Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

Arrangements were made.

The meeting began.

The meeting ended.

…

The next day, in the afternoon.

In the basement, middle-aged Warlock Joseph and the old Wizard Shamman appeared again.

Joseph stood in front of the desk, holding a very expensive-looking Crystal Box motionless, as if pondering something.

Shamman stood beside him, holding his breath and waiting, fearing he might disturb Joseph.

After a while, Shamman could hold his breath no longer and somewhat impatiently spoke out, "Mr. Joseph, may I ask how your meeting with the two Wizards from Jialan City went?"

"Well, about that," Joseph returned to his senses and gently placed the Crystal Box on the desk, turned to look at Shamman, and pondered, "The meeting went well—at least better than I had imagined. I could tell that the one named Richard, and the one with the strange name, Bobbobovic, were both concealing their abilities, not your average Wizards.

That somewhat alleviates my doubts. According to earlier speculations, I was somewhat skeptical about their accidental discovery of valuable Casting Materials, since relying solely on luck seemed far-fetched. Meow, it appears that the accidental discovery was their explanation, and they didn't reveal much more detail.

That makes sense, since they simply wanted to figure out what the materials they obtained were, and hoped to sell them at a high price, sharing more clues would be harmless to them.

But it's different for us, we don't actually place too much importance on the materials themselves, what's more crucial is the information hidden behind the materials. If only we could clarify every detail about how the materials were originally found."

Shamman shifted his eyes and asked, "Mr. Joseph, do you mean... to invite them to join our organization? By doing so, we could definitely obtain all the information they have."

"I do have that idea," squinted Joseph without denying, "However... we can't make that decision directly now. After all, inviting a newcomer to join our organization is no small matter, even I can't make that decision on my own, we need the Canon Steward's approval. Besides, during today's meeting, they mentioned some things that seemed quite extraordinary, so I need to verify them."

"What?" Shamman asked curiously.

"Actually, they might have told you too, about the 'Devil's Horn Powder' they obtained, which is only a medium-level Casting Material, but they have even better materials in their possession," Joseph explained.

"Yes, they did mention that," Shamman nodded, looking puzzled, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course, there is a problem," said Joseph, "You are not very familiar with 'Devil's Horn Powder.' You don't realize that this powder is almost considered a top-grade Casting Material for Undead Wizards. I really can't imagine what material could be more valuable than 'Devil's Horn Powder.'

Previously, when I heard from you about their claims, I thought it was only a tactic to attract potential customers. But after meeting them, I realized, it wasn't just a tactic; they truly seemed confident that they could produce a better Casting Material than 'Devil's Horn Powder.'"

"Here," Joseph tapped the Crystal Box placed next to him on the desk, "At the end of the meeting, they gave me this, without any sign of guilt, telling me that the contents were definitely better than 'Devil's Horn Powder.' Of course, they could only confirm that it's better than 'Devil's Horn Powder,' but they weren't sure what the components were, or what it was used for, hoping that I could give them an answer."

"So..." Shamman didn't know what to add.

Joseph didn't pay much attention to Shamman, but continued with his own thoughts, "Therefore, there are two possibilities:")

"One possibility is that they are lying, deceiving me so that we would pay a high price to purchase his goods;

Another possibility is that they aren't lying, and the material inside the crystal box truly is 'more advanced than Devil's Horn.' That would mean the mysterious person who helped the Undead Wizard escape from Jialan City is more powerful than we imagined, and even our organization cannot fully comprehend his real strength.

In that case, we must be more cautious and prevent the other party from causing any damage to our organization. Even if they don't cause any damage, introducing another player similar to the Undead Wizard would also be troublesome.

Then it really is necessary for us to invite these two people into our organization, because we need to strive to understand all the information related to this mysterious person."

Shamman asked, "So, Mr. Joseph, which possibility do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Joseph shook his head gravely. "I don't like to speculate about things without basis because that's an irresponsible approach. What I will do is to use all my efforts to analyze the materials in the newly acquired crystal box and reach a conclusion that aligns with reality."

"Mr. Joseph is as prudent as always," Shamman said with a smile.

"No need for flattery, I'm not taken in by it," Joseph responded coldly, looking at Shamman, "If you really want to help me, assist me with some preparations before the analysis."

"Yes, I would be delighted to," Shamman responded, once someone who had others assisting him, now relegated to helping others, yet he seemed to bear no resentment and busied himself enthusiastically.

Before long, a large batch of experimental tools were prepared and arranged in order on the table.

Shamman stood up straight to the side and gestured to Joseph, "Mr. Joseph, please begin."

"Hmm," Joseph did not hesitate, reaching out to open the crystal box.

Upon opening the crystal box, one could see that it contained black and white powder. Joseph carefully scooped out a part, poured it into a glass bottle, and started dissolving it in water.

Visibly, the white part of the powder dissolved immediately upon contact with water, disappearing without a trace. However, the black component was stubborn, undulating in the water like tiny insects, never disappearing.

Joseph observed this and said to Shamman, in a tone akin to teaching a student, "It seems these are two different substances, one readily soluble, and the other needing a bit more time."

"Yes," Shamman nodded vigorously like a studious child, entirely in agreement, as if he were about to take notes. Then he stood by the table alongside Joseph, waiting patiently.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Suddenly, a full five minutes had passed, and Shamman's legs had grown sore from standing, prompting him to shift his stance. The black powder inside the glass bottle had completely settled at the bottom, showing no signs of change.

Joseph's face grew tense. He waited another five full minutes, gazing at the glass bottle, then spoke to Shamman, "Hmm, it is actually dissolving, but the process is very slow and hard to notice."

"Yes, yes," Shamman nodded.

"Then we should apply some heat," Joseph said.

"Most definitely," Shamman agreed.

"Let's heat it up then," Joseph said, dragging an oil lamp closer, lighting it, and placing the glass bottle over it to start heating.