Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 200: Rune Research Center

It was a machining lathe that had various magical equipment: It used the Scorching Ray base plate that could constantly release a heat ray as a cutting head. It used the repulsion apparatus, which could conduct complicated quick activations and quick shutdowns, as the moving mechanism. It used the control cores of the magic puppets as the central control. —This operation was temporarily left out… Gawain had yet to design a simple rune trigger to fix on the complicated puppet core.

This was entirely a “blueprint machine”, and it was impossible to construct this at this juncture. However, Gawain was certain that the direction of the design was fine. He had temporarily drawn the impossible design on the blueprint. In recent days, he had been arranging the necessary actions and rewards that happened over the past few months and had developed some ideas that were uncontrollable during the process.

There were footsteps that could be heard from the hallway, and Gawain lifted his head to see the door being opened by someone. Rebecca made a ruckus as she ran inside. “Lord Ancestor, I heard from Betty that you are looking for me?”

After Rebecca ran in while making a ruckus, the white-haired Jenni then walked into the room carefully. The Runemaster had a helpless expression, and it was obvious that she was embarrassed by all the inevitable accidents and commotions whenever she moved together with Rebecca. She took a glance at the proud Viscountess and greeted Gawain with her head lowered. “Your Excellency, do you have instructions?”

Before Gawain had time to even speak, Rebecca had already noticed the blueprint on the table, and she yelled out, “Hey, Jenni! Look! My ancestor drew a new blueprint~!”

“Your Excellency, are you designing a new machine or weapon?” This time, even the respectful and well-behaved Jenni couldn’t hold back her curiosity and approached. She looked at the concept machine on the table with surprise. Looking at the distinct and prominent components’ designs that were beside the machine’s blueprint, she could vaguely guess the function of this machine. “This is… a kind of equipment to cut materials? No… it isn’t just meant for cutting. It seems like it can also mold or sculpt? It is using the Scorching Ray as a cutting tool?”

Jenni was looking at the blueprint on the table with fervor and curiosity. She had a peculiar feeling of reverence towards Gawain, and it wasn’t just because of Gawain’s social status or hero status. It was more so for his “concept of thinking” that was far beyond an ordinary person’s mind. Gawain would always be able to propose some bold yet feasible designs, and when those designs were made into reality, ordinary people like them would discover how deep his intentions were with each step of the design.

It was like this when he was governing the territory, and it was the same in the field of magic… Gawain might not be the inventor of rune logic, but he was able to find the proper method to use it. Those interchangeable base plates and ideas for mass production were things that a Runemaster like Jenni had never thought of.

This time though, Jenni felt that Gawain’s design for this equipment was truly… far too advanced.

“Your Excellency, please pardon me for speaking bluntly. Many structures on this machine… are probably unable to be produced in reality for now. Putting other things aside, just talking about the magic-puppet-core portion, we do not have any technical personnel for it. This is the profound technology that belongs to the northern Violet Kingdom…”

“I know. This machine isn’t a mission for you two.” Gawain knew that these two young ladies had already gotten the wrong idea, but he still allowed them to finish observing the blueprint before he broke his silence. “I am going to give the two of you a special and long-term task.”

“A special and long-term task?” Rebecca’s eyes widened before she got delighted and asked, “Ancestor, are you asking us to be in charge of another project?”

“This time, it isn’t as simple as a project.” Gawain smiled and said, “I want to establish a new department.”

Jenni asked cautiously, “Will it be… like that mechanical research station?”

“Similar.” Gawain nodded. “I am preparing to establish a department that specializes in the research of rune logic and to use rune logic to achieve simplification, optimization, and generalization of all sorts of magic circles. This department will belong to the recently established, ‘Magical Technology Department’. I shall name it ‘Rune Research Center’. Jenni, you will be the person in charge of the Rune Research Center. Of course, the territory is lacking in talented people now, and this so-called research center is only a framework. For now, you will not have any subordinates or assistants. As for your new assistants, it will depend on when you are able to nurture the first batch of students from the rune-logic classes in the school.”

“I am in charge?” Jenni pointed at herself with surprise and quickly shook her hand before pointing at Rebecca beside her. “I feel that the Viscountess is much more suitable than me! I—I only know rune calculation, while the Viscountess already knows rune calculation, and she even knows the knowledge of official mages. She also knows the principle and functionality of various magical equipment. No matter how I see it, she is better than me—”

“Of course I know that.” Gawain smiled and interrupted Jenni. He obviously knew that everything Jenni said was true, and it wasn’t because this Runemaster was trying to be humble. In fact, this foolish one was indeed a genius in her specialized field, and she was the only person in the territory who was able to flawlessly fuse the magic and mechanical fields together. “That’s why she has something else to do. I am preparing to make Rebecca in charge of the Magical Technology Department. This department doesn’t just have to be in charge of rune logic, it would also have to research various things about magical technology.”

Rebecca was blinking while she listened to everything before she suddenly lowered her head and calculated something with her fingers. She then lifted her head and looked at Jenni with surprise. “Jenni! I have a higher position than you!”

Jenni looked at Rebecca with a strange expression and said, “You… are already holding a higher position than me…”

Gawain also looked at his youngest granddaughter with a strange expression and asked, “Did you forget that you are still a Viscountess?”

Rebecca was stunned and exclaimed two seconds later, “…I really forgot about it… No, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t mind it normally!”

Gawain took a deep sigh and was thinking of this child’s head being slammed by a door when she was young. Her head might have been slammed by the city gates… Subsequently, Gawain quickly tossed this problem aside and continued to say, “Of course, due to the new organization structure and the lack of talented people, even after establishing these departments, the two of you will still be conducting research together. In addition, I have another research project for the two of you.”

The duo immediately shut their mouths and listened to Gawain’s arrangement in a serious manner.

“I want the two of you to start from Grade 1 and create a collation of all the common spells that could be turned into magic circles. In short, I want you to list down and file away all the traditional magic circles. At the same time, use rune logic to carry out a corresponding simplification and optimization before designing a rune base plate. After each magic circle has been ‘generalized’, file them into the archive. As for those magic circles that are unable to be optimized for now, or have unknown fundamental principles, or are considered ‘technological black boxes’ — they will all have to be listed accordingly. Record the reasons why they couldn’t be optimized and the current status before storing them for future research.”

Jenni and Rebecca both had their eyes wide open, but the former was exclaiming in admiration of the “great scale” of Gawain’s plan, while the latter was already simulating the prospects and developments in her mind.

A few minutes later, Rebecca couldn’t help blabbing. “Lord Ancestor, are you preparing to make a general archive so that it will be convenient for future researchers to refer to and also to make custom orders to the factories at any time? Ah right… this archive can also be released to the school for those children that just started studying mathematical logic and runes to use as reference materials… I heard that Mister Santis has already started lessons? Oh, oh, also, we might be able to make a summary of the law of changes for the Grade 1 to Grade 9 spells. We might even be able to backward research those ‘technological black boxes’ afterward…”

Was this silly-looking granddaughter really not a transmigrator?! How many points did she invest in ‘Inspiration’ and ‘Advanced Foresight’ in order to achieve such a level of thought?

Gawain looked at Rebecca with a shocked expression before he immediately lowered his head and coughed to cover up his loss of manners. “Cough, cough. Everything can be put to use. Rebecca, Jenni, you have to remember that establishing a foundation and framework is the greatest part of all projects. In the beginning, you might only be rearranging those Grade 1, Grade 2, or even apprentice-grade magic circles, but if those magic circles are used appropriately, it will produce enough drive to advance the entire territory.”

Gawain added on immediately after, “The task I am giving the two of you is long-term and arduous. Don’t think about completing it in a short period of time. Go back and slowly ponder, while not lagging behind on the research of the new generation Magic Powered Engine’s repulsion-magic-circle formation, the compilation of these ‘teaching materials’. The power from two individuals is ultimately limited. You will only be able to complete this task earlier by nurturing more talented people.”

“Yes, we understand.” Jenni nodded. She didn’t even question the problem of “a Grade 3 Mage and a Grade 4 Runemaster trying to decipher those high-grade magic circles.” Firstly, she knew that this world had so many spells, and it would take an extremely long time to collate all the magic circles that were below Grade 3. It was basically impossible to get the high-grade magic circles within a short period of time. Secondly, she knew about the essence of rune logic; it was an art of calculation that was established on pure mathematical logic. In this hall of maths, individual spellcasting ability was merely a supporting factor. Even though the Viscountess was only able to cast Large Fireball, she would still be able to calculate optimization plans for middle-grade or even high-grade magic circles!

“Then, I shall hand this important task to the two of you.” Gawain then leaned on the chair while looking at the two young ladies with eyes of expectation and praise. “I am looking forward to your results.”