Chapter 298: 73. Medicine for the Moon Rabbit Tribe
“Please, make yourself comfortable, Mr. Fisher.”
Fisher followed Haldor into his magic workshop located downstairs, while Sister Ilos went back to rest; her belly wasn’t completely healed, and running around all day was quite a strain on her. Moreover, magic wasn’t her field of expertise.
Haldor’s magic workshop was where he usually resided, and after he pushed the door open and entered, a rather tidy and clean magic workshop was revealed to Fisher.
On the left was a row of neatly arranged bookshelves, and in the center was a square wooden table with a complete set of magic engraving tools, including a few drill bits and chisels that Fisher rarely used, indicating that Haldor was indeed an experienced old sorcerer.
There was no bed for rest in the room; the remaining space was filled with stacks of packed magic materials for engraving various types of materials, all quite valuable. As a magician of the Turan Family, Haldor surely wouldn’t lack for these.
“I’m sorry, I don’t need food or drink, so there are no refreshments in the room. Feel free to browse through my belongings; I also want to give you something.”
Fisher took a seat and scanned his surroundings. When Haldor went to the storage area to fetch something, he just so happened to see several already engraved magic rings on the table, alongside a notebook that contained a magic spell Fisher was quite familiar with—the one he had creatively devised while on the island, surprisingly recorded by Haldor.
But now, Fisher suddenly thought of a question: the magical circuits reside above the soul; the mechanism only copied Haldor’s consciousness into a mechanism, so why could Haldor continue engraving magic?
Could it be that his soul was also placed into the mechanism? But the Mechanism had already stated that he hadn’t done that.
Before this question could be answered, Haldor suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
“I felt warm watching you engrave magic earlier, so I took the liberty of recording this brand-new barrier magic, thinking it might be useful when looking for other marks for Valentina later. I’ve also researched a bit on the improvement stage; Fisher, please check it for me and see if it’s reasonable.”
Fisher smiled as he took the notebook from Haldor’s table and noticed the precise modifications Haldor had made on the auxiliary ring, strengthening the range and effectiveness of the barrier, using the nested structure favored by their Northern Region sorcerers, allowing other magics to be embedded within this barrier spell.
Emhart completely couldn’t understand what the two magicians had written, so he boredly flew onto Haldor’s bookshelf, scanning the titles of the books above, but it seemed he found nothing he hadn’t seen before.
“These modifications are definitely usable, and the design is very clever. The time constraint back then left many loopholes in the designed magic, especially concerning the auxiliary ring. If the luck runs out, it might very well lead to a curse leak.”
“In such a short time to create usable magic, even Heilson couldn’t accomplish that. Having a student like you is his fortune.”
Haldor emitted steam from his mouth and then returned to Fisher with a box of magic materials. His tone always carried a mechanical monotony, feeling very similar to the Mechanism, but the humanity in his words was so evident that it made it easy to recognize the consciousness hidden within the mechanical exterior.
It was hard to tell if the Haldor before him was truly Haldor in the full sense. Fisher suddenly recalled something odd about Valentina’s orders to Haldor at the dining table, and he keenly sensed that this might be an opportunity to deepen his understanding of Valentina and the Turan Family. Thus, he casually asked,
“Mr. Haldor, I don’t know if I’m mistaken, but I felt that you seemed somewhat displeased when Miss Valentina assigned us to handle the magical affairs?”
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing Fisher’s question, Haldor’s face, made up of parts, momentarily paused, but the motion of opening the materials box didn’t slow down.
“Ah, I am not displeased, especially not towards Valentina; I am merely… a bit frustrated.”
“Frustrated?”
Haldor shook his head, the light from the mechanism on his surface slightly flickering, momentarily blurring his existence with the mechanical.
“Hmm. I shouldn’t be sharing this much with you, but since Valentina arranged for us to work together, I must discuss her intentions with you, as it might shadow your talent. I have mentioned your abilities to her, but she doesn’t yet fully trust you; I hope you can understand.”
“As you can see, my current form hardly resembles a human, right? This is because years ago, my original body had aged to a point where I had to leave the world. But Valentina didn’t want me to go, so she made a deal with the family and a mysterious individual to place my soul within this metal body. Honestly, for a retainer like me who bears the surname ‘Turan,’ this is immense affection.”
Fisher had learned a bit about the Turan Family before coming to the Northern Region. As previously mentioned, the members of the Turan Family resided in a mysterious Snowflake Fortress and never ventured out. However, they still needed to manage the colossal entity standing in the Northern Region. Thus, they selected the most loyal retainers from relatives and granted them their own surnames, with Haldor being one of those retainers.
“I initially thought I could continue serving Valentina in this mechanical body, but recently, I seem to have contracted another illness. At times I suddenly lose consciousness, and other times I zone out, dreaming of things from the past. Valentina believes that I’m overworked, which is why she has been wanting me to stay on the ship. She probably arranged for you and me to work together to keep me from getting involved in the complex work of finding the Parasol Tree.”
Haldor’s voice sounded somewhat gloomy. For someone like him who had already passed away once, maximizing his capabilities was likely his desire, but evidently, Valentina cared deeply for him; otherwise, she wouldn’t have brokered a deal with the Turan Family and the Mechanism to specifically create a mechanism body for a retainer.
Moreover, the Turan Family’s agreement to Valentina’s somewhat childish request certainly had their own considerations. For instance, why did the task of finding the Frost Parasol Tree fall on Valentina’s shoulders?
In just a few lines, Fisher had gathered a lot of information, but he didn’t follow up with Haldor for deeper answers, as their relationship had yet to become that intimate.
Haldor’s willingness to share this information with Fisher was because he had been called to take a break from magic logistics by Valentina, fearing that he might develop ideas otherwise.
“Do not mind it; I have already died once and don’t care about these things. Moreover, Valentina needs me to find the Frost Parasol Tree; she will understand. I didn’t call you here to vent; please take a look at these items.”
He pointed to the magic materials he had just brought over. Fisher quickly discovered that these materials could not only be used for engraving magic but also served as extremely useful medicinal ingredients, playing a significant role in treating illnesses and strengthening the body.
“Qatar Herbal Stalk, Evergreen Vine, Cold Fruit Powder, and Sunfire Powder… these aren’t meant for me to engrave magic, right?”
“Hmm. When I sensed the Rabbit Nun’s frail condition, I realized she needed nourishment. Boiling Qatar Herbal Stalk, Evergreen Vine Powder, and Cold Fruit Powder to help her ingest can quickly enhance her physique. As for Sunfire Powder, I found this remedy in the medical books of the Turan Family, claiming that applying it to the abdomen of Pseudopregnant Moon Rabbits can swiftly negate the signs of pregnancy. I don’t know if it works; you might give it a try.”
Emhart returned with a shocked expression, and Fisher had a mix of laughter and tears as he accepted the herbs.
“It’s hard to imagine the Turan Family has medical books for treating subhuman races.”
“Hmm. This is something passed down from the ancestors of the Turan Family. Their library contains many books that might seem quite surprising to outsiders. This one is merely among them; otherwise, we wouldn’t have discovered so many clues about the Phoenix Clan of the Six Races.”
Emhart, somewhat intrigued, perched on Fisher’s shoulder, eagerly looking at him, hoping that Haldor would share more about the Turan Family’s library. Unfortunately, Haldor quickly emitted steam and grasped the nearby engraving tools, inviting Fisher,
“Hmm. Since there’s a long time ahead, Mr. Fisher, if you’re not tired, would you mind helping me complete a few high-tier spells? After changing to this new body, my magical circuits seem to have atrophied considerably, no longer possessing the ability to engrave high-tier spells. Hehe, but high-tier magic is crucial for our future endeavors, and it would allow me to experience your exceptional engraving skills up close once again.”
Fisher glanced at the mechanical arm gripping the engraving knife, quite curious about how Haldor managed to engrave magic with a duplicated consciousness. Could it be the Mechanism had misremembered and actually placed Haldor’s soul into the mechanism?
“Then I will respectfully obey.”
As Fisher’s magical circuits began to light up little by little, Haldor’s body also glowed with a slight light indistinguishable from that of human magical circuits, but within that light was a faint blue hue familiar to Fisher, as if it was some mixed essence of a soul and mechanism light.
“Buzz buzz buzz.”
Looking at the faint blue glow, Fisher’s brow furrowed slightly.
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(End of chapter)
