Chapter 18 - “Doesn’t Your House Have Something Like This?”
“Doesn’t Your House Have Something Like This?”
Translator : Elizabeth
Chapter 18
The result of the duel between Archion Enersis and Anton Yurinchev.
“Hahahahahaha!! To think he landed such a blow on that Yurinchev!”
Archion’s overwhelming victory!
Anton was transported back to his main house, suffering from both physical and mental damage. As for the mental part, that was a given since the Tower Master herself had descended, but as for the physical damage…
“Th-then, the winner is—”
“Wait!”
The Tower Master blocked the Adjudicator’s declaration, and then—
Woooong! Pshoo!Crack!
“Phew, that’s torn off nicely. You may proceed now.”
“Gasp…! Th-that technique is!”
It was because she had fired mana gathered at her fingertip directly into Anton’s… "unfortunate" area.
It was said that every man at the scene winced and clutched their thighs, complaining of phantom pain.
“O Tower Master. What was that mysterious magic that sent that wretch Anton to his grave?”
“It is not magic, but Martial Arts. It is called the Finger Flicking Art. Beyond the endless mountain ranges, deserts, and seas of the Empire’s eastern border… lies a continent that handles a mysterious martial power called Martial Arts.”
More importantly, Archion realized that a "Murim World" existed here. He had heard bits and pieces, but hearing it directly from the Tower Master’s mouth was even more surprising.
“The Adjudicator actually recognized it.”
“Envoys from the Eastern Kingdom stay at the Imperial Palace regularly. The Adjudicator must have seen the mysterious martial arts they displayed before.”
They supposedly come to trade with the Khalid Empire occasionally. Archion felt he definitely wanted to see them at least once. Through them, he might be able to confirm if a Joseon-based nation existed.
“Now then, let us move on to the main point.”
“Ehehe, we should, shouldn't we?”
“Fufu, a Wish Coupon. Truly a sweet phrase, isn’t it!”
And finally, the long-awaited Wish Coupon.
Archion had just extracted a contract from Anton, who had regained consciousness briefly. Though it contained several clauses, it essentially summarized to: ‘I’ll do anything, just let me live!!’
“Recalling that he tried to violate Hermione, as a father, I want to burn him alive, but….”
“I understand your heart, Father.”
Archion also didn't want to leave that degenerate professor alive. He was the type whose very existence caused harm to those around him. A nuisance, a disgrace, and a villain who spread only suffering wherever he went.
But to kill him?
“We can't actually start a war, can we?”
“Mm. Your benevolence has enriched the lives of the residents; I cannot allow them to suffer because of a wrong choice of mine.”
If they killed him, the Marquess of Yurinchev would truly declare a territorial war. They would have been given a justification.
Therefore, usually, after a duel ends, the winner takes the loser hostage and demands a massive amount of compensation. Enough to bankrupt a poor noble house.
And since the Marquess family was wealthy… the amount was staggering.
“You should ask for roughly this much.”
“Father, wouldn't an amount like this bankrupt even a Marquess family?”
“That would be fine, and if he refuses, even better. The moment he refuses, he becomes a Head of House who abandoned his own brother, losing trust within the family. And if all goes well, I might be able to kick him out of the Empire’s Top Ten Nobles.”
Delford, a master of politics, was certain it was possible. He informed his son of the various possibilities as a Count, specifically what words he could present to the Emperor.
“Therefore, my son.”
“Yes.”
“Do as you wish. Honestly, even if you kill him, the Marquess wouldn't dare start a war while the Tower Master is by your side. And I will not stay idle, either.”
“Father…!”
For today, Archion was truly proud of his max-level political expert father.
However, Marquess What’s-his-face-chev did not want to pay money for his scoundrel brother and began to delay the compensation payment by any means necessary.
“No way….”
“Yes way! Hahaha! It’s vacation time!”
Because of that, Archion became busy. He put the project schedule he was working on on hold with tears in his eyes. Simultaneously, the artisans were hugging each other, expressing their joy.
And above all, a warm breeze began to blow in Enersis.
“Th-this is…!”
The catalyst was a banquet hosted by the Count of Enersis. Quite a few nobles had gathered in Enersis to watch the duel, and Delford decided that now was the time to host a small banquet.
An abrupt invitation when they hadn't even prepared proper finery. Some nobles expressed dissatisfaction, yet the moment they arrived at the Enersis banquet hall through the winter wind—
Whoosh!
“Gasp?!” “I thought a blaze was rushing in… but it’s just warm inside!”
As soon as they entered the hall, a cozy interior greeted them.
Everyone who stepped through the entrance thought Enersis had employed mages to provide heating. Thinking it was just a typical display of wealth from a rich noble, they soon discovered…
“Wh-what is that bright red glowing thing?”
“Is that... lava?”
They discovered solid magma installed throughout the banquet hall. Seeing what looked like liquid lava fixed into a hard object, the mage-born nobles all grabbed servants to ask what it was.
“Ah, that is called an Electric Heater.”
And they all proudly introduced the product.
A heating device that utilizes the resistance heat generated when mana flows. The developer: Archion Enersis.
“Hoh.” “This is... quite the reversal of thinking….”
The eyes of the nobles from mage backgrounds went blank for a moment. From ancient times until now, whether at the Academy or among mages, the resistance that hindered the flow of mana was seen as an inefficiency.
However, the Archion of the rumors… had maximized that very loss, the heat, to create a heating device!
“It consumes about one Standard Magic Stone per week.”
“That little?!”
“That efficiency is nonsensical…!!”
The existing, inefficient mana lamps consumed one Standard Magic Stone every week. Yet this thing, which emitted such intense heat, had a mana consumption similar to those mana lamps?
“The streetlights on the roads were also made using the incandescent bulbs developed by Young Master Archion.”
“Hoh. Come to think of it… those streetlights turned on just as the sun was setting.”
The fact that they could navigate the cold winter wind was thanks to the bright light of the streetlights erected everywhere.
News that it was several times brighter than a mana lamp while having a longer lifespan and higher efficiency. And news that it was developed by a talentless noble master who couldn't use a single spell.
The nobles had considered it nonsense, but….
“Recently, my knight mentioned that the blacksmiths at the forge were asking for something called an electric screwdriver.”
“They say it uses that component called a motor, also made by Young Master Archion?”
After seeing this electric heater, they all realized it wasn't a lie. Furthermore, they realized that Enersis wasn't maintaining this because they had money to burn, but because it was profitable and cheap to maintain, allowing them to bestow it upon the residents.
Of course, they had already sensed this after seeing the chandeliers and wall lamps brightly illuminating the banquet hall, but anyway.
“Ohhh, I feel like my hands and feet are melting.” “My Lord. Shall we get one for our mansion too?”
“Is there a chance for a one-on-one meeting with the Count?” “I am Gale Altera of the Marquess Altera family. I have urgent business to discuss with Count Enersis... Ahem, regarding that electric heater. I wonder if it’s possible to purchase several units—”
The Head Butler, receiving guests in the banquet hall, had experienced such interest countless times. However, he had never received it because of alchemy—which they used to look down upon—or Magic Engineering, which was dismissed as a mere legend.
‘Thanks to the Young Master we used to ignore, a warm breeze is blowing in Enersis once again.’
His ill feelings toward Archion, who kept asking for a budget… began to melt away. The Head Butler vowed to suggest adding to the research budget to the Count during the next budget meeting.
“So this is that mana lamp called an incandescent bulb?”
Incandescent bulbs are cheap within the Enersis territory. To be precise, there was a radical policy of providing almost an 80% discount once one was confirmed to be affiliated with the Earldom.
Of course, for now, the price was high simply because factory-style mass production was difficult, but Archion intended to lower the price once he switched to factory production.
“That is correct, Father.”
Naturally, they were sold at cost to outsiders… so ordinary commoners couldn't even dream of them. Regardless, they were cheaper than mana lamps, so nobles could afford them, and Gale Altera, who had attended the banquet, was able to procure incandescent bulbs along with a hidden gift.
Of course, since these bulbs were rare items only known to and equipped by those "in the know," Gale had clung to the Count in a rather unseemly manner.
Click!
“Haha. It really is much brighter than a mana lamp.”
And his father, Marquess Luden Altera, admired the incandescent bulb that turned on after consuming mana. The way it flickered and shone blindingly for a moment, then steadily sucked his mana!
“How many did you get?”
“It was a bit difficult to persuade the Count, but….”
Gale opened a large box, revealing ten incandescent bulbs wrapped in cloth.
“I secured a total of ten, including the one you are holding, Father.”
“Hahaha!! Gale, well done! To bring back ten of those hard-to-find incandescent bulbs!”
“They said they would even send an artisan to help with the installation. And finally….”
Right now, in the Capital, things were "hot" in a good way because of the Enersis territory.
The artifact-grade mana lamp called the incandescent bulb, known only to a few. The turbine pump that shot water similarly to high-level water magic.
And the electric heater that made one not fear midwinter at all! Even the boiler that supposedly sent hot water all the way to the bathrooms provided for guests!!
“We will also be the first in the Capital to receive the electric heaters.”
“Hahahahahaha!!”
The innovation of technology! The magic tools of a genius alchemist… no, the Magic Engineering products of the genius Magic Engineer, Archion Enersis!!!
The nobles who had seen it all with their own eyes bragged about it non-stop as soon as they returned to the Capital. In salons, after meetings, and even at simple meals, they chattered away. They were essentially performing a massive, “None of you have tried something like this, have you?” move.
And nobles, by nature….
“I’m proud of you, Gale! Maintain a close cooperative relationship with Enersis as the heir of the family! Especially with that Young Master Archion!”
“I will keep that in mind, Father!”
…Are a species that wants something even more once they hear such talk.
Indeed, Archion-made magic tools began to trend among the Capital’s nobles.