LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 345
The invention of an unnamed dwarf stunned the dwarves immensely.
“Whoa… It really works. Just mixing bronze with silver and some reagents leads to this level of improvement…”
A huge flame blazed at the end of the simple structure of the magical circuit.
To produce this level of flame using an existing magical circuit, one would need a mana stone of considerable size and quality, but now it was possible with a stone less than half that size.
“This… can be called a revolution in magical circuits.”
The dwarf said this and continued to watch the blazing flame with a smile, as the flickering blaze gradually diminished and finally extinguished after a long time.
The magical power imbued in the mana stone, the power source, had run out.
“If a small mana stone can sustain this level of flame for such a long time… the commercial use of the mana furnace we discarded due to cost issues might be possible.”
The dwarf smiled. A hot flame made purely of magical power. If he could create a mana furnace using that flame—one that could melt metals that could not be melted by existing flames—he could achieve the dream of the Dwarf Grandmaster.
“Before that, I need to invent a mana furnace using the improved magical circuit and file for a patent.”
It was certain that other dwarves were having the same thought. Improvements to the furnace and smelter could bring great glory in itself.
Only the fastest dwarf would be able to claim that glory.
Thus, there was no time to hesitate.
“I have to hurry…!”
With that, the dwarf rushed to prepare the documents and simultaneously replaced the mana stone fitted in the experimental magical circuit, reigniting a new flame to start collecting experimental data.
Faster than anyone else, he aimed to complete an invention using the new magical circuit.
When he finally went to meet the Dwarf Grandmaster with the newly created mana furnace, he was disheartened by the proclamation that they wouldn’t register items that only replaced the magical circuit in existing inventions.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The new magical circuit brought a huge shock to the society of dwarves.
The fact that by adding a bit of reagent to a silver and bronze alloy, they could create a new magical circuit that delivered nearly double the efficiency of pure silver… was something unimaginable to dwarves who were obsessed with metals.
In reality, he had only introduced the cheapest materials with the lowest efficiency suitable for magical circuits… but hey, any good news is good, right?
Thus, the dwarves began making various items using the improved magical circuit.
Great. Just as planned.
Among the items the dwarves made, those that injected magical power through mana stones faced severe limitations due to the mana stone as fuel.
To achieve high output, they needed to use large and high-quality mana stones, which were rare and expensive.
This was a stark contrast to the wizard’s scrolls, which were made by grinding small mana stones and mixing them into ink.
But with this new magical circuit, one with more than double efficiency! It could replace scrolls that were disposable!
Sure, it might be a little more expensive than the scrolls, but they could keep using it with proper maintenance and occasional mana stone replacements! Scrolls couldn’t shake off their “one-time use” flaw no matter what!
If the items made by the dwarves began to eat up the market share previously held by scrolls… the snobbish fools in Procyon, who had grown complacent with their wealth, would be in for quite a wake-up call.
Plus, since they slightly raised the purchase price of mana stones… well, the pricing hike might seem trivial to Procyon, but the game changes drastically once dwarven products start taking their slice of the pie.
In a situation where a powerful rival in the form of dwarven enchanted items arose, if the price boost that was seen as a minor issue started becoming a thorn in their side… that would certainly be entertaining.
Of course, Procyon would have no idea that all of this was part of my plan. No one but High Priest of Life would know.
I’ve even twisted the order just a bit to make it more incomprehensible.
Self. How will Procyon endure this attack? No, can they even endure it?
I don’t know. I wonder if anyone can withstand the act of cutting off their financial supply.
If they end up squeezing with a bit of pressure, I’ll just stretch out my hand at that point, impose various regulations, and loosen their chokehold a little.
What? I’m not that harsh a god. I just won’t interfere as long as they keep their promises.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
That’s what I thought.
“Wow… ruthless bastards…”
In some sense, Procyon surpassed my imagination.
Due to the dwarven enchanted items, Procyon’s main source of income from scroll sales halved.
Compared to the expensive and quite burdensome one-time-use scrolls, the dwarven enchanted tools were far superior, even if they cost slightly more provided they could be used repeatedly with just mana stone replacements.
Among them, the dwarven igniter… commonly referred to as a lighter became an essential item for adventurers camping out, and its usefulness spread among the populace, achieving the goal of one lighter per household.
Well, lighting a fire and maintaining it has got to be a hassle. Why not use something that ignites at the click of a button?
Not like you’re a wizard.
Additionally, there were also purification pouches that turned any water into clean water and mana freezers that made it easy to preserve meat or fish by cooling down the temperature inside a box.
The dwarven created items started being sold at even cheaper prices than before the improvement of the magical circuit.
This was only natural since they had resolved the biggest issue of a stable supply of mana stones.
Anyway, with dwarven items flying off the shelves, Procyon started to feel the pinch…
Hmm. Hmmm… I’m questioning the validity of this, but…
Under the pretext of providing practical experience to the wizards, they started sending adventurers to do the work.
Wait, is this really okay? Wizards? Thanks to Sia’s book, there are more numbers, but isn’t it the case that even noble families have only one or two wizards as retainers?
Sending such wizards out as adventurers… what on earth is Procyon thinking?
No matter how tight their finances were, to send wizards as adventurers… it was something truly beyond imagination.
Of course, it was no secret that a wizard’s magic was powerful.
With the simplest attack spell, magic bolt, they could easily hit a monster’s weak spot and deal a fatal blow.
Even if it wasn’t a weak spot, injuring it wasn’t difficult either.
And if they trained enough to imbue properties into their magic bolts, that would be another level of power altogether.
The destructive power of a physical property-infused magic bolt was dangerous even if it didn’t hit the weak spot.
Ahem. Anyway, Procyon was showing signs of trying to cover up the financial losses by sending its affiliated wizards out to work as adventurers.
The ones being sent out were those who had just recently obtained wizard qualifications in Procyon. They didn’t possess standout talents or massive backgrounds; they were merely rookies who had managed to become wizards through mediocre skills.
They were forced to become such adventurers.
After learning basic magic that was helpful in battle and undergoing some training, they were supplied with the Basic Theory of Magic by Cientia and another book of their choice from a specific magical system, relying on a staff to wander as adventurer wizards for five years.
With basic magic, a bit of training, and two books in hand, these wandering adventurer wizards had to fulfill their contract of sending half of their monthly earnings back to Procyon.
These adventurer wizards, shackled by that contract, were derogatorily referred to as Slave Mages by Procyon’s wizards.
Uh. Um… This feels oddly familiar… Dangerous, despised, with poor gear and training, and only those without remarkable talents or backgrounds couldn’t escape… Ugh…
It’s just like… a military, isn’t it?
Who came up with such a cruel system!!! Not human!!!
I could only cover my eyes with my hands, observing the concentrated malice of humanity.