Chapter 280: A Warmth That Touches the Heart

The idea of establishing a specialized research facility—something like a magitech research institute, distinct from traditional magic laboratories—was not a sudden whim for High Lord Gavain. In fact, this plan had been brewing in his mind for quite some time; today was simply the right moment to voice it.

Since the founding of the territory, the infrastructure had steadily improved. Ensuring the survival of the populace and the security of the land was no longer a constant life-or-death concern. The industrial base had gradually taken shape from scratch during this development. Yet, amid all this rapid progress, one issue increasingly weighed on Gavain’s mind: research and development.

The territory was not lacking in R&D personnel—Jenny, Rebecca, Kamail, the magitech team who had transitioned from rune craftsmen, even Hetty, who had recently shifted focus toward internal affairs, and Gavain himself as the lord could all be considered “technical staff.” But having a group of people wasn’t enough; a supporting R&D system had to be built—one that fit the unique characteristics of this emerging “magitech industry.”

Traditional magic laboratories and the old craftsman-apprentice workshop model clearly didn’t meet these requirements.

The Rune Research Institute, established earlier, was a step toward building this R&D framework, but it was far from complete. Based on Gavain’s assessment of the future of rune logic and Jenny’s personal capabilities, he believed the institute’s development should lean more toward theory. Although the current project to simplify magic arrays directly connected to the territory’s “rune substrate design and production,” as Jenny’s research deepened and Kamail’s studies on the nature of magic aligned with hers, rune logic would inevitably evolve into a purer field—one relying on mathematical tools and logical deduction to seek truth.

The magitech research institute was Gavain’s second step: a more practical, application-oriented institution that could formally incorporate the territory’s emerging profession of “magitech engineers.”

The “magitech engineers” in the Cecil territory were a brand-new profession. Most came from rune craftsmen backgrounds, while some were fallen scholars or recruited mage apprentices who had been retrained. They represented the most elite technical workforce in the territory aside from a few top experts. Yet even these elite technicians had no place in traditional magic labs—they couldn’t participate in research and development, which Gavain saw as a tremendous waste.

So he wanted to create a “new order” that allowed those without innate magical talent but with magical knowledge to engage in R&D.

Only by opening the source of innovation—the R&D phase—to ordinary people without magical gifts could Gavain’s “magic for all” plan truly succeed. Otherwise, merely enabling common folk to use magical devices wouldn’t break the shackles of “magical talent.”

Of course, simply dividing theory and application into two separate academic fields with two separate facilities wasn’t the ideal solution. But this wasn’t the final form of the “magitech era” R&D system Gavain envisioned. He was just building a simple, efficient framework suited to the territory’s current situation. Once development advanced, these frameworks would naturally be adjusted.

Seizing the opportunity, Gavain slowly shared his ideas. Hetty and Rebecca listened attentively—this was yet another new concept, but for two who had often been fed fresh ideas by their ancestors, careful listening made understanding possible.

After hearing Gavain’s description, Hetty was deeply impressed by the prospect of one or several teams working in an orderly, goal-driven manner to overcome technical challenges, where anyone with sufficient knowledge could participate in any magical project’s research. As a traditionally educated mage, she had never imagined a “laboratory” could operate like this. Yet amid her amazement, she also voiced a concern: “Ancestor, your idea is truly inspiring, but are you sure Rebecca can handle it…?”

“I can!” Before Hetty finished, Rebecca eagerly raised her hand. “I definitely can!”

“Have a little more faith in Rebecca,” Gavain smiled, ruffling her hair before turning back to Hetty. “I know she can be a headache sometimes, but you have to see her talent. Besides… the Cecil family heir, head of the Arcane Technology Department—how could she not have her own lab? That would be a joke.”

Rebecca’s eyes sparkled. “Ancestor…”

Before she could get too emotional, Gavain added, “But a word of warning: if you blow up the magitech lab, you’ll be responsible for rebuilding and cleaning up the mess.”

Rebecca: “…Oh.”

After discussing the establishment of the magitech research institute, Gavain and Hetty checked on Rebecca’s current health. Confirming she had fully recovered after a good sleep, Gavain couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder she was the wild child who used to go fight wolves in the forest before adulthood. Her physical resilience was incredible; a mental overload and a nap were all it took to bounce back. Not only was her mind tough, but she might even be magically resistant…

Relieved that today wouldn’t be a scolding day and that she’d gained her own lab, Rebecca swung her legs off the bed. “I’m getting up. Lying down so long makes me feel stiff all over.”

Her energy was always boundless.

Gavain smiled and stood by the bedside. His eyes caught the sheets of notes and formulas Rebecca had taped to her dressing mirror. Suddenly intrigued, he asked, “By the way… are these what you’ve been studying recently? Weren’t you supposed to be busy designing detection auxiliary arrays for the tactical helmet?”

“Ah, that part’s almost done. I’m planning to embed the detection distortion spell effect into lenses made from clear quartz. Just a few minor processing issues left,” Rebecca waved her hand, then pointed to the drafts on the mirror. “These are what Jenny’s been researching lately—I found them interesting, so I copied them down to work through the calculations myself. But… these are unexpectedly difficult.”

Frowning, Gavain examined the papers. He saw strange curves and heaps of data—not just calculations, but extensive measured parameters. These were far more complex and numerous than the mathematical expressions for interference knots and rune knots he’d seen in Jenny’s rune logic materials.

He couldn’t help but ask, “What is all this?”

“Apparently, Master Kamail brought these to the Rune Research Institute,” Rebecca scratched her slightly messy hair from sleep (an ungraceful gesture that earned a glare from Hetty). “They’re data on the frequency and attenuation of magical field fluctuations around the Arcane Obelisk after activation, the natural environmental magic frequencies, and many parameters of overlapping magical fields. Jenny wants to find patterns here—to discover a method that, given known parameters, can accurately describe the strength, attenuation, frequency, and other data of the magical field at any point… and also calculate the distribution of distortions caused by overlapping fields… plus the spatial distribution model of the magical field in three dimensions… Honestly, neither Jenny nor I have a clue right now.”

The more Gavain listened, the more astonished he became. He muttered to himself, “She’s already reached this stage…?”

“Ancestor, this problem is really tough!” Rebecca didn’t hear Gavain’s muttering and continued, “Unlike fixed data like interference knots or rune knots, magical fields are constantly changing. Frequencies can shift, strength decays with distance, they interact with natural ambient magic, and when two fields overlap, the complexity multiplies several times over. It’s basically impossible to calculate… But Jenny says we have to figure this out, or when the technology hits a bottleneck, we won’t even know why.”

Gavain rubbed his forehead. Among the handwritten notes was a special sheet filled with curves and related formulas. It made him pause. “This is you and Jenny’s work…?”

“Oh no, this isn’t ours,” Rebecca quickly explained. “Master Kamail taught us this. He said it’s a calculation method used by ancient Gondorian mages when studying ‘arcane distortion effects’ similar to magical fields. It uses numbers to describe changes. Master Kamail said this could help solve the magical field problem, but Jenny and I still don’t quite…”

Gavain stared at the paper in surprise, not catching the last part of Rebecca’s sentence as he murmured, “So the mages of Gondor… already used functions?”

“Fu… what?” Rebecca blinked, clearly unfamiliar with the term Kamail had used. “Master Kamail called it the ‘independent variable change formula’…”

“Oh, never mind. Independent variable change formula it is.” Gavain exhaled softly, gradually calming his astonishment.

He shouldn’t be so surprised—nor did he need to be. It was only natural. Although the world’s mages had gone astray in their pursuit of personal power and magical skill, it didn’t mean they only knew brute-force spellcasting. Even the most traditional classical mages relied heavily on mathematics to draw magic arrays, adjust spell models, brew potions, and craft magical items. “Calculations” had always been a required subject for mages—today and in ancient Gondor alike.

The difference was that “calculation” had never been widely popularized or developed to a higher level. For current mages, the existing mathematical tools were more than sufficient.

The Gondorian Empire once had the chance to build a grand mathematical edifice, but that mighty empire ultimately failed to break free from the “supernaturals belong to supernaturals” shackles. The outdated supernatural hierarchy stifled many disciplines’ development, and these precious bodies of knowledge vanished with the near-total annihilation of the empire’s elite—a truly lamentable loss.

But it was okay. Even if it hadn’t fully developed, having this foundation was already far better than Gavain had expected.

Rebecca’s silly… yet clever little head seemed quite capable.

Looking at his great-great… great-granddaughter, Gavain suddenly smiled warmly. Facing such a knowledge-hungry girl, he decided to be a generous grandfather:

“Rebecca, have you ever heard of something that falls from the sky… ah no, something called calculus?”

(End of chapter)