The boost to my Will didn’t have any apparent effects at first. Maybe in some ways I had felt lighter, but the moment I started back up on my latest iteration of aircraft, I could feel it. Imbuing the runes still took effort, but it was also so much easier. It still took careful focus, something I had more than ample practice with. If before I was swinging a pole from the very end, trying my best to control it, now I had a second hand further up the pole to stabilize my grip and control.
It would make a huge difference in a number of fields I had struggled greatly in, like writing smaller runes and more complex structures. I previously had devised a tactic of using interacting clusters for more complex runes, like for adjusting the quadcopter's orientation. Still, it wasn’t a solution to the problem of frequent material burnouts, for which I had adopted a policy of disposable rune slates. Honestly, having to re-rune all complex parts in my projects was the biggest drag on my progress.
Higher Will didn’t just make the work easier; it was also faster and more durable. With the time saved from the faster work, I also had time to begin working on my more ambitious project. A full-scale helicopter. Well, a wooden magic replica of a helicopter, but the bigger craft promised far more stability and ammunition for Callia. The biggest hold-up on large-scale craft was the inherent limitations for fuel. My best mana battery held about 50, but it would steadily drain as the magic inside was used to contain itself.
Nightshade’s flower was the first case of a usable mana battery, but I got the feeling that kind of work was the peak of enchanting skill. Not that the enchanted tattoo she gave me wasn’t incredible, but on a very rudimentary level I had a basic idea of enchanting a person. I just wasn’t confident enough to risk trying on someone without considerably more practice. So for now I had rapidly draining batteries that would last a day at best.
I actually even ended up consulting Master Yoren about the limitations of mana storage, but it was also a problem most rune makers faced. Storing mana was one of the great trivia of the Earthkin lands. Together we looked through the extensive archives of research and found the principal issues in development.
-
Materials were naturally adjusted to residual mana limited by the capacity they originally held. For example, the arm of someone with a mana stat of 50 wouldn’t be able to retain more than 50 mana. Typically it will be even less, as the mana density was distributed through the entire body.
-
Runes designed to retain mana would require more mana to operate the more mana they contained, and a rune collapse could result in unpredictable consequences.
It looked like, from my perspective, that Nightshade had found some means of bypassing the first limitation and could store more than a plant's base capacity. Though the plant in question was likely sacrificed once the mana was accessed. Thus the withered flower in the greenhouse. To me it kind of felt like an issue of trying to store thermal energy but without any insulative materials/conditions.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
I set my book down and bop myself on the forehead. Why pursue a runic solution when my familiar already has one? Here I am assuming it’s some high-level BS, but I’m the person who invented affordable prosthetics! I set off to discuss with Nightshade, but on my way out the door, Mayor Hew intercepts me.
“Callen! Good you’re here! The representative from Baron Grimmark is visiting.” The mayor led me towards the town hall while updating me on the situation. The representative of the baron was here to assess the costs to fully restore the town. Instead of the ruin, he saw a freshly built and thriving village. So instead of checking for emergency aid, he had taken to assessing the new amenities and trade potential for the baron.
The inspector took notice of a number of various ideas I had shared with the townsfolk, and while the relevant merchants had been able to satisfy his curiosity about the products, my name had been mentioned too many times, and the inspector wanted to meet me before he set off for the city tomorrow.
I’m sure my previous life had tainted my expectations for what a noble's representative would look like because instead of some pomp and frilly outfit, he wore what I could only describe as a lawyer in full military gear. He did have the sleek hairstyle of someone who spent too much time grooming, but it was mixed with the hardened face of a spec ops agent. We both sat down after the greeting, and the man wasted no time chatting about the various things he had seen around the town. He was surprisingly personable. Again my expectations were subverted, as I expected some kind of greedy bureaucrat. Though I suppose he was originally here to assess damage and aid requirements, so maybe he was more relaxed because he already had good news to pass on to the baron.
Our conversation was even shorter than I had expected. With the man wishing me well in my future projects after only a few brief questions. From the conversation, the man fully expected some kind of increased interaction between our town and its neighbors in the future. While a short encounter, it filled me with a positive impression. It seemed nobility in this world wasn’t as bad as my previous; at least every interaction I’ve seen or had seems reasonable. From the viscount’s son Reesia had interacted with, and now the representative, I'll have to rethink my prejudices.
Representative Burke
Burke arrived at the gates of Port Town and was immediately pleased with the status of the defenses. If the town was able to properly man its walls, then the inside shouldn’t be too dire. Burke had been sent by his lord with a full convoy of aid intended to help the town get back on its feet, but the moment he was released into the town after his gate inspection, he was stunned.
A town razed by a Hive Worm, with every building burnt to cinders to prevent further incidents. This was not a town that had only a year ago been burnt to a crisp. Everything was too clean, and maybe that's what convinced Burke that the town was newly restored. There was no way any town would be able to restore the wear of time to such a degree. Burke’s convoy parked outside the town proper, and he had them hold onto their goods for now.
An elder who was known as Mayor Hew soon came to greet him, and together he shared the story of their miraculous recovery. All over town Burke saw novelties that even Grimmark City didn’t have. From enchanted poles that called emergency medical services to hero-shaped loaves of bread that looked high enough quality for the baron’s table. Again and again Burke heard mention of one person in particular, the hero who led the reconstruction, who designed the waterways, and who had built an incredible reputation with so many civilians. Burke wanted to meet him. . .
Burke was stiff under the raw and unrestrained presence of the boy. The only way a boy could have such an overwhelming amount of mana was if the boy's stats had been unlocked. This child was a potential champion, and a magic champion at that. Burke scarcely breathed as he stayed as polite and respectful as he could. Pissing off this kid here could bring him all kinds of trouble later. This was the kind of information that had to be urgently reported to the baron for him to make a decision. Though the baron would likely pass the information onto the duke as soon as word reached him.
Burke thanked the boy for his time and sent him on his way before he irritated him for the disruption. Burke wiped sweat from his forehead before turning and glaring at the mayor. However, now was not the time to berate the man who had a good relationship with the boy. Instead, Burke gifted the goods his team had brought to the mayor to distribute as a reward to those who restored the town and hastily organized his team to leave first thing in the morning.