A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 450 Changes in Mindset

Dude, you're already leaking secrets?

Rorschach deduced that Richard was the one who uploaded the message. The combination of "radio" and "communication magic" indicated that Rorschach had conveyed his idea to Chancellor Otto, who then relayed it to the army mages. And only Richard could simultaneously access both the Imperial army's inner circle and Rorschach's "magical cloud." Now that Richard had produced the "finished product," it demonstrated the Empire's exceptional efficiency.

However, this spell is only one link in the chain, and it doesn't even create a new node on the spell tree. In other words, it uses existing spellcasting principles, but with a new set of "descriptors".

What truly brought about a breakthrough in transmission distance was the key idea that electromagnetic waves can carry and transmit information.

Rorschach hadn't expected Richard to get up to speed so quickly and even proactively upload the new spells from the Imperial Army's accompanying mages. Both he and Caroline uploaded them by directly entering the border region, registering the spell prototypes into the Tree of Law, constructing perfect incantations, and having the tower spirit analyze them.

This is the most direct, quickest, and most successful method, but it also means risk. If everyone wants to upload their unique magic, they have to enter the border area, increasing the possibility of this space being exposed and coveted.

The tutorial Richard has now arrived at is the "open source" version of the new method. The uploader does not need to personally go to the border, nor does he need to cast the spell prototype in front of the Tree of Law. Instead, Rorschach has compiled a more standardized process, teaching the uploader how to break down the spell into spell strings composed of "descriptors" and "characteristics", and then submit them to the Tower Spirit through a special ritual.

This method is safe and can be widely adopted, but it is not without limitations: First, spells uploaded in this way must only contain existing "features", and the creation of "descriptors" must strictly follow the construction methods that the tower spirits can understand; second, to "translate" the original spells in this way, one must have a very thorough understanding of the principles of the spells and be able to understand the system that Rorschach compiled himself.

Rorschach has a panel to dissect spell entries, making the above operations incredibly difficult for him. For other spellcasters, however, their own knowledge of magic doesn't guarantee they can fully grasp the principles behind every spell or develop standardized casting procedures.

That's why Rorschach was surprised; he hadn't expected the Empire to be so efficient in its development, nor had he expected Richard to get up to speed so quickly.

"That's quite interesting." Richard confirmed through the feedback from the Developer's Manual scroll that his uploaded spell had been successfully registered, and the tower spirit even credited the uploader as "Rick." He then communicated with the mage who had messaged him that morning, informing him of his expected rest period. This time, however, Richard used spellcasting supported by the spell cloud.

The other party did not notice anything unusual; only Richard himself felt that the communication quality had declined and needed further adjustment.

He was somewhat tired, so he lay on the large bed and continued flipping through the pages, constantly inputting magic into the left and right corners of the scroll to "turn the page." The example in the *Developer's Manual* was the [Light Spell], which mainly consisted of three parts:

How can it be broken down into two features: "magic condensation" and "increased brightness"?

How can I use descriptor modifiers to change its spell effect, obtaining two effects: "give the item a glow" and "summon a ball of light," as well as various glow colors?

How to balance the conflicting properties of brightness and duration with the same magic consumption.

There are also more advanced topics, such as cyclical color changes and setting the trajectory of light spheres. Richard chooses to skip the advanced topics based on his current level.

His constructed [Radio Wave Communication Spell] was based on the [Communication Spell] string and lightning spells in "New Compilation of Elementary and Intermediate Spells".

The more Richard looked at the scrolls, the more he realized how skilled the person who compiled them was. Not only did he have a thorough understanding of all the spells recorded, but he was also able to compile them into a new system that could greatly lower the barrier to learning magic.

Could it be that Rorschach joined a powerful organization and this was their creation? Richard muttered the strange name: "Spell Cloud." He was certain that this system did not belong to the Tower of Stars, otherwise Rorschach would never have given it to himself, let alone to an Imperial Army mage. Furthermore, if the mages of the Tower of Stars could truly use "Spell Cloud," then the mages in the National Guard would certainly not be at a level where they could hold their own against the Army mages.

Richard was moved by the slogans promoting openness and sharing, and the textbook did indeed contain many spells up to the fourth level, which wouldn't be so casually recorded on a scroll in any mage tower for him to learn at will. Therefore, he boldly uploaded the [Radio Transmission] spell.

The tower spirit sends him "points" via scrolling. With these points, he can unlock higher-level magic tutorials in "New Spellbook"—first, browse the existing third-circle spell list on the spell cloud, and then spend points to unlock the details.

Of course, uploading magic wasn't the only way to earn points. Rorschach's requirement for Hannah and the others was that they could earn points by passing magic tests and the questions he set. The entire points system was supported by the Tower Spirits. At the border, there were "clocks" similar to those in the Tower of Stars. Each additional user would generate a phantom "pocket watch" indicating their points.

[Spatial Anchor] [Stealth Step] [Melting Ray], Richard stopped here, spending his points to view the spell details. Sure enough, it was somewhat similar to [Dragon's Breath], which he favored when he was still an intermediate mage. However, "Dragon's Breath" emphasizes the "eruption" process, while this spell, judging from its "descriptor," suggests that the editor wanted the caster to concentrate their energy.

"Young master, would you like lunch?"

The maid's question from outside the door interrupted his thoughts. Richard quickly jumped out of bed to answer, while simultaneously destroying the temporary communication array he had drawn and putting away the two precious scrolls.

He had fully recognized the value of the two special scrolls and, after confirming they had been restored to their popular novel disguise, stored them in his ring. Richard left the room with a smile on his face; he had already decided what he needed to do in the near future: learn more magic through "New Spellbook" to replenish his strength and continue studying "Developer's Manual."

This mage set himself a small goal: after recovering his intermediate strength, he would upload his signature [Dragon Breath] spell to the "Spell Cloud".

I really wish Rorschach could introduce me to the mage who created the "spell cloud." If there were an organization, I wonder if I could join. Richard is already a supporter of the "open source" philosophy.

Unaware of his friend's thoughts, "Source God" Rorschach was walking with Caroline on the streets of Valuvana. However, they were not alone; Snow and Paulina were also with them, as things were not peaceful at the moment.

Richard wasn't the only one whose mindset changed. Caroline finally saw the purpose of those wooden frames and realized that the "peace and tranquility" of the Lanster-Kempson District was an exception during the war.

(End of this chapter)