The Runesmith

“Is it working? Can you hear me?”

A loud voice resounded through one of the runic speakers.

“Was I supposed to hold this, or just press it once? Hey, you, read the instructions again!”

The voice belonged to an older gentleman, one Roland didn't particularly enjoy interacting with and would have preferred to avoid. However, there was no way around it. Without him, this connection would not have been possible.

“Yes, I hear you loud and clear, Hal... I mean, Professor Halbrecht.”

“Oh, truly? It does sound like my genius friend Wayland, the second smartest man after me... but didn't you say I would see your face? Much clearer than through a crystal ball?”

“Yes... it seems you didn't select the checkbox when you accepted the call.”

Roland replied, already regretting that he had started this conversation.

“Checkbox?”

“The small square symbol in the lower left corner of the screen.”

Roland raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, only to realize he was still wearing his helmet for the call with his new associate.

“Touch it with your finger. That should do the trick.”

There was a long moment of static, followed by the shuffling of papers and a loud clatter, as though a stack of heavy books had just been knocked to the floor. Then he heard the man cursing at his assistants, who seemed to be running around like headless chickens.

‘I wish I had someone who could handle these things for me...’

Roland let out a sigh as he waited. His disciple was too young to take care of matters like this, and Bernir did not have a class capable of handling runes. Perhaps, if he wanted more free time, he needed to do what every other runesmith did and hire additional help. There was even a promising candidate waiting for him at the Institute, a young man who seemed to admire him immensely and was more than competent at his work.

‘I can't really complain about his work ethic... If I wanted a proper secretary, he would be…’

“Ah, there you are!”

Before Roland could finish the thought, Professor Halbrecht the Third's face appeared on the screen, or at least his eyes and forehead did.

“You're too close to the runic camera.”

“Oh, am I?”

The old man pushed his goggles onto his forehead and leaned back. As he did, Roland caught sight of several assistants in the background cleaning up the mess that had just been made. The mad scientist finally came fully into view, and they could at last begin what Roland hoped would be a brief conversation.

“This is truly a marvel of ingenuity, I must say. It does seem better than the old crystal balls. Are you really all the way in Albrook?”

“Yes, I am. As you can see, thanks to the runic network, the transfer of data is almost instantaneous.”

Concepts like the telephone and the internet did not exist in this world. Long distance communication relied on crystal balls, handwritten letters, or magical spells. Although there were other ways to communicate across great distances, none offered the same clarity as the runic technology they were using now.

"It is a fascinating piece of magical machinery, I'll give you that..."

Halbrecht said while standing slightly off center of the golemic camera. His left arm was cut off as he spoke, making Roland wonder if he should implement another feature into the system, one that placed a smaller screen in the corner to show how someone looked on the other end of the conversation. It seemed like a simple addition, but it would require quite a bit of coding within the runic system.

‘I should get Arion to do it. The same system is in the Institute…’

Roland thought to himself while the mad scientists continued.

"But without my genius guiding this operation and laying down the infrastructure, none of this would have been possible, my friend!"

Halbrecht continued to monologue while his assistants, all wearing similar white coats, nodded along in agreement.

‘I should probably stop him, or he'll babble on for the next ten minutes…’

"Sure... Professor Halbrecht, I think this presentation is enough, right? Now you can be assured that the project is important and far less restrictive than any crystal ball."

"Oh... that is true! As you've said, we could place such a device in every noble home and never need to use those pesky crystal balls ever again!"

Roland had already explained the possibilities to Halbrecht before, but now he finally had proof. Even the nobility was restricted when it came to communicating with people in distant corners of the kingdom, or even with those living only an hour's walk away. As someone who had grown up with phones and smartphones, he understood the value of this technology. It would also prove invaluable during warfare.

As in any era, the flow of information was the foundation of effective strategy. In this world, long distance communication was limited to magical instruments, each with significant drawbacks. Magical swallows carrying letters could be intercepted, while crystal balls could be rendered useless by specialized counterspells.

His own technology also had its limitations. For the time being, it required an extensive network of underground cables. Running lines above ground was impossible because monsters would likely be drawn to the mana fluctuations. They would tear the cables apart, while bandits would simply strip them for the valuable metal inside. That left only one practical solution, burying the cables deep enough that no one would notice them.

The second option would be a network similar to the radio or cellular towers from Roland's previous world. The technology was feasible, though it would reduce the quality of both the image and the sound. On the other hand, it required only a series of specialized towers, most of which could be erected within well defended forts or cities.

"I can already see it, a Halbrecht Tower in every city!"

As the conversation continued, Roland tilted his head slightly after hearing that shameless name.

"Aha, we can figure out the details later, my genius friend!"

"Fine... I need to go now, so I'll have one of my people contact yours about the project."

"Superb! Now, how do I turn this off?"

Roland did not answer. Instead, he simply cut off the transmission, ending their first successful connection.

Albrook and the Valerian capital were now linked through underground cabling laid within the abandoned tunnels left behind after the culling. The passages had finally been fully mapped and explored, and Valerian soldiers had eliminated any remaining monsters.

Now the only thing left is to build the subway system and everything should be finished. Luckily, that's not something I need to oversee this time.

While his presence was required for many projects, the people of this world were not incompetent. He had been able to explain most of the theories and technologies he had developed to other runesmiths and rune mages, allowing them to continue the work on their own. The real challenge was getting the two groups to cooperate without descending into a shouting match. One group wanted to craft the devices, while the other constantly tinkered with their runic adjustments, changing how they functioned and driving the craftsmen mad.

"Boss!"

"Is it ready?"

"Aye, it's tucked up nice and tight and ready to be wrapped up!"

"Good."

Bernir stepped through the door to inform him that the package was ready to be shipped. Assembling it had been troublesome, but transporting it would prove even more difficult.

"Best see it for yourself, Boss."

Roland nodded, and the two headed for the elevator leading outside. Waiting in front of the entrance stood a large metallic rectangle. Agni, currently in the form of the old Sunlight Wolf, was circling it while sniffing curiously.

Normally, large objects could be stored inside spatial storage, but when it came to enormous golems like this one, especially those covered in complex runic enchantments, it became a problem. The magic required to widen the entrance enough to accommodate something so large was difficult to maintain, and there was always a risk that the spatial magic and the enchantments on the golem would interfere with each other.

That was the main reason they had to transport this ten-meter-tall giant the conventional way. Otherwise, everyone would be carrying massive tier three golems around in their pockets. The more sophisticated the magic woven into a golem or piece of equipment, the more difficult it became to store it inside a spatial container, especially since such spaces were never perfectly stable.

"Everything seems to be in order. All the locks are in place."

Roland approached the massive metal container. Heavy clasps lined its sides, securing the structure together, while countless runic symbols covered its surface. Beside it lay a large tarp, several thick chains, and a flat four-wheeled trailer. Its platform was slightly larger than the container itself, making it obvious where the massive box was meant to rest.

‘This might be one of my greatest inventions yet…’

For a moment, Roland simply stared at the container, which bore a striking resemblance to a shipping container from his previous world. It measured over ten meters in length and roughly half that in width. Inside rested the golemic armor he had built for the convocation. With only a few days remaining before the event began, it needed to be shipped to the Institute, where it would later be teleported to the competition grounds somewhere within the kingdom's central region.

‘No one really knows where it will take place. They certainly have a history of meddling with everything. No wonder people don't trust mages that much…’

Over the years, countless incidents of sabotage and interference had plagued the convocation. Whenever the location became known in advance, magical academies would secretly prepare traps or scout the terrain to gain an advantage over their rivals. As a result, the organizers kept the venue secret until the very last day, revealing the teleportation coordinates only when the participants were ready to depart.

‘They usually choose a neutral third party to host it, sometimes even from another country. I wonder who it'll be this time.’

Other empires and magical organizations existed beyond the kingdom's borders. Mages were rarely as loyal to their nations as ordinary people were. Most cared only for their own research and the pursuit of greater power. They formed a society unto themselves, and in situations like this, they often invited an outside organization to oversee the event in the hope of ensuring impartiality.

Using his Mage Hand spell, Roland lifted the container into the air. It was quite heavy, but he had long since become strong enough to manage the task. The tarp would serve as another layer of protection, woven from a special material designed to conceal the package. As the heavy chains slowly wrapped around the container, Roland's thoughts drifted to the days ahead.

The time for the competition was approaching, and everything he could do to secure their victory had already been done. There was little left besides giving everything one final inspection and hoping it would be enough to win that bet.

“A little bit to the left, Boss... and stop!”

Bernir guided him into positioning it in the exact center of the transport wagon. Once it was in place, thick chains were wrapped around the magical tarp from every side. To make it even more secure, a heavy metal roof was lowered on top. Outside, a team of horses waited alongside several soldiers who would escort it into the city.

‘Still a few levels short, huh…’

As the gate opened and the golem package rolled out, he glanced at his status. Over the last half year, he had grinded out as much experience as possible. He had even gained two full levels while assembling the mobile armor, but he was still three levels away from reaching the end.

Even though only three levels remained, if he continued progressing at the same pace, each one would probably take another month, if not longer. That was the downside of choosing a third tier one class. From that point onward, leveling became painfully slow.

The experience bar was infuriatingly stubborn at this stage. Higher levels demanded exponentially greater amounts of experience just to move it by a fraction of a percent. Crafting remained an option, but even a monumental project like the mobile runic armor had only granted him two levels after nearly half a year of work.

“The guards are ready, Boss.”

“Good, let's go.”

He was not about to stay behind now. Ever since the competition had drawn only a month away, the number of sabotage attempts had steadily increased. It had started during the dungeon expedition and continued after he returned to his territory. Small-time spies, rogue mercenaries, and even members of the thieves' guild had all tried their luck probing Albrook's defenses. By now, everyone seemed to have connected the dots between Deputy Professor Wayland and High Knight Commander Wayland, something he had always known would happen eventually.

“Keep your eyes peeled.”

“Of course, High Knight Commander!”

The soldiers saluted, and the short journey into Albrook began. People watched the convoy with obvious curiosity, and whenever they spotted his gleaming magical armor, they smiled and waved.

Even though he had faced countless problems outside Albrook, the city itself had remained relatively secure ever since he reached tier three. Still, despite all the smiles and friendly waves, he stayed alert, constantly scanning his surroundings. They had apprehended several suspicious individuals the previous day, but he could not be certain there were no others.

Soon they reached the city's teleportation gate, one far larger than the one inside his workshop. It was the only gate large enough for the package to pass through. Although he could have built a larger gate within his own compound, doing so would have been an unnecessary waste of resources, since the city already possessed one capable of the job.

‘Everything seems to be in order. No one fiddled with the runes or left any explosives behind…’

After making sure everything was in order, he instructed the soldiers to lead the horses away. Once the path was clear, he used his own magical might to pull the trailer across the finish line. He stepped through the gate only after the entire container had vanished beyond it. It was only when he arrived with the golem at the institute's hidden storage facility that he finally allowed himself to relax.

Normally, he would be greeted by the same teleportation gate mage who oversaw the arrivals, but today was different. He had arrived in a place that most people at the institute did not even know existed, a hidden underground storage chamber reserved for the tier four Headmistress herself.

‘There’s so much junk in here… I wonder how old that woman even is…’

Faint light crystals illuminated the dusty chamber, casting long shadows across rows of ancient furniture and discarded artifacts. All sorts of oddities were scattered throughout the room, from magical wands to inactive golem teacup holders. One corner was piled high with useless junk, while another held a glittering mound of gold and treasure.

‘She’s watching, so taking anything from here would probably get me in trouble…’

He brushed the dust from a few nearby objects as he looked around.

‘No one will be able to get it from here, that is for sure.’

After making sure the container was securely chained to the floor, he left through a smaller gate embedded in the wall. Besides serving as a storage vault, the chamber also functioned as a massive teleportation hub. Most of the gates were fixed, each linked to a single destination with no possibility of changing it. He was not sure why the Headmistress had abandoned the chamber, but perhaps once she settled down at the institute, she no longer had any reason to travel the world.

“Oh... so this is how I get here...”

He had been instructed to use only one specific miniature gate, the only one with its defensive magical locks disabled. As soon as he stepped through, he found himself in his Deputy Professor office, standing before a massive magical mirror. He had long known the mirror possessed transference magic, but he had never been able to activate it, nor had he tried, since it had clearly been off limits.

‘All those gates must have a history behind them…’

Roland knew that Yavenna Arvandus had once been an active mage who had taken part in countless adventures. The gates had almost certainly been created to let her travel quickly across the kingdom, and perhaps even beyond its borders whenever the need arose.

‘Should I make a room like that too? Customizing just one gate every time takes a while, and it eventually wears out the materials...’

Fixed gates had one major advantage. They never needed to be reconfigured. The gates he built could connect to multiple destinations, but constantly altering their runes would eventually wear away the runic patterns.

Having a chamber linked to several secret bases and remote locations, like the one hidden beneath the dungeon, was not such a bad idea. It would also give people like Elodia and Bernir a much faster escape route. Unfortunately, he would first need to travel and find suitable places for those hidden bases, something his current schedule simply would not allow.

‘Now then... all of this is almost over...’

Everything had been prepared, and the Mobile Runic Armor was safely secured in storage. All that remained was to attend the competition and prove that Xandar's Institute of Wizardry had come to win.

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