NOVEL WEB Chapter 223.1
Chapter 223.1. New Technology
Hina spread her hands and used a skill on the petals arranged on the table.
A pure white light radiated from her hands, creating a mystical scene.
[Purification]
With the activation of the magic, the petals became enveloped in pure white light and started to glow faintly.
Petals that were muddy or dirty with scratches became clean.
As they were illuminated by that light, everyone watched with awe.
When the light finally subsided, Hina let out a breath and wiped her forehead, puffing out her chest with a look of accomplishment.
“It’s done! Now, take them, come on, take them~”
Hina asked us to carry the petals, so we carefully tried to do so.
[Gentle Breeze]
When Serika-san made the ring on her finger shine, a gentle breeze stirred.
The petals arranged on the table floated up softly, swirled around, and were gently stored in the box placed at the corner of the room.
“Wow~ The Gentle Breeze ring can do that too?”
“Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to do this. Normally, it just creates a breeze barrier as specified.
But I can use tools to their fullest potential, so it’s special.”
Serika-san said this as if it were the most natural thing, with a slight smile, making me admire how cool she was.
She gently waved her hand, controlling the breeze, and finished storing all the petals, then brushed her silky hair back.
She’s someone who always seems to have everything under control.
“Hina’s purification is amazing. It purifies even the finest dust and stubborn debris. There’s no one better suited for alchemical preparations.”
As the person who had been waiting for the box lifted it and walked away,
Serika-san praised Hina.
“Ehehe, I’ve been trying hard, you know? But it’s pretty tiring.”
Hina blushed and scratched her cheek, embarrassed, while Serika watched her with a kind smile.
“Purification requires delicate control. Normally, such precision wouldn’t be necessary.
But for something small like petals, you might accidentally purify unnecessary parts or fail to purify them at all.
Your past experience with purification must be coming in handy.”
Walking down the corridor, heading deeper inside,
Serika-san admired Hina’s skill.
It seemed that Hina needed help to use the skill in the same way.
“Does that mean everyone here will become better at skill control too?”
About ten people sat in front of tables in the room at the end of the corridor.
On the tables were flasks and petals of Balloon Flowers, among other things.
They were all working on something. There were spring flowers, winter flowers, and even metal shields and leather armor.
Around them, men and women in suits watched the process with interest.
Their confident demeanor indicated they were not from the ruined city.
Even though people from the ruined city have more stable lives now with food and safe housing, they still can’t exude that kind of air.
These people were probably here to inspect the factory.
Feeling the pressure of being observed, the workers used their skills seriously,
holding handfuls of petals with focused expressions.
[Extraction]
Mana was released from their palms, covering the petals.
A green liquid was extracted from the petals and poured into the flask.
They repeated the process until the flask was full of liquid, then used another skill.
[Crystallization]
The liquid emerged from the flask, transforming into small green crystals.
Mana resided in the crystals, making them faintly glow.
“Wow~ You’ve really mastered that skill smoothly.”
Serika-san clapped her hands as she approached the table, picking up the crystals.
They were Gentle Breeze crystals, magical gems made from the essence of Balloon Flower petals.
Mount them on a ring base, and they’re ready to use.
These disposable gems are designed to be easily attached to special rings.
“I can’t believe it’s so easy to make these…”
“Magic tools, after all.”
“What’s their performance like?”
The people in suits were astonished by how easily the magical crystals were made,
murmuring among themselves.
“You’ve come at just the right time. Let me explain the performance and skills.”
Serika-san cleared her throat and addressed the curious people in suits with a flourish.
When they turned their attention to her, she began speaking confidently.
“The skill just used is alchemy, learned through a new skill crystal obtained through Core Store analysis technology.
It’s a [Basic Alchemy] skill from a new skill crystal acquired through joint research by Kamishiro Corporation, Amatsu Gahara Corporation, and Narashino City.”
It seems technology is advancing rapidly.
I’m not quite sure what ‘advancing rapidly’ means, but it must involve development.
“Serika-chan, is this skill really that convenient~?”
A gentle-looking woman in the group asked, and Serika-san smiled as she continued.
“Until now, obtaining skills was random, making it difficult to get what you wanted, especially craft skills. But that’s a thing of the past.
This skill crystal is easier to obtain from the Core Store, though it has its drawbacks.”
Serika-san took a sparkling skill crystal out of her pocket and tossed it to the woman.
Then, with a satisfied chuckle, she crossed her arms.
She must enjoy explaining things.
Her expression was one of joy and pride.
“The [Basic Alchemy] skill is equivalent to skill level 2.
The main reason it’s so easy to obtain is that it’s low-cost. The downside is that it doesn’t grow.”
Indeed, the new skill has no levels.
Since it’s a non-growing skill, it can be obtained with fewer cores.
“Quite a clever idea, don’t you think? Lowering the cost by making the skill non-growing to reduce resource usage.”
“Right? When I first heard this idea, it was like a revelation. Indeed, you don’t need high-level skills to mass-produce low-level magic tools.”
The plan is for rare, high-level skill holders to make high-level magic tools,
while many low-level skill holders make low-level ones, reducing waste.
“A product of the new industrial age, so to speak. By the way, I’d love to meet the brilliant scientist who impressed you so much, Serika-chan. I’m thinking of inviting them to dinner.”
“Please don’t try to recruit them so casually! Unfortunately, I’ve already given up on recruiting them myself.
But let’s move on to the next phase.
Shall we proceed to the performance testing? Please follow me to the testing area.”