Mage? Magic Engineer!

’Is this "Me and My Nature Friend"?’ The Wooden Mask had such a simple design that Rorschach had assumed it was due to poor craftsmanship from ancient times. He’d misunderstood the Elves. ’So this is what it’s supposed to look like!’

Two eyes and a mouth, all perfect circles set within a round face, possessed an artless beauty.

It seemed to have some degree of independent consciousness. The two dots that could barely be called eyes glanced askew at the Wooden Mask.

"Regarding how to use the mask... I have a theory I can test immediately." Humboldt dispelled his original spell. The Energy Body known as the Spirit of Nature instantly collapsed. But before it could completely dissipate, the Master began to knead the air, much like working dough.

His hands gestured in the air as the simple Wooden Mask floated before him. He continued to murmur an incantation.

The Casting process was much longer this time. Although Rorschach didn’t understand the summoning spell, he could discern the workings of Magic Power and Heterogeneous Energy, so he knew Humboldt was making repeated attempts.

Gradually, a pale green ball of light began to gather and adhere to the mask.

"It’s done."

It was still the Spirit of Nature, but this time its face was replaced by the mask.

"So it’s just a tool to assist with Casting?" Rorschach was a little disappointed. He made a quick assessment and found the Spirit of Nature’s energy density to be very low. Seeing its less-than-intelligent appearance, it was just as Humboldt had said: a spell of little use.

But Humboldt shook his head. "Not entirely. Master Rorschach, you may have misunderstood one point: the mask likely came first, then the spell."

Natural Magic was developed by absorbing and refining the Divine Arts of the Druid System. It was reasonable to speculate that the technique of using a mask to give shape to a Spirit of Nature came first, and was later adapted by Mages to be directly condensed and summoned. No longer relying on an external object was, in a way, progress.

"I even suspect that the reason they all look the same is because these Spirit Bodies like the mask’s appearance and have kept it that way ever since." Humboldt tapped the surface of the ball of light. He could actually interpret some of the Spirit Body’s feelings. "They are conveying a feeling of affection. They must be quite fond of the mask."

’Alright, I was being shallow. It seems the mask has high historical value, at the very least.’

But then he dredged up a memory. "Wait a minute, haven’t we encountered this Spirit of Nature before?"

Before Rorschach could finish, Humboldt nodded repeatedly. "You’ve finally made the connection." Back in the Black Forest, they had come across a ruined Elf Village containing monsters created from a symbiosis of trees and fungi.

What allowed those monsters to move on their own were "Essences" condensed from the forest. You could say they were also Spirits of Nature.

"Mages chose to simplify things by forgoing the physical aid, summoning a pure Energy Body that is short-lived but convenient. The Elves in the village we encountered chose the other extreme, determined to grant the Spirit of Nature a complete physical body. Although there are many differences, they are fundamentally very similar."

The mask’s existence represents a middle ground between the two. It’s more like a single art that developed in different directions in the hands of the Mages and the Elves of that village, eventually reaching two extremes.

"The above is my speculation. However, judging from the age of the item and our own history, this is most likely the truth. The finer details can be investigated further." Humboldt was very confident in his deduction.

The general direction had been established. The next step in the process was simply to have their subordinates search for corroborating materials in various historical records, pile up the references, and conduct comparative studies to flesh out the research.

For a Great Mage, this was basically where their involvement ended.

Rorschach was a bit disappointed, but he couldn’t force it. He had determined from the very beginning that the mask itself wasn’t made with any special method. This current investigation felt more like a way to pass the time while waiting for Humboldt’s main body.

Giving up on digging deeper, Rorschach asked casually, "So, can these Essences communicate?" After all, the Master had just said that the Spirit of Nature was fond of the mask.

"Hmm... they can express emotions, similar to animals. After gaining a complete body, they might possess higher-level thinking, at least enough to imitate others and form communities. But it doesn’t go beyond the scope of an ordinary animal. You couldn’t call it ’intelligence’ or ’speech’."

He demonstrated for Rorschach again, reaching out and gently touching the surface of the ball of light. "Of course, the current Spirit of Nature has no linguistic ability. When the Caster touches it, it will convey emotions to you if it’s willing..."

Humboldt’s expression froze.

"What’s wrong?" ’Does wearing the mask have a paralyzing effect?’

Humboldt’s face shifted between pale and flushed. You could see flickers of confusion and joy—a truly rare sight on the composed face of Alexander.

"Chi." After a long moment, he uttered a single syllable in the Jabber Language.

Rorschach tilted his head in confusion. Humboldt simply had the young man reach out and touch it as well.

Instantly, he felt a touch on his mind. Something was trying to get in. But it was very gentle, like a soft knock on a door.

Rorschach lowered his mental defenses. A thought, a fuzzy voice, abruptly echoed in his mind. It was the Jabber Language syllable ’Chi’—the very sound Master Humboldt had just uttered.

’Talk about being proven wrong on the spot, Master.’ Rorschach gave Humboldt a mischievous smile. "It seems items from the descendants of the Divine Race are special after all, even a simple sliver of wood."

"Don’t underestimate wood, especially not oak—the Holy Tree of the Istani Elves." Humboldt tried to salvage some dignity, both for the small piece of wood and for himself.

After receiving the message, he decided to see this experiment through to the end.

It turned out the mask was like a contract, capable of forging a stronger connection between the Caster and the Spirit of Nature. The effect was...

The mask’s eyes lit up, and the ball of light’s brightness quickly intensified. Rorschach could feel it absorbing and restructuring the Magic Power in the environment, just like a Mage Casting a spell. However, something must have gone wrong midway. The Magic Power wasn’t properly converted or consumed, but instead accumulated within the Spirit Body.

The result was that the ball of light began to tremble violently, as if it were boiling from within.

Humboldt’s expression changed drastically. He quickly smoothed out the anomaly. Only after it had been calm for a good while did he try again.

This time, the Spirit of Nature slowly raised its thick, round arm, and a stream of acid shot from its fingertip. It was the Trick, Acid Splash.

"After signing the contract, I can control it to cast spells." Humboldt was amazed by the result. "At first, I chose a Third-Ring spell, but its frail frame was obviously too weak. The Casting process nearly killed it."

"Can the contractual relationship be transferred?"

"...The connection established by the pact is limited to this specific summoning." As Humboldt spoke, he dispersed the ball of light for a second time. The mask immediately lost its power and fell into his hand.

"Based on my experience with Summon the Spirit of Nature, the Essence dissipates and then regenerates. I almost made it explode just now, so it was probably angry."

Sensing the entity’s emotions, Humboldt decisively ended the summoning, unilaterally terminating the contract. "So I can only try again after some time has passed. By then, a new batch of Essence will have gathered."

’Is this the Little Elf version of "if you won’t do it, someone else will"?’ Rorschach’s interest in the mask was rekindled. "Let me give it a try."

A project that had been shelved for a long time suddenly showed a glimmer of hope.