Mage? Magic Engineer!

The three of them were now gathered on the top floor of the Tower of Secret Techniques, plotting.

The three Great Mages were indeed doing something they couldn’t tell anyone, especially not other Mages: plotting how to monitor their spellcasting. Of course, each task would still require as many Casters as possible to complete, but they would be broken down into different projects.

This Otherworld had not yet fully entered an age of big data. Unlike in Rorschach’s past life, where simultaneously buying a pressure cooker and fertilizer online would earn you a visit from the authorities, their "grand plan" could be kept secret for the time being.

The three Great Mages needed to identify the current challenges, propose preliminary solutions, and then organize teams to tackle them based on priority and difficulty.

"The idea from the Tower of Stars is to expand the Transmutation Dust Extractor... that’s the name, right? Expand the scale of their array to create a stable weak zone within the Transformation Dust Layer Flow."

"However, according to Master Kano’s feedback, only a Great Mage can pass through even a weak zone. That obviously makes routine observation of the Tree of Truth impossible." ’Using a mighty High Tier Caster as a human satellite hanging in the sky... The thought alone is thrilling.’

"So, the Tower of Thunderstorm proposed a Star Realm base: construct a Starship that can navigate stably, using the [Blue Light Barrier] and other Protective Magic to resist the impacts of Transmutation Dust and micrometeoroids. We would station a permanent crew aboard and perform a ritual inside the Starship to observe the Original Layer and the ’Tree.’"

"Currently, this plan is supported by the Tower of Forest and the Tower of Light."

Feuerbach took out a copy of the design draft for Rorschach and Elizabeth to examine, while also explaining his own idea. "But Master Kano and I both believe we could try to find or artificially construct a Sub-plane, a micro-dimension, located somewhere between the Prime Material Realm and the Star Realm. We could then use it as a springboard to the Original Layer."

After he finished, the chief stared at Rorschach. The mage on the receiving end of the stare completely understood the old... ahem, the *senior’s* implication. ’Isn’t he still after the Boundary Land?’

’Keep dreaming. Not a chance!’

Rorschach put on a serious expression. "Master, I think both plans are excellent, but aren’t the uncertainty and difficulty of the second plan a bit too high?"

"The Tower of Time also believes the second plan is feasible..."

"The first plan is relatively less difficult. It’s an engineering project that we have a good chance of achieving with our current alchemy technology, so it’s worth trying. Building a Starship capable of withstanding the Transformation Dust Layer Flow would not only allow us to observe the Original Layer and the Tree of Truth, but it would also be hugely significant for future travel in the Star Realm.

"We must take a holistic and forward-thinking perspective. We have to recognize this project’s role in promoting and spearheading various technologies. By making it our core objective, we can encourage technological creation and applied innovation, driving the synergistic development of supporting magical technologies..."

In his desperation, Rorschach dredged up all the bureaucratic jargon he’d learned for the graduate school entrance exams in his past life, doing everything he could to convince Feuerbach to drop the subject of the Boundary Land for now. The chief of the Tower of Secret Techniques was silent for a long moment before nodding. "I will faithfully relay Master Rorschach’s opinion. So, could you please say that all again?" He took out a pen and paper, temporarily enchanting the quill with a spell for automatic shorthand.

’You have to be doing this on purpose!’ Rorschach could only stall for time. "...Let me get a drink of water to wet my throat first."

Rorschach’s bureaucratic spiel wasn’t entirely wrong, however. If they didn’t take the Boundary Land into account, it would be extremely difficult to find another suitable "springboard" to the Original Layer. By comparison, collaboratively designing and building a Starship was a much more realistic and manageable goal.

The initial design for the Starship, found in the drafts of the Tower of Thunderstorm’s chief, had already taken shape. True to its name, it resembled an ordinary seafaring vessel. The designer had imagined the layer flow as an ocean, so naturally, the ship was meant to sail on its surface, drifting semi-permanently atop the Transformation Dust Layer Flow.

This way, under normal circumstances, the main protective Shield would only need to be deployed on the underside of the ship.

"I think the design needs to account for other factors. For example, when breaking through the Transformation Dust Layer Flow, the entire hull will still have to pass through it. It would be best to have a structure that’s as axially symmetrical as possible, making it easier for the Shield to spread evenly in all directions.

"Furthermore, our current method for breaking through the layer flow requires creating a weak zone. And based on my experience, that weak zone is the center of a vortex. This means that once the Starship ascends, it might not drift with the current, but instead be trapped by the vortex in a fixed position relative to the ground..."

Rorschach briefly raised a few points that helped refine the Starship proposal, increasing its chances of being selected.

Feuerbach was still not quite convinced. He reminded them, "Master Kano reported that even when crossing a weak zone in the layer flow, the Flying Device he was riding disintegrated. He had to rely entirely on his own Magic to punch through the rest of the way. The Starship is much larger, so the demands on its Shield will be even higher."

Rorschach had a ready counter. "Strengthening the Shield is necessary, but we can also approach this from another angle—make the weak zone in the Transformation Dust Layer Flow even thinner. The scale of the Transmutation Dust Collectors can be expanded further."

"How much larger?"

"A hundred times, a thousand times larger than now! Production in the Special Zone is inseparable from alchemy technology, which means it relies on Magic Power—all of which is extracted by the Collectors. Furthermore, Air Cars and other powered alchemy vehicles essentially consume Transmutation Dust. If both of these were rolled out across the entire Empire, across the whole world, the demand for Transmutation Dust would be astronomical.

"Therefore, we must build more Collectors to provide a ceaseless supply of Magic Power..."

Providing energy for vehicles was just the most basic, crude application. After all, a stable source of Magic Power could activate all sorts of Magic Arrays and Alchemy Tools, allowing Magic to proliferate. Using it for "Air Cars" and locomotives powered by Cold and Hot Engines was only the beginning.

Feuerbach knew this as well. He frowned. "You really want to promote this? If Collectors cover the continent, people will sooner or later use these Magic Power Sources for more than just that. Things could spiral out of control..."

"That’s why we need the magical observation project! We must be able to trace and monitor all Casting processes! Not just High Tier Magic, which leaves sparse traces, but full end-to-end control." At that moment, Rorschach’s vision of the future came full circle:

"The Magic Guild—or whatever the Caster organization will be called in the future—will, on the one hand, provide Magic to the world, transforming everyone’s lives and their reality; and on the other, control every single Casting process, from the most monumental to the most minute.

"The cornerstone of the first goal is widespread Collectors, providing a ceaseless supply of Magic Power. The second will be achieved by observing the Tree of Law and the Tree of Truth.

"When all production depends on Magic, when all entertainment, healthcare, and even daily sustenance are inseparable from magical assistance, then everyone—including all Casters—from birth to death, their food, clothing, shelter, and travel, and everything that requires or involves Magic, will be incorporated into this system."

Rorschach held out his hands, one above the other, bringing his fingertips together as if caging all the living beings of the Prime Material Plane.

"This future is perhaps far more distant than the one in the second plan." Feuerbach pinched the automatic shorthand quill, stopping it and interrupting the transcription of Rorschach’s wild fantasy.

Elizabeth frowned. "Perhaps I’m being overly sentimental, or maybe just paranoid, but that kind of future seems... frightening."

"Perhaps," Rorschach said. "Whether it brings happiness to all or inflicts terror and pain will depend on us and the future Magic Guild. Besides, as it stands, Transmutation Dust isn’t infinite. The old system is bound to be broken one day; there are driving forces to do so, both in a social sense and in objective reality."

Feuerbach simply tore off the last part of the recorded notes and burned it to ash. Rorschach’s ultimate design could not be committed to paper; it would be better for him to relay it to the Elder Council verbally.

He spoke in a grave tone. "What we discussed today must never be revealed to anyone. Rorschach, you should also speak less of such things in the future."

Rorschach raised his hands as if in surrender. "Alright, alright. In the future, I’ll act, not talk. By the way, my esteemed teacher and I are discussing setting up Magic Power suppliers in the north and south of the continent to manage the operation and maintenance of the Collectors. He’s registering one in Valois. Care to invest on the Empire’s side? This is going to be a huge business."