Chapter 87

"Let's try to polish it a bit more neatly."

The reason the connection isn't working well is probably because the two magic stones aren't fully connected.

Magic particles or magic power must be leaking through the gap.

To reduce this as much as possible, I polished the two magic stones more precisely than in the first experiment.

Both look like perfect flat surfaces.

...But are they really flat?

I just realized that I have almost no experience with such precise work using magic.

"Is it complete?"

"Let's check it out."

After thinking about how to check, I remembered a method I saw on TV.

You apply ink to one of the boards, then stack the two boards together. If the ink spreads evenly across the other board, it's a success. If it only sticks to certain parts, you need to shave those parts down.

This method checks whether two surfaces fit together perfectly, not whether they are flat, but it should be perfect for magic stone connections.

I looked through the contents of my item box to find something that could be used as ink.

Since the magic stones are red, I looked for something that would stand out against red.

I noticed a liquid with a vividly blue color, almost poisonous-looking.

It's Zunana grass extract.

"Will this do?"

It's a bit wasteful to use it as ink, but it's not something I need in large quantities.

I dripped the Zunana grass extract onto one of the magic stones and spread it thinly.

I placed the other magic stone on top and immediately pulled it off.

The extract, unlike real ink, was thin and light in color, so it didn't spread as neatly as I hoped, but the magic stone was generally blue.

It seems to be polished well.

"Alright, let's try this. This is an experiment for magic stone connections, so it doesn't have to be a 3-structure."

I reattached the magic stones, secured them, and handed them over.

"Understood. I'll also try to make a magic lamp as part of the artifact experiment."

Kathrine took the magic stones and worked on them for about 30 seconds before letting go.

It must be complete.

Even in an era when ancient texts couldn't be read, magic lamps could still be replicated, making them one of the easiest artifacts to create.

"It's done."

Kathrine activated the magic lamp.

I knew it had started because the lamp emitted a strong light, even in a bright room.

I've never seen a magic lamp with such power.

"This... has it surpassed non-connected magic stones?"

"No, it's about 20% of a normal magic stone. The material magic stones are so powerful that they're not used in magic lamps. ...But it's more than enough for practical use!"

Even though it's only 20%, Kathrine's eyes are shining.

Considering the power of a 2-structure, 20% of a 3-structure seems powerful, but it feels a bit lacking.

"Let's try polishing it neatly... oh."

"What's wrong?"

After the experiment, I realized I had forgotten to remove the Zunana grass extract used as ink.

That might be why it's only 20%.

This time, I polished the magic stones as before, checked that they fit perfectly with the Zunana grass extract, and properly wiped it off.

I gave the completed connected magic stones to Kathrine for testing...

"This... is the same as the first one."

"Is it better not to wipe it off?"

"It seems so."

The completed magic lamp only emitted a faint light in a dark place.

The key might not be how neatly the surfaces are polished, but what is placed between them.

"I want to try various things... can we make a magic lamp with Green Wolf magic stones?"

"It's fine."

Even with a budget, using large magic stones for experiments is a bit daunting.

When you remove the magic stones, the engraved magic can shift, so the experimental magic stones can't be reused.

One of the two might be reusable, but eliminating other variables is a basic part of experimentation.

However, with Green Wolf magic stones, wasting 100 or 200 of them wouldn't be a big deal.

I polished about 100 of them to a flat surface, made various liquids to place between them, and tried them one by one.

After a few hours of experimentation, I had a good idea of what materials were the most powerful.

The strongest liquid I had was the Zunana grass extract I tried first, but mixing it with magic stone powder improved its efficiency.

The quality of the magic stone also affected performance, and the powder from the center of a large magic stone, about one-fifth of its length, was the most effective.

The efficiency of the Zunana grass extract also improved when it was further concentrated.

The final product was a paste with a poisonous purple color.

I used 3x concentrated Zunana grass extract and generously added the center of a Wyvern magic stone in powder form.

This produced about 50% of the raw material's output, but since 40% was the limit with anything other than a Wyvern, this was a remarkable performance.

"It's complete."

"I feel like we've created something amazing."

There's still some dissatisfaction... but it's undeniably impressive.

With this, 4-structure and 5-structure are within reach.

"Let's try a 4-structure."

"Skipping the 3-structure?"

"I thought we had already done it."

I had already felt like the 3-structure was a success.

I gave Kathrine a larger magic stone with the completed paste and waited for the artifact to be completed.

While watching, I suddenly felt curious and checked Kathrine's magic power.

I noticed something odd and asked when the artifact was completed.

"Does your magic power hold up after making so many artifacts?"

The maximum value hasn't changed, but the production capacity doesn't match what I heard before.

I know that skilled craftsmen with more magic power have higher production capacity, but I haven't heard of someone making a large number of artifacts with the same magic power.

Curious about the reason, I asked even though I knew she was fine.

"Wait, you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"After the dragon was defeated, the usable magic power increased. I don't feel it increasing much recently, but I think it increased by about 30% since before the dragon was defeated. This applies to all mages."

...I didn't know.

The victory celebration turned into a drinking party before any serious talk, and the subsequent meeting only discussed the problems, not the other effects.

I assumed everyone had heard it from somewhere and didn't mention it because it wasn't related to disaster prevention.

Or maybe, since I'm known to be a mage, they thought I would hear it from my side.

However, I don't pay much attention to magic power unless I'm dealing with a dragon.

Even if I use magic without causing damage to my surroundings, my MP remains at its maximum. Since MP is based on an average, if the average is raised, the absolute amount of magic power doesn't change.

Even if the magic power represented by 1 MP increased by 1.3 times, I wouldn't notice.

"Is it the same for me?"

Since my MP value hasn't decreased, it probably is.

"...You don't know how much magic power you have?"

"I think it has increased, but... I never use it all."

Even before the dragon was defeated, my magic power never ran out unless I was fighting a dragon.

With the increased magic power I have now, I would need to destroy the planet with attack magic to deplete it.

Pressure magic or rock spears could potentially cause a real-life "Something destroys the Earth" scenario, and water magic could cause a global flood.

Even relatively peaceful movement magic could cause destruction through shockwaves.

...I feel like I've stopped being human.

"...I'd like to have even a hundredth of it."

Kathrine reached for the completed 'Blue Concentrated Magic Lamp' while saying this.

She seems more interested in the lamp than in the magic power.

"Alright, activate it when you're ready."

"Yes. ...Here goes."

After a moment, Kathrine activated the 'Blue Concentrated Magic Lamp'.

A strong blue light was emitted from the magic stone, illuminating the wall.

Kathrine squinted at the brightness.

"It's a success."

"Magic stone connections in just one day..."

Kathrine seems moved, but if we spend time being moved, we won't make progress in research.

There are still many artifacts to test and discoveries to be made.

If we get emotional every time, the day will be over before we know it.

"Next, let's try a 4-structure."

"Do we really need to skip the other 3-structures? There are some powerful offensive ones..."

"True, there are powerful individual-use artifacts, but 4-structures have more interesting options. Other adventurers can handle most outbreaks, so there's no rush for slightly stronger artifacts."

If we distribute too many powerful artifacts, adventurers might lose their jobs.

Eliminating all monsters in one or two places is different from reusable artifacts.

"I don't remember any 4-structure artifacts, what's an interesting one?"

"'Magic Essence Suppression'. It apparently solidifies and kills monsters that have multiplied due to magic essence over a wide area. 'Magic Freeze' is an enhanced version of this."

"...In a 4-structure?"

"It barely affects normal monsters or humans. It's only useful in the current situation. Even with a wide area, it's only a few hundred meters at most, so with the power drop from the magic stone connection, it might only reach a hundred meters. With a long staff, anyone could achieve this level of results."

"It wouldn't work against flying monsters..."

True.

There are few mages in Desibator (who are either in Broken or sent as reinforcements), but they might be able to handle it.

Flying monsters seem to be more vigilantly guarded compared to those on the ground.

"Still, it would be convenient. The structure is this... but I'm a bit hesitant to experiment in a place with people. First, try this. It's a magic artifact that turns wood into sugar."

I wrote down the structure of 'Magic Essence Suppression', but it's not as easy to experiment with as a magic lamp.

Even if it doesn't affect people, that's from the era of ancient texts, and it's unclear how much it applies to the current era.

So, I wrote down the structure of the peaceful and wonderful 4-structure artifact 'Wood to Sugar'.

This artifact literally turns wood into sugar, a dream-like artifact.

Other 4-structure artifacts like 'Hair Growth' were also in high demand, but they are disposable, and using large magic stones and paste for hair seemed wasteful, so I chose sugar.

Besides, I can't find anyone willing to be a test subject.

"That's a happy artifact... but for a 4-structure, I need three magic stones."

"Understood."

I thought one magic stone could handle a 2-structure, but it's not that simple.

I had to polish one magic stone on both sides, combine it with another polished on one side, apply the paste, and create a connected magic stone with three magic stones in a straight line.

Since it's connected twice, the theoretical output is about one-fourth.

Kathrine turned this connected magic stone into an artifact and placed it on the table.

"Wood... will this do?"

I took a relatively clean piece of wood from my item box, shaved its surface with a magic sword, cut it to a suitable size, and placed it on the table.

I placed a tray under it to catch the sugar, and the preparations were complete.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

Kathrine, who has become more familiar with experiments, confirmed and immediately activated the artifact.

The piece of wood on the table turned into sugar.

The wooden tray and the tabletop it was placed on also turned into sugar.

The book has been decided for publication!

I owe this to the readers who have supported me.

Thank you very much.

There will be no digest or suspension of updates due to the publication.