"Are you sure you didn't leak it?"
Regardless, I decided to play the villain role for a while.
"Ah, ouch! Why would I do such a thing! Would I risk my life in front of the Tower Master?"
"It's only you who knows that I bought it."
"No, sir! Oh dear, I would never do such a thing!"
Leto shouted, hitting the floor as if he was terribly wronged.
Seeing his fuss, it seemed he was somewhat used to playing this role.
'The price of magnesium has gone up.'
It's the material item I'm focusing on researching right now, and it's fine if just the price goes up, but if the material itself becomes scarce, it would be difficult.
'Normally, it would be time to consider a stable supply source.'
"Perhaps it's time to consider a stable supplier, are you not interested in the mine contracts?"
As if reading my thoughts, Leto brought up the subject.
I can't believe I have to deal with this guy.
Reed looked at him with a strangely uncomfortable expression and said,
"No, it's fine."
"Excuse me?"
"The reason they bought magnesium is undoubtedly to resell it to me. So, if I don't buy it, magnesium can only be a burden that takes up space in the warehouse."
They might try to find a way to use it by researching it themselves, but systematic research is impossible unless they are a workshop or a tower wizard.
Besides, who would do it in this era, when "Magic Engineering" is itself minor?
Reed still had over 3,000kg of magnesium.
As long as he doesn't waste it, there will be enough left to use for research.
"Still, buy about 300kg more. Instead of paying 2,000 more for the price, I'll give you a deferred payment for this one."
"Understood. I'll get it for you quickly."
As the transactions with Leto increased, they no longer even talked about writing contracts.
What Reed had was money, and what Leto had was information.
Since both had what the other needed, as long as neither let go, this alliance would continue.
Now all they had to do was use each other.
***
Below the Silence Tower.
A slender-looking wizard stood in front of the Silence Tower.
Kaitlyn Ramos.
She was a wizard who had hurriedly embarked on a journey upon hearing that the owner of the Silence Tower was researching magnesium.
'Is this the Silence Tower?'
Kaitlyn gasped for breath and swept her wet bangs behind her ears. Then she lifted her head to look up at the tower.
Although it was said to be the shortest of the 13 towers on the Cloud Continent, when viewed up close, it appeared to be a massive structure connecting the sky and the Earth.
Her admiration was short-lived, however.
"Ugh."
Kaitlyn clutched her stomach and crouched down on the spot.
Gurgle!
A deep rumble from her empty stomach.
Naturally, since she hadn't eaten anything except for some herbs she had found by chance yesterday.
Her entire fortune was a mere 100 UP.
She had used it all to embark on this journey, and it was only now, on the verge of starving to death, that she had finally arrived.
'I need to finish my business quickly and leave.'
Kaitlyn quickened her steps towards the main entrance of the tower.
-Who's there?
"I'm Kaitlyn Ramos, a wandering wizard. I have come to see the tower owner, may I?"
-The Master of this tower does not meet anyone without a prior appointment. You should leave.
It was customary to send a letter beforehand, but Kaitlyn didn't even have the money to send a letter.
"I didn't have the money to send a letter because I haven't eaten anything for days. Please, just let me speak with him once."
-Insolent fellow! How dare you... Huh?
The dignified voice turned into a question mark.
Following that, a whispering sound could be heard.
-The deputy Tower Master is looking for someone named Kaitlin Ramos. Kaitlin Ramos? Could it be this person...?
"Why do you keep calling my name?"
Kaitlyn asked with a puzzled expression, but there was no answer.
A moment later, the firmly closed main entrance of the tower began to open.
***
"Kaitlyn Ramos came here on her own?"
"Yes, I asked the wizards guarding the front door, and they said she identified herself as Kaitlyn Ramos."
Even Phoebe's tone was irregular, perhaps due to her surprise.
A person who hadn't even shown her face when they were inquiring...
'It might not be the person I'm looking for...'
Since they had announced they were looking for Kaitlyn Ramos far and wide, there was a possibility of an imposter.
Of course, if it was an imposter, Reed would punish them without hesitation.
But punishment was not necessary.
The person sitting in the reception room was undoubtedly a younger version of the Kaitlyn Ramos Reed knew.
———————————
Name: Kaitlyn Ramos
Occupation: Magical Engineer
Age: 32
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Health: 1,560/1,560
Stamina: 640/650
Mana: 2,982/2,982
[Traits]
「Mechanical Engineer」, 「Eccentric Inventor」
[Attributes]
"Magic Engineering Lv. 5", "Alchemy Lv. 3", "Crafting Lv. 5", "Magicology Lv. 3", "Digestion Lv. 3", "Mana Sensitivity Lv. 2", "Magic Lv. 2"
[Unreleased Traits & Abilities]
「Master of Magical Engineering」
"Magic Engineering Lv. 6", "Crafting Lv. 6"
———————————
'Indeed.'
This was Kaitlyn Ramos from 10 years ago, who would later be called a master of magical engineering.
She had short red hair and black eyes.
During the game, her unavoidable wrinkles gave her the vibe of a woman in her 40s, but now her skin was elastic enough to be in her mid-20s.
She wore a gray robe commonly worn by wizards with unclear affiliations.
It wasn't made of expensive material, so it could be obtained for around 30 UP if purchased cheaply.
Wearing it until it was worn out undoubtedly meant she had no money.
Kaitlyn, who had been sipping tea, stood up from her seat and awkwardly bowed.
"It's been a long time, Adeleheights senior. No, now you're the Tower Master."
"I didn't expect you to come here on your own."
"Were you looking for me?"
"I was literally looking for you."
Kaitlyn asked, looking at Reed with a surprised expression.
"It's really unexpected that the owner of the Silence Tower would look for a wizard as insignificant as me."
"I had sent people out to inquire about you."
"Well, it's no wonder they couldn't find me. Everyone seems intent on killing me, claiming that I'm a fraud..."
Kaitlyn bit her lip tightly.
In the world of wizards, plagiarism is a fatal disgrace.
Regardless of the truth, the mere involvement in such a dispute had already dealt a significant blow to Escolleia.
"Anyway, it's surprising. That you, my senior, would look for me. After calling me a 'commoner' and looking down on me every day."
"I'm sorry. I apologize for my past mistakes."
"No, what's there to be sorry about? I followed you knowing all that."
Kaitlyn brushed it off casually.
Reed took a sip of his tea and asked her,
"So, you seem to know that I'm looking for you, but why did you come here?"
"Well, nothing special... I heard that you're researching magnesium, Senior."
"So, you came here because I'm researching magnesium... Does that mean you're researching magnesium too?"
Kaitlyn nodded her head.
"Yes, I've been conducting various research on my own for a year now."
"What kind of research were you doing?"
Reed was secretly tense.
Although she had not yet reached the transcendent stage, her levels of "Magic Engineering" and "Crafting" were at 5.
Her levels were higher than when Reed first started in earnest, so it wouldn't be strange if she was far ahead.
"Processing magnesium ingots."
"...For a whole year?"
Reed had a puzzled expression, unable to understand.
Kaitlyn had spent a whole year on the task that Reed had completed in just a few days?
Kaitlyn then let out a sigh.
"To process magnesium, I need to control the forge's fire, need magnesium ore, and manpower. I also have to go through trial and error. Although I can buy and create more if there are trial and error failures, doing so leaves me with no money to buy food. After paying the taxes to the village, I have to get up early in the morning and drink only dew... Ugh!"
Kaitlyn hunched over, clutching her stomach.
Seeing her painful expression, Reed's face filled with confusion.
"Are you okay? Is your body hurting?"
"Well, it's embarrassing to say..."
"Go ahead and tell me."
"The truth is, I've been starving on my way here..."
"..."
'Really, it's an embarrassing story.'
Reed looked at his watch.
It pointed to 11:40.
Almost lunchtime.
Thinking it was well-timed, he suggested to her,
"Alright, let's have a meal together and talk since you've come a long way."
"...I don't have any money, how can I have lunch..."
"I can treat you to one meal."
That meant it would be free.
Kaitlyn, who had been hesitating, lifted her head.
Her pained expression disappeared as if it was a lie.
"I won't refuse your offer."
"Is this really a meal that the tower master eats? I'm having a precious experience of the meat melting in my mouth."
Kaitlyn rubbed her stomach with satisfaction.
It was indeed a rare experience.
She had eaten twice as much as Reed, yet her stomach remained intact. It made one wonder if there was a space pocket in her stomach.
'She said she was poor.'
She was a magician who had entered Escoleia with the body of a commoner.
But she hadn't completed her studies and was expelled, so her future must have seemed bleak.
"Now that you've eaten well, we can proceed with the conversation. You said you were researching magnesium ingot processing?"
Kaitlyn nodded with a pleased face.
"Yes, it was quite difficult. However, after three trials and errors, I greatly reduced the margin of error. So now, the temperature is between 1,330 and 1,370..."
"At 1,355 degrees, heat for 7 minutes to create it."
Reed interrupted Kaitlyn's words.
"That's the temperature used when processing magnesium ingots."
"How can you be so sure?"
"The magnesium ingot processing you're working on has already been completed at our Silent Tower."
"...What?"
Kaitlyn looked at Reed with wide eyes, asking.
"It means that while you were going through three trials and errors, the formula for ingot processing has already been created in the Silent Tower."
She understood the meaning of turning theory into a formula.
It's something that any magician would naturally know.
"So, with magnesium..."
"Researching it any further is impossible without my consent."
A magician's intellectual property rights are absolute.
Violating it would result in a social obliteration on a different level than just a plagiarism dispute.
Not being able to process magnesium ingots meant that she couldn't create anything using magnesium.
For Kaitlyn, it was like a bolt from the blue.
She had poor equipment and a meager budget, but she tried to overcome it with her talent. It was devastating to know that Reed had already surpassed her.
"Is there any chance you could allow me to do some research...?"
"That might be difficult. After all, it's the tower's main asset."
If the authority to process magnesium ingots is handed over to a middle-of-the-road magician, the face value itself would decrease.
Kaitlyn knew this too, so she tried to probe but didn't push it.
"Ah..."
She could only let out a hollow laugh.
Kaitlyn leaned back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling.
Her empty eyes and open mouth seemed to be losing her soul.
It was an unavoidable problem.
From the beginning, the research of individual magicians and the research of magicians in the tower had different systems.
Even if she had talent, her poor environment prevented her from catching up with the most basic things.
"Anyway, congratulations. Then..."
"Where are you going?"
"Since magnesium research is out of reach, I have to find another path, don't I? I guess I should research fairy transformations that can fill the stomach with just dew."
'What nonsense are you trying to research?'
"Isn't there still a way?"
"Do you plan to permit magnesium research?"
"No, that's not it."
"What other way is there then!"
Kaitlyn got angry, thinking that Reed was mocking her.
"What if you join me and continue the magnesium research?"
"... With you, senior?"
"If you join the Silent Tower and continue your research, you'll undoubtedly be able to solve a significant part of the hardships you're facing."
For the unemployed magician Kaitlyn, it was an incredibly attractive offer.
It was such a good offer that she couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality, and she asked a foolish question.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Is, is sleeping free and eating free?"
"Yes."
"Ah, do you also treat for free when sick?"
How many times will she make him repeat 'yes'?
"Depending on your achievements, you'll receive compensation, and if you want, you can be promoted."
"Compensation..."
Kaitlyn's open mouth wouldn't close.
Everything is free, and they pay her to do the research she loves!
However, this was just a very minor condition.
Reed knew what she desired the most.
He put it forth as the final condition.
"And I will personally resolve the plagiarism dispute at Escoleia, pay for a full scholarship, and support you to graduate safely from the academy."
Hearing that, Kaitlyn didn't try to think any further.
She simply got off her chair, knelt down, and deeply bowed.
"Master of the Tower!"
Kaitlyn Ramos.
She had found the boss to whom she would devote her loyalty for the rest of her life.