New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (2/2 chapters)

Elementary Magical Tool Production (2) – Practical Training

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The third period began, and after the self-introductions of the three selected students, including myself, we moved on to the main topic of the practical training.

“Now then, Richard-kun. Please distribute the white and yellow magic crystals to the three of them.” (Zila)

That assistant professor… is that his name? During the orientation, everyone had been introduced in one breath, so I had not managed to remember them all.

Following Zila-sensei’s instructions, Richard handed out to each of us two lumps, wrapped in paper, each roughly three centimeters across.

White and yellow? Is that the color of the wrapping paper? The yellow one must be oil paper. That is the kind I used to purchase or receive from my family home. The other is wrapped in ordinary paper. Assuming that one is the white, what could be the difference?

“Professor, since they are first-year students, would you please explain the meaning of the paper colors?” (Richard)

“Yes, indeed. The yellow ones are new magic crystals. The white ones are what we call re-polished crystals. These are magic crystals that have been engraved once before, and then, the engraved surface was polished again so that it can be engraved anew.” (Zila)

I see. So, such things exist.

“Generally, re-polished crystals have a shorter lifespan and are mostly used for expendable items. Therefore, the price… how much is it now, I wonder?” (Zila)

“When compared to second-grade crystals, the wholesale price is roughly one-half to one-third. However, for the blue to transparent types that cannot be used for consumable purposes, it drops to less than one-fifth.” (Richard)

“I see.” (Zila)

That is quite a price difference. The selling price of the magic stones after processing would vary accordingly.

“For that reason, for training purposes such as this, where we are only practicing, we use the white ones.” (Zila)

“Yes.” (All)

That makes sense. It means we do not need to worry much about the cost.

“They are cheap and useful, but some of them contain defects that make them unusable even after re-polishing. Each of you, please check for defects. Now then, a defect is…” (Zila)

Zila-sensei opened a drawer in the desk.

“I seem to recall keeping one around here… ah, here it is.” (Zila)

He took out a nearly transparent magic crystal.

“A defect looks like this. The inside of the magic crystal is not uniform, and you will see what appears to be a white surface inside. Pass this around among the three of you and take a look.” (Zila)

I received the magic crystal that was handed to us and held it up to the light.

Indeed, within the re-polished crystal, a faintly reflective white layer could be seen.

“There is indeed one of about three milimeters in size.” (Odette)

Since Odette-san was glaring at me, I quickly handed her the magic crystal. She immediately began to examine it.

I decided to ask about something that caught my attention.

“I noticed not only white parts but also transparent reflective surfaces. Are those acceptable?” (Leon)

“You have keen eyes. Those transparent surfaces are also what we call lattice defects. They are the crystal grain boundaries or the borders, you might say. If they only appear slightly transparent, they pose no problem for low-density magic art arrays. The pattern connects properly during engraving. However, surfaces that appear white or contain foreign substances are no good. Even if you do not engrave on those spots, the defect can become the starting point for cracks.” (Zila)

“You mentioned low-density, but what about high-density cases?” (Leon)

“In applications involving high-density way of magic arrays, such as those used in magical apparatus, one must use what are called first-grade crystals, which have grain boundaries of at least ten millimeters.” (Zila)

“I see. Then, I suppose single crystals are the most desirable?” (Leon)

“Indeed, single crystals are ideal. We call those special-grade. They are exceedingly rare. Richard-kun.” (Zila)

“The price, Professor? First-grade crystals cost roughly five to ten times as much as second-grade ones, measured by weight.” (Richard)

That is quite a large difference in value.

“Moreover, special-grade crystals are not distributed in the general market.” (Richard)

“Oh? They are not sold?” (Zila)

Zila-sensei tilted his head.

“Professor, please do not compare your own workshop to ordinary ones.” (Richard)

“Hmm, I see.” (Zila)

An amusing exchange.

Still, the concept of single crystals reminded me of something. I recalled the device that allows one to observe the microscopic world, the electron microscope. Naturally, that was a technology from Earth. Even though such technology did not exist in this world, they still recognized what single crystals were.

“Excuse me, what exactly is a single crystal?” (Odette)

Odette-san handed the magic crystal to the person next to her, then glared at me again.

“A single crystal is a solid composed entirely of one crystal grain. In other words, it has no internal grain boundaries.” (Professor Zila)

“I see.” (Odette)

Hmm.

The term “artificial single crystal” surfaced in my mind.

“If natural single crystals are so rare, could they not be manufactured artificially?” (Leon)

Zila-sensei looked to the side.

“Well now, I have read a few papers on the subject. However, while the theory exists, I do not believe there has been a successful example as a practical business.” (Zila)

“Richard-sensei, could you elaborate?” (Zila)

“Single crystals do not form all at once. They grow gradually. That process is called crystal growth. The growth rate is extremely slow, making the cost performance unfavorable. That was the main reason given.” (Richard)

I see. The fact that such knowledge surfaced from my mind meant that, on Earth, artificial single crystals could indeed be created. It seems Richard-sensei possessed considerable academic understanding.

“Oh dear, we have strayed too far from the topic. Let us continue after the third period.” (Zila)

“I apologize.” (Leon)

“Now then, open the white ones. George-kun and Leon-kun, each of you, engrave one magic art pattern of your choice. Perform your work inside the engraving booths.” (Zila)

“Even if you fail, it is of no concern. Odette-kun, accompany Richard-kun and begin practicing the engraving of simple shapes or letters.” (Zila)

“Yes.” (Odette)

“Before engraving, make sure to inspect for defects.” (Zila)

Odette-san immediately moved toward the individual booth area.

I peeled off the white paper and held the magic crystal up to the light as before. After examining it carefully, there seemed to be no problem.

Now then, what should I engrave?

It would be best to make something easy to test, so I decided on a light-emitting type. I could also reuse some of my previous designs. Since this crystal would have to function independently, it should include a mana charging feature. Still, simply glowing seemed a bit dull.

All right. I have a clear plan.

As I looked up, I saw George-kun walking ahead toward one of the many doors. That was the booth area.

Engraving magic art was generally considered dangerous. That was why beginners worked inside those booths. However, even though my skill level was low, it would probably not be dangerous. After all, I could use the specialized application “Engrave Studio.” At the Liones Trading Company residence or even my lodgings, I had not prepared any barriers or special protections. Still, it was an advantage not to have others see what I was doing.

I stood and walked to a booth, opened the door, entered, and closed it behind me. Inside, dark blue walls surrounded a workbench. I sat down on a round stool.

First, the SYSLAB_SimConnect system launched automatically. The file for “Magical Projector Magic Stone v3.22” was loaded, and the block diagram appeared. Functionally, I disabled the mana natural absorption feature of the magic flux storage module and hid it from view. That simplified the circuit considerably. Next, I enabled the external mana supply feature. This meant the user would need to provide mana manually, but it would allow for immediate use.

Then, I divided the light-emission system into two channels, simplified the control system, removed the pulse-width control module, and reduced it to simple on-and-off operation. The scale of the magic art array became less than one-tenth of the original.
Creating a full magical projector was still premature for now.

For the time being, I saved the file under a new name.

Next, I switched from SimConnect to the StateTransition application. The display changed to a state transition diagram.

All right, switch on. The graph of demon world intensity appeared on the scope, rising. It lit up. Hmm, not bad. Good. Let us proceed with the engraving.

I switched to Engrave Studio.

When I brought the white magic stone into the square overlaying my vision, it displayed “Engravable”.

Oh?

A dialog window opened.

“Activation of impurity doping feature required. Activate now?”

Ah, yes, activate it.

Lines of text scrolled across my view.

To create the light-emitting filament portion, one must add materials other than the magic crystal’s natural components through doping. In terms of semiconductors, it was similar to creating P-type and N-type layers. I had disabled the doping feature earlier because it consumed quite a few tokens. Although I still had plenty to spare, I tended to disable unused functions for peace of mind. That was probably a trait of Reo’s personality. Since I would be using it often from now on, keeping it always enabled should be fine.

When the scrolling stopped and disappeared, the magic stone began to glow. Countless minute beams of light, barely visible to the eye, ran through it, engraving the pattern. The light beams seemed fainter than usual today. The reason I could let my mind wander even while this process continued was thanks to the combination of Engrave Studio and the Possessor system. It was convenient, though the sensation of one’s body being controlled, as mentioned in the documentation, was not particularly pleasant.

Come to think of it, the visible light beams were caused by scattering when they struck dust particles in the air. To engrave high-density magic stones such as those Zila-sensei mentioned, one would need an environment with minimal dust, a place of high cleanliness. Perhaps this booth was partially such an environment.

The concept of a “clean room” or “clean bench” came to mind. The world of Earth was truly meticulous. How enviable.

The light was beautiful, but I wondered if it was safe to keep staring at it. Although the scattered light was not very strong, it still might not be good for the eyes.

Speaking of which, could these beams be what Reo once called “lasers”? The documentation had not mentioned much about them.

While I pondered that, the magic crystal’s glow subsided. The engraving was complete. It was now a magic stone.

Excellent.

I stood up and opened the door, just as the neighboring door opened at the same moment.

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