SSS-Rank Engineer: Only I Can Create Legendary Weapons

Percy knocked on the door of Hecate's office three days after he finished drafting his ideas for a water pipe system.

He was carrying his final model for the system. With all the optional quests that Aether was sending him, he was able to quickly put together multiple iterations using the customizable rewards.

From inside the office, Hecate's voice said formally.

"Dunn? Is that you? Come in."

He couldn't really open the door with his arms so full, so he called out.

"Mom, it's me. My arms are full so—"

Hecate was at the door before he could even finish, swinging it open to find her son holding a miniature model of the entire city of Dema in his hands.

Mouth slightly agape, she pushed the door open fully so he could carry his model inside. There was a coffee table in the center of the office, and her large mahogany desk further back with a huge glass window behind it.

Hecate watched her son wobble over to the coffee table and place his model on top. Then he turned to her, smiling, and said in an excited voice.

"Mother, I've come to make a deal!"

He spent the next few minutes showing her the intricacies of his model. The pipes run some feet under the streets with a valve for each house. The huge water tank built on top of the fortress, accounting for water pressure and stress on the flat roof.

The model itself could demonstrate the project, with a space where he could pour a single cup of water into. Then the water would rise up a pipe using that pressure, and a little water wheel would take the water into the tank.

Hecate was speechless, her purple eyes wide with disbelief.

"I don't know what to say. I just thought you liked construction diagrams. I didn't know you were coming up with something like this. When did this idea come into your head?"

Percy grabbed his jaw. He already knew when, but that was when he was a baby. He needed an answer that was closer.

"A few days ago. When we first went to the city."

Hecate reeled back, thoroughly shocked. She knew it had to have been recently since the boy was just eight years old, but…

"You came up with all this in a few days?"

Percy, hearing it spoken aloud, realized how inconceivable that was, especially if there was no basis of a pipe system or a water wheel in the Crona kingdom right now. The Heracles empire had this knowledge, but not them.

"Well, I've been thinking of it a lot, and I got a couple good ideas from reading the scrolls. But I mostly just thought the river was making too much noise."

That was a covert way of saying the flow was inefficient and would damage the water gates over time, leading to a catastrophic collapse of the walls one day.

But no one wanted to hear a kid say all that.

Hecate seemed pleased with his answer, but she was still astounded by his genius. Percy wasn't just a talented Spiritmancer; he was a genius that would change their whole way of life.

Clean and constant water at the hands of everyone at all times. This was previously something only available in the fortress, and it was built by the old empires.

But Hecate knew it wasn't possible yet.

"Perseus, this isn't possible yet. To do this, I guess we'll need steel and a lot of manpower. We don't have enough money to even pay for more guards."

"We don't need steel, mother," he explained, pulling out one of the pipes. "The pipes can be made from ceramics like this, then covered in a layer of pine resin to make it waterproof."

That would make things much cheaper, but Hecate was still unsure how they would dig the channels for these pipes.

"We still need money to hire people for the construction. Also, how will this all be purified? We can't drink river water. The old ceramic pipes were enchanted to purify water."

Percy braced himself. This was the moment of truth, he needed to know how she would react to the purification circle.

"We can remake the enchants they used with Hermetics."

Percy waited for her to turn pale, to start shouting in disbelief. Her only son wanted to enter a den of evil, murderous wizards. The Tower of Hermetics did have a horrible history of sacrificial murders and horrifying experiments.

Realization dawned on Hecate instantly and she simply nodded.

"Oh, so like a magic tool? Is it that simple to make?"

Percy inwardly cursed Terra seeing his mother's reaction. He forgot that even Sirena used magic tools.

Hermetics wasn't some reviled sect of evil wizards. They were the guys that made your car, but were also capable of making torture machines.

He sighed in relief.

"I want to learn how to make magical tools, so I think I can figure out a way to do it."

The word magical tools seemed easier for Hecate than Hermetic. But she still looked unsure.

"Hermetics is a long and hard-to-master discipline. You can just be a Spiritmancer. We'll get an Alchemist that can help you bring your ideas into reality."

That sounded nice and all, but he wanted to do it himself. When you have a problem, do you call a professionally trained random to help? Or do you call Percy and give him a couple minutes to figure it out?

That was a trick question. But he had an idea on who he wanted in the fortress, helping him with the Hermetics.

"I actually have a friend in the city that is studying to be a Hermetic. Of course, that was before you tore us apart."

Percy smirked at the horrified look on Hecate's face and went on to explain what he had planned, knowing she couldn't refuse her sad son.

●———●

Terra was terrified the whole way to the fortress. The guard had suddenly come for her at the orphanage, and the other kids made fun of her, saying they were hanging witches soon.

As the tall, pure white fortress grew closer, her heart became heavier and heavier. She felt like she would throw up soon.

All she had in hand was her mother's grimoire. She had been gone for three years now. Far longer than she promised.

Terra even started studying Hermeticism in the time she was gone to feel closer to her. She wanted to become an Astrologer and find her mother, but it was looking like she would be executed today.

As the carriage arrived at the fortress, tears were already pouring from her eyes, and jumping from the bridge was starting to look more and more appealing.

But at the great wooden doors of the ancient fortress, seated on the staircase, there was a little boy. His hair was half-black and half-white, his eyes gleamed with colors that changed and mixed from purple to grey.

He got up and ran towards her. Terra suddenly remembered the boy she met a week ago, the son of the Viscount.

"Percy?" she whispered.

He stopped a couple feet away, frowning.

"Who?"

Terra paled. Had she forgotten his name? She was sure it was Percy, but it had been so long, at least long enough for a kid.

"Um… sorry. What is your name?"

"It's Percy. You never asked my name and only learnt it when we went to the tower, remember?"

Terra was frozen for a moment, stuttering when her disbelief faded.

"Th..then why did you say who?"

Percy shrugged, smiling mischievously.

"I knew you already forgot me. What a bad friend."

Terra was halfway between furious and apologetic. She wanted to strangle him while giving him a hug. Before she could say anything, however, a tall woman walked over to Percy and slapped his back softly.

"Don't be mean to girls, Perseus."

The woman was so beautiful that Terra felt like she couldn't breathe. Her hair was long silver-white that gleamed in the sunlight, with purple eyes that sat on a smooth round face, Terra thought she could get lost in them.

Percy looked up at his mother.

"It's just friendly banter, mom." He turned back to Terra with a wicked smile. "Glad to have you here. I was hoping you could help me with something, Terra."