After building the experintal apparatus, Rorschach made a few more improvents and obtained so interesting results.
The day of his project proposal defense arrived.
"Don’t be nervous. Our goal is to secure more funding, so don’t worry about passing or failing. For my sake, no one will give you a hard ti." Kano patted Rorschach’s shoulder before they entered the eting Room.
A warmth spread through Rorschach’s heart. "Yes, Professor." ’What a model ntor.’
This proposal defense was a bit different from the process in his previous life. Because Rorschach was now a Middle Level Mage, the main focus was on securing independent funding, so it was more like applying for the "Magic Guild Holy Kingdom Branch Magic Research Fund."
Fortunately, Mages were few, so the competition wasn’t too fierce. Many Mages with patrons among the rchants and Nobility disdained accepting unsolicited advice from their peers or "bending the knee for a Five-Livre Silver Coin," and had no need for the Guild’s sponsored funding at all.
Five Mages sat on the evaluation panel. Rorschach bowed to them in greeting. So smiled and nodded, while others remained unmoved, staring coldly at the materials prepared beforehand. Among them was a familiar face: Yina winked at him.
The woman seated in the center, who appeared to be leading the panel, was another female Mage. "Alright, you may begin."
First was a presentation lasting a quarter of an hour. Rorschach had wanted to use a slide presentation, but unfortunately, the available hardware didn’t permit it. He could only take diagrams drawn on cardboard out of his Storage Ring, stick them to the presentation board with magnets, and supplent his explanation by writing on the board itself.
"Currently, Magic research and its applications are trending toward larger scales and greater complexity. Simply gathering and utilizing the Ether from the Main Plane’s environnt is gradually becoming insufficient to et the growing operational demands for Magic and the real-world production needs involving alchemy technology.
"These new forms of Magic, new technologies, and new circumstances demand higher energy density and quantity from our input Ether. In previous research conducted by Master Kano’s team, an Ether conversion device powered by a Steam Engine was developed to support large-scale, cross-planar Teleportation Magic, as well as Teleportation Magic to the Star Realm. This provided an initial solution to the problems of poor sustainability and low power output when Ether is gathered by an individual.
"During the design and exploration of the Main Plane-Star Realm Teleportation Array, Professor Lionel Kano’s research group discovered a thod to collect Transmuting Dust from the edge of the Star Realm. Building upon this technology, our group is seeking to develop a way to utilize this Transmuting Dust.
"Transmuting Dust has several key characteristics: an extrely high density of Ethereal energy, contamination with an unknown Divine Power, and instability on the Main Plane, where it releases energy and decays. While this makes it inherently dangerous, the imnse energy it contains gives it exceptionally broad potential applications. If a safe and stable thod of energy collection can be found, it will allow us to obtain a more powerful source of Ethereal energy, one that does not depend on individual Great Mages.
"An increase in the scale and density of energy input will further enhance the complexity of new Magic and promote the wider application of alchemy technology..."
Rorschach spoke with great enthusiasm, following Kano’s instructions to sell the dream. He hyped up the technology as if it were a Strength Pill, a panacea that could bring about world peace.
’Actually, Rorschach didn’t think it was an exaggeration. In his previous life, the industrial revolution was primarily an energy revolution. Every small improvent in the thods and efficiency of energy use led to a great leap forward in society’s overall productivity.’
’Even if he couldn’t currently rig up sothing as heaven-defying as a Mystic Energy Core—a perpetual motion machine that leached power from the very source of the magic web for free—if he could really develop a device that converted Transmuting Dust into Ether, it would be no different from striking oil.’
After presenting his research thodology and planned schedule, Rorschach concluded his speech. He then noticed that, for so reason, two of the old n on the panel seed to have been hypnotized by him. Their heads were bowed as if reading the docunts, but they hadn’t moved in ages.
Next ca the grilling session from the five seated instructors. ’It’s a defense, which ans you answer, not debate,’ Rorschach reminded himself. ’If you really want to have a debate with the instructors, they won’t mind inviting you for an overti session.’
"You claim this research will provide Ethereal Magic Power more concentrated and abundant than a Great Mage can supply, but I don’t see much potential for miniaturizing this technology. If a Mage can’t carry it around with them, won’t its significance be greatly diminished? Or can it only be constructed in specific locations, like a Magic Tower, to serve as a Magic Power Source?"
’This Mage’s thinking is still limited to personal use and Casting. He doesn’t see the current trend of alchemy technology spreading into large-scale industrial production, nor the growing demand for Ethereum Sources.’ Rorschach could only shake his head inwardly, but he maintained a reserved and humble smile.
"Regarding your point on miniaturization and portability, as I ntioned when introducing our technical approach, our second line of research is to obtain a more stable and safer form of Transmuting Dust. If we succeed, it could beco an excellent Casting Material, capable of powering even more formidable Magic."
"Very well." The questioner accepted Rorschach’s answer.
A Mage wearing a woolen wig set down his docunts. "Master Kano has great confidence in your ability to complete this project, but I must ask: Transmuting Dust is an extrely unstable and dangerous substance that causes mutations. How can you guarantee its safety during developnt and use?"
"According to our research and existing records, the main reason Transmuting Dust causes mutations in physical matter is the complex and varied Divine Power contained within it. This is also why so scholars have speculated that it originates from shattered Divine Kingdoms in the Star Realm."
Rorschach had anticipated this question. For the demonstration, he took out a round buckler of moderate size, mainly to display the Protective Array inscribed upon it. "During our investigation of so Elf Ruins, we discovered a fairly potent Guardian Spell. Based on this, we developed a Protective Array designed to constrain and defend against Divine Power."
As he spoke, Rorschach activated the circuits on the buckler, causing them to coalesce into a blue fluorescent glow.
"It can resist Divine Power?" All the Mages seized upon the key point. "Rorschach Mage, can you guarantee that?"
"We have already tested it with Transmuting Dust. As long as the circuit remains undamaged and the Ether supply is maintained, it can indeed resist the chaotic radiation of Divine Power. As for an attack using a Divine Art... I haven’t had a chance to test it against a Divine Benefactor from the Church of Light and Order yet."
His words instantly filled the room with a cheerful atmosphere. One Mage even comnted that the attacks of those charlatans could be blocked with a simple First-Ring Shield Skill, only to be corrected by a colleague: "To be safe, you’d better wear a thick coat, too."
"Ahem." Mage Yina cut off the digression. She was very interested in the Shield, having already recognized that the prototype for the Protective Array ca from a Divine Art of Deryats. "May we test it?"
"It works quite well against spells that take an Energy Form. You may attack the shield directly."
Mage Yina raised a hand and crushed a crystal vial. Seven silver points of starlight coalesced and began to spin above her head, as if she were wearing a crown made of stars. Even in the bright daylight of the room, the starlight was dazzlingly brilliant and sharp.
"Mage Yina, is that spell really necessary? If there’s an accident..." The spell startled the other Mages on the panel. They’d heard the two had visited a Sub-plane together. ’Do they have so kind of feud?’ they wondered.
"It’s fine," Yina and Rorschach replied simultaneously.
The star-shaped points of light spun toward Rorschach. He raised the shield to block them, and blue motes of light flowed and rippled across its surface, successfully absorbing all seven points of light with only a minor flash.
Each ti a star of light struck, the blue motes dimd slightly, but they were quickly restored by Rorschach’s continuous input of energy.
As expected, for Mages, a live demonstration was far more convincing than any amount of talk about text and diagrams. "A Tier Seven Crown of Stars, and he blocked all of it!"
Normally, the burst of starlight would have caused penetrating light burns, but this ti, both the shield and its wielder, Rorschach, were completely unhard. The other Mages nodded, acknowledging the result.
"What is the core of the Magic Array?"
"How much Ether was consud during that defense?"
"Is there a corresponding spell? Does it require Casting Materials?"
"Can it be fixed onto objects? Can the coverage area be expanded?"
...
What Rorschach hadn’t expected was that all the subsequent questions revolved around the Blue Light Shield. The Mage in the wig even expressed his hope that Rorschach would publish a separate paper on this Magic Array for the Guild, adding that he would welco an in-depth discussion about it.
The review panel still had a brief eting to hold after the defense, so Rorschach excused himself and left first.
When Kano saw Rorschach, he imdiately asked, "How did it go?"
"I feel like they completely missed the point," Rorschach said, looking utterly dejected.
"How could that be? I personally looked over everything! You didn’t go off-script, did you? If you stuck to the presentation, there shouldn’t have been any issues. You should have been able to handle the questions, so how could..."
"I’m not the one who missed the point!"
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