"This is the most unique rune among all. It is the only one with a mechanical structure among the many magical runes."
The magic rune teacher was once again lecturing nonstop on the podium.
Actually, the name of this course was quite amusing. Although it was prefixed with "magic," it was categorized under Arcane Day for instruction.
The teacher excitedly gestured on the podium, waving a fist with thumb, index, and middle fingers extended vigorously in the air: "...But its classification is still controversial. There's quite a debate in academic circles about whether this rune belongs to runes or machinery. Let's not dwell on that for now."
"That said, precisely because of its special properties, it has become the only rune to be mass-produced and sold—because, unlike other runes that can be uniformly printed, the cost of making it yourself is too high, and the quality isn't guaranteed."
Lanen, who was flipping through the textbook and comparing it with his预习 notes in his brown hardcover notebook, was pulled back to the lecture by this statement.
This can be bought?
The book didn't mention this.
When he was previewing in the library earlier, Lanen had been curious because the repeater rune had a mechanical structure, and the book didn't provide a drawing method for it like it did for other runes. Coincidentally, there had been too many things happening lately, and he hadn't had time to ask Elina.
"...Let me repeat its function: the repeater can use the connection and disconnection of one magic circuit to control the connection and disconnection of another magic circuit. If you were paying attention just now, you should have underlined this part in your textbook. Note: this is important and will be on the test."
Lanen had already memorized it long ago and smirked.
He was still interested in the fact that repeaters were mass-produced and sold, but the teacher didn't elaborate further.
"...Because of its properties, the repeater plays an irreplaceable and crucial role in long-distance magic circuits ranging from tens to hundreds of meters. It also has widespread applications in various other scenarios requiring indirect control."
Lanen flipped through the textbook sections on this topic, comparing them with his预习 notes (a significant portion of which were compiled from Elina's notes). Gradually, his curiosity about this rune grew.
He decided to study it.
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"Let's go watch a movie together during the Harvest Festival? My treat. I heard 'City of Justice' is about to premiere, and it's a talkie," Hal suddenly suggested to the group.
They were in the study room at the time, sharing several cans of fruit preserves. The cans were colorless, engraved glass bottles containing yellow peaches, coconuts, and hawthorn fruits—high-end goods sent from Sophia's home.
Elina speared a piece of yellow peach and said with slight surprise, "Why the sudden idea? Movie tickets are expensive."
"Well, I gave the Smile Beast to Hal, but he felt a bit guilty about it, so I suggested treating everyone to a big meal and a movie," Lanen added, then speared a piece of coconut to chew slowly.
"Yeah, I plan to take you all to Zolgen's Restaurant this weekend. Everyone should be free during the weekend and the Harvest Festival, right?"
The three of them unanimously agreed without objection.
Sophia smiled and said, "I thought it would be months before we went to Zolgen's again, but now we have the chance. What a pleasant surprise."
"We should book the time in advance. The cinema will probably be more crowded than usual during the Harvest Festival, and the good seats in the middle will be hard to get. Also, the school will hold events during the Harvest Festival. Luckily, they're in the evening, but we should head out early during the day since us girls will need time to prepare for the Harvest Festival banquet," Elina arranged, counting on her fingers.
"Alright, I'll go book the tickets for 'City of Justice' in advance."
"What kind of movie is 'City of Justice'?" Lanen was more interested in this point.
"The latest fantasy blockbuster from Polar Black & White Goose Productions, starring Daisy Isaac and Oscar Ridley, featuring the latest sound film technology. Highly anticipated," Hal recited as if reading from a script.
Lanen had heard of the company's great reputation. He took a sip of the canned juice in his cup—sweet and sour. "Is it about romance or magic?"
"Neither. I heard the themes are 'otherworld' and 'war.'"
"'Otherworld' and 'war'? Then we really should go see it," Lanen said, putting down his cup.
Elina raised her fork and interjected, "I read in the newspaper that some arcanists have already solved the recording and playback issues for full-color films, but we haven't seen them on the market yet. These production companies are too slow."
"That's inevitable. The film market is already saturated. Using more expensive new technology to screen films won't bring more profits. In my opinion, what they should do first isn't adopting pricier technology but lowering prices. Reduce costs, reduce ticket prices, reduce other expenses—after all, it's always been something for the wealthy. The market is too narrow," Hal pontificated.
"Hmm, that sounds reasonable. I look forward to the day when ticket prices drop from five silver coins to fifty coppers. That way, a significant portion of the city's property-owning class could afford it," Elina responded after hearing Hal's explanation and speculation.
The group worked together to screw the lids back on the empty cans. Elina planned to wash the used jars clean and use them to grow flowers in the dorm.
"By the way, I need to go out tomorrow morning and might be late to class. If the teacher takes attendance, cover for me," Lanen suddenly told his friends.
He was going to Little Abel's place to top up the remaining investment funds. After receiving the prize money, this operation had become possible.
Lanen repeated to himself many times, "Out with the old, in with the new" and "Investment is to earn more money" before mustering the resolve to hand over the freshly warmed gold coins from his wallet. After all, according to the world's rules, only by fulfilling the agreed investment amount would he become Little Abel's true partner. Until then, he was just "someone who promised to invest but is on credit."
He planned to first rush to Edgar Law Firm on Oxtail Bone Street. If the patent matters were settled, he would bring Lawyer Edgar to Little Abel's place with the corresponding patent materials to draft a formal partnership contract under the lawyer's witness.
If everything went smoothly, starting tomorrow morning, the two parties could officially begin searching for suitable OEM factories and sign production agreements—a process that would also require Lawyer Edgar's notarization. After all, everything was for safety's sake. Neither Lanen nor Abel was willing to bear the risks, and Lanen's risk tolerance was extremely low, ignoring his family background.
The subsequent tasks were still quite miscellaneous. Lanen and Little Abel had discussed that to officially produce the product, they would need the coordinated efforts of a woodworking factory, printing factory, cardboard box factory, and assembly factory. They also had to ensure the supply of corresponding materials: wood for the woodworking factory, paper and ink for the printing factory, workers and corrugated cardboard for the cardboard box factory, and so on, to guarantee sufficient supplies for the assembly factory's final assembly and packaging.
After leaving Abel's place, if there was any time left, Lanen planned to visit other magic supply stores to purchase a few finished repeaters and some rune materials. After all, buying things from his shop right after partnering felt odd, as if he were preparing to scam someone. This time, he decided not to patronize Little Abel's business.
Lanen promised, "When I go to broaden my horizons, I'll definitely bring you all along."