Rupegia

Interlude 2 – Lyle’s Yearning

I sigh and put down the quartz gem. Lately, it has become a habit of mine to rub my thumb all over its smooth surface. I don't know why, but it calms me when I do it. I use it to relax when I've found myself cornered, which has been happening quite often lately.

I take off the silica cylinder from the circuit, and the light bulb turns off, then I inspect the cylinder, but I don't notice any sign of damage even though it's so hot I can feel its heat through my thick gloves. It's good that it's resistant to heat, but I had left the circuit on only for a few seconds, so the fact that it heated up so quickly is worrying.

I put it back on and observe it as it slowly starts to glow from the heat, but instead of having its conductivity reduced from the high heat as expected of a metal, it increases, and the bulb glows brighter.

A neat discovery, but I still haven't been able to verify what Wolfy had said. I've managed to create the "actuator" and the "switch" he talked about, but I still don't understand why he recommended this metal to me.

I cast [Charge] on a large battery beside me and play with the switch, turning on and off another lamp repeatedly.

This is a nice invention, allowing one to activate or deactivate enchantments remotely without the need for expensive Entangled Pair. It works so well my parents even fitted the whole mansion with it, cutting down a rather significant amount of the cost with maintenance.

It's not like this is useless, but I feel like I'm far from reaching its full potential. Wolfy said that he had found a way of using silicon alloys to create binary computer engines, but I just can't find the alloys he mentioned!

I wonder why he chose binary, though.

Bah! I should've just asked him what they were made of, but at the time I wasn't aware of how gripping researching actuators and switches would be. I feel I'm on the verge of something great, but I can't grasp it because I don't have the materials.

I've seen the huge engines the priests of Mac Gantus created to calculate the phases of the moons, and the size of each gear is ridiculous, not to mention their weight. If I can replace them with just these small tubes of silica, then we'd become rich from selling them, not to mention how much easier it becomes to build one of those computers.

I sigh again and stop playing with the switch, then I lean back in my chair and look at the ceiling.

I should just drop the title of noble and become a full-time scholar like Delwyn so I could research these things. Not even grandpa insists on training me in [Electric Magic] anymore, so I think my parents don't care which path I choose, though we really need to find where Dennis went.

The Templars will take care of him, but the idiot should've said when he'd be coming back. He's the Godsdamned Chosen Descendant, and I don't want the uncertainty of having that title possibly fall on my shoulders in the future.

I'm still leveling up, and I don't want to ruin my soul potential by getting useless combat skills if I'm not going to be fighting in a mage's court!

I look towards the bulky engine on a nearby table. A simple computer for addition and subtraction made with cogs and a lever. It's a child's toy compared to the enchanted engine of the priests in Mac Gantus, but I'm proud of having built this with my own hands. Well, designed and had it commissioned because I'm no smith.

I paid a lot for it though, just like these flimsy electric light bulbs, but we could recoup all these losses if I make a breakthrough in my research. If I make a breakthrough.

I press a button, and the door out of the workshop opens, pushed by "Linear Arm Version 1." I'm already on version 5, making the V.1 obsolete, but since it's already built, it's better to just use it than throw it away.

I walk out of my workshop and press another button, closing the door behind me, then I feed some mana to the gem next to the button, sealing my workshop until I feed the gem my mana again.

Father recognized how valuable these inventions are, so it's for the best that we use reliable security measures to prevent theft and espionage, and it's as such that only Father's Blood Slave servant is allowed to even get near the door.

I go out to the backyard and watch as Father practices with the pylons, playing around with electricity as if it was an elven ribbon dance.

He casts a simple [Lightning Bolt] at one of the pylons, charging it with highly-magical electrons, which are much easier to manipulate than the more physical ones. Once the pylon is fully charged, he pulls the electrons out through sheer "Willpower," and creates a circular "path" in the air for them to follow. It's so perfectly circular that it has none of the chaotic, "root-like pattern" that lightning usually has.

With my [Sense Mana], I can observe him feeding his MP to the particles, which they partially convert into radiation, in other words, light. With the speed that they circle around him, the glow blurs and becomes lines, which are so clumped up together that they look like a ribbon of pure light.

He manipulates the electrons further, modifying the wavelengths of their radiation, changing their color. Not only is he flaunting his unbelievable control over the electrons, but he also shows his knowledge by manipulating them in ways one wouldn't think of.

It looks beautiful, but it lacks the finesse required to power a circuit, making it useless to me.

He points to one of the pylons and releases the electrons. They crackle and flash through the air, then strike the pylon with massive energy, exactly like a powerful [Lightning Bolt]. Less efficient than casting Bolts one-by-one, but it allows for a temporary storage of electrons to boost a spell's power.

In the end, this is destructive magic. It can manipulate a large amount of electrons with safe control over them, but I've been barely spending a hundred particles of mana during my tests, so I don't need to control that many electrons.

His magic requires his subprocess to handle all the fine details of electron manipulation, freeing his mind to focus on the form, but it doesn't have any of the gentleness and extremely measured strength that I use. The scales we operate are just too different.

This is why I can't continue trying two different paths, it'll only stifle my growth, and I'll never be able to master both at the same time.

I sit down on a bench and watch. Mother doesn't seem to be here today or she'd be watching him for sure. She loves how Father can play with light even though he doesn't have a point in [Light Magic].

The heavy smell of the charged air feels nostalgic to me. Some don't like it because it's an odd smell, but it's comforting to me since I've spent most of my childhood smelling it. So is getting my skin shocked, but I don't want to think about that right now.

Father notices me and stops his exercise, then he walks to me while twirling his long mustache. A tell that he's deep in thought.

"Something in your mind, son?" He asks with a gentle tone and stops right in front of me. His narrow eyes study me curiously, and I suddenly feel all of my energy draining away.

After preparing myself to fight as a noble for so long, how can I say to him that I want to throw it all away?

"I just needed a break…" I mumble and look down.

"Hm…" He hums in thought, then immediately turns around and walks away.

He goes back to the platform surrounded by the pylons and resumes his training.

Time quickly passes as I watch Father train while I try to make up my mind.

"Have you made any progress with your silicon tubes?" He suddenly asks without stopping, making me wake up from my trance.

"Not really…" I begrudgingly answer, then I hold back my discontent and ask, "When's my next lesson with Grandpa?"

"You should focus on your research. We'll continue once you're done," he answers casually.

But I'll never be done. There's always something more to research.

"It's been a while since I had any practice with that," I insist, starting to worry about my magical ability. My "Magic Power" has been growing a lot while my MP isn't keeping up.

"You're young, so there's no need to rush. You'll continue it once you finish your research."

But I'll never be done…

Father stops for a moment to send me a smile, then continues his training.

Then I'll never be done.

I sit down on my chair again and pull a scroll to make notes.

Silicon is a metalloid that's a terrible conductor of electricity, so Wolfy must've found an alloy that changes it's property to something more useful. I've commissioned a dozen Conjuring mages to create silicon tubes mixed with all sorts of elements, now I need to inspect and catalog all of their properties in search of the alloy Wolfy mentioned.

I eventually find some who have quite good conductivity, but I still don't have a clue about what makes them special. Since some of the alloys make this non-conductive metalloid into something comparable to copper, there must be some other changes in their properties that I haven't noticed yet. Also, it's not like they're all equal, so each of them must have their own specific special properties.

I need to go deeper. I have to refine my research more.

I search for books on conductive materials and build all the different measuring tools they describe.

I sigh and rub my quartz gem while I lean back on my chair.

This is so different from studying history. I've stared at so many numbers I can still see them even when my eyes are closed.

My [Math] skill increased nine points from all the calculations I had to make, but I still feel like it's not high enough.

I look at my collection of silicon tubes, and a sinking feeling starts to grow within me.

How many gold coins have I spent on this? How many days have I wasted with this petty work instead of training my magic? What future do I have as a mere noble scholar when my family is so powerful in the field of [Electric Magic]?

Frustration starts to take over me as I realize that I can't even pinpoint which alloy Wolfy was talking about!

Why did I believe his words? Why did I dedicate so much of my time following his research, not mine?

My frustration dulls then wanes as my memories of him surface in my mind. It's replaced by an odd feeling I don't know how to describe.

I feel like I'm suffocating, so I leave the workshop and go outside to breathe some air.

This time, I find Mother tending to the plants. She's using her [Water Spirit] to water them with mineral water, a special concoction of her that she claims the plants love. Considering how the petals of the flowers literally glow in the dark, I'd guess that it's working, though we all know not to drink that water because it's horribly poisonous to us.

She notices me approaching and stops her work, then wipes her brow with a pretty handkerchief and smiles.

"Need some time away from your metal tubes?" She teasingly asks when I get closer.

"Well, technically they aren't metals; the scholars call silicon a metalloid, but yes, I'm… stuck in my research," I snobbishly respond, then the sassiness disappears as I start to feel a bit embarrassed.

Mother's teasing tone is replaced with faint concern as she asks, "Your father said that this has been happening often."

I nod and admit, "Yes, it has. I feel rather lost."

"That friend of yours…" She suddenly changes the topic, but doesn't elaborate any further, waiting for me.

"Wolf?" I complete for her, skeptical of her odd behavior.

She smiles kindly and nods. "Yes, him. Was his guidance faulty?"

I frown, a little annoyed at her words, but I don't know why. "No… I just… wish I could talk to him again."

"You will. Someone like him isn't the kind to fade away silently," she states cryptically.

I tilt my head confusedly. "What do you mean by that?"

She simply giggles and continues tending to her plants.

I stare at her blankly for a moment, then I walk to the kitchen to get a snack and chuckle. At least she managed to clear my mind, even if it was through sheer confusion.

Once I'm full, I sigh and enter the workshop again.

The odd feeling that has been gnawing at me suddenly grows within my heart and starts to energize my muscles again, making them beg me to move.

I sit on my chair and return to my collection of silicon tubes. My work is still not done. Wolfy gave me the guidance, and now I need to find the path. Even though I don't know where I'm going, I just want to follow his words.

I pick up two tubes and observe them. They are conductive like metals, but I feel there's something odd in the behavior of their conductivity. The tools I have aren't precise enough to tell me what, it's just my intuition that tells me there's something special with them. After countless hours of sending electricity through metals as training, I'd be a failure as an Electric mage if I didn't have such sense, so I decide to trust it.

One of the tubes feels like it's "overflowing" with electricity, even though it's completely inert magically or electrically. The other feels like it's "hungry" for electrons, like a depleted battery, but I know it isn't one, or at least not an effective one. The only thing they have in common is that when I put them in a circuit, the "odd behavior" they display seems to "shift" a bit to the side for a split second before fading away. The direction they "shift" depends on the direction of the charge, but it's always opposite of each other.

What happens if I put them right next to one another?

I slot them in the test circuit, making sure the direction of their "shift" is pointing away from one another, then I flip the switch, but the light bulb doesn't turn on.

What?!

I turn off the circuit and check them. They're still cold, and individually, they still conduct electricity, it's just when they're touching one another that their resistance increases dramatically.

I start the circuit again and focus my electric sense on them. I discover that the "odd behavior" they display doesn't go away this time. What's causing the high resistance is that they're "shifting" away from each other, creating a "null" zone where no electricity passes through.

I invert their position and the bulb lights up again.

WHAT?!

A crazy idea comes into my mind. I cut one of the silicon tubes in two, and sandwich the other tube in between its parts, then I put it all back in the circuit.

Once I flip the switch, no matter which side I send the charge through, the bulb doesn't light up. It's only when I charge the middle tube that the circuit allows the electrons to run through again.

This is a switch, a fucking electrical switch! And these are the alloys Wolfy talked about!

Suddenly, all the knowledge I had researched about propositional logic and binary numbers flows into my head, and the biggest bulb "lights up" inside my mind.

"I see it, I see it, I SEE IT!" I shout out loud in excitement and clap.

Fuck punched cards. Fuck levers and cogs. With Wolf's Gate, the possibilities are endless!

I drink the last of my tea, then I flip the switch.

Lylanine V.1 lights up, and the decagon cylinders start rolling. They all stop at zero and the "ready" light turns on.

I press the numbers, and the cylinders roll again, showing me the results of the calculations.

It all works exactly like the computer I built, except much, much smaller. It's also almost trivial to build it since I need only a few precise cogs while the rest of the computer are just switches and actuators.

It works exactly like propositional logic, though it's abstract, like math. They're intrinsically similar, but also have their own distinctions.

I feel like a snob doing this, but I want to name this version of propositional logic as Lylean Logic because it's an abstraction that fits perfectly with how this computer works. I'll call it a branch of propositional logic.

When I show the Lylanine to Father, he immediately stops everything he's doing and takes me to Grandpa, then they take me to the University, then to the priests.

Before I know it, I'm in the waiting room of the University's theater while a crowd orderly gets to their seats. They're all here for one reason: the Lylanine.

Mother grabs my hand and starts rubbing it, then I remember about the quartz and fish it out of my pocket. With Mother and the quartz to calm me down, the stage doesn't look so big anymore.

"This 'Wolf's Gate' you built, why did you name it so?" Grandpa's hoarse voice takes me out of my trance and allows my mind to focus on the present again.

"I got the idea to research this from Wolf, my friend, so I wanted to dedicate it to him," I awkwardly admit.

"All of this, just because of him?" Grandpa presses on, sounding skeptical.

"If you say it like that…" I grumble annoyedly and frown.

"It doesn't matter where he got the idea, not in the face of what he has achieved," Mother defends me and squeezes my hand.

"There's a concern that Wolf might claim a share of the profits for 'giving the idea,'" Father cautions us, and Grandpa nods in agreement.

"Wolf wouldn't do that," I deny emphatically. After everything we've been through, I'm the one who owes him, and I want to pay that back, somehow. "If anything, I'm the one who wants to give him a share."

Father shrugs, not willing to discuss this right now. "Profits are still profits. So as long as it's reasonable…"

"But is this invention really that important?" Mother asks, suddenly a little worried about our future.

Father and Grandpa share a look. "It'll change everything," they state in unison.