Magic Guild

Edward set off on his sidecar. Riding a sidecar motorcycle required a few special tricks. Its balance was slightly different from that of an ordinary two-wheeled motorcycle, though not by much. That was why people used to riding two-wheelers often found it awkward at first. Fortunately, Edward's current body possessed extraordinary coordination and adaptability. After wobbling a few times, he quickly got the hang of it.

When building the bike, things like the frame and wheel hubs had been easy enough. Once he drew the blueprints, a flash of Shaping Technique was all it took. Alchemy could solve problems like, "Brain: I got it. Hands: No, you don't." The wish-fulfilling Shaping Technique was simply too convenient.

But the difficult parts were the tires, suspension, and engine.

The tires required raw rubber to be vulcanized and mixed with carbon black. Those chemical reactions could not be completed with an Alchemy Array. Even for the final shaping, Edward had first used a Transmutation Circle to make molds before pouring in the rubber.

The smell of heated rubber filled the entire Underground Laboratory. If he had not hollowed out a chimney in the cliff behind the place that ran all the way to the mountaintop, producing an outstanding upward draft, he might have been smoked to death in the Underground Laboratory. In any case, more than one Alchemist had been smoked to death in a laboratory before.

For the suspension system, Edward used hydraulic shock absorbers and springs, just like in his Previous Life. Springs were easy enough, but he had forgotten to buy the Engine Oil needed for the hydraulic shocks. In his Previous Life, engine oil had been refined from petroleum. In this life, it was made from the fat of giant whales hunted at sea. So he had taken it upon himself to use cooking oil from the kitchen instead. He had no idea how long the suspension would last.

Finally came the engine. He had originally wanted to use an Electric Motor. Though making a DC motor had already become second nature to him, it was slow and lacked the roar of an engine from his Previous Life. That felt terribly unsatisfying. (P.S. Don't argue that electric vehicles can run fast. Those use brushless DC motors requiring integrated circuit control, and the protagonist could not make those yet.) As for an internal combustion engine, forget it. There was no fuel.

In the end, he summarized the energy structure of his Previous Life:

Hydroelectric power: water pushed fan blades to turn.

Wind power: wind blew fan blades to turn.

Thermal power: burn water to make steam blow fan blades to turn.

Nuclear power: nuclear reactions heated water to make steam blow fan blades to turn.

Wasn't the core principle simply making the wheels turn? The easiest method was to build a Wind Magic Array and have it directly blow a fan into motion. And so, he created the most bizarre magic-powered engine in the history of this world. It was a snail-shaped fan housing, with a Wind Magic Array at the upper end of each side. Exhaust Pipes extended from below. The air intake faced the front of the motorcycle. The center of the snail connected to a chain that drove the rear wheel.

With this setup, the Magic Array blew forward to move ahead and backward to reverse. Edward ultimately named the engine the Wind-powered Continuously Variable Transmission Engine. It was powered by Redstone, a specialty of the New Continent, or directly by a Caster. The greater the input of Magic Power, the faster it ran.

There was just one drawback: at low speeds, the bike went "purr-purr-purr." It made people think he was farting nonstop...

With that appearance and that sound, it earned one hundred percent turn-around rate along the way.

Edward regretted it deeply. Why hadn't I added a silencer to the Exhaust Pipe before heading out? Fortunately, the Goggles covered his eyes, so no one recognized him. The habit of watching a spectacle existed in every world. Wherever there were people, there would be onlookers. Under the gazes lining both sides of the road, Edward arrived at West Street of the Duke's Mansion.

Logically, he should have visited the Mage Guild before. Why could he not remember where it was? He had even come here to get certification before leaving for Middle Earth.

At the end of West Street by the Duke's Mansion, the tower at the northwest corner stood taller than the towers at the other three corners. There was a small door set into the tower, with a dim Wooden sign hanging outside: "White Hawk Duchy Branch of the Mage Guild."

"So this is where it is. Looks like the White Hawk Duchy's Magic Tower is the Duke's Mansion tower."

Edward parked at the side of the entrance. There was no such thing as illegal parking these days, anyway. He Pulled the Goggles up to his forehead, adjusted his backpack, and entered the guild.

The small door was not shut, and it was pitch-black inside. Edward took a few seconds to adjust before he could see anything. He reached into his backpack as cover and took out a Flashlight from his Spatial Ring, sweeping it around. The interior was spacious. Sofa Chairs for visitors to rest on lined the wall near the entrance, with a Wooden counter in front of them. Behind the counter were filing cabinets, desks, and everything else one would expect. A notice board hung on the opposite wall.

The ceiling was high, and a magic chandelier hung from it, unlit. The layout resembled the Mage Guild in Ailande, only smaller. But why was it completely empty? There was not a single person here.

"Is anyone here?" Edward called tentatively. Waves of echoes rang through the empty tower, making the Young Alchemist's skin crawl.

"Is anyone here?" After waiting a while with no response, Edward raised his voice and called again. Did I come to the Magic Guild to send a Letter, or to play castle exploration? I have the Flashlight. All I'm missing is a crowbar and teammates.

Suddenly, Edward heard a "Creak..." like the sound of a door opening in a horror film. Startled, he swiftly aimed the Flashlight toward the sound while pulling a Dark Black weapon from his Spatial Ring.

A Secret Door had opened in the wall behind the counter, and a young girl in a Maid outfit stepped out. Perhaps startled by the sudden bright light, she cried out and covered her eyes.

"Sir, could you please turn off your Magic Lamp? I'll turn on the lights right away," the young Maid said.

Edward's alarm proved false. He quickly put away the Dark Black "guy" in his hand and pointed the Flashlight elsewhere. The Maid felt around behind the counter for a while, and the Magic Lamps overhead lit up. Edward turned off the "Flashlight" and walked toward the counter.

"Hello, sir. This is the White Hawk Branch of the Magic Guild. I am the Receptionist, Jessica. How may I help you?" Jessica had initially been furious at someone shining such a powerful Magic Lamp in her eyes, but after seeing that the visitor was a handsome young man, she was no longer angry.

The Maid's standardized smile and manner of speaking gave Edward the feeling of visiting a shopping mall in his Previous Life.

"My name is Edward Smith, and I am an Alchemist." Following the guild's custom, Edward first showed his Alchemist badge. "I am here to apply to use the Caster-only route to send a Letter."

"Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment. The president is away, so I will fetch Vice President Miss Alice." The Maid turned to leave.

"Wait. The Miss Alice you mentioned wouldn't happen to be Princess Andrea's Cousin, Miss Alice, would she?"

"That's right, Mr. Smith. Are you acquainted? That would be even better." The Maid turned back gracefully as she replied.

"We're not exactly acquainted. But isn't she a Mage in the Royal Mage Corps?"

"She is. Miss Alice is the deputy commander of the Royal Mage Corps and concurrently the branch's vice president. Kaydelin is the commander of the Duchy Mage Corps and concurrently the branch president."

"Does your Branch have many registered Mages? It looks like no one has been here in ages." Edward seemed to understand something.

"Just... just two," Jessica answered embarrassedly. "Normally, no one comes here either. Neither of them comes here."

"What if Casters from other countries come to White Eagle City?"

"Most Casters who come to White Eagle City are adventurers. They register directly with the Adventurer's Guild, which periodically organizes the records and transfers them to us. I only handle incoming and outgoing matters here. Sending Letters requires a Mage to activate the Magic Array. Please wait a moment. I'll fetch Miss Alice." Seeing that Edward was in no hurry, the young Maid chatted with him for a few more moments.

Elsewhere, Alice received the notification and happily jumped down from her tall chair. "Andrea, it seems you were right." Then she followed the Maid outside, not forgetting to turn back and ask, "Are you coming too?"

The Knight Princess smiled wryly, shook her head, then followed after them. Yet when passing the Dressing Mirror, she still adjusted her collar and smoothed her hair. After some thought, she let down her long hair that had been tied in a Ponytail, allowing it to fall over her shoulders. She restored the expression of a Domineering Female CEO, quickened her pace, and followed them out of the room. But as she turned the corner of the corridor, the corners of her lips curled upward again.

Edward was growing bored of waiting, so he turned and walked over to the Magic Guild's notice board. Only a few sheets of paper hung there. One was a long-term request to purchase magical beast materials. This was probably a measure taken by guilds across the New Continent to encourage the hunting of magical beasts. Every guild on the New Continent should have had similar long-term requests.

Below that was a long-term request recruiting resident Mages. Apparently, no one had accepted it.

Further down were portraits of wanted Casters shared by both the New Continent and the Old Continent, with substantial rewards listed beneath them. But the art style made Edward suck in breath through his teeth. Did people who looked that bizarre really exist in the world...?

"Hey! Boss Smith, we meet again... Your clothes sure are strange." Alice came out through the door behind the counter and greeted Edward warmly.

Behind her, the long-haired princess wore a pale moon-white knight's Training Clothes and carried a longsword. She smiled and nodded at Edward. When Edward had last seen Princess Andrea, she had still habitually worn a Ponytail. The instant he saw the long-haired princess this time, Edward froze blankly for a moment. Then he suddenly realized his lapse and hurriedly turned to Alice first.

"Hello, Miss Alice."

Then he shyly turned toward the Knight Princess standing with her sword in her arms and bowed.

"Alchemist sch... um, Warlock Edward Smith pays his respects to Your Highness the Princess."

Alice, who was extremely sensitive to Magic Power, sensed it when Edward misspoke.

"Boss, you advanced? It's only been two days since we last met!"

"Thanks to you and Her Highness the Princess. I advanced that very night after you left." Edward smiled awkwardly. Before these two, advancing to an official profession really was not something worth boasting about.

What he did not see was that the Princess, who had remained silent behind Alice, smiled even more brilliantly, like a red rose blooming in summer.