I Have a Better Idea

Staring at the information on the Self-Charging Magic Array, Betty let out a long breath after an unknown amount of time. "I still can't imagine that this mortal managed to piece together a magic array capable of gathering mana from countless basic runes... This array is unlike any I've ever seen. It has discarded almost all complex structures, even..."

"Your master, the Magic Goddess, created magic from nothing when she was still a mortal. Now that another mortal has created a Self-Charging Magic Array, isn't that perfectly normal?" Roger said with a smile, shaking his head. "As for why you never considered it, the reason is simple: you've always been following the Magic Goddess."

"You've always been in an environment where mana was abundant, whether in the mortal world or the Divine Kingdom. And for you, researching an array like this simply wasn't worthwhile."

In the past, Roger had brought up wanting such a device or magic array several times, but Betty had rejected every suggestion.

His knowledge reserves had not been sufficient, and he had always believed it truly could not be done, or that it would take a very long time. Compared to researching this, it was better to develop Mana Bombs or Ray Guns.

That was why they had put the matter aside.

But that Wild Mage was different. He was a mortal, apparently even a mage who had been ostracized. He had no mana-rich area of his own and could not even cultivate in the mana-rich areas shared by the major forces in the royal capital.

Under such circumstances, it was hardly strange that he had developed this technology out of some necessity.

All that could be said was that he truly was a genius. He had accomplished something no one had done throughout history—or perhaps something someone had done before but never made public.

Mages had always liked keeping their techniques hidden.

"You said it yourself just now. This array is incomplete and far from comprehensive, and it still has many problems..."

Seeing that Betty still seemed somewhat dejected, Roger had just opened his mouth to comfort her when she shook her head. "In this regard, I am indeed inferior to him. My perspective limited my ability to innovate. His idea is excellent. Even though it is incomplete now and has serious flaws, I believe that, with his intelligence, he will solve those problems sooner or later..."

"No. Without our help, he probably won't last until then."

Book's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Betty. "According to the information I possess, this Wild Mage Adrift actually suffers from Mana Rejection Disorder, and it has already reached an extremely severe stage. If he cannot perfect this array soon, he likely will not survive another month..."

Mana Rejection Disorder?!

Roger and Betty froze at the same time.

Then, the relevant information quickly flooded into their minds.

Mana Rejection Disorder was a magical illness with an extremely low chance of occurring. If it appeared in an ordinary person, at worst, that person simply would not be able to become a mage.

But if it appeared in a mage, it was a complete catastrophe!

The body would treat mana as an invading foreign substance and attempt to remove it through a rejection response. Once a formal mage's internal mana dropped below a certain level, their body would automatically draw on their life force to absorb more mana.

When Mana Rejection Disorder appeared in a formal mage, this would happen: mana would constantly be expelled, then the body would automatically drain life force to replenish mana, and then the body would expel that mana again...

A mage with Mana Rejection Disorder was like those elementary school swimming pool math problems: water was being poured in on one side while flowing out on the other, except what was being consumed in the process was life force.

The only effective treatment was to place oneself in an area rich in mana, ensuring that the rate of voluntarily absorbing mana always exceeded the rate of rejection. That way, one's life force could be preserved.

But this Wild Mage had no such environment... In that instant, Roger and Betty both understood why he had been researching the Self-Charging Magic Array!

He wanted to use the array to gather mana... to save himself!

"Doll, how quickly can you perfect this Self-Charging Magic Array?" After a long silence, Roger suddenly spoke.

"Two days. I can finish it in two days at the fastest, and no more than five days at the slowest. I can guarantee that the perfected Self-Charging Magic Array will no longer carry risks. It will be able to charge Energy-Storage Runes and also... charge mages."

Betty thought carefully before adding, "This kind of Self-Charging Magic Array has appeared for the first time. I have never encountered one before. Even though it uses only the most ordinary low-level runes, I still need some time to study it."

"That's already very fast." Roger nodded slightly. "Then go perfect it. Oh, and if possible, I think you could build the Self-Charging Magic Array into a 'reservoir' with countless channels. That way, once the array reaches a sufficient scale, it can provide mana to multiple Magitech Devices or magical devices at the same time."

"Like our Ray Guns, all of them are designed for ver... versatility." Betty nodded slightly.

"Exactly. If it can be transmitted through channels to places far away, that would be even better. I call those ports—output ports."

Roger quickly explained his idea.

In his view, the Self-Charging Magic Array could be used entirely as a power plant.

The Self-Charging Magic Array would gather a great amount of mana, then deliver it through ports and lines to every place that needed it...

Once it succeeded, the production and use of Magitech Devices would become incredibly easy. They might even enter every household.

"No problem. That's simple." Once Betty had a clear task, she vanished from the spot instantly.

A heaven-defying magic array like the Self-Charging Magic Array had already been completed. For Betty, transmitting the gathered mana to specific areas was easy!

"What luck!" Roger let out a long breath.

Things had gone far more smoothly than he had imagined.

And the emergence of the Self-Charging Magic Array had also given him many possibilities.

"Lord Roger, once Betty perfects the technology, how will we give it to that Wild Mage? He is neither a believer of the Goddess nor yours. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to directly teach him such knowledge? Although he invented it in the first place, improving it is not something he could accomplish... Should we use this opportunity to demand that he convert? Otherwise, we can only give him the technology through the Magic Web. That feels somewhat beneath your dignity..."

Roger had been considering how to expand the faith and quickly become a god after the appearance of this "power plant" when Book's voice suddenly jolted him awake. "No, I have a better idea."