Under Lynn's exceedingly "kind" gaze, Daren swallowed hard and immediately fell silent.
As if recalling something, Lydia asked in delighted surprise, "Professor Lynn, did Master Herlam send you? Have I passed the assessment?"
"My purpose in coming here has nothing to do with Master Herlam!" Lynn dismissed the girl's guess, then spoke again as disappointment crossed her face. "I want to ask you to make something."
As he spoke, Lynn took a rolled sheet of parchment from his pocket and handed it over. Lydia accepted it and glanced over it a few times before letting out an astonished cry.
"So beautiful..."
The parchment depicted an enormous and strangely shaped alchemical machine.
The upper portion resembled an inverted oval sphere, while the lower portion was connected by countless suspension ropes to something like a ship's hull. Even the internal structural diagrams had been drawn with great clarity. The overall framework was intricate without being chaotic, possessing an unusual beauty.
"What is this? A new type of Alchemy Ship?" Lydia asked in amazement. She saw propellers and rudders on it, things normally used on seafaring vessels.
"This is called an airship," Lynn replied.
At first, he had planned to make a hot-air balloon. It was the simplest way to get into the sky without magic. But after thinking it over, he abandoned that idea and decided to go all the way by building an airship capable of long-distance travel!
Naturally, the purpose was not merely to make something pretty. Over the past few days, he had already made some inquiries.
Although some Three-Ring Wizards proficient in elemental and shaping magic could fly through the sky, the expenditure was simply too great. Their flight altitude was limited, and they were not particularly fast. Only Great Wizards could remain airborne for long periods, and