Inside the Mess Hall of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Bolent bought a glass of milk and handed it to Li Qi, who was sitting across from him.
Seeing that Li Qi still looked somewhat shaken, Bolent said apologetically:
"Sorry, I frightened you. I didn't expect the orb to explode either."
"No... It was my own lack of consideration. I shouldn't have directly input the maximum amount of magic power."
Li Qi answered softly, holding the milk in both hands.
He really should have thought of it sooner. This kind of orb was obviously a prototype.
Its ability to withstand the amount of magic power needed to fire one bullet didn't mean it could withstand the amount needed to fire ten.
Li Qi had poured all his magic power into it in one go just now. This had clearly exceeded the orb's maximum tolerance, causing a magical reaction that made it explode. It was perfectly normal...
All right, Li Qi was actually quite angry too.
They had used an unfinished prototype to experiment on him without even informing him of the danger.
It was only because Li Qi had reacted quickly.
Otherwise, if the orb had blown Li Qi to death, Dr. Riv and Bolent, who had been standing beside him, definitely wouldn't have escaped unscathed either!
Even if they took a step back and assumed Bolent's strength was extraordinary enough for him to survive the explosion, Dr. Riv, with his mortal body, definitely wouldn't have made it.
When Li Qi had met Dr. Riv, he had used his superpower to see that Dr. Riv was merely an ordinary novice Mage Master. There was no way he could withstand an explosion of this magnitude!
But angry as he was, Li Qi also understood that this explosion had probably been beyond Dr. Riv and Bolent's expectations.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have stood so close to Li Qi.
It had simply been an accident.
However, even though it had been an accident, Bolent still said apologetically to Li Qi:
"This wasn't your fault. I should have thought of it sooner. A device that can enhance the circulation of magic power would obviously cause serious problems if it malfunctioned, but... I trusted Dr. Riv too much."
"Dr. Riv... What kind of person is he?"
After calming down somewhat, Li Qi asked Bolent.
Bolent explained:
"He's the person in charge here. He's currently responsible for researching the Magic Amplification Orb. The orb you used just now was developed by him personally."
"Then Dr. Riv is really impressive..."
"Yes, he's very impressive. He found a way to use magic-amplified bullets, and he also found the future of the Mage Masters, but..."
At this point, Bolent smiled helplessly.
"Dr. Riv isn't always quite right in the head. Aside from research, he doesn't care about anything else. That's why what happened today occurred."
That was what genius scientists were like.
Li Qi complained inwardly.
From Bolent's description, it wasn't hard to tell that Dr. Riv was the kind of traditional "mad" scientist often seen in films and television. Aside from the projects he cared about, he paid no attention to anything else.
He perfectly matched Li Qi's stereotypical image of a genius scientist.
But setting aside whether that scientist met Li Qi's standards for a genius scientist, Li Qi thought of the disc he had worn today, which had almost blown him into pieces. He raised his head and asked Bolent:
"Sir, forgive me for asking, but that orb Dr. Riv gave me today, exactly..."
At the mention of it, a smile appeared on Bolent's face.
He smiled at Li Qi and said:
"Surprising, isn't it? Dr. Riv named it the Magic Amplification Orb Model 1. It can enhance a Mage Master's magic power. Combined with specially made firearms, it can unleash even greater power from the weapons."
As he spoke, he met Li Qi's eyes and said meaningfully:
"Didn't you say that the future of the Magic Corps would be surpassed by firearms and more powerful weapons? Do you still think so now?"
"..."
So this was why Major Sir Bolent had brought him here.
Li Qi vaguely understood.
It was precisely because of what he had said to Bolent a few days ago that he had been brought here to personally test the Magic Amplification Orb Model 1, which was still undergoing trials.
Li Qi had to admit that if these orbs could truly be mass-produced and deployed on the battlefield for every member of the Magic Corps to use, then the Magic Corps really could become the Duchy of Uno's trump unit!
Think about it. The maximum range at which an ordinary bolt-action rifle could conduct accurate fire was three hundred meters.
In fact, if accuracy wasn't taken into consideration, the bullets from this kind of rifle could fly more than eight hundred meters!
If the members of the Magic Corps stood at a high vantage point, each holding one of these rifles, and fired at the same location simultaneously—
Even without aiming, the sheer bombardment of bullets would inflict extremely heavy damage on the enemy!
Longer striking distances and more lethal fire coverage represented an absolute advantage on the battlefield!
Li Qi had to admit that this was an epoch-making creation.
For Mage Masters, and for this world, it was the same!
Li Qi drew a deep breath, stood up, saluted Bolent, and said apologetically:
"Sorry, Sir. My previous statements were too arbitrary. Perhaps you were right. The Magic Corps... is the future of the nation."
"All right, all right. I'm not angry. Sit down first."
Li Qi's apology pleased Bolent greatly, but he didn't show it. Instead, he raised a hand and gestured for Li Qi to sit.
Only after waiting for Li Qi to return to his original seat did Bolent continue:
"You can't be blamed for this either. The research and development of Magic Weapons is still classified. Only a handful of people know about its progress. Since you didn't know about Magic Weapons, it was only natural for you to judge that the Magic Corps had no future based on what you knew.
"And that is also why I admire you."
Bolent looked at Li Qi with satisfaction.
Hearing this, Li Qi suddenly remembered that the person who had transferred him to the Royal Capital seemed to have been Bolent, who was sitting before him.
Bolent must have taken notice of Li Qi a long time ago and wanted him to do something.
Perhaps their chance encounter in the library hadn't been an accident either.
Perhaps it was because Li Qi hadn't chosen the Magic Corps' courses that Bolent had become curious, prompting him to approach Li Qi in the library ahead of time.
But... why?
Li Qi pondered.
Why did Bolent admire him so much?
Bolent had summoned Li Qi to the Royal Capital before the two of them had even spoken face-to-face.
So what was the true reason?
Was it because of Li Qi's performance on the battlefield, or because of the medal he wore?
Or perhaps because of his strength?
Li Qi couldn't figure it out, but on a subconscious level, he felt there might be a trap hidden in this.
He lowered his head slightly and said softly:
"...I may not be worthy of such regard from you, Sir."
"Don't sell yourself short, Warrant Officer Li Qi. I've seen your excellence with my own eyes. I've looked into both your 'deeds' on the battlefield and your performance during the assessment. That's why I brought you here today."
At this point, Bolent asked seriously:
"Warrant Officer Li Qi, I believe I've already seen the future of the Magic Corps. So... are you willing to work for me now?"
"Major Sir, I believe you haven't forgotten that my current appointment order still seems to be filed with the Intelligence Department, have you?"
Although Wood had told Li Qi to leave the Intelligence Department if possible,
the Intelligence Department's superior had recommended Li Qi for admission to the school, after all. Therefore, part of his appointment order, military registration, and personnel records were still kept in the Intelligence Department.
Not to mention whether Li Qi would choose to transfer departments after graduation.
At least for now, Li Qi was still a member of the Intelligence Department.
He was a subordinate of the Intelligence Department's nominal highest-ranking officer standing before him.
In other words, Li Qi was already working for Bolent. There could be no mistake about that.
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