: This formula seems familiar.

Chapter 39: This formula seems familiar.

"no."

The next five pieces of leather armor didn't drop. It seems the first two drops were just lucky; the actual drop rate isn't high. This is probably a safer bet.

Of the six pieces of leather armor they acquired at great risk, only one was useful, leaving the two specialists unwilling to give up: "None of them? Shall we try another method?"

"If you're still not convinced, then give it a try." Next, Luo Xia set up some sound and light effects to convince the two that the remaining five items were indeed just ordinary leather goods.

"...In summary, the two manuscripts represent a spellcaster's hypothesis and verification of how spells alter the magical properties of the environment during the casting process."

Rorschach didn't reveal the rest of the details about the magical restriction: "The manuscript came from our empire. This summary and Night Owl's notes should be enough to pinpoint the specifics, right?"

The two commissioners couldn't understand what Rorschach was saying, so they could only nod in agreement. After all, it was just a task to complete; they couldn't very well expect the two of them to spend years auditing classes at a magic tower or mage academy to understand everything.

"We're heading back to the Empire. The trading company and embassy personnel will be handling your arrangements from now on."

Rorschach nodded and shook hands with both of them. Their hands were very rough, with calluses on the sides of their fingers, the edges of their palms, and the web between their thumbs and index fingers.

"Take care of yourself."

Following Night Owl's instructions, Rorschach left first. When he passed by the Green Wave Teahouse again, a "Temporarily Closed" sign was already up, and through the window, he could see that some tables and chairs inside had been overturned and smashed.

The sun was obscured by clouds at some point, and the wind of late autumn and early winter was a bit chilly, so Luo Xia wrapped his robe tighter around himself.

The weather was no longer suitable for a boat trip. Rorschach hailed a horse-drawn carriage, painted a bright green that had oxidized and yellowed, but was still fairly clean.

"Go to Stella's Garden." The maze at the entrance to the Tower of Stars is there.

"Sir, hold on tight." The coachman pulled the bell, and after a few jingles, the horse began to move on its own, the reins constantly guiding it toward the garden.

Luo Xia kept looking out the car window the whole way.

The clothing of pedestrians in Valuana is more diverse and colorful than in the capital. Women now often wear black and white fur coats or camel-colored velvet capes, but the lace collars and hems of their skirts are still visible. Men often wear loose coats, tight-fitting trousers, and eye-catching, exaggerated collars.

As we passed the church, a large group of thinly dressed people had gathered at the entrance, surrounding the monks' stall and receiving porridge and a small piece of dark bread. Among them were elderly women leading children, making gestures of prayer and worship towards the monks and the church entrance.

"Seven out of ten thousand... Ha."

After traveling for about half an hour, the carriage reached a section of road that Rorschach was somewhat familiar with, near the Pastoral Avenue. From here, the Starlight Torch Tower could be seen.

So the Starlight Torch Tower and the entrance are this close? The first time I came here, I went back to the Magic Guild, but now, seeing the Starlight Torch Tower, I'm almost at the maze entrance.

"Sir, we've arrived. My car can't get through the iron gate." The wrought iron gate at the garden entrance was closed. Luo Xia paid the fare, got out of the car, and walked inside. The gate creaked open automatically.

The maze... After reaching a fork in the road, Rorschach took out his mage badge. At that moment, the right edge of the badge lit up, and the boy walked down the right path.

And so Rorschach walked through the maze alone and arrived at the entrance.

Hopefully, things won't go wrong like the first time he went in... Fortunately, Luo Xia successfully entered the hall of the Tower of Stars.

……

Although the chief professor's office is on the third floor of the Star Tower, Kano mostly stays around the Starlight Torch Tower unless he's teaching. Now that Rorschach is teaching in his place, he needs to go to the Star Tower even less often.

"Is this building also part of the Magic Tower?" A building at the foot of the Starlight Torch Tower, besides being quite tall, also has the characteristic of having thick and solid walls.

On his first day in the research lab in the latter half of the month, Rorschach followed Kano into the building. The first floor was filled with the sounds of metal clanging and some kind of mechanical roar, while the second and third floors were filled with an indescribable nauseating smell, which only improved on the fourth floor.

"That's right."

Master Cano introduced Rorschach to:

After the Magic Guild proposed building the Starlight Torch Tower for the King as a birthday gift, the generous King granted a large plot of land at the end of the capital's central axis and also urged the city government to build the widest pastoral avenue in the entire city.

The Tower of Starlight is not large in area, but in order not to disappoint His Majesty the King's generosity, a large number of buildings were constructed on the designated plot of land.

"Who knew this place would become so valuable? But Valuwanan people love to follow trends and things that are interesting, and they love to crowd around the tallest landmark in the city."

The area at the foot of the tower became highly sought after, with wealthy merchants and nobles taking pride in owning property nearby. Through the sale and rental of outbuildings, Starry Night and the guild not only covered the costs of this massive project but also secured a steady stream of income.

The current building is the Star Tower's reserved research site.

The king is happy, the Magic Guild and the Tower of Stars are happy, the dwarven builders who took on the project are happy, and the wealthy merchants and nobles who bought properties at the foot of the wonder are happy because they have both prestige and profit. Everyone is happy! Everyone is happy!

Hiss… This tactic seems a bit familiar? The transmigrator's soul shuddered.

"Wonderful sights truly bring prosperity to a nation!" That's right, in a world with magic, creating wonders definitely provides a buff, which makes perfect sense.

Kano was also pleased: "Well said! We're here, let's get started with the group meeting..."

The fireplace was already lit, and the meeting room door let in warmth and a faint fragrance. Several high-backed chairs, each covered with cushions, surrounded a marble table. Cabinets crammed with documents and books lined all four sides, and a presentation board covered in drawings stood beside the fireplace.

The room seemed too comfortable for its function, evidenced by Pascal's drowsy state.

Besides this apprentice who was even older than Rorschach, there was also a girl with a high ponytail who was sitting upright, flipping through documents and occasionally making marks with a quill pen.

"Let me introduce you. Oh Pascal, you've met each other before. This is your senior, Paulina."

"Hello, Rorschach, a first-tier mage."

Paulina nodded and smiled, her lips thin: "I'm glad that Teacher Kano has recruited a new person, Paulina, a third-tier mage, in the same class as apprentice Pascal."

"Pau, you didn't need to emphasize that last sentence," Pascal said, yawning.

Kano asked Paulina to explain the current research project to Rorschach. The group is currently researching teleportation magic that leads directly to the astral plane:

Although spells existed to connect to other subplanes before the Old Empire, the Astral Plane of the Prime Plane alone lacked the proper rituals and spells to reach it. Dwarves once created rockets powered by concentrated phlogiston, but they encountered transmutation dust turbulence after leaving the atmosphere and sacrificed their lives in the pursuit.

"We are isolated from the astral plane by a 'shell' made of transmutation dust. Breaking through it would require an enormous amount of ether flux. This is the result of Master Cano's research."

This means that attempting to cast the research spell would require multiple archmages to work together, and would necessitate rituals and magically potent minerals, or…

"Converting other energies into aether. The theoretical model for the conversion of magic and energy was proposed by an Imperial mage in a paper."

(End of this chapter)