Mage? Magic Engineer!

Thanks to the new communication system, the reply came quickly.

"If you are available, please come to the Tower of Forest immediately. You may use the Guild’s Teleportation Array. —Humboldt."

’Is this an emergency?’ Rorschach wondered, surprised. He gathered a few items he might need: the "Monster Figure" from the last cataclysm’s seal and the mask Hill had given him.

Although Rorschach had collaborated with these Mages specializing in the Natural System on more than one occasion, this was his first time visiting the Tower of Forest.

An iridescent light flared from the Teleportation Array. Bringing Rorschach over seemed to have taken a great deal of effort, which surprised the Guild staff for a moment.

As he stepped out from the local city branch, a group of green-robed Mages waiting in the Guild hall immediately rose to greet him.

"Master, please get in the car."

To his surprise, the vehicle sent to pick up Rorschach was a small Air Car. The Tower of Forest was clearly located in a vast rural area. They first drove along well-paved city roads before having to cross wide, snow-covered fields.

Rorschach recognized the car; it was a model produced by his own factories, though it appeared to have been custom-modified.

Just when the rural dirt roads seemed bad enough, they encountered even worse conditions with packed snow and ice. The Mage driving Rorschach stopped the car and pulled a lever.

Instantly, the runes for the Floating Skill covering the car’s surface lit up, and the whole vehicle wobbled as it lifted into the air. The Mage then activated another control, and a nozzle emerged from where the trunk used to be, providing a new source of thrust.

’Holy crap, it’s even got some kick.’ Rorschach felt himself pressed back into his seat as their speed approached 200 kilometers per hour. They shot across the plains like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Did you guys modify this yourselves?"

"Master Humboldt experimented with it himself. He enjoys tinkering with vehicles." The atmosphere in the Tower of Forest didn’t seem too formal; the Caster escorting him spoke casually about the Great Mage.

"He tinkered the vehicle you gave him into a wreck and was too embarrassed to ask for another one. So, he had the chief approve a budget to buy a batch of cheaper, mass-market models."

’So the stoic Master Humboldt has a wild side...’ Rorschach made a mental note. "The exterior of these cars wasn’t designed for such high speeds," he commented. "The drag is probably significant. With better aerodynamics, you could go even faster."

"Really? You should tell Master Humboldt yourself; we don’t know anything about that. But if we can go faster, that would definitely be useful."

"Useful? In what way?" ’Are you guys trying to fly to the moon? Should I have Hercules Company sponsor an extreme sports division?’

"...My apologies, Master Rorschach. It’s better if we discuss it once we’re at the Tower." The Mage was being deliberately evasive, but he had a valid reason. "It’s a classified matter. Only Master Humboldt or the chief has the authority to tell you in person."

The Tower of Forest was situated right on the border between vast farmlands and the Black Forest, with both areas serving as their "research subjects."

As the high-speed flying Air Car crossed an invisible boundary, the towering structure revealed its true form to Rorschach.

Its base and main body were massive, with diagonal branches splitting off to support numerous lookout platforms.

All in all, it had the posture of a colossal tree, yet it also reminded Rorschach of a forest ranger’s watchtower.

The invisible boundary wasn’t a conspicuous energy barrier, but it wasn’t completely unnoticeable either. Within the area it enveloped, not a single snowflake could be seen; the pastoral forests and fields were all a vibrant green.

The Air Car began to slow down. For one, its fuel for this second mode of travel was running low. For another, there were Mages and Apprentices dotted across the plots of land at the base of the Tower.

As they got out of the car, the guide added a joking reminder, "We need to be careful. You never know what sort of research subject is planted in which plot of land. If you were to trip and fall here, some senior apprentice might see their graduation delayed by several years."

Unfortunately, the lighthearted atmosphere ended there. Once Rorschach entered the Tower, he saw that most of the Casters hurrying past wore tired, grave expressions.

Rorschach initially thought everyone was just being overworked, but then he saw that Humboldt wore a similarly grim expression. "Welcome, Master Rorschach."

"Master Humboldt, are you... is this a simulacrum?"

Humboldt’s simulacrum offered a strained smile, his lips barely shifting from a frown to a flat line. "My apologies for this discourtesy. My true self is simply too occupied. As expected, you saw right through it."

"It’s no problem, I don’t mind. Did you call me here for an emergency?"

"There are emergencies everywhere. My true self and Master Kou Bo are currently traveling all over the Empire, while this simulacrum must remain to guard the Tower of Forest. Furthermore, what I need to discuss with you is best said in person, which is why I troubled you to come."

Ever since Rorschach warned of the possibility that the grain supply was being contaminated by the Mother Goddess, the Tower of Forest had reacted immediately, launching an investigation.

Their numbers are limited, after all, so their previous field investigations were restricted to only a few select regions.

The Empire Army’s recent temporary grain levy conveniently aided their preliminary investigation, essentially gathering samples from across the entire nation. The Tower of Forest tested the Empire Army’s rations and was shocked by the results: nearly half of the grain was suspected of being contaminated.

The contamination is still faint. If not for Rorschach’s report and their own research into samples of the Mother Goddess’s corruption, the Mages of the Tower of Forest might never have detected it.

Humboldt’s expression was fraught with worry. "If this were man-made, there would still be hope of controlling it, no matter how bad things get. The problem is that ever since the last worldwide anomaly, we suspect certain regions have begun to naturally manifest the Mother Goddess’s power. This power is continuously affecting all local life, including people and crops."

"What we fear is that this regional contamination will spread. It’s primarily concentrated near battlefields, the western coast of the Empire, and Northern Valois." If this terrible truth were made public, it would cause widespread panic.

Rorschach agreed the situation was dire. "So we need to find a way to purify the land? I can help with that."

"That’s one course of action. It won’t solve the fundamental problem, but it’s nearly the only thing we can do right now... However, we also want to prepare for the worst-case scenario. That means finding a safe, new source of food."

"Such as?"

"Last month, a student from your Mage Tower published a paper that caught our attention. It was about research into the Air Elemental Plane. The corresponding author is Master Caroline, but she suggested we speak with you about it."

’There was?’ Rorschach had always maintained a hands-off approach with the apprentices he’d "recruited." He truly had no idea how many papers his Mage Tower had submitted to the Guild.

"We never imagined the Air Elemental Plane had a complete ecosystem. Would you be willing to help us with an experiment?

"There is no earth, but it can produce food." Though it was only a simulacrum, the middle-aged man before Rorschach had eyes that shone with excitement, as if he were genuinely passionate about this idea.

Rorschach was stunned that the Mages of the Tower of Forest were thinking so boldly. "The raw materials for organic matter and nutrients are incredibly scarce in the Air Elemental Plane..."

"But the Air Elemental Plane is vast, and we are confident our crops can produce food with only sunlight, air, and water. If we can develop vehicles that move at high speeds among the clouds, we could establish immense botanical gardens, safe from the Mother Goddess’s corruption."

’Hmm... it might actually be feasible,’ Rorschach thought. ’So it seems modifying the Air Car wasn’t just Alexander tinkering for his own amusement.’

"Even so, could you feed the entire world? Is there enough time to start now?"

Humboldt’s gaze was firm. "It’s better than doing nothing."