Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Teleport Gate Test
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Unexpectedly, thanks to Melissa summoning the Pahel Merchant Group, they were able to procure moonstone right away.
Moonstone fragments often rained down from the debris of meteorites that periodically plummeted from the sky.
Moonstone is formed when exposed over long periods to intense pressure, extreme heat deep within the earth's crust, and irregular mana flows. Thus, moonstone veins may exist deep underground across this continent.
"Let's not dwell on things that are realistically impossible."
Even the Heart of the Machine God had its limits when it came to operational scope.
"All set, Young Master."
"Good. Shall we test it, then?"
How much had the lack of a teleport gate been bothering him all this time?
Technological limitations had made it impossible before, but now that he had acquired the Hall of Sages, nothing was out of reach.
"Um, Young Master? Do you think this will actually work?"
One of the territory's residents asked cautiously.
"We'll find out starting now."
Normally, using a teleport device once required a fortune.
In other words, the fees were exorbitantly high.
On top of that, it needed regular mana recharges and finicky maintenance.
In contrast, a magitech teleport device required far fewer mages.
And he planned to gradually reduce even those minimal needs, making maintenance feasible without charging steep fees.
The mages' role would be limited to basic upkeep.
That would suffice.
He placed his hand on the activation crystal and inputted the pre-programmed magitech system.
Then, shoving in the stockpiled mana stones like coal into a furnace, he powered it up. The structure hummed to life like an engine turning over.
Tzzzt...Tzzzzzt!!!
Soon, a massive energy flow surged through it, tracing out paths of green light.
"Oh... Ooooh."
"It's glowing!"
Those unfamiliar with teleport devices seemed simply amazed by the light show.
At that moment, Luna, who had been silently staring at the gate, tugged at his sleeve with her fingertip.
"No connection established. Unlike standard teleports, destination is not fixed."
She was right.
"It hasn't been linked to any destination yet."
A teleport gate required paired gates to connect.
In other words, this newly built gate had an input but no output—it was incomplete.
"So we just need to link it up."
The first test target was Gaifen, the magic city housing the Magic Tower.
The empire's premier magical hub.
He chose it over nearby Baekdel, home to another teleport device, for a simple reason.
From Baekdel's perspective—right on Cascadia's border—a new gate in Cascadia meant lost revenue.
They'd probably come up with every excuse to refuse. Besides, there was no need to test with a neighboring territory.
Linking overseas? No issue at all.
He pulled out the letter and communication artifact sent from Gaifen's Magic Tower.
"Ah, that."
"Gotta use it while we have it."
Activating the artifact, it connected almost immediately.
-This is Galian, administrative officer of Gaifen Magic Tower.
It wouldn't be the mage he'd met back then, so he didn't expect that voice, but the tone reeked of annoyance anyway.
In the Pascalia Empire's magic city of Gaifen, at the Gaifen Magic Tower, administrative officer Galian listlessly answered an incoming call to the tower.
The widespread communication artifacts across the continent had revolutionized messaging, drastically cutting down on letters.
Of course, their high cost, procedural hassles per use, and eavesdropping risks meant letters still dominated—but to Galian, these artifacts seemed destined to become commonplace someday.
Convenience aside, he hated the damn things.
-So, about this investment opportunity...
"Ah, no interest from our tower. We're declining."
Accessible to anyone with moderate wealth, they brought every kind of nonsense call imaginable.
Like this investment pitch he was fielding right now—already a dozen today, grating on his nerves.
"I came to the tower to research magic, not babysit artifact calls..."
As he grumbled and rose from his seat—
Crash!!
His teacup slipped, splashing the artifact.
"Gah!!"
A spill wouldn't break it, but if liquid seeped inside? The higher-ups would have his head. He yanked it out and shoved it aside.
He wiped it down hastily and activated the cleaning function, but it wouldn't be usable right away.
"Damn it."
Pulling out an old-model artifact, he powered it up and scowled.
Outdated ones lacked priority notifications, but who cared?
Ninety-nine percent of today's calls had been worthless anyway.
Vrrr... Vrrr...
As if on cue, another call buzzed in. He vented his irritation.
"Ugh, come on."
He answered without hiding his annoyance.
"Yes, this is Galian, administrative officer of Gaifen Magic Tower."
He forced some politeness into his voice.
-This is Leon Cascadia of House Cascadia.
Cascadia? Sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.
Probably some obscure minor house. No need to grovel.
Especially not today, with VIPs visiting the tower—whatever it was, brush it off.
"Yes, Lord Leon Cascadia. How may I assist you?"
-Nothing major. We've built a teleport gate here and want to test linking it with Gaifen's. Could you provide the mana pattern and wavelength code?
Mana pattern and wavelength code—the unique ID of each gate.
Nothing secret about it; no one guarded it closely.
Still, Galian replied irritably.
"Haa... Here we go again."
-Pardon?
Galian shot back dismissively.
"Look, even jokes need to make sense. What? You built a teleport gate? You think it's your pet dog's name or something?"
-What the hel—
"Whatever. We're not in the business of funding fairy tales. Try somewhere else."
He cut the call curtly and sighed.
"What a pain in the ass. Nobles and merchants are the worst."
Then—
Bang!
"Whoa! Lord Berhem!"
A man and woman burst in unannounced. Mage Galian shot to his feet like a soldier saluting a general.
Unlike a lowly mage like him, Berhem wielded immense authority in the tower.
And beside him...
'Gasp!!'
A startling figure stood there.
'No way, it's the special guest!'
He'd never seen her in person, but everyone knew her.
Most mages had spotted her that morning, meeting with the tower lord.
"Sorry to barge in while you're busy. I hope I'm not imposing."
"N-No, not at all!!"
The girl before him looked about seventeen.
Long blue hair, pristine white holy robes, a veil adorned with gold leaf fit for a high priestess.
And an overwhelmingly ample bosom that caught Galian's eye.
But he knew she was actually nineteen.
She was that famous.
The honored guest: Nadia Ten Lilibel.
Lilibel wasn't a family name—it symbolized a single order.
In a magic-obsessed tower, she exuded zero mana.
Normally, he'd ignore her, but not this one.
She was the continent's most sacred maiden: the Saintess.
Why would someone so renowned come here?
As he puzzled, Berhem cleared his throat.
"Ahem. I'm the one with business here. The Saintess is merely accompanying me."
"Ah, yes. Then, what brings you...?"
"Any contact from Cascadia?"
Galian nodded instinctively, then froze.
"Ca... Cascadia?"
"Yes. I recall propagating it as a Grade 1 priority."
"......"
Cold sweat beaded on Galian's face as silence fell.
"Lord Mage... If it's really that Leon Cascadia, is it true he might actually have a method?"
Saintess Nadia sounded skeptical too.
"Honestly, the odds are low. But he upended the subjugation force's common sense. Who knows? He might have intriguing insights on teleport gates."
The continent lacked great mages to build them now, but they weren't impossible.
"Cascadia... That place where we asked the Sword Saint before. If so, that's fortunate—but will he help so readily...?"
Sword Saint Osberg rarely spoke of that day, so even Nadia knew little of Leon.
"Don't worry. He seemed decent enough. He'll help unless there's an issue. Assuming he contacts us, of course."
Galian's face drained to a sickly blue.
Leon Cascadia. The hack merchant he'd just chewed out.
The one babbling about building a gate and demanding wavelengths.
And that wasn't a hack?
"Sigh. Securing a teleport gate would open so many doors..."
Teleport gate!
Galian's face turned ashen black.
His mind went blank white, thoughts frozen.
Then—Beep! Bzzzt!
The larger artifact, reset after the spill, activated, displaying missed calls.
A golden-tinged line marked "Grade 1" caught Galian's eye.
New models showed ratings; old ones didn't—that was the problem.
All day, scam nobles; why now!?
Unthinkingly, he covered it with his hand—like a kid hiding a mistake.
Behavior utterly unlike his usual self.
Berhem missed it, but Nadia didn't.
"Missed calls? That golden '1'—isn't that Grade 1? Did they call?"
"Hm? Let me see."
'I'm screwed.'