Section 58: The Newcomer to the City of Gaul (Part Two)

"Ah, this spinning machine can drive eight spindles at once!" someone discovered the secret within.

Only then did the crowd notice the difference between this new type of textile machine and the old ones. The spindles of this new machine were placed vertically, and a single spinning wheel could drive eight spindles, meaning the efficiency was eight times higher than before.

"There is still plenty of room for improvement," Fahrenheit said in a deep voice. "But regardless, this is a remarkable advancement. The day after tomorrow, I will submit a bill to Parliament to legally protect the rights of every original invention. For instance, once a machine like this is approved, anyone else who wishes to use it on a large scale will have to pay a small fee to the inventor."

The crowd began to buzz with discussion, astonished by this invention. Although it seemed rather unassuming—merely a minor modification—it increased the efficiency of the spinning machine eightfold, which meant the textile industry might be on the verge of major development. More perceptive individuals were pondering Fahrenheit's newly proposed protection for original inventions. It seemed the Prime Minister intended to use this spinning machine as a starting point, and the impact would be enormous. If unprecedented creations were guaranteed the right to collect fees related to their usage through legislation, it would undoubtedly stimulate people to invent. Even mages would consider setting aside their pride and dignity. After all, a mage's research also required a vast amount of money. If they were willing to apply their knowledge to civilian life to earn some wealth, it would undoubtedly aid their research.

"Furthermore, I have a plan to refine alchemy further, spinning off mechanics as a distinct discipline and requiring schools everywhere to establish it independently," Fahrenheit said.

This was another astonishing piece of news. Alchemy had originally been subordinate to magic, and alchemists had always stood a head shorter than mages. Achieving their current status had taken centuries of effort to make mages recognize the importance and complexity of alchemy, which at times was no less profound than the supreme magic in their eyes. However, when all was said and done, in the eyes of mages, alchemy and magic were cousins. Granting mechanics an independent status nearly equal to magic was something mages could still barely accept.

Yet, mechanics—a branch originally born out of convenience for alchemists during various experiments or daily life—actually needed to be separated and made entirely independent?

"Prime Minister, is that really necessary?" someone asked.

"Perhaps the mages will protest," another said cautiously.

"Those people are simply incapable of letting go of their pride," someone else remarked dismissively. "Still, I don't think it's a bad thing to split it off. Look at how useful a spinning machine like this is to us. If it is researched independently, who knows what marvelous things might be built in the future."

"But those mages won't see it that way. They will view it as an affront to their dignity, elevating the status of mere craftsmen to be on par with their own."

Faced with the heated debate, a bewildered Helen clearly did not understand the underlying reasons, while Raven looked thoughtful, though he had no intention of getting involved.

"Everyone, do not be impatient. The mages should support the legislation protecting the rights of original inventions; as for separating mechanics from alchemy, the Mage Guild and Mage Towers might have some reservations, but here in Landia, this is our affair. Besides, I will show you something else. Once this thing is unveiled, they probably won't have the spare time to worry about such minor issues," Fahrenheit said calmly.

This aroused everyone's curiosity. Could there really be something of even greater value than this spinning machine?

As the crowd exited the room, they found an additional person waiting outside—a figure dressed in a white robe, standing by with a respectful attitude. Through Fahrenheit's introduction, they learned this was Ismint, the chief researcher of the privately sponsored mage laboratory.

Led by Ismint, the group walked to another room in the basement. When opening the door, Ismint chanted a certain incantation, which heightened everyone's curiosity. This was typically a protective measure. When mages left their homes and needed to secure important items, they would set up various defenses. Some would install small magical traps, while others would construct large magical corridors forming labyrinths, dotting the mazes with hazards where unwary intruders would often be trapped until the mage returned to rescue them. However, for Raven, such methods were merely the classic dilemma of the spear versus the shield. Back when he worked as a bounty hunter, he had taken on missions involving sneaking into mages' residences to steal items. Moreover, he possessed a versatile skill set; to a certain extent, he was also a mage, except his means of earning a living did not rely on living the life of a mage, but rather on utilizing various skills to claim bounties.

Finally, there was another anti-theft method favored by mages—the exact kind Ismint was employing now—which bounty hunters detested the most. It was also a type of magical trap setup, but the destructive energy generated by the magic target was not the outsider, but the protected object itself. The arrangement of this magical array required the correct incantation to halt the trap's operation. If forced open, the trap would directly destroy the protected item, leaving the intruder with nothing. Therefore, facing this kind of setup would cause even an analyst as proficient in cracking magical traps as Raven to develop a headache, as it was rigid and possessed only a single path. If time and attempt limits were further imposed on the input method of the incantation, no matter how brilliant the analyst, they could not guarantee retrieving the item inside. Thus, bounty hunters and thieves hated encountering such setups the most.

Judging from the incantation Ismint had just used, the pronunciation involved sixty-four syllables, and one could easily imagine that after this tour concluded, the decryption incantation would certainly be changed once more.

The faint red glow outside the door vanished, and Ismint pushed it open. Inside was a vast open space, yet across the clean floor lay a massive magical array. This huge array was divided into several sections, but its ultimate terminal magic runes directly connected to a pile of mechanical devices.

"Th-this is what?" The crowd was dumbfounded by the colossal setup before them, and even Raven was startled.

"As you can see, this is the latest research achievement of the laboratory I personally sponsor: the Energy Conversion Magic Array," Fahrenheit said.

"An Energy Conversion Magic Array?" Among the banquet guests were those with a superficial understanding of magic. The descendants of nobles and wealthy merchants had even studied magic. However, the distinction between a mage and a spellcaster lay in the fact that the former could not only use magic, but also understood its foundations and theories, possessing the capacity for further development and improvement. To borrow an expression from the Far East, the latter knew that it worked, but did not know *why* it worked.