The Efficiency of a Recluse

The laboratory of Ailiya, a reclusive mage who distorts even time itself, is cramped. It started out as one of the most spacious private labs in the Academy, but as time passed, it shrank. It didn't just get cramped; it became an absolute junkyard. "She really ought to clean up a bit." Still, she rarely eats, so at least nothing is rotting. That’s a relief, I suppose. "Clean your room!!!" That is the thought that crosses Goggle's mind every time he is summoned by his master. But right now, even that thought is a luxury.

Goggle is an information-searching spirit. Given his master, he is specialized in searching for magical data. However, he has never heard of a spell that stops time. "So, you're saying that mage, Rii, can now stop time?" He thought he might have misunderstood. But Ailiya's answer was firm.

"It is certain that the flow is being distorted."

Rii's magic has begun to interfere with time. It is a realm that even the great mages of the past dared not touch. A scream escaped from Goggle's beak involuntarily. "I've never seen such magic before!"

"That’s because the magic in this world isn't all that great. How many proper mages do you think are even here?"

"But Ailiya, you are a mage’s mage, more than anyone else."

"He’s even more so than me."

"Then does that mean he doesn't eat or clean his surroundings while he researches?"

"Perhaps."

Rii. A mage I’ve never seen before. But in Ailiya's heart, some unknown bond, a sense of internal intimacy, began to build. "Maybe he went down to the countryside because he finished something. He might have needed space to experiment."

"But Ailiya, you experiment at the Academy, don't you? Is there really a need to go all the way to the countryside?"

Ailiya fell into thought again. This time, the answer came quickly. "He must have hated the idea of showing it to those Academy bastards, even if he died."

"Aha... because he was ignored... even though he could have shown them the results..."

"You investigated it too, Goggle, so you know. It would have been meaningless."

As a result of inquiries at the Academy, one fact was clear: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Rii had been thoroughly ignored. Even though he had created such incredible magic, no one had given him a proper look. "And he already showed them as much as was necessary. The part about stopping time was just a mention of 'possibility.' The core of his thesis is that it is possible to improve the efficiency of all magic with a single spell, and that is actually implementable even now."

It is already a magical revolution by current standards. "The potential for application is endless. And yet." Ailiya leaned against the lab wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. Her dark navy hair, resembling the night sky, let out a rustling scream, but she didn't pay much attention to it. There was something far more important than that.

"And yet, he hid away in a countryside where no one can find him. He created magic that even interferes with time; a true mage wouldn't have gone there to die. Even if someone begged him to die, he wouldn't."

Rii wouldn't have died. How could someone who created time-stop magic think of dying? Naturally, he would be experiencing an incredible dopamine rush; he wouldn't be able to die out of sheer frustration.

"Couldn't it be that there's something else?"

Rii is a mage, after all. That’s right. At this level, it’s unlikely he went there to die. Ailiya, thinking to herself, finished her sentence. "He might have truly completed his research and is already manipulating time."

And there is evidence. "Goggle. Didn't my brother say so in his letter? The countryside village where Rii left. It seems he signed a contract to sell agricultural products there."

"Y-yes."

Selling agricultural products from a small rural village to the outside world? That wouldn't be possible with normal production levels. It means the magic Rii created is well on its way to success.

"Why didn't you know, Goggle?"

Goggle himself hadn't been able to figure this out.

"That is... well, that..."

"No. I'm not blaming you, I'm just asking out of curiosity. You're a spirit specialized in information searching, so I wondered why you didn't know."

"I don't know! I don't know! I need a search term! I specialize in magic searches!"

"Anyway, since my brother brought the information, check it properly now."

Rustle. Ailiya prepared to leave again. "And I'm going to go see the head of the trading house for a moment."

"Ailiya. In that state?"

Ailiya looked at Goggle with emotionless eyes. "What's wrong with how I look now?"

"That is..."

"I'm joking. I have no intention of being in this state in front of someone I dislike."

A short while later, at the Wintervalt estate. "Hello." Ailiya appeared before Kael. The time it took to get to the point was about three seconds.

"The mage named Rii, he seems to be experimenting."

"Experimenting?"

"He completed the theory, but he would rather die than show it to the people who didn't recognize it. What do you think a mage would do in that situation?"

"I don't know. I've never not been recognized."

"Ha. I don't recognize you, brother. Among the useful magic used by the trading house, is there even one that you created?"

"I built honor through magic, and with that, I received investment to create the trading house. Isn't that enough?"

"You talk well. Even though the spirit connector I made is the core product."

The sibling rivalry, reminiscent of a romance fantasy novel, lasted only a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment.

"Anyway, it was a story about whether he might be testing the completed magic in a quiet countryside."

Starting with Ailiya's delayed explanation, the conversation soon flowed toward Rii.

"So, the search? How is it going?"

"They have already departed," Kael replied nonchalantly.

"And contact via the Spirit Net?"

"I tried, but he hasn't read it. You should also consider the possibility that he is not the mage named Rii you are looking for."

"......Understood."

Kael looked at Ailiya. "Nothing else to say?"

"This is a transaction. Why should I be grateful?"

Ailiya left the Wintervalt mansion with quick strides.

One fact that people don't know as well as they think. Surprisingly, the internet exists in the original healing farming game. The world we are in now, where the romance fantasy and healing farming genres have fused, is roughly the same.

'Spirit Communication.'

It is communication using low-level spirits. It is a technology with a long history, but unfortunately, it cannot be used without talent in spirit arts. 'So, this good thing was only used by spirit mages in the past.' If there had been a proper engineer, they would have jumped on this immediately. You can perform long-distance, real-time wireless communication using spirits? A communication revolution would have arrived over 100 years ago.

But the romance fantasy types, whose brains have melted with romanticism. They didn't disappoint.

They said things like this and didn't even develop the technology properly. No, romanticism or whatever, writing letters is inconvenient. You nobles also complain that exchanging news is slow, don't you? Is it right not to develop it when the internet is right there? Where is that kind of nobility in the work of merely using low-level spirits? It's absurd.

It is said that even until recently, only spirit mages used this incredible technology. However, there is a way for everything. 'A spell to win the hearts of spirits.' It is a spell that the romance fantasy heroine developed in her childhood. But her family ignored the potential of the magic, and the heroine was hurt—that is the setting in the work. 'Thanks to that, even after the heroine possessed the body, she milked this incident for all it was worth in front of her family.' I really don't know why she engages in emotional abuse over something that happened before the possession.

But that's not what's important. Basically, it's a world inside a romance fantasy novel made to make the heroine stand out. Naturally, the magic the heroine developed is useful. Even ordinary people without spirit affinity can call low-level spirits. You can't make them do anything great, but it's important that you can use Spirit Communication. However, there are disadvantages. It takes a long time to call a spirit, and it's quite common for a low-level spirit you've painstakingly called to run away.

What if I apply the efficiency magic formula I created here?

'Spirit Hypnosis App.'

It’s almost at the level of a hypnosis app. As soon as I activated the magic, light clusters burst in the air in an instant. The gathered low-level spirits began to speak in their own voices.

- Ming... Mhahang....

- Hoe-eh! The magical power feels good! I want to be friends!!

- Ing-ing. I want to sign a contract. Ing-ing.

- Me! Pick me as the connection spirit...!

As you can tell from their lines, they really are completely out of their minds. 'It really is almost at the level of a hypnosis app.' The spirits I called are mostly incompetent, but there is no problem when connecting to the Spirit Net. After looking at the lineup of spirits, I chose one and activated the communication magic.

"You."

- Thank you! I will engrave your grace in my bones and remember it!

"100 of them?"

Messages are pouring in from alchemists ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all over the empire. The reason is simple. On the evening of the first day I arrived at the Solanium basin, I connected to the Spirit Net and posted a notice for the sale of agricultural products. Red Thorn Vine, Motherless Hook, Wedge Berry, etc. These are rare alchemy ingredients that only grow on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long-abandoned farms. But the title of the notice was [Agricultural Product Sales Contract]. This way, I pay less tax. Under imperial law, things from a farm are agricultural products, so it's possible. It's a tax-saving tip in a fantasy world.

So what I put on the Spirit Net was actually an alchemy ingredient trade. Since it would be annoying if my real name were revealed, I posted the article using the nickname 'Yudong'. How many days have passed since then?

Messages are constantly coming in. I intended to sell them moderately, but because desperate messages kept flying in, I couldn't even trade properly. The prices people were offering kept going up, too. 'Should I wait a little longer?' That thought was why I gave the trade some leeway over the past few days. It's true that alchemists were the most active in accepting the heroine's spirit-Wi-Fi. These people will do anything to get materials. But I didn't know it would be to this extent.

I read over 100 messages, but there were still many unread messages left.

"I read 100? And 100 more are left?"

Ugh. "Just mark the rest as read."

Even if I read the content, it's all the same anyway. I've slowly finished deciding what to do with the alchemy ingredients, so there's no need to read them all. 'I should just put them up for auction.' Click. After putting the materials up for auction, I added one more thing to the notice.

[Shipping fee to be paid by the recipient]

If you have ingredients of this quality, the supplier is the boss.