Chapter 175 This Guy Is Seriously Crazy
Golems are created by gathering cutting-edge technologies, but during their development, an incredible 'innovation' occurred.
It's the reuse technology of magic stones, or more accurately, the technology to transform magic stones.
Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl wanted to develop a system that could inject magic power into magic stones, which were previously thought to be disposable, and reuse them. Or rather, it's more accurate to say that they created golems because they developed this technology.
It was already known that if one releases magic with the same attribute as the magic stone, the magic stone's power would be replenished. However, this was a phenomenon that occurred by chance, and sometimes the magic stone would break, so it was basically considered disposable.
Of course, reusing rare magic stones is a long-cherished desire for this country, no, this world, where humans use magic stones. There are records of ancient civilizations reusing magic stones, and many researchers at the Academy are studying this.
The reason Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl started considering magic stone reuse is because Alicia felt sorry for the music box that became disposable.
"It's such a shame that Miss Sara's beautiful performance is lost every time the magic stone is used up and can't be replayed,."
"But wouldn't it be better to open the original box (master tape) and record the performance on a different magic stone using a copying method?"
"That's true, but every time you perform, the magic stone in the original box gets consumed, so if you make more boxes, the magic stone in the original box will eventually run out. That means we'll have to use the box made from the magic stone recorded from the original box."
"Well, that's how it is, I suppose."
"But the thing is, the recording quality deteriorates a little with each generation."
That's how it is. The sound-emitting box not only has a completely different sound quality depending on how it's made, but also the playback location has a huge impact. Since it's not a digital copy, it's inevitable that the quality will degrade over time.
"There's no helping it. That's just how it is. If we could develop a technology to transfer the recording to another magic stone without degrading it, that would be great."
"I'm actually researching that, but what I'm thinking about is a way to infuse magic power into the magic stone."
"I thought magic stones were disposable, but is that possible?"
"Paracelsus' main area of research is magic stones."
"Oh, I've heard of the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Yes, it seems he was thinking of turning magic stones into the Philosopher's Stone."
In reality, Paracelsus was far ahead of everyone else in magic stone research, and even though he's been missing for decades, there still isn't a magician who can surpass him.
"What's the Philosopher's Stone, anyway?"
"It's something that only Prof. Paracelsus can understand. There are tons of documents written in characters that only he can read."
'Ah, maybe I can read it too?'
"By the way, Ms. Alicia is a direct descendant of Mr. Paracelsus-san, yet you call him 'professor'."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I have to do that publicly, but I've never met him, and to alchemy magicians, he's like a god or something."
"A god?"
'God, yeah... I don't want to reveal that he wanted a moe doll (figure) so badly. I don't even know how to explain what moe is...'
"Can I take a look at those documents?"
"Of course. They're the ones kept in Maiden's Tower, and Miss Sara has free access to them."
"Hehe. I'm still not allowed to drink, though."
"Ah, definitely! But brandy and cider are super delicious, so please drink a lot when you grow up, okay?"
"That's exactly what I'd get scolded for by my parents."
Sara giggled and exchanged a glance with Alicia the Alchemist Girl.
The characters that only Paracelsus could read were indeed written in Japanese.
'I'll give life to this doll using the Philosopher's Stone.'
'That sculptor totally doesn't get moe at all.'
The content at the beginning of the documents made Sara's head hurt. And she genuinely worried about what her great-grandfather, who had wasted a fortune on this man's research, was thinking.
However, as she continued reading, she noticed that Paracelsus's writing gradually changed.
'In the capital, a lot of people have died from an epidemic. It's said that the symptoms are severe diarrhea and vomiting, probably something like cholera. If only they had better hygiene management...'
'There were a lot of cysts in the liver of a wild boar. Could it be echinococcus? But it's hard to teach people in this world not to drink untreated water. I told Marquis, but I wonder if he understands. What can I do?'
'Let's start researching water supply systems and sewage treatment. Since I'm not experts, we can only try a little at a time. Luckily, thanks to the blessings of the fairies, I have plenty of time.'
'I saw the water heater people are using in this tower and thought, 'Did a reincarnated person make this?' The price is too high. Let's take it apart and see its structure.'
It seems Paracelsus has become a concerned adult, worried about the people. However, it doesn't seem like that around here. Sara is flipping through the documents page by page.
'It seems that the reason he can't infuse magic into the magic stone is that there's a small amount of different attribute magic inside the stone that's repelling it. If we can remove only the excess attribute magic, we might be able to infuse magic into it.'
There are traces of someone investigating magic arrays on the page, but it seems they didn't complete it. Moreover, the magic array is too complex, and Sara couldn't understand it at all.
Sara called out to Alicia the Alchemist Girl and told her about the contents of the page.
"Can you read this, Miss Sara?"
"This is the script used by the founder of Grandchester. Maybe it was used for secret communication between Mr. Paracelsus and the previous Marquis Grandchester. However, I'm sorry to say that I cannot teach you how to read it."
'That's a lie. I think even the previous Marquis couldn't read it.'
"Well, if it's a secret of the Grandchester family, I won't pry into it. Just sharing the contents with me would be a great favor."
And so, Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl decided to decipher Paracelsus' documents together.
"Hey, Ms. Alicia, this magic circle here is meant to absorb magical power of a specific attribute from the magic stone, right?"
"That's correct. The magic circle that can absorb all magical power is almost complete, but it seems they were trying to refine it to extract specific attributes."
"But didn't Mike say before? 'All magical power is the same. Attribute magic is just giving direction to magical power.' So, it's natural that we can't extract specific attributes, right?"
"Ah!"
So, Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl referred to Paracelsus' magic circle and drew a new one that could absorb all attributes, and decided to try extracting magical power from the magic stone.
The magical power absorbed by the magic circle turned into a liquid and floated in the air, forming a round, sphere-like shape. Sara took the liquid in a small bottle and put a lid on it.
So, the magic stone that had its magic completely drained and became empty turned into a lump of carbon. However, since carbon has many isotopes, the resulting state can vary greatly depending on the quality of the original magic stone, ranging from "diamond" to "graphite".
It's unclear how rare carbon is in this world, but at the very least, it's considered valuable since magic accumulates in crystals that form in ore veins.
In fact, there are merchants who process and sell used high-quality magic stones. In essence, they're like diamond jewelry, but unlike in Sara's previous life, the cutting techniques aren't refined, so they're not very impressive gems. After all, diamonds are all about the cut, and without that brilliant sparkle, they're nothing special.
Sara infused the completely drained magic stone with wind-attribute magic power, giving it directionality. Then, the magic stone, which had previously been fire-attribute, transformed into a wind-attribute magic stone. Moreover, since the directionality was perfectly aligned, it became an extremely efficient magic stone.
What's more, the carbon crystals that made up the original stone began to change as well. In other words, they transformed into higher-quality ones.
'It's like we created an artificial diamond! And the attribute's color is subtly showing too!'
"Uh, it looks like we can easily replenish the magic power...?"
"Ah, haha... that's right."
Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl were left speechless, staring at what had just happened before their eyes, unable to find the right words.
"I've thought of something a little scary, Ms. Alicia..."
"Yeah, that's... I'm really scared to hear it, but my curiosity is stronger."
That's a very alchemist-like statement.
"If we can absorb magical power from a magic stone, can't we also draw a magic circle that infuses magic into the stone?"
"That's possible, I think."
"Magical power itself doesn't have direction, but it's humans who give it direction, right?"
"That's correct."
"So, if we can infuse magic with direction using a magic circle, can't anyone create any magic stone they want? Of course, you need to have magical power to begin with..."
"!!!!!!!!!!"
Alicia couldn't hide her terrified expression, but her hands moved on their own, rummaging through Paracelsus's documents. Paracelsus had succeeded in identifying specific attributes of magic to extract them.
"I think it's possible, Miss Sara. But it's becoming a terrifying technology that I can't tell anyone about..."
"Don't worry, Ms. Alicia. It's already become terrifying."
She has no idea how to feel relieved about this.
Originally, magic stones are natural resources. There are several magic stone veins in the Aklar Mountains, and most of them are fire-attribute magic stones. Water-attribute magic stones can be found near springs, and wood-attribute magic stones can be found in forests, but more than 80% of the magic stones produced in Grandchester are fire-attribute.
Among magic stones, the most valuable ones are light-attribute magic stones. It's rare to find veins that can produce light-attribute magic stones, so when they're discovered, it's customary for the noble families to offer the mines to the royal family. In return, they're granted higher ranks or more territory.
However, if Sara's technology is made public, the ecosystem of the magic stone industry will collapse.
"This is too serious to tell anyone."
"Mr. Paracelsus's research is too deep. If we're not careful, it could lead to war between countries. We have to keep it a secret, even from the fairies."
Sara called out to her fairy friend, but for some reason, Fey and Noir appeared as well. Behind them, the fairies from Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Amelia the Pharmacist Girl were hiding. Since they didn't have names, they couldn't talk.
Sedrick started speaking.
"Miss Sara, you want to keep that technology a secret, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. This technology is too dangerous. If we make it public now, it could lead to war between countries."
"I understand. I'll make sure the fairies keep this secret."
Fey gazed anxiously at the magic circle.
"I've seen a similar magic circle before. But that country no longer exists. It was destroyed a long, long time ago."
"So, should we seal away this technology and not use it?"
Noir's distant gaze replied.
"Even if you seal it away, someone will eventually discover the principle and use it. And another country will be destroyed. That's just how the world works, isn't it?"
Mike and Pochi were also gazing anxiously at Sara.
"Did I say something unnecessary...?"
"Mike, don't be so pessimistic! I believe in Sara!"
Sara stroked the heads of her worried friends, who were leaning on her shoulders, and gave a strong reply.
"Then I'll use this technology. It might not be possible to make it public right away, but I'll pray for the day when it becomes a normal part of our lives!"
The fairies then circled around Sara and Alicia the Alchemist Girl, showering them with golden light as if to bless them, before disappearing.
Sara and Alicia silently watched the scene, until Alicia whispered.
"Miss Sara, I feel like coming to Maiden's Tower was destined. I can do more amazing things than just being a researcher at the academy! And I can use magic stones as much as I want!!"
"Don't forget to conserve your magic power so you don't collapse."
"Oh, of course. I'll rely on Miss Sara's magical power, which is as strong as a dragon's."
"Ah, yeah."
The mad scientist, who had opened up, was scary, Sara felt, and she tried to change the subject by shaking the small bottle in her hand a little.
"By the way, can't this liquefied magic power be used for something?"
"Miss Sara, this liquid is pure magic power, so it doesn't have directionality. In other words, it can be used as magic power for any attribute. If we give this to Ms. Amelia, I wonder what would happen."
...It became an even scarier thought.
"But is it okay to involve her in this...?"
"The maidens are united in spirit!"
"Uh..."
'What should I do? If we follow that theory, we'd end up involving Mother as well.'
And so, the out-of-control Alicia created a backend (MAGI) system for autonomous golems and embedded many magic stones into the golem Sara had created. Of course, the original idea came from Paracelsus's doll research, but Sara and Alicia weren't very interested in the actual creation of movable golems.
By the way, Alicia had noticed a special bug (specification) regarding the golem's warning mode from the production stage, but she thought it was interesting, so she left it as is. In a sense, it could be said that the out-of-control Alicia (mad scientist) was the one who broke the hearts of many criminals.
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