BXBX NOVEL Chapter 201 - Catching a Cold
Chapter 201: Catching a Cold
Gawain wasn’t thinking about the implementation of the new system, he was paying attention to the construction process of the new building.
Wherever a new facility was constructed, the Honeycomb Magic Web would be laid down. As such, before the Public Security building began construction, the foundations in the vicinity were already installed with the honeycomb units and the output points. These magical energies would become an important support for the construction site. Before starting the constructions, the craftsmen would use the blueprints distributed to them and draw out the simple Weight Reduction magic circles, heating runes, elemental support runes, and others on the magic web’s output points. The construction materials delivered from the cement and brick factories would be processed in the areas with the simplified magic circles. Some of the materials would go through the heating and solidification process, and some would receive the elemental support to prolong the material’s lifespan. Most of the materials would go through weight reduction to make it convenient for transport and installation.
An inferior Weight Reduction magic circle drawn with cheap materials could produce a weight reduction effect that would last for one hour. During the time limit, the construction materials would be transported to the suitable position, like the roof beams and pillars. The intelligent craftsmen had gained experience during the process, and they knew how they should make use of the materials that had their weight reduced and to ensure that there wouldn’t be any conflict to the building structure when the weight was suddenly reverted to normal. Instead, they made it so that it would be securely connected with the other building materials. Throughout the entire territory, the blending of magic and traditional craftsmanship was progressing quickly in the construction work. The craftsmen in the construction were considered the first to quickly adapt to the use of magic in their daily work.
The involvement of these simple spells allowed the new Cecil territory’s construction efficiency to reach an unbelievable rate. In fact, it was beyond Gawain and Heidi’s initial prediction. They were both surprised that magic could actually bring so many changes to the commoners, while Gawain was rethinking whether his judgment of this world was correct…
Was it just the Anzu Kingdom that was in its medieval period, or was this entire world truly “lagging” in technology?
Gawain frowned while he thought about the task he handed to Rebecca and Jenni, and also about the things that he had seen and heard during the past few months.
The communication ring from the Mithril Vault, Heidi’s Levitation and Weight Reduction spells, the Eternal Sleepers’ human-brain array, the Oblivion Association’s biological reformation…
If Gawain was to judge from the angle of “if a goal could be realized” or “if a technological method existed”, this world wasn’t lagging at all and was unimaginably advanced.
Long-distance and short-delay communication technology existed in this place in the form of the magical communication spell or the Mithril Vault’s communication tool. There were also advanced facilities like the magic information towers between kingdoms. In the silver elves’ empire, there was also a flying city called the “Sacred Stars Temple”. The city could cover the entire Silver Empire with long-distance communication signals. It was considered a base station with the highest output of power that Gawain had ever heard of.
The Scorching Ray displayed a power that was equivalent to a high-energy laser or an ion blast that had extreme heat and extreme concentration.
The Eternal Sleepers’ technology created a mental-link network. In Gawain’s opinion, the human-brain array was simply a type of black technology, and what else did this technology achieve? It achieved a completely immersive virtual reality… and it could even affect the real world.
Many years ago, the Oblivion Association’s biological-reformation program had already achieved the ability to conduct organ transplants and DNA fusions between different species.
The Church of Holy Light’s holy water could already achieve 100% sterilization, while their healing theurgy could allow a human limb to instantly regenerate.
The Mages could create energy shields, concentrated energy rays, harmful sound waves, and even small-scale man-made weather…
A roof beam had half its weight reduced and was being shifted to the roof by construction workers using a suspension rope before being easily installed in place. What did this look like in Gawain’s eyes? It was anti-gravity technology!
The Sacred Stars Temple must be using some sort of powerful anti-gravity device for it to float in the skies of the Silver Empire for thousands or even ten thousand years. If its technology could be used, how many airships would be in the skies?
Could a world that contained all of these technologies truly be lagging?
According to normal reasoning, they shouldn’t be lagging and should already have advanced to a stage that could be described as “science fiction”.
However, in Gawain’s eyes, the world was still considered lagging: Most of the people were living off the land through agriculture. They were still using crude wooden tools and physical power to survive. They were still living difficult lives with barely filled stomachs; a small sickness or a minor disaster would be enough to take their lives. All these things were happening not because their technological standard wasn’t at the required level; rather, it was because while the technological standard might have already been achieved, they weren’t spread extensively.
This was the usual thing about this world: magic could make all kinds of advanced technology, and it wasn’t being generalized, but it was still utilized by individuals!
Even if technological advancement was restrained by “not being generalized’, the “high starting point” of magic had already determined that even the most primitive method of its usage would allow people with power to have a rather good life.
The people of the upper class had the powers of Beyonders, and they could use such powers to live extremely comfortable and convenient lives. At the same time, they had a large quantity of “lower-class people” to order around; therefore, they didn’t wish to spread the power that was maintaining their privileged life. While in the lower-class society, when those people who were fortunate enough to grasp even a hint of such power, they would be immediately absorbed into this world’s societal structure and would turn into a newly promoted noble. They would then become a member that would try to maintain the status quo. Most importantly, before the Honeycomb Magic Web and the rune logic appeared, before Gawain the “third party observer” appeared, no one ever thought about generalizing the knowledge or what the generalization would bring about.
As such, this world fell behind. Even though there was long-distance communication, energy weapons, biotechnology, virtual-reality constructs, and anti-gravity technology, they were still advancing at an extremely slow pace.
Gawain believed that even if he didn’t appear, this world would eventually get over such a depraved situation. As long as humans could still ponder and reflect, changes would inevitably happen. Even if a rogue mage was overlooked, someone else would sum up the concept of rune laws and the magic web. There would be an abnormal talent, or even an excessively lucky person, who would achieve all these…
There wasn’t a need to worry whether this world’s technology would advance as this world didn’t lack technology advancement. It was simply lacking the process of generalization and the guarantee of the generalized power.
However, since he appeared in this generation, and he didn’t see anyone else apart from himself that realized the importance of generalization; then he was more than willing to personally implement everything…
Gawain’s mind was filled with these thoughts. When he realized that this world actually had countless advanced technologies waiting for him to liberate, his fighting spirit was blazing again. Right at this moment, a black shadow suddenly flashed by at the plaza below and was rapidly approaching him.
He casually closed the window as though it was routine.
“Gawain, I need to tell you something about the Mechanical Manufacturing Facil—” Bang!
When the half-elf young lady bounced off after the bang, Gawain realized that he seemingly heard the words “Mechanical Manufacturing Facility”. Was this disgrace of all living things actually here to report something proper?
Gawain then quickly opened the window again. The moment the window was opened, he saw a black shadow climbing at rapid speed before crashing into his body. “You are awful! How can you intentionally close the window when you already saw me coming!”
Gawain grabbed threatening Amber with a single hand and said, “Who asked you to not use the front door all the time?! Let me warn you, I am going to put mouse traps on the window next time. In any case, you mentioned about the Mechanical Manufacturing Facility. What happened?”
After Amber made a few more threatening gestures, she realized that she couldn’t get free and quickly talked about the proper matters. “It seems like Nicholas Egg is having a situation. He fell onto the ground earlier, and it is now a mess over there!”
Something happened to the mother machine?!
It wasn’t exaggerating to say that Gawain’s head was perspiring with cold sweat. He didn’t hesitate as he grabbed Amber’s waist and clamped her in his arm before jumping off the window. “Hold on tight!!”
“Aren’t you also jumping out of the window?!”
“Shut up!”
Gawain rushed to the Mechanical Manufacturing Facility’s new building in a straight line. When he passed through the residents along the way, they didn’t even see anything clearly and merely felt a gust of strong wind blowing through the streets. In just a few minutes, he had already arrived at Nicholas Egg’s current location.
The new Mechanical Manufacturing Facility’s workshop was brightly lit. The spacious workshop was already gathered with almost all the craftsmen and apprentices that worked in the facility. Nicholas Egg was quietly “lying” in the middle of the crowd. The giant silver emoji was facing the sky, and it was simply comical…
Gawain’s mouth twitched a little as he felt that this giant ball of a joke was simply too dazzling and was even able to produce such a comical feeling in such a situation. However, Gawain quickly composed himself and asked, “What happened? Egg Egg… are you able to hear me?”
“How many times do I have to say it? At least call me Boss Egg!” Nicholas Egg’s body emitted a buzzing sound while his spherical body rocked a little but didn’t seem like it was going to float at all. “Why are you humans always making a fuss about nothing… I am not dead yet…”
After hearing the metal-ball alien responding, Gawain was relieved. He then looked at the large metal ball and asked suspiciously, “Then you are…”
“It seems like I caught a cold.” Nicholas Egg buzzed and said, “A sudden cold.”
“Really?”
“Yes, a cold. Isn’t it normal that I cannot float after catching a cold?”
“…This isn’t normal for a human!” Gawain widened his eyes as he thought about the differences between species. He then asked with concern, “Why would your species catch a cold? Is it due to your immunity? Or are you infected?”
“Probably contact with a stimulant,” Nicholas Egg spoke with a muffled voice. “When I am stimulated by a specific energy field or material, I will catch a cold easily… I was processing various new materials today, and there was probably a stimulant among them.”
Gawain immediately shifted his attention to the surrounding craftsmen and apprentices. “What did he make contact with today?”
A rune craftsman shrank and said, “Your Excellency, the most common item that the Boss processed today should be these…”
As the rune craftsman spoke, he asked the apprentices to push over a cart that was loaded with “raw stones”.
“These are the newly discovered ores that the exploration team found in the Dark Range. Madam Heidi said that she could sense high magical activity from these ores.”