Chapter 261 — The Kindled Radiance of Magic

Magic can only be passed through runes, conducted through rune arrays linked one to another. The traditional so-called "magic-conducting materials" are in truth merely shaped into some unit within a magic array, and only thus do they conduct magic; there is no way to draw a magic-conducting material into fine thread and thereby send magic to a distant place. Before Hedy and Kamael's device appeared, the only way to transmit magic afar was to lay magic-net units honestly, all the way there.

What did that mean? It meant that if you wanted magic conducted to every corner of some place, you had to carpet every corner with the magic net! At the very least, any place meant to receive magic had to have at least "one column" of magic-net units.

However cheap each "hive unit" might be, this still consumed a staggering quantity of resources—rune substrate after rune substrate laid end to end, far more expensive than drawing the same metal into fine thread for wire.

And moreover, as more and more high-rise buildings rose across the territory, magic supply would run into the problem of height differences, and transmitting magic by simply laying more magic net would become even more impractical—not only would arrays have to pave the ground, they would have to paper the walls. Even if Gao Yang turned around and dug up Charles I's grave as well, he could not afford such consumption!

Gao Yang had indeed told Rebecca that he meant to spread the magic net across the whole world—but he had not meant to lay it like that...

Of course, because magic disperses, even without direct physical contact a magic-net unit can supply energy to objects within a certain range—but that distance is pitifully small: a single magic-net unit radiates magic only a few centimeters, and even a factory-grade magic net has a "piggyback" range of only a few meters around it... utterly without practical significance.

But with the device before him, the bottleneck of magic transmission had finally been broken.

A cheap, convenient technology that could transmit magic without laying the magic net all the way—it was right there before Gao Yang's eyes.

After a long while, he drew back his gaze and looked at Hedy and Kamael standing beside him: "What is this device called?"

"It has no name yet," Hedy said with a slight shake of her head. "This experimental device was only just built by Kamael—I learned of it when I returned to the laboratory, and brought it straight here to show you."

At this she lowered her head, a little embarrassed: "I know it is not very rigorous... a thing like this ought to undergo more testing, and I ought to report to you once there is more detailed data, but I could not resist telling you the good news, could not resist... showing off a little."

"That is all right, I understand your excitement," Gao Yang said with a wave of his hand. Hedy seemed a mature, steady person, yet before Gao Yang she would now and then let slip this childish side—it was part of her character, after all. "Since it has no name yet, then let us call it... the Magic-Energy Obelisk. An obelisk that transmits magical energy—simple and clear. What do you think?"

"Ah, a fine name," Kamael said, much taken with it—his whole person brightened several degrees—and then he gradually ceased feeding energy into the Magic-Energy Obelisk, letting its components descend and rejoin. "When I return I will complete the remaining tests on it as quickly as possible and hand the materials to the Mechanical Research Institute, so that Mr. Egg can arrange production."

"Very good," Gao Yang nodded approvingly, pleased to see that Kamael had already adapted to the territory's rules in so short a time, and that he seemed on decent terms with Nicholas Egg. Then he drew a deep breath and let it slowly out. "But while we revel in our joy, let us not forget to think over a few questions."

Hedy was puzzled: "Think over a few questions?"

"Ask a few more whys," Gao Yang said, unhurried, gazing at the Magic-Energy Obelisk now fallen still. "Have you ever wondered why magic can travel remotely and steadily without any runes in contact? Why magic that disperses from the magic net cannot? Why magic exists everywhere in the natural world, yet only magic extracted through the magic net and released through the Magic-Energy Obelisk can be used? And following from these: what is the essence of magic? What change does magic in nature undergo once it enters the magic net? These are all questions."

Seeing the blank looks on both Kamael's and Hedy's faces, Gao Yang paused, then went on: "And beyond these questions that require long thought, we might also consider—this magic that can be transmitted over distance, apart from carrying energy, what else might it do?"