College (6)
"There are three types of magic stones: magic-storing ores, magical ores, and magic-insulating ores.
The magic ore that circulates as currency and energy in our lives can store magic power, and is also magic stone in a narrow sense. There are 8 major attributes: light, dark, fire, lightning, water, ice, wind, wood, and earth.
The basic material used in all aspects of life is magic ore. For example, the base of the magic stone lamp is made of magic stone. Magic stone can be engraved with magic spells. Magic stone is often found in the coarse ore produced by magic stone. It is associated with magic stone.
There is only one kind of magic insulating ore at present. It is a rare ore that was discovered less than 20 years ago. It has only an academic name, called the fourth-order gradient. Because its crystal structure is different from the seven major crystal systems, it is quite special. No magic power can be attached to it. Insulating magic stone can emit an isolation force field. The handcuffs made of insulating magic stone can imprison the magic passages in a person's body. "
Inger answered in one breath and did not rush to sit down.
Whispers were heard all around.
"Wow, it's exactly the same as in the textbook. What a pervert!"
"No matter how many times I watch it, I can't get used to it."
"Is it the teacher who is giving the lecture or is it him who is giving the lecture?"
"Can a sick brain get better?"
"His grades were already pretty good, how could they be any better?"
…………
Professor Shant touched his big belly and praised him, "Nekka's preparation was very good!"
"As you can see, magic stones are now closely related to our lives. The operation of trains depends on them, magic-driven cars also depend on them, and the lights and hot and cold stones in our homes also depend on them..."
In his narration, Inger recalled the history of this world he had read.
Although there are oil and coal, due to the existence of magic stone, a highly efficient energy mineral, the steam engine was not invented until the early 19th century, and currently has many defects and cannot be widely used.
The invention of the train was much earlier. The first transport train was born in the late 18th century. It had no chimney, no steam engine, and was a non-waste-emitting energy source. It produced no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and no fog.
Most trains and tracks were built by the state, and the magic stones used were also borne by the state.
As for household magic stone lamps, since lighting them requires magic stone storage, ordinary people cannot afford them, so only the nobles can use them. The same is true for other small items driven by magic.
Before the invention of electric lights, civilians could only rely on candles, oil lamps, straw bonfires and other lighting, and usually did not light any lights at night.
The generator was invented in the early 19th century. The improved electric light was invented only a dozen years ago.
Electric lights are not yet popular nowadays when the power grid is not widely built.
Therefore, it is not wrong to say that magic stone is closely related to people's lives. Magic stone is an important infrastructure and strategic material in modern times.
Although the histories of the two worlds differ somewhat, they have reached the same conclusion in some ways.
Just as expensive silk will eventually be replaced by cheap fiber paper, kerosene lamps will be replaced by electric lamps, the emergence of electricity means that the world will enter the electrical age, and it is foreseeable that magic stone energy will be replaced by cheaper electricity.
However, this does not mean that the use of magic stones will disappear as long as magic still exists in this world.
"Student Inger Nyka! Did you hear that?"
Inger was distracted by the random memory again. He whispered, "Teacher, I heard it."
Shante exhaled, "Ah, you finally answered me after I called you five times, otherwise I would have sent you to the infirmary."
A burst of laughter broke out in the classroom.
Inger recalled for the first time in a long time what it was like to feel awkward.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
Inger froze.
A magic class student next to him pulled his pants and whispered, "How to engrave the magic stone."
Inger nodded and recited fluently: "First, use a carving tool with a harder hardness than the magic stone to carve the spell on the magic stone. Then the wizard or the magic stone injects magic power into the spell. The magic power starts to work according to the formula or formation. Then the magic item is successfully made. But this requires extremely high engraving accuracy..."
When he got to this point, he suddenly thought of a question, so he asked directly: "Teacher, can I engrave the spell directly on the magic stone with a magic wand?"
Shant laughed and said, "That doesn't sound like a question you would ask. The power of a spell acts directly on an object, it doesn't get engraved on it."
"What if we add another spell, such as engraving...ah...sorry, I asked an idiotic question."
[There is no similar spell engraved in the divine language of the other world left by the goddess. 】
Shant was stunned for a moment, "You have memorized all the magic spells?"
Inger: “…………”
Seeing that he acquiesced, there was a brief silence in the classroom.
The class ended in a pleasant learning atmosphere.
Finally, Professor Shant gave each of them a small magic stone and an engraving knife, and asked them to carve a simple "light" spell.
Then it was like it turned into an elementary school art and seal carving class.
The engraving knife is not a pen knife. It is difficult to use and requires a lot of strength. The things engraved are crooked and unusable.
Naturally, no one in the class succeeded, but all the students had a lot of fun.
Shant just looked at them one by one with a smile, without making any further comments.
He knew that only magic engravers who had been specially trained for more than five years could do this well, and he did not force all students to do it.
As for Inger, he simply gave up. He still remembered the image of a fool being picked out and publicly executed in the classroom in elementary school.
"Why don't you give it a try? Just carve it for fun." Teacher Shant was very kind.
Inger sat there in a daze. He replied, "I'm wondering if there's a way to easily carve the spell on it."
Shante did not discourage him, but patted his shoulder and encouraged him: "Well, this is not bad. If you get the result, you must tell the teacher!"
After class, he couldn't wait to try the "engraving" spell in Chinese.
After trying dozens of times, he succeeded.
First, cast "engraving" on the magic stone that needs to be engraved, and then add the "light" spell on top. The spell will be engraved on the magic stone as it was. However, the language of both must be the same.
Of course, after writing "engraving", it would be much easier to carve with a carving knife, just like cutting tofu, but the problem was that his hands were shaking, so it couldn't be done.
【It would be nice if I could write on it like a pen. 】
There is no magic wand. There is no engraving pen either.
Inger thought of a fountain pen. If the magic stone was used as the material to make the pen tip, it might be able to be used for engraving.
He then tried several other approaches.
It turns out that using the divine language of "strengthening" can strengthen the power of engraving, making it easier to engrave. However, one needs to continue to exert magic power on the hands while engraving. I guess that's what those engravers do.
If the object is smaller, the engraving is more difficult and requires higher technical skills. Therefore, skilled magic engravers can make a lot of money.
Afterwards, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not think of any way to easily engrave it using the divine language spell, and he could not invent a word.
He worked until midnight, but when someone called him to go to bed, an idea suddenly came to his mind.
[Wait! What if we make insulating stone into a pen tip or a carving knife? ]
According to experimental data, the hardness of Insulation Ore exceeds that of all Magic Stones, and Magic Stone is still a kind of ore containing magic power. Once the magic power is isolated...
[…But the traces carved by the Insulation Stone seem to block the flow of magic power…]
He gave up trying and fell on the bed.
The next day is a rest day.
He destroyed all the magic stones from yesterday, whether successful or not.
After all, the words engraved on it do not belong to this world.
He still habitually had breakfast and read the newspaper in his room.
Suddenly, there was a burst of barking of dogs and cats outside, and it sounded like there were more than one.
"Jason? Are you still keeping those stray cats and dogs I cured?"
Jason bowed and said, "Yes, you didn't say how to deal with it."
Inger rested his forehead on his hand.
In order to practice healing, he collected many stray cats and dogs, some of which were from slums.
Although keeping these animals at home is not worth mentioning, it is also troublesome. We cannot throw them away, so we might as well make the best use of them.
Stimulated by the barking of cats and dogs, Finnie flapped his wings and stood up, also yelling fiercely.
"Help me give an invitation to the second daughter of the Midi Bai family, inviting her to dine at the Fulla Restaurant at No. 145, Noble Street."
"Understood."
Furla Restaurant is not a high-end restaurant in an aristocratic area. Instead, it is more casual and the environment is very lifelike. You don't need to wear formal clothes to dine.
When Norihua came in, Inger had already ordered the food and was holding a magazine.
"Good morning, Miss Midibai. If you want to order more, please feel free to do so. This meal will naturally be charged to my bill."
This time, Norihua wore a slim-fitting off-white floral dress and a small waistcoat. She looked very ladylike and simple, with light makeup. This was very different from her look in college.
Inger knew that she matched this to suit her taste, and that she didn't wear any perfume.
[She has a strong observation ability and will prepare for her lessons in advance. She is indeed the social queen. 】
"My sponsor treats me very differently from the way he treats me at school."
"It was just a simple meal. No one wants a meal to become a social occasion."
"Well, isn't it time to eat now?"
"We are talking about business now, not dining."
Norihua immediately changed from teasing mode to business mode, "That's great. I wanted to go to the school to tell you that the research there has also produced results."
It is a default rule that low-ranking nobles cannot send invitations to high-ranking nobles.
"So soon?"
Norihua took out a pen from her bag, which was the improved pen.
Inger took it and opened it without hesitation. He found that there was indeed a small tube inside with ink. The nib would not leak ink, and there was a small slot on it that could slide to draw ink.
"Do you have any ink? Let me try it."
Norihua brought a small ink bottle the size of her index finger and a piece of paper.
It is smooth to write with, the ink does not stagnate, the ink does not stop, and there is no ink seepage. The hardness of the nib is also good, and it is easy to draw ink.
"It's amazing that this could be made in just ten days."
Norihua smiled and said, "Without your opinion, that person wouldn't have been able to do it."
“What about durability testing?”
"Pass, start one year later."
“What about the cost?”
"I've calculated it, and it's only slightly higher than before. I've also applied for the patent."
"Okay, then we'll figure out how to start production in fifteen days. I'll buy the first batch and use them first. As for how to sell the rest, I'll leave it to you. The target group is the nobility."
Norihua took the tea from the waiter and said, "But the other party has a condition."
Inger was stunned for a moment: "You mean the person who studied the pen?"
Norihua took a sip of tea and smiled, "Yes, he said that if you want to buy his patent rights, you must let him meet the person who proposed this modification."
Inger weighed the options and decided there was no harm in doing so. "Sure, when?"
Norihua put down the cup, "Now."
The carriages are still there, but the roads in the aristocratic district are now filled with magic-driven track cars.
The two of them took a rail car to the lower city, which is what the nobles called the common people's street. A small carriage can only seat four people, and three or four carriages are connected together, with a driver operating the switch lever.
"Car... I wonder if there is a car without tracks..."
[I almost said cars... I wonder if the internal combustion engine has appeared. Since the main energy source is not oil or coal but magic stone...]
"I think I heard someone built something like this a few years ago, but it died after only a few steps. Why? Need to see it?"
"Well, you should pay attention to it. If this can be successfully developed, it will be more popular than rail cars in the future."
Norihua covered her mouth and laughed: "You sound like you can see the future?"
"Please call this foresight, which is a necessary ability for a businessman." Inger was halfway through his words when he saw wild cats and dogs popping out near the lower city area and suddenly remembered his original purpose.
"I have a group of stray cats and dogs at home, and I want to find a place for them to go."
"With your financial resources, raising a few wild animals wouldn't be a big burden, right?"
"It's boring to just keep them. I want to buy a store, put these cats and dogs in it, add some decorations, put some magazines on the bookshelf, and provide some meals for people to have fun and rest. Of course, it should be in an aristocratic neighborhood."
[Actually, it is a modern cat cafe and dog cafe...]
Norihua thought about it for a moment and was surprised to find that it was profitable.
Although some aristocratic families keep pets, some aristocrats find it troublesome to take care of pets. Besides, no one has opened such a store before, so it is novel and will probably attract many people.
"This is easy to imitate, so we have to provide the best service from the beginning to retain customers. As for cats and dogs, we need to choose docile ones to raise them, and we also need someone to be responsible for cleaning and caring for them." Norihua began to analyze.
Inger nodded. "So I want you to help me do this. Of course, I will give you a reward and share of the profits. Even if the final profit is a loss, you don't have to worry, because I will bear the responsibility anyway."
"Oh? You trust me so much?"
“I only trust capable people.”
"I am always impressed by your wonderful ideas. Ah, it seems we have arrived."
"Let's go down. We can talk about this later. If you need funds, provide me with the details and I will have someone send you a check or magic stones."
"My greatest blessing is to have found such a generous donor: the Lord."
"Although everyone loves to hear flattery, I've heard it enough, so save your breath."
The track ended at the border of downtown, and the two walked to the entrance of a factory.
From what I've observed along the way, although it's not as clean as the aristocratic neighborhoods that have special people cleaning them, it's not to the extent of having shit piled everywhere.
[It's a bit like the local vegetable market near my home. I miss it a lot.]
Here, there are a lot of pedestrians and most of the transportation is horse-drawn carriages.
The people in a hurry looked sideways at the noble men and women who entered this place.
Some people have bad intentions, while others remain silent.
Nolihua seemed to be very familiar with this place. She knocked on the door, and when no one answered, she kicked the door open.
Inger was startled, but followed him in.
"Ditsu! Are you dead?"
In response to her suddenly raised voice, there was a clear male voice.
"Oh my, my ears are going to explode! He's not dead! He's over here!"
Inger resisted the urge to cover his ears.
He saw a young man crawling out from a pile of mechanical parts. He had a head of curly black hair covered with engine oil and metal dust. The freckles on his face were half covered by the black dust, but the pair of brown eyes on his flat nose looked very bright.
He had dark circles under his eyes, probably because he slept directly in the studio.
"Why did you suddenly come to see me again? I gave you the finished product yesterday..." He saw Inger standing next to her, "...Who are you?"
Inger smiled at him and held out his hand: "Inger Nyka, I am Miss Midibai's classmate and sponsor."
An elegant nobleman. His purple eyes were comparable to the purple orchid sculpture magic mine that he had the honor of seeing once at the expo.
Ditsu was fascinated for a moment, and subconsciously stretched out his hand, but when he saw his gloves were stained black by engine oil, he instantly retracted his hand, threw off his gloves and held it.
"No... sorry, I'm Ditsu Chala. I... didn't expect Noli to bring you to this dirty place."
Inger smiled and said, "I don't care about that."
Norihua kicked him and said, "You're still blaming me? Where's the chair? Bring it out for the distinguished guest to sit on."
Inger looked at the two and thought, "They look familiar."
Ditsu quickly searched everywhere and finally found an abandoned mahogany chair, wiped it clean, and also found three tin cups and filled them with milk tea for the two people.
Inger remembered that similar cups were used and distributed in the orphanage when he was very young.
He sipped the cheap and sweet milk tea with nostalgia.
Noriha looked at him with increasing curiosity.
"I heard you wanted to see me, so I came to visit. I hope I didn't disturb your work?" Inger folded one leg and gently held the bottom of the cup in his hand.
Ditsu looked about 18 years old. Even after washing his face, he still looked quite childish. He lowered his head shyly, "...How can I accept this? I should be the one visiting you. I'm sorry that you went to such trouble to come here..."
Because of the stereotypes in some movies and TV shows, Inger originally thought that these hidden technical talents should be weird people with many quirks.
But this child looks really innocent.
Inger glanced at Norihua who was smiling beside him.
[This guy has created many industries and applied for many patents in the later period of the comics. It should be related to this person, right? It is also amazing to catch a friend and try to get him. ]
Inger looked around and heard Dietsu ask, "Sir, did you come up with the idea for the pen last time?"
Inger: "Because I'm not used to using a quill pen, it's very inconvenient. Pencils are easy to rub out, and fountain pens are just out, but they need to be dipped in ink constantly, which I find troublesome. So I thought it would be great if there was a thin tube that would allow the ink to flow out directly and be easy to absorb."
If there is no ink absorption function, the usage of fountain pens and feather pens is similar.
After saying this, he saw a strange light flashing in Ditsu's brown eyes.
He murmured, "Yeah, it's so simple, why didn't I think of it? Just let others use it and they will know whether it works well or not and how to improve it. It's hard for me to find out..."
Inger felt that if he continued, there might not be time to discuss business, so he said, "I have a few more things I want you to make for me. Miss Midi said you can make anything."
Ditsu nodded quickly.
Because I had no money, I could only sell pens on the street. I could only pick up some scrap machinery to make pens.
"I want you to use the magic stone to make an arm guard and shoulder guard, for the left shoulder and left arm. Try to make it as light as possible while ensuring quality. No need to be fancy."
"Magic Stone? Shoulder and arm guards?" Ditsu was stunned.
"I have an eagle at home...um, a pet like that." Inger thought of Finé's increasingly sharp claws that day and broke out in a cold sweat. If that claw had come up, his arm would have been gone for sure.
"I'll send you the magic stone materials. Oh, it would be best if you could make a magic stone inlay on it and a soft pad on the inside. You can measure your arm size on the spot. If you do a good job, I'll continue to ask you to do it..."
Ditsu had already taken out a small notebook to write down the requests.
"Also, make a pen with a magic stone tip. I want to do some experiments..."
After taking the measurements he paused for a moment, feeling something strange.
He had never seen such good care of Jin in every aspect.
His attitude was very gentle, his requirements were so detailed, his funding materials were very generous, and his time requirements were very relaxed, as if he was giving him money.
Norihua pinched his arm and said, "What? Are you so happy?"
Dieter Su smiled and said, "You are the one who is happier than me to have met such a good sponsor, right?"
Inger looked around the factory and asked, "Is this a workshop converted from an abandoned factory?"
Ditsu scratched his head and said, "Well, it was left to me by my late uncle."
"Do you want to go to the aristocratic district? I'll give you a studio."
Both Norihua and Ditsu were stunned.
Inger added, "Of course, it depends on your own wishes. If you feel comfortable in this place, I will send someone to take you here, and I will come over to discuss things in the future. But I hate trouble, and it's close to my home, so I don't have to walk far."
Norihua was dumbfounded. She was originally born into a commoner family. After becoming the adopted daughter of a noble family, she mixed in the social circle for a while. But the nobles she knew did not think like this.
Ordinary nobles, if they were afraid of trouble, would not set foot in this place in person, let alone walk all the way here with her. Generally, nobles would invite commoners to their homes to do things.
If the nobles came in person, it is conceivable that they would complain that this place is small and dirty, and cover their mouths with a handkerchief.
Inger saw that both of them were silent and frowned.
[Do you still hate the aristocracy's behavior? ]
"I don't mean to put pressure on you. If you really don't want to, just pretend I didn't say anything. I can find someone to clean the workshop for you, right?"
Detsu almost got tongue-tied when he responded: "No no no no no, I'm happy to do it! I'm just afraid it will be too much trouble for you, sir!"
You'd be a fool not to accept such a generous offer.
Norihua sneered: "You don't think that poor people who can't even afford to eat would have any useless pretentious ideas, do you?"
Inger was touched by her and had to ignore it. "You don't have to feel burdened. You can just make things for me in the future. Of course, you can also make things for others. You just need to get my consent. I will pay you accordingly. You work hard and we will both get what we need."
Dietzsu Freckles' face turned red. He really didn't know whether he deserved such a reward.
Norihua patted his shoulder and said, "I can vouch for this guy's talent, but he is not a good person. He even poached my skills."
"He's still your friend, and I didn't stop him from doing anything else."
"How about letting him modify the trackless car as well?"
"Don't call it a trackless car, just call it a car. It sounds weird."
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