Chapter 206 - Chapter 205: The Creation of Orichalcum
The first day of the Fire Moon, the second week.
Right after opening, inside Adelriese's magic tool shop.
"Gurk... ."
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Mika was gnawing at the table, staring intently at Adelriese's hands.
On the table lay a Spaelement the size of a soccer ball.
The Spaelement was placed on a cushion-like object so it wouldn't move, and now Adelriese was in the middle of performing [Extraction].
Adelriese was touching the Spaelement with only her middle finger, gathering the power residing within it to her fingertips.
"It's hard to work when you're staring at me like that."
Adelriese looked at Mika and let out a bitter smile.
"Adelriese-san! Please concentrate more!"
This is a Spaelement worth 13 million Rats!
If you fail, I won't forgive you!
Mika's desperation was so great that Adelriese exchanged a look with the male shop assistant.
The man smiled bitterly, pulled Mika away from the table, turned him around, and made him take some distance.
"W-wait, what are you doing!?"
"If you look at me with such a desperate face, nothing will go well. Why don't you go drink some tea over there?"
"But... ."
"You're making such a pathetic sound all of a sudden... really... Just leave it to me, just leave it to me."
The man placed a cup of black tea in front of Mika.
Coffee?
Oolong tea?
Mika let out a long sigh, "Haaah...", and took a small sip of the tea.
Is it closer to Oolong tea?
After being corrected by Adelriese over and over again, Mika's magic tool circuit diagram was finally complete.
The "magic tool for stabilizing mana" that Mika had conceived was so large it could no longer be called a bracer.
It was something that completely covered the forearm, like a Gauntlet.
Paths for mana to flow were drawn densely on the magic tool, with various materials left exposed.
A cover had been made, but it was merely a simple thing intended only to prevent it from coming off if it bumped into something.
The material cost, excluding the Spaelement, was 3.5 million Rats.
Adding the 13 million Rats for the Spaelement and the 1.3 million Rats for Adelriese's [Extraction] technique fee brings the total production cost to a staggering 17.8 million Rats.
In District 3, you could build a house with land for that amount.
(If the production cost is this high, it's unreasonable not to be nervous....)
Incidentally, they said they would dispose of the [Husk] for free, which is usually a paid service.
Well, considering how much material was bought, I suppose.
Everything depended on Adelriese's [Extraction] today.
If this went off without a hitch, the magic tool for stabilizing mana would be officially complete.
If it failed, the best-case scenario was a loss of 13 million Rats for the Spaelement.
If it went badly, everything would be ruined.
All of the production costs would vanish.
Even if it failed, there was no refund or compensation.
There was no insurance.
It was a complete all-or-nothing gamble.
I want to complain that there's absolutely no guarantee if it fails! But the response is simply, "If you don't like it, do it yourself."
The fact that she can do business with this technique means she has that much track record, but still, worry is worry.
"Ahh!!!"
"Uhyah!?"
At Adelriese's sudden voice, Mika's heart felt like it jumped out of his mouth.
Mika's heart was on the verge of bursting.
"W-what, what, what, what is it!? W-what is it!?"
"Yes, it's done."
At Adelriese's casual words, Mika collapsed.
Seeing Mika's state, the man tried to suppress a chuckle, "Kukukuku...", but he couldn't hold it back at all.
"If you're that worried, do it yourself. If you've entrusted it to me, trust me more."
Seeing Mika collapsed and unable to move, Adelriese said with an exasperated look.
"............Even if you say that... ."
Isn't it worrying?
Adelriese placed the magic tool on the table with a soft clink.
The man helped the collapsed Mika stand up.
"Please check carefully if there are no mistakes. Once the final confirmation is done, the request is complete."
Told by the man, Mika nodded.
He picked up the magic tool placed on the table.
A sphere-like object glowing with seven colors sat slightly above the wrist, and the mechanism was such that power of various attributes flowed from the entire Gauntlet towards it.
Mika carefully equipped the Gauntlet of the magic tool onto his left arm.
Then, as he lightly flowed mana, all the circuits were colored red, blue, yellow, green, gold, silver, and so on.
The glow of the seven-colored glowing sphere became slightly stronger, showing that it was reacting.
This seven-colored glowing sphere was the power [Extracted] from the giant Spaelement.
It was the power itself that had resided there.
"............It's working properly."
"It seems so."
Watching Mika confirm the operation, Adelriese said with a smile.
Of course, it couldn't run at full capacity in a place like this.
If mana were flowed until the durability limit of this magic tool was reached and it exploded, everyone would be dead together.
Mika put on the cover to protect the circuit and put it away in the Magic Bag.
"I'll go try it out right away!"
"Really, you're so unsettled today."
Seeing Mika about to jump out, Adelriese laughed.
It was the critical moment of whether rare metal could be made or not.
Could he stay calm?
"Thank you very much."
Mika bowed his head and pushed the man's back to go down to the first floor.
When leaving this hidden shop, the man had to accompany him down.
It seemed to be a rule.
"Well, don't push yourself too hard. I don't want to lose a VIP customer."
"Don't say such bad luck things!"
What would you do if it really exploded!
The man also knew that Mika's magic tool was something that handled an unbelievable amount of mana.
So, it was probably a precautionary warning.
Mika left the magic tool shop and ran straight to Modesse Forest.
Then, jumping up into the sky, he headed north in one go.
His destination was the hilly area found halfway up the mountain during the practice exercise.
It was a place where nothing existed for several kilometers in radius.
"Hmm... , no one is here, is there?"
From the sky, he carefully checked the surrounding area.
The reason was that he didn't want to be seen by too many people, but the main reason was something else.
In case of an emergency, he didn't want to drag anyone in.
He didn't think there would be an effect of several hundred meters, but if it exploded, it wouldn't be strange to create a crater of about several dozen meters.
That much mana power would be handled.
The image of Mika rolling in the center of the crater was laughable to imagine, but in reality, it wasn't a laughing matter.
Or rather, Mika would probably be reduced to dust.
"Well, since I've invested this much, I can't get scared now."
Mika landed in a place surrounded by hills.
He took out the Gauntlet for stabilizing mana from the Magic Bag and equipped it.
Starting from Prototype Number One, the cost incurred up to here was over 20 million Rats.
One year and a few months since he started learning Alchemy.
Nine months since he started working on the production of prototypes aiming for this Gauntlet for stabilizing mana.
He even touched the Spaelement, and finally, the culmination of his efforts was complete.
Mika removed the cover from the Gauntlet, exposing the base.
He hadn't tried running at full power yet.
He would gradually increase the amount of mana flowing and proceed while checking for abnormalities.
"Absorb Wing."
Wings of light manifested on Mika's back.
Then he closed his eyes once and concentrated his consciousness.
"............Alright!"
Mika thrust his left arm forward and sent mana into it.
The paths for mana to flow, drawn on the entire surface of the Gauntlet, began to glow.
Then, a vast amount of mana was poured into the seven-colored glowing sphere.
(...10%... 20%... 30%....)
Even at 10%, it was an amount of mana that Mika alone couldn't handle.
He was sending that much mana, yet it was very stable.
Mana condensed in Mika's left hand.
He twisted his arm, checking each part for any abnormalities in the flow of mana.
(...40%... 50%... 60%....)
The mana started to run wild a little.
But it was still at a level that could be suppressed without difficulty.
Mika thought of "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum" in his head.
Mana into subatomic particles.
Solidify those subatomic particles to create nuclei.
A third nucleus that is neither a proton nor a neutron.
A copper isotope Orichalcum that holds a massive amount of those nuclei!
(70%! ...80%!!!.)
He poured a huge amount of mana into his left palm.
Even with the auxiliary tool for stabilizing mana, if he let his guard down, it might explode.
Mika strained his strength and shouted.
"Enough! Make it happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
There was no abnormality in the mana flowing on the base.
Mika poured in more mana, and finally exceeded 90%.
At that moment, a small black grain appeared on his palm.
The grain gradually grew larger and soon reached the size of a fist.
Mika stared intently at the "something" that had appeared.
Dark-colored metal.
The luster reflecting sunlight was white.
(The characteristics match...!.)
Exactly the characteristics of the "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum" read in the book.
However, without [Appraisal], he couldn't definitively say whether this was truly "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum".
Still, Mika continued the production of this metal without hesitation.
Form it, make it into a bar shape for now, and move on.
A bar about 20 centimeters in length on the lower side, 7 centimeters wide, and 5 centimeters high.
Even with a bar of this size, I think the weight probably exceeds 20 kilograms easily.
Isn't it 25 kilograms?
(What kind of specific gravity is this....)
Mika stuffed the "something" bar into the Magic Bag and started the next production.
He swung the Absorb Wing around, gathered as much mana as possible, and kept producing estimated "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum".
While he was engrossed in making "something" and putting it away repeatedly, he noticed an abnormality in the Gauntlet.
The path that was glowing silver on the base flickered weakly and repeatedly, and then part of the red path disappeared.
(...This is bad!?.)
He immediately stopped flowing mana.
But, at that moment, it exploded.
Bofu!
A terrible sharp pain ran through his left arm.
"It hurts! Grrrghhhhh!"
The Gauntlet cracked all over and broke into pieces due to the shock of the explosion.
Due to that shock, it seemed like fragments had pierced his arm.
"It hurts! It hurts!"
While enduring the pain, Mika roughly washed his left arm with Water Splash.
"Nnnnnnnn!!!"
While enduring the pain and washing it away, he confirmed that two fragments were stuck in his arm.
"Ugh... , this is too much."
He couldn't use [Heal] like this.
Still, maybe he was able to get away with this because he was using [Physical Enhancement]?
There were lacerations all over, and if he hadn't enhanced himself, his arm might have been torn off.
Perhaps noticing the abnormality and stopping the mana supply also contributed.
"I can only pray that it's not in vain... ."
He knew he had to pull them out, but he prayed for it to be as painless as possible.
However, this was also a stroke of luck in misfortune because he was using [Physical Enhancement].
If he pulled them out in one go, he could definitely pull them out.
If they didn't come out, it would only be because he held back himself.
Mika let out a huge sigh and gave up.
He had no choice but to do it... .
"Rimliche casually messes with wounds, but I'm not going to accept 'I don't want to' from myself."
Still, he would say it with his chest puffed out.
I don't want to.
It's super, I don't want to.
"Well, it's natural, but... ."
He knew he had no choice.
Doing it quickly meant he could use [Heal] sooner, so the suffering would be shorter.
He knew that.
Still, he didn't want to!
"It's definitely going to hurt!"
While grumbling about such things, Mika still pinched one of the fragments.
Zushu!
"Gu, nnnn!"
He suppressed the urge to thrash around.
Even if he did that, it would only hurt due to the shock.
Continuing, he grabbed the other fragment and pulled it out immediately.
Shu!
"Fuuuuuuuuuuu......!"
He endured the pain so much that snot came out.
Mika used Water Splash again with his trembling hands and washed it away.
Probably, there's none left.
It shouldn't be there!
After the pain subsided using [Heal], Mika let out a huge sigh.
Then, choosing a dry spot on the ground, he sat down heavily.
"Haaaaa... ."
He slumped his head.
He had been through a terrible ordeal.
Mika brought his left hand in front of him and opened and closed it.
Even if he twisted it, there was no particular discomfort.
"If fragments got inside, I'll have to give up."
No X-rays, no anesthesia, no surgery in this world.
There are treatments like cutting off hands or feet, but those aren't recognized as surgery.
Mika took out a bar from the Magic Bag.
From its appearance, it was unimaginably heavy.
In the end, he made 24 pieces.
He thought he made over 500 kilograms.
"Oh, let's collect the ones that were being made too."
It exploded midway, but there should be something the size of a pebble.
When he searched, the unfinished items were found immediately, and he also collected the fragments of the broken Gauntlet.
"Ugh... , 17.8 million Rats... ."
A lament that slipped out unintentionally.
Vanished like dew within a few hours of completion... .
However, he couldn't just keep sighing.
"Haa... , what should I do?"
Anyway, first of all, [Appraisal] of the results would be necessary.
If it was "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum", it would be a great success.
Mika's hypothesis would be proven, and he could produce similar items in the future using the same method.
"In that case, I need to verify what went wrong."
From the collected fragments, Mika wasn't sure if he could identify the cause.
He knew roughly where the abnormality occurred, but the paths were quite complicated.
Misunderstandings and misjudgments could occur.
It would be helpful if he could get a hint from the fragments of the Gauntlet.
"Well, let's go get it [Appraised] first."
Mika looked around, checked for lost items or forgotten things, and then jumped into the sky.
"Hyah, you brought something rare."
The old woman Appraisal Shop Owner widened her eyes and rolled the black pebble on her palm.
Mika ate the snacks he brought himself while waiting for the old woman's appraisal results.
Mika had come to Sarbengeal to have the estimated "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum" appraised.
It was still morning, so even though it was a bit far, he wanted someone trustworthy to appraise it.
For Mika, who didn't usually use an Appraisal Shop Owner often, he couldn't pinpoint a trustworthy one in the Royal Capital.
So, even if it took some time to go and return, he decided to have it looked at by the Appraisal Shop Owner in Sarbengeal.
"How is it? I picked it up because it felt a bit rare myself."
"Where did you pick up such a thing!? This is 'Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum', a very rare metal, you know!?"
Alright!
He did a victory pose in his heart.
"I picked it up in the forest where I went on a request. How much is it worth?"
He asked casually.
"How much... , it seems to have high purity, so I think it's worth about 4 to 5 million Rats."
"Do you know the purity?"
"Well, I can tell, but are you going to appraise that much? It will cost five large silver coins."
The old woman pointed to the price list posted on the counter.
Five large silver coins was for the highest grade of appraisal.
Mika nodded, and the old woman widened her eyes a bit, then shrugged her shoulders.
"Really, are you doing something again? Hey, Dispeller-san. Hehehe... ."
"No, no, it's a misunderstanding."
Actually, it's the correct answer.
The old woman seemed to sense something, just like when she wanted the cursed item before.
Naturally, the old woman had heard rumors of the Dispeller and realized it was Mika.
And she had also heard rumors that Mika drove the Church to ruin.
But she had also heard the story that the trigger was Mika's dispelling power and seemed to question the Church's stance of trying to bury Mika.
Although she was a devout follower of the Church of Light, Mika's dispelling was real.
It seemed she was thinking, "This is a bit strange for the Church."
More than anything, the old woman was not a fervent believer of the Church of Light, strictly speaking.
She was a fan of Archbishop Wagnare.
It seemed that when she scolded Mika before, thinking he would do something to the Church, it wasn't the Church she was worried about, but rather that he wouldn't cause trouble for Archbishop Wagnare.
She was surprisingly a fan girl, grandma.
But once the appraisal began, the old woman's expression turned serious.
She stared intently at the pebble-sized "Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum", looking at it from various angles.
After looking at it for a while, the old woman let out a breath, "Phew... ."
"This is troublesome, isn't it... ."
"Is something wrong?"
"No... , did you really pick this up in the forest?"
"A, ah... ."
Asked by the old woman, Mika involuntarily looked away.
Seeing Mika's state, the old woman grinned.
"Well, it's fine. I've figured out that this has an impossible level of high purity."
"Impossible?"
When Mika asked back, the old woman nodded.
"Normally, some copper gets mixed in. Rare metals with a purity of over 85% hardly ever appear on the market."
Paraleira had said before that if it mixes with copper, there is currently no way to separate it.
"But this one exceeds 90% purity by a long shot. I can confirm it definitely exceeds 95%. Beyond that, I couldn't appraise it."
Hearing the old woman's appraisal results, Mika grinned.
Seeing Mika, the old woman also grinned.
"I said its value was 4 to 5 million Rats earlier, but that was a mistake. There is no market price for 'Copper-type Rare Metal Orichalcum' with this purity."
It depended on the buyer how much they would pay.
However, that made it hard to sell too.
Should he mix it with copper or something to increase the volume when selling?
Seeing Mika pondering a bit, the old woman laughed mockingly.
"How are you going to surprise me this time?"
"Eh? No, I'm not doing anything? I haven't done anything, right?"
At the old woman's words, Mika answered with a slightly bad smile.
That evening.
Adelriese's magic tool shop in the Royal Capital.
Adelriese was frozen with her eyes wide open.
"It broke."
"Hehe."
Adelriese looked at the remains of the mana-stabilizing magic tools Mika lined up on the counter with a dumbfounded expression.
Well, if you brought something that was just completed this morning, worth nearly 18 million Rats, and told her you broke it in the afternoon, she'd be surprised.
Moreover, it wasn't just a malfunction level.
The whole thing cracked and became fragments.
I ordered a replacement Spaelement of the same level.
Also, I requested an investigation into the cause of the breakage.