Chapter 78: A Man’s Fantasy (3)

The next day…

“What?” Dexter opened the door to his workshop and blinked hard at what he saw inside. He quietly closed it again and stood there speechless for some time, unsure if what he had witnessed was real. After scanning the area to confirm that this indeed was his workshop, he flung open the door once more and bellowed:

“You…you rascals!” His voice reverberated throughout the room.

All those gathered within turned toward him.

“Master Dexter?”

“Welcome back, sir.”

“How goes it, Master?”

“It’s been a while.”

His disciples were present in his workshop, but they shouldn’t have been here. As Dexter scanned the crowd, he searched for one particular person. It could only be that brat; no one else would dare pull such a stunt.

After scanning the room for some time, Dexter bellowed, “Louis!”

“Did you call me, Mr. Haldeman?” Louis peeked out from one side with a grin at Dexter’s shout.

“What is going on here?!”

“Oh, about that…” Seeing Dexter flushed, Louis chuckled mischievously. “I called them all here.”

His voice was unapologetic and firm. Although Dexter had suspected as much, he was still enraged by Louis’s response.

“How dare you! Why did you summon these brats?!”

“Well, I gathered them so we could work together.”

“You little—!” Dexter trembled with anger.

Louis calmly retorted, “Didn’t you say we’re running out of time, Mr. Haldeman?”

“…”

“How long do you plan to keep making it just the two of us?”

“You…”

“If your goal is for the world to acknowledge the Wish Tower, then these four have every right to be here with us. No matter what others say, they are disciples of the Wish Tower.”

“…” Dexter couldn’t argue with Louis’s logic and simmered down. Working alongside Louis had indeed made him aware of their limited time. However, he still wasn’t entirely convinced by Louis’s reasoning.

“You brat! Couldn’t you at least give me some hint about this project?”

“If I told you, would you have allowed it?”

“…”

“Knowing your stubborn nature, Mr. Haldeman, you would’ve forbidden any further discussion on the topic.”

“…”

Dexter was left speechless because Louis accurately assessed his temperament.

Erica interrupted their conversation. “I’m disappointed, Master.”

”…What?”

“You’ve been working on something this fascinating all by yourself? You could have shared it with us!”

“If I had called you, would you have come willingly?”

“Oh, well…! The rookie—”

“Rookie?”

“Yeah, as per the rookie’s suggestion, we’re members of the Wish Tower now, right?”

Victor chimed in, “That’s correct. We’ve heard the gist of your research. Please allow us to assist you. If it helps gain recognition for the Wish Tower, we will dedicate as much time as needed.”

“I’m in too.”

“Of course, me as well!”

With Victor, Floria, and Douglas voicing their support unanimously, Dexter couldn’t argue further against Louis.

Dexter looked resigned as he turned to Louis. “…So then, what’s your plan?”

“It’s simple: We’ll divide the tasks among ourselves.”

“Divide the tasks?”

Louis pointed at Douglas first. “Douglas will handle the arms.”

Next was Victor. “Victor will take care of the legs.”

Then Floria. “Floria is responsible for the nervous system. And…”

His gaze shifted toward Erica. “Erica will assist Master Louis.”

“But… Why do I have to be the assistant?”

“Unless you can grow wings on that thing by tomorrow morning.”

Erica’s shoulders slumped dejectedly at Louis’s blunt response. She knew better than to argue further.

Watching Louis efficiently delegate roles to his fellow disciples left Dexter impressed.

Oh, right! These kids… They’ve been honing their skills all this time!

Victor specialized in legs.

Douglas focused on arms.

Erica studied wings.

And Floria delved into vision.

While Dexter concentrated on his Transcender research, each of his disciples had dedicated themselves to their respective fields and became masters in their own right. In some ways, they might even surpass him in their areas of expertise. After all, two heads were better than one, so having experts assist him would undoubtedly expedite the process.

“Haaaah…” Dexter let out a deep sigh filled with many emotions.

Was I too stubborn…?

The Tower of Wishes was his dream, and he believed it was only natural for him to shoulder this burden alone. His insistence that he complete his research single-handedly fueled his anger when Louis involved others. However, he now realized how wrong he had been.

I’ve been foolish.

Louis had been right; this was not the time to be stubborn, as they were running out of it quickly. Dexter needed to accept help when offered.

Since I’m already working with Louis anyway, adding one more person won’t change much.

Dexter glanced at the other disciples watching him intently.

I just need to work alongside them toward my goal.

With that decision made, Dexter nodded resolutely.

“…Fine. Let’s do this together.”

The other disciples subtly smiled at his response.

In the midst of his thoughts, Dexter regarded Louis with curiosity.

That brat…

It was all thanks to Louis. No one knew how he managed it, but he had somehow convinced the disciples who usually preferred isolation to come together and even persuaded the stubborn master himself to change course. Ever since Louis joined the Tower of Wishes, things had gradually shifted for them.

And these changes…

I can’t say they’re unwelcome.

A small smile graced Dexter’s face.

On that day, the members of the Tower of Wishes gathered around Dexter’s dream.

Dexter’s research, which had stagnated for some time, suddenly accelerated. With Louis and Dexter working together alongside their colleagues, they easily resolved issues that previously troubled them. In fact, things were progressing even better than anticipated.

“I think this would be more effective than what we’ve been doing.”

The team from the Tower of Wishes gathered to overhaul the Transcender’s body according to its new propulsion system. Victor, Douglas, and Floria contributed their knowledge throughout the process, leading to continuous advancements beyond Dexter’s initial plan.

However, amidst all these positive developments, one person was grinding her teeth.

“Just you wait! I’ll make sure to give this thing wings later!” Erica, who found herself relegated solely to assisting Dexter, stubbornly vowed to prove her worth.

As time passed, the Transcender gradually neared completion. However, issues arose five days before the academy conference at the Wish Tower.

“Autonomous movement seems more challenging than I anticipated due to numerous variables.” Dexter’s face was filled with concern.

The expressions of everyone gathered around him darkened accordingly.

Amidst the silence, Victor asked, “Is it currently unachievable with our progress?”

“The Transcender is inherently limited in its range of movements. Due to lack of time, we could only devise a few basic magic spell sequences. During this process, conflicts arose when integrating modifications for limbs like arms and legs. Currently, the compatible spell sequences are restricted to simple arm swings and sitting down or standing up motions.”

The current Transcender was just a prototype. With many features still lacking and sudden changes being made, numerous issues arose. Even if it were completed as is, showcasing it at the academy conference would merely reveal a giant steel puppet capable of swinging its limbs while sitting down or standing up.

Dexter did not want his life’s work to be presented in such a state.

“Ugh… Even if I start creating magic spells now, there’s no guarantee we can input them on time for testing…” Dexter felt overwhelmed.

At that moment, Louis rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm…” He stared intently at the Transcender, lost in contemplation.

Essentially, it functions like a golem…

From the start, Dexter had designed the Transcender to operate according to predetermined magic spells. In essence, it functioned like an industrial robot performing repetitive tasks and could revolutionize various industries if utilized properly.

However, Louis was dissatisfied with this limitation.

It’s too dull… Way too boring!

Louis didn’t want his creation, the first appearance of overpowered technology not seen in the original storyline, to be limited in such a manner. After pondering for a moment, his eyes lit up as he addressed everyone at the Wish Tower meeting.

“What about controlling it directly?”

“Directly?” All eyes turned toward Louis.

“Yes, direct control!”

“It’s impossible. I haven’t researched remote control techniques for such machines. Even if I dedicated decades to it, there’s no guarantee of success. Connecting the spell body and magic spells wirelessly is…”

Dexter had clearly pondered this before, as he rapidly fired off his thoughts on controlling Transcenders remotely.

However, Louis cut him off. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m suggesting piloting the machine from within.”

Dexter paused at Louis’s suggestion, contemplating it briefly before shaking his head again.

“If we were to create a magic spell allowing direct internal control, like you said, that would be feasible. The problem is…”

Douglas finished Dexter’s sentence.

“The issue lies with the interior space.”

“Yes.”

The interior of the Transcender was packed with various components, leaving no room for a pilot.

Douglas scrutinized the machine and suggested, “Couldn’t we create some space by removing the autonomous system’s parts and reorganizing everything inside? And if you switch to manual control, it wouldn’t require as many additional components.”

“At best, we’d only have about four feet of space, which is too cramped for an adult.”

The Transcender’s overall dimensions were approximately fifteen feet tall. Even maximizing the internal space wouldn’t be enough to accommodate an adult comfortably.

“If we assume an adult would operate it, the Transcender would need to be at least two to three times larger.”

“Then try it with a dwarf. I can’t pilot it without my arm, but another dwarf might be able to manage.”

“We’re already busy building these things. Where am I supposed to find a dwarf?”

“…If not, maybe one of the village kids?”

“If you mean those seven- or eight-year-olds, how could they learn to operate this machine quickly? Use your brain!”

“Hmm…?”

“What?” Douglas and Dexter stopped bickering as something dawned on them simultaneously. The other Tower of Wishes disciples followed their gaze, all zeroing in on the same person.

Standing there was a child with a height of only about three feet but possessing a brilliant mind capable of mastering complex machinery quickly. He grinned innocently.

“Heh-heh.”

“…”

Everyone silently turned to look at Louis. Dexter slapped his knee and sprang up from his seat.

“R-right! You’re here too!”

Louis met all their requirements perfectly. As one of the Transcenders’ creators, he didn’t even need an explanation on how the gear worked.

Under everyone’s gaze, Louis gleefully exclaimed, “Then it’s settled! Let’s begin right away!”

The prospect of piloting his dream robot or magic-powered suit made Louis’s cheeks flush.