kscans

Chapter 163 - Episode 3: Second Half, What Those Eyes See

"So you're finally going to tell me the secret of that Magic Catalyst. What does sugar have to do with making a catalyst from dirt? I can't imagine it at all."

Urged on by Maytyl, we moved to the first floor biology lab, my own mental nickname for it.

Vinaldira was in the lab, pipette in hand. It seemed she had "lost" the fierce battle with Sherry over who would get the role.

"Just in case, don't touch anything unless we say so. No repeats of what happened with the Magic-sensing Paper."

To be safe, I would be the one to inoculate the bacteria. Incidentally, the petri dishes were already prepared, like on a cooking show. Vinaldira would take over the pigment extraction.

With a practiced hand, Vinaldira finished extracting the IG-1.

"And that's the procedure, Your Imperial Highness."

Vinaldira spoke with a tense expression. Maytyl stared at the green test tube Vinaldira gently swirled, blinking her eyes. She shook her head. Then she looked up to the heavens. And then...

"I was tricked. Tricked. Tricked. I was tricked!!"

Maytyl glared at me.

"I don't think I showed you anything disappointing. Hey, don't tell me you think this isn't a fair trade."

I planned to keep the technology for connecting the Magic Catalyst to semiconductors a closely guarded secret, but showing her the entire process for making one catalyst instead of just a part of it was a huge bonus.

"Of course it's not. What is this method? Are you saying countless types of Mucus, each one invisible to the naked eye, exist in the soil? Fine. Whatever. I suppose if you say it's like mold spores floating in the air, then it must be so. But then you purely isolate hundreds of them into a Colony? And test tens of thousands of samples in a single day. The very concept is fundamentally absurd."

"Uh, yeah."

I took a slight step back. Well, this world has alcohol, so they do unknowingly make use of microorganisms.

"When you hear that you can get a Magic Catalyst from dirt, you'd normally think of extracting it from a huge amount of soil, right. You'd think that if there was a catalyst potent enough to be found that way, we would have noticed it by now."

"Ah, yeah, I guess you would."

Normally, you'd imagine something like smelting metal from a mine.

"That's why I believed you. What was that about a 'material that only exists in the Kingdom.' I should have just kidnapped you and Mia. You could get all sorts of catalysts from the Empire's soil, as many as you want. If we used Horse-Dragons, we could even get soil from deep within the magic veins..."

Maytyl closed the distance I had put between us, standing on her toes to bring her eyes level with mine.

"Wh, what is it."

"I thought this when I heard the principle of the spiral flame, too."

Still on her toes, Maytyl stared intently into my eyes. She was close. So close I could almost feel the Imperial Princess's breath on my face.

"Those eyes of yours. Are they really the same as ours? They're not some kind of special magic tool, are they." Ah, I see. She realized my knowledge is closely tied to the microscopic world. She really is clever.

"I don't have any magic. Even if it were a magic tool, I wouldn't be able to use it."

Sorry to disappoint, but my eyes don't come with an electron microscope function.

"That's true."

Maytyl finally moved away from me. Please, remember your station. You're making Vinaldira stand there with her jaw dropped.

"Besides, I wasn't lying. The Mucus that produces that material might only exist in the Kingdom. And more importantly, we make it look easy now, but we struggled quite a bit to establish this method. Right, Vinaldira."

I said. The finer details, like pH adjustments, were a secret.

"Yes. We did struggle, I think."

Vinaldira looked at the pipette in her hand. Maytyl's eyes lit up. Her hands began to move restlessly.

"That piece of lab equipment. A pipette, it's so much more than a simple pipette. With just one of these, think how much our materials research would advance. Combined with that Magic-sensing Paper, we could run hundreds of experiments even with materials we can only obtain in tiny amounts. Ah, yes. This is another idea that presumes trial and error."

"Merchants are cost conscious."

I'm not some witch, just tossing ingredients into a big pot and stirring with a stick. There's no telling how much money that would cost. The Kingdom doesn't have materials in that kind of quantity.

"Precise operation and the technology to measure the results are the foundation of all experiments, aren't they."

It just goes to show how important Fulsy's and Noel's skills are.

"Normally, you wouldn't be this thorough. Hey, Ricardo. Won't you really come to the Empire. I'll make you a Duke. All you have to do is marry me."

Maytyl said something terrifying.

"I can't have people suspecting me of colluding with the Empire. And like I said, your station..."

"I wonder how Lady Alfina keeps you tied down."

Maytyl seemed to be seriously contemplating how to poach me. She was going to get herself killed before she could return to the Empire. And I would be dragged down with her.

Besides, imitating Alfina is impossible. Alfina, back when I was just the son of a copper merchant, with no ulterior motives whatsoever...

"More importantly, look, I told you about the Magic Catalyst as promised. Next is the talk about the crimson Magic Crystal, right."

I forcefully changed the subject. In any case, if I'm crossing the great river, I'll do it with my head held high. I have no desire to drown with a parting gift of arrows in my back.

I instructed Vinaldira to put away the pipette and the Magic Catalyst. Maytyl's gaze followed the green test tube with longing, but with a single sigh, she turned back to me. She was at a normal distance this time.

"That Magic Crystal is special. It doesn't come from the monsters in the Rubel Wald, nor from a normal Magic Crystal deposit. It's something far more precious."

"Could it be the core of a special monster, perhaps."

Fulsy leaned forward. She seemed more interested in the monster than the Magic Crystal.

"That's not it. A Magic Crystal taken from a monster, even one from a dragon, might be large and pure, but its color is no different from a normal monster's. But that Magic Crystal, its color itself is different."

I see, so the quality itself is different. I get that, but if it's not from a monster, then...

"The Empire has veins of Magic Crystals, correct. But..."

"Yes, and from normal veins we can only get Magic Crystals of the same color as monster cores. But deep within a magic vein, we found a Magic Crystal that was clearly different from the normal ones. This is it."

"Deep within a magic vein. The Blood Mountains?"

"Of course not. Even with Horse-Dragons, we can't venture into the Blood Mountains. It's a place at high altitude within a magic vein, near the traces of a large amount of dark colored magic. The location is a secret, of course. Not that the Kingdom could ever reach it even if you knew. For now..."

"And that's cost effective?"

"Without that Magic Crystal, a battering ram of that scale... This is still a secret. I can't tell you about the sorcery formula for the magic circle unless we trade it for that circuit of yours."

Maytyl placed a finger to her lips.

The fact that its place of origin is different from a normal Magic Crystal, isn't that important information? If I recall, the altitude of a magic vein is generally proportional to the strength of the Miasma it produces.

"Is it something like highly concentrated magic that has crystallized?"

I asked, making an association with metallic ores.

"Some have thought so. In the Empire, it's said to be the core of an ancient dragon. That's probably because dragon bones are found lying around near the place it's mined, or there are markings that look like dragon patterns."

Dragon bones and patterns. Fossils? No, is the Magic Crystal itself a fossil? There are gems derived from living organisms, like amber. I think there were also gems made from ammonites. Since monster cores are Magic Crystals, it wouldn't be strange for a fossilized core to be unearthed. Earth's energy resources like oil and coal are fossils of the solar energy stored by ancient life forms.

So what's the difference from a normal Magic Crystal? The location they're found is different. But it's magic with energy so high that not even the dragons from the Blood Mountains can match it. I just can't picture it. It would be great if I could see one of those fossils.

"Well, not even we know what kind of monstrosities live in the depths of the current Blood Mountains."

"I suppose not."

What humans see from the Blood Mountains are dragons and wyverns with the ability to fly. Other monsters don't stray from the highly concentrated magic veins of the Blood Mountains.

"Come to think of it. When I first met Lady Alfina, you called her the Priestess of the Ancient Dragon's Eye. What did that mean?"

"That's a secret. It sounds like information that would sell for a very high price. I'm joking, don't glare at me like that."

"I'm not glaring."

"I told you, we don't even have proof of what the crimson Magic Crystal really is. Do you think I would know about a prophetic crystal that doesn't exist in the Empire?"

Maytyl shrugged. It didn't feel like she was dodging the question. Her logic was sound.

I just might have to investigate further back in the magic vein records. Though I have no idea how to find a sample from a geological time span.

◇◇

"Hah, is it over already. How boring."

Maytyl said at the lab's entrance. Her gaze was turned toward the biology lab, as if she was reluctant to leave. She looked like a child whose toy had been taken away.

Well, seeing as the boss of this research institute is the biggest problem child of all, it was a bit late to point that out. Just a little while ago, he had been hovering behind Noel, who was sweating nervously as she made a die for processing according to Maytyl's instructions. He was doing this while proceeding with an experiment on the exposure conditions of the Magic-sensing Paper based on distance.

He could have passed for a grandfather anxiously watching his grandchild's arts and crafts project, but if his line of sight had strayed even a little, things would have gotten dangerous.

"Hey, can't you extend my time here just a little longer?"

"You should be grateful I'm letting you run free even just inside the lab. I'll think about it when we have some proper results."

At my words, Maytyl gave a bold smile. "Oh?"

"Compared to letting you run free, I'm nothing at all."

From behind, I heard Noel's laughter, as if she couldn't hold it in any longer. It seems she's warmed up a bit, which is good.

"The parts will be ready next, so we can finally begin the magic wavelength experiment."

"Yes. I'm looking forward to it. There's also the matter of the ice cream."

Maytyl kept looking back at the lab as she returned to the waiting carriage.

Both Fulsy and Maytyl. I just don't understand the mindset of a true researcher. If I were to challenge an unknown phenomenon, the fear of failure would surely come first.

Maytyl said that I design my experimental systems on the premise of trial and error, and she's probably right.

A merchant should stick to his trade. Tomorrow is the meeting at the Food Guild headquarters to discuss the construction of the new city.