Chapter 134: The Startled Elf Elder

Born’s mechanical constructs were exquisite and delicate, perfectly aligning with elven aesthetics and standing in stark contrast to the wild, brutal, and barbaric style of the Imaskari Empire.

Style can be understood as a personal mode of conduct, or perhaps more accurately, a personal path. Tracing the roots, if Born had learned his mechanical construction techniques from Imaskar, the old elf surely would have detected some telltale signs. Yet, there were none, suggesting that Born’s path was the polar opposite of a typical artificer. His bearings, connecting rods, studs, and gears, if stripped of their energy cores and synthetic magic circles, were nearly pure mechanical apparatuses, worlds apart from the construct technology of the Imaskari Empire. Imaskari construction technology was defined by a compulsion to etch magic runes onto every single component, squeezing every ounce of utility out of every material.

"Could it be that Born has obtained the legacy of the 'Clockwork World'?" the old elf pondered in secret. Though he had never visited Mechanus, he had learned of its characteristics through various historical records: an endless world composed of countless gears and machinery. (Clockwork World: Outer Plane, Mechanus, sometimes referred to by the masters as Nirvana.)

As one of the five Creator Races, the humans of Imaskar were the first of their kind to rise, doing so only after the other four Creator Races had begun their decline, finally salvaging some dignity for the Creator Races as a whole. The rise of the Imaskari Empire was steeped in legend; the Artificer King became the hegemon of the Far East in a remarkably short time. It could be said that the Artificer King had established a powerful empire almost entirely through his own efforts. Born even suspected that His Majesty the Emperor was a transmigrator—a stowaway—who possessed advanced mechanical knowledge.

However, that was of little importance. What mattered was that this fellow was the true protagonist; not only did he master powerful mechanical arts, but he later salvaged the heritage left behind by the "Spellweavers" (the kin of Jergal) from the sea. Subsequently, Jergal himself proactively presented the third scroll of the "Scrolls of Aeons," and from then on, the Imaskari Empire soared. Driving "Gundams"—or rather, golems—to wreak havoc across various planes. This was nothing short of the treatment of a Child of Destiny, and Born envied it to no end.

Ever since his "Qi" advanced to the intermediate stage, his application of it had become far more versatile. For instance, when Born coated his eyes with "Qi," his vision became incredibly acute; in his own words, he could even see the texture on a fly's wings. Coupled with the assistance of his chip, Born was now capable of etching magic circles onto a space the size of a gold coin, a feat of engraving that left the old elf full of admiration.

Human control is always subject to error, but machines are not. The same applies to magic circles; unless the circle is damaged, the magical energy will continue to flow exactly as planned.

"This is...?"

The old elf’s expression remained blank, but his pupils contracted violently and uncontrollably. When he saw Born engraving the second piece, he vaguely guessed what the young man was attempting. The small magic circle Born was etching was merely a simple flow diagram for magical energy. Under normal circumstances, such a circle was useless, but in the hands of a "craftsman," it was a skeleton key. Magic boxes locked with magical keys could be synchronously "decoded" using such "coordination" magic circles.

And here, Born was applying this principle of "coordination" to interfere with the concoction of spell potions, replacing manual labor!

The ratio of ingredients was not difficult to manage; the real challenge was the interference of magic on the ingredients, forcing the magical materials within the potion to assemble into the desired configuration. Even the most basic 0-level spell required ten different stages of magical interference. If a single step went wrong in the process, the entire bottle of spell potion would be ruined. Born, however, used the principle of "coordination" via magic circles to preset the required paths, influencing the spell potion in advance. Humans inevitably grow tired over time, and even spellcasters are not truly possessed of infinite energy; even the most focused mage is prone to mistakes. A 0-level spell potion required roughly ten such magical pathways. First, second, third, or even higher-level spell potions required even more complex pathways, with intermediate-level spells and above requiring combinations numbering in the triple digits!

Low-level spellcasters lacked the ability to craft spell potions, while those who could usually found low-level potions of little use. Even when they managed to craft a bottle, it was primarily for their own emergency use. This was precisely why spell potions were so rare—they were life-saving treasures.

But with magic circles, there was no room for error. By injecting magic in a "foolproof" manner, the circles would function automatically, almost entirely eliminating the possibility of failure. If one were to follow Born’s methods, theoretically, as long as there were sufficient raw materials, one could mass-produce 8th or 9th-level spell potions.

A cold sweat broke out on the old elf’s brow.

"Done."

Once the tenth magic circle was engraved, Born installed them into the mechanical slot; this was the production line for 0-level [Fire Bolt] spell potions. Looking at the magical mechanical device before him, Born broke into a smile. Since it was intended for the military, offensive spells were undoubtedly the best choice. Among 0-level spells, fire-based magic offered the greatest damage and was the most frequently used on the battlefield. Most importantly, fire magic possessed a complete progression template. For example, there was the 1st-level [Burning Hands], followed by 2nd-level [Continual Flame], [Scorching Ray], [Flaming Sphere], and later, [Fireball], among many other fire-based spells. Naturally, this was part of Born’s original design; the magical plants selected were also raw materials for fire-based magic.

The processing of the raw materials was simple. After a light cleaning, they were placed into several "cauldrons" according to their type, then connected to a "Magic Storage Device" to introduce magical energy and catalyze the reaction. Born then operated the system from a console-like interface. Beneath the cauldrons were conduits leading to containers etched with magic circles. The mixture flowed into a transparent crystal vial, and through mechanical movement, it passed through ten "coordination" chambers, each etched with its own magic circle. A spell potion, shimmering with magical light, slowly slid out of the mechanical exit.

Born picked it up to inspect it. Not bad—it barely met the standard for quality!

He turned to look at the old elf, only to find the old man’s eyes had lost their focus. He was covered in sweat, his expression flickering between fear and ferocity. Born realized immediately that the old man had been frightened, and he quickly called out, "It’s impossible to synthesize high-level spells with this!"

Hearing Born’s voice, the old elf snapped out of it, realizing he had been caught in a nightmare. He had been so deeply conflicted that he had actually contemplated destroying the machine before him, or even killing Born. The old elf knew better than anyone how dangerous a magical malfunction could be. His own elven race was a prime example of this, to the point where the title of "Faerûn, the One True Land" had become a joke.

However, Born’s words served as a reminder. In his state of agitation, he had reached an extreme; spell potions could not be synthesized simply by piling up these magical flow diagrams. High-level spells truly could not be synthesized this way, and perhaps not even some intermediate spells. The old elf took a deep breath, looking at Born with extreme solemnity, even a hint of wariness in his eyes. He never expected his worldview to be reshaped twice in a single day. This kid was simply too uncanny.

If anyone else had said that, he might have believed them, but coming from Born, he remained skeptical. Others might not be able to do it, but Born probably could. He had seen with his own eyes how Born had "pinched" together a mechanical device for [Fire Bolt] potions with his bare hands, and in less than a minute, a finished potion had emerged. Damn it, one should never underestimate 0-level spells; if the quantity was high enough, even he would have to steer clear.