Chapter 82: The Ongoing Improvement of the Second-Generation Fighter (Seeking Recommendations and Favorites)

"Alchemy Workshop!" the Count quietly repeated, then sat in silence, gazing steadily at Bowen.

Bowen felt uneasy under his grandfather’s scrutiny, until the Count spoke in a stern tone, "Do you realize how enormous the interests involved are? If this method succeeds, it won’t merely change the market for magical potions—supernatural power will lose control. Ordinary people might wield vast magical strength, and unchecked power will spell disaster!"

"What’s more, the Ioleum family could be forced onto the opposite side of everyone else! Generations of effort would be wasted!"

Bowen understood this well. What he relied on was the thread of memory in his mind; though the details eluded him, he knew the general direction things would take.

New things always replace the old, just as cars replaced carriages, the Jenny spinning machine replaced old spinning wheels, and was itself replaced by more advanced looms.

"Grandfather! The spread of arcane civilization is far more momentous than mere arcane research!" Bowen looked earnestly at the Count, speaking with solemn conviction. "The popularization of magical potions may give more people access to supernatural powers, lowering the status of beginner professionals and causing many issues, but the benefits outweigh them!"

"From Dean Concenio's actions alone, it’s clear that spreading the arcane arts is an inevitable trend. In recent years, the admission rate of commoner students has risen, and the upper echelons of Naether are losing their power to restrain the dean. Universal arcane education cannot be stopped!"

The Count regarded Bowen with surprise, noticing that the young man now stood taller than himself.

Bowen went on, "The alchemy workshop will only sell finished magical potions. The potions made available will be auxiliary—meant to boost productivity among the lower classes and liberate labor, so more resources can be invested in arcane research, allowing arcane civilization to flourish. Attack potions will only be provided to the military."

When Bowen touched upon the military, the Count realized that this plan was almost certainly secured.

As Bowen extolled the virtues of the alchemy workshop, the Count, though aware of Bowen’s embellishments, did not interrupt. He simply listened, nodding occasionally.

After Bowen laid out his entire plan, the Count neither agreed nor opposed it. Instead, he walked over to the half-finished "magical storage device" and began modifying some of its details.

"It’s done!"

Bowen was elated, hastening over to observe his grandfather’s adjustments.

"Do you know the origin of the Mage Tower?" the Count asked.

"Wasn’t the Mage Tower brought over from the elves?" Bowen was puzzled. Dean Concenio’s Mage Tower was the first in Naether, built with elven assistance. With its deterrence, Seventon had flourished ever since.

"Correct, but not entirely. The Mage Tower first appeared among the elves in Maiele. The Maiele towers were once the centers of art and advanced magic on the continent of Faerun. Legend says that during their golden age, there were hundreds of mage towers, each lord famed across the land as a 'Grand Mage.'"

"But the technology to build mage towers was not originally elven—it’s said to involve the race of world creators."

Bowen was momentarily stunned, recalling the Yeager family’s origins. If memory served, the first Mage Towers on Faerun were brought by the Weavers.

The Count continued, "The creator race is but a legend. Today, let’s speak of another—the elves’ supreme magical craft: the 'Mythall.'"

"The Mythall is a masterpiece of high elven magic, woven from magical energy into a living construct. It is a powerful barrier with vast coverage, possessing a rudimentary consciousness and charged by its creators with protecting elven cities or holy sites. They can last hundreds or even thousands of years. The Mythall is designed to safeguard certain beings within its domain and drive others away. It works by infusing a series of spells into the barrier, and each Mythall possesses unique abilities that cannot be described by spells alone."

Bowen’s mouth twitched again. If he remembered correctly, the Mythall technology was also left behind by the Weavers, who were the first 'hackers,' breaking into the weave, linking Mythalls to it, and using its power to establish barriers.

"The Mage Tower’s structure is a simplified version of the Mythall. The dean once tried to derive the complete Mythall structure from the tower’s simple version, but ultimately failed. The academy’s barrier is the product of his experiments."

"The element pool of the Mage Tower is its heart, gathering high-purity magical elements, sufficient to power the whole tower. In emergencies, the tower master can draw on the element pool for overwhelming magical strikes."

The Count waved his hand lightly, and the storage device floated in midair. "If it’s just to supply energy to an arcane garden, there’s no need to connect to the elemental planes. Simply gather the surrounding magical elements and, through this device, release them slowly to nourish the magical plants."

The principle sounded simple—like building a car: an engine, four wheels, a shell, and there you have it.

But in practice it was complicated: nearly a thousand miniature magical arrays had to be inscribed, inside and out.

Absorption, filtration, stabilization, and categorized release involved dozens of fields of study.

Arcane scholars are notoriously obsessive, especially in alchemy. In Naether, apart from Dean Concenio, none could match the Count in alchemical prowess.

With Bowen’s memories from another civilization, he often proposed designs and ideas that dazzled, and their collaboration sparked ever brighter intellectual fireworks.

Bowen now understood what it meant to pursue perfection—to do something, and do it best.

The initial design was quickly discarded, and the half-finished storage device was tossed aside. Bowen realized that high-ranking arcanists were not only formidable in power, but their wealth rivaled nations.

Aurora steel, refined copper, black steel...

A pile of rare materials dazzled Bowen’s eyes!

He had often felt content with himself, but after seeing the Count’s collection, he finally understood what true wealth meant; even dragons might pale in comparison...

During smelting and forging, the Count deliberately slowed his actions for Bowen to observe closely.

Sometimes, Bowen was allowed to inscribe runes himself—stringing glyphs, mounting brackets, and iterating designs.

Gradually, Bowen overcame the embarrassment of mere 'theory.'

In just a few days, his proficiency in alchemy soared as if he had consumed magical fertilizer.

While the two were immersed in their work, Seventon was struck by several attacks of varying scale.

These were retaliatory strikes aimed specifically at noble houses; even a prince was gravely wounded, nearly corrupted into a monster.

This was a direct slap to the Naether royal family. For the first time, the nobles and royals joined forces to purge Seventon of the fallen.

During this period, Hussain’s mood was abysmal, as three more dens of the fallen were discovered during the sweeping search.

He had sworn confidently before, yet only days later, his words were disproved...

(More to come later, shamelessly asking for recommendations!)