Yi Aier's Sigh

Frankly speaking, the weapon envisioned by Yi Aier combines the advantages of both armored vehicles and tanks. Its elongated, carriage-like body can accommodate nearly fifty soldiers, and it boasts equally impressive speed and firepower. According to Yi Aier's plan, a small magical turret would be placed on the roof and on each side of the carriage, operated by three mages, while two other mages would control the vehicle's direction and speed. The soldiers inside would be armed with short crossbows, firing through firing ports.

To be fair, such weapons would indeed inflict considerable damage and devastation on the enemy on the battlefield. The problem is...

"We don't currently have that many mages available for combat."

Li Lin was well aware that the development of his empire was not, in fact, smooth sailing.

Hard power can be developed and accumulated through plunder, but soft power is different. A nation is not simply powerful because it possesses strong weapons and an army; getting everything back on track requires considerable ability. This is something that money and force cannot achieve. The treasure trove of magical knowledge is exceptionally vast and complex; even learning only the most basic parts will waste a lot of time. Take the students who came to the Magic Empire from the City of a Thousand Towers, for example. Although they possess talent, the best they have achieved so far is only a third-level mage, while most are still hovering between apprentice and first-level mage. This is not because the mages' teaching is inadequate, but because these young apprentices must first master the most basics before they can undergo deeper training. This method slows down their growth, but it makes their fundamentals extremely solid. Although the empire is currently in need of manpower, Li Lin clearly does not intend to sacrifice long-term interests to force these apprentices to become formal mages.

"Yes..."

Yi Aier seemed to have considered this problem as well. She slumped her shoulders in disappointment, staring at the blueprints in her hands, clearly understanding where her mistake lay. Yi Aier was still thinking about things in the way she did during the Magic Empire era, but the Magic Empire was gone, and she had to consider everything in a different way.

"While we can design weapons that ordinary people can use, Master... I just feel that it's far too dangerous."

The first standard for weapons in the Magic Empire was that powerful weapons must be designed so that only mages could use them. This is why Yi Aier emphasized the importance of mages when designing weapons. Magic, unlike other powers, could easily lead to unpredictable crises if wielded by those who didn't understand it. Therefore, the weapon standard of the Magic Empire prioritized mage use, making it as inaccessible as possible to ordinary people. This is also why, after the fall of the Magic Empire, those powerful weapons were destroyed along with it. Without mages to wield them, those weapons naturally lost their meaning and value.

This policy faced little resistance from the upper echelons of the Magic Empire, as most of these high-ranking members were mages themselves. They either understood the inherent dangers or, to maintain the status and honor of mages, strongly supported the policy. Therefore, during the Magic Empire era, the highest-level magical weapons accessible to ordinary people were merely enchanted weapons. Advanced weapons Weapon Spirit, which required the wielder's own Magic Power to activate, were inaccessible to ordinary people.

Yi Aier was clearly unwilling to create magical weapons that ordinary people could use. Of course, besides the policy restrictions she was already used to, there was another reason: she herself was a magical weapon and naturally possessed the honor of being a weapon. And because of this, she did not want high-level magical weapons to be used by people at will, which always made Yi Aier feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"That's true."

Although he didn't know Yi Aier's reasons, Li Lin still agreed with her opinion. After all, it was Li Lin who first proposed the ban.

"However, perhaps we can use some other methods to achieve our goal."

"Other methods?"

Hearing this, Yi Aier tilted his head curiously, looking at his master, clearly not understanding what he was thinking. Li Lin, however, smiled slightly and tapped the cannon blueprints he had seen earlier.

"Yi Aier, you just said that the Federation couldn't possibly manufacture such a weapon because of insufficient basic industrial capacity, right?"

"That's right. There are many things here that require long-term calculations to achieve. I believe that even if we threw these blueprints in front of them now, their attempt to replicate them would be nothing but a pipe dream."

As she spoke, Yi Aier nodded emphatically to show her approval, and her chest swayed slightly with the movement.

"Then we can do that too."

As he spoke, Li Lin pulled out the blueprint for the "cannon," a smug and cunning smile spreading across his face.

"I think, with your abilities, creating weapons that ordinary people can use shouldn't be too difficult for you."

"Certainly."

Yi Aier was very confident in her abilities, but soon her expression became hesitant.

"But its power is also immense..."

"So, you can also make those weapons completely ineffective against mages, right?"

Before Yi Aier could protest, Li Lin silenced her and offered his own ideas.

"This..."

Yi Aier frowned. Li Lin's demands were quite harsh, after all, swords have no eyes, and anyone could get hurt.

"Perhaps we could program the weapon to automatically disable itself when it senses a certain magical effect."

After a moment's thought, Yi Aier offered her opinion.

"However, its effectiveness is very limited, and it's unclear what kind of spell would be best... It also has many drawbacks..."

That's fine.

Li Lin nodded and held out a hand to stop Yi Aier from speaking.

"There always has to be a beginning before there can be improvement and progress. I will design a spell specifically for this, and all you have to do is take care of it. Any questions?"

"Yes, Master."

In response to Li Lin's question, Yi Aier quickly replied, her expression somewhat puzzled, clearly not understanding Li Lin's motives.

"What do you intend to do with these weapons? If they're for military deployment, we don't currently have enough personnel..."

I want to sell these weapons.

Li Lin answered with a smile.

"That's right, we don't have enough live people to wage a war, but that doesn't mean other countries don't... I think the Sea-Encircled Country are a good example. If we could provide them with some weapons to ensure they have enough strength to protect their territorial waters and shipping lanes... I think that would be a very worthwhile deal."

"... I see."

Hearing this, Yi Aier finally understood Li Lin's purpose for coming today. Clearly, this weapons manufacturing plan was not a product of his sudden whims. Perhaps Li Lin had already had this idea after the envoy from the Sea-Encircled Country arrived.

"I will try my best, but Master, I will not create weapons that are too powerful for them to use."

"For ordinary people, a Fireball Spell is already considered a very powerful spell."

After Li Lin said those words, it meant that the matter was completely settled.

"However, Master, we haven't seen Miss Angela lately."

Taking this opportunity, Yi Aier finally voiced the question that had been troubling her for a long time: since the banquet last night, Yi Aier hadn't seen Angela at all. Although she and Angela were practically sworn enemies, it was precisely because of this that she was particularly concerned about Angela's presence. After receiving the invitation yesterday, Yi Aier had already prepared herself to be ridiculed Angela in front of everyone, but she hadn't expected to see Yi Aier at all during the banquet. This surprised her, because based on Yi Aier's understanding of Angela, the little one would definitely not be absent from such occasions.

"Angela has temporarily left Ringwraith City."

Sensing his maid's thoughts, Li Lin explained with a wry smile. These two would never be satisfied unless they fought to the death when they met, but when they couldn't see each other, they cared a lot about each other. Even Angela, before leaving, asked Li Lin to pass on a message to Yi Aier: "Let this big-breasted woman rub her breasts off properly."

Of course, Li Lin wouldn't convey Angela's "heartfelt wishes."

"I have a very important task for her to do."

"This can't be something that happens in Sea-Encircled Country, can it?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Aier's expression immediately turned ugly.

"Master, are you sure it's really... okay to give it to her?"

"Although Angela is usually like that, she can be serious when she needs to be."

At this point, Li Lin reached out and gently stroked the little maid's head.

"Well then, the rest is up to you."

"Please rest assured and leave it to me, Master. I guarantee I will complete the mission."

In response to Li Lin's request, Yi Aier puffed out her chest smugly.

"Call..."

After watching her master leave, Yi Aier rubbed her head. To be honest, deep down she was very reluctant to create powerful magical weapons for ordinary people. However, since Li Lin had set a goal, she would naturally carry it out unconditionally.

"Okay, let's begin..."

Turning around, Yi Aier slapped her cheeks hard, trying to cheer herself up. However, looking at the empty room, the little maid couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions. Although she didn't like being disturbed while working, the quietness sometimes affected her mood.

"Honestly, you're always thinking about random things. Didn't the master just come? Let's take advantage of this moment and get right to work!"

As he spoke, Yi Aier clenched his right fist and raised it high—but did not bring it down immediately.

"Do..."

"Just now... my master and I... were alone together..."

The atmosphere changed in that instant.

"Hoo hoo hoo... Master, you probably don't know yet..."

"Oh? Cute little maid, as Arcane Mage, is there anything I don't know?"

"You don't need to hide it anymore, Master... Although you are Arcane Mage, you probably don't know much about matters concerning girls."

"What... what are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, Master... From now on, Yi Aier will personally teach you things about girls..."

"Waaah..."

"Oh dear, please don't be so stiff, Master."

"What stiffness...?"

"Look, it got hard so quickly, didn't it? Master's... ah... how magnificent..."

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you touching?"

"Of course, this is it! Ah... so hot, thick, huge... Master truly lives up to his reputation as Arcane Mage..."

"I don't think this has anything to do with Arcane Mage..."

"Ah... Master actually blushed? I never expected you to have such an adorable side..."

"No... don't touch there..."

"Master here... Touching Master here, I don't know why, but I feel like I'm wet too..."

"I... El, you..."

"Please don't move, Master. It is a maid's duty to serve you and help you become a proper adult... Now, let me tell you everything about women."

"Ugh...!"

"Ah... it's in. Just as I expected, Master's... it's so big..."

"Haahahahaha..."

"Master's movements... are so intense... it feels so good..."

"Yi Aier, I have, I have..."

"You don't have to hold back, right, Master? Please let it all out! Fill it up... inside..."

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore!!"

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

"Huff... huff..."

"Whoosh, who knew you shot so much? Master, really..."

"..."

"..."

"Why?"

The girl, finally snapping out of her delusions, was now blushing.

"It's clearly my first time..."

"It was my first time, and my master actually ejaculated inside me!!!"

"Um?"

A tremendous roar echoed through the sky. Li Lin, who had just stepped out the door, turned around in surprise and saw a white beam of light shooting into the sky...

"Is that guy here again?"

Even with exceptional abilities, some things cannot be changed so easily.

"How is the situation?"

Upon seeing Li Lin's appearance, Nia asked him a question while flipping through the intelligence in front of her.

"There shouldn't be any problems with Yi Aier. I think she should be able to manufacture the weapons we need for export."

Li Lin was quite confident about this.

"But there are problems too, right?"

As an Eternal Library with the most extensive collection of magical knowledge, it naturally understands that making magical weapons ineffective against mages is almost as difficult as wanting a horse to run without feeding it.

"Indeed, Yi Aier also admits that it's almost impossible."

Li Lin had to agree with Nia's statement. In fact, he knew his own idea was too far-fetched. However, one must first dare to think before considering other issues. Although Yi Aier hadn't given Li Lin much to hope for, her statement about "being able to sense certain magical effects" did give Li Lin a lot of inspiration. Indeed, it was far too difficult to expect magical weapons to have automatic recognition capabilities. Even with Weapon Spirit Transformation, only the highest-level beings like the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys could recognize targets and autonomously decide whether to attack. But Yi Aier's idea was indeed a good opportunity. While it was too impractical to expect magical weapons to automatically identify whether a target was attackable, it wasn't difficult for them to automatically shut down after sensing a certain magical effect.

Of course, the choice of spells is also very important. They must be commonly used, reflecting the mage's identity, and be spells that only mages can use. However, they cannot be too advanced. More importantly, these spells must not be automatically triggered under normal circumstances. If they were set to trigger at any time, then those countries that purchase the weapons would quickly discover the hidden trickery, which would not be good for the reputation of the Magic Empire.

After pondering for a moment, Li Lin finally made a decision.

"Since it's a college, I think we should design some school uniforms."

"School uniform?"

Hearing this, Nia raised her eyebrows slightly. After all, in the era of the Magic Empire, although there were schools, the students were distinguished by their mage robes. As for the school's special uniforms, Nia had never thought about that.

"That's right, perhaps we monks should change our past attitude."

As Li Lin spoke, his thoughts became increasingly expansive.

"To the average person, mages always appear in loose robes, exuding an air of mystery. While this certainly helps us build our authority and prestige, it can also create an invisible barrier. Perhaps we should adopt a new style of clothing to replace the mage robes. After all, ordinary mage robes don't hold any special significance; if we could make some changes in that regard..."

"Hidden passive trigger spells, right?"

Hearing this, Nia understood.

"That's right, we can hide this spell in the school uniform. It will only activate automatically when attacked, and once the spell is sensed, the weapons will automatically stop attacking. Even if someone tries to study it, they will only find that it is a modified defensive spell, without any suspicion. Moreover, only those with Magic Power can trigger this defensive spell; it will have no effect on ordinary people."

"It is indeed a very feasible plan."

Hearing this, Nia nodded slightly.

"But what kind of protective spell should we use?"

Li Lin did not answer Nia's question immediately. Instead, he wrote something on a piece of paper before pushing it in front of Nia.

How about this one?