A Hermit Mage Who Warps Even Time (2)
A Hermit Mage Who Warps Even Time (2)
The Academy recommends regular tea parties.
Black tea, cookies, and the scenery of an elegant garden.
Nominally, it's a place for refined academic exchange, but in reality, all that goes around is gossip about others.
Ailiya sat quietly in a corner seat and checked the lineup of participants.
Lady Valois. Valois's lackey number one. An academy peer who pretended to be friendly. And several unfamiliar female students.
'I really didn't want to come to a place like this.'
But there was no choice. She needed clues about Rii.
If she had shown her face in social circles earlier, she might have heard rumors before Rii dropped out.
It's like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted, but there's still something to gain now.
The Academy also has many alchemy majors.
Surely that topic will come up.
'The auction in the Solanium Basin.'
They said it was an agricultural product sale, but in reality, it was a trade of alchemy ingredients.
Maybe I could overhear something once.
"Ailiya? I didn't know you were the type to show up in a place like this!"
"Yeah. Nice to meet you."
That was why Ailiya awkwardly squeezed into the seat.
As she sat quietly in the corner seat, fiddling with her teacup, the expected topic indeed came up.
"I'm talking about that seller named Yudong who appeared on the Spirit Net. What does it mean? Yudong? Flowing? Does it mean something like a flow?"
"Oh. The alchemy ingredient seller who suddenly appeared? I've heard of that too."
"More than the meaning of the nickname, rather... If I can't get this, I'm totally screwed with the professor!"
The conversation became centered around students majoring in alchemy.
"They say even if you win the auction, the shipping is collect, so you have to contract directly with a delivery company."
"They say it takes 15 days to get to the Academy. Will that really be okay?"
"Ah! That! Vivian took care of it!"
"Hehe. That's how it turned out."
The one who stepped in then was, as expected, Lady Valois.
Vivian Adgard Valois.
A precious jewel born from a rich family meeting another rich family.
She thinks she's the best in the world, loves showing off, and seems to attend the Academy just for investment.
And despite that, how much she looked down on others.
Maybe because it made her so angry, Ail could still vividly recall Vivian's words.
"A magic that allows ordinary people to use the Spirit Net? Could that make money? Ordinary people probably don't even know what a spirit is."
"No matter how good the magic, people these days have no eye for it."
"It might be frustrating for Ail, but what's valuable today is the magic that will please our eyes."
Then what did she do? Show the world's smallest fireworks?
She flipped a small glass bead, and sparks burst out from inside.
What made her even angrier was that such a toy became a huge hit in high society.
They can't even recognize proper magic!
Didn't they also ignore Liberio, the time-stopping mage who dropped out?
I'll never forgive that.
Developing the Spirit Connector and making Vivian eat crow is in the top 3 most satisfying moments of Ail's life.
On the flip side, it also means she rarely gets the chance to spite her.
The reason? Ail could once again confirm it at this very gathering today.
Vivian, who had shown up at the tea party, was actually talking about the Spirit Net.
"Because the auction system of the Spirit Net was something I specifically proposed. Naturally, I've been closely monitoring the trends. It seems the Spirit Net is gradually spreading among people, so I thought money would naturally flow there. That's why I could boldly participate in the auction as well."
Vivian is recognized by everyone as a money-making ghost.
Never mind that she once ignored Spirit Net-related technology; she was already scheming to make money with it.
"The alchemy ingredients I secured from Yudong-nim this time will be sold exclusively to my fellow students in the Academy's Alchemy Department!"
How does she sniff out money so well? She'd get along perfectly with my oppa too.
Just as she was thinking that, her eyes met Vivian's.
"And regarding the delivery of those alchemy ingredients..."
Vivian, as if she had been waiting, brought up the topic again.
"As for that part, I entrusted the delivery to the Wintervalt Trading Company."
Wait. Why is this fitting together already?
The eyes of the tea party instantly swished toward Ailiya.
"'Goddamn family business!'"
I'm just a pure engineer!
I have absolutely nothing to do with business, so why am I getting these burdensome looks?
At the same time, it felt like a puzzle was fitting together in her head.
That guy, I thought it was odd that he listened to my request.
That oppa would never do something like that, but even when I made a request that didn't quite add up financially, he accepted it with a smile.
It wasn't because he suddenly held his lifelong-ignored younger sister in high regard.
I was agonizing over people possibly dying if things went wrong, and he saw a chance to make money here?
Even if it's killing two birds with one stone, still.
"'He's insanely good at business, seriously!'"
While Ail was grinding her teeth with such thoughts.
Vivian added another annoying remark.
"How is Kael oppa doing? We got along very well with this deal. They say it's the Solanium Basin, and I was thinking it might be nice to invest in that farm together... It would be really nice if we could open up and talk like this too, Ail. Right?"
"You..."
"I really wanted to get closer, but it's hard to see your face. There were even weird rumors going around that you don't associate with anyone but the imperial family~."
Even Ailiya could immediately understand.
It's a veiled insult.
She has less popularity than her oppa who already graduated.
She's unpleasant and has no social skills.
And despite that, she only tails the Crown Prince.
A three-hit combo in one sentence.
"'The Crown Prince comes to me on his own, what am I supposed to do.'"
Getting angry here would mean losing.
Ail took a deep breath and replied with a faint smile.
"Why? Vivian seems to like that guy? Well. Our oppa's ex-girlfriend was also very rich."
"W-What did you say!?"
"What? You really didn't know? I don't like you that much, but I can't just watch someone walk into a fire. So I'm giving you advice at this point."
"......"
At that, Vivian clamped her mouth shut.
Nice. Got her.
Meanwhile, in the Solanium Basin.
I looked around the farm in front of the mansion with satisfaction.
Sseuk sseuk-.
The potatoes were growing sseuk sseuk, as if such a sound effect came to mind.
I planted them just the other day, and already the stems have risen as high as my calves.
"This is magic."
Shouldn't one aim to create such incredible magic?
If one is a modern mage. More precisely, an engineer studying magic engineering.
If I had to explain it in the language of magic engineering, it's the magic cast over this area.
It's an extremely precise, efficient, and suspiciously vast and enormous magic arranged solely for me.
But how do I interpret this?
It might be impossible because it's something like the world's logic?
Rather, it's genre allowance.
I think it's right to just gloss over it like this.
Because it's a given that crops grow in a few days in healing farming games.
But I have no intention of giving up.
The sorcery of ancient civilizations, immense magic, or the laws of the world considered naturally so.
Engineering is humanity's struggle to acquire and utilize even a part of these.
"'If I take the long view and invest time, something might come out, right.'"
There will be plenty to research. Healing and interesting things will come out abundantly.
I don't even think about the Academy anymore.
Why did I ever live rubbing shoulders with noble patrons?
Maybe it wouldn't be bad to just live here forever.
I looked at the field with satisfaction, then glanced back.
Miroa was standing still like a scarecrow, guarding her spot.
"Miroa. A transport carriage will arrive from the capital soon."
"From the capital? Could it be that they've finally recognized your research and come looking for you?"
"Who knows. It would probably take another ten years for that."
I know better than anyone the level of magic at the Academy.
How is the empire still standing when it treats technology like this?
To the point where such thoughts arise, nobles and royalty alike have absolutely no interest in magic technology research and development.
The Crown Prince and Princess are among the few who have some interest.
Honestly, it's closer to creating a pretext to get involved with the female lead.
If they truly valued technology, they wouldn't cling to the female lead; they would allocate budgets, honor engineers, overhaul the Academy's education, and build a long-term talent development system.
Now that I think about it, even ten years wouldn't be enough.
The female lead, holed up in her lab, consistently saying 'Please come find me.'
Male lead candidates who only pretend to be interested in magic technology but don't invest.
Incompetent romance fantasy nobles soaked in vanity.
"I'll just do my own thing here."
"But the things you, master, are supposed to do...!"
"Isn't living here decent in its own way?"
"Master..."
Anyway, the conversation strayed off topic for a moment.
"In a few weeks, a carriage will arrive with deliverymen coming to pick up the alchemy ingredients. I've arranged for the shipping fee to be collect, so just hand over the goods."
The alchemy ingredient auction has already ended.
Someone participated in the auction and mobilized overwhelming funds in an instant.
On top of that, the Wintervalt Trading Company even joined as a delivery agent.
Just how desperate are the alchemists?
"Understood."
It's a bit anticlimactic.
So my impact as a mage is even less than running a farm?
"Heh."
With a sigh, I finished the farm work and returned to the mansion that night.
Sswaaaaa-.
As soon as night fell, a drizzly spring rain began to fall.
The empire seems to have particularly heavy rain in spring.
A weather that feels damp and sagging even when still.
Miroa, who came to say goodnight before sleep, spoke with concern.
"Master, do you perhaps plan to go fishing again tomorrow?"
"Well."
"If you do that on a rainy day, you'll ruin your health. Please reconsider."
Normally, I would never give up on the plain catfish.
Of course, I would have kicked open the mansion door from morning and fished all day, but this time is a bit different.
"'It's coming soon.'"
It was a few days later than expected, but it finally seemed to be approaching.
"'New content!'"
It was the same in the original healing farming game.
It was definitely a rainy day.
When morning came, a landslide would clear the rocks blocking the path, and new content would be unlocked.
I've taken appropriate measures for the water pipe side, so I just need to sit and wait for this.
"Miroa. We need to go into the mine tomorrow."
"Mining and combat."
......Boom!
Just then, a lightning bolt struck with a perfectly timed thunderclap.
With the appropriate sound effect, Miroa asked, shocked.
"The mine? What do you mean by that...?"