Chapter 465: Chapter 462: Wait, You’re Using It For This?
’So this is your goal, Rorschach...’
Feuerbach frowned. He didn’t have strong opinions about the competition itself, but Rorschach’s move to forcibly create teams was too heavy-handed and deliberate.
The young Mage hosting the competition was now dangling a blatant lure: for any contestant, simply submitting a creation meant victory and a huge payday. But whether accomplished by throwing money around or not, many things, once set in motion, develop an unstoppable momentum.
The Tower of Secret Techniques had always deliberately cultivated a cutthroat atmosphere, insisting on selecting only the best of the best and implementing a system of invisible attrition—those who fell behind were simply ignored and left to give up on their own. Now, Rorschach was forcing these same people to compete *cooperatively*, not only with fellow apprentices but also with ordinary people.
This was true for the popularization of the Spell Cloud, and it was true for the interactions between apprentices and university-educated commoners.
After an event like this, it no longer mattered whether the Tower of Secret Techniques’ main campus offered Spell Cloud courses.
Then, he recalled the scene of their first meeting and his own words: "It is self-evident that all equal, intelligent beings co-created order—especially symbolic order. Yet this Divine Spirit stole that authority for itself, shamelessly proclaiming itself the ’Lord of Order’... We must take back the power bestowed upon us by the Creator!"
"..." The Master was silent for a moment, then shot to his feet.
He was about to announce his decision, but to the disappointment of the expectant Mages, Feuerbach began with, "No. The apprentices of the Tower of Secret Techniques are permitted to compete. This is part of our agreement with Rorschach Mage."
Kano was generally amicable, having been elevated to the leadership of the Tower of Stars with the reputation of a ’nice guy.’ It wasn’t until last year that he bared his fangs at the Noble Faction. In the Tower of Secret Techniques, however, Feuerbach’s word was absolute.
The gloomy Meeting Room fell silent; the only sound was the flapping of wings from the Gargoyles serving tea. A younger Mage broke the awkward silence, trying to smooth things over. "Well, at least that Rorschach Mage isn’t short-changing us."
Making it rain... Of course, he couldn’t just shower the apprentices with money; the main targets were the ones in power. Besides giving the bank a boost, Rorschach had also passed along plenty of gifts under the guise of joint training programs and invitations for professors to serve as judges. These included Mithril, which was currently hard to come by in Bayern; Transmuting Dust, which had little research value but was very practical; and, most crudely effective of all, cash.
Feuerbach’s second decision was even more shocking. "Dispel the Illusion shrouding the Tower of Secret Techniques."
This meant the Tower of Secret Techniques would be returning to public view. The Master stated his reasoning: "Look how bustling it is at the foot of our mountain. We have to admit, that’s no longer a small village down there. Everyone already knows our location; there’s no point in fooling ourselves anymore. The seal on the Red Dragon prevents us from moving the Mage Tower’s position in spacetime. That being the case, we might as well let them look."
"But what about security..."
"The Gargoyles can handle any ordinary person. What do we have to be afraid of? Are *you* afraid of commoners? Hmm? Or are you worried you can’t protect your students? It’s a good thing so many of them have already left for other Mage Towers..."
The Mage who had spoken was left speechless. "No, Master, that’s not what I meant..."
"So it shall be. Meeting dismissed."
...
Rorschach neither knew nor cared about the internal meeting at the Tower of Secret Techniques. All he knew was that his plan was proceeding smoothly.
As per the requirements, the design competition was divided into three categories: Destruction, Creativity, and Application.
The first track was all about pursuing raw power, whether against people or objects. The challenge was to combine a series of spells into a sufficiently powerful sequence, all within the inherent limitations of a Spell Chain.
For safety reasons, even though contestants had to sign a liability waiver, Rorschach had "thoughtfully" required them to verify their design concepts under the supervision of a teacher.
This category was a natural fit for the apprentices who had remained at the Tower of Secret Techniques. They had access to more supervising teachers than were available at Rorschach’s private Mage Tower, and those who stayed were generally the so-called "top students," with a greater mastery of more powerful, higher-level Magic.
The Application category had the simplest requirements in terms of Magic, but the most tedious in every other respect. Teams had to present the judges with a compelling idea, prove their Spell Chain had a practical purpose, and demonstrate its feasibility—including applications in machinery and Alchemy Artifacts.
This category was the comfort zone for the apprentices who had come to Rorschach Mage Tower. The Magic they knew was generally low-level, but they could team up with the interns who had been slogging away in the factories for two months (and had voluntarily extended their internships or accepted early employment).
If a Spell Chain was to be applied to a physical object, one also had to know how to draw up technical blueprints, write feasibility reports, compose design manuals...
The Magic Apprentices would then discover that the factory grunts already knew how to write these formulaic documents, which had the same familiar, odd flavor as the Technical Manuals they clutched.
It was the distinct funk of an engineering nerd, and the apprentices were gradually being assimilated.
As for the Creativity category, it was simply an option for entries that didn’t fit into the first two groups. Rorschach never imagined this "Creativity" category would nearly be the death of him.
...
Halfway through the competition, a strange new item appeared, beginning to circulate among the hot-blooded male apprentices and university students in the Special Zone.
"Is it the real deal?" a buyer asked a dealer he’d found through an acquaintance.
"Guaranteed authentic. Full refund if you’re not satisfied." The dealer pulled an object from his Storage Ring. It had the shape of a cup, but its inner lining was soft and narrow. The product name was the Magic Cup. Youths who had used it to relieve their urges all praised it as "truly magical."
"How do you use it?"
The dealer made an odd request. "Hey, can you cast Magic?"
"Of course, I’m from the Tower of Secret Techniques."
"Who isn’t these days? If you can cast Magic, you can save money on consumables. Listen, you can use the Magic Cup as is with a little lubrication, but after 9 p.m., infuse Magic Power into your gripping hand, then close your eyes..."
"Will there be an Illusion?"
"Yes, this is the premium version. It comes with visuals and sound."
The above was a scene playing out among the students. Meanwhile, after 9 p.m. in the old district’s... special establishments... a few skinny youths were peddling "miracle stickers." Drawn on them were Runes that flowed with a subtle, pinkish light. "Just stick this on your forehead," one of them pitched, "and it’ll make you last at least twice as long. Get it?"
"Does it really work?" a new client asked, skeptical. A regular who’d already tried it immediately backed up the claim, confirming it was effective.
At the same time, Rorschach finished his work for the evening and decided to send his Spirit Body into the Boundary Land to check on the Tree of Law.
The Tree of Law was growing well. Strangely, though, one cluster of branches was now pulsing with light, brighter than almost any other. Through his connection to the Tower Spirit, Rorschach could confirm that all the computational cores were active.
’Hmm? What’s going on? This link is under a heavy load...’
Rorschach began to unravel the mystery, checking the Magic corresponding to each active twig. ’A timed-activation Coldness Skill, but it’s very weak, as if triggered by a Scroll, and there are multiple signals... A Communication Skill, this one is the most active and under the heaviest load, and its Descriptor is bizarre, constantly changing... and the last one is... an Advanced Illusion?’
"What the hell?"
The Third Ring Enchantment System spell: Coldness Skill. It draws out the target’s strongest emotion and suppresses their impulses.
The Third Ring Illusion System spell: Advanced Illusion. It creates a realistic Illusion.
These three disparate spells were flashing in unison, which meant they were probably part of a single Spell Chain that had been activated multiple times. Rorschach’s interest surged. If so, whoever had managed to integrate two Third Level spells like Coldness Skill and Advanced Illusion was likely a Middle Level Mage.
’Let’s have a look-see...’ Rorschach directly formed the magical prototype for Advanced Illusion and synchronized it with the pulsing from the Tree of Law.
HOLY SHIT!
Rorschach was instantly plunged into an Illusion that was a flagrant violation of public decency. Not only were there visuals, but also extremely realistic sounds and tactile sensations. A moment later, the Illusion shifted. The theme remained the same, but the cast of characters changed.
He quickly passed a Willpower Check and tore himself free from the Illusion.
’Is this a livestream? I think I’ve achieved synesthesia with the caster... sight, hearing, touch, and plea—’ He paused. ’They used the Spell Chains for *this*?’ Rorschach’s face was dark as he returned to reality. He was going to find the team that developed this Spell Chain... no, this illegal pornography ring!
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