“So, the next one is the final report… If this succeeds, the world will undoubtedly change.”
As Sarasa prefaced, everyone tensed up.
Putting aside the matter with Luca, the other two reports contained content that could bring about significant changes to the Crown.
Judging from Sarasa’s preamble, it suggested an astonishing change.
The attendees held their breath, waiting for Sarasa’s next words to know what it was.
“The long-distance communication that Kousuke has been researching and developing for some time has apparently reached a certain level of theoretical completion.”
At Sarasa’s words, the atmosphere among the attendees became subtle.
“Was it the theory that was completed?”
Schmidt tilted his head and asked Sarasa.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Until now, Kousuke had developed various magic tools, all of which had been presented as completed products.
However, Sarasa’s current story was solely about theory.
It was natural for those from the Merchant Division, who dealt with selling products, to tilt their heads.
“It’s one thing if there’s a physical product, but with just a theory, there’s no way to judge…”
Schmidt, about to continue with “it,” was interrupted by Sarasa with her right hand.
“There’s a good reason why there isn’t a physical product, which is unlike Kousuke.”
With that preamble, Sarasa began to explain Kousuke’s new theory for long-distance communication.
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Generally speaking, regarding magic tools as a whole, the primary reason for their high price lies in issues with magic power and holy power.
It’s manageable for those who can consciously use magic or holy power, but there are also individuals who cannot consciously utilize these forces.
To be able to use them consciously would make one a wizard, so most people do not use them with conscious intent.
This leads to the foremost problem: how to secure the power needed to operate the tools.
It would be no problem for those already accustomed to handling magic power and holy power, but that’s not always the case.
Therefore, magic tools are generally divided into two types: disposable ones with pre-imbued magic power, or those that can be recharged.
For the latter, hiring wizards proficient in handling magic power is necessary, making maintenance and management difficult and incurring exorbitant costs.
On the other hand, for the former, if advanced technology is employed, the magic power required will naturally be very high.
To secure this magic power, extremely expensive materials are necessary.
This is why most magic tools commonly available in this world are simple devices that don’t require much magic power.
Kousuke’s development of a recyclable, rechargeable magic stone challenged this norm.
With the advent of this magic stone, it became possible to secure a moderate amount of magic power at a reasonable price, but there were still limitations.
The magic power required for communication devices was far beyond what these rechargeable magic stones could provide.
To create a communication device that could transmit freely to any desired location, its size would need to be so large that it would be impossible for a person to lift.
It would be possible to create a communication device that occupied an entire room, but its maintenance and management costs would be equivalent to the national budget of a small country.
No organization could afford such wasteful expenses, and the development of long-distance communication devices remained a distant dream.
This was the same for Kousuke.
Kousuke had the advantage of being able to use divine power, and like the communication devices developed by Isunani, divine power-based communication tools were incorporated into the Crown Card.
However, even divine power could not escape the same fate as magic power.
Securing the necessary divine power invariably required either rare materials or resulted in devices with high maintenance costs.
He had tried various methods to secure the required magic power and divine power using inexpensive materials, but without success.
After all, materials that retain magic power tend to be more potent when derived from rare monster materials, which is only natural.
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This was what Schmidt had heard from Kousuke until now.
He hadn’t heard anything about Kousuke succeeding in securing magic power using inexpensive materials since then.
As if sensing Schmidt’s expression, Sarasa shook her head and began to explain Kousuke’s new “theory.”
“The theory this time is probably completely different from what Schmidt is thinking.”
“Meaning?”
“This discussion is solely about securing the magic power for long-distance calls, not about the communication device itself.”
Becoming even more confused, most of the attendees, including Schmidt, tilted their heads.
There was a good reason why Kousuke hadn’t spoken directly to Schmidt and instead involved Sarasa.
If the theory Kousuke conceived were to be implemented, it would require an incredibly enormous budget.
No matter Schmidt’s position as Division Head of the Merchant Division, this was not something he could personally approve like previous magic tools.
Therefore, he intended to gain the consent of the entire Merchant Division through Sarasa, the supervisor.
From that preamble alone, they understood that this matter was of a completely different nature than anything before.
The faces of those gathered became serious.
One could sense their fear about how much budget would necessitate going through a supervisor.
And that dreaded expectation was undoubtedly correct.
The theory Kousuke conceived was not about small, battery-like objects.
In short, it was about creating something like a magic power generation plant.
However, it wasn’t a power plant that generated magic power on the spot.
It was about creating a path for magic power throughout the entire city and laying a magic circle within the city itself.
Simply put, it was about converting the naturally occurring, otherwise unusable ambient magic power into usable energy by implementing a magic circle throughout the city.
By creating regular facilities within the city and connecting these facilities with magic power, a giant magic circle would be formed across the city.
The majority of the magic power needed to maintain this magic circle would be drawn from natural magic, eliminating the need to secure large amounts of materials each time.
The required magic power would be for operating the facilities, an amount that a mid-level wizard could sufficiently handle.
Of course, merely building facilities to generate magic power would be wasteful.
However, this generated magic power could then be used for long-distance communication or for the town’s infrastructure.
Upon hearing the theory explained clearly by Sarasa, the executives gulped.
Among them, Schmidt, who was most accustomed to Kousuke’s magic tool developments, recovered the fastest.
“In other words, the initial investment is significant, but there’s the possibility of creating magic tools that couldn’t be made before?”
As expected of the head of the Merchant Division, Schmidt had grasped the essence of Kousuke’s theory.
While originally conceived for communication devices that consumed a large amount of magic power, there was no need to limit its use to just communication devices.
It could be used for magic tools that illuminate towns, and other applications could certainly be found.
“Simply put, yes.”
To Sarasa’s answer, several people looked as if they were about to faint.
If the Crown Card was revolutionary for adventurers, Kousuke’s theory this time would be revolutionary for the Merchant and Crafting Divisions.
Indeed, what Sarasa said at the beginning, “change the world,” was not a metaphor.
“Given the nature of the matter, it would likely involve Razek Amamiya rather than just the Crown.”
At Sarasa’s words, those who had managed to maintain their composure nodded.
After all, there was a need to regard the entire city as a giant magic circle.
It was natural for the nation that managed cities to be involved.
“How that will play out depends on future discussions, but for now, please at least recognize that this exists. Discussions on how to specifically plan this out are expected to be held.”
Sarasa concluded her statement.
The final report was a notification to establish a common understanding before actual planning began.
Given the immense expenses involved, concealing it was impossible.
They decided it was better to discuss it from the outset.
This matter was not only reported to the Merchant Division but also to all departments of the Crown and to high-ranking officials of Razek Amamiya.
And this theory, conceived by Kousuke, would indeed mark a major turning point for Razek Amamiya and the Crown in the future.
And so, I’ve finally thought of a power plant (mock).
In short, it’s about securing magic power using the earth’s ley lines.
The magic power secured by these facilities is planned to be divided into uses such as communication or household magic, depending on the amount used.
In that case, it would be natural for the nation to be involved rather than just the Crown, so Razek Amamiya has also been consulted.
It’s somewhat similar to how in this world, the range of radio waves is determined by the country and allocated to various providers, isn’t it? lol
While I’ve roughly decided on these points, I have no intention of writing about such minute details in the future.
