The Variable-Speed Magic Fan

The little slave's skin was torn and bloody, and his injuries looked frightening. But they were only flesh wounds; his muscles and bones were unharmed.

Xu Yi took him to the best clinic in Bunta City. Once an examination confirmed his life was not in danger, Xu Yi left him in the doctors' care and returned to Camilla's Magic Tower.

When he entered the research room, his colleagues looked surprised to see him.

"Hey, Xu Yi, didn't you take the whole day off? Why are you back?" Rem called out.

"I finished what I needed to do. Since I had nothing else going on, I came back to see if there was any work." Xu Yi smiled.

"Oh? I thought you weren't planning to come back at all."

"Rem, don't you get it? Magic fans are selling so well that Xu Yi doesn't need to come back. He'll make a fortune just selling them. Why would he keep doing the dirty work in this shabby magic tower?"

Xu Yi frowned slightly at the sarcastic remark, then smiled, shook his head, and ignored it.

He had taken several days off lately because setting up the factory had kept him busy with one thing after another.

Grand Magus Camilla had said nothing about it, but several of Xu Yi's colleagues in the research room had plenty to say. Some could barely speak to him without sounding sarcastic.

Xu Yi couldn't be bothered to find out why they had such a problem with him. Their opinions made no difference to him.

"Vena, how's the research on that magic array coming along?" Xu Yi asked quietly, walking straight to her desk.

"I've more or less figured it out." Vena pulled out the Magic Array Blueprints and spread them across her desk. "Look here. I agree with your idea of using the Lidil Node to neutralize the conflict in the array. I've run a lot of experiments these past few days, and I'm certain this configuration works best. What do you think?"

"If you say it's the best, I'm sure it's fine."

Despite his words, Xu Yi took the Magic Array Blueprints and examined them carefully. In the end, he confirmed that Vena's solution was an excellent fit.

"Great! Vena, thank you for your help." Xu Yi cleared his throat. "Of course, help is one thing and payment is another. Ten gold coins again. How does that sound?"

Vena blushed slightly. "Isn't that too much? I only spent one night on it."

"That's because you're a genius." Xu Yi chuckled. "Knowledge is priceless. If anything, ten gold coins is too little."

Vena thought it over, then stopped protesting and nodded.

After Xu Yi left her desk, Rem came over with a frown.

"Vena, what were you and Xu Yi talking about? You looked awfully secretive."

Vena glared at him. "What do you mean, secretive? How was that secretive?"

Rem jumped and apologized at once. "No, no, I just meant... mysterious. Yes, mysterious. What were you talking about?"

"Nothing much. Xu Yi asked me to help research a magic array and offered me ten gold coins for the work." Vena saw no reason to hide it, so she told him plainly.

"Ten gold coins?" Rem's startled cry drew everyone's attention. Alarmed, he hurriedly lowered his voice again. "He's paying you ten gold coins just to look into a magic array? Are you sure he isn't tricking you?"

"Why would he trick me?" Vena shot Rem an exasperated look. "This isn't the first time. He paid me promptly for the last few jobs. Why wouldn't I trust him?"

"Not the first time?" Rem looked even more astonished. "Vena, you actually... you kept this thing with Xu Yi from me..."

Vena flew into a rage. "What do you mean, kept it from you? Who are you to me? Do I have to report everything I do to you?"

Her voice rose sharply, and everyone in the research room heard her. They turned to look at Vena and Rem, naturally assuming the couple were having an argument.

Then they looked at Xu Yi. They couldn't understand how a few words between him and Vena had led to a fight with Rem. Rem wasn't usually the jealous type...

Xu Yi had no time to worry about whatever was going on between Vena and Rem. With the Magic Array Blueprints in hand, he returned to his desk and immediately got to work.

The array was an improved version of the Wind Spiral Array used in the magic fan.

The first version of the Magic Fan had been designed in a rush, leaving plenty of room for improvement. Now that Xu Yi planned to increase production, developing a new version was the natural next step.

If he could get the Magic Array in his hands working, for example, the Magic Fan would be able to change speeds instead of spinning at one constant rate like the first version.

The change sounded simple, but it placed extremely high demands on the entire Magic Array. Xu Yi could have developed it on his own, but that would have taken far too much time. So he had asked Vena to help design a Magic Array to his specifications.

Vena had been fascinated by the first version of Xu Yi's Magic Fan. When he asked her to help improve its Magic Array, she readily agreed.

As one of the strongest magicians in the research room, Vena understood Magic Arrays far better than Xu Yi did. Before long, she had improved the Magic Array exactly as he requested.

Xu Yi was delighted with the result. He knew one person could only do so much, and everyone had their own specialty. Since Vena's magical ability far surpassed his, leaving a magical problem to her was clearly the right choice.

He paid her ten gold coins for every problem she solved.

Vena kept saying that was too much, but Xu Yi thought it was too little.

Back on Earth, experts with the right skills would not even give you the time of day unless you offered them a substantial fee.

More importantly, Vena's help saved Xu Yi a great deal of time, letting him focus on combining magic with engineering.

The Magic Fan's overall design would need changes to accommodate the improved Magic Array. At present, Xu Yi was the only person on the Sains Continent who understood that side of the work, so no one could help him with it.

It was already late July. The hot weather would last no more than two months. If Xu Yi wanted the Second-Edition Variable-Speed Magic Fan on the market this summer, he had to move quickly.

Time flew as he immersed himself in research. By the time Xu Yi had settled on a preliminary design for the Variable-Speed Magic Fan, he looked up to find the research room silent. His colleagues had gone home long ago.

Xu Yi stretched and was about to pack up and leave when the research room door opened and Stille poked her head in.

"Hey, Xu Yi. I knew you'd still be here." Stille waved to him with a playful smile.

"What is it? Did you need something, or does Grand Magus Camilla want to see me again?" Xu Yi asked with a smile.

Though he had not spent much time with Stille, she was the one who had helped him stay at the Magic Tower in the first place. He had always been grateful to her and treated her more warmly than his other colleagues.

Stille rolled her eyes and gave a soft snort. "What, do I need a reason to come see you?"

Xu Yi laughed and shook his head. He didn't believe Stille had come for no reason, but he wasn't foolish enough to call a nineteen-year-old girl out on her lie.

"You came to see me for no reason? Don't tell me you fell for me because I'm so handsome," Xu Yi teased.

Sure enough, Stille's face turned scarlet. She glared at Xu Yi. "Why are you men all like this? Enough nonsense. Come with me. Let's find somewhere to eat. My treat."

"You're buying me dinner?" Xu Yi paused. So she definitely wants something from me.

"What? You don't believe me?" Stille glared, strode over, grabbed Xu Yi's arm, and pulled him toward the door.

"Hey, hey, people will get the wrong idea! I'll come with you..."

The restaurant where Stille treated Xu Yi to a meal was not far away, just a short distance from the Magic Tower.

It did not look especially expensive, but it was quiet and peaceful, and the dishes were distinctive and delicious. Stille had clearly put some thought into choosing it.

Several times during the meal, Stille seemed about to say something, but each time she stopped herself. Amused, Xu Yi made no move to help her along and simply kept eating.

Just as they were about to finish, Stille finally spoke in a low voice. "Um... Xu Yi, could I ask you a favor?"

Xu Yi smiled faintly. She's more patient than I expected. "What is it? Tell me. After this meal, I'll certainly help if I can."

Stille seethed. I'm a beautiful woman, aren't I? I could ask another man for a favor without even buying him dinner, and he'd agree in a heartbeat!

And Xu Yi says he'll help because of the meal—and he still sounds reluctant. How ungrateful.

But she needed his help, so she had to keep her manner humble. She forced a smile. "Well... do you remember the Piano Model you brought out on the day you first interviewed at the Magic Tower?"

"Of course. What about it?"

"Do you have it with you now?"

"No. It's not exactly small. Why would I carry it around for no reason?" Xu Yi shook his head.

"I suppose not." Stille thought for a moment, then said suddenly, "Then could we go to your house now?"