Chapter 22: Mana and Magic Stones

After returning to the castle, Owen sent a few guards to retrieve the steam engine from the blacksmith’s shop, then headed to his study.

No sooner had he sat down in his chair than he began a mental conversation with Winston.

[Now, can we talk about your research findings on magic stones?]

[No problem. But before we get to the magic stones, let’s talk about the research on mana first. Everything we transferred over before more or less contained traces of mana. We’ve already developed some indirect methods to observe the existence of mana, but that’s about it — we still can’t define what mana actually is. However, after numerous observations, we’ve made a rather unexpected discovery.]

Mana research was a massive undertaking — far beyond Winston’s individual capacity. It required an entire scientific team working together.

[What did you discover?] 

Owen asked.

[Mana seems to transcend the laws of nature. It can override physical principles to produce different, even opposite results. For example, under normal conditions, heat naturally transfers from a hot area to a cooler one. But mana can reverse this process, making heat flow in the opposite direction.]

Winston’s tone was cautious as he spoke, suggesting he was still somewhat skeptical of the discovery.

It had originally been noticed by a young researcher on the team, who reported it to Winston. At first, Winston didn’t believe it — after all, everything in existence should follow the natural laws. Nothing should be able to violate those rules.

But reality had given him a harsh slap in the face.

[It might sound unbelievable to your people, but for us, mana is everywhere. We’ve grown used to it.]

By now, Owen had learned much from Winston and begun forming his own thoughts on mana.

For instance, fire magic could create flames out of thin air — but where did that energy come from? Was mana itself inherently powerful? Or was there another explanation?

Still, Owen didn’t have time to research mana thoroughly right now — ensuring Bianshu Town made it safely through this winter took top priority. So he left the research to Winston.

[Do you understand what this means?]

Winston suddenly asked.

Caught off guard, Owen thought hard but couldn’t come up with a solid answer. Finally, he gave up and asked directly:

[What does it mean?]

[It means that whoever can truly master the power of mana could transcend the laws of nature — and become something akin to a god.]

[You’re saying… those who can use magic are basically gods?]

That couldn’t be right. Owen could use fire magic, but he certainly wasn’t omnipotent. He was far from divine.

[No, that’s not what I mean. You all are merely beneficiaries of an environment rich in mana. As you’ve likely noticed, you can only control the mana within your own body — external mana lies beyond your reach.] 

Winston clarified.

[I see. So if one could control all the mana in the world… they really would be a god. Say, do you think the “god” people worship here — could actually be someone like that?]

Mention of divinity immediately reminded Owen of the church. After all, the widespread belief in magic seemed to validate the idea of gods.

[That I don’t know. Maybe the Church of Lumichael is just another religion. Or maybe they really do know something. I mean, worshiping magic is kind of suspicious.]

In short, discovering the true nature of mana would take Winston a very long time. With that, their discussion on mana came to an end, and they moved on to magic stones.

[As for magic stones — you people have surely researched them extensively. Why don’t you tell me how they’re used on your side first? Then I’ll supplement with any new findings.]

This way, they could save time by avoiding overlapping explanations.

[Sounds good.] 

Owen replied.

First, there’s the Scorching Magic Stone—a relatively common item, though still quite expensive, affordable only to the wealthy.

Typically, high-quality scorching magic stones are crafted into staffs and similar equipment. Fire-type mages use them to amplify the power of their spells. Those who aspire to become powerful mages are willing to spend heavily on such staffs.

Of course, there are a few mages with tighter purses who use low-grade magic stones in their staffs—Fanny being one of them.

Inferior scorching magic stones are often used simply as firewood for warmth. People discovered long ago that these stones can be activated not only with mana but also with open flame.

Once activated, a scorching magic stone will cool down after a while. However, when a bunch of them are stacked together, lighting one will emit enough heat to activate the others nearby, triggering a chain reaction. Eventually, the entire pile will emit significant heat and maintain it for an extended time.

Compared to regular firewood, scorching magic stones have several advantages: they burn longer, produce no smoke or strange odours, and won’t blacken fireplaces.

Because of these benefits, wealthy nobles and merchants purchase large amounts of low-grade scorching stones every winter for heating purposes.

[That matches what our research has shown. By the way, when the magic in a scorching stone is fully consumed, it turns into a grey powder. How do you usually deal with that residue?]

Winston asked.

[The leftover stuff? We just dump it somewhere.]

[What?! That’s such a waste—they’re actually really useful!] 

Winston exclaimed regretfully.

[Huh? Useful how?]

People had always disposed of the leftover magic stone residue like trash, and Owen had never questioned it. Now, Winston’s claim that it was valuable shocked and intrigued him.

[That grey powder makes excellent fertilizer—it can boost crop yields per acre and also helps improve soil conditions. Don’t you have a lot of alkaline-saline land in Bianshu Town? This stuff can significantly improve it.]

[You mean, if we spread the powder over the tilled soil before planting, even the cursed land in Bianshu Town could start growing crops?]

[That’s basically it. I was actually planning to transfer some soil conditioners to help with the salinity issue, but now it looks like you won’t need them after all.]

Hearing Winston’s confident reply, Owen was stunned. Bianshu Town had long suffered under the effects of the Kazitu curse—and now it turned out that the key to overcoming the curse lay in the very magic stones the town produced in abundance. What a twist of fate.

No wonder the Transcontinental and Sky Mountain ranges seemed unaffected by the curse—perhaps it was due to the rich magic stone veins hidden beneath them.

“Damn it!” 

Owen suddenly slammed his desk as something dawned on him.

The noise startled his personal guards outside, who thought something was wrong. One of them burst into the study.

Seeing that Owen was unharmed, the guard realized he had overreacted and immediately saluted.

“My lord marquis, is everything alright?”

[What happened?] 

Winston asked, startled as well.

[We’ll continue the magic stone discussion later. I have to handle a cargo ship that’s scheduled to depart tomorrow. It’s fully loaded with magic stones for sale.]

After quickly explaining to Winston, Owen looked up at the guard.

“Go fetch Clive for me.”

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