Chapter 96 Mage Mode (Part Two)

It was not only James — even Mage Kino seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Adam. He hurriedly said to him, "This is a second-rank free alchemy mage from Antana. By Moldo Transdimensional above! Whatever business you two have, settle it between yourselves." With that, he fled outside as if escaping.

The second-rank Mage was a tall man; the top of Adam's head barely reached his chest. He muttered and grumbled under his breath, "Tower mages are nothing but trouble. No matter what... I still wouldn't do anything to an apprentice."

Adam politely invited Mage Mode into the laboratory, then signaled to James and the others to stay calm, and led Mode — still muttering without pause — and Frank into his reception room.

"Good day, Mage Mode, my Lord." After a moment of silence, Adam was the first to speak.

Mage Mode looked him up and down for a while, and the displeasure on his face gradually faded. "There is the breath of knowledge on you. True knowledge. It seems you are about to become one of us."

But Adam was in no mood to make small talk with a stranger mage, and asked point-blank, "So, Mage Mode, my Lord, what brings you here?"

Judging by status, speaking this way was a little rude of Adam, but Mage Mode did not mind. Perhaps this was the difference between free mages and tower mages — long settled in a city's commercial environment, they cared little for such trifles. Or perhaps it was because Adam counted as half a mage.

"Although you possess true knowledge, I cannot sense the wondrous aura of an alchemy formation on you." Mage Mode looked Adam in the eye. "You are no alchemy mage, so what gives you the right to modify my masterpiece?"

Frank said nothing on the sidelines. He was one of the parties involved, but at a moment like this he had no standing to speak.

Adam thought for a moment, then said, "Sir, the reason a mage apprentice cannot adapt to a mechanical body is that flesh and blood cannot withstand the corrosion of mana."

Mage Mode snorted. That was something everyone knew, but his breeding kept him from rushing to refute it.

Adam brought out the new mechanical body Frank had delivered. Gazing at that mass of ceaselessly flowing metal and the rune groups flickering across it, he said in admiration, "I am deeply fascinated by the wonders of alchemy knowledge, and I would never be so arrogant as to imagine I could overturn existing manufacturing techniques entirely with my shallow wisdom."

"An apprentice may have mastered the ability to use magic, but in essence he is still a mortal. And this" — Adam extended one finger, letting a controlled, stable current of electricity flow silently around it — "is an energy source mortals can use safely. Clean, and harmless."

Mage Mode held himself back again and again, and finally could not. "The electrical element? Isn't that still activated by mana? A mortal's frail body can't endure prolonged contact with it either. And what does any of this have to do with my masterpiece?"

Adam felt a headache coming on. It really was a problem, but he could not yet carry out the next stage of the experiment — otherwise he truly would advance to Mage, with no way to stop it. For now he could only demonstrate it in a low-efficiency way.

Adam took a simple battery out of his personal storage space and handed it to Mage Mode. "My research has only reached this level so far, but it can already store a certain amount of the electrical element. Once it has been activated with mana for a single use, it has nothing more to do with mana."

Mage Mode took the battery, half believing and half doubting. Then light flashed in his eyes: the battery came apart in his hand, the electrical energy stored within burst out — and with a light pinch of his fingers he crushed it into nothingness.

Mage Mode sensed the nature of the energy and found that it really was nothing but a natural element, with no mana in it at all. He jerked his head up to look at Adam. "What is this?"

"I call it a battery."

Mage Mode fell silent for a moment, then said, his tone shifting, "Not a bad thing. But for a mage, it seems to be of no—" He stopped short there, because Adam had already said he meant to modify the mechanical bodies apprentices used.

Adam admitted frankly, "Once the electrical element exists independently, its energy level is far below that of mana and ether. Mages naturally have no need of it. But this world does not consist only of mages — ordinary people make up just as huge a portion of it."

Mage Mode's heart jolted. All this time, mages had overlooked the enormous power that might arise in mortals. Frail, can't withstand a single blow, unfit for the work mages assigned them — those were their labels. But if there really were an energy source mortals could use, how much profit would erupt from them?

At that thought, the way he looked at Adam changed. But he quickly forced himself to cut off that dangerous line of thinking — not only would Moldo Tower never allow it; neither would the Guardians of the Mage Plane or the Council of True Spirit Mages…

With that in mind, he said to Adam, "May I observe your modification?"

Adam was taken aback; he had not expected a mage to make such a request. He thought it over and said hesitantly, "Of course, but I'm sorry — I believe that will first require a contract from a higher existence." Having an alchemy master assist from the sidelines was of course a good thing, but Adam had to be certain his techniques would not be stolen, or the vast profit he envisioned would come to nothing. He had no doubt at all about these mages' intelligence; all they lacked was one burst of inspiration.

Mage Mode agreed without hesitation. "Of course. I will invite the Tower Master to witness it." Then he left the laboratory without further ado.

After the mage had gone, Frank said hesitantly, "Adam, if this is too much trouble, maybe just give it up."

Adam looked at him. "This has nothing to do with you, and it isn't a bad thing. You can start adjusting your condition now. The experiment will take place very soon, and the process of separating you from your current mechanical body will be unbearably painful."

Frank left, full of unease.

Adam truly did think it was no bad thing. The structure of a precision machine was extremely complex, and researching it from zero would consume an enormous amount of time; having its maker assist from the side would undoubtedly be a good thing — provided, of course, that it stayed secret.

The next day, Adam met Mage Mode again, and with him was Headmaster Victor.

"You really are full of surprises. I never expected your research to extend into alchemy and energy." Mage Victor's expression looked normal; clearly Mage Mode's agreement with the tower had gone smoothly.

Then Mage Victor produced a contract. It did not look like a physical object, but energy given substance. He laid it on the table and said to the two of them, "Sign this contract, and your agreement will be jointly upheld by the tower and the Spire. Any act that dares to break its terms will be punished by the will of the Mage Plane itself."