As for how happy Rorschach was... he wasn’t particularly excited. Now that the prototype was finished, even more work awaited him.

If they were to truly finalize the model for mass production, there would be design manuals, all sorts of blueprints, and technical specifications... Just thinking about it all was enough to make Rorschach’s head spin.

Of course, in a society that hadn’t completely moved past manual craftsmanship, Rorschach and the old hands at the Alchemy Department could first build a few refining machines by hand. They would gain experience by building and using them at the same time.

’The initial concept has been realized, so a trip to Bayern can be put on the agenda. I’ll need to contact Mr. Pierre before I leave.’ Rorschach had been so busy lately that he hadn’t paid much attention to the negotiations between the Hercules beverage factory and the Bart Family. All he knew was that his partner, Hasse, hadn’t left Valuva yet.

However, Rorschach couldn’t get away just yet. The old hands from the Alchemy Department pulled him into an office to start drawing blueprints. The finalized version had a modular design that didn’t require an inner liner, but based on his experience, Rorschach still recommended using a porous material for the inner wall.

"This way, the Alchemy Ink can permeate from the outer wall to the inner one..."

"Why go through all that trouble? The finished product needs top-shelf materials!" Snow declared, raising a Purple Potion and waving his arm grandly. He commanded the entire Alchemy Department to turn the storeroom upside down.

You want good Ether conductivity? Use doped alloys! Alchemy Ink is practically dishwater—the Ethereal Amount it can carry per unit volume is tiny. We’ll use molten metal! After casting it as one piece, we’ll shape it with Magic!

The Alchemy Department threw every material and processing method they had at it. Rorschach never expected to see pedal-driven lathes and milling machines in this world.

"Why not power it with a Steam Engine?" The moment the words left his mouth, Rorschach felt he’d asked a stupid question. There had to be an insurmountable obstacle preventing such an obvious improvement.

"The power output is difficult to control. The rotational speed is so high it would strip the screw rods and shatter the gears." ’Sigh,’ he thought. ’In the end, it all comes down to their materials science not being up to snuff.’

A burly Mage downed a Concentrated Purple Potion in one gulp and got to work. He rolled up the sleeves of his Magic Robe, and the lathe’s pedals began to whir loudly. Despite the speed, the lathing process itself was extremely delicate as he advanced the cutting tool little by little.

According to the Alchemy Department Mages’ calculations, the Mithril component that received the Ether would be more efficient with a slight taper. Pure Mithril was highly ductile and softer than alloys, making it possible to machine on a pedal-driven lathe. Plus, compared to shaping with Magic, carefully controlling the tool path minimized size variations between repeating parts.

In the underground workshop of the research building, no outsider would ever imagine that these Mages, symbols of wisdom, were so fervently engaged in machining. Even though March had not yet fully warmed, the old hands here were already drenched, shedding sweat and radiating heat.

Like the laboring men, the machines were running hot. Lubricating grease constantly evaporated from the friction, filling the air with a strange, pungent mix of metal, sweat, and machine oil.

One had to wonder if the "Innovative Warrior" Singrev would shout "By the Dwarf King!" upon seeing such a scene.

"How come I never knew there was an underground workshop?"

"If just any person, any Mage Apprentice, were to wander in here, what would they think of our Alchemy Department?" Snow clapped Rorschach on the shoulder. "The impact on our image would be incalculable."

"Then what about me...?" Rorschach started to ask as he and Snow walked. They passed a stamping press, where the Force Field Wave Array on it activated in a flash. A preheated brass ingot was instantly flattened into a curved, thin sheet. An old hand from the Alchemy Department used the Floating Skill in tandem with his Mage’s Hand to retrieve it. Bent into shape and welded together, it formed the outer shell for a Transmutation Dust Collector.

"Rorschach Mage, the fact that you can set foot in here means you’re one of us now," Snow said, glancing at the press. The Force Field Wave Array had been calibrated to stamp out specific shapes. As long as they had enough raw materials, they could forge hundreds of sets of Armor overnight.

Using it to make these shells was, frankly, overkill.

...

With Rorschach as the original designer, Snow personally serving as chief engineer, and the old hands of the Alchemy Department working tirelessly day and night, the first mass-produced "Transmuting Dust-Ether Collection and Transformation Device" was assembled in just twenty days. It was a product of half-machining, half-handcrafting, and a whole lot of magical technology.

It was several times larger and more robust than the one Rorschach had built in his lab. The materials and the techniques used to inscribe the Magic Arrays were on a completely different level. It was, in short, the Ultra Pro Max version.

The brand-new brass shell had a luster that rivaled gold, and its glittering interior used vast quantities of materials even more precious than gold. When Rorschach finally held the design specification sheet and the cost report, he sucked in a sharp breath. They had used sixteen pounds of Mithril alone. The total cost would consume all the liquid capital he had on hand.

’Suddenly, building my own Mage Tower doesn’t seem like such a rush,’ he thought.

"How much of a Mithril reserve does the Alchemy Department have?"

"Heh heh, we just used some leftover materials from our last project. As for what that project was... that’s confidential."

’So much for being one of them now,’ Rorschach thought. He didn’t realize he had already experienced one of the fruits of that secret project.

To ensure maximum safety and prevent the device from becoming a Transmuting Dust bomb, the Alchemy Department used magic to quickly excavate a new underground space. The entire machine was semi-submerged in an Alchemy Liquid Pool, and they also set up a Blue Light Barrier along the pool’s walls.

So, for the startup ceremony, Rorschach, Snow, and the other old hands all stood looking down at the unit. As the Blue Light Barrier lit up during the pre-start sequence, the transparent Alchemy Liquid Pool began to shimmer. For a dazed moment, Rorschach felt as if he were looking at a nuclear reactor.

’Come to think of it, their function is pretty similar, though this one’s a bit less powerful... If the Transmuting Dust eruption were to go out of control, the portal to the bottom of the Star Realm Layer would close, so a continuous leak would be impossible in an accident. And Transmuting Dust itself doesn’t cause radioactive contamination... does it?’

Rorschach shivered.

Snow didn’t notice the Middle Level Mage’s unease. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he gripped the railing and gave the command: "Start it up!"

After a brief hum, the entire underground chamber went dark. Only the faint glow of the Blue Light Barrier remained, its light filtering through the liquid to illuminate the device. This wasn’t an accident, however; the power for the research building and the underground space was simply being switched over.

The Magic Lamps relit one by one, and the Mage monitoring the gauges shouted, "Output is stable! All systems normal!"

Applause and cheers erupted, along with the clinking of glasses—Energy Potions, of course.

However, another line ran in the opposite direction from the research building. This underground unit was located between the Starlight Torch Tower and the research building. A stream of the output Ether rushed to the tower’s base and, just as the Alchemy Department had pre-programmed, lit up the entire tower with Magic Light.

It was nighttime, and every pedestrian on the street was drawn to the dazzling building.

Kano was in the middle of dinner, sipping a drink while looking out at the night view. It was a rare night without social engagements, so he had come to the restaurant in the Starlight Torch Tower to enjoy a fine meal and look down on the bustling masses below, content in his solitude.

’Rorschach hasn’t been in the lab for the past few days. I wonder what he’s busy with. I hope he’s not being led astray by Pascal...’ There, before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, sat a good teacher, concerned for his student’s future.

Then, the good teacher Kano was momentarily blinded as the tower suddenly lit up. Even though it was the exterior walls that were illuminated, the outwardly angled windows did an excellent job of refracting the light pollution right into the restaurant.

"What’s going on?"

"We’d better turn off the Starlight Torch Tower’s lights... Whose flashy idea was this? It’s too ostentatious, not good." Down in the chamber, a sudden chill ran up Snow’s back as if he had sensed a murderous aura. He ordered the operations manager to cut the Ether output to the tower.

SNAP! The entire building, the restaurant included, went dark.

"I’m going to the research building to have a look." With a good guess as to who was causing trouble, Kano flung several orbs of light into the air. They floated to the restaurant’s ceiling, illuminating everyone inside.