Chapter 76: A Man’s Fantasy (1)

Dexter dragged Louis back to his workshop.

Slam!

He roughly shut the door before letting go of Louis’s wrist.

Louis cautiously opened his mouth as soon as he was released. “Grandpa… Are you really mad at me?”

“No, I’m not angry.”

“But your face looks mad. Um… If it’s about that propulsion sphere earlier, I’m sorry. I’ll scrap it and never make another one again.”

At this, Dexter erupted. “Scrap it? Did you just say ‘scrap’?!”

“What’s wrong now?”

“Why would you destroy something like that?! Are you crazy?!”

“…Honestly, I don’t know how to deal with you.”

Louis looked at Dexter with bewilderment as he tried to gauge whether his boss was genuinely angry or not.

Dexter’s claim that he wasn’t upset had been true until just now, but he certainly was furious at this moment.

“You have no idea how revolutionary your propulsion device is, and yet you want to scrap it!”

“…?”

“This invention will go down in history! Instead of researching and developing it further, you’re saying you won’t even make it?”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“No, it is! Hmph…” Dexter huffed angrily.

Realizing how agitated he’d become, he took a deep breath to calm himself before advancing toward the center of the workshop, his eyes gleaming sharply.

Louis watched Dexter’s odd behavior with curiosity.

Soon after…

Fwip.

Dexter lifted the white cloth to reveal something he had been keeping under wraps for quite some time. Louis’s jaw dropped at the sight of it.

“Oh! Th-that is?!”

It took a lot to surprise Louis, but this genuinely shocked him.

A massive silver figure emerged from beneath the cloth: a knight clad in steel armor kneeling on one knee. The problem was that even on its knee, the knight stood two meters tall. If it rose to full height, it would easily measure three or four meters. Did such colossal knights exist?

As Louis stared at the silver knight with amazement, Dexter spoke up.

“What does this look like to you?”

“U-um… What do you think it is?”

Dexter seemed to know exactly what Louis was thinking but wanted to hear it from him—the true identity of the creation straight from its creator’s mouth.

And as expected, Dexter began his explanation.

“People often say that talismans are merely tools with clear limitations.”

”…”

“But I intend to change their perception through this guy. It surpasses the limits they claim exist for such artifacts! This one is…”

Louis held his breath, awaiting Dexter’s next words.

Dexter responded solemnly under Louis’s expectant gaze.

“It is called beyond technology.”

As soon as Dexter finished speaking, Louis’s eyes sparkled brightly.

‘It’s real! It truly exists!’

When Louis first learned about the existence of the Tower of Wishes, he could sense a distinct aroma around it—the scent of overpowered technology far surpassing this world’s capabilities.

And now…

‘I can’t believe I’m seeing one!’

The original work that Louis had been possessed by did not feature such artifacts. However, they were commonly found in other fantasy settings and known as Titans or magic-powered suits. Here before his very eyes was the object referred to as “beyond technology” by Dexter.

For Louis, this sight was incredibly exhilarating.

‘A robot! A freaking robot!’

Just imagining piloting such a massive armored robot and battling enemies sent chills up Louis’s spine. Naturally, he was ecstatic to see one right before his eyes.

Meanwhile, Dexter retrieved some blueprints to show him. “This year marks twenty-five years since I first conceptualized this beyond technology and started building it. It took me ten of those years just to create the propulsion sphere alone!”

“Uh…why do you sound so angry?”

“I’m not angry! This is excitement!”

Dexter’s animated voice sounded genuinely furious, but understandably so given the circumstances.

Regardless of what anyone said, the crux of this beyond technology was its propulsion system capable of moving over a ton of metal. Despite ten years of research without success, Louis had managed to improve the propulsion sphere within days. This gave Dexter hope that his work could finally come to fruition.

His voice resonated with determination. “I need your help.”

“What?”

“In a few months, there will be an academic conference at the Tower during the autumn season. It’s held only once every five years.”

“And?”

“I want to showcase my invention at the conference and shatter their belief that talismans are merely tools… I’ll gain recognition for sure.”

“…”

“I need your help to accomplish this goal since you created the propulsion sphere.”

Louis rubbed his chin as he observed Dexter’s passionate eyes before breaking into a grin and nodding.

“All right.”

“Ha-ha-ha!” Dexter laughed joyously at Louis’s approval.

However, it was too soon to celebrate.

“But there is one thing.”

“Yes?”

“If I agree, does that mean you acknowledge my abilities?”

“Absolutely!”

There was no question about it. If Louis didn’t recognize Dexter’s talent after witnessing such miraculous feats with his own eyes, the ancestors of the Wish Tower would rise from their graves cursing him out loud.

Hearing Dexter’s words, Louis’s smile widened even more.

“In that case, regarding the position of peak lord—”

“There’s nothing else to discuss. It’s undoubtedly yours!”

“Heh-heh-heh.”

“But!”

“…?”

“If this project is completed and successfully presented at the academic festival…I will officially pass on the title of peak lord to you. Of course, along with our tower’s treasure, the Dragon-Slaying Sword!”

“Deal!” Louis eagerly agreed, as there was nothing for him to refuse.

Initially, his sole goal had been obtaining the rusted Dragon-Slaying Sword, but now it had changed.

How could I just let this opportunity slip through my fingers?

With both humanity’s dream and his own right before his eyes, he would regret passing up this chance for centuries to come. He wanted to witness the completion of the beyond technology and unravel its secrets. Working alongside Dexter seemed like the best way to achieve that.

Their gazes met—Louis’s shining brightly, Dexter’s brimming with passion—and Louis extended his hand first.

“I’m counting on you!”

“You can count on me too!” Dexter shook Louis’s hand firmly.

For the first time ever, the two bickering master and disciple found themselves completely aligned.

The Towers of Aria had no recorded history detailing their origin. However, people speculated that the towers’ histories were as old as holy magic itself.

“Towers naturally formed as those studying holy magic exchanged knowledge with each other.”

This was the prevailing theory in modern times.

Holy magic was one of the various techniques used to harness Attribute Power, and it greatly differed depending on the attribute employed. Even among practitioners using the same attribute, factions emerged based on how they wielded their power. Consequently, towers sprang up across continents, regions, attributes, and factions like wildfire.

These towers inevitably became competitive, leading enthusiasts to rank them against each other. Over time, this informal ranking system evolved into an official organization dedicated to assessing tower standings.

Over time, this unofficial ranking system became more structured, eventually leading to the creation of an official organization dedicated to compiling these rankings. Among them, the Tower of Luminosity was recognized as the premier tower on the continent of Autumn.

The Tower of Luminosity had maintained its number one position for over three hundred years, solidifying its reputation as the most powerful tower in the region. Consequently, many people idolized the Tower of Luminosity, and countless aspiring mages frequented it with dreams of becoming part of its ranks.

These hopefuls shared a single common goal: learning advanced holy magic. To achieve that, they needed excellent mentors, and the Tower of Luminosity boasted the only tier-1 mage serving as its peak lord, drawing numerous aspirants filled with high expectations.

Who knows? Maybe my talent will catch tower lord’s eye!

This was the hope shared by everyone from fresh recruits to seasoned mages who joined the Tower of Luminosity. However, contrary to their expectations, its master hadn’t taken on any disciples for decades. The prevailing rumor was that he cared only about elevating his own abilities and had no interest in mentoring others.

But this rumor wasn’t true.

“Hmm…” On the highest floor of the tower stood an elderly man with a white beard, dressed in a long white robe—someone unmistakably exuding the aura of a mage. He was reviewing some documents.

In front of him sat several middle-aged individuals eyeing him with anticipation. After reviewing the last page of documents, the eldest-looking among them eagerly asked:

“Well, sir?”

“I see… None of these particularly appeal to me.”

The distinguished old man with a neatly groomed white beard was none other than Ron Gremillion, the peak lord of the Tower of Luminosity and a tier-one cleric. His displeasure was evident on his face, causing disappointment to wash over those who had been hoping for a different outcome.

Yet, they couldn’t give up just yet and pleaded further.

“How about the eldest son from the Cosmo family? Rumor has it he’s a prodigy who discovered his Attribute Power at the tender age of three.”

“Or perhaps Princess Dwedden from the Dwedden ducal family…?”

“Oh, the princess from Dwedden? Yes, I’ve seen her myself. She’s quite decent.”

Ron’s positive response brought smiles to their faces momentarily.

However, it didn’t last long.

“But she lacks potential for greatness.”

“Oh…”

Their expressions turned gloomy once more.

The elder mage offered them a benevolent smile. “Do not fret too much. The right one will come along when the time is ripe.”

“…Sir, you said that ten years ago as well. Tower lord, when do you plan on taking a disciple?”

“Heh-heh, accepting a disciple isn’t such a simple matter, wouldn’t you agree?”

At the wise old man’s reassuring grin, the middle-aged high-ranking mages and administrators of the Tower of Luminosity sighed simultaneously.

“Master Ron…is there really no one who meets your standards?”

“Heh-heh.”

“Oh please, Master Ron. Why not lower your expectations just this once?”

“Bah! Nonsense! A disciple must fully inherit their master’s legacy! Accepting such a successor means passing on the glorious honor of the Tower of Luminosity to future generations! How could I take that lightly?!”

“…”

“Well then… What does it matter if I don’t have any disciples? In essence, you’re all my apprentices anyway.”

“If you insist on treating us as such, at least properly mentor us… You always say, ‘My legacy is meant for my true heir!’”

“Ahem!” Ron cleared his throat awkwardly under their reproachful gazes.

At that moment, another high-rank mage sitting to one side spoke up. “Speaking of which, I recently heard some strange rumors.”

“Strange rumors?”

“I was told that Logan from Dusk’s Tower and Aiden from Dawn’s Tower have been searching for a certain child.”

“What do you mean by that?” In response to Ron’s question, the other mage searched his memory before replying.

“They both claim the same child as their disciple. Apparently, they consider him a prodigy who comes along only once every thousand years… Should we also try to locate this child?”

The high-rank mage looked at Ron with anticipation, hoping he would agree.