I Am A Wizard Who Can Travel Between Earth And The Other World-Chapter 72 - 74 The Arcane Forge

It was already imbued with rudimentary magic, though the enchantment was crude and likely ineffective.

Enchanting objects with magic typically involved carving intricate spell matrices within the item, akin to drawing a magical formation using threads of mana.

Ideally, this process would require a magic-storing core, often made from enchanted gemstones such as amethysts.

These gems would absorb ambient mana and act as batteries for the enchantment.

Gin had developed techniques that eliminated the need for such cores, using magic formations alone.

However, that approach was impractical for mass production.

He decided it was better to understand how this workshop handled it.

'What gemstone are they using here?'

The shield did have a mana core, but it wasn't amethyst. Curious, Gin turned to Walter, the head of the workshop.

"What gemstone did you use for the mana core?" he asked.

Walter's expression stiffened slightly. "Emerald," he answered, as though the question were self-evident.

Gin nodded. "Ah, emerald."

Emeralds weren't a bad choice, but they weren't optimal either. In terms of mana efficiency, amethysts were far superior, though more difficult to process. Gin himself had used emeralds early in his studies because they were easier to convert into mana cores.

"You chose emeralds because they're easier to work with for mass production, correct?"

Walter hesitated but eventually nodded.

"That's part of it. Emeralds are also widely available and provide a decent balance between cost and performance."

Gin quietly noted that, in this world, emeralds appeared to be more accessible than amethysts. "Is it difficult to acquire amethysts here?"

Walter tilted his head in mild confusion.

"Not particularly. But I've never heard of anyone using amethysts in mana core production."

Gin smirked slightly.

It seemed the technique for transforming amethysts into high-efficiency mana cores wasn't common knowledge here.

"Then let's stick with emeralds," he said, brushing off the thought. "By the way, who supplied this mana core?"

"We sourced it from a mana-core manufacturer," Walter replied, now looking wary. "Why do you ask?"

"The quality is subpar," Gin stated flatly. His mind raced with possibilities—perhaps there was a business opportunity in producing superior mana cores.

Walter appeared troubled. "That's the industry standard. Could you explain what's wrong with it?"

"For starters, both the mana-circuit engraving and the gemstone cutting are poorly executed, which drastically lowers efficiency."

Walter's mind reeled. Was Gin suggesting that even the enchantment firms relied on by the workshop weren't up to par? It suddenly made sense why he had mentioned amethysts earlier—perhaps he could indeed create better mana cores.

"How should we proceed, then?"

"Source raw emeralds and I'll craft the mana core myself," Gin suggested.

"We can obtain the raw materials," Walter agreed hesitantly.

But he knew that fabricating and enchanting a core from scratch required specialized expertise. Would Gin be able to create a consistent and superior product?

Sensing Walter's doubts, Jay interjected. "Wait, you can make a mana core better than the professionals?"

"Better than this one, at least," Gin replied with a smirk.

"Then why not just use this one if it's good enough for now?" Jay shrugged. "As long as it works, who cares?"

Gin nodded. "Fair enough. It'll save me the hassle of redesigning the enchantments."

Though the core's quality irritated him, Gin decided to focus on completing the shield as requested.

Walter, listening quietly, wrestled with conflicting desires—should he push for a better core or simply proceed with what they had?

Gin placed the shield on the workbench.

"Do you absolutely need the shield to redirect impacts? Or would absorbing the shock be an option?"

Walter's brows furrowed. "We tried shock absorption early in the project, but the durability was a major issue.

The shield deteriorated rapidly under repeated attacks."

Gin nodded thoughtfully.

Absorption alone wouldn't suffice without a more advanced enchantment system. Redirecting damage, though tricky, remained their best bet. He was now more determined than ever to refine the shield into something extraordinary. freёnovelkiss.com

The path to this point had been long and filled with setbacks.

Just when they were on the verge of a breakthrough, the research mage had left, forcing the workshop to reevaluate its entire direction. Walter now recounted the arduous process in great detail, hoping that Gin would both understand and sympathize.

Gin listened patiently, allowing Jang to speak without interruption. His impassioned retelling was too earnest to cut short. Once the man finished, Gin finally offered his perspective with calm resolve.

"It's only natural for problems to arise when all you do is absorb shock. Over time, the shield becomes overwhelmed. My suggestion is to implement a dual system—a spell matrix that both absorbs and reflects impacts. What do you think?"

Walter blinked in astonishment. For a moment, he appeared lost in thought before stammering, "Is that... even possible?"

"Of course," Gin replied. "We'll use two mana stones and configure the enchantment through dual matrices. It's manageable if we balance the flow of magical energy properly."

Walter's eyes narrowed slightly in doubt. "Won't that cause interference between the spells?"

Gin nodded, understanding the concern. Mana circuits designed for dual purposes often clashed, disrupting their efficacy. "That's true," Gin acknowledged. "But interference can be mitigated through precise calculations. If we had access to a higher-grade mana stone, one might suffice.

Unfortunately, with what we have, we'll need two."

Walter's face showed a mixture of uncertainty and awe.

To him, there were only two possibilities: Gin was either a prodigiously talented research mage or an audacious conman.

Given the young man's age, the latter seemed more plausible. Why would a genius take an assignment at a mid-sized workshop like Runewright?

"Are you absolutely certain this will work?" Walter asked again, his voice heavy with skepticism.

Sensing the tension, Jay interjected with a confident grin. "You're underestimating our mage here.

Just trust him. He's got this under control. Now, why don't you fetch the mana stones and let him work?"

Um waved the contract mockingly, emphasizing their agreement. "We've got a deal. Provide the necessary materials, starting with the mana stones."

Reluctantly, Walter nodded and left to arrange the supplies. As he walked away, Gin turned to him with another question.

"By the way, is there no other workshop working on a shield like this?"

Walter paused, then offered a weary smile. "Most enchanted shields focus on enhancing physical strength, stamina, or offensive capabilities.

Some emit blinding light or unleash defensive counterattacks. No one has successfully developed a shield that redirects kinetic energy—at least, not yet."

Gin frowned thoughtfully.

It was strange. The concept seemed obvious enough.

Had so many researchers failed due to a lack of technical expertise, or was there a systemic barrier in place? For a moment, he wondered if the Shadow Realm lacked intellectual property laws or patents.

"Failure has been a common theme," Walter continued.

"I've come to appreciate that there's always a reason when so many projects fall short."

After a brief pause, Walter asked hesitantly, "How will you approach the shield's structure? Ideally, the design should integrate seamlessly with the enchantment matrix. Based on what you've described, we might have to rebuild it from scratch."

Gin stroked his chin in thought.

Until now, he had never factored an object's structure into his enchantment process.

He usually applied magic to an existing item, adjusting only the spell's trigger and power output. But this new challenge intrigued him.

Perhaps by synchronizing both the physical design and magical flow, he could unlock greater potential.

'If I can fine-tune the structure,' Gin mused, 'I could control not just the deflection, but the direction and concentration of the reflected energy.'

A faint smile played across his lips. "This could be interesting. Let's give it a try."

Walter, however, still harbored doubts. It was difficult to trust someone so young.

The workshop's former mage, a man well into his fifties, had struggled with complex calculations despite his decades of experience.

Could this newcomer truly succeed where others had failed?

"What are you waiting for?" Gin prompted.

"Ah—nothing! I'll get the stones right away."

"And if possible, I'd like raw emeralds as well," Gin added.

Obtaining raw emeralds wouldn't be difficult. The workshop could easily connect with a supplier through their mana-core contacts.

Still, Walter hesitated, reluctant to disrupt established practices. "I'll see to it," he muttered before exiting with a conflicted expression.