Rorschach explained his ideas and requirents, and Professor Poincaré jotted them down in a notebook.
"I’ll have the design ready according to your specifications. As for the ti... it will probably take about a month." The professor rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "However, Rorschach Mage, I also require paynt. Heh heh, not money, of course."
"Please, go on."
"These Elf Totems must be part of a complete system, right? I’d like to translate all of them. It would be even better if I could expand my library of basic units." Poincaré had his eyes on Rorschach’s Elf Totem Book.
It was sothing he’d "swiped" from the Elf Village anyway, so Rorschach gave it to the professor, but not without a reminder, "Professor, it was discovered jointly with the Tower of Forest. They were hoping..."
"In one month’s ti, I’ll return the original to you along with the translated manuscript. How does that sound?"
"Then I’d be incredibly grateful, Professor." ’Is there really such a good deal?’ Rorschach quickly handed it over to Poincaré.
After the young Mage left the research lab, Poincaré opened the Totem Book. Excluding the two that pointed to Divine Spirits, there were thirty-four totems in total. He ordered the Tower Spirit to summon his most capable student.
"Professor, you were looking for ?"
"I have a small task for you. You should be able to finish it within twenty days." In Poincaré’s hand was the Magic Array he had promised to improve for Rorschach; the requirents were all recorded in the small notebook. Now, he tore out that page and handed it to his student as well.
The student didn’t take the materials right away. "Professor, I’m very busy! My thesis defense is just around the corner..."
"Didn’t we just recruit a few new Apprentices? Have them use this project for practice under your guidance. You don’t have to do it yourself, let the newcors handle it."
"Alright."
"Also, starting from the last ten days of the month, inform the Apprentices in the advanced ’Magic - Magic Array’ class that they’ll be doing a professional experint. They will work in pairs, and you’ll schedule two pairs to co to my lab each afternoon to work on the Magic Array translation. Either you or one of the class Apprentices can create a schedule. They’ll have to adjust it themselves if it conflicts with their courses." The materials for the experint were ready. Poincaré stroked the cover of the Elf Totem Book.
"Understood."
The professor thought for a mont, feeling he needed to give the Apprentices so encouragent. "When you notify them, tell them that the Runes for this experintal translation are being publicly revealed for the first ti. If any group discovers sothing particularly valuable, I will personally guide them in writing and publishing a paper."
Overlapping with a mory from three years ago, the professor’s prized student was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu. He forced a smile. "I will make your intentions perfectly clear. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
"Go on."
The lab door closed completely, and the professor sat back down in his chair. He first casually flipped through a few Elf poems before imrsing himself in his own research.
An Airship manufacturer had approached Poincaré, hoping to improve the Protection Array on the surface of their gasbags. The professor picked up an inflatable leather ball as a model, sketching a Magic Circle on it with a charcoal pencil, then filling it in with other geotric units. The schematic for the Magic Array was complete.
The circles drawn on the spherical surface beca smaller and smaller, until so units were just tiny dots. The professor opened the valve to release the air, and the ball beca shriveled, with convex and concave surfaces. He spread out the deflated ball to examine the Magic Array schematic he had just drawn. After observing it for a while, he blew air back into the ball, restoring its near-spherical shape.
Slowly, a conjecture began to form in his mind: Is every simply connected, closed 3-manifold hoomorphic to the 3-sphere?
...
Rorschach couldn’t just wait around for a month. He revised his thesis proposal draft several tis as Kano requested, and he also diligently worked on advancing his own skills in the discipline of Magic Arrays. When Poincaré saw Rorschach in the back row of his advanced "Magic - Magic Array" class, he gave him a nod before starting the lecture.
From then on, Rorschach didn’t miss a single class.
’I can even design them myself now.’ As a practice exercise, Rorschach made a Scroll of [Molten Beam].
This Heat Ray, developed during his trip to the Black Forest, had a higher temperature and was a thinner, more focused beam than the "Fake Dragon Breath" created by simply replacing terms in the [Fireball Skill]. It had both burning and cutting effects, but whether these properties could be preserved after being made into a Magic Scroll remained to be tested.
’I’ll just treat it as howork for myself.’ In the practice room, Rorschach took out the Scroll. But according to his design, it needed to be rolled up, with the Ray released from the tip. He held the tube ford by the rolled-up Scroll, activated it, and a pale-green Ray shot forward, successfully piercing the target.
The parchnt and Alchemy Ink couldn’t handle the overly concentrated Ether and Casting fluctuations. After unrolling the Scroll again, Rorschach saw charred, radial burn marks. So of the ink had exploded, blurring the Magic Array.
’Just like a Magic Wand, but single-use.’ Rorschach had no interest in developing it further. He already knew the Magic himself, and the Scroll’s charging process and energy efficiency were probably inferior to him gathering power and casting it directly.
In Rorschach’s design, the Transmuting Dust would no longer be covered by a Crystal Cover. Instead, he envisioned a straight, cylindrical tower with an inverted Magic Array at the top to transport the Transmuting Dust, spraying it downwards.
The eruption of the Transmuting Dust would be extrely violent, so he needed to slow its movent. He prepared several plans for this, one of which involved using the [Feather Fall Skill] and [Floating Skill] to decelerate and suspend the Transmuting Dust after its Dulling. However, Rorschach didn’t know if this would work, so it was just one of several options.
For this purpose, Rorschach spent a "fortune" to purchase Learning Scrolls for the two Magic spells. At the sa ti, he used his own skills to copy several more, found related notes and predecessors’ Casting experiences for the two spells in the records room, and learned them on his own without the help of his panel.
The [Floating Skill] involved a process of Enchantnt on an object. Currently, the Ether Rorschach had gathered was circulating within the test subject—a charcoal pencil—in a specific pattern, resisting gravity.
Rorschach grabbed the floating charcoal pencil, canceled the Magic’s effect, and then cast the [Feather Fall Skill]. This Magic not only provided a downward Repulsive Force but also made the air around the pencil extrely viscous. Under Rorschach’s [Arcane Vision], the Spiritual Light bestowed by the Ether was not just inside the pencil but also enveloped its entire body.
’Good. The next step is to draw the Magic Arrays for these two spells and convert them into a circular form to be placed on the inner wall of the cylinder.’
...
During this period, Rorschach entered a phase of self-seclusion, spending most of his ti holed up in the Tower of Stars. Every few days, he would go to the research building to report his progress to Kano and test the Magic Array’s effect on the Transmuting Dust.
His only channel to the outside world was reading the newspaper during his lunch break.
"His Highness the Prince personally cut the ribbon for the Shaleanna Mining and tallurgical Factory in the East Suburb. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the first batch of commorative Gold Coins rolled off the production line, distributed as an early dividend to the top fifty major shareholders...
General Manager Mr. Valon stated that in order to completely address public skepticism, the company will organize a thirty-person tour group next month to visit the gold mining site in the Sub-plane. In addition to fifteen shareholders and five reporters, ten spots will be randomly opened to the public in the Valuva region."
The thod for winning a tour spot was simple: purchase a six-pack of "Hercules" purple soda in the Valuva region for a chance to find a golden ticket inside the packaging. The ticket could be redeed for one commorative Gold Coin and a trip to the Sub-plane’s gold mine.
"Clever. They sure know how to play the ga." Rorschach closed the newspaper without any particular feelings. The Sub-plane had nothing to do with him now. He didn’t care what that minister or that young Valon were up to. He ate the last bite of his bread and washed it down with milk.
Suddenly, Rorschach choked, the milk coming up his nose.
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...
The panel! The long-awaited panel had finally updated!
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