Partners

Fran's idea wasn't actually that complicated. She was probably using the concept of landline telephones from her previous life to try and replicate it on the Number Nine Floating City using the Mana Communication System.

As for why electricity isn't used to build this system, it's simply because it's far too expensive.

Even in Fran's previous life, landline phones didn't transition to an era of integrated landline and handset all at once; rather, the development was gradual.

Let alone Fran now, even in Antir, electricity has not yet been widely adopted as an energy source, let alone in the Floating City.

Therefore, Fran would be better off directly utilizing the technology accumulated through the Mana Communication System and promoting it in the Floating City, which would actually save a lot of costs.

Furthermore, to ordinary mages, this is a communication system named after magic elements, which sounds worth spending several Gold Coin to buy. If Fran were to tell others that it is electrically powered, those mages might still be full of questions.

Therefore, using magic elements to construct this fixed communication system aligns with the current development trend of Floating City.

Ultimately, once this system reaches a certain scale, Fran is confident that she can reduce the monthly cost of calls to less than one Gold Coin.

Even if this communication can only be made on the Number Nine Floating City, it is enough to crush all communication systems currently on the market.

"This is a brilliant idea. Switching to this kind of remote text communication and charging a monthly information service fee is much more promising than selling it to those who have learned the Mana Communication System."

Forrest exclaimed that he now felt the project would only have real potential if it were handled the way Fran had done.

Previously, this project seemed promising, and the idea of selling the Mana Communication System to those societies was simply a pipe dream.

In his excitement, Forrest seemed to remember something, and a hint of worry appeared on his face.

"Master Lai, there's another problem. This project might be beyond the capabilities of the two of us."

This project involves far too many aspects, including obtaining the Alliance approval to build the magic pipeline, contacting the Construct School, outsourcing the project, having Magic Artisan create the necessary terminals, and promoting their communication network to mages.

These are not things that the two of them alone can handle; the various aspects involved are simply too vast.

If we really put those two in charge of pushing this forward, it might not even have started by next month.

Fran said with a smile:

"It's alright, Mage Forrest. I've already found partners. Not only do we need their help, but they probably need this project very much right now."

Forrest was taken aback, and instantly realized who Fran was referring to as her partner. He said with some concern:

"Mage Lai, this isn't right. The Alliance is openly targeting the Felistin Family... Will our magic pipeline get approved by the Alliance?"

"Therefore, during the approval process, we need to exclude the Felistin Family and discuss it separately with the Construct School. Then, using my name should allow the Alliance to expedite the approval process."

Fran has now won the Double Golden Hourglass Award, as well as the Silver Alchemy Award for completing her mission, and has been nominated for the Gold Alchemy Award. These honors are enough for the Alliance to help her accelerate any process.

"But if that's the case, won't we be targeted by the Alliance when we carry out our work later?"

Fran smiled and explained:

"No, why is the Alliance targeting us? As long as our magic element pipeline passes the Alliance's approval, procedurally, the Alliance can't do anything about it."

"And who are our targets? Individual mages. If mages buy a Communication Device to communicate with other mages, does that violate the Alliance's laws?"

"The Felistin Family also employs a group of Magic Artisan, which can help us save on the expenses of producing terminals and related materials."

"Moreover, with my current reputation, I can get them to advance the money first, driving down the terminal price to an extremely low level and quickly opening up the market."

"The installation of terminals, the allocation of numbers within the system, and the propaganda for the mages can all be handled by the Felistin Family's manpower."

"Believe me, cooperating with the Felistin Family will give us far more advantages in developing the system, and compared to that, this loss is far from insignificant."

Even when Fran asks the Felistin Family for the above assistance, what else does she need to give in return?

The answer is that she doesn't need to pay anything, because she has already made enough of a deal to gain the trust of the Felistin Family. Now it's the Felistin Family's turn to find a way to help her.

She can now leverage the power of the Felistin Family to help herself expand the magic system and spread it throughout the entire Floating City.

Of course, this is only temporary. After all, the Felistin Family was never a force she was willing to cooperate with from the beginning. It just so happens that their reach was the closest and the least.

All of this will end after the Champion Mage Challenge, and she will find a replacement for the Felistin Family's partner before that time arrives.

"Tonight, I'll go to the Felistin Family for a detailed discussion. Could you prepare the application materials for the magic conduit for me? We need to get that sorted out first."

That evening, Fran quietly arrived at Mercury Avenue without informing anyone that she would be coming to the Felistin Manor.

The reason, of course, is that Iris doesn't want to see her mingling with the Felistin Family, so Fran now dares not appear in any public settings related to the Felistin Family.

Working with the Felistin Family doesn't mean she needs to personally appear and claim it's her own project.

She just needed to explain to the Felistin Family Felistin Family what their actions had to do with her, ' Lai '.

She could blame everything on Forrest, the project manager, saying that Forrest himself approached the Felistin Family.

She helped Forrest pass the review purely because she had invested in the project; was there anything wrong with that?

When Fran reached the familiar gate, the waiters stopped Fran, but Fran was too lazy to explain much to these apprentices.

So she directly released her Second Order Mage's mental fluctuations, making the servants almost unable to straighten up, and then she spoke softly:

"Go tell Camilla I'm waiting for her in the small room on the left side of the first floor."

She had been here before, so she knew the layout. She had also observed that room; it was a place for receiving guests.

After receiving news that a Second Order Mage had broken in, Camilla rushed downstairs, opened the door, and saw a figure that surprised and delighted her.

She stepped forward, keeping five paces away, regulated her breathing, and said in a gentle tone:

"Master Lai, thank you for coming."

She really had to thank ' Lai ' for coming, because she had been trying to contact Fran for days, but to no avail, which made Camilla very frustrated.

After all, given what Fran had done, there was no reason for her to keep her distance from them at this point. And if she really changed her mind, wouldn't it have been better to just tell them directly? Why did she leave them hanging like this without saying anything?

Then, Camilla looked around but didn't see the figure she had imagined. She asked:

"Master Lai, may I ask where my sister is now?"

Honestly, if the other party hadn't been a rather famous mage, and also an outstanding figure in research, and if it had been any other mage who took Philly away and then didn't send back any information, she would have wanted to turn against them.

Moreover, by now, Philly's name is probably more well-known than Camilla's, a Second Order Mage, so it's no wonder she had to specifically ask about Philly's whereabouts.

Fran said slowly and deliberately:

"Mage Camilla, Philly is still working, and in order not to delay the work progress, I cannot bring her along."

"Work?" Camilla frowned. She hadn't expected this reason. Even if Fran had only used the fact that Philly's reputation was somewhat big now, Camilla wouldn't have pursued it.

But weren't you supposed to take people back for training? Why are you acting like Philly's boss, even talking about delaying work progress?

Fran had no interest in arguing with Camilla about these things, and simply said to Camilla in a calm tone:

"Mage Camilla, I've come here seeking assistance from the Felistin Family."

Camilla was taken aback, then a look of surprise appeared on her face. If this matter was true, then Philly's matter would have to be discussed later.

The Felistin family members all knew that even though Fran had put Philly's name on the second author's list, it seemed like she was trying to promote the family.

However, this second author can also be removed, because they both believe that Fran possesses the most crucial element.

Furthermore, after this incident, Fran maintained her distance from the family, which led some to worry that they might suddenly turn against the Felistin Family.

Fortunately, Fran has now taken the initiative to ask for the family's help, which has eased Camilla's tension a little.

It's important to know that her path to becoming a mage was largely funded by her family; if the family were to fall, she herself would suffer as well.

"The Felistin Family is willing to provide you with all the assistance you need." Camilla bowed slightly; any conflict of interest with the family was a good start.

Upon hearing this, Fran slammed a document onto the table, while Camilla flipped through the dense text and clauses, feeling a chill run down her spine.

After carefully reading through the terms, Camilla still expressed her willingness to help Fran, because although there were many things to do, they would need to advance some money.

However, she ultimately did not directly ask the family for money, so Camilla was confident that the family would agree to her request for assistance.

"By the way, Mage Lai, I was wondering if Philly has any free time lately? We haven't seen each other in a long time."

"I'm sorry, Mage Camilla, Philly and I are currently working on very important matters. Please understand."

Fran certainly couldn't let Camilla have any more contact with Philly. The more she had contact, the more flaws she might reveal. Her decision was made on a whim, and now, no matter what Camilla said, it was best not to let them meet.

"Alright." Having just established a deeper connection with the mage ' Lai,' Camilla had no choice but to give up on asking further questions.