At three in the morning, in the Matou family's underground workshop...
Having completed the task of cleaning the underground sewer, Shinji, who had taken a bath and changed into a new set of clothes, sat in front of the laboratory table, carefully examining the silver liquid in the test tube.
The viscous liquid emitted a faint glow and had a high level of viscosity. Even with slight agitation, it didn't create visible ripples like most solutions.
As Shinji moved the test tube, faint dark red spots emerged from the opaque liquid at the bottom, adding a touch of disharmony to the pure-colored liquid.
Shinji picked up a piece of gauze depicting two rune symbols and covered the mouth of the test tube with it. Then he tilted the entire test tube 180 degrees. The silver liquid inside flowed down smoothly, easily passing through the gauze and entering the flask below. The dark red spots remained on the gauze, gathering together into a clump activated by the runes.
The spots in the test tube, which seemed as thin as a strand of hair, transformed into a piece larger than a palm when they reached the gauze.
"Sensei, what is this?" Shinji put down the gauze and looked up to ask Scáthach, who was observing from the other side of the operating table.
"This is a highly advanced compression magecraft for manipulating fluids. It uses pressure to reduce the volume of the liquid. This type of magecraft is often used in the production of high-level mystic codes and the preservation of precious materials." Scáthach pointed towards a bookshelf in the corner of the workshop as she spoke. "The Matou family also has similar magecraft. If you're interested, you can try learning it in five to seven years."
"Forget it, I'll master the rune symbols first before considering that," Shinji smirked, no longer thinking about things he wasn't qualified to touch. "By the way, Sensei, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the 'Volumen Hydrargyrum.'"
The silver liquid that Shinji filtered was none other than the mystic code "Moon Spirit Marrow (Volumen Hydrargyrum)," which Kenneth took pride in. Scáthach had taken a few seconds to collect and bring it back from the ground after Emiya Kiritsugu left. Although fluid compression was advanced magecraft, it was an easy task for a magus of Scáthach's level.
"'Moon Spirit Marrow,' a well-chosen name."
Scáthach extended her left hand and gently beckoned, as if an invisible force had placed a seal on the liquid in the flask, creating a bright silver thread that surrounded Shinji.
"The liquid is based on a special mercury with high magical affinity. It has undergone at least three large-scale magecraft treatments and has been refined. It incorporates more than ten advanced magecraft and over thirty intermediate and low-level magecraft. The spell structure is efficient and reasonable. The only drawback is that the combat experience of the practitioner is lacking, and the constructed autonomous program is too simple, making it vulnerable to being deciphered. Overall, it is an excellent mystic code, a rare treasure even in the Age of Gods."
Scáthach's evaluation greatly exceeded Shinji's expectations. "Is it that amazing? The magi of the Age of Gods are much more powerful than modern magi. Is this thing really that formidable?"
"Not an exaggeration at all."
As Scáthach spoke, she rhythmically tapped the laboratory table with her curved fingers, and the shape of Shinji's mercury ring constantly changed in response to her tapping.
"The reason why magi in the Age of Gods are powerful is because the 'Greater Origin,' which is the origin of magic, is hundreds or even thousands of times more active than in modern times. Magi in the Age of Gods don't need to connect the 'Lesser Origin' to the 'Greater Origin' as modern magi do. Instead, they directly unleash magic from the 'Greater Origin,' resulting in much more powerful effects compared to modern magi."
Modern magic is divided into two types: magic based on the power of the "Greater Origin" and magic based on the power of the "Lesser Origin."
The Greater Origin is the life force that fills the external world, including the life force of planets and the atmosphere. The Lesser Origin is the life force that magi possess within themselves. Although their nature is the same, there is a significant difference in quantity.
The Lesser Origin is very limited in quantity, but it is convenient to use and easy to manipulate since it exists within the body. Many magi use the Lesser Origin to generate magical energy by converting their life force into mana through magic circuits. Since it comes at the cost of their life force, excessive use can have adverse effects on the body. Therefore, magi usually generate mana little by little and store it within themselves. The amount of accumulation varies from person to person, with more exceptional magi having a higher capacity.
On the other hand, the quantity of the Greater Origin is nearly infinite, but it is much more difficult to absorb and utilize compared to the Lesser Origin. Additionally, the amount of Greater Origin that a magi can convert into mana at once is limited by their magic circuits, so they cannot use it infinitely regardless of how much is present in their surroundings. Furthermore, there is also a limit to the amount of mana a magi can retain, so they cannot convert the Greater Origin into mana in advance and store a large amount of it.
However, the magi of the Age of Gods do not have such limitations. They are not restricted by their magic circuits or their life force. They directly convert the Greater Origin into mana using spells, gestures, and runes and use it to construct their magic.
If we liken the Greater Origin to a reservoir, the Lesser Origin to a personal water tank, and the magic circuit to a pipeline, magi in the Age of Gods do not need a water tank or a pipeline. They directly take water from the reservoir whenever they need it, without limitations. On the other hand, modern magi have to first store water in their tanks through the pipeline and can only use it when it reaches a certain amount.
Therefore--
"The foundation and standards of magic in the Age of Gods are different from modern times. Rather than focusing on the effects of the mystic code, I value its structure and design philosophy. I am confident that the Master of Lancer, even in the Age of Gods, would become an outstanding magus, and the 'Moon Spirit Marrow' created with Age of Gods magic would be at least comparable to a Noble Phantasm of Rank C."
"I see--"
Shinji nodded thoughtfully. It is not desirable to overlook the value of the technology itself by focusing solely on the expressive capabilities of the technical medium. You can't dismiss a material like zirconium oxide just because it is used in ceramic kitchen knives. This material can also be used to manufacture ultrasonic water wave detectors.
"So, it seems like I made the right move."
"What move?"
Of course, it's not just about collecting the 'Moon Spirit Marrow.' That was just an easy grab.
Shinji's real goal is Kenneth, the person, or rather, the resources and knowledge he possesses.
Until now, Shinji's understanding of magecraft mostly came from Scáthach, Justeaze, and the Matou family libraries, as well as his knowledge from his previous life. However, the reference value of these sources is quite low.
Scáthach is an assassin who was active in the Age of Gods, residing outside the world. Her level is too high.
Justeaze is an artificial human created by the Einzbern family. She spent the first half of her life in the castle and the latter half sealed within the Holy Grail, only briefly interacting with the outside world when constructing the Greater Grail with Tohsaka and Matou. The magical knowledge she possesses is limited to the Einzbern family and the part used to construct the Holy Grail system by the Matou and Tohsaka families, which is an old version from 200 years ago.
The Matou family's library didn't come from the Zouken family's ancestors. Besides the stagnant water attribute magecraft that hasn't seen any development in centuries, there are only disgusting variations of water attribute magecraft developed by Zouken himself, called "Worm Magecraft." There are also some other scattered books, but they are fragmented and not systematic. Obtaining the secret arts passed down by other families is much more difficult than wiping out the entire family, especially considering the prerequisite of maintaining secrecy.
As for the knowledge Shinji obtained from setting materials and Type-Moon works, it's just common knowledge and may not be entirely accurate.
In other words, Shinji, and even the entire Matou family, lack sufficient understanding of the modern world of magecraft.