Chapter 48
My expression turned serious as I thought of a very grave question. Moli had told me that she had demonstrated the fire spell Meteor Fire Rain during her final exam, which allowed her to graduate early. I had to ask, "What level is Meteor Fire Rain?"
"... Level Six."
"It's over," I sighed. "College education these days is beyond saving."
... That kind of simple, endless spell that's perfect for a date, just a wave of the hand, is level six? Seriously? Back when I was fighting my teacher, if I didn't use Hellfire and Undead Rejuvenation, but instead faked out a Meteor Fire Rain, the fight would have been over. My teacher would have laughed himself to death! He'd laugh himself to death, then come back to life, and then laugh himself to death again!
Mel and I covered our faces simultaneously, and Reynold, surprisingly, did just that too, covering his face, his shoulders trembling, his voice shaky. "Ciprins... My God... It's unbelievable... Why didn't you tell me sooner that your magic was so powerful! How could I have let you stay in that research institute, under Doug's control... God of Light bless you... You actually... Your strength is simply... I'm dreaming... Three ancient forbidden spells... My God... Those are spells that require an entire regiment of mages from the Federation Magic Corps to cast together..."
Well, let's not even talk about the Federation Magic Corps. After all, those military mages who join the army have been despised by our peers since ancient times—they learn magic for a purpose, not simply to pursue knowledge, but to fight, so their magical skills are naturally not worth mentioning.
"So what are you going to do? Go work as a secretary in your office?" I replied, "But haven't I always told you that I can Flight Spell?"
Reynold was speechless, his face flushing red and then turning pale.
"Yeah, I told him I could Flight Spell, but he just laughed it off. I guess he didn't believe me at all. I was wondering then, isn't it normal to know Flight Spell? Could it be that Reynold..." I couldn't help but shudder. I tried to think like Reynold, and it really made my hair stand on end—did he think I was pretending to be amazing to curry favor with him? Or pretending to be something extraordinary to cover up the fact that I was being kept, and to salvage a pitiful sense of self-esteem?
My God! My Flight Spell are about to crumble from fear... By all the benevolent gods, has Reynold been thinking all along that he was "tolerating a little mage's nonsense and capriciousness"...?
... Reynold, I mourn for your incredibly limited vision and astonishing imagination.
Mel couldn't help but hug my arm, and said to Reynold with a smug look, "Of course, my Xipei is the best!"
Wait... why are you here again!
We're probably incurable of this habit of praising each other! I really didn't want to flatter Mel in public, so I turned my head and kissed the corner of his mouth as a response.
Lusien remained incredibly solemn. "Please allow me to pay my respects to both of you! You are both legends living in our time!"
Wow... Oh no, even Lusien is praising us now! Is this ever going to end?!
Then Lusien continued, "So, I need to ask you two gentlemen, how should slimes be raised?"
Forehead?
We were taken aback. Looking at Lusien's serious expression, anyone who didn't know better would think he was discussing some major national issue with me. But instead, he asked us... how to raise slimes? This was completely unrelated! Besides, who would know? Even if we were decent mages, nobody would raise those things!
I said, "I'm good at quickly juicing slimes, but I really don't know how to raise them."
Mel said, "Nobody would raise something like that; it's a magical material, and a low-level one at that."
Lusien's expression instantly became even more solemn, serious enough to be appropriate for attending the funeral of an important leader. He said, "It's like this, I just received a text message from the capital. Doug, the vice-dean of the Magic Research Institute who was turned into a slime by Madsen a few days ago, is still a green slime. The Federation Central Hospital has absolutely no experience in raising slimes, and in the last few days he seems to have shrunk considerably due to hunger. We're afraid that before you can return to lift the spell, Lord Doug will die from improper care."
OMG!
What... what am I supposed to say! Even if Mel's Transformation Spell is powerful, it shouldn't last this long, right? Generally speaking, Transformation Spell only lasts for more than a day when it works on small animals that aren't very bright or intelligent!
--Could it be that my teacher's bunker really offers time travel capabilities? I haven't really studied the current level of other mages before, but I do read the news, and there are mages who have published significant academic achievements. Not to mention others, the former dean of the research institute is very knowledgeable. Once, he even flew with me to snatch the latest academic journal!
"... After all... well, that's a minority." Lusien replied helplessly after learning of my question.
Mel was also visibly stunned. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "... I didn't use Permanent Transformation Spell, did I?"
Lusien's expression was solemn... Well, indeed, he was about to hold a funeral for the Five-Star Old Man... the five-star slime, so this expression was very appropriate.
"... There are many pet shops in the capital that sell slimes. You can go there and ask how to raise slimes." Reynold said weakly, his face pale... Hmm, based on my understanding of Reynold, he was probably recalling his experience of being turned into a sheep. Indeed, sheep are more common than slimes and easier to raise. Everyone knows that sheep eat grass, but what slimes eat is not so easy to say.
His lips trembled as he asked me, "For the sake of... our past relationship, if... you still want to transform me, please continue to turn me into a sheep, okay?"
Okay... green slimes are just too disgusting, sheep are much cuter... Hmm, alpacas would be a good option too.
"Alright, alright," Luolan interjected, "We've arrived."
Chapter 48
Before we knew it, we had arrived at Mining Platform No. 8, a huge floating mechanical platform. Its anti-gravity system, which works stably year-round, allows it to suspend high above the city, floating on steam power unique to the dwarves.
The enormous steam-powered turbine engines caught my eye; they were completely different from the magical engines I'd seen in the Federation. The technological advancements of dwarves and humans were almost a perfect contrast between two different models: mechanical and Magitech were neck and neck, each with its own brilliant achievements. Human technology now almost never uses steam power anymore, firstly because they rely on steam springs deep in the mountains, and secondly...
Hmm, that thing looks like a giant kettle! A flying kettle, hissing and spewing colorful gas! I've heard that most mechanical technology products are like this; they look like toads that have been boiled by witches, or used by a bunch of goblins for foot baths, or like they've just been used by sorcerers to boil bathwater—in short, they look very... unmodern!
Compared to this design style, my old "tech-style" apartment, which I used to dislike, is now quite beautiful and comfortable.
The somewhat cumbersome mining tools were now sealed off, and a large number of dwarven guards were maintaining order. Medical airships floated nearby, and wounded miners were being carried out from time to time. The evacuated dwarven miners didn't seem to be in a panic. I've always felt that these short creatures are naturally... lacking in a sense of crisis. In other words, well, they can be silly and happy in any situation, which is actually not bad.
"Look!" Reynold pointed to the ground, his face still pale. "Relying on technology to improve productivity and living standards—that's the lifestyle of the vast majority of people in modern society."
... A team of scientists from the Federation stationed in the dwarven Gray Mountain City was pointing and gesturing here and there with a bunch of Magitech artifacts I couldn't recognize. Several of them looked like mages, judging by their research robes; they might be former colleagues... and then... um...