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“So, is this what you made?”

“Indeed! Since Silver Wisdom visited me, how could I let such wisdom slip away!!!”

Dwarf Grandmaster looked at the Dwarf who was making a fuss in front of him.

He was one of those Dwarves who frequently came to him claiming to have invented something new.

“I don’t know if Silver Wisdom actually came to you, but let’s take a look at what you’ve got.”

“Please, go ahead! I’ve already finished sufficient verification!”

Grandmaster glanced at the stack of paper presented before him. The rough, cheap paper hastily scribbled with coal looked shoddy in even the Grandmaster’s eyes.

“It really doesn’t look great… I don’t have the time to waste on something like this.”

“It may look a little shabby since I wrote it in one night, but the content is not shabby! Once you read it, you’ll understand its value!”

“One night? Now you’re really exaggerating.”

Grandmaster frowned slightly as he observed the Dwarf making a fuss, then slowly began to examine the pile of papers in his hands.

“Let’s see… Maximizing efficiency through improvements to the magical circuit?”

At the sight of the title, Grandmaster tapped the stack of papers and said, “Looks like this is an improvement plan for the magical circuit. How many invention registrations do you think I’ve seen with such titles while I’m in this position?”

“Well, among Dwarven inventions these days, this is probably the hottest topic, so you’ve probably seen it dozens of times.”

“Try hundreds of times! I’m so tired of counting it!!! Don’t come to me with just a slight change in materials or the shape of a circuit!!! And yet you ask if the efficiency has improved? Not at all!!! After dozens of attempts, you bring in just a meager 5 percent improvement!!!”

Grandmaster was shouting, clearly furious.

“At least bring me something that shows a 70 percent success rate and over 10 percent improvement, not just a little trickle of improvement!!!”

In a way, it seemed like a pent-up grievance. There had probably been many cases of bringing in trivial inventions.

Since he was a Dwarf pouring passion into exploring knowledge and inventing new things, that seemed all the more likely.

“In that situation, what do you think I would say about your invention?”

“This is different from everyone else’s trivial inventions.”

“Everyone says that! Everyone! Do you know how many times that invention got approved among those people? Less than one in a hundred! It’s nonsense!”

Grandmaster, venting his emotions, paused for breath and then said, “I don’t think yours will be much different from theirs.”

“But mine is truly different! Silver Wisdom appeared in my dream and told me!”

“Sure. Everyone says that. It’s so repetitive I’ve got calluses in my ears.”

“Ah, anyway, please read it! You’ll see this invention is unlike those frauds!”

“Sigh. Fine, I’ll take a look. It’s part of my job as Grandmaster.”

Grumbling, Grandmaster sighed and began to fidget with the stack of papers in his hand.

He knew that his job brought glory, but wasting time on such trivial matters was unbelievably frustrating.

If only he could just hammer down metal and feel good about it.

With that thought, Grandmaster slowly began reading through the papers he held.

“Experiments comparing the magical conductivity of various metals… Variations in conductivity based on the shape of the magical circuit. Hmm… Just from the data, it seems pretty thorough, but you wrote this in a day? Verification?”

“I could only do it about 20 times because I was rushing, but 19 of those times came out within the margin of error.”

“19 out of 20.”

“Yes, 19 times.”

“95 percent accuracy?”

“Correct, 95 percent.”

At that, Grandmaster stroked his beard slowly. If what was written in the stack was true, constructing a magical circuit with metal made by mixing brass with silver and certain materials…

“The magical conductivity of this material would be double that of the most commonly known silver…”

“It requires a somewhat cumbersome process, but considering the cost of the materials themselves, it could be cheaper than the existing magical circuits.”

“Hmm… Certainly, since silver also serves as currency, reducing the amount consumed as a material is a good thing.”

“And if you look at the materials for the concoction, they are all commonly used medicinal herbs. While they can’t be obtained underground, they are generally cheaper than silver.”

That was indeed true. Medicinal herbs used for healing or recovery were also there, and even herbs like tobacco that help with focus could easily be obtained.

If one sought to gather them, they could find all they needed.

“By making the shape of the magical circuit into a spiral coil and covering the non-magic-using parts with pitch, unnecessary magical leakage can be reduced…”

“I knew that pitch prevents water from seeping in, but I never thought it would help reduce magical leakage.”

“This is… quite interesting. If what is written is true, it could be a significant achievement.”

At that, the Dwarf who brought the new invention burst into laughter.

“At last! Silver Wisdom has acknowledged the wisdom she bestowed upon you!”

“Not yet acknowledged. I still need to check if the data in this stack is correct.”

“Feel free! I’m confident! And more importantly!”

The Dwarf took something out from his waist.

It was a lantern powered by a mana stone, commonly used among Dwarves.

“I made a prototype to see its effect.”

“What’s that?”

“This item was made as a test while verifying the data in the paper. It looks like an ordinary magical lantern, but…”

The Dwarf opened the bottom of the lantern and inserted a small mana stone inside.

“Normally, a magical lantern with a mana stone of this size would emit only a faint light. However.”

With familiar skill, the Dwarf closed the bottom of the magical lantern, then pressed a small button on top.

Bam!

A dazzling light burst from the lantern.

“Whoa?!”

“The result of improving efficiency and minimizing magical leakage is that I could achieve this level of brightness!”

“Wow… with that tiny mana stone, such brightness…? Are you sure there isn’t another mana stone hidden inside?”

“Of course not! Here! Take a look for yourself!”

With a dissatisfied face, the Dwarf handed over the magical lantern to Grandmaster, who examined it closely.

The structure of the magical lantern was familiar to Grandmaster, so it was not difficult to disassemble and inspect it.

“It’s a popular Rookwood-style lantern. While the finish is a bit rough… you’ve coated the magical circuit with pitch? And the thicker parts… From the touch, it seems you wrapped multiple coils around the magical circuit… It’s definitely the same structure as in this document.”

“The finish is rough because I had no choice but to make it in a hurry. I wrote the document in one night, tested it, and made the prototype, so it couldn’t be perfect.”

“There’s no other mana stone inside… and looking at the magical circuit in the light-emitting part, the color is slightly different… Hmm. Is it a special alloy made with a specific mixture?”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems like there’s a faint yellow hue mixed in due to the brass.”

Grandmaster nodded slightly and pressed the button on the lantern to turn on the light.

Despite having only a small mana stone inside, it emitted a considerable brightness.

“For now, I see. Once the additional technical verification process is complete, we can register the patent, so please write down your personal details.”

Grandmaster picked up a sheet of paper and a pen from the table beside him and handed them to the Dwarf in front of him.

But…

“This technology isn’t mine; it was bestowed upon me by Silver Wisdom. I merely transcribed the wisdom imparted to me by Silver Wisdom, validated it, and made the prototype.”

“Oh?”

“So, I think that the patent should be dedicated to Silver Wisdom, not my name.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

It was an action that didn’t seem to make sense logically, but there was a belief underlying that action.

A belief in Silver Wisdom, who glorified and used him.

“If this patent gets registered, you could become one of the wealthiest. Are you really going to give that up so easily?”

“Grandmaster, will you also patent this sacred mountain?”

At that, Grandmaster shook his head slightly.

“This patent is a gift from Silver Wisdom to the Dwarves through me. How could I attach my name to such a precious thing and profit from it?”

At that, Grandmaster could only nod slightly.

“After all, I can easily make a living with what I have now. The reason I’ve been working tirelessly through sleepless nights and applying for this patent is for the sake of the Silver Wisdom who shared this knowledge with me.”

The Dwarf said to Grandmaster with shining eyes.

“If I gain anything from this patent, it’s proof that Silver Wisdom watches over our Dwarves. That alone is enough for me.”

That gaze was filled with unwavering conviction.

 

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