Mage? Magic Engineer!

Regarding the research into cultivating grain on the Gas Phase Plane, Master Humboldt’s main body would return to the Tower of Forest to formulate a detailed plan. He would also accompany Rorschach and the others on the exploratory expedition.

The Master began assembling the first team to enter the Gas Phase Plane for research. It would take time for his main body to return and for the team to prepare. Now that the two of them were free, they could discuss the matter for which Rorschach was seeking help.

First was the question of whether a purely magical creature could bear offspring.

"This is a technical question, but it also touches upon ethics." Humboldt’s gaze on Rorschach grew sharp. "No matter how much power we wield, we must always hold life in reverence."

"You’ve misunderstood. I’m not some villain building an army of artificial humans to conquer the world." Rorschach had no choice but to tell him about Richard’s "tragic plight."

Humboldt’s reaction was not what Rorschach expected. "Hmm... Since he has already stepped into the realm of a Great Mage with the help of your Axiom Creation and the Spell Cloud, you should remind him to consider another issue. A Great Mage’s body is altered by their Magic Circuits, making it different from an ordinary person’s. And since his physical body was reconstructed with a High Tier Spell, his lifespan will most likely be extremely long.

"We have no precedent for something like this, but speculating on the extreme, it’s very likely his partner will be entering her twilight years while he still looks to be in his prime. Though they don’t have to face it now, they still need to seriously consider whether they can accept such a future."

’Ah, the classic lifespan debate!’

As if recalling something, Master Humboldt’s eyes grew a little dim, yet also gentle. "Of course, if that’s the case, it might be better if the two of them could have children. Even if one of them grows old first, it would be a good thing for them to have a child, and perhaps grandchildren as well...

"When aging is inevitable, watching your own flesh and blood grow up brings a certain comfort. You feel that, in a way, your own life has been passed on.

"Flowers bloom and wither, but it is not a meaningless repetition. The cycle repeats, but it is not an inescapable prison.

"In contrast, pursuing immortality or resurrection is far more dangerous. The Necromancer Masters of the Empire are a cautionary tale."

’Ah, it sounds like Master Humboldt has a story of his own.’ Rorschach didn’t feel it was right to pry into his privacy, so he steered the conversation back to his friend Richard. "So, are you willing to help him?"

"The High Tier Casters in the Tower likely don’t have the resources to research this topic. However, before we get to that, we should first establish the facts. Does your spell recreate that man’s bloodline? We can ask him to cooperate with us to figure that out first."

’So Richard has to come here?’ Rorschach shook his head. "I’m afraid he’s too busy to get away right now. What I can say for sure is that he can’t strictly be considered human anymore. He’s more like a magical creature."

Humboldt then thought of a second path for research. "We could also start by thoroughly studying the process you used to resurrect him.

"Gathering a person’s Soul, reconstructing their body, and bringing them back to life! If such a feat can be replicated, then you would have what it takes to challenge the Death God himself.

"If this procedure can eventually be understood and controlled, and if his parents are still alive, we could even try to perform the physical reconstruction and soul re-implantation all over again. Only this time, we could restore him to a ’human’ body."

The Tower of Forest possessed some Forbidden Techniques of its own, and Humboldt estimated it could be done.

This would circumvent the whole cross-species reproduction issue, even if the two species looked nearly identical.

"There were too many coincidences and unique conditions involved in reviving Richard, so I’m not sure... However, I can share the Axiom Creation spell with you. We can start by analyzing the properties of what it creates. I can also work with you to study the process of how the Tree of Law gathers a Soul and implants it into a body."

For Rorschach, the spell was already registered with the Tree of Law. He could cast it with ease, and most importantly, he utilized the unique property of the Boundary Land to store "prototypes." This was akin to saving a model file that could be retrieved at any time.

For other Casters, however, its status as an Eighth Ring Spell was a barrier in itself. To successfully perform the creation, they would also need a detailed, profound, and systematic understanding of the subject they wished to create.

All told, besides Rorschach himself, only the High Tier Casters of the Tower of Forest had a chance of successfully casting this spell.

That being said, a new Eighth Ring Spell was still extremely valuable. In ancient times, it would have been a secret that a School of Magic would protect at all costs for hundreds of years.

Humboldt nodded and accepted. He and Kou Bo liked dealing with Rorschach because of his style. The young man was always generous; even when asking for help, he always gave them valuable items or knowledge in return, turning every request into what could be called a collaboration.

Having settled one matter, Rorschach felt a bit more at ease, even though a true solution was still a long way off. Next up was analyzing the Elven mask.

Rorschach hadn’t wanted to accept the Elves’ celebratory gift, especially since he was so thoroughly disgusted by those old coots.

When Hill had persuaded him to accept it that night, Rorschach had treated it more like accepting a commission: to uncover the secret behind the mask.

Rorschach probably could have figured it out on his own, or mobilized the other Casters in the Mage Tower to tinker with it using various methods. But since an expert was available, he didn’t want to waste the effort and thought it better to consult him first.

It was like appraising an antique. The scientific approach would be to use brute-force methods like X-rays, carbon-14 dating, or destructive chemical analysis. But an expert on artifacts might only need a single glance to judge its authenticity by experience and determine its era from its style.

This shouldn’t be difficult for the Tower of Forest. Rorschach himself had dabbled in the study of Elven totems, and he had even witnessed the "Players" of Istani. They would wear masks and perform ritual-like dances, which allowed them to channel miraculous powers, as if possessed by a deity.

Rorschach told Humboldt his theory.

"A Player’s mask..." The Master quickly dismissed the idea. "As far as I know, Player masks are almost always made of metal, not wood."

He took the mask from Rorschach. Its shape didn’t seem intended for a person to wear. It was almost perfectly round, rather than contoured to a human face, and the eyeholes were just two small, drilled holes.

After scrutinizing the wood grain and giving it a light sniff, Humboldt first identified the material. "Istani oak."

The front of the mask bore faded painted designs, all oxidized to the point that their original colors were unrecognizable. Humboldt stared at it intently for a long time, a sense of familiarity nagging at him.

Seeing the Master’s focus turn to the design, Rorschach couldn’t help but chime in. "I’ve already looked at the pattern. There are no effective Magic Circuits. It seems to be purely decorative..."

"I’ve figured it out!" Humboldt paid no mind to the layman’s comment.

He had latched onto that sense of familiarity, connecting it to his existing knowledge. Humboldt summoned his long Magic Staff, whispered a soft incantation, and cast a spell Rorschach had never seen before.

The Magic Power seemed to combine with a different kind of energy, one that was being drawn out of the Black Forest, teeming with Vitality.

A pale green phantom appeared, gradually solidifying enough for Rorschach to make out its crude facial features.

"It’s Summon the Spirit of Nature. It’s formed by coalescing the Vitality of the forest. You can also have it possess a tree to create a tree spirit that can move for a short time. It’s a Small Spell inherited from the Druids; most Mages here know it, but its uses and power are very limited. I’d almost forgotten about it."

When he finished, Humboldt pointed his Magic Staff at the summoned entity’s face with one hand and held up the mask with the other. "Looks pretty similar, wouldn’t you say?"

"Not similar," Rorschach corrected him. "They’re exactly the same."