Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Combining Modern Technology and Magical Engineering

I cooked with the S-Rank giant pumpkin.

It was a regular pumpkin variety, but its flavor resembled that of a sweet pumpkin.

I made pumpkin porridge and pound cake with it.

Then the Blessing of Dexterity appeared.

[Master's Pumpkin Porridge]

[Blessing of Dexterity Effect: Stamina +0.5 (non-stackable)]

[S-Rank Vegetable Effect: Mana +0.3]

[Master's Pumpkin Pound Cake]

[Blessing of Dexterity Effect: Stamina +0.5 (non-stackable)]

[S-Rank Vegetable Effect: Mana +0.3]

The effects were identical.

Rin taste-tested first.

Both were vegan dishes made entirely from plant-based ingredients.

Rin speared a small piece of pound cake with a fork and took a bite.

She chewed thoughtfully, then her eyes went wide.

"Wow! It is dewicious! The pumkin is super sweet!"

She meant the pumpkin was incredibly sweet.

"Really? Then I should try some too."

Ria cut the pound cake in front of her with a knife, speared a piece with her fork, and took a bite.

"It is really nutty and sweet. It has an incredibly refined flavor."

Then I would have a bite as well.

The moist, soft taste of the pound cake.

Then I bit into a small chunk of pumpkin.

It was as soft as pudding when chewed.

A rich, nutty sweetness washed over the palate.

"The pumpkin has this concentrated nuttiness, like some kind of nut butter."

"Right? It is fascinating."

"S-Rank pumpkin really is different. Our daughters are something else."

Rin smiled at that.

Yeona, held in Ruina's arms, was watching us eat.

I tasted the pumpkin porridge next.

Truthfully, it was closer to a pumpkin soup than porridge.

'Well, I did add cream.'

The flavor was exceptionally smooth, nutty, and sweet.

"Is it good enough to sell as is?"

When I asked, Ria and Rin both nodded.

"Yesh! It is dewicious!"

"I think everyone will love it."

I had received their stamp of approval.

In that case, I would make a large batch and start selling.

Soon, the entire former Knight Quartet and the S-Rank Hunters gathered to sample the pumpkin porridge and pound cake.

"Oh man! This is good. S-Rank pumpkin really is different. Not bad, Rin."

At Eriksson's words, Rin folded her arms, lifted her chin, and raised her nose high in the air.

"Look at her, nose up in the clouds."

"Hehe!"

Rin grinned and added.

"It is all thanks to my wittle sister Yeona, Uncle Eriksson! Is my sister not amazing?"

"Yeah, she is. Rin, you have really grown up. You even know how to give your sister credit."

"I am still smaww! I want to grow up fast!"

"Why do you want to grow up so fast?"

"Win wants to howd her wittle sister too, but Win is too smaww so she cannot, and it makes her sad."

At Rin's earnest words, everyone burst into warm laughter.

"Adorable!"

"What a kind heart."

"Total sister fanatic."

Then Han Se-a spoke.

"Being in this house is healing all by itself."

The Sword Saint elder, seated beside her, nodded in agreement.

"You are right. That is why we could not bring ourselves to leave this place."

"Exactly."

"......True."

Eriksson and Santos nodded as well.

Then Eriksson added.

"The delicious food played a big part too. It is embarrassing to say this, but meeting Seon-u's family was a stroke of luck for all of us."

I never expected the carefree Eriksson to say something like that.

It was a bit embarrassing, honestly.

"Luck is a stretch. We are the grateful ones. Right, Ria?"

"Absolutely. We have received so much help from all of you."

At our words, the Sword Saint elder waved his hands dismissively.

"Not at all. We are the ones who have received so much. You are our benefactor who saved our lives, and on top of that, you helped us grow this strong."

I lowered my head to the Sword Saint elder.

"I look forward to your continued support."

"Likewise. We will continue to serve faithfully by your side."

Serve faithfully. That was a heavy word.

"What is this talk of serving between companions? Please just treat me like family."

"Ha ha! Understood."

Did the S-Rank pumpkin also have the effect of softening people's hearts?

The atmosphere at the tasting session had turned warm and heartfelt.
***
One hundred servings of pumpkin porridge and one hundred pumpkin pound cakes sold out in just two days.

Despite the price being the equivalent of two Mid-Grade Magic Stones, they had flown off the shelves.

'I just made two billion won, just like that......'

Rin's plant growth, Bell's Golden Egg Fertilizer, Yeona's Legendary buff, and my Blessing of Dexterity skill.

When our family combined our strengths, the synergy was tremendous, generating a fortune in no time.

My sense of money was becoming increasingly warped.

'Still, the more I earn, the more I can give back to society and do good things.'

I could also take care of our guild members' welfare.

There was nothing wrong with earning a lot.

And I had one thing on my mind lately.

'What should I do with the Lightning-Attribute Transcendent-Grade Magic Stone?'

I was not in need of money, so selling it seemed like a waste.

But there was no obvious use for it either.

So I had consulted with Ashley and Ruina.

'It might be good to craft a magical weapon or piece of armor. How about using it to reinforce the house's Barrier?'

They had offered various suggestions.

But no conclusion had been reached, so I had shelved the matter for now.

Then one day, the Sword Saint elder brought me some news.

"After you left yesterday, a Hunter with a doctorate in electrical engineering visited the guild branch."

"A Hunter with a doctorate in electrical engineering?"

"Yes. He requested a meeting with you, but since you were out, I met with him in your stead."

"I see. What was his business?"

"He said he wanted a guided tour of the Outpost."

"......He could just look around on his own."

The Outpost township was an open area.

It was not that large, so there was nothing much to guide.

"It seems he wanted to talk while being shown around. About future development plans for the Outpost and various other matters. In any case, since you were not here, he said he would return the next day."

"I see. After the lunch service is done, I should meet with him."

"Please do. I will let him know."

And so, after the lunch service ended.

I met with him in the guild branch conference room.

He appeared to be a man in his mid-fifties.

"Hello, I am Oliver Jack."

"Hello, Dr. Jack. I am An Seon-u. You visited as a customer during lunch, did you not?"

I remembered the faces of most customers who visited the restaurant.

"Ha ha! That is correct."

"So, what brings you here?"

"I came because I believe there is something I can contribute to this Outpost."

Something he could contribute? What could that be......?

He held out a thick binder he had brought with him.

"Please take a look at this."

"All right."

I took it, opened it, and examined the documents.

'Magic Stone Central Control and Linking System. Magic Stone Energy System.'

Even reading the content in English, I could not make much sense of it.

"What is this about?"

"To put it simply, it is about replacing the electrical power of electronic devices with Magic Stones."

"Ah, I did hear in the news that high-end electronic devices powered by Magic Stones are starting to appear."

"Correct. And those are research achievements from CIT in California, where I was based."

So he was a doctor from the renowned CIT research institute.

He continued.

"However, no matter how much you replace the electricity of electronic devices with Magic Stones, they still cannot be used inside Rifts."

"I have heard that as well. The powerful electromagnetic waves inside Rifts cause the circuits of electronic devices to malfunction almost immediately, correct?"

The interior of a Rift was essentially a permanent natural EMP zone.

"Yes, exactly. I have been researching that very problem ever since Rifts first appeared, right up to the present day. And I found a method."

"What method?"

"Using Magic Stones as the circuit itself."

He was saying that Magic Stones could serve not only as the energy core but also as the circuitry.

He went on.

"My skill is Magic Stone Linking. Truly the most useless skill imaginable."

I could see how one might think that.

He then pulled a small LED flashlight and a signal buzzer from his jacket.

"Through that Linking skill, I can create simple electronic products with basic circuit configurations like these. However, with my current knowledge and abilities, this is my limit."

So only electronic products with simple circuits were possible.

Still, it was impressive.

"The principle seems similar to Magical Engineering."

At those words, Dr. Jack's eyes widened.

He abruptly stood and bowed deeply at the waist.

"That is precisely the reason I came to find you. If you could introduce me to a Magical Engineering expert, I promise to contribute to the development of this Outpost."

Asking me to introduce him to a Magical Engineering expert, just like that.

"Doctor, please, there is no need for this. Please raise your head."

"I will raise it once you agree."

"......All right, please raise your head."

"Do you mean it?"

"Introducing you is not a difficult matter. But how did you know that I have a Magical Engineering expert nearby?"

"According to rumors circulating in academic circles, you wear equipment with embedded magic. When you are in a dangerous situation, something like a magic circle engraved across the entire suit glows and activates a spell, after which the Magic Stone, having expended all its mana, shatters. Normally, equipment with built-in skills uses the wearer's own mana, but your Magical Armor uses the mana of the core Magic Stone. That is why the academic community speculates it is a Magical Armor with inscribed spells."

The Magical Armor's shield had activated once when fighting the WPA officers and again when fighting the Behemoth.

Once activated, the Magic Stone would expend all its mana and shatter.

Replacing the shattered Magic Stone with a new one allowed it to be reused.

Hunters who had witnessed this had spread the word, and it seemed the academic community had concluded it was Magical Armor with inscribed spells.

"Surely you did not come all the way here based on that unconfirmed rumor?"

"I did. I am a scientist. No sacrifice is too great for the sake of research. Also, I very much wanted to see the Fourth Floor Outpost that is reportedly developing rapidly."

"I see."

"By any chance, is the Magical Engineering expert who inscribed the magic on your armor the dragon that frequently visits the Outpost?"

"It is indeed that dragon. Her name is Ashley. She is scheduled to visit the restaurant tomorrow. Shall I arrange a meeting right away?"

Ashley had said two days ago that she would come for a meal in three days.

Ruina, who always stayed at the Rift house, could be introduced at any time.

"I would be most grateful!"

And so, two days later.

Ashley, Ruina, and even Maxim were gathered in the guild branch conference room.

The conversation went on for a long time.

Ruina explained the principles of Magical Engineering to Dr. Jack.

In turn, Dr. Jack explained the principles of electronic circuitry to them, growing passionate about the idea that combining science and technology with Magical Engineering could make electronic devices usable inside Rifts.

'I do need electronic devices in the kitchen too.'

There were limits to cooking with only analog methods.

The lack of a blender was the most frustrating part.

Whenever I needed to blend something, I always had to go outside the Rift to do it.

After hearing his explanation, Ashley spoke.

"So what you are saying, human, is that you want to build an electronic device that runs on Magic Stone energy, linked to a central core Magic Stone that supplies mana, and contribute to the Outpost's development? And you need help constructing the complex operational circuits through Magical Engineering?"

"Precisely!"

"Hmm, hearing you explain it, it does not seem entirely impossible."

Ruina nodded as well.

"It will not be easy, but it should not be impossible."

I had no idea what they were talking about.

The gist seemed to be that they wanted to combine modern technology with Magical Engineering.

All four of them, excluding me, were ablaze with enthusiasm.