A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 117 Analyzing the Divinely Given Pattern

At the Prince's residence, Varang explained the pros and cons to His Highness, pointing out that withdrawing now would mean missing out on a future upward trend and causing a huge loss to his expected returns.

But the old prince insisted, giving Valen little room for maneuver.

"Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but the profit-sharing period is less than six months away, like the banquet dishes not yet being cooked. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The prince remained adamant: "I want to sell my two thousand shares on the market. This is my right, and even if Charles comes, he can't interfere! I am the prince of the Kingdom of Saint Valois. Do I need anyone to tell me what to do with my own property?"

Two thousand shares, at the current trading price, should be worth more than eight hundred thousand lang. With the stock price struggling to rise, selling them will inevitably cause a huge shock, especially since the prince's status is being watched by countless people, and the consequences will be disastrous.

Valen hadn't expected the prince to be so resolute: "Your Highness, you are our major shareholder. You can ask the company for anything you need, and we will do our best to meet your needs. Now is a critical period for mining, a time when continuous investment is needed. I urge you to consider this carefully for the sake of the company, no, for the development of the sub-plane and the future of the Holy Kingdom."

The old prince softened his tone: "My son, Varan, your father is an upright man, and I'm sure your father is proud of your achievements. But I hope you will inherit your father's honesty and tell me properly, does Sareaanna actually have a gold mine?"

Varan's smile was very sincere: "Of course, Your Highness! We will reap the rewards soon, very soon! You will witness it then!"

"Alright, I'll believe you this time, for the sake of your father. He was an impressive model nobleman, if it weren't for that misfortune."

"No need for further words, Your Highness. I am already deeply grateful for your continued support of the company. You are a very important shareholder to us!" After saying these polite words, the general manager of the mining company took his leave and hurriedly left the Prince's residence.

The old prince watched as his servants saw Varon off and slowly said, "You're right. It seems that so-called free trade only brings difficulties and troubles."

"If you insist on selling, perhaps my cousin will write to stop you himself." A man dressed in a black robe with gold trim emerged from the shadows, his eyes like those of a hawk, a mocking smile on his face.

If Rorschach were to meet this man, he might find him familiar: the man is Philippe's father, Duke Louis de Merovingian, a member of a collateral branch of the royal family, an openly ambitious figure in Valuvana, and one of the most influential nobles in the banking world. He holds shares in several banks, and his primary source of income has long since shifted from simply receiving land revenue to generating more money through compound interest.

The old prince frowned: "Louis, your attitude towards His Majesty the King is too disrespectful! Putting that aside, according to the previous agreement, two thousand shares are worth six hundred thousand francs, right?" This was the prince's bottom line. Although the purchase price was lowered by exchanging government bonds for stocks, there was still inflation, and if it went any lower, there would be no profit.

"Your Highness, I must remind you that this kind of collateral is not cost-effective in terms of interest. I have a better solution, which is equivalent to you transferring your shares to me. Once you receive the money, you don't need to worry about anything. Rest assured, they won't find any fault with it after all the formalities are completed."

On the same day, Necker and Varen were pressured to disclose the gold mine's development as soon as possible.

Fortunately, after several months of intensive preparations, the stage is almost ready.

On the outskirts of the city, the teleportation base where Rorschach once entered the sub-plane has now been covered with a formal roof, and a metallurgical workshop has been built next to it. A little further away is the reception center of "Sareanna Mining Company".

Without even turning the page, the headline on the first page of the newspaper read: "Gold mine mining is progressing smoothly, and the first batch of finished gold bars is expected to be mined and smelted in the latter half of the month. At that time, the company will hold a celebration ceremony and a press conference to announce the first gold mining achievement. All shareholders and media are cordially invited to the dimensional entrance to witness the event."

While eating lunch, Rorschach held two slices of bread in one hand, sandwiching cheese, a fried egg, ham, and vegetables, and read the newspaper in the other. This way of eating had long existed on the southern coast of the continent, and similar snacks could be seen for sale in the commercially prosperous cities of the empire, but it was still relatively rare in Valuvana. With Rorschach leading the way, the apprentices in a hurry all followed suit.

"Give me a Rorschach bread," that's how you get the same thing at the cafeteria now. Only I, unaware of this, always say, "Bread cut open and vegetables added."

"Is it because the stocks can't be sold?" After finishing his meal, Rorschach rolled up the newspaper and left. He returned to his dormitory and began writing a letter to his parents, mainly about the play he had watched, "Emond and Catherine".

"The nobleman acquired a great deal of ill-gotten wealth, which greatly displeased the residents of the harbor. They demanded a fair trial, and in the end, the nobleman was overthrown, and the two were happily reunited. This play was highly acclaimed in Valuana, with every performance sold out. The audience consisted mostly of merchants and ordinary citizens, but it is said that the officials from the royal palace and the church in the audience looked extremely displeased. It was just as wonderful both on and off screen."

The authorities should be able to understand what it means, right?

Rorschach continued, "But to be honest, the wizard character in the play made us laugh. It's like every wizard can be represented by a white-bearded old man. My teacher pointed out the mistake to the playwright and hopes to take you to see the show someday. At least Angel will like it."

The letter to Teacher Caroline stated that people suspected to be from the Holy Mother's Order had appeared in Valuwana, plotting to create terror. The kingdom and the church have taken notice, and the Magic Guild's branch in the Holy Kingdom is also on alert.

I wonder if the teacher has returned to the academy. Rorschach also doesn't know her contact address from her time in Istani, so she can only continue sending emails to the Imperial Academy.

After putting everything away in envelopes, Rorschach's desk was empty. He spread out a new sheet of paper and carefully drew a complex pattern that was somewhere between a magic circle and a secret contract.

This pattern saved many people in the sub-planes—it will appear as the [Deryaz Forest] after being infused with blood.

Rorschach discovered that this domain magic (which should be divine magic) not only had a restorative effect, but also a strong protective ability, having withstood the storm of transmutation dust and the corrupted divine power of Mother Earth.

Rorschach doesn't need trees; he needs the power of protection to restrain the dangerous and deadly mixed divine power within the metamorphic dust.

For the next step of the transmutation dust research, Rorschach's first thought was to use this pattern that activates divine magic. It was not enough for him to cast it himself; it needed to be fixed in the form of a magical circuit in the collection device, and it could not sprout several trees as soon as it was activated, like mushrooms.

Before entering the Black Forest, the magic summoned a phantom of a tree, composed of blue fireflies. Perhaps in an environment unsuitable for tree growth, it was just a projection? Could this projection be transformed into the form I need to restrain the metamorphic dust?

Rorschach attempted to analyze the pattern with this in mind.

The experiment could not possibly be conducted in a dormitory or a laboratory in the research building. Rorschach had already booked a practice room and prepared parchment, alchemy ink, and the same metal plate as the one used in the laboratory.

"There shouldn't be any need for blood sacrifices anymore, right?" If it can only be activated by blood, what's the point? Rorschach wants industrializable results; he's not some villain, why would he bother with generating electricity from flesh and blood? Rorschach is confident in his "better than a confidant" status, and he thinks Deliyaz will give him face.

In the practice room, he began comparing the circuit's construction. The pattern from Dryaz and the modern magic circle in *Standard Magic Circle Geometry Analysis* were clearly not from the same system. Rorschach didn't dwell on it and immediately retrieved the totem book from the elven village from his storage ring.

"As expected, there is now a reference for analysis and decryption."

(End of this chapter)