The Mysterious Baron

Chapter 40 The Mysterious Baron

"This is a printed copy of the paper." Kano carefully picked up the worn-out booklet. Seeing how carefully his advisor handled it, and given that the paper was already somewhat tattered, Rorschach examined it with extra care.

"Energy Movement and Its Principles in Magic Fields" by Baron Wilhelm van Leipzig.

These days, there are no unified publications for publishing academic papers; people usually print and publish their own pamphlets.

Rorschach first read the abstract. The author believed that when the concentration of magic in the environment is less than a certain limit and the density of other energy is greater than a certain limit, energy will tend to be converted into magic.

The author proposes a transformation approach: continuously inputting real-world energy into a very small area and continuously consuming or exporting magical energy might achieve the conversion of energy into magical energy.

"This paper has been published for almost ten years, but it has never been taken seriously. After all, we have always believed that only ether can transform into other elements and energy."

Rorschach focused on the experiment verifying the principle: the author spent a lot of money to obtain three grams of high-purity mithril—a metal that is resistant to high temperatures and sensitive to magic. One end was inserted into a 1100-degree furnace, and the other end was connected to the loop of the [Radiance] spell reel.

In the paper, the authors claimed that the scroll was successfully excited. Rorschach was somewhat skeptical: "Was the experiment successfully reproduced?"

"We've switched to a different energy source. We've been bombarding the silver ingot with the mid-level spell 'Chain Lightning,' and we've detected trace amounts of ether." Paulina handed over a diagram of the device.

"Use only silver, not mithril. But obtaining electricity through magic doesn't seem very reliable. It would be best to produce electricity through strictly non-magical means."

"So this raises a new issue: we need better power generation and discharge devices. The refining department has sent us several prototype blueprints, and we are currently looking for the most efficient one."

This is to create a prerequisite project for the original project, and then create a prerequisite project for the prerequisite project.

Fortunately, both of the preliminary projects have great application value.

"We deduced from his name that this Baron William was from the Empire, but we couldn't find him among the Imperial nobles. And this booklet soon stopped circulating; even the magic guilds that spanned the continent only managed to collect three copies," Kano recalled.

Either the booklet itself wasn't printed in large quantities, or the Empire realized the value of the paper and implemented control over it before most mages did.

Perhaps both factors are involved.

Pascal opened the paper bag; inside were numerous mechanical blueprints. "We're mages! Why does the Alchemy Department give us the work of fiddling with machines? Do they think we're dwarves?"

Brother, how did you become a mage? There's only one apprentice among us, but Rorschach didn't say it aloud.

Paulina: "The Alchemy Department's point is that none of the existing steam engines on the market can meet our requirements. If we were to build all these prototypes, the budget would be exceeded, so they let us choose for ourselves."

"Shifting blame! If what they produce still doesn't meet the requirements, they'll just say: 'You chose it yourselves.'" Pascal tapped the table.

To Rorschach's surprise, the dwarves had already invented the generator rotor technology in the Old Empire. Ferromagnetic materials were considered sacred by the dwarves, and during a sacrifice to the first dwarven king, they discovered: this thing can generate electricity!

The document includes an illustration: dwarves circling a Tesla-like device, singing and dancing amidst the electric light. Perhaps the illustrator's skill was limited, as the dwarves are drawn more like goblins.

These guys... these dwarves are risking their lives to perform shamanistic rituals! Rorschach was also filled with emotion when he looked at the information.

As for the numerous steam engine prototype blueprints submitted by the Alchemy Department, Rorschach took them and perused them. The Alchemy Department was a delicate component of the magic guilds and magic towers, subtly positioned at the bottom of the mage hierarchy: You're going to study alchemy? Are you really poor, or are your spellcasting skills lacking?

However, the Alchemy Department is an indispensable part of the organization. It is not only the institution that maintains the operation of magical facilities, but also produces alchemy potions and scrolls on a large scale. It is an important cash cow for the magic guild—they may not be able to turn lead into gold, but they are definitely making money!

The guy in the Alchemy Department, who was already working in a dark and dreary environment crafting magical artifacts, suddenly received a task from the chief professor: to create a steam engine even more advanced than the dwarven power furnace, with funding to be allocated based on the results.

The guys were furious! After working themselves to the bone for days and nights, the average hair volume per person in Valuwana successfully decreased by a fraction of a percent, only to receive a blueprint from Rorschach that looked obviously unreliable.

Why is this boiler so oddly shaped? Can it even be made? Engraving a magic circle to keep it warm is a good idea. Rorschach discovered that the guys in the Alchemy Department are all great inventors, but they're just "inventors."

"I'd like to take a look at the Alchemy Department," Rorschach suggested. After thinking for a moment, Kano nodded in agreement: "Sure, but absolutely do not express any opinion or give in regarding their current proposal."

The Alchemy Department isn't like the Kars Academy, full of lunatics who spend their days throwing bombs and digging up mountains. Of course, the guys there might not be the most mentally sound.

The man who greeted Rorschach was of an uncertain age, appearing to be either thirty, forty, or fifty. He seemed somewhat unremarkable, with only his deep dark circles under his eyes making him stand out: "Snow, head of the Alchemy Department, a second-tier mage."

"Rorschach, nice to meet you." Rorschach saw the other man's sparse, dry golden hair, which was swaying wildly in the air currents of the machine.

"The first to third floors are our alchemy potion production lines. Master Rorschach, you are still young and don't have children yet, so I suggest you don't go to the second floor. The machines on the first floor are our packaging workshop; we've put a lot of effort into ensuring the potions' effectiveness."

Why produce it here?

Master Snow produced a delicate purple potion; the liquid inside the glass bottle was a slightly viscous, oily substance. "This is our exclusive product. To maintain secrecy, we're keeping it under our noses for now, which is also convenient for us."

With that, Snow pulled out the stopper, tilted his head back, and drank it down. His features seemed to contort in pain, but when they relaxed again, he was radiant. "For personal use. Need one? Energy potion, pure herbs, and with that Valuwana man's favorite effect."

"Thanks, I've had some extra energy lately." Luo Xia remembered the warning not to go to the second floor, so it must be some kind of deadly poison, right? Why can it still claim to have that kind of effect?

"Youth is the most precious treasure, Master Rorschach!" Snow patted the boy's shoulder solemnly, finally getting to the point.

The magic device workshop and blank scroll production workshop, both belonging to the magic guild, are located on the banks of the Seine River, using the power of the flowing water to drive the machinery in the workshops. Once the plan is finalized here, the blueprints can be sent to the workshop for trial production.

"The dwarven boiler and the power furnace are both very good, very good." Snow rubbed his hands together. "But I think our alchemy department's design is also quite good, as long as you finalize it from the twelve options."

"I'm sorry, Master Snow, I don't have the authority to make that decision." Rorschach and Snow walked to the design room of the Alchemy Department, where several guys were bent over drawing and fiddling with slide rules.

On the central table were hundreds of parts, each labeled and emitting the smell of metal and animal fat, reminding Luo Xia of the fitter workshop during his metalworking internship in his previous life.

"The dwarven power plant, three thousand golden Kings. It's a pity that once it's taken apart, it can't be put back together in one go." Snow scratched his head, perhaps soon he would run out of hair to scratch, and drank another energy potion.

The experiment took longer than expected, and I apologize for the late submission due to a lack of prepared drafts.

(End of this chapter)