Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 281 - 280: Heartwarming

Regarding the establishment of a research facility like the Magic Guide Technology Research Institute, which is different from a traditional magic laboratory, it’s not an impulsive idea from Gawain. In fact, this plan had been brewing in his mind for a long time; today, he just happened to find the opportunity to say it out loud.

Since the development of the territory, the basic infrastructure has become increasingly perfect. Maintaining resident survival and ensuring territory safety is no longer a constant deadly issue, and the industrial foundation of the territory has been gradually established from scratch during this development process. However, amidst all this rapid development, one thing has gradually become the most worrisome part for Gawain: research and development.

It’s not that the territory lacks research personnel—Jenni, Rebecca, Kamel, the team of Mage Technicians who transitioned from rune craftsmen, and even Aunt Heidi, who has recently been focusing more on internal affairs, and Gawain, the leader, can all be considered "technical personnel." However, having a bunch of people is not enough; a corresponding research and development system needs to be established. This system must conform to the characteristics of this emerging concept of "magical industry."

The traditional magic laboratory and the studio model consisting of craftsmen and apprentices obviously do not meet this requirement.

The Rune Research Center, established prior, was a step in Gawain’s creation of a research and development system, but it’s not the entirety. Based on Gawain’s estimation of the prospects of rune logic and his assessment of Jenni’s personal abilities, he believes that the future development direction of the Rune Research Center should lean more towards theory—although the current magic circle simplification project directly connects with the territory’s "rune trigger design and production" process. Yet, as Jenni’s research continues deeper in this field and as Kamel’s research on the essence of magic aligns with Jenni’s, rune logic will sooner or later venture into a purer realm that searches for truth with mathematical tools and logical deduction.

The Magic Guide Technology Research Institute is Gawain’s second step: a more practical-oriented research and development institution capable of incorporating the nascent profession of "Mage Technician" in the territory into a standardized framework.

The "Mage Technicians" in the Cecil territory represent a brand-new profession. Most of them originate from rune craftsmen, while some are ruined scholars and recruited Mage apprentices retrained for these roles. They can be described as the most elite technical group in the territory, aside from several top technical personnel. However, even the most elite technical personnel have no place in the traditional magic laboratory—they cannot partake in research, which Gawain sees as a huge waste.

Therefore, he plans to establish a "new order" that will allow those who lack magical talent but possess magical knowledge to participate in research.

Only by opening up the "research" phase, the source, to ordinary people without magical talent can Gawain say that his "Magic Popularization" plan has truly succeeded. Otherwise, merely allowing ordinary people to use magical devices can hardly be considered unlocking the shackles of "magical talent."

Of course, broadly dividing theoretical and applied academic fields and setting up two facilities for separate operations is not the most optimal choice. However, this is not the final form of the "magical industry era" research and development system Gawain envisions. He is just building a simple and quick framework based on the territory’s current situation. When the development level goes up, adjustments will naturally be made to this framework.

Seizing the opportunity before him, he slowly shared his thoughts, while Aunt Heidi and Rebecca attentively listened—this was yet another novel concept, but for the two who were often instilled with new concepts by their ancestor, they could understand it as long as they listened earnestly.

After listening to Gawain’s description, Aunt Heidi was greatly shocked by the prospect of a single or multiple teams tackling technical challenges in an orderly, goal-directed manner, where anyone equipped with adequate knowledge could partake in any magic project’s research. As a Mage who grew up with traditional education, she had never imagined a "laboratory" could operate like this, but amidst her shock, she also expressed some concerns: "Ancestor, your idea is indeed... inspiring, but are you sure Rebecca can..."

"I can!" Aunt Heidi hadn’t finished speaking when Rebecca already raised her hand impatiently, "I can definitely do it!"

"Have a bit more confidence in Rebecca," Gawain said with a smile, patting her hair, then turned to Aunt Heidi with a grin, "I know there are many aspects of her that give you headaches, but you also need to recognize her talent. Besides... as a descendant of the Cecil Clan, the head of the Magical Technology Department, how can she not have a lab of her own! That would be a joke to say out loud."

Rebecca’s eyes sparkled: "Ancestor..."

Before she could fully express her emotions, Gawain quickly followed up: "But, I should warn you first, if you end up blowing up the magic laboratory, you’ll be solely responsible for its rebuilding or any aftermath."

Rebecca: "... Oh."

After discussing the establishment of the Magic Guide Technology Research Institute, Gawain and Aunt Heidi also inquired about Rebecca’s current physical condition, confirming that after a good sleep, the girl had completely recovered. This couldn’t help but evoke Gawain’s admiration—She’s truly an outstanding kid who could fight with wolves in the forest before turning adult, her physical condition is fierce, a mental overload knocked away with just a sleep, Rebecca’s noggin might have high physical defense and magical immunity...

Confident there would be no lectures today, and even having acquired a laboratory of her own, Rebecca turned over and sat up from the bed. "I want to get up, I feel all uncomfortable after lying down for so long."

Her vitality is always so abundant.

Gawain smiled and stood up from the bedside, his eyes once again catching sight of the drafts and formulas Rebecca had pasted on the dressing mirror. The content suddenly piqued his interest: "By the way... are these what you’ve been researching lately? Weren’t you supposed to be busy designing the Detection-Assist Magic Array for the tactical helmet?"

"Ah, that part is almost done. I’m planning to incorporate the distortion detection effect into lenses made of white crystals. There are just a few minor processing issues left," Rebecca waved her hand, then pointed at the drafts on the dressing mirror, "These are what Jenni has been researching lately. I found them interesting, so I copied a set for myself to calculate. However... these things are unexpectedly difficult."

Gawain frowned as he looked at those things. He saw strange curves and heaps of data listed down. These seemed to be more than just calculation processes, including a large number of measured parameters. However, those parameters were so complex and numerous that they far exceeded the mathematical expressions about interference nodes and rune nodes that he had seen in Jenni’s rune logic materials.

He couldn’t help but ask, "What is this stuff?"

"I heard it was brought to the Rune Research Center by Master Kamel," Rebecca scratched her hair, which was a bit messy from sleep (this inelegant action earned a glare from Aunt Heidi), "It’s data on the fluctuation frequency and attenuation of the magical power field around the Magic Obelisk after its activation, as well as the frequency of magic power in a normal natural environment, and many parameters in areas where two magical power fields overlap. Jenni wants to find patterns from these, to find a method that can accurately describe the strength, attenuation, frequency, etc., of a magical power field at any point under known parameters, and also accurately calculate the distribution situation after two magical power fields overlap and produce distortions... Oh, and she needs to work out the distribution model of the magical power field in three-dimensional space... To be honest, neither of us has any clue right now."

The more Gawain listened, the more surprised he became. In the end, he couldn’t help but murmur to himself, "Has she already reached this point..."

"Ancestor, this problem is super hard!" Rebecca hadn’t heard Gawain’s murmur and instead expressed her own amazement, "Unlike those fixed data of interference nodes and rune nodes, a magical power field is something that keeps changing. The frequency can change, the strength attenuates with distance, it interacts with the original magic power in the natural environment, and when two magical power fields overlap, the situation becomes several times more complicated, it’s simply incalculable... But Jenni says we must figure these things out, otherwise, when this technology develops to a bottleneck in the future, we won’t know what’s going on..."

Gawain couldn’t help but rub his temples. He noticed a special calculation paper among those hand-copied drafts, depicting a series of curves and formulas related to those curves. This made him pause for a moment: "Is this you and Jenni..."

"Ah, this one isn’t. This was taught to us by Master Kamel," Rebecca quickly explained, "Master Kamel said this is a calculation method used by the Mages of the ancient Gondor Empire to calculate ’Arcane Distortion Effects’ similar to magical power fields. It uses numbers to describe changes. Master Kamel said this helps solve the problems of magical power fields, but Jenni and I still don’t quite..."

Gawain looked at the content on that paper in astonishment, not hearing the latter half of Rebecca’s words, instead murmuring to himself, "So the Mages during Gondor’s time... already knew how to use functions?"

"Func... what?" Rebecca was taken aback, evidently Kamel hadn’t mentioned this term to her, "Master Kamel called it the ’Yin-Dai Variational Formula’..."

"Ah no, it’s nothing, Yin-Dai Variational Formula is fine." Gawain gently exhaled, slowly calming his inner surprise.

There was no need to be so surprised, and no need to be so astonished, this was as it should be—although the Mages of this world had gone astray in their research on the mysteries of magic, blindly pursuing the increase of personal power and magical skills, it didn’t mean that they only knew how to cast spells violently. In fact, even for the most traditional classical Mages, mathematical tools are indispensable. They need the aid of mathematics to draw magic circles, adjust their spell molds, or concoct Magic Potions and create magic supplies. "Calculation" has always been a compulsory course for Mages, both in the present and certainly during the ancient Gondor Empire.

However, "calculation" has never been popularized, and has not developed to a higher level. For the current Mages, the existing mathematical tools are already completely sufficient.

The Gondor Empire once had the opportunity to establish the grand edifice of mathematics, yet that mighty Empire ultimately failed to break through the confines of "the supernatural belongs to the Transcendent," and the obsolete Transcendent system later stifled the development of many disciplines, leading to the disappearance of this valuable knowledge when the Empire’s elite perished en masse. It is truly lamentable.

But it’s okay, it’s not troubling that they didn’t develop further, having this foundation is already much better than Gawain had anticipated.

Rebecca, this silly... brilliant little reindeer seems to have a pretty useful brain.

Gawain looked at his great-great... great-granddaughter, suddenly displaying a warm, heartfelt smile. Facing such a young girl eager for knowledge, he decided to be a generous and kind grandfather:

"Rebecca, have you ever heard of something called calculus... I mean, have you heard of a wonderful thing called calculus?"