Chapter 218: The Awareness Every Transcender Should Have

The rotary magitech engine was one of the earliest ideas Gavain conceived after envisioning the path toward “magical industrialization.” Yet its realization had been delayed until now, because this system’s complexity and difficulty far exceeded any magical device previously imagined. To start the rotary magitech engine, at least eight—and sometimes over a dozen or even dozens—of repulsion arrays had to operate simultaneously in perfect synchronization. Connecting so many repulsion arrays inevitably caused catastrophic magical interference. Even with the mathematical rigor of runic logic, solving these interference problems was extraordinarily challenging.

But Jenny managed to crack the problem—and even proposed further optimizations to the original rotary engine design.

Gavain stared long and hard at the blueprints and the accompanying notes on the table. His expression was so serious that Amber, who had followed him into the study out of curiosity, was startled. She glanced at him in surprise. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the blueprints? Did Jenny make a miscalculation?”

Gavain looked up and said abruptly, “I’m not a genius.”

“Huh?” Amber was caught off guard by the sudden, cryptic statement. Then she figured he was teasing her. “You’re joking, right? You’re some kind of monster-level talent, and you say you’re not a genius? How are ordinary people supposed to live? Of course, I’m not ‘ordinary’—I’m a genius, the chosen of the Night Goddess, you know that…”

“I’m just speaking from the heart,” Gavain said with a faint smile, ignoring Amber’s rambling. He turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the gradually lighting lamps of the estate as night fell.

He was not a genius.

He was not the center of the world.

He could not conjure a magitech industrial era out of thin air, nor could he single-handedly propel this world toward some distant starry sea.

From the very beginning, Gavain had been aware of this. Today, that awareness had only deepened.

He knew he was a special individual compared to ordinary people and could admit he had ambitions to accomplish great things and influence the course of this era. But he also knew—no matter how much the times changed, it wasn’t something he could drive alone.

Reflecting on everything that had happened along the way, Gavain became ever clearer about his own place—and about the talents and wisdom of the locals.

The magic network came from a down-and-out but gifted wild mage. The Rebecca crystal and runic triggers were the inventions of a noble girl with a brilliant mind. Runic logic was the culmination of decades of work by three generations of researchers. The first magitech engine was painstakingly hammered out by local craftsmen and technicians. The mass production of alchemical potions, the final machine designs, and the establishment of factories were the results of months of effort by Druid Pittman, his apprentices, and hundreds of workers, technicians, and artisans in the estate.

Just moments ago, Patrick Baum from the Kant territory grasped the concepts of regional agents, supply chains, and market feedback in under an hour—and, based on the realities of this era, proposed a tiered sales strategy for goods.

And now, Jenny Perrot had completed the final calculations for the rotary magitech engine and, even before Gavain had thought of it, designed an effective speed regulation scheme.

Gavain lowered his gaze to the estate of Cecil, still vibrant and full of life despite the night.

This was a dark and backward age—but that didn’t mean a transcender was the center of the world. In this era, in this world, wisdom was hidden everywhere. Even the seemingly ignorant and backward nobles maintained their rule through intelligence and strength. Gavain felt that if he wanted to accomplish something here, the first thing he had to do was never forget to respect this world.

To value the system itself, to recognize the wisdom of the locals, and on that basis, to reasonably seize what belonged to him—that was the way to survive and thrive.

Gavain smiled and turned to Amber, who was curiously studying the blueprints on the table (though she seemed to understand nothing). “Tell me, if everyone on this land is talented, then what exactly am I here for?”

“What’s gotten into you? Suddenly talking all mysterious,” Amber blinked. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re the lord. Without you, why would we all be gathered here? We’d have packed up and left long ago… Wait, you’re not seriously thinking of disbanding the group, are you?”

Gavain shot the half-elf a look. “Can you stop misusing the words I taught you? It’s called a team, not a gang!”

“…Same difference. The two words only differ in the last two letters anyway.”

Gavain looked at the rogue lady helplessly, but a smile still tugged at his lips.

That’s right—the magic network was invented by a wild mage, the alchemical reaction device by Pittman, the explosive crystals and runic triggers by Rebecca… Many things in the estate were not his creations, or at least not solely his. But his greatest value here wasn’t to personally invent these things—it was to lead these talented people to fully realize their own potential.

He didn’t surpass the locals in wisdom, but he had a broader vision and perspective. He had the knowledge of his past life, the mind of Gavain Cecil, and the will and experience of an ancient observer. He might not create much himself, but he knew what this land needed.

He knew which way to go—and that was his purpose and reason for being here. On a grand scale, he could plan the future order and social structure of the estate. On a smaller scale, he could design specific machines needed for certain technological paths and then have the local technicians figure out how to build them.

Suddenly, Gavain laughed happily. No matter what kind of “cheats” he had, one thing was certain:

He was a cheat in this world—at least, the cheat of the Cecil estate.

Oh, and he had to include Mr. Nicholas Egg, who had just recovered from a cold and was currently pondering how to build the next generation of large stamping machines in the mechanical research institute.

But Gavain’s inner thoughts were too complex for Amber’s winding mind to grasp. She only saw him go from deep contemplation to sudden laughter, which made her feel uneasy all over. She was about to rush out and warn Hetty and Rebecca that their great-grandfather might be about to rise as an undead, when the old man nodded at her: “Amber, tomorrow you will be my envoy to Tansan Town. Deliver my handwritten letter to Viscount Andrew.”

“In the middle of winter, you want me to run all that way…” Amber grumbled. “What for?”

“I want to invite the viscount to visit the estate—to show this great mining lord how we mine in Cecil.”

“Oh… what?!” Amber’s nod froze halfway as she suddenly snapped awake, staring at Gavain as if he were a spy infiltrating their ranks. “You want to invite Viscount Andrew to tour the estate’s mines? Do you even remember what’s there?!”

“Of course I remember. The magitech engine, the drainage pumps, the minecart traction machines, and the recently commissioned crushers and sifters.”

“And you want to let an outsider see all that?!” Amber’s eyes widened. “These are the lifeblood of the Cecil estate! Our rapid development here relies entirely on those machines. Aren’t you afraid that once Viscount Andrew sees them…”

“I want him to be impressed. Deeply impressed,” Gavain nodded. “Because I plan to sell him the entire set of mining equipment.”

Amber: “?!”

“Our second-generation magitech engine is already realized. What I’m selling is the first generation,” Gavain knew what Amber was thinking but enjoyed teasing her—the troublesome half-elf was only cute when caught off guard. “And you said something wrong just now: the estate’s rapid development isn’t all thanks to machines.”

He shook his head. “The real ‘cheat’ of the Cecil estate is something outsiders can’t take away.”

Amber’s worry didn’t fade. “But still, selling magitech engine-driven machines to others… aren’t you worried they’ll catch up?”

“They will develop, no doubt. The mining efficiency in Tansan will greatly improve,” Gavain nodded. “That will ensure Cecil gets more magical materials at lower prices.”

Amber scratched her head. “Is that all? You must have other reasons.”

“Of course. Only stronger partners can bring you greater benefits. I never worry about others’ development—I just need to make sure I’m the fastest growing.”

Gavain sighed softly. “Most rulers in this world take a different path. They do everything to keep everyone in their sight from advancing. They don’t care how long they stand still, as long as others don’t move forward or even fall behind. But there’s a fatal flaw—they can’t suppress those beyond their sight. Their actions only cause regional decline. You know what? That decline is already happening.”

“Decline?”

“Ansu’s neighbor, the Typhon Empire, has been continuously reforming its military and society for decades. They’ve regularized the extraordinary professions into a standing army and established some assembly-line production of military supplies. While Ansu’s nobles cling to their backward alliances, places beyond their influence and observation have risen up a strong and terrifying opponent…”

Amber swallowed hard. As an Ansu native, she knew the growing threat of Typhon, but this was the first time she’d heard such a direct analysis from Gavain. Still, she had one last doubt. “But even if you sell those magitech engine-powered machines to Viscount Andrew, he can’t use them, right? They all need the magic network to operate…”

Gavain laughed even more joyfully. “That’s why I’m also selling him the magic network blueprints. If possible, I’ll even send a team of technicians at a low price to help the Leslie territory build the magic network infrastructure.”

“You’re giving him the magic network too?!” Amber nearly jumped. “Do you know what he could do with that?”

“Mine,” Gavain said calmly. “For the Cecil estate.”

(End of chapter)