------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
Chapter 89
Although Melissa hadn’t intended it, she was able to quickly obtain moonstones from the Pahel Trading Company.
After all, fragments of moonstone often fell from meteorite debris that periodically rained down from the sky.
"Moonstones are formed when exposed to high pressure, extreme heat, and the irregular flow of mana deep within the earth over long periods. Therefore, it is possible that moonstone veins exist deep underground on this continent."
"Let’s not dwell on unrealistic possibilities."
Even the Heart of the Machine God had its operational limits.
"It's all set, young master."
"Good. Then, shall we test it?"
It had always been frustrating not having a teleportation gate.
In the past, the lack of technology had made it impossible, but now that I had acquired the Hall of Sages, nothing was out of reach.
"Uh, young master? Will this really work?"
One of the territory’s residents asked cautiously.
"That’s what we’re about to find out."
Normally, using a teleportation device required a hefty sum.
In other words, the fees were exorbitant.
Additionally, mana had to be recharged periodically, and maintenance was complicated.
On the other hand, teleportation devices created through magitech required significantly less involvement from mages.
And since the necessary elements were being gradually reduced, it would be possible to maintain them without charging high fees.
The only role for mages would be minimal maintenance.
That was enough.
I placed my hand on the activation control sphere and input the pre-configured magitech system.
Then, I fed in the pre-collected mana stones, as if shoveling coal into a furnace.
As the device activated, the structure rumbled to life like an engine starting up.
Bzzt... Crackle... Crackle...
Soon, a massive flow of energy began to emerge, forming trails of green light.
"Oh... Ohhh!"
"It’s glowing!"
Most of those unfamiliar with teleportation devices were simply amazed by the glowing lights.
At that moment, Luna, who had been silently watching the gate, tugged at the edge of my sleeve with her fingertip.
"Connection not established. Unlike normal teleportation, the destination remains unset."
She was right.
"That’s because we haven’t connected it to a destination yet."
Teleportation gates needed to be linked to each other to function.
Right now, this teleportation gate had only the input, meaning there was no output for it to connect to.
"Then we just need to attach it."
The first test would be with the magical city of Gaifen, where the Magic Tower was located.
It was an imperial city of magic.
He hadn’t chosen Bekdel, a city with a teleportation device nearby, for a simple reason.
For Bekdel, which was close to Cascadia, the establishment of a teleportation device in Cascadia would mean reduced profits for them.
They would likely come up with all sorts of excuses to refuse the connection.
Besides, there was no real need to conduct a test with a nearby territory.
A foreign location, on the other hand, posed no such issues.
He immediately took out the letter and communication artifact that had been sent from Gaifen’s Magic Tower.
"Oh, that one?"
"Might as well use it while we have it."
Upon activating the artifact, the other side picked up almost immediately.
-Yes, this is Gallian, administrative officer of the Gaifen Magic Tower.
It was unlikely that the same mage he had met before had answered, but the voice sounded noticeably annoyed.
* * *
Gaifen Magic Tower, Magic City of the Pascalian Empire
Gallian, an administrative officer of Gaifen’s Magic Tower, lazily answered the incoming communication.
The widespread use of communication artifacts across the continent had greatly reduced the reliance on letters.
Of course, artifacts were expensive, and each use came with inconveniences such as the risk of interception, so many people still preferred letters.
But in Gallian’s view, communication artifacts would one day become as common as anything else.
That didn’t mean he liked them.
He actually despised the damned things.
-So, regarding the investment proposal—
"Ah, our Magic Tower isn’t interested. We’re declining."
Since communication artifacts were relatively accessible to those with money, he frequently received all sorts of calls.
A prime example was people trying to pitch investment deals like now.
After hearing over a dozen of these nonsense proposals just today, he was already irritated.
"I came to the Magic Tower to research magic, not to deal with these artifact calls..."
Grumbling, he was about to get up from his seat.
Crash!
His teacup slipped from his hand and spilled over the artifact.
"Ack!"
A little tea wouldn’t destroy an artifact.
But if it seeped inside, his superiors might very well tear him in half.
Panicking, he hurriedly turned it off and pushed it aside.
He wiped it off quickly, but since the cleaning system was now running, it would be out of use for a while.
"Damn it."
He pulled out an old-model communication artifact, activated it, and frowned.
Unlike modern versions, this old one lacked an early warning system for important calls.
But it didn’t matter.
99% of today’s calls had been utterly useless anyway.
Bzzzz... Bzzzz...
And just as expected, another call came in.
"Ugh, seriously."
Suppressing his irritation, he answered.
"Yes, this is Gallian, administrative officer of Gaifen Magic Tower."
He forced himself to remain professional.
—This is Leon Cascadia of the Cascadia family.
Cascadia?
That name sounded vaguely familiar.
But he couldn’t quite remember why.
It was probably some insignificant noble house.
No reason to bother with formalities.
Besides, the Magic Tower was expecting important guests today, so whatever this was, it needed to be dealt with quickly.
"Yes, Leon Cascadia. How can I assist you?"
—It's nothing major. We've constructed a teleportation gate and would like to conduct a synchronization test with Gaifen’s gate. Could you provide the mana pattern and frequency code?
Mana patterns and frequency codes—essentially the unique identification numbers for each teleportation gate.
They weren’t exactly confidential.
Still, Gallian responded with irritation.
“Haa… Here we go again, seriously.”
—Excuse me?
Gallian retorted indifferently.
“Look, if you’re going to joke around, at least make it believable. What? You want to create a teleport gate? Do you think ‘Teleport Gate’ is some random pet’s name?”
—What the…
“Forget it. We’re not in the business of investing in nonsense, so go try somewhere else.”
After cutting off the call with an air of indifference, he let out a short sigh.
“There really are all kinds of lunatics out there. Seriously, nobles and merchants are the worst.”
It was then.
Clatter!
“Huh! Lord Berhem!”
A pair—a man and a woman—suddenly burst through the door, making the mage Gallian jump to his feet as if a soldier had just encountered a general.
Unlike him, a mere lower-ranked mage, Berhem was a high-ranking figure with immense power in the Magic Tower.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
And beside him…
‘Gasp!!’
An astonishing figure stood there.
‘No way, it’s the honored guest!’
He had never seen her in person before, but there was no way he wouldn’t recognize her.
Most of the mages had already caught a glimpse of her earlier that morning when she visited the Magic Tower to meet with the Tower Master.
“I apologize for coming here when you’re busy. I hope I’m not causing any trouble.”
“A-Ah… Not at all!!”
Before him stood a girl who looked no older than seventeen.
She had long blue hair, a pure white sacred robe, and a high-ranking priestess’s veil adorned with golden embroidery.
And her overwhelmingly large chest held Gallian’s gaze for a brief moment.
But he knew that she wasn’t actually seventeen—she was nineteen.
She was that famous.
Her name was Nadia Ten Lilibel.
The surname Lilibel was not a family name but a symbol of a particular order.
In the Magic Tower, where magic was everything, she was someone who emitted no mana at all.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been of no interest.
But he couldn’t afford to ignore her.
Because she was none other than the most sacred maiden on the continent.
But why would someone so famous and important come to a place like this?
As Gallian puzzled over this, Berhem cleared his throat.
“Ahem. The reason for this visit is mine. The Saintess is merely accompanying me.”
“Oh, I see. Then, what brings you here…?”
“Have you received any contact from Cascadia?”
Gallian was about to nod absentmindedly when he suddenly froze in shock.
“Ca… Cascadia?”
“Yes. If I recall correctly, I already issued a first-class transmission.”
“……”
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Gallian’s face as he fell silent.
“Sir Mage… If it really was that Leon Cascadia, do you think he might actually have a method?”
Even the Saintess, Nadia, looked skeptical as she asked.
“To be honest, the chances are low. However, he is someone who has overturned the very conventions of the subjugation force. You never know—he might have some interesting insight on teleport gates.”
Currently, no mage on the continent was capable of creating a teleport gate, but theoretically, it wasn’t impossible.
“Cascadia… That’s the place where the Sword Saint sought aid before, isn’t it? That’s fortunate, but will he really be willing to help so easily…?”
The Sword Saint, Osberg, had barely mentioned what happened that day, so Nadia didn’t know much about Leon’s character.
“Do not worry. He is not an ill-natured man. As long as there are no major issues, he will likely offer his aid. Of course… we need to receive his response first.”
Gallian’s face turned pale.
Leon Cascadia.
Wasn’t that the same fraud he had just berated over the transmission?
That guy had been spouting nonsense about creating a teleport gate and asking him to transmit signals or something…
And now they were saying he wasn’t a fraud?
“Phew… If we could secure a teleport gate, so much would become possible…”
Teleport Gate!
Gallian’s face darkened even further.
His mind went blank.
Just then—
Beep! Beep!
The large communication artifact he had temporarily reset after spilling his tea came back to life, displaying a list of missed transmissions.
And there, among them, was a golden emblem marked with the number 1, indicating first-class priority.
The issue was that newer models displayed the rank of the transmission, but older ones did not.
Up until now, only those scammer noble bastards had been calling, so why did this have to happen now of all times?!
Without thinking, Gallian instinctively covered the screen with his hand, like a child trying to hide a mistake.
It was a meaningless action he normally wouldn’t even consider.
But unlike Berhem, Nadia caught sight of it.
“A missed call list? That golden ‘1’… That means first-class, doesn’t it? Don’t tell me… you actually received a call?”
“Hm? Move aside, let me see.”
‘I’m screwed.’
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
