Chapter 467: Chapter 464: Send It to the Battlefield First
If Rorschach really allowed Saint Valentine to be "martyred," his former customers might genuinely become followers of his ideals.
For Rorschach, the real headache was the drain on the Tower Spirit’s processing load. It was like that damn thing from his past life called a "server." Its performance was designed only for transmitting text, but then one day, users found a loophole and started uploading videos and running livestreams on it.
This was unacceptable to Rorschach. ’You all become saints of pleasure, and I’m supposed to foot the bill for you to jack off at the same time?’
Currently, the Tree of Law’s processing power could only increase by naturally growing and condensing new computing cores. If this particular set of Spell Chains were to actually spawn a new core, ’wouldn’t it end up reeking of semen?’
’No, absolutely not!’
Rorschach gave a slight smile to "Brother Saint," who was preparing for martyrdom. Valentine couldn’t help but frown. ’Is he smiling through his rage?’ He grew a little tense, but thankfully, Rorschach didn’t go berserk.
Instead, he brought out Valon, known as the "Gold-Devouring Mad Dog."
"This lady, and you four gentlemen, from the perspective of Bayern’s laws, your customers are effectively engaging in public debauchery. Of course, this is a new situation unforeseen by the law, but rest assured, I have ways to convince a judge that it fits the definition. If you are found guilty, we will selectively arrest a few users and then publicly flog them."
"As for you... for using illicit means to steal a portion of pleasure from the users of the ’Delayed Magic Patch’ without their knowledge, I will advise them and the proprietors of the establishments to file a class-action lawsuit against you. The charge will be theft."
’That’s a thing?’ Although Valon was just bluffing, he successfully intimidated the youths. A great martyr was someone worth following, but if they were branded "Pleasure Thieves," they’d become a laughingstock.
Seeing that the time was ripe to play the good cop, Rorschach cleared his throat. "Actually, I invited you here because I’m more interested in understanding how you achieved this technique. Let’s talk, shall we?"
He was certain from the moment Valentine walked in that the man was no Middle Level Mage.
Valentine was only a First-level Mage. According to the rules, he wasn’t qualified to participate directly but was instead the advising Mage for a team of four. This came as a surprise to Rorschach because, due to the limitations on Spell Chains, a First-level Mage shouldn’t be able to invoke two Third Ring Magic spells.
"It wasn’t difficult. I just constructed two Spell Chains: one for collection and one for reception. Your new system is incredible, but its limitations are frustrating. However, I discovered two exploitable loopholes... or perhaps they aren’t loopholes."
Valentine’s idea was to first use the[Coldness Skill]to siphon off a portion of the most intense sensations. For the guests using the "Delayed Magic Patch," a slight numbness naturally allowed them to better withstand the ordeal.
It could only be said that this idea was quite ahead of its time. After all, the Time System items from Rorschach’s past life operated on a similar principle, though they used contact-based, fast-acting anesthetics.
Furthermore, his control over the spell’s deployment was masterful. In the past, the[Coldness Skill]was a spell a Mage would either use on themselves, pairing it with[Mechanical Mind]to apply an "Absolute Rationality" buff by stripping away too much emotion. But he exploited the instantaneous nature of Spell Inscription to force-insert an empty frame. This made the Tower Spirit cancel its support for the Magic the very instant it took effect, thereby achieving a continuous, high-frequency, low-intensity effect. The resulting inhibition on the user was subtle, but effective.
He had also discovered a special casting-check Descriptor. He used the[Communication Skill]to transmit the Feature Symbol for[Advanced Illusion]along with a Descriptor that changed based on feedback from the[Coldness Skill]. This entire data string had no effect when transmitted in the real world. But once the information was uploaded to the Tree of Law, the Tower Spirit would misinterpret it as a signal to begin Casting, causing the[Advanced Illusion]to take effect. Therefore, strictly speaking, Valentine had achieved "synesthesia" by nesting two Spell Chains.
To get the two spells to translate and bridge with each other, he had even purchased the latest Analytical Engine from the Refining Factory at his own expense and had Jenya, the one in charge of alchemy, modify it.
Finally, the usage limits for Spell Chains and Magic on the "Spell Cloud" had been a source of frustration for the team. Fortunately, to encourage contestants to use Alchemy, Rorschach had removed the usage limits for Spell Chains activated by Magic Circuits from Scrolls, Alchemy Items, and the like. Since all they had created were Magic Artifacts, they were no longer restricted.
"It’s a pity I’m not a Middle Level Mage yet. If I were, the restrictions would be fewer, and I might be able to create a Prosthetic Body with synesthesia for ordinary people. It would allow someone paralyzed in bed to move around in another form."
For a Caster, similar effects could be achieved through various Clone Techniques and Substitution Techniques. But Valentine, relying on the support of the "Spell Cloud," had made it possible for ordinary people to experience it with almost no barrier to entry... the "Magic Cup."
"I have to admit, you’re a genius, Mr. Valentine." Rorschach listened intently to his technical report, acknowledging the man’s talent. "If you can hold onto your original dream, I’m willing to help you achieve it. But not right now."
The processing power of the Tree of Law’s Tower Spirit was a precious resource. The design competition was a promotional period, but ultimately, the Tower Spirit’s computing power had to be prioritized for production and war.
Rorschach extended his hand. "On the one hand, the Spell Cloud’s system isn’t perfect; it can’t just be used for your amusement. On the other, you haven’t achieved your ideal yet, have you? If you agree to my conditions, I’m willing to lift the usage restrictions for you and your team."
Valentine hesitated for a moment before shaking Rorschach’s hand. "I’m listening."
「...」
Hearing Valentine’s ultimate goal, Rorschach immediately thought of something that already existed—a big toy tinkered together by the Tower of Stars’s Alchemy Department. In a sense, the guys over there had already basically achieved Valentine’s idea: an operator could remotely receive the visual and auditory signals from a suit of Alchemy Armor.
But they weren’t creative enough. They’d never thought of using it for networked debauchery and shared pleasure.
If the guys in the Alchemy Department knew about this, they would surely be... mortified. ’How did we never think of that?’
The dark horse of the creative division, Saint Valentine and his team, were brought to the newly established Vox Automobile Factory.
"Vox" meant "of the people" in the Common Tongue. The name had a threefold meaning: its employees came from all across Bayern, all of them unemployed workers from defunct workshops; its construction was funded by the nation, with equity jointly held by the Royal Family, the Special Zone, and the banks; and finally, its slogan was to let every citizen drive a small Air Car.
However, Valentine wasn’t taken to the small car assembly line.
"This is the Mechanical Body production line. For the most part, they’re already complete, but their control systems need to be improved. I need your technology, and your team’s ingenuity."
The first batch of Mechanical Bodies had already been honorably retired from the production lines. They were entirely dependent on the Tower Spirit for control. Now, with the surge of Casters connecting to the Spell Cloud, the Tower Spirit no longer had the spare capacity to spin up multiple threads to command them.
Therefore, whether it was the agricultural harvesters or the spider-type assault Mechanical Bodies also in the agricultural sector, they would all need to return to human operation. For the farm machinery, a driver could simply sit in the cockpit, but for the Mechanical Bodies, it would be best to make them fully unmanned from the start.
If the[Coldness Skill]was replaced with a perception-type spell, they could perhaps achieve a similar technology to the Alchemy Department’s, and Rorschach was certain it would be at a much lower cost.
The current high load was because[Advanced Illusion]had to generate every kind of sensation—a true feast for the senses, so to speak. When applied to remote operation, it could be completely replaced with the lower-level, First Ring spell[Illusion Skill]. This would allow the user to receive only remote visual and auditory signals, lightening the Tower Spirit’s burden.
Valentine stared at the slumbering steel behemoths for a long while before speaking. "After the war is over, you’ll let us continue our own project, won’t you?"
"Of course. May you one day let the entire world feel pleasure." Rorschach patted Valentine’s right shoulder with his left hand, then suddenly slapped his right hand onto Andre’s left shoulder.
Andre’s knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground, a stunned look on his face.
Rorschach said, "...As a fellow young man, I advise you to learn some self-control."
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