Adrian hummed quietly as he lifted the final polished chess piece from his worktable, admiring its simplicity and balance.
It was the last of the thirty-two wooden figures he had painstakingly crafted, each shaped with distinct features to distinguish pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, a king, and a queen. I
No sooner had he placed the last piece on the handmade board than the Tech Core flashed a prompt before his eyes:
[Congratulations! You have completed an invention.]
[Invention: Chess]
[Type: Game]
[Function: A game of strategy and intellect, beneficial for mental exercise but low direct utility]
[Grade Evaluation: Function: D | Practical Utility: D | Complexity: D | Originality: D | Integrity: D]
[Final Grade: D]
[Remark: A classic board game]
[Reward: +5 EXP | +5 TP]
"Just 5 TP..." Adrian muttered with a sigh. "At least it's just enough."
He quickly checked his status to confirm the newly added points:
[TECHCORE SYSTEM – STATUS PANEL]
Name: Adrian | Age: 10
System Level: 4 | EXP: 240 / 800 | TP: 500
[Inventions Created: 23]
[Knowledge Acquired: Fundamentals of Ballistics]
[Skills: Analyze (Basic), Basic Forging Technique(3), Inventory, Basic Shooting Technique(3), Superpublish]
[System Store]
Most noteworthy of his progress, was that he had finally amassed 500 TP, a figure he had tirelessly worked for.
Two months had passed since his initial foray into the forest, a span in which he'd gotten his hands on 116 Magic Crystals!
Adrian had hunted tirelessly, with his flintlock providing a decisive edge. Yet it hadn't all been easy: every day, it seemed there were fewer beasts to fight, and more time was spent combing the periphery for new prey. Still, he was far from disappointed.
In parallel with his hunts, Adrian had been inventing relentlessly. He discovered early on that selling new devices provided a steady trickle of EXP — a byproduct of seeing them widely used, often reported to him via nightly notifications from Tech Core.
So he had made it his plan to build and sell as many inventions as he could, and it was proving useful.
The real object of his desire, though, lay on a knowledge Tech Core bad advised him to purchase.
He'd set his sights on that purchase the moment he understood his limits with magic crystals, for although he possessed a trove of them, he still couldn't sense or manipulate mana directly.
"All right," he whispered, opening the System Store. On his watchlist, the coveted knowledge listing glowed softly:
[Magic Theory 1]
[Cost: 500 TP]
[Confirm Purchase?]
Without hesitation, Adrian mentally confirmed it, and like before, the book shaped icon appeared on the screen.
[Would you like to learn "Magic Theory 1" now?]
"Yes."
The moment he accepted, a searing wave of pain struck his head.
[Warning: Overload detected. Initiating safety measure...]
Through the haze of agony, he sensed Tech Core forcibly shutting down parts of his consciousness, protecting him from permanent harm.
And just like that, everything went black, leaving the workshop silent.
***
In a quiet chamber lined with thick drapes and polished wooden panels, a man sat in a high-backed chair, its frame carved with golden inlays and family crests.
He had a commanding frame, broad shoulders, and arms that still held the strength of his youth. His hair, pure white, fell neatly to his shoulders, matched by the beard that flowed across his chest like a river of snow.
Across from him, standing respectfully with both hands behind his back, was a younger man dressed in a crisp brown uniform. He held a report scroll in one hand, but his expression hinted that the real message was better spoken aloud.
The man in the chair remained silent, fingers interlaced under his chin as he observed the steward with sharp, calculating eyes.
"Well?" the older man finally said.
"Yes, my lord," the steward replied. "The majority of the towns are doing well. Trade continues to flow smoothly, taxes have been collected without delay, and there have been no major conflicts."
The older man nodded slowly. "And?"
"There is one town, in particular, that stands out." The steward hesitated, lifting his eyes. "Tulia."
The name made the man in the chair lift a snowy brow.
"Tulia?" he repeated. "What about it?"
The steward shifted slightly. "I've never seen anything like it, my lord. I've been through dozens of towns and villages under your domain, but Tulia is… different."
"How so?" the old man asked, his tone still calm but sharper now.
"When I arrived, I noticed strange devices — carriages that moved without horses, powered only by one's legs. The villagers have a well in the center of town that draws water by itself, through pipes."
"And that's just the start. There are machines for tailoring clothes that work faster than ten hands. Lights that shine without flame. Tools that dig, spin, and twist in ways I've never witnessed."
The man in the chair leaned forward slightly.
"Magical devices?" he asked.
"That's the odd part. I asked around. No runes, no enchantments."
For the first time, a glint of intrigue flashed in the man's eyes.
"You're certain of this?" he asked slowly.
"I would never lie to you, my lord," the steward said quickly, lowering his head. "I even saw the villagers using a fan device during the heat of the afternoon."
The silence that followed was thick with thought. The old man tapped a finger on the armrest and his gaze drifted toward the fire.
Then he stood slowly, with the grace of a noble.
"Prepare my escort," he said finally, voice calm but decisive. "I will visit Tulia myself."
"At once, Lord Cedric."
Cedric gave no further word, turning away from the fire as the steward bowed and left the chamber. The flickering flames continued to dance in the hearth, but the Duke's mind was already elsewhere.
There were few things in this world that could surprise a man like him.
This… might be one of them.