LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Second Loop Path
Chapter 27: Second Loop Path
Professor Kabaneru’s research on emergency crops was successfully utilized by the wealthy merchant Nadia from the eastern region. She praised his achievements, emphasizing “Professor Kabaneru from the Marol Territory School,” and skillfully filled the gap in the southern region’s poor harvest the following year, reaping enormous profits.
On the other hand, my suggestions to handle emergency crops and increase the inventory of other grains at my family’s house were completely ignored, missing out on a business opportunity. Although the Hyamo caravan, being traders from a neighboring country, didn’t make a fortune from the kingdom’s poor harvest, they planned to leverage the story of this poor harvest as a weapon to aim for continuous profits in emergency crops. They were very grateful to me, who had connected them with Professor Kabaneru.
After spending the third year like that, it was finally time for me to decide on my future path.
“It’s quite impressive for someone to move from this academy to the ‘Tower’!”
Unable to escape Professor Laquell’s pressure, I had no choice but to nod weakly. Before I knew it, a recommendation from the school director had been sent to the Magic Ministry. As a commoner, I couldn’t reject it.
Meanwhile, my position at home had become delicate. I had used appraisal to efficiently organize the warehouse and manage the accounts, greatly improving inventory management. It was appreciated, but I faced criticism like, “Why didn’t you strongly suggest more about emergency crops?” My brother even smirked behind my back. The lucrative deal with the eastern fox and the caravan coming and going, enriching themselves beyond us, was not amusing. But even if they said that, I couldn’t help it.
Well, this was also a good opportunity. I had been planning to deviate from the path of joining my family’s company at some point. Upon leaving the academy, I headed straight to the royal capital.
Entering the “Tower,” which was the Magic Ministry, left me a bit disappointed. The surroundings were filled with children of nobles, and I thought it would be a world of intrigue and deception, but I was neither noticed nor cared about by them, either positively or negatively. What I was given was a position as an apprentice magician, doing menial tasks. The job description was no different from being used and bossed around in the school’s staff room.
What was even more challenging was information gathering. This was the central hub of the royal capital, where a mountain of information gathered. Even the newspapers arrived in real-time, not with a two-week delay. Various newspapers, covering everything from economics to gossip, could be received. And if I went to the library, I could peruse past newspapers.
Speaking of the library, it was also rich in magical books. With my appraisal skill, I had to investigate every skill I could potentially acquire. After all, this loop would end in one more year. While in the royal capital, I wanted to cram all this information into my head to prepare for the next three years.
I diligently completed my daily chores, and on my days off, I spent my time in the library, reading newspapers and books. Initially, there was an atmosphere of looking down on a country bumpkin commoner, but once it became known that I was diligently visiting the library without indulging in leisure, I was nicknamed “weird diligent nerd.” I didn’t mind it at all.
On the other hand, some magicians appreciated my earnest work, and I was transferred from the administrative office to a certain research department.
——— The Magic Tool Section?!
In the world of isekai stories, there is an unwritten rule that “experts who make magical tools are all eccentric.” Here, too, it was no exception, a gathering place of research maniacs, a den of weirdos. Each research room overflowed with books and materials, and the entire building felt like a sea of decay. I felt dizzy. What were they expecting me to do in this chaos?
However, a black string casually dropped in the corridor caught my eye. It turned out to be a rare magical beast’s whisker, and a document stepped on carelessly turned out to be an advanced magical formation from an ancient lost civilization. Although it was decaying disorderly, this place was a treasure trove.
Just like in my past life and at my family’s house, I handled inventory organization effortlessly. First, I picked up items scattered on the floor in the corridor, then sorted and organized them, making decisions on what to keep and what to discard. I never accidentally threw away valuable items because I had the appraisal skill. Like cleaning up a hoarder’s house, I gradually expanded the habitable area for humanity. Initially, the magicians who had looked at me with annoyance started to warm up to me as they realized my ability to distinguish between valuable and non-valuable items and appreciated the snacks I diligently brought from the cafeteria.
Eventually, after completing the organization and cleaning of the shared areas, I started working on individual research rooms. By that time, they didn’t resist my intrusion; on the contrary, they urged me, saying, “Hurry and come to my research room too.” Their research rooms were all challenging, but during the process, I could get a glimpse of their research. In fact, they were so eager to showcase their research to someone that they couldn’t help it. While moving my hands for organizing, I earnestly nodded along as they spoke rapidly.
The creation of magical tools was intriguing. By going in and out of their research rooms, I somehow grasped the overall picture. It seemed similar to household appliances. Instead of batteries, they placed magic stones, drew circuits with holy silver, and used magic formations on the circuit boards. These magic formations appeared to consist of geometric patterns and small characters, mostly decorative, with ancient runes carved inside a few cores.
The logic of magic formations was the same as magic itself. If Stone Bullet was “small, stone, fly, hit,” then the magic formation for illuminating a magical tool was “small, space, float, light.” This was the same as the magical living magic that floated a ball of light in the void to illuminate the surroundings. For example, if you replaced “small” with “large,” the light would become bigger, and the magic consumption would increase. On the other hand, if there was a medium to emit light, “space” and “float” were unnecessary. By cutting these, the magical power consumption would significantly decrease.
And then, I accidentally let it slip.
“Where did you get that knowledge from?”
A magician who was stuck in his research grabbed my shoulder and shook me with terrifying force. When they recognized, “By the way, this is the guy from Marol who mastered spell dismissal,” I couldn’t leave from that day on. They had no interest in regular working hours or living a human-like life. They were research otakus who played games until midnight.
“Here! Why isn’t this connecting?”
“Well, maybe this part isn’t aligning properly with this one.”
“The materials here and there aren’t merging well.”
“Oh, that’s because there’s too much difference in the compatibility of attributes and the amount of contained mana.”
This enthusiasm persisted throughout. I can’t take it anymore. Help. I want to go home.
Once they solved a problem, they would cover themselves with a blanket and sleep in their own research rooms. And just when I thought I was finally liberated, I would be caught by the next researcher. I took advantage of their distraction and returned to the dormitory, swaying from side to side. I’ll boycott work tomorrow. I’m hungry. I want to take a bath. And most of all, I want to sleep. Collapsing onto the bed, I lost consciousness. The sea of decay. After all, it wasn’t a place where humanity could live.
The next morning, I woke up on the bed in the dormitory. But it was not just any dormitory; it was the student dormitory of the Marol Territory School. It was October 1st.