Chapter 307: Chapter 280: Education for All, Farsighted and Visionary

Taichu City.

Laine passed through the outer city’s main thoroughfare and entered the Artifact Refining district.

The Artifact Refining district was vast. Dozens of buildings in various styles lined the wide streets: artifact refining chambers, Material Warehouses, puppet storage rooms, alchemist workshops... all arranged in a dense, yet orderly fashion.

This was one of the core areas of Taichu City’s outer city. On any given day, it was bustling with people, most of whom were disciples of Taichu City.

Occasionally, one could also spot members of the Vassal Races who had been granted special permission to enter. Without exception, they were all leading figures in the fields of alchemy and enchanting.

Laine navigated his way to the area where the alchemist workshops were located and stopped a member of the Engraving Race whose arms were covered in strange patterns.

The latter recognized Laine and immediately bowed respectfully. "Lord Laine."

Laine asked with a gentle expression, "I’m looking for Nordwin. Do you know where he is?"

"Lord Nordwin is in Workshop A-3," the Engraving Race member replied hurriedly. "He went over there first thing this morning."

Laine nodded his thanks and turned to walk deeper into the workshop area.

He had recently commissioned Nordwin to craft a set of saddle gear for his Radiant Feathered Falcon. They had originally agreed to meet in a few days to pick it up, but Laine had tried contacting him several times with a Sound Transmission Talisman to no avail.

Left with no other choice, he had to make the trip in person.

’That Nordwin... he’s probably lost in his crafting again.’

Laine shook his head with a helpless smile.

The Engraving Race were born craftsmen, possessing an innate ability to identify materials. They were among the most outstanding Alchemists and Enchanters on the Dawn Continent.

And Nordwin was a once-in-a-century genius, even among the Engraving Race.

Before he ever set foot on the path of the Dao, he had already mastered alchemy and enchanting, invented and improved various Demon Crystal technology products, and even presided over the improvement of the Magic Core.

And not long after he learned to refine Spiritual Qi, he also mastered the way of Talismans.

Now, he had even learned to use a Spirit Fire Talisman to refine Talismans.

In all of Taichu City, Nordwin was the only one who had learned Artifact Refining while still in the Early Stage of Qi Refining.

Such talent was truly astounding.

But on the flip side, he was completely clueless when it came to combat.

Laine sometimes felt that the degree to which Nordwin was ’specialized’ could probably rival that of Lucius.

It was just that one specialized in combat, while the other specialized in craftsmanship.

Workshop A-3 was located in the deepest part of the area. Its facade had no extra decorations, only a bronze plaque embedded above the doorframe, engraved with "A-3".

Laine pushed the door open and walked inside.

The workshop was much more spacious on the inside than it appeared from the outside.

This was the effect of a spatial extension Array; many of the important buildings in Taichu City were set up with similar Arrays.

The workshop was brightly lit. Two figures stood before a long table in the center of the room, huddled together and talking about something in low voices.

One of them was Nordwin.

The other, however, was a young Elf.

Laine’s gaze swept over him, and he quickly recalled the other’s name.

Evan.

He was from the batch of disciples who had joined not long after Taichu City was established. His aptitude was supposedly quite good.

Although he was slightly inferior to the first batch of disciples like Laine and Furlo, he was still considered outstanding among the disciples of Taichu City.

"Senior Brother Laine!"

Evan was the first to notice Laine. He quickly straightened up and greeted him.

Nordwin was a beat slower. He looked up from his blueprints, and upon seeing Laine, he also hurriedly put down his tools and bowed slightly. "Senior Brother Laine."

His expression and demeanor were reserved and reticent, making him seem a little stiff.

Laine was long accustomed to Nordwin’s behavior and responded with a smiling nod.

This member of the Engraving Race was exceptionally talented, but his quiet, unsociable personality always made him seem a bit out of place in a crowd.

This was one of the reasons he spent most of his time in the workshop.

"What are you two talking about?" Laine asked casually as he walked up to the long table.

Evan, his face wreathed in smiles, couldn’t wait to speak. "Senior Brother Laine, Nordwin says he’s trying to use Spirit Stones to refine a Magic Core!"

Laine was slightly taken aback. His gaze shifted to Nordwin, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

’Using Spirit Stones to refine a Magic Core?’

The idea wasn’t actually new.

A long time ago, many people in the Clan had considered this approach.

After all, it was said that when their Teacher first started refining Daoist Soldiers, he had lacked Magic Stones and had once used special Demon Crystals—made by infusing Gemstones with Spiritual Qi—to refine Magic Cores.

This indirectly proved the possibility of using Spirit Stones as the primary material for Magic Cores.

However, while the idea was good, the reality was harsh.

Over the years, many disciples of Taichu City and Alchemists from the Clan had tried to refine Magic Cores using Spirit Stones, but not a single one had succeeded.

Although Spirit Stones and Magic Stones are both Energy Crystals, their internal energy structures and properties are completely different. It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by a simple substitution.

"Are you confident?" Laine asked with great interest.

Nordwin said calmly, "I will do my best to try."

"I’ve reviewed the previous research records and found that everyone’s past attempts were focused on trying to modify Spirit Stones to replace Magic Stones within the Magic Core."

"But I think, rather than going through the trouble of modifying the Spirit Stones, it’s better to change our approach and make the structure of the Magic Core adapt to the Spirit Stones."

Nordwin’s tone gradually became more fluid, and his eyes lit up like kindled sparks.

"If I succeed, a Magic Core refined from Spirit Stones will have a higher energy density than a core made from Magic Stones, and its energy output will also be more stable."

"Furthermore, the energy conduction efficiency of Spirit Stones is already much higher than that of Magic Stones. If we can solve the compatibility issue, the overall performance of the new Magic Core will be at least thirty percent better than the current Magic Stone core."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and his words came faster and faster.

"The Magic Core is the foundation of Demon Crystal technology. If the underlying energy structure changes, the entire application logic of Demon Crystal technology will change with it."

"Take the Magic Crystal Lamp, for example. If it could be switched to Spirit Stones, the energy conversion efficiency would increase dramatically, and it would provide light for longer."

"Or the Magic Crystal Furnace. Swapping to Spirit Stones would allow its maximum temperature to be raised significantly, leading to a qualitative leap in smelting efficiency and quality."

"Demon Crystal crossbows, Demon Crystal mining equipment, Demon Crystal carriages... all Demon Crystal technology products would undergo a comprehensive upgrade due to this change in energy source."

"We could even develop a completely new technological system based on Spirit Stones."

As Nordwin spoke, his hands gestured constantly. He seemed to be driven by some fanatical force, completely lost in his own world.

His frantic, gesticulating energy was a stark contrast to his usual quiet and reticent demeanor.

Laine and Evan exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of a helpless smile in the other’s eyes.

They were already used to this.

The normally quiet and reticent Nordwin became like a different person whenever he started talking about topics related to alchemy or forging.

The focus and passion that radiated from his very bones were enough to move any onlooker.

"Well then, keep up the good work. I hope you achieve your goal soon."

Laine patted Nordwin’s shoulder, his tone sincere.

"If you need any help, just ask. Even if I can’t do it myself, I can put in a good word for you with Lady Eleanor."

Nordwin paused, finally snapping back to his senses and realizing he had gotten carried away.

He scratched his head sheepishly, a faint, almost unnoticeable blush appearing on his gray-blue face.

"Th-Thank you, Senior Brother Laine."

After thanking him, Nordwin finally remembered why Laine had come. He said quickly, "Senior Brother Laine, your saddle gear is ready. Wait a moment, I’ll go get it for you."

Without waiting for Laine to respond, he hurriedly turned and walked into the warehouse at the back of the workshop, the sound of his footsteps quickly fading behind the door curtain.

Laine watched him go, a helpless smile on his face, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration inwardly.

The Teacher’s decision to break precedent and promote members of the Vassal Races to disciples of Taichu City had indeed caused a great deal of controversy at the time.

But looking at it now, it was a truly brilliant move.

Whether it was Ye Tong, Nordwin, or Grove, they were all shining brightly in their respective fields and making remarkable contributions to the Clan.

This also proved just how correct the Teacher’s decision had been.

’Provide education to all, without discrimination of race or background.’

’The Teacher is the one with true foresight.’

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