Mage? Magic Engineer!

Rorschach had once thought about developing the bloodlines of those without Magic Talent. Unfortunately, his technical skills were limited at the time, and he never made any headway.

Later, the person in question, Martin, gave up on the idea himself. Thanks to the Special Zone’s policy of "treating everyone like a workhorse, Caster or not," his status as a non-Mage didn’t stop him from... elevating his pure classmate/colleague friendship with his beloved Hanna.

When Martin told Hanna the story behind the unconventional little pendant on his neck, she was startled and hugged him tightly. "You’re forbidden from ever participating in such a dangerous experiment again!"

Rorschach didn’t want to know what happened after that. All he knew was that the progress on his project was inversely proportional to the progress of Martin and Hanna’s relationship.

’This is unbearable! Simply unbearable!’

"Master Rorschach? Rorschach?"

Humboldt’s voice pulled Rorschach from his resentful reverie. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

When he came to his senses, he noticed Alexander von Humboldt’s green robes looked a bit more worn. It seemed the man’s real body had returned, sending his duplicate out to take over.

This didn’t interrupt Rorschach’s train of thought, however. "I was just thinking, if we could extract the mask’s effect, wouldn’t everyone be able to cast spells?"

Humboldt’s face twitched. "I heard that you’ve been persistently advocating for the proliferation of magical techniques in the Elder Council meetings. The Guild has already made a great many concessions to you regarding education. There’s no need to keep forcing the matter..."

The young man, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He just kept turning the mask over and over, examining it as if he could uncover some hidden marvel. Rorschach was unconvinced. ’What does he mean, concessions? It was obviously necessary to adapt to the times. They would have compromised eventually, even without me.’

Alexander could guess what the young man was thinking, so he approached the issue from a different angle. "Alright, let’s set that aside for now. How would you even achieve this? The prerequisite for the contract is using [Summon the Spirit of Nature], which means only people who can already cast spells could complete the first step. Isn’t that a paradox? Besides, it can only inherit a single spell from the Caster..."

"For us, performing a spell requires mastering it, then channeling Magic Power to make it happen. I already have a solution for each individual step; I just haven’t figured out how to link them all together yet."

A special Spirit of Nature can form a contract with a person. The Spell Cloud can provide the spell template, taking the place of the Caster in transmitting the spell to the Spirit of Nature, which then executes it.

The steps weren’t connected yet, and the problem Humboldt had mentioned was a real one. In Rorschach’s eyes, however, solving it was just a matter of time.

"Master Rorschach, you should be more cautious. The existing Mages will never accept the dawn of an era where everyone can cast spells. There’s no need to make yourself a public enemy."

’In his eyes, Rorschach was already advancing at the speed of a Starship, yet he was still intensely focused on this ’magic for all’ business. What was that about? It was like a top player using cheat codes who was obsessed with handing out cheats to all the newbies...’

’In fact, Humboldt had also considered it. Given the mask’s unique properties, combined with the Symbiote technology created by the Black Forest Elves, the Tower of Forest might actually be able to cobble together a genuine, plug-and-play spellcasting organ.’

"It’s not that serious. Didn’t you just test it? Even the Spirit Body you summoned could only use Low Tier magic. It can’t handle anything with a higher energy level."

"So, at this level, the only people who’ll be affected are Low Tier Mages and Apprentices who are stuck and can’t advance. They pose no threat to the Aurora Elder Council or to us, so why should we care what they think?"

"It’s not that simple. This would shake the very foundation of the privileges all Mages enjoy... When that happens, I’m sure the vast majority of Mages will be against it."

Rorschach, determined to be contrary, retorted, "What if I make a million of these ’plug-ins’? Who will be the majority then?"

’This is exactly the kind of thing I was worried about!’ he thought. ’Fortunately, neither I nor the other Mages of the Tower of Forest are the type to be overly proud of our status as Casters. If he’d said that to another Mage, they’d probably have coughed up a mouthful of blood before trying to kill him.’

"Hey now, we haven’t seen any results yet. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves." Rorschach laughed, quickly finding another justification. "Isn’t this the time of the Mother Goddess’s reawakening, when we’re short on Mages? There’s nothing wrong with strengthening our side’s forces."

"Fine, fine. If you insist on doing this, I suggest you package it as some kind of Alchemy Device. And don’t be too hasty with its promotion. That way, you might be able to fool the other Mages and avoid widespread outrage."

"Agree to that, and I’ll teach you [Summon the Spirit of Nature], Rorschach."

"That’s only right." Rorschach acknowledged his senior’s worldly advice but politely declined the offer. "There’s no need to trouble yourself with teaching me. It’s just a Three Ring Spell. You demonstrated it several times just now; I picked it up just by watching."

The casting process could now be completely deconstructed into multiple steps in his eyes. The characteristics of the Magic Power’s flow and the peak forms of the Vibrations could all be matched, one by one, to the nodes of the Tree of Law. A complex spell might be difficult to see through, but deciphering and replicating a mere Three Ring Spell was as easy for him as it was for Kakashi.

To prove he wasn’t just boasting, the mask in Rorschach’s hand once again condensed a ball of light. This time, following his intentions, it didn’t expand into a humanoid form but instead compressed into the shape of a small, somewhat cute rodent.

’Forming a contract with it... Hmm, one step closer to becoming a Magical Girl or a Shonen!’

The Spirit of Nature received the spell from its contractor and took the initiative to condense a ball of light. Rorschach loved using the [Light Technique] for tests. It was stable, its successful casting was obvious, and failure didn’t cause any serious consequences.

Humboldt could only sigh to himself. He knew he couldn’t stop this guy, which was why he had resorted to "gentle persuasion" from the very beginning.

While the two were talking, the Tower of Forest’s "Air Elemental Plane Expedition Team" finished assembling. They even brought two modified cars with them. If everything went smoothly, the next wave to deploy would be the Magic Youth’s "Heaven and Earth Pioneering Group."

"Rorschach Mage, should we share a car or each drive our own? With two High Tier Casters in the group, we can power the vehicles if they run out of fuel." Master Humboldt’s hand was already touching the car door.

"Time is tight. Let’s take the Teleportation Array. We can just power the Guild’s system directly." Rorschach then "confiscated" Humboldt’s beloved big toy on the spot, compressing it to the size of a model and storing it in his ring.

The expressions on the faces of the other expedition members were instantly priceless, their eyes darting in unison between the two Great Mages.

Master Humboldt paused, his hand clenched into a tight fist. Finally, he composed himself and chose to prioritize the bigger picture. "Master Rorschach has a point. Since the large items have been put away, we might as well teleport..."

Rorschach’s brief visit came to an end. It had been a fruitful trip; he returned with a team of professional talent and one Great Mage whose face was filled with regret. However, before entering the Air Elemental Plane and reaching the stronghold of the "little blue people," the group of Mages from the Tower of Forest first toured the aerospace center.

The Starship would also play a vital role in their food security plan, and the two parties would begin a strategic cooperation on this front...

’Wait a minute, hold on!’

’Is something wrong here? When the Tower of Stars launched its first ship, I don’t remember this many people being so interested. How come as soon as I get started, everyone is eyeing my big spaceship?’ Rorschach found the unanimous decision of the Dwarves, the Elves, and the Tower of Forest completely baffling and unacceptable.