Chapter 141: | 141 | Discoveries about Magicraft
"There was a torch that could perpetually light itself on fire with mana. Another was a pen that never loses its ink. Each of them defied what was scientifically possible. Most of all, one doesn\'t need magic to use magical artifacts. It isn\'t a requirement, which was surprising for us."
The director remembered the feeling of excitement he had felt when they activated such magical artifacts. It was as though they had discovered another line of science. Though, obviously, it was already an established one, called magicraft.
"But before we dared to tinker with the magical artifacts and perhaps disassemble it to understand its internal workings, we translated the books about magic sent to our department. The basic translation took an entire month, and it was a lot of hard work."
Abraham raised an eyebrow and remarked. "Then, the language of magicraft must have been a hard one to tackle. After all, taking a month to translate it despite dozens of references being studied through magical books is impressive in itself."
The director nodded, but also shook his head afterward. "That was what we thought when we concluded the basic translation. But it seemed that we were wrong at the time. We tackled the runic language of magicraft with the same expectations as a usual language."
"However, when we learned of its basic translation. We finally realized that it really was. The language was nothing more but something akin to a programming language. It was practically an amalgamation of syntaxes and commands through runic runes."
"Using that same logic, we introduced the magicraft language into our computer and began dismantling the first magical artifact. Inside it was a runic spell circle with the same symbols as the one we have translated in the book."
"We let the computer run an analysis with the language coded inside of it for translation, and it didn\'t take long for the results to come in. Our theory was correct. The language of magic is nothing more but a programming language that uses mana as the computing power of reality."
"Through computer translation, we realized that they had commanded the spell circle to consume a certain amount of mana, and send the consumed mana into another spell circle, which would turn it into fire. The inner works of the magic torch was something we fully realized."
The excitement of the director was enrapturing. But Abraham understood the director\'s reasons. After all, he would have felt the same if he figured out vital information about something he was completely ignorant about.
"But wouldn\'t it be better to have a spell circle that consumes mana and turn it into fire?" Abraham asked since it would be much more efficient than using two spell circles.
"Hahahaha, that was what we thought. We wondered why it was separated into two spell circles and thought of multiple theories. Maybe the knowledge they had about magic wasn\'t as deep as we speculated. Or, there were many more things we were ignorant about it."
"However, the answer is fairly obvious." The director smiled as he though remembering a good joke. Abraham carefully listened and wondered what the answer was.
"Those bastards sent us their cheapest magical artifacts! The creation of a spell circle with multiple processes would undoubtedly be complicated and require much more runes. Instead, why not have these processes be in their own spell circles and simply connect them with one another."
"After all, it would be much cheaper than a complicated one.."
Hearing the answer of the director, Abraham lightly chuckled as he realized that he had been duped. Though, it\'s not like he specified them to send their best magical artifacts. Technically, he wasn\'t fooled by the people of the Colonial Dominion.
The fault came from his ignorance.
"So, those guys gave Abraham a couple of trashes for the lives of their soldiers? I wonder if they thought that it would fool us, or they really thought that their soldiers would be worth a mere simple magical artifacts?" Laplace remarked while chuckling on her own.
Abraham and the director of the R&D Department stopped chuckling after hearing the dragoness\'s words. The latter part seems not implausible. After all, the Colonial Dominion always thought of their people as resources that could be replace.
Such logic couldn\'t be entirely disregarded.
"Well, you have a point, Laplace." Abraham simply nodded at the dragoness, who stopped chuckling and returned to her aloof expression. On the other hand, he returned his attention to the director.
"At any rate, can you apply your discoveries to actual experiments?" He asked the director. After all, the moment they could utilize magic, everything would revolutionized.
But it seems that he could only dream. The director shook his head and sadly responded. "No, Fleet Admiral. The creation of a spell circle, in the end, requires a magic-abled individual. Someone that could manipulate the energy, Mana."
"Most of us humans from Earth have no mana inside our bodies. We haven\'t evolved to the environment of the foreign world, unlike its local humanity. So, sadly... We wouldn\'t be able to make our own magical instruments."
Of all the discoveries they made, this was the most saddening one for the director. It was as though destiny itself was directly impeding them from moving forward.
However, there was something he hadn\'t thought of.
"Couldn\'t you create a magical instrument that could help you make spell circles? Like a pen for runic formations." Laplace calmly suggested, causing the entirety of the R&D Department to freeze. Abraham looked around with confusion, but the director furrowed his eyebrows.
"We could do that, Lady Laplace. That would give us the ability to construct spell circles of our own without the requirement of mana. But the first of such invention will have to be created with someone that has mana." It was a good idea, but the first step was a difficult one to do.
The director felt his dreams leaping into the abyss. The new path he thought he could take led to a cliff that he couldn\'t pass. It was depressing since it was biological factors stopping him from studying more of it.
Or was it really?
"What\'s that depressing face all about?" Laplace raised an eyebrow and waved her hand as electricity crackled around it. "In its essence, what I am doing is magic. I utilize mana to make it do something for me. But unlike humans, I don\'t have to learn to be able to do so."
"Its instinctually engraved to my body."
"I don\'t have the knowledge to create spell circles. But with your guidance, we might be able to create a magical instrument that could construct its own spell circles." Laplace smiled at the director, who was rapidly regaining his color.
He had forgotten that every mystical things in the foreign world could be explain with magic. Lady Laplace was a magical creature as her very existence defied the natural expectations of biology.
With her help, it wouldn\'t be implausible to create the instrument that could help them revolutionize the United Navy.
"Lady Laplace, the R&D Department will be very honored to receive your help." The director deeply bowed towards the dragoness. It was clear what he wanted from her. Though, it looked strange for an old bowing to be bowing towards a gorgeous lady.
It was akin to a scene from a teledrama.
Abraham shook his head and got rid of his rowdy imagination. He stopped leaning on the metallic wall and stepped forward, glancing at the dragoness. "How about it, Laplace. Interested?"
He couldn\'t force her to do what he wanted. That was something he always told himself. After all, she wasn\'t merely a normal girl, but a dragon at that. He had to respect her freedom to choose.
"I do not want to return to this cramp space. Head to Abraham\'s office, and call for my name. I\'ll arrive." Laplace pointed at Abraham, who was somewhat confused. "Hey, why my office? I\'d like to keep my peace and silent?"
"I don\'t easily hear anyone who calls for me. But since I consider your office as a special place, a call for my name inside would attract my attention." Laplace have heard her name a thousand times. But the voice of Abraham and the silence of his office held a special place in her heart.
If someone calls her name from his office, she could assume that Abraham required for her help. Otherwise, regardless of how much the director calls for her. She wouldn\'t appear as she doesn\'t care to answer those that call for her.
"Besides, I\'m a very busy woman with responsibilities over hundreds of personnel. I can\'t make time since it would take my remaining free time." Laplace had already laid over her requirements and there was nothing he could do about it.
"For the sake of understanding magic and utilizing it for our own, I\'ll accept these terms. Director, head to my office once you are ready." Abraham turned his gaze towards the director, who swiftly nodded his head.
"Good, thank you for your hard work. I appreciate the time you spent in understanding the unknowns. I promise it will not go to waste." He said to the surrounding scientists, researchers, and inventors. They felt determination blazing in their heart and saluted to the fleet admiral.
*We will not fail you, Fleet Admiral!*