Mage? Magic Engineer!

The wheat was nearing harvest, the fields a patchwork of green and gold.

The scent of wheat from the newly cultivated lands wafted all the way to the Royal Palace, and Special Envoys from Munich arrived, following the aroma. They were here to survey the farmland.

"Surveying the new acreage? What’s this move all about? Isn’t our agreement with the Royal Family a buyout? Double the grain of previous years, paid in full, no returns." Rorschach was displeased to hear this news.

"Right. Since it’s a buyout, let the envoys measure it themselves. It won’t affect our delivery anyway..." suggested Martin, who had been transferred to Rorschach’s side.

’Still too green.’ Not just Valon, even Andre would never think that way. Rorschach shook his head. "Martin, what if the Royal Family surveys the farmland today, counts the population tomorrow, and then the day after, they dig up some Kingdom law from a dusty corner and demand we pay land and poll taxes on top of the buyout?"

Rorschach had plenty of resources, but they all needed to be in circulation, continuously reinvested into production to generate returns, not to support unproductive aristocrats. Even with the concessions made after the "June Storm," Rorschach did his best to guide the Nobility to invest their money into expanding production, which was how the tripartite joint-venture Automobile Factory came to be.

Martin was from Wertzburg and didn’t yet have a deep understanding of the Special Zone. His first reaction was, ’If the boss does this, what’s the difference between the Special Zone and a state within a state? Does Lord Luo intend to rebel?’

’Then again... that doesn’t seem so bad.’ Even as a poor student whose internship had been indefinitely extended and who had been exploited for months, the thought of the Special Zone’s glorious achievements made him puff out his chest with pride.

"Hm, don’t slouch." Rorschach thought Martin was just remembering the posture and etiquette guidelines for secretaries.

Martin asked, "So, how should we handle the envoys? The committee’s suggestion is to first entertain them with fine food and wine..."

"Yes, cater to their tastes. If that’s not enough, give them the last few Synesthesia Devices. We can hook a Cold and Hot Engine to the back of a cup and let them see what the world’s come to." Arranging some food and drinks was the most Rorschach was willing to do. He had no intention of obsequiously offering up beautiful women to the "great men" from the Royal Capital. He’d rather give them a shock of ’ma-gic’.

If the shock killed them or made them impotent, that’s just a technical flaw. For after-sales service, they can go find that Valentine guy.

"Let them think they’re on vacation in the Special Zone. If they insist on performing their duties, then we’ll just..."

"Just what?"

’Just do something to their lodgings...’ Forget it. Rorschach vaguely sensed the stirring of the Great River Crab’s power from his original world and didn’t continue that line of thought. He just patted Martin’s shoulder.

"Martin, you’re not cut out to be a secretary. Right now, I need an assistant more than a personal valet. Inform the committee to stall the envoys as long as possible. After you’ve handled this, go back to the news agency."

Rorschach prepared to return to his workshop. "Oh, right. If the people from the Royal Capital want to see me, tell them I’m busy with research and not seeing visitors."

He wasn’t lying, either. He really did have important research to conduct.

"Make all the transmission systems hydraulically driven. That’s the only way to ensure quiet and comfortable operation for those inside. As for the cabin climate control, can the Energy Deprivation circuit be made even smaller? And be very careful with the power control. Don’t let it go haywire and give the passengers facial paralysis..."

"Add a miniature Force Field Wall to the suspension, and for the final stage of shock absorption, use a weakened Repulsive Force field to counter uneven roads. Hmm... redesign the window mechanism. Don’t make it a hand-crank. Find a more elegant way, something that feels luxurious, not like you’re making the passengers experience life as a lathe operator or a fitter..."

Rorschach was giving his feedback on an Earth-molded prototype of a new car. The master craftsmen transferred from the Refining Factory listened intently, all of them marveling that this young master truly understood luxury and high-end design.

On Vox’s new luxury production line, the car’s frame was press-molded with finely tuned Force Field Waves, resulting in a streamlined body that was ahead of its time. The reinforced, elongated, and heavier chassis was matched with the powerful thrust of a new engine, and the interior incorporated the taste of Valuva...

Furthermore, everything from the powertrain to the various features Rorschach personally directed to be added was powered by Transmuting Dust, using Magic to provide a top-tier riding experience.

According to Rorschach’s plan, the first car would be a gift for the visiting Humboldt Great Mage, who genuinely loved vehicles—a gift Rorschach was genuine about giving. Next, he would send one to the new Emperor, William II, and another to the King of Bayern. Not only that, but he should also gift them to the hardworking committee members of Valois, letting them take a "critical" ride.

Just like the "Aerial Cavalry’s" omni-directional mobility gear, the car’s functions were supported by the Tree of Law, and the Tower Spirit could track the location and trajectory of every vehicle.

Therefore, to popularize Air Cars, more Transmuting Dust Extractors needed to be built, and the more widespread their distribution, the better. The new supply stations built previously for the Empire Airships were a trial run; now, the goal for the various "Magic-charging stations" was to spread across the continent as quickly as possible.

The first step was to cover Bayern.

Meanwhile, a prototype of a new assault-type Mechanical Body based on "synesthesia" Spell Chain technology had also been built. The Alchemy Department of the Tower of Stars used a similar synesthesia effect, but to ensure operational flexibility, they chose an armor-style, humanoid form.

Rorschach, however, drawing on his experience playing games in a past life, opted for joystick and button controls. While its flexibility couldn’t compare to the masterpiece from the Alchemy Department, the four-legged behemoth crawling on the ground didn’t require precise or varied movements anyway. All it needed was to move backward and forward, sprint, and perform other simple actions.

Inside the factory, Rorschach listened to a report from a newly hired engineer. The speaker was originally an Apprentice from the Tower of Secret Techniques who had been on the verge of delaying his graduation. After coming here, he smoothly passed the Mage certification exam, and then... happily joined the factory, worked in the fields, got a tan, and watched his hairline recede.

In between his struggles, he would sometimes reflect, ’The Mage career I imagined seems quite a bit different from my reality.’

"This is our preliminary design for a combine harvester..." The engineer took out the first demonstration drawing. This piece of equipment would soon be put to the test in the fields.

He then left the drawings for the transport mechanism and swapped them for those of other components. "This is the auto-loader. Paired with the new breech-loading cannon, it can achieve a fire rate of one shot per minute. In tests, the continuous loading design worked for eight consecutive shots without jamming."

"Good. What about the Molten Beam version? And the Decomposition Skill one?" The Magic-based versions also had barrel-like emitters to facilitate aiming and focusing the Magic itself.

"If the temperature gets too high, the Magic Circuits on the inner wall will deform. Currently, our best result is three consecutive shots before it’s scrapped. We’re considering whether to embed an additional cooling or reinforcing Magic Array structure into the emitter, but that would compromise its structural integrity and increase energy consumption."

"As for the Decomposition Skill, after discussion, we believe it’s unsuitable as a primary weapon. Its area of effect is difficult to adjust, and the Magic Power required doesn’t match its destructive output. However, it could be made into a single-use item and issued to individual soldiers on stealth missions."

After hearing the report, Rorschach thought for a moment. "Regarding the ray emitter, why not design it with detachable and replaceable circuit components? Like a Scroll, but rolled into a cylinder and inserted into the emitter. After activation, you could swap it out to cool down and quickly load the next one, cycling between two or three units. Even if one breaks, it could be repaired quickly."

The engineer was stunned. "Indeed... A similar concept could be applied to more than just one type of Magic..."