritual formations, mana gems, and mana cores are all similar in the way they work but have different application cases. They can all be used to cast a spell, however, a ritual formation is used to cast it over a region of space, a mana gem is used to cast it through an object it is embedded inside, and a mana core is used to cast it with an additional layer of logic in place. However since their basic idea is similar, Shuri realised that it could be possible to merge the three systems together.

It was like a fever dream, as an indecipherable (except maybe by Shuri herself) mess filled up the blank canvas. It was a large ritual formation to constantly supply a stream of mana to power the system, with mana gems to handle the data storage, and mana cores to handle the logic such as with reading and writing data.

"Just like a human brain," Shuri said out loud. Her eyes sparkled with manic excitement, as her hands itched to get started. She could feel that this would be her magnum opus - her greatest work yet. Looking at the design one last time, Shuri realised that maybe it and she had a lot in common. They were both perfect recollectors. "Though you will be able to forget anything in your memory, while I have to live with it for the rest of my life."

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"Congratulations, ..., it's a healthy Prince-!"

"Y-Yor!".

Blood. Blood everywhere.

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Shuri awoke with a start, drowning in a cold sweat. She leapt out of her bed and immediately collapsed on her knees. Her breathing was heavy and staggered - she was having a panic attack. She quickly crawled towards her table and pulled the pot filled with drinking water towards her mouth, taking in a few small sips. The steady swallowing of water helped her pace her breaths until eventually the attack passed and she lay on her back on the floor.

Many memories were floating around in Shuri's mental fortress. A few were good, most were bad, and a small handful were so horrible that she wished there was a way to forget them. But her curse was such, that she just couldn't. No matter how hard she tried to keep those memories buried, they would eventually burst out. And the harder she tried to suppress them, the greater their impact when they finally resurfaced.

Amongst all the memories, there was a single one that Shuri would love nothing more than to forget. If she could sacrifice everything just to not have to relive that memory, she would do it in a heartbeat. It all started from there, after all - all of her suffering stemmed from that singular day.

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"Maybe it's just gas?" Jean theorised.

"I know what that pain feels like. Trust me, it wasn't that," Shuri retorted with an embarrassed blush.

"Well, if the problem isn't physical, then it has to either be mental or magical," Jean orated. "Have you been feeling anything different lately?"

"That's a vague question," Shuri stated.

"Anything out of the norm. Anything depressing, anxiety-inducing or just painful?" Jean continued.

'Yes, yes and yes,' Shuri answered internally, but her lips just said, "Nothing of the sort."

"I'd have to run some tests to get to the bottom of this," Jean explained.

"I don't have time for that," Shuri rejected before standing to leave. "Thank you for squeezing me into your busy schedule," she said while leaving the clinic.

"I still think it is wise to identify the cause of the pain lest it become worse," Jean warned, but Shuri was already beyond listening range.

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"Put it on him! Now!"

"This is the only way to save him. The executor of my revenge must endure at all costs!"

Blood. Blood everywhere.

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It was time, Shuri could feel it in her guts. Eight weeks had passed since her visit to the clinic. While she was nearly finished with her project, her pain walked the inverse path and ballooned to a point where every morning left her partially immobilised for half an hour until it passed.

Shuri left her room later than usual, as the time to recover from the inhuman pain had ballooned significantly as well. She completed her daily routine and arrived at her clearing, which looked much different from how it had started. An elaborate ritual was splattered across the ground, with orichalcum plates with rows of small mana gems embedded on them placed strategically at different locations. At certain nexuses, one could see programmed mana cores, pulsing periodically performing a hitherto unknown task. The scale of the project was massive, spanning an area of twenty-five square metres. Needless to say, it was an expensive endeavour, one which had to be completed in a painstakingly slow yet methodical process. Material shortages were the norm and denied requisition requests were frequent. But Shuri endured, and her masterpiece was finally taking shape.

However, today, an unexpected guest was awaiting Shuri at the location.

"Senior Sister Jean! W-What brings you here today?" Shuri greeted, though with a faint quiver in her lips. Her Senior Sister was the defacto boogeyman of the Sect. Everyone was afraid of her, second only to Matron Reva. Admittedly, Senior Sister Jean was a good human, a gem of a person, a gentle soul. But Physician Jean was a demon. She was unforgiving and meted out punishment for health violations without prejudice. Even the Sect Leader wasn't safe, the man had to apologise publicly for affecting the health of the entire Sect after they had one too many parties with cake involved.

There was an easy way to differentiate between Senior Sister and Physician Jean, and that was by virtue of her attire. Physician Jean always wore luminescent green latex gloves. And the person standing before her was wearing them.

"Did you think I would forget?" Physician Jean said with a steely voice. "I heard from a little bird that your pain has grown more severe. I waited for you at the clinic for a while now, yet you never came. It seems that someone has lost their sense of self-preservation and need to be taught it all over again."

"W-Wait-" was all Shuri could say before Physician Jean disappeared from her place and appeared before her. "Now, sit! Let me inspect you."

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