Chapter 174: The Spark of Revolution
Aaron was on his way there now.
But his excitement kept rising, and soon he found himself walking faster, then finally breaking into a run.
"Hah, hah, hah..."
His breathing grew ragged.
When he reached the stairwell, just two floors below the very top where Mr. Vundo lived, even Aaron had to slow down.
He dragged his legs up step by step, panting.
Why did the old man live all the way at the very top, anyway? Perhaps that was why he remained so full of energy even at his age—because climbing these stairs forced him to exercise every day.
At last, Aaron arrived and knocked on the heavy door.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time he had ever visited the master’s private chambers.
Normally, Aaron had met him in the Guildmaster’s office, inside the building next to the tower, where the Central Magic Association was headquartered.
But today, Aaron couldn’t wait.
His excitement had pushed him to come directly to the master’s residence. Now, however, he was starting to regret it.
The door opened on its own.
Of course, for a wizard of Mr. Vundo’s level, using such remote magic was nothing unusual.
Stepping inside, Aaron’s eyes immediately caught the sight of a magic circle inscribed on the floor right beside the doorway.
In front of the door was a small hall paved with stone.
On the white stone floor, a magic circle was carved in deep black grooves.
It was a circle for teleportation.
Ah, that’s cheating!
Aaron thought that instantly.
If Mr. Vundo had a permanent teleportation circle here, then the tower’s top floor didn’t matter at all.
He could have just used this too.
He wanted all the pain, the pounding heart, and the breathless exhaustion he had suffered climbing the endless stairs refunded.
Each of the three large rooms inside was overflowing with books, objects and tools.
Piles of them filled every corner.
In the middle of the mess, buried like an island among mountains, stood a bed.
Strangely, only the bed was spotless and neat, almost too clean.
There is o doubt, the servant spirits maintained that one place alone.
Everything else that was scattered everywhere was clearly forbidden to be touched or moved even by spirits.
Aaron looked around, wondering where the old man himself was, when a voice came:
"Over here."
He turned toward the next room, most likely the bedchamber.
A narrow little path had been cleared, just wide enough to walk.
Without it, there would have been literally nowhere to step.
A heap of unknown objects shifted and moved and from within the pile emerged the face of Mr. Vundo.
Hiding in a place like that, how could anyone possibly notice him?
The old man beckoned, so Aaron reluctantly picked his way forward and carefully placing his feet wherever there was space.
Looking into the space where Vundo had pulled back, Aaron saw a small circular chamber carved out like a hollow dome.
Inside stood a somewhat large desk and the surrounding piles curved up around it, forming a round, cave-like space.
Aaron stepped down into it, took the chair by the desk, and looked around.
Books, tools, herbs, and countless other things pressed in tightly from all sides.
It felt suffocating, like being inside a cavern.
If all of it came crashing down, Aaron would certainly be crushed to death.
Somehow, the dome was lit, though Aaron couldn’t see the source of the light.
Returning his gaze to the desk, he noticed a teacup steaming right in front of him.
It hadn’t been there moments ago, so clearly a servant spirit had placed it there.
Unfortunately, Aaron himself could not command servant spirits.
He was an alchemist, not a true wizard.
He saw in Vundo’s hand the red magic stone Aaron had made before.
Clearly, the master had been studying it as well.
Aaron reached into his robe, pulled out five of the new crystals he had prepared and began to explain his ideas in detail.
"In other words," Vundo said, after listening, "you want to turn this into a factory process, mass-produce them, and use them as a source of power. Is that what you mean?"
"That’s right," Aaron said with excitement. "Not only wizards, but even common citizens could take part if they were given wages for it. The power of one person may be small, but if it is gathered by hundreds or even thousands, it will become an enormous source of magic."
"True," Mr. Vundo nodded slowly. "It’s not as if enormous magic like that of Dominic can be found just lying around. Gathering many small powers together... I see. That is indeed a fresh idea."
As expected, the old master understood quickly.
Aaron felt overwhelmed with joy that he could impress Mr. Vundo himself.
The idea of a factory system came from what Lord Shiao Yi had told him about his former world.
The original concept belonged to Shiao Yi, but Aaron thought it was fine to make it his own.
Shiao Yi was not the kind of man to complain about such things anyway.
The pressing and compressing done through telekinesis could also be achieved by using physical barriers.
If such barriers were built into magic tools through magic circles, then multiple people could operate them in shifts, keeping the process going without pause.
The crystals produced could then be brought to special facilities where large groups of people would pour in their strength efficiently, transforming them into magic stones prepared for specific purposes.
The best part was their high purity.
Because of that, the stones could be reused again and again.
Once collected and refilled, they could be put back into circulation without waste, endlessly serving as power.
Ah! How wonderful this was!
Aaron’s heart raced with excitement.
With magic stones as a source of power, countless things could be made possible.
This was no small change—it was a revolution.
Perhaps even an industrial revolution that could reshape the world itself.