Chapter 50: Sparks Beget Fire

  It’s refreshing to work on something entirely different than my eye for a change, even for something as straightforward as this. That being said, it’s my first time implementing a dial into a magic tool, so there is still some trial and error. A megaphone is a simple device: sound goes in, louder sound comes out.

  Naturally, how that works isn’t so simple. Converting a sound wave into an electric current, amplifying it, then converting it back into sound waves is easier said than done. But thankfully, I can just directly increase the amplitude of sound waves passing through the magic tool.

  Well, there were some small kinks to work out. Mana constantly being used even when not speaking through it, for instance – had to introduce a lower threshold below which it won’t activate, otherwise it would amplify the tiniest of vibrations. I’m not trying to listen to the wind here, so that’s not necessary.

  Naturally, it looks a little different from an electric one. It’s mostly just a cone, visually. So, probably lighter than the electric ones I’ve seen before. As for the shape, I don’t pretend to know how the acoustics of different shapes work, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

  I mean, that’s not a great way of going about life, but it’s applicable in certain circumstances. Like this one.

  Anywho, the dial just changes by what degree the sound is amplified. Twist it one way it gets louder, and vice versa. Simple.

  And yet, so very useful in many situations. Making yourself heard in a noisy environment, speaking to crowds… I’m sure there are others. Probably. Oh yeah, being an annoyance. Very valuable ability.

  After this is done, I plan to start on the adjustable telescope, too. At some point, maybe I’ll be able to incorporate the technology of both into my personal magical tools, literally allowing me to zoom in my vision and turn up my hearing. That would be useful. Plus, not having an eardrum or all that stuff to get damaged by overly loud noises, I can just turn it right up with no worries except mana consumption.

  Anyway, I’ll be selling the prototypes and plans for both devices, if they’ll buy them. Perhaps I would earn more by producing them and selling them myself, but I just don’t have the connections or resources necessary to hire people to do it for me, and doing everything by myself would be a lot of time and effort that I don’t think is worth it at this point.

  Maybe later I’ll develop something that earns me enough to be worth the time, but at this stage simply hunting will be better at earning money.

  A lot of the stuff I hunt in the ocean is in short supply, being both powerful enough to break or escape fishing nets and lines, as well as difficult to hunt with other methods. As such, I’ve been earning more than I initially expected. Not an incredible amount, but certainly enough that I should be able to sustain my current expenditures with ease - and start saving.

  Dear lord the difference not having to constantly buy food makes, it just makes everything that much easier.

  ‘Fuck.’ The guy at a table behind me swears beneath his breath, with feeling. ‘Fuck. Fuck. Damn thing’s going nowhere. Why does it have to be so damned complicated?’

  Now, usually this would be an everyday sight. Artificer working on this formation or that component, banging their head against a wall because something isn’t doing what they think it should be doing. Insulting their own work to hell and back is par for the course. Except, well, it’s about 3am and he most certainly is not a nocturnal race.

  And he’s been working on this same thing every other time I’ve seen him here, with similar and constant levels of frustration… And he’s started silently crying to himself. Right. Yeah, this guy is not okay. No clue why he hasn’t just given up on whatever it is he’s doing and tried something else, because it’s obviously not working out.

  Now, I’d go and say something to him, but from past experiences, the last thing he probably wants right now is for someone to come over and talk. Later, maybe, but not now.

  Eh, I’ll just find his teacher and talk to them about it, much easier. Probably get a more honest conversation, too. Let’s see now…

  I scan back through my memories and take note of classes I’ve seen him entering, picking up his name along the way from conversations – Derrick. Also from conversations, I determine which is his artificing class – intermediate artificing, specifically – and from there figuring out who his teacher is, is simplicity itself.

  They don’t happen to be nocturnal either, so I shelve it as a job for tomorrow.

  In the meantime, I just focus on my own project.

  Machite knocks for me. He should be available now based on his movements in the past, but it’s hard to say for sure when every private or restricted area is shielded from view.

  Sure enough, the door opens a dozen seconds later and a short green man peers out and blinks at Machite before adjusting his gaze downwards to me. “Magic tool? Neh, no apparent method of locomotion. Ah! You’re that one I’ve heard about, the living fork, was it?”

  “That’s right, my name’s Gerald. Do you have a few minutes free, sir?” I ask politely.

  “Indeed I do - come in, come in.” The goblin professor opens the door wider, allowing me to float in – I instruct Machite to stay put outside the door.

  The room is utilitarian, with most of the room dedicated to sturdy benches, shelves and equipment. A small bed and desk are squirreled away in a corner of the room. Impressed, I half-joke, “If the perks of being a teacher include a private workshop, I can see why people would want to sign up.”

  “The walls have sound dampening formations, too.” He agrees. “A bomb could go off in here, and my neighbour wouldn’t notice a thing. Not that things explode in here often. So, what brings you here, Gerald? Most times a student visits, it’s someone that attends my classes.”

  “I’ve come about one of your students, actually. Derrick?” I explain, hoping he knows his students well enough to recognise the name.

  He nods, raising an eyebrow. “Has he done something?”

  “Not at all. Keeps to himself, really, don’t know much about him.” I assure the goblin artificer. “I’ve just happened to notice him a few times in the artificing workshop – I’m in the basic artificing course – and he’s always seemed very stressed. Not normally something I’d take note of, but he seems to have been working on the same thing for a while now, and getting more stressed and frustrated as time goes on. And, well, it doesn’t seem like healthy behaviour for someone to be swearing and crying quietly over a project at three in the morning.”

  “Indeed, indeed.” He agrees, with brief surprise. “I’m glad to see students of our academy looking out for each other. What sort of project is he working on, by the by?”

  “It’s little effort on my part, sir.” I verbally shrug. “I’m not sure what it is, exactly. Most every part of the magic he was using is outside of my range of knowledge. Looks like a sort of card, small enough to hold in your hand, though it could well be just a component.”

  He nods in understanding. “Well, I’ll be sure to look into it. I wouldn’t want my students burning themselves out, particularly when they can just ask me for help. Speaking of which,” He smiles widely, “You mentioned that you’re in basic artificing, right? Need any pointers?”

  “Well, uh…” I sputter in surprise. “Uh, I’m doing well so far, I think, thanks. Though, I wouldn’t mind a second opinion on my eye. It’s the one at the front of me.”

  With deft fingers he removes the magical tool from its place in my harness and inspects it, turning it carefully to see it from different angles. He swiftly finds the latch keeping the outer plate in place. “Unusual choice in securing the plating.” He remarks.

  “I’m not able to exert force with the ease most people are, so I had to design something that could be released with minimal force while remaining secure.” I explain.

  “Seems functional, but I worry an impact could damage the mechanism.” He notes, already looking over the formations. “This switch… Isn’t an on-off? Seems more like it… Changes the colour range?”

  “Exactly. Since it transmits the image to the user directly, there’s no need to limit it to normal ranges.” I say. “That is to say, it allows the user to see ‘colours’ beyond the norm. One mode is roughly equivalent to the range of colours human vision can see, the other goes beyond that.”

  “Now that is novel. May I?” He asks, imbuing it with mana upon my agreement. “Seems normal, maybe a little less sharp than my own sight… Now the switch.”

  With a fingernail he pushes it to the other position and points the device around the room. He raises an eyebrow when he points it at himself. “I appear to be glowing. Is this usual?”

  “Perfectly normal, yes.” I reassure him. “You know how if you heat up metal enough it glows? Well, basically, anything warm does, but the colours in which it does so aren’t visible to most species.”

  “Curious. I’m of half a mind to investigate in this direction myself later.” He says, switching it back to normal mode and slotting it back into my harness. “Well, the formations themselves are well designed, and the build quality is sound, if a bit basic. Better materials… Wouldn’t necessarily be very cost effective, but you should at least look into procuring a higher quality lens. Apart from that, it’s a perfectly useable basic artificial eye.”

  We spend a few minutes discussing methods of improving various elements and features before I give my thanks and say my goodbyes. It has been an interesting aside to what I usually spend time doing, but we both have other things we need to do. Time to move on with my day.

  I close the door behind my unusual guest, and I immediately switch gears from ‘helpful professor’ to very concerned. Moving back to my desk, I pull open a drawer and fetch what looks almost like a stack of blueprints, but is in fact my teaching notes.

  Leafing through them, I frown as I confirm my earlier thoughts. There are no current assignments in my intermediate artificing class, nor had I handed out any individual tasks to Derrick. Personal projects are of course practically commonplace and encouraged in my course, but generally wouldn’t cause significant stress for students.

  After all, even if a project doesn’t work out, it wouldn’t affect their grade, just monetary loss from materials and time invested. Derrick is… Perhaps not among the brightest in the class, but he is above average and studious. He’s never had problems asking for help in the past, so it seems strange for him to be struggling on his own, for an extended period of time, at that.

  I smell mischief.

  The reason why he referred to my eye prototype as a ‘basic’ eye is simple. It cannot turn, and it cannot change focus as a real eye could. It is entirely probable that to do so, I will have to redesign it from the ground up. A glass lens can’t refocus without physically changing its shape – a gel or purely magical alternative would be more suitable. In turn, rotation would require its own changes in materials and construction.

  It will be a major undertaking, spanning across multiple terms in all likelihood. However, I feel that I do not currently have the necessary knowledge and skills for the project. Perhaps during or after the completion of the intermediate artificing class I will be able to.

  Thus, for now, my efforts will be either working on small parts of the problem, or in another direction entirely. My next pet interest is, perhaps, predictable. Electricity.

  I will be honest, my understanding of electrical components is rudimentary, at best. I could, perhaps, replicate a simple light bulb after extensive experimentation. Producing heat, perhaps a stovetop, would not be farfetched. Theoretically, I know how sound is produced electronically, but the specific wavelengths and frequencies involved in certain sounds are completely unknown to me – that would be a long-term project.

  But magic can do all that much more simply and directly.

  So why, then, am I interested in electricity? Do I want to zap my enemies? Fry their nerves, short-circuit their brains or stop their hearts? Maybe. But from what I know those would likely be effective at very short ranges. And, of course, the shorter the range of your attack, the more likely you are within your opponent’s range. Not my jam. Useful to have within my repertoire, perhaps, but I can shelve that for later.

  No, the reason I’m interested in electricity is for a much simpler reason. I recently recalled a science experiment I did in chemistry class a while back. A process known as electroplating which is fairly straightforward. What it does is coat, or ‘plate’ the surface of a usually metallic object with a thin layer of another metal.

  Naturally, being able to coat a, say, iron ring with gold would appeal to jewellers and their customers alike. You get a very similar appearance to a pure gold ring with a fraction of the material cost. But the applications of electroplating exceed just that.

  It’s a given that iron rusts, particularly near the coast. Nevertheless, some things must be made of iron, whether due to structural requirements, material availability or whatever else. But if you were to just plate those things in a thin layer of a more corrosion resistant metal, such as copper, then you no longer need to worry as much.

  Back on earth, you could also plate a metal with a more or less conductive surface layer, whichever was needed, but here that wouldn’t be too useful.

  …I wonder if I would be able to plate something with mithril?

  Putting that aside, it is all round a very, very useful technique. One that is completely absent from current magic technology, and as such ripe for capitalisation. There’s just two niggly little problems. One is that I lack the means to provide the necessary electrical current. The second is the necessary electrolytes, chemical solutions which contain, to oversimplify things a little, the metal which one wishes to plate onto the object.

  The first I’ll probably be able to figure out, given enough time and study into ‘lightning’ magic and the like. The second will undoubtedly require me to take a class on the so called chemical magic.

  Chemistry is not something that should be half-assed or experimented on willy-nilly. The cartoon representations that come to mind of pouring too much of one chemical into another and causing an explosion are, perhaps, the least of your concerns. Chemistry, in its own way, is kinda more arcane than magic.

  You can burn sugar with acid and the fumes given off can cause a burning irritation in the nose. Some chemical reactions can produce transparent gasses which can be toxic, caustic, or cause a variety of other health problems. Acids and bases on their own can be dangerous if mishandled or improperly stored.

  And sometimes, it’s very difficult to know exactly what will occur in a reaction if everything isn’t carefully controlled. Say you have a solution of one substance which you then add another chemical to, which then reacts to create another, perhaps multiple other chemicals. It is not impossible that those products could potentially react with one of the initial chemicals or the water in the solution itself to produce something else unintended.

  Some reactions produce heat, which if not properly handled could damage your equipment and lead to leaking chemicals. Some even require heat, but also produce heat themselves. What this means is that you can introduce some heat to start the reaction, then remove the heat source and the reaction will just keep itself going until the reactants – the chemical ingredients – run out or it fails to produce enough heat to sustain itself. Meaning it’s really hard to stop once it’s started.

  There are a million and one ways to injure yourself and others if you don’t have a solid understanding of what you’re doing and why. I have a fairly solid grasp of atomic theory, and a basic understanding of chemical equations - yes that’s a real and important thing – but basic won’t cut it for self-experimentation.

  …While I got rather long-winded, what I mean to say is that I’ll wait until the relevant class to do that. So, between that and other things being put on hold, electricity is next on the list.

  “Which means that it’s time to go to the library.” I mutter.

  Spark rolls his eyes. “According to you, it’s always time to go to the library. Is your brain a book too?”

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  A man’s fingernail taps steadily on the lacquered surface of the table. His eyes are fixed on the dimly glowing display of a clock, measuring the seconds going by.

  Opposite him sit two other men. One has their chair tilted slightly off its front legs, lounging as a small gem in his hand slowly gains an inner lustre. The other has his elbows on the table, impatiently glaring at the communication device in the middle of the three.

  “At this point, I’m killing him even if he does report.” The impatient one snarls.

  “Kill him, let him live, does it really make much of a difference?” The lounging one speaks with his head tilted towards the ceiling. “It was a long shot among long shots in the first place. How could some greenhorn kid figure out how to circumvent the warding on one of the most protected places in the academy? Not like our own people haven’t tried and failed already.”

  The impatient man sneers. “Even being able to interact directly with the wards, the brat hasn’t been able to figure it out. If we had the same access directly, it wouldn’t have taken us half the time he’s been given to do it.”

  The tapping stops. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t a possibility. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be bothering with him at all. It seems, however, that he has been discovered. He wouldn’t dare make us wait this long otherwise.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” The impatient one grins, getting out of his chair. “I’ll go pay his family a visit.”

  He pauses at the gesture of the man opposite him, still sitting calmly in his chair. “I do believe our exact words to him were ‘you will watch them die’. They can wait a little bit longer. Since you seem so excited about it, can I count on you to secure our wayward agent during the operation?”

  Slightly disappointed at not being able to do it right now, he nods, but brightens up at the prospect of being able to take out his frustrations directly on the one that had made him wait so long.

  “It isn’t as if we’ve been doing nothing during this time.” The relaxed man tosses a newly glowing gem onto a large pile of similar crystals and picks up a dull one from a small pile on the table in front of him. “The wait means we’re just that much more prepared.”

  The calm man gets out of his chair. “I’ll inform them. It probably won’t be long before we start.”

  “My condolences.” The relaxed man jokes. “Anyways, it’s really happening, huh? Death or greatness it is, I guess.”

  “We can only pray that we don’t get a repeat of the last operation. That would be the only thing that could go wrong.” The impatient man agrees.

  “Praying won’t do much good.” The relaxed man says. “After all, there’s a god on both sides.”

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  Just an ordinary day, studying with my friends in the library.

  A voice echoes throughout the entire library, loud and urgent. “All students, return to your dorms immediately and stay there until further notice. Students that do not live at the academy, go to the artificing, alchemy or duelling rooms. The academy is under attack.”

  Well fork, decidedly not an ordinary day.