On a bitter winter night with snowflakes drifting through the air, row upon row of arcane magic crystal lamps cast their multicolored glow upon Duke James's mansion, rendering it exquisite and resplendent—like a cluster of brilliant stars gathered in the depths of a dark sky.
Even high-ranking mages wouldn't fill their mage towers with crystal lamps. Most of the time they habitually used magic candles for illumination—the effect was hardly any different.
For the vast majority of nobles seated here, today was the first time they truly understood what it meant to be bathed in radiant splendor, a beauty beyond words. Who would have imagined that beyond the splendor of natural landscapes, there existed such a dreamlike vista? This was the wondrous power of humanity to reshape the world—a spectacle that could be made available to all!
"Would our honored guests please enter the mansion." Lilian, Bareck's female student, seemed to be serving as the banquet's emcee, gesturing with a smile for everyone to step into this "brilliant" villa that resembled the Palace of the Sun King.
Ladies of noble birth, each one fond of beauty, lifted their skirts, their gazes sweeping across the scene with longing and eagerness, filing into Duke James's mansion. The gentlemen followed close behind, equal parts curious and awestruck.
"The effect seems quite excellent. Our initial push to promote the arcane magic crystal lamps should encounter no problems." As a man who devoted his entire being to the business of making money, Arthur quickly recovered from the jaw-dropping scene before him.
Even though he had never witnessed anything quite like it before, that didn't prevent him from focusing most of his attention on observing how the nobles reacted to the arcane magic crystal lamps.
"I want to install them in my mage tower too!" Aphrasus had no resistance whatsoever to anything that sparkled. The dazzling brilliance of the lit-up mansion had left it drooling. "I'll pay with Arcane Points!"
Once gold, gems, crystals, and other treasures had been deposited into its vault, retrieving them was nearly impossible. Lucian even suspected that it had "embezzled" over half the materials meant for constructing its own mage tower, which was why it currently had that ugly, wretched mountain-peak appearance—though being situated in Allentown meant it didn't need to worry about anyone attacking it.
"But it's still limited to the nobility. If we can't reduce the cost further and extend it to the common citizenry, we lose the very purpose of simplifying and promoting it. This is a civilizational achievement that every human being ought to enjoy." Lucian spoke with genuine feeling. A civilization's advancement should be judged by the changes and improvements it brings to the lives of most of its members. And now, the dawning electrical age was poised to do exactly that.
Arthur, ever tone-deaf to sentiment, shattered Lucian's reverie: "But there's probably little hope of reducing costs again in the short term."
"Mm. We need a large number of skilled workers. We need to separate out the steps that don't require magic, and use assembly lines, standardization, and other methods to compress costs." Lucian nodded gently like the capitalist he was, thinking of the dwarf descendants on the Dark Night Plateau. However, he had already caused such upheaval among the vampire clan that it wouldn't be appropriate to go retrieve them anytime soon—at least another two or three years, until everyone's attention had fully shifted to the search for the new unknown dimension.
"Training a large workforce of skilled workers will take a very long time…" Arthur didn't understand what assembly lines and standardization meant, but he had no interest in asking either, since the basic prerequisites couldn't even be met yet.
At that moment, Lilian switched off the main crystal lamps in the banquet hall, leaving only a few small ones. The light immediately dimmed to a soft haze, evoking a warm and romantic atmosphere.
She quipped with a smile: "Everyone need not worry that the popularization of arcane magic crystal lamps will rob us of the romance of candlelit dinners. What is romantic is always the heart and one's feelings. As long as you act with sincerity, you can absolutely create the atmosphere you desire."
"And when you walk through the castle corridors at night, you'll no longer need to worry about candlelight being too dim and the surroundings being too eerie. A sense of brightness will accompany you always with the use of arcane magic crystal lamps."
Tch. Lucian bared his teeth in a grin. She must have been paid by Arthur, pushing the arcane magic crystal lamps with such tireless enthusiasm. But he liked it! This would bring in significant annual revenue!
After touring Duke James's mansion, the banquet transitioned to the elegant court dance segment. The conservative Holm Kingdom had not yet taken to the spinning dances popularized by the Triala court. Those dances involving arms around shoulders and tight embraces drew the contempt of many traditionalist nobles—only among certain young people at private gatherings were such dances, labeled under the banner of **, ever performed.
"Mr. Evans, the arcane magic crystal lamps you designed are truly beautiful. I've already placed an order with Mr. Arthur for a complete set. I never imagined they could be popularized to this extent." A young lady of modest demeanor, her collar buttoned neatly to the top, approached Lucian holding a glass of plain water, admiration shining in her eyes.
When she said "a complete set," she meant the set required to outfit an entire mansion—the price equivalent to just a single arcane magic crystal lamp from before.
Lucian swirled the sky-blue drink in his glass and smiled. "That's thanks to the convenience of transmitting energy through electric current."
"Yes. To be honest, when that lady pressed the switch just now, I was stunned by the brilliant, dazzling light. There was an indescribable feeling—I thought it was dreamlike and beautiful, and at the same time felt proud and inspired. And all of this is your creation. You truly are a miraculous mage." The young noblewoman's cheeks flushed slightly, her gaze soft as water. "Even someone like me, with no talent for magic or knighthood, can use them. I no longer need to envy others."
Lucian chuckled. "Making certain alchemical items available to everyone, so that the vast majority can use them without barriers—that is my ideal." Especially those related to daily life.
"You truly are a great person." The young lady's heartfelt admiration was enough to make even a thick-skinned fellow like Lucian blush slightly.
"Alchemy items that the vast majority can use, Evans—you truly think far ahead…" Duke James and seventh-ring mage Bareck approached, and upon hearing Lucian's words, the Duke murmured with quiet admiration, having keenly discerned the deeper purpose behind Lucian's stated goal.
Upon seeing Duke James, the young lady's blush deepened a shade. She quickly said to Lucian, "Mr. Evans, I won't trouble you further. Please enjoy your conversation with His Grace."
"Ha ha, Evans, why are you standing off to the side like us old fogeys, just watching? Young Julie's face was practically screaming 'ask me to dance' and 'hurry up and ask me to dance'—and you just stood there unmoved? Don't tell me you've taken a dislike to our lovely little Julie? She's Count Haisong's precious granddaughter." James teased Lucian with a grin. "I noticed, too, that you deliberately ignored several other beautiful ladies earlier?"