88. Talking About The New Magic Tool Is Exciting, Isn’t It?

I arrived at the production guild to deliver the required alchemical potions.

While exchanging casual greetings with the guild members, Leafan rushed out from the back.

“Craft-kun! It’s finished!”

“Oh! Let me see?”

She handed me several rings.

A few days after the Orichalcum ingot was completed, I asked Leafan to make rings for me.

The material used was Orichalcum, further altered through alchemy.

I held up the specially designed Orichalcum ring to the light, admiring its intricate design.

“It’s a wonderful design, but isn’t it a bit too elaborate for a mere accessory?”

Leafan widened her eyes in surprise.

“Huh? Craft-kun, didn’t you know?”

“Know what?”

“The decorations on magic tools, even just a little, enhance their effectiveness.”

“What!? Really!?”

“Yeah. Do you know how you added intricate designs to the alchemy pot? I thought you knew it wasn’t just for show.”

“I didn’t. I thought it was.”

I had no idea.

Come to think of it, magic tools are always excessively decorated.

“I see. So it’s not evident from the alchemist’s emblem, huh?”

“It must be in the domain of blacksmithing.”

I see.

If the alchemy pot’s effectiveness hadn’t increased, we might have barely held off the Cockatrice’s intrusion.

I am deeply grateful to Leafan once again.

As I nodded in understanding, Leafan happily picked up one of the rings.

“This ring is specially for you, Craft-kun.”

The ring handed to me was slightly larger and more elaborately decorated than the others, meaning it had more functions.

The larger size must be due to those features.

“Alright, shall we try it out?”

“Yes!”

Leafan also took out her own ring.

It should be adjusted to the size of the intended wearer.

While Leafan put on her ring, a new guild employee carrying documents approached.

She was Plum Fruitia, a new recruit sent from another region to help with the labor shortage.

A cute girl.

“Guild Master, about these documents, should I hand them over to the merchant association as they are?”

Leafan’s expression softened as she skimmed through the documents handed to her.

“Yes, yes. You did well, Plum-chan! You’re getting used to it now.”

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

Seeing Leafan praising her, with her short stature, it looked like a child playing house with her older sister.

“Craft-kun, are you thinking something rude?”

“Not at all!”

She read my thoughts!?

“Craft-kun, you might not realize it, but your face shows everything.”

“Oh… oh.”

I didn’t know that… I’ll be careful.

While we were bantering, the new girl blushed for some reason.

Why?

“Um… so you two are in that kind of relationship, right?”

“Huh? That kind of relationship?”

“Huh?”

What kind of relationship? Guild Master and her subordinate?

“No! Craft-kun isn’t like that!”

Leafan hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

Apparently, she understood what Plum meant.

“But you’re wearing similar rings…”

“Rings?”

I didn’t understand, but Plum seemed concerned about the rings.

“Hmm, this ring is a new magic tool.”

“A magic tool?”

“Yeah. We’re about to test it, so you can watch.”

“Oh, it’s not an engagement ring then. I guess it was just a rumor.”

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Plum muttered something, but I couldn’t hear it clearly.

“It’s nothing! So, what does this magic tool do?”

Plum seemed flustered, but since she was curious, I should answer!

Recently, as an alchemist, I’ve been finding joy in creating things!

Explaining what I’ve made is the best part.

“Thanks for asking! This magic tool allows you to talk to someone far away!”

“What!?”

“I call it the communication magic tool!”

“I don’t really get it, but it sounds amazing!”

Plum looked genuinely amazed.

I’m glad she’s so straightforward! That’s the reaction I wanted to see!

I proudly put on the ring.

“First, I’ll channel magic into my ring…”

Magic flowed into the ring, and its decorations began to glow.

Just like the alchemy pot.

I see, the glowing of the magic tool is due to its special decorations. I learned something new.

“As expected, it consumes a lot of magic power.”

I knew it required a lot of magic power to activate, but actually using it showed it’s not something to be used frequently.

“It seems like it consumes a lot of magic power, indeed.”

Leafan peered at my ring.

Judging by the glow of the decorations, she could predict the amount of magic consumption.

“Yeah. I’m glad we made my ring the base. If all the rings had the same performance, most wouldn’t have enough magic to activate them.”

Technically, only Jabir-sensei and I could use it.

Also, Eva might be able to use it. It’s tough for her now, but with more training at Golden Dawn, she’ll have enough magic.

“Thanks to that, the other rings have limited functions.”

Leafan looked at her ring, and Plum asked curiously.

“Um, I’d like to try talking with the magic tool too!”

The communication magic tool can connect with multiple people, so this suggestion is helpful.

“There’s a ring prepared for the production guild, so it’s perfect. Plum, learn how to use it.”

“Yes! Got it!”

Leafan handed the production guild ring to Plum. It was slightly larger, so it was loose on her finger.

Since it’s for emergency contact with the production guild, it should be fine.

“I’ll explain while testing.”

“Yes.”

“Alright!”

I channeled magic into the ring and focused.

“[Mental Connection – Leafan], [Mental Connection – Production Guild]”

The magic formula activated in my ring, and a magic circle appeared on its surface.

Combined with the glowing decorations, it looked quite flashy.

At the same time, Leafan’s and Plum’s rings started glowing softly.

“Wow!”

“Huh? I hear something in my head!”

It seems the initial phase was successful.

Using the properties of Orichalcum, their minds connected with mine.

However, at this stage, it’s like knocking on the door, asking if we can connect.

So, they need to open the mental door themselves.

“Alright. Both of you, say [Mental Connection – Craft] in your mind.”

“Yes! Mental Connection, Craft-san!”

“You don’t have to say it out loud, but… well, I did at first too… huh? Oh, oh!”

Suddenly, part of my consciousness connected with Plum’s.

A faint image floated in the corner of my mind.

It’s blurry, but a stunningly handsome man is there!!

…Sorry, it’s the image Plum sees of me.

Since she’s not used to the ring yet, it’s blurry enough that I can’t make out her expression.

Anyway, the fact that her view appeared in my mind means the mental connection was successful.

“Wow! Wow! I see double! …No, it’s like another perspective is floating in my head…”

Plum panicked.

If you’re not used to magic, you might get confused at first.

“How about the voice?”

“Huh? Come to think of it…”

“Too close to tell, huh? Wait a moment.”

I moved to the underground storage.

It was filled with goods to be distributed to various merchants through the commercial guild.

Being close might make it hard to distinguish between voices heard in the mind and spoken voices.

“Plum. Can you hear me?”

[Wow! Wow! I can hear you! Craft-san, you’re not hiding, right?]

I can’t help but smile bitterly.

Plum’s voice was firm, and since Plum’s field of vision was vaguely understandable, it was confirmed that we could communicate with each other mentally.

She should also be able to see what I see.

“Plum. Can you see what I’m looking at?”

[Um, well, I think it’s probably a warehouse. I can see lots of barrels and wooden crates.]

“I see. What about Leafan?”

Actually, I’m also connected mentally to Leafan. She must have activated the ring properly in her mind.

[Yeah. I can see and hear.]

“Isn’t your enthusiasm a bit low?”

I thought she’d be a bit more surprised…

[It’s not low! I’m just so surprised I can’t find the words!]

“Oh, I see. Isn’t it quite convenient?”

I’ve always wanted a magical tool to communicate with people far away.

[Craft-kun… This is an incredible magical tool, isn’t it!?]

Leafan’s voice seems to tremble.

I could continue talking through mental resonance, but since the ring has been consuming my magical power since earlier, I can’t talk for long.

“Sorry. I’m still not used to it, and it consumes a lot of magical power. I’ll cut it off for now.”

I cut off the mental resonance once.

Once I get used to it, I’ll probably be able to use magical power more efficiently, but since it’s my first time, it seems I’ve wasted some magical power.

When I return to where the two of them are, Plum is excited.

“Craft-san! It’s amazing! I’ve never seen such a magical tool before!”

“Yeah! Looks like you’re surprised! Convenient, isn’t it?”

“Yes! How far can you talk with this?”

“Well… it depends on various factors. I think it can reach from one end of the kingdom to the other based on estimates.”

The detailed numbers around here are still unclear even with the use of the [Appraisal] magic.

Let’s test it out later.

It’s probably impossible to connect with caves or dungeons that have undergone dimensional shifts.

“Craft-kun? Are you going to explain properly soon? Maybe?”

For some reason, Leafan looks a bit scary, but since I’ve already explained the performance properly this time, I shouldn’t be scolded.

…Right?

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you about the performance?”

“I’m asking about long-distance communication devices! That alone is incredible, but what’s with that!? You can see not only voices but also landscapes!?”

“Huh? Did I not say that?”

“I didn’t hear it!”

Oh?

Come to think of it, I think I only said communication device.

Yeah. I didn’t say it.

Okay, let’s try to cover it up.

“Well, Orihalcon is a metal with interesting characteristics. It’s a mental resonance metal. When Orihalcon is generated and then alchemized, the resulting mass remains magically connected even if divided. This ring utilizes that property…”

“Craft-kun?”

Ah, yes. This is a kneeling posture, right?

As I kneel down on the floor, Leafan shakes her head with a wry smile.

“Um, I’m not trying to lecture you or anything.”

“Huh?”

“I was just surprised by the unexpectedly advanced performance, but it’s a really amazing magical tool!”

“Why are you surprising me?”

Lately, every time I alchemize something new, I’ve been reflexively…

“Yeah! It’s amazing, Craft-kun! …But next time, please explain a bit more properly!”

“Yeah! I’ll try harder!”

“It’s not about trying harder, make sure you do it properly!?”

Our usual exchange between me and Leafan, Plum stares at us with somewhat cold eyes.

“Um. It’s fine if you create your own world, but please teach me how to use it a bit more.”

Oops. She seemed to be angry that I interrupted the explanation.

“Sorry. This communication magical tool has some limitations. First, I can only initiate the conversation.”

“Does that mean we can’t call from our rings?”

Plum observes her own ring intently.

“That’s right. Initially, I send my consciousness to the targeted ring. Then Plum and Leafan can feel a connected sensation, but it’s not fully connected until each recipient clearly imagines [Mental Connection – Craft].”

“That initial sensation of voices echoing in the head.”

Plum makes a face as if she understands.

“That’s right. But at that point, it’s not fully connected. Each recipient needs to clearly imagine [Mental Connection – Craft] to establish a solid connection.”

“Um, what if we don’t want to connect due to being busy or something?”

“Just refuse the resonance normally.”

I send mental resonance to the two of them again and ask them to refuse it.

“…We’re not connected.”

“Then it’s normal.”

“This is amazing! Let’s mass-produce it at the Production Guild!”

Plum seems very happy, but that’s impossible.

“No, we need Orihalcon for production, and various materials are needed for processing. I don’t intend to increase production any further at the moment.”

“Aw.”

Disappointed Plum.

Leafan looks at me with a half-eyed look.

“Craft-kun. You already have over 20 rings…”

“Those are for acquaintances.”

It includes spares, but since I’ve refined a single ingot into a Mental Resonance Orihalcon, it would be wasteful not to make them all at once, right?

“Is it okay to distribute them…?”

“I’ll give them to Kyle, Leafan, and Raidoc. It’s fine.”

I won’t give these mental resonance rings to anyone I don’t trust.

I plan to consult with Kyle about who to give them to.

Well, I don’t expect him to oppose it.

“That’s okay then.”

Leafan’s face seems somewhat uneasy.

“Why do you think everything’s okay, Craft-kun!?”

“Huh? Huh!?”

“You’re mass-producing artifacts and distributing them! Think about it a bit more!?”

Hmm.

During the cockatrice incident, I had trouble contacting Raidoc, so I thought I should give it to him.

Also, I want to know their safety immediately in case of an emergency.

I made the communication magical tool considering past issues, but is there a problem?

“Ah.”

If there’s a problem, it’s this!

I realized there’s a major flaw in the mental resonance ring.

“Did you finally understand?”

“Yeah! It was a blind spot!”

This is a structural flaw.

This must be what Leafan is concerned about!

“Yeah yeah. As long as you understand!”

“Ah!”

I answered with a strong arm.

“It’s a bit inconvenient to receive calls during bathroom or bath time!”

Leafan’s eyes widened.

Plum’s eyes widened.

I had a smug look.

For some reason, a silent, chilly moment passed.

Huh? Why?

“Craft-kun! Kneel!!”

“Huhuhuhuh!?”

In the end, I was made to kneel, and Leafan, with a triangular look, gave me endless explanations about political considerations, military aspects, and so on.

A revolution in information, coordination of divided units, and so on.

Difficult topics circled around in my head, and after my legs went numb, I concluded like this.

“Yeah. Just take off the rings when you go to the bathroom or take a bath!”

“Understaaaand!!”

For some reason, the kneeling was extended for another two hours.

Unfathomable.

And so, we became connected with the communication magical tool.