My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

Char is gradually getting used to Einstein and Tesla's teaching methods.

At first, they were worried about whether Einstein's identity would be exposed, so they always had a sense of urgency that they might have to leave the Tower of Truth at any moment.

But since Einstein banished the witch, neither Monra nor Meredith should have any doubts about him for the time being.

Of course, this is only temporary; no one knows what the future holds.

At least for now, they can slow down their pace a bit.

Einstein developed a new habit.

Every morning at 6:45, he would come downstairs on time, wearing his gray coat, and walk into the yard with a cup of coffee.

The mist in the valley hadn't yet dissipated, so he stood there for a while, watching the distant towers turn from gray to gold, and listening to the early birds calling in places he couldn't see.

He would play the violin around seven or eight o'clock.

The repertoire is not fixed. Sometimes it's Bach, sometimes Mozart, and occasionally Beethoven. The music drifts out from the courtyard.

Some early risers would deliberately take a detour past the villa just to hear a few minutes of piano music.

They didn't know who was playing, only that the sound was coming from "that professor's" residence. Being able to hear a sixth-level professor play the violin wasn't something that could be achieved through points alone.

Of course, he didn't neglect his research on magic either.

He didn't work with Char or Tesla; Einstein's advantage was that he had twenty-four Truth Runes.

He can now access many spells that are only available later in the game, such as those involving time, space, illusion, and summoning.

However, there were no other third- or fourth-order spells for him to refer to, and their knowledge system also lacked related applied physics types.

Therefore, his idea was to refer to some high-level magic and create some magic with corresponding attributes.

Char thought that if any of them were to be the first to reach the sixth level, it would definitely be Einstein.

Tesla and Char continued to refine the electromagnetic gun at the villa.

Although this magic project was developed and perfected in just one day.

However, "configuring" it was much more complicated than Char had imagined.

Perhaps it's because the configuration itself is more complex that there are more magical loops to think about and more data to refer to.

Which technique to place in which position to ensure unobstructed energy flow, and which technique to activate first—all these require thought and calculation.

If second-tier magic is like building a house with building blocks, then third-tier magic is like assembling a car with various parts.

All they did on the first day was draw a design sketch.

Or rather, it doesn't even qualify as a design drawing; it can only be considered a "feasibility verification of a concept."

If a screw or a washer is missing from any part of the work, it may be necessary to completely disassemble and start over.

Char successfully inscribed the fifth and sixth runes in the first month, because he now has free access to the meditation room, and the extended meditation time can accelerate the speed at which he inscribes runes.

But just configuring this electromagnetic gun took him and Tesla more than a month.

Of course, if it's a fireball spell, it's much simpler.

Electromagnetic railguns involve a lot of theory and more than one type of "condition judgment".

Tesla also added a targeting system.

Since the range of an electromagnetic railgun is conservatively estimated to be over 100 meters, the hit rate would be quite poor without a sight.

That day, Char slowly opened his eyes in the meditation room.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, six runes slowly rotated.

Above the three second-order magical configurations,

The three-dimensional configuration, symbolizing the "electromagnetic gun," emitted a deep blue glow.

He examined his "masterpiece" from the past month and was increasingly satisfied with it.

Deep within my consciousness, something clicked shut like a lock.

Then, those runes and configurations that were originally independent began to connect in a new way.

It's not a linear series, it's a network.

Xia was stunned for a moment.

He felt that his "perspective" had changed.

He used to manipulate magic like pressing buttons with one finger, one by one, only able to press the next button after pressing the previous one.

But now, it seems as if several invisible hands have sprung up in my sea of ​​consciousness, capable of touching different techniques simultaneously.

He began to try to split his mental energy into two streams.

One force maintained the stability of the electromagnetic cannon's configuration. The other force simultaneously activated the "Lightning Hand."

Left hand, electric arc jumps.

In his right hand, the rails of the electromagnetic gun silently unfolded in front of his palm.

Two things, at the same time.

This was impossible before.

Char had previously read about how to determine the order of a configuration.

Second-tier spells are composed of multiple runes, third-tier spells are composed of multiple runes in a single thread, while fourth-tier spells are large-scale spells processed in parallel by multiple threads, with a configuration containing multiple subroutines that work together.

Therefore, this ability to multitask is clearly an important prerequisite.

The maximum number of third-tier mages is four third-tier spells, but it took two months to complete just one.

It will probably take quite a while before we actually reach the third-tier upper limit.

He suddenly stood up, pushed open the door to the meditation room, and went out into the courtyard.

The light in the corridor was a bit too bright. He squinted and realized that Tesla was already standing outside.

"Did it work?" Tesla asked.

"It's done," Xia said.

"Has the aiming system been installed as well?"

Char nodded.

Tesla found a tree at the very edge of the yard and drew a cross on it with a red pen.

"Give it a try."

Char pulled a metal bullet, about the size of a thumb, from his pocket.

The courtyard was quiet. The morning light had just spilled over from the valley, turning the grass a pale gold.

He took a deep breath and raised his right hand.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the azure blue third-order configuration was instantly activated.

Two pale blue light bands unfolded in front of his palm, parallel to each other, with just enough space between them to accommodate the bullet.

At the same time, a magic capacitor appeared.

Previously, Tesla required production in batches, but after the configuration was finalized, Char integrated the entire system together.

As the magic continued to be converted into electricity, the capacitor emitted a slight hissing sound, like some sleeping creature breathing.

Char placed the bullet at the starting point between the two light bands. The bullet was enveloped in a very thin layer of magic and hovered above the track.

A smaller spot of light appeared above the track.

Crosshair.

Tesla's aiming system.

Char stared at the red cross on the tree trunk and adjusted the angle of his wrist. The point of light pressed steadily against the cross on the tree trunk.

He gave the order to fire.

Both capacitors flashed simultaneously.

Then--

"call out."

A short, sharp whistle, like cloth being torn apart.

Where the red cross on the tree trunk was, a pile of sawdust exploded, leaving a hole through it.

The bullet entered from the front, exited from the back, and then passed through the second tree.

Char lowered his hand. The two bands of light disappeared, the capacitor dissipated, leaving only a faint smell of ozone in the air.

The entire process, from construction and charging to launch, takes approximately four to six seconds.

Then he turned his head and looked at Tesla.

Tesla leaned against the door frame, his hands in his pockets, his expression unchanged.

"The trajectory went astray."

Xia was taken aback: "What?"

"The point of impact is about two centimeters to the upper left." Tesla gestured with his chin toward the hole in the tree. "The sights need to be recalibrated."

Xia opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just smiled helplessly.

"Couldn't you at least say something complimentary first?"

Tesla's lips twitched slightly.

"good."

Xia shrugged helplessly, and just as he was about to say something, he heard footsteps beside him.

He and Tesla looked in the direction of the sound and saw three figures who had somehow turned into the villa along the stone path.

One of them was Bourne, whom they knew; another... was the middle-aged man in black robes who had reprimanded Viktor on the airship; and the last was an elderly man with white hair but an upright posture, whose identity was unknown, but he wasn't wearing the magic robes of a school professor; instead, he was wearing the sigil of the Vilvia family...