Chapter 326: Light Bulb

Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb did not exist in the White Abyss. It was never invented in the first place. All technologies pertaining to light, whether it be neon lighting or lamp lighting, were patented and sold by one guild: the Thunderstrike Brotherhood. They were perhaps the only large-scale guild with stores and operations in both the Dark Sector and the remaining Sectors. They were everywhere. Their political outreach, while not on the same level as the Big Three, was certainly climbing up there. Day by day, their engineered magical items grew in popularity and complexity. As the standard of living increased, so did their wealth.

The House of Wisdom was the one place where Dasha could read on the history of appliances and home technology. According to the latest scholar estimations, 32% of homes used incandescent light bulb and were powered by electricity on some level. The remaining 66% relied on magic and magical appliances.

Funnily, both power types were monopolized by the Thunderstrike Brotherhood.

’Put simply, we’re somewhere in the Industrial Revolution but lack the numbers and interest in science to pursue it as humans did in the real world. Science now works together with magic, adding a layer of complexity to the world and its ambitions. Most would prefer to pursue combat-related goals to explore the Heavenly Tower and gain points.’

The study of magic circles was high because of that. It was multi-purpose.

Dasha sat at the table, accompanied by Dr. Elise Thornton. She had to brush up on her alchemy and Dasha decided to join her. Sitting across from her, they read in complete silence until Dasha spoke up.

“Tell me, have you worked for the Thunderstrike Brotherhood?”

“Mhm.” Dr. Thornton licked her finger and turned a page. “I was a Master Engineer for a factory producing LED-type lights. It was more of a supervisor role.”

“What would you say is their most successful product?”

“On a technical level, the Infinity Circle: a magic circle bought by the richest. Costing upwards of fifty million points, it’s going to power your home or whatever device have. The name isn’t an exaggeration, it operates in an infinite loop. although that doesn’t mean the output is infinite. As long as the loop is structurally sound, it will keep pumping out power. The Brotherhood uses it for their larger factories.” Dr. Thornton snorted. “The Eternal Emperor was wise to buy the patent when he did from that crackpot.”

“Crackpot?”

“Nikola. Tesla.”

Dasha glanced over his book. She spoke that name with venom and seething hate. Without saying a word, Dr. Thornton went on a rant.

“Tesla was popular with the media, spouting nonsense about creating a death ray. He didn’t have an ounce of shame. Always full of promise and always failing to deliver. That isn’t to say he wasn’t a genius. He was. His work on AC currents was lightyears beyond what we currently had. But his ideas were ridiculous. It went beyond being a big dreamer.”

“Even a dreamer can dream right.”

“He talked to pigeons. Pigeons! I still can’t believe he was in my class.”

“He didn’t go for the Accelerated Program?”

“No. He went to study magic circles for two years and then dropped out.”

“Yet he still managed to figure out how to create the Infinity Circle. How did he do it?”

“I heard he layered a thousand magic circles on top of each other. The lining isn’t only of the lightning element either, he incorporated water to increase tempo and speed and wrote up to a hundred thousand letters per circle—or so they say. There’s a seal placed on the magic circle so that even the rich that bought it for their homes cannot see it.”

A thousand layers in a magic circle? A hundred thousand letters per circle? How long would that take? His instincts told him years. His mind was unable to conjure a number. Magic was, at the end of the day, an unknown factor for Dasha Pang. From now on, he sought to remedy that. The stacks of books on the table were all recommended by Grace. His plan was to cram a decade of studying into a couple weeks. If possible, less. The basic principles were incredibly easy to grasp.

The Five Principles of Magic Circle reigned above all else: shape, size, time, affect, and concept. Each principle was intertwined with the other in some way. Each had their own branches of understanding and explanations. For example, time was divided into draw-casting time, activation time, and temporal windows. Draw casting was self-explanatory: the time it took for an individual to draw the magic circle. Activation time was the pulse that occurred as soon as the magic circle was drawn and activated. This was a crucial step in the magic circle process. The more complex a magic circle, the longer the activation time. That was the rule of thumb. To be able to invent magic circles that were complex and fast in activation time required a deep study of magical alphabets. Words had specific meaning and functions. Symbols had specific meaning and functions. Some words were compatible, others were not. To be able navigate these magical alphabets and cohesively form a powerful spell took time and effort.

In Dr. Thornton’s book, she mentioned that Elder Futhark Runes were potent in ice magic. “īsaz”, meaning ice, and “laguz”, meaning lake, could theoretically come together to freeze a lake. However, simply “ice” and “lake” were not enough. A bridge was necessary to specify the meaning of the magic circle. That was where intuition, knowledge, and study came in. That was where a true scholar had to dip their toes. Because even if there was a bridge, how long would it take to freeze the lake? What if the lake being frozen was absurdly large? What if a monster lived in the lake? Would the ice be too fragile and break? How about activation time? Mana cost? A lake was a large mass of water, simply having two runes and a bridge would burn up loads of mana.

Study was necessary. Symbols and concepts to be able to save on mana and speed was a priority.

“You’re deep in thought,” Dr. Thornton noted.

Dasha did not plan to tell her any more than he needed to. “Tell me more about Tesla. Just how much of a nutjob was he?”

As expected, his words rang a chord in the doctor who was very eager to tell. “Oh, you have no idea. One time, he—”

***

He listened. He studied. Three hours later, he closed his books and moved on. His schedule was strict and to the point.

Valhalla’s Colosseum was a grand spectacle, a place where the powerful came to witness battles between men, beasts, and mythological creatures. The betting seats were packed with spectators, their eyes glued to the massive semi-electronic screens above.

No one was watching the fights. All they could wait for were the results, akin to listening to sports on the radio in the 1900s. As a matter of fact, many had radios by their side for the reporters at the front of the portals.

The airport-like area had a special place for betters, with all bets focused on floors 31 through 50. Anything below that was simply a means for training for the lower class players. Irrelevant to the betting scheme. The large signs indicated whether a particular party had slain a monster, much like the boards in sporting betting places. People clutched their tickets, anxiously waiting to see if their chosen fighters would emerge victorious.

Dasha made his way through the crowded stands, his presence unnoticed in the sea of excitement. He found an empty seat next to Charles Mackley. Charles noticed Dasha and gave him a nod, a grin spreading across his face. “The invisible man is no longer invisible, I see.”

“You can detect me.”

“A personal skill I’ve developed. I know the shape of your body from the shifts in the air.”

Dasha settled into his seat, his expression impassive. “As promised.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy, twenty pound pouch filled with Dream Meth.

Charles’s eyes lit up at the sight, and he quickly handed over a larger, plain pouch. “Here’s the

Dreamweaver’s Dust. Freshly harvested from those shit-eating bakus. I killed a hundred of them to get this much.”

The two exchanged pouches, the transaction swift and unnoticed by the surrounding crowd. Dasha held the pouch of Dreamweaver’s Dust, feeling its weight and texture. It was an uneven trade, but Charles Mackley, powerful as he was, did not realize the true value of what he was handing over.

Charles immediately opened the pouch of Dream Meth, his hands trembling slightly. He took a small sniff, eyes widening from a brief flash of the world he desired. “This is the good stuff. You messengers always deliver.”

Dasha pocketed the Dreamweaver’s Dust. “I ensure quality. You know that.”

Charles leaned back in his seat, eyes still darting to the screens above, watching the updates with keen interest. “So, who do you have your money on today?”

Dasha glanced at the screens, observing the names and odds. “No one in particular. I’m here for business, not pleasure.”

“Always the messenger. You should lighten up sometimes. Enjoy the thrill of the gamble.”

“The only gamble I take is on the quality of my products.”

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