Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

It was a massive artifact defying easy description because it didnʼt seem to follow construction principles modern technology could copy.

An enormous dense sphere of 10 meters in height, formed by millions of threads of purple crystal interwoven in patterns that were simultaneously organic and geometric, like veins in living tissue arranged according to mathematical logic that no natural process could produce.

The crystal threads caught what little light existed in the chamber and transformed it, multiplying it, redistributing it through internal pathways until the entire structure pulsed with soft purple luminescence from within.

It was beautiful.

It was also deeply, fundamentally wrong in ways that Julius couldnʼt articulate but that his instincts screamed about with intensity that made his skin crawl.

The wrongness wasnʼt visual. The artifact looked magnificent, even awe-inspiring. The wrongness was… spiritual… something about the energy it radiated that conflicted with natural patterns Julius had spent his life using and studying. It was like looking at a painting that was technically perfect but depicted something that shouldnʼt exist.

”Itʼs exactly what ancient texts described,” Julius murmured with reverence and with concern about the implications of the discovery. ”Control center for... something. A system that manages aspects of how the ancient civilization operated.”

Not a weapon, not a power source. An information system.

Like the administrative center of a city, where information flowed in from all districts, was processed, and decisions were sent back out. The Brain wasnʼt powerful in the way beasts were powerful, through force and capability. It was powerful the way a nervous system was powerful. Through connection... Understanding of the whole picture when individual parts couldnʼt see beyond their immediate surroundings.

Zhao observed from a slightly more distant position, wings still partially extended in case he needed to react quickly to some threat. ”But can we do anything with it?” he asked with common curiosity, cutting through Juliusʼ reverence. ”Or is it simply an artifact we can see but canʼt use without some of that knowledge lost with that lost civilization?”

It was the question that mattered. Historical significance was interesting for scholars. For the current crisis, only practical utility counted.

Julius had been considering that question since first seeing the Brain. And the answer became clear as he examined the structure more carefully, observing the surrounding platformʼs base.

Even touching the brain cautiously and trying to direct his mana into it, searching for any response, any indication of dormant functionality that could be awakened...

Nothing…

The surface was smooth and cool and completely unresponsive to his attempts. Like pressing against very hard glass, his mana simply slid off without penetrating.

”We canʼt do anything,” he said finally with frustration evident in his voice. ”The activators are missing. The cores that should be placed around the base, possibly to provide energy or the switching-on control, arenʼt here.”

He pointed toward indentations surrounding the Brain in a perfect circular pattern.

Seven spaces. Each one designed specifically to hold objects of the same particular size and shape. Carved with precision that suggested the platform had been built around them rather than the spaces being added afterward.

And all of them were empty.

Dust had accumulated on the surfaces in layers visible even in the dim lighting. Not light dusting but genuine accumulation, the kind that built up over years of undisturbed settling.

Zhao moved closer to examine the indentations more carefully. ”How long have they been empty?” he asked while running his finger along the dust that had settled in visible layers.

”Some years judging by accumulation,” Julius responded after careful analysis. ”Perhaps 2 to 3 years approximately if the sedimentation rate here is comparable to other ruins weʼve studied.”

He gazed at Zhao. Zhao looked back.

Neither needed to say what they were both thinking.

3 years... Roughly coinciding with the period since Dragarion had been crystallized. Roughly coinciding with when the power vacuum had created conditions that certain factions could exploit.

Coincidence was a luxury Julius had stopped believing in years ago.