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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 94
"Do you think that's possible? Even if it's illusion magic, achieving that level requires at least an Archmage’s level of precise mana control and vast amounts of data."
Illusion mages didn't study countless laws and phenomena for nothing.
But was such a thing even realistic?
Unless enormous amounts of information were stored somewhere and operated with the precision of an algorithm, the general consensus among the mages of the Magic Tower was that it would be nearly impossible to implement.
"There's no material that could even serve as a foundation for that. As far as I know, no known substance can make it possible."
Since they didn’t know the processing methods of moonstone, to them, a virtual reality illusion artifact was nothing more than a fantasy.
"Then it's just a baseless rumor?"
"That's what we believe. It's probably some scam to deceive those who know little about magic."
"But an elder of the Imperial family..."
"Imperial family or whatever! I'm telling you it's impossible! Even an Archmage would need immense power to manifest an illusion spell of that scale with such precision!"
"Okay, okay, if it’s not possible, then fine... No need to get so worked up."
The other mages shook their heads in exasperation.
"Enough! We've already sent someone from our Magic Tower to investigate the truth of the matter, so we'll get an answer soon."
As soon as those words were spoken, sparks crackled from the door, and an old woman in a robe stepped inside.
"I'm back, you wrinkled geezers."
"Oh, for heaven’s sake, that old hag was the one who went?"
"When is that old woman finally going to kick the bucket? I should get a black flower ready for her funeral."
Though they spoke irritably, their tone carried a sense of familiarity.
"The thirsty one has to dig the well. Since I was curious, I had no choice but to go myself."
The other side was a noble family of the Empire.
Naturally, they had to send someone of matching stature.
"So, what did you find?"
"Curious, are you?"
"Wouldn’t I be? That artifact has thrown the Empire into chaos."
At those words, the old woman fell silent, her expression serious.
Was she choosing her words carefully?
The other mages swallowed nervously, watching the situation unfold.
A minute passed in silence.
Then, the old woman smirked mischievously and raised her middle finger.
"Not telling."
"You crazy old hag!"
"You want to fight, huh?! Huh?!"
After all that waiting, the mages were furious at her response.
The old woman waved her hand dismissively and plopped into a chair.
"Heh, just kidding. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Alright, but if you stall for another minute, this will turn into an all-out war in the Magic Tower."
"Tsk, tsk... I really don’t know how to explain this."
For once, she wore an expression of genuine frustration as she stared down at the table.
"Is it magic? If that's the question, the answer is no."
The mages tilted their heads in confusion.
"It's not magic? But you’re saying it does exist?"
"Yeah. Rather than magic, it's a product of magitech. A machine created through mana. Somehow, massive amounts of data were stored inside the artifact, allowing it to function with remarkable precision."
"Then you're saying it’s purely a magitech device?"
"That’s the tricky part. Magic is mixed into it in several ways."
The old woman spoke calmly before continuing.
"But to be honest... I couldn't figure out anything."
"What?"
"The old hag who surpassed the rank of Archmage couldn’t figure it out?"
At that question, the old woman closed her eyes.
"That’s right. Magitech. Different from traditional magic. But I couldn’t determine how it was structured or what materials were used to create it."
If it were up to her, she would’ve dismantled it on the spot to study it.
But her expression was devoid of any jest.
"This is a revolution."
That single sentence sent shockwaves through the gathered mages.
"How in the world did the Berner family acquire something like that...?"
"The Berner family probably didn’t make it. The real creators are somewhere else. But… the young lady of the Berner household refused to reveal who she bought it from."
All she had done was witness an unbelievable artifact firsthand.
"Shall we evaluate it objectively?"
"Go ahead."
"I majored in magitech. So I can assess its value to some degree. And in my opinion… this artifact is at least 200 years ahead of our time."
At those words, the mages’ eyes filled with desire.
But among them, one of the Tower Masters had a different thought.
‘A mysterious magitech artifact, seemingly 200 years ahead?’
By coincidence, hadn't he recently received a report about something eerily similar?
Damn it…
He cursed inwardly.
Ever since that low-ranking mage had made a blunder, everything had spiraled out of control.
* * *
-So the Empire is in an uproar over this?
"Yeah, apparently. The high-ranking nobles are calling it an artifact that leads to paradise, and there’s a huge commotion. Good thing we kept its origin a secret."
Selling the artifact was one thing, but too much attention was a liability.
Melissa understood that well.
"This could… be quite profitable, don’t you think?"
-And who's going to make them? Your ancestors?
"You can make them."
At Melissa’s bold and shameless demand, Leon’s voice was filled with disbelief.
-You've lost your mind.
"Oh, come on. I’ve been thinking about this..."
-Stop. Just stop right there.
But Melissa was unfazed.
"Let’s distribute a few of them through the trading company and see how the market reacts."
To understand the true value of the product and how much demand could be created...
-So you want to test the market?
"Exactly. There’s no harm in trying."
-Liability waiver.
"Deal."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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She answered without hesitation.
"How many do you need?"
"About 30."
Thirty.
A number that could be considered small or large.
In reality, considering the scale of the empire, it was a small number.
"For now, I plan to release just that much into circulation. I have a friend from my academy days who works at a trading company. I’ll give you the material details, and I'll send them a letter."
"Is it okay if the trading company finds out?"
"It's a small trading company, so there won’t be any unnecessary entanglements. They’re reliable, and when it comes to money, they’re trustworthy."
Melissa shuddered as she recalled a certain acquaintance from her academy days.
"She’s crazy about money, though."
Melissa was quite strict herself, but the young woman from the trading company was on another level.
A money-obsessed woman.
Recalling the black-haired girl from the student council back in the academy, Melissa trembled slightly.
She was said to be the daughter of a minor noble family from a small kingdom, but there was no way to verify that.
What mattered was that, regardless of her background, she was exceptionally skilled.
"But you know, brother..."
-You’ve been headbutting things for so long that you’ve turned into a headbutting dinosaur. What’s with the chills?
"I told you to go ahead with this, but are you sure it's okay? If that item spreads, won’t there be issues with technology theft...?"
Since she wasn’t well-versed in magical engineering, it was a reasonable concern.
At least from what she knew, the mages in the Magic Tower could copy anything after just one look—they were geniuses, after all.
In response, Leon explained confidently.
-Well, I don’t know exactly how skilled the mages and magic engineers of the Magic Tower are, but unless they can bypass my security and access the internal data...
Leon’s voice carried a hint of confidence as he trailed off.
-It would be difficult to replicate thousands of years' worth of accumulated big data, don’t you think?
"Thou... thousands of years?"
-It’s nothing. Just that it’s that difficult. They probably wouldn’t understand it even if they saw it.
The artifact was built using the standards of the Hall of Sages, with necromancy mixed in.
Even if a necromancer analyzed it, they would only understand about half of it—the rest would be too obscure.
"Alright, then. I’ll leave it to you."
* * *
Melissa immediately sent a letter to her academy acquaintance.
And just half a day after sending it—
In a mere half-day, a girl with jet-black hair and a sly smile arrived in Cascadia.
Glossy black hair, blue eyes, and skin as fair as white jade.
Was she from the western continent?
"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Melissa, Lord Leon Cascadia."
"Uh..."
"Oh, right, where are my manners? My name is Aurora. Just call me Aurora, if you’d like."
She had no surname, which usually implied commoner status, but it wasn’t something that could be confirmed for sure.
Her confident smile.
That harmless-looking grin.
The thing was, Melissa had sent her letter only half a day ago.
And yet, Aurora had already arrived in Cascadia?
It wasn’t as if she had used a teleport gate.
"I must say, I’m a little surprised by how quickly you arrived."
"Of course~. It’s not every day Melissa makes a proposal like this."
Judging by her amused smile, she was indeed the academy acquaintance Melissa had mentioned.
"Melissa doesn’t make deals often?"
"Melissa doesn’t ask for help unless she’s absolutely sure about something."
That was a compliment, in a way.
"Our Planeteria Trading Company may be small, but we have multiple trade routes. No matter what goods you want to sell, we can deliver results beyond your expectations."
Born to be a merchant.
That was Melissa’s assessment of her.
Aurora got straight to the point, and in response, I handed her one of the virtual reality artifacts I was developing.
"This is a consignment sale. I’ll provide the product, and you’ll distribute it across various regions."
"An arti...fact?"
Her eyes narrowed for a brief moment.
She quickly appraised the item and then reverted her expression back to normal.
Her skill at assessing value was no joke.
After a moment of silence, her eyes widened.
"Wait... could this be a virtual reality illusion artifact?"
I hadn’t explained what I was selling or even who was responsible for it.
But she figured it out instantly.
"You’re quick on the uptake."
"Haha, being slow-witted would be a death sentence for a merchant. My, my... I never thought I’d get to see the item that’s been causing such a stir in the Pascalia Empire... And the person who made it is none other than Melissa’s brother?"
There was something pointed about her tone.
"Did Melissa talk about me at the academy?"
"Hmm... For your sake, I’ll keep that a secret. But we’re friends, you know? Still, she never mentioned that you were so handsome and well-mannered."
Friends?
Her natural ability to disarm a conversation and lower defenses was impressive.
I narrowed my eyes.
Thinking back, Melissa had probably badmouthed me plenty at the academy.
And fair enough—I had done the same.
After inspecting the artifact closely, she asked me a question.
"Can I try using this for a bit?"
I felt a mischievous urge.
"There are only 30 units in total, and once used, it’s considered secondhand. You know that, right?"
She didn’t even flinch at my smirk as she responded.
"That’s just a creator’s premium. I can charge extra for that."
"Go ahead and use it. Checking everything will take some time, so I’ll return in two hours. The instructions are built into the device."
"Oh, I appreciate the thoughtfulness."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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