Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 280 - 279: Magic Guide Technology Research Institute

With an extraordinary demeanor and exceptional strength, he has a renowned reputation in the mercenary world. He even has a nickname of "Blond Soldrin," which sounds like a noble prince on the battlefield. However, behind the perfect prince persona of the High-Ranked Ranger Soldrin Frostleaf, who has traveled the north of the continent for seven centuries, lies a bald-headed, cross-dressing, weirdo—this is a conclusion by Gawain Cecil himself.

Well, Gawain Cecil didn’t actually write this down in his time, but the current Gawain, who inherited his memories, is sure that the duke of the southern borders had thought of his unusual friend this way more than once back then...

But this assessment is merely what Gawain keeps to himself; Soldrin, on the other hand, seems to have no such concerns regarding his "disguise" skills, considering them quite useful during his travels. His open-mindedness is commendable—he could be regarded as quite the respectable leader.

Fortunately for Gawain, thanks to his previous life’s encounter with the era of information explosion, he was able to maintain a composed expression at times like this...

After managing his expression, Gawain, in an unaffected manner, asked about Soldrin’s plan: "When do you plan to set off?"

"Today," Soldrin replied, "preferably before dusk."

"Are you sure about leaving at dusk?" Gawain frowned. "To avoid drawing attention, the best route would be circumventing the main noble territories in the south, traveling through the wilderness between the south bank of the White River and the Dark Mountain Range back to the Typhon border. It’s not an easy path, and the sun will set before you make much progress after leaving the city."

"For an elf, traveling in the wild makes no difference between day and night. Besides, leaving at dusk can avoid certain gazes."

Gawain pondered briefly, then agreed with Soldrin’s reasoning: "Alright, I’ll issue you a pass. It will be valid until you leave the borders of Anzu. Although you’ll evade most noble territories, having the pass will prevent quite a few problems."

Soldrin offered a faint smile: "Thanks in advance then."

Thus, on the evening following the conclusion of Cecil’s second defense battle, a mysterious and beautiful blonde huntress quietly left the territory. She departed eastward, carrying a pass personally issued by the duke, her origins unknown, shrouded in layers of mystery...

Meanwhile, Gawain received a report from Betty before nightfall—Rebecca seemed to be waking up soon.

Rebecca’s room is on the second floor of the feudal lord’s mansion. As a noble of pure blood, a young lady bearing an esteemed family name, her room bore none of the decor or atmosphere befitting her status. Most of the furniture had been crafted by carpenters when the mansion was built, and Rebecca hadn’t added any furnishings herself. The vanity table by her bedside was the only item with a hint of femininity—yet its crystal mirror was plastered with half its surface covered in drafts and shorthand equations...

One can imagine, for the young viscountess to get ready each morning, she’d have to carefully navigate through the pile of paper just to find the right angle to groom herself—remembering to wash her face and brush her hair each day was perhaps her limit. Could she ever learn to make herself up like a proper noble lady in her life?

At that moment, Rebecca lay quietly in her bed, while Aunt Heidi sat at her bedside. As Gawain entered the room, he motioned for Heidi to remain seated and inquired about the situation, "Awake yet?"

"Still asleep, but she muttered something in her dreams just now," Aunt Heidi whispered before Betty ran to fetch you.

Gawain sat by the bed, observing the sleeping Rebecca, and couldn’t help but gently pat her hair: "What did she say in her sleep?"

Aunt Heidi looked exasperated: "Something like ’Don’t knock on my head.’"

Gawain:"..."

He glanced down at this great-great...great-granddaughter in name (and to some extent in reality), and couldn’t help but sigh quietly: "At least she’s calmer when asleep."

"Who knows what trouble she’ll stir up once awake," Aunt Heidi remarked, while discreetly pointing towards a door leading from Rebecca’s room to a storage room, "Can you guess what she’s been up to secretly? She’s transformed the little room next to her bedroom into a magic laboratory! It’s a miracle the house hasn’t been blown up after all this time! I really ought to inspect it thoroughly—I’ve been too lenient with her since she came of age."

"A magic laboratory?" Gawain frowned, "Aren’t there already two labs in this house?"

"She probably wanted to have her own lab, just like many mages have. But you know her situation, she..."

Before Aunt Heidi could finish, Gawain abruptly gestured for her to stop, then pointed to Rebecca in bed. The young lady stirred awake almost simultaneously, blinking to clear her blurry vision. It took her several seconds to realize there were two other people in the room.

After a brief moment of daze and focusing, Rebecca suddenly let out an exclamation and instantly covered her head: "Don’t hit my head!"

This time it definitely wasn’t sleep-talking...

"Who’s going to knock you on the head!" Aunt Heidi glared at the girl, "Do I always knock you on the head?"

Rebecca covered her head and cautiously lifted her eyelids to glance around, her brain seemingly starting to function gradually. A few seconds later, she quietly spoke, "It’s... all over? Is everyone okay?"

Gawain couldn’t help but laugh, "Of course everyone’s okay, this time we were even better prepared than last time, with a new wall built. How could there be any problem?"

"Oh..." Rebecca’s hand remained on her head as she hesitantly asked, "Did I... cause trouble again?"

Seeing the usually fearless and ever-energetic Rebecca showing this kind of expression, both Gawain and Aunt Heidi couldn’t stay angry. Aunt Heidi smiled and shook her head, "Not really, you actually created a fireball that startled everyone—what’s the deal with that ’Amplifier’? Did you come up with it yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Rebecca quickly shrank her neck, "I won’t fool around anymore!"

"Ahem, don’t be nervous. Although you did make quite a stir this time, judging by the outcome... it wasn’t bad," Gawain comforted Rebecca and briefly recounted what happened while she was unconscious, "... In short, Kamel has taken your ’Amplifier’ for the time being, but you can go get it back anytime. Your invention greatly inspired him; you are quite creative in the use of the magical power field."

Gawain’s tone turned serious, "Of course, this incident was still too dangerous, and you must learn from it—do not secretly make such dangerous things again, understand?"

Rebecca carefully observed Gawain’s expression, confirming that her ancestor didn’t mean to scold her. She then relaxed and showed a silly smile, "Got it!"

"It would be best to remember the ancestor’s words," Aunt Heidi chimed in again, "I’ve noticed your secret lab. From now on..." However, before Heidi could finish, Rebecca’s expression fell abruptly, and she seemed ready to wilt. Surprisingly, Gawain interrupted, "I’m planning to build a large experimental facility on the vacant land between the Rune Research Institute and the academy to serve as a dedicated testing and development center for magic guide technology. It will consolidate the currently scattered Mage Technicians under this facility’s management. Rebecca, you’re in charge of the chaotic magic technology department, and this facility will be under your management in the future—you can freely use the magic guide technology laboratory inside."

Rebecca was momentarily stunned, her eyes widening, "Really?!"

Aunt Heidi was equally shocked, "Ancestor, are you sure you want her to manage such a facility on her own?"

"She’s already completed several magic guide technology projects and has done well as the department head, hasn’t she?" Gawain looked at Aunt Heidi with a smile, "None of the Mage Technicians are unimpressed with her."

"But theoretical research and experimental operations are different," Aunt Heidi looked worried, "Since she was young, she’s caused countless explosions in the laboratory..."

Gawain knew that Aunt Heidi had always been overly anxious in this regard. This anxiety wasn’t a big issue before Rebecca grew up, but moving forward, it could hinder her development. So, he took this opportunity to share his thoughts, "Aunt Heidi, do you see the difference between magic guide technology and traditional magic research?"

"The difference?" Aunt Heidi blinked, "... What do you mean?"

"Actually, I knew about the makeshift lab Rebecca set up a month ago," Gawain spoke unhurriedly while Rebecca instinctively shrank her neck, "but I never interfered, because I’m aware of Rebecca’s talent in magic guide technology.

"She does often cause explosions in the magic laboratory, but that’s partly because she rarely enters labs and lacks experience. More importantly, it’s because she struggles to control most of the equipment in a traditional magic laboratory—those experimental setups require too much innate talent from the operator. Their assistance is extremely limited, meaning most operations and observations rely on the mages doing them by hand and eye. Of course, Rebecca, who only knows the Fireball Technique, would struggle to control all this.

"But the magic guide laboratory is an entirely different kind of environment.

"You’ve seen Rebecca’s self-built lab—did you notice the differences inside?

"A magic guide laboratory doesn’t require casting talent; it relies on tools—including mechanical and mathematical tools—to indirectly control magic, and in the process, create new tools. This is Rebecca’s strong suit and the direction for magic guide technology development in the Cecil territory.

The facility I intend to build is a research center for practical applications and development of magic technology. Participation in research won’t be limited to gifted mages; anyone skilled in magic guide technology and rune logic can be a researcher in this facility. It won’t be like traditional mage labs, which are the private workshops of powerful mages. Instead, it will involve a large number of technical personnel working together on one or more projects, utilizing wisdom, knowledge, and theoretical guidance rather than personal talent and pure luck to achieve results. Of course, I don’t deny the role of ’luck’ in research, but to advance magic guide technology, we must establish a scaled and professional institution like this.

"I’ve already thought of a name for this facility— it will be called the Magic Guide Technology Research Institute. It will be the first comprehensive experimental center in the Cecil territory and indeed on this continent."