Scientist Among the Nobility

After an awkward exchange of pleasantries, Hudson followed them into the castle. The Crystal Magic Lamps hanging on the walls immediately caught his eye.

Their bright light was comparable to a two-hundred-watt incandescent bulb from his previous life, far brighter than the candles in his own castle.

Who had been spreading rumors that Chers was poor?

Those few magic lamps alone had to be worth at least several hundred gold coins. If it were only that expense, most nobles would probably follow suit for the sake of appearances.

But the problem was that the lamps had to be powered by Magic Crystal Stones—or rather, Magic Cores. Hudson had no idea how much they consumed, but it certainly would not be cheap.

It was not just the magic lamps. Even the dining table and plates were Magic Items. As long as food was placed on them, they could automatically heat and cook it.

Even more impressive, once the cooking was done, the plates could fly themselves over to the guests.

Of course, that tested one's reflexes. If someone failed to catch one in time, an accident was highly likely.

Just moments ago, two unlucky fellows had become too absorbed in watching and let their heads have an intimate encounter with their plates, ending up covered in food.

No one had time to enjoy the spectacle. Everyone was immersed in the mysteries of magic, Hudson included. He had never imagined magical technology had developed to this extent.

Perhaps feeling that he had achieved his purpose, Chers, the host, walked into the hall and said, "Welcome to the Magic Castle, everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

"All the Magic Items here were developed by me. If anyone is interested, you may place an order with the butler afterward.

"Rest assured, the prices will not be too high. Everyone attending this banquet is an old friend of mine, Chers, so I will certainly give you a discount..."

A perfectly good banquet had turned into a product presentation. Hudson was speechless. Still, one thing was certain: Knight Chels was not a good salesman.

The purchasing power of nobles was indeed strong, but everyone attending the banquet was a minor noble. Even if they had money in their pockets, they would rather expand their armaments.

Indulging in pleasure was, regrettably, not a privilege meant for low-ranking nobles. Though they stood high above commoners, in the wider world, they too struggled to survive in the cracks.

The target customers were wrong. Even if he truly offered tearful discounts and a massive clearance sale, it would be difficult to achieve the intended results.

If he changed his approach and developed items that were useful weapons of war, they would probably be fought over immediately.

Seeing the atmosphere suddenly turn awkward, Hudson took the opportunity to ask, "Uncle Chers, why don't you first explain the consumption costs of these items?

"Magic Cores and Magic Crystal Stones are strategic resources, strictly controlled by the kingdom. If they consume too much, we simply cannot afford to use them."

Being able to buy something but not afford to use it was the main reason magical technology could not be widely adopted.

Not to mention these household items—even the Magic Crystal Cannon, a weapon of war, could not be widely deployed because of its cost.

In the years past, there had been no shortage of magical technologies that made people's eyes light up. Yet because of their limited practicality, most had only flashed briefly before vanishing.

When it came to technological sophistication, who could surpass those madmen in the Mage Association? They had even created a separate profession—alchemists—specifically to conduct all sorts of bizarre research.

Chers's research results were not bad, but compared with the alchemists of the Mage Association, they were simply not worth mentioning.

Others had not pursued such things not because they could not make them, but because there was no need. These little tricks could be accomplished by high-ranking mages casting spells themselves.

Unless Chers could lower the cost, all these inventions would be nothing but useless frills.

Of course, it was no small miracle that Chers, who lacked magical talent, had managed to become an alchemist. If his work could be promoted, it would greatly benefit the development of magical alchemy across the continent.

But none of that had anything to do with Hudson. If Chers's research could let him cast magic, Hudson would probably be interested.

Everyone dreamed of becoming a mage, and Hudson was no exception. Even setting aside everything else, purely for safety's sake, if one could be a great mage, who would want to be a meat shield?

Anyone who had studied military history knew that mage corps were always protected tightly. Even after losing a battle, they were the first to make a "strategic withdrawal."

Fighting to the death simply did not happen. No law required mages to fight until they died. In terms of such preferential treatment, perhaps only priests could rival them.

"Rest assured, everyone. These things do not require much magic power. A single lowest-grade Magic Core, or a high-grade crystal, can keep a Magic Power Table running for a month and a magic lamp lit for a year.

"The material and installation costs are not high either. For only fifteen hundred gold coins, you can get four magic lamps and one Magic Power Table.

"Just think about it. When you hold a banquet, bring out this high technology and instantly amaze all your guests. Isn't that worth every coin?

"Believe me, this is a tearful clearance sale. This price is absolutely the lowest on the entire continent. You will not lose out by buying it, and you will not be deceived..."

Chers promoted his products with all his might, but the hall remained silent. Nobles did care about appearances, but they were not fools.

Spend the enormous sum of fifteen hundred gold coins just to show off? How were they supposed to live afterward?

And that was still an underestimate. Future maintenance and operating costs would also be considerable. Without several hundred gold coins a year, it probably could not be maintained at all.

The atmosphere fell cold once more, but Hudson did not dare try to liven things up this time. The Coslo Family was also a modest household. If he dared promise to order a set, Baron Redman would probably come over and disown him.

When no one responded for a long time, the enthusiasm on Chers's face gradually cooled as well.

Heaven knew he had not set the price arbitrarily this time. If not for problems with his territory's finances, he would never have held such a tearful clearance sale.

Unfortunately, he had cast flirtatious looks at the blind. Not one of the nobles before him recognized quality when they saw it.

In the end, reason prevailed. After barely suppressing his anger, Chers sighed and said, "All right, the banquet begins now!"

At the announcement, the tense hall immediately became lively, as though nothing had happened.

They were all fine actors, and Hudson was no exception. Like an old friend, he found a relatively agreeable little circle to join and launched into a mode of bragging about everything under the sun.

Quite a few nobles had answered the call to arms. Before long, they would become comrades-in-arms, so exchanging information and building rapport in advance could only help.

When away from home, if one did not want to be bullied, sticking together was the best choice. If the several dozen nobles present joined forces, they would command several thousand men. Even Count Pierce would have to regard them more highly.