Chapter 2101: Commissions

Sein ended up spending slightly more time at the Capiche Business Alliance than he had in Steel City.

He had to admit, the Capiche Business Alliance’s space fortress manufacturing techniques were considerably more advanced.

Among Magus World’s most accomplished space fortress craftsmen, roughly half were based in the Capiche Business Alliance, another thirty percent in Steel City, and the remaining twenty percent in Sky City.

Of course, the very best among them were still found in Sky City.

Given how close Sky City was to the Capiche Business Alliance, the surrounding region had also become the most active center for discussion on new space fortress designs throughout Magus World.

After advancing to Rank Four, many knights and mages received magicoin loan subsidies from the Magus Civilization, giving them the initial capital needed to commission space fortresses of their own.

And the vast majority chose to place their orders with the Capiche Business Alliance.

Lorianne’s Verdant Spring Fortress and Sein’s Ashen Fortress, for example, had both originally been purchased there.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of many Magus Civilization powerhouses, even a secondhand fortress from the Capiche Business Alliance seemed more appealing than one produced elsewhere.

As for Sein’s concept of a space fortress cluster, followed by his even more ambitious idea of combining those fortresses into one gigantic form, the expert alchemists of the Capiche Business Alliance were nowhere near as surprised as the mechanics in Steel City had been.

That was because Sein was not the first person in the Magus Civilization to come up with something similar.

The starports scattered outside Magus World were already capable of accommodating more than ten space fortresses at once, and some aspects of their designs actually shared similarities with Sein’s experimental concept.

Surely no one believed the Magus Civilization built such enormous starports merely to serve as docking facilities, right?

Starports actually possessed considerable combat capabilities of their own.

Not only could they launch devastating long-range attacks, but they could also carry numerous space fortresses through spatial jumps directly into targeted star domains.

The Magus Civilization, however, rarely deployed starports directly into battle.

The main reason was probably their sheer size.

After all, not everyone possessed something like Sein’s Magic Cube to serve as the central hub of such an enormous system.

With the Magic Cube, Sein at least had a chance of controlling this massive integrated war platform.

As for anyone else...

Perhaps only a soul-level mechanic like Viktor could accomplish something similar.

Sein’s total expenses at the Capiche Business Alliance would be no lower than what he had spent in Steel City.

The space fortresses here were already more expensive to begin with, and Sein’s modification requirements for these two were even more extensive.

When Sein also mentioned his plan to commission a seventh, custom-built core fortress in Sky City, Bortnew, a Rank Five fortress builder from the Capiche Business Alliance, readily approved of the idea.

Despite being a Rank Five, Master Bortnew had participated in the design and construction of three starports outside Magus World.

Among them was the Titan Starport where Sein’s Ashen Fortress was currently docked. Master Bortnew had also taken part in its design back then.

The Capiche Business Alliance had specifically assigned this elderly Rank Five mage to work with Sein on his massive space fortress experiment. His expertise made him the perfect candidate.

He was exactly the kind of expert alchemist Sein needed.

When Sein asked which heavy industry laboratory in Sky City he should approach for his custom-built core fortress, Master Bortnew adjusted the glasses resting on his nose.

His white hair and wrinkly face spoke of the long years this elderly Rank Five mage had spent pursuing truth.

After thinking for a while, Bortnew finally replied, “I recommend that you seek out an old friend of mine, Wharton. His expertise in constructing space fortresses far surpasses my own. Over the past tens of thousands of years, several generations of standard models developed by the Magus Civilization have carried traces of his designs. He has also conducted extensive research into both technology and mechanical arts, so he should be able to meet your requirements.”

He paused briefly, then continued, “Commissioning a space fortress from Wharton won’t be easy. It isn’t merely a matter of the exorbitant customization fees. Orders placed with him often come with a waiting period of a thousand years, sometimes even longer. With the Clash of Civilizations currently underway, I’m not even sure whether you’ll be able to secure a place in his schedule.”

“That said, aside from Wharton, I can also recommend several other heavy industry laboratories in Sky City,” he offered.

“Whether it works out or not, I’ll head to Sky City and give it a try first,” Sein replied. “Of course, I’d also appreciate the contact information for those other heavy industry laboratories, Master Bortnew.”

Bortnew nodded.

“Actually, a large-scale experiment and ambitious project like yours would have been much easier to carry out before the Clash of Civilizations began. Back then, there would have been plenty of time to slowly refine every detail.”

“I’ve also examined your Magic Cube. To be honest, that world-class secret treasure is truly mysterious. It was only after seeing it for myself that I became convinced your experiment had a good chance of succeeding. That’s also why I strongly recommended Wharton to you.”

Bortnew paused before continuing.

“Then again, it’s precisely because of the Clash of Civilizations that young mages like you have been able to reach such heights in such a short time. I have high hopes for your path toward truth, Master Sein. I look forward to seeing you succeed.”

Coming from someone like Bortnew, those words carried considerable weight.

After all, this elderly Rank Five mage was definitely an accomplished figure in Magus World. He had even participated in the design and research of star cities, and there was no telling how many world-class secret treasures had passed through his hands over the years.

His praise for Sein left the other Rank Four alchemists from the Capiche Business Alliance involved in the project visibly astonished.

Yet Wharton, whom even Bortnew spoke of with such respect, was clearly an even more accomplished figure.

Sein had no idea whether he could actually persuade someone of that caliber to take on his commission.

Still, there was no harm in trying.

***

Sky City...

That was a sacred place in the hearts of spellcasters throughout the Magus Civilization.

This was Sein’s second visit since returning to Magus World.

Master Wharton’s laboratory was not located at the very top of Sky City, nor was it hidden away in some remote, deep region as Sein had originally imagined.

Surprisingly, it was somewhere in the northwestern corner of Sky City’s central district, within an area that looked rather ordinary at first glance.

Several large libraries surrounded the area, most built in a rustic style that looked somewhat outdated.

Unfortunately, Sein’s attempt to meet Master Wharton did not go smoothly. If not for Master Bortnew’s letter of recommendation, he probably would not have even been allowed through the door.

When Sein explained that he hoped to commission Master Wharton to design and build a custom space fortress, Wharton’s assistant, a Rank Four female alchemist dressed in a white magic robe, gave him a rather formal response.

“I’m sorry, but anyone wishing to commission a space fortress from Master Wharton normally needs to make a reservation at least a thousand years in advance. Since you were referred by Master Bortnew, we can place you on the waiting list. Even then, however, the earliest we could begin processing your order would be 5,671 years from now,” she explained.

Had this been before the Clash of Civilizations began, Sein might have been willing to wait five thousand years, or even ten thousand.

But now, he simply did not have that much time to spare.

By Sein’s own estimate, even his advancement to Rank Six would take only around a thousand years.

If this core fortress required him to wait several thousand years, he might as well commission one from another heavy industry laboratory.

After all, if he was willing to throw one or two hundred million magicoins at the project, the final product could hardly turn out too badly.

With that thought in mind, Sein suppressed his disappointment and prepared to leave Master Wharton’s laboratory.

Just then, however, something unexpected happened...

Inside Master Wharton’s private laboratory, a fiery red ball of law light darted around the room.

It had only just arrived as well.

The moment it sensed Sein’s Magic Cube outside the heavy industry laboratory, the red light suddenly stopped.

A moment later, it turned toward a Rank Six mage busy working at a massive experimental table nearby.

“Hey, old man. How about I bring you a job?”