...
"Should I attempt fusion again?" I noticed a secluded corner in the library with minimal surveillance and decided to try my luck at fusing items once more.
After ensuring that the room was less crowded, I began experimenting with various things.
"Even common items have a chance of synthesizing curios. Well, it's a very tiring thing, so I shouldn't waste magic power. What should I fuse first tho?" my gaze swept across the objects in the room. The most abundant items were books, mostly on basic academic subjects.
However, this time I decided against fusing books again. I would save them for later.
Currently, I needed to not only generate curios but also test the influence of fusion materials on the final product.
After some consideration, I picked up two old pens from my pen case. The old me had used them since before graduating from the junior academy. Next year, I would be applying to the higher academy soon and would definitely prepare new pens. So, these old pens would likely be discarded anyway, making them perfect for recycling.
“It’s just an attempt. Even if it fails, it doesn’t matter,” I said softly under my breath. Then I placed the two pens in the slots on the fusion interface and blew on them for good luck.
[Fusion Materials: Magical Pen (Common) + Magical Pen (Common) ]
[High probability of obtaining a common item, low probability of obtaining a curio]
“I’m guessing, the more stuff you use, the better your odds of creating something sick,” I said, then started tearing through the room, looking for any random thing I could find.
“Alright, that should work.” I added three more random items to the system’s interface.
[Synthesizing, please wait]
.
[Fusion failed]
[Please try again]
"Holy shit!"
I almost exclaimed upon reading those glowing words in front of my face. I didn't really estimate that there was a possibility of failed fusion when combining items.
"How could it be possible! There's such a thing as this, huh!" It seemed there were no free lunches in this world either. While I had expected the possibility of failed fusion outcomes, the realization coupled with a sliver of unrealistic hope of finally acquiring an omnipotent cheat, dealt a blow to my mental state.
"Too bad... I even added a few items hoping for a higher chance of getting at least a bit of useful items," I lamented miserably, as if dealing with unrequited love and being rejected on the spot.
After recovering from the heartbreak,
I weighed my options, debating whether to proceed with the second fusion.
The thought of facing the physical backlash from using too much magic power at once was nerve-wracking, especially since I wasn't at home. Who knew if I passed out inside the library after depleting too much mana; I could become a target for on-site robbers who might strip me of my belongings. That scenario was terrible, but it was only the worst-case scenario. I had experienced moments when I nearly depleted my mana before—it felt like sudden vertigo, but I should be able to manage somehow now.
"Should I do it or not? Ah, curse me," I muttered, bracing myself to avoid passing out as I had done previously. "Why is this world filled with such painful paths? Even using magic power to protect oneself could cost a life," I lamented, feeling sorry for myself and wondering why I had to face such dangers so frequently, only to encounter potentially similar outcomes each time.
..
.
[You have obtained a new item: Magical Keyboard (Curio)]
My fingers trembled slightly. To be honest, I was a bit nervous, feeling like I had just won a prize – it was almost unbelievable. Although my head throbbed excessively due to the magic depletion, I couldn't help but feel excited even without knowing what the prize was yet.
Unlike previous achievement rewards, this item was entirely generated by me, and I had succeeded on the second attempt. How lucky.
..
"Calm down. How can you panic like this just because you got a small piece of equipment? Stay calm, you must remain composed."
I looked at the item I got on the system interface. It was.. an old keyboard?
It featured round, concave keycaps and a mechanical switch mechanism that mimics the tactile feedback and audible “click” upon typing, exactly you’d get from traditional typewriter keys. It also boasted bold color schemes and a nostalgic style. "Hmm," I remembered my old man having something similar back when I was still living at their crappy house.
When I touched the keyboard, its properties finally displayed:
[Magical Keyboard ]
Grade: Curio
Effect: A keyboard imbued with its own thoughts, can link to the user's mind, crafting responses informed by their knowledge and traits
Description: You are already a mature keyboard, it's time to learn to type on your own.
"Holy shi-!" I almost lost it, the words threatening to burst out of my mouth. Luckily, I managed to cover it up with a simple cough. With the winter chill outside, it wasn't that weird for someone to be hacking up a lung in the library.
"What kind of a description is that?"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
[Today is December 4th, what do you want me to do, Master?]
A silent message echoed in my mind, like a mental connection. I could sense the keyboard's thoughts. "A keyboard with its own mind?! This is quite nice, I think." I marveled and began testing the Magical Keyboard's functions.
“Is this some sort of AI-powered keyboard? And can the model be trained tho?” The thought sparked a sudden realization of how deep I could dive into this. The various complexities, and potential capabilities got me quite pumped about what could come out of it.
"Hmm.. Let's try this.. Magical Keyboard, help me draw a rough map of Elocha City."
[As you wish, Master]
The keyboard kicked into gear all on its own, and in a weird twist, it started whipping up a sketch right out of thin air. It used some semi-transparent magic to draw up a glowing map of the city.
I grabbed a map from the bookshelf nearby, planning to open it, but after a second thought, I decided against it. And before long, the thing had finished drawing the map.
"Woah,"
I glanced at the drawing of the keyboard, finding it mostly consistent with my memory. Then, I opened the map I held and began comparing them.
Upon closer inspection, I discovered several errors. After briefly memorizing these mistakes, I closed the map again.
After a short pause to digest my recently gained memory, I addressed the keyboard once more: "Magical Keyboard, redraw the map again."
[As you wish, Master]
Although the keyboard possessed its own thoughts, it seemed to lack emotions, well of course. It was also responding to my requests in a somewhat mechanical manner.
The keyboard started drawing the map again. This time, I compared it to the previous drawing made by the thing, noticing significant improvements.
At this point, I had formed a hypothesis about the function of this magical thing, but I needed to conduct further tests.
"Magical Keyboard, write a story for me."
[As you wish, Master]
"Oh!" my eyes narrowed slightly. "Not only does it possess a certain level of thinking, but it can also connect to the holder's mind and write answers based on the holder's current knowledge! The functions of this thing seem quite powerful, it sure can be trained then!"
The strength of this device lies in its capacity to receive my commands and employ my memories and traits to produce written works, it seems. With such capabilities, its worth in my hands would be immeasurable. At present, it serves as a vital tool for my continual growth. At the very least, I can utilize the keyboard to write, drawing from my memories and knowledge from before my transmigration.
Now, earning money was of utmost importance. Especially with Atheanora recently experiencing relative stability; a stable nation implied a steady economy. Thus, maintaining a stable income would enable me to consistently gather resources for the Forgeatron, all the while avoiding unnecessary suspicion from my current family.
"This is a huge win, actually." I muttered, pressing my lips together while rubbing my own temples. I was feeling the discomfort from magic depletion. I didn't want to waste any more time here.
The Forgeatron's magical effects had given me a taste of its potential, and I was eager to collect even more materials.
After placing the Magical Keyboard inside my bag, I took a moment to tidy up the items on the table.
Then, I leaned back in my chair to rest my back. It was truly exhausting to lose 75% out of my magic capacity at once.
My legs trembled uncontrollably, resembling a sudden seizure. I struggled to maintain consciousness with the ongoing convulsions as well as the overwhelming sleepiness was indeed unbearable.
Well now, I wasn't planning on becoming the next Stephen King with his fancy pen. I just wanted to run a little experiment later when I get home. This world had its fair share of monsters and spooky stuff, so horror stories should be a hit, right? I figured I'd have the Magical Keyboard whip up a few tales and see how they went down. If people liked them, I'd have a low-key way to make some cash without raising any eyebrows. After all, anyone could write a book, right?
After organizing the books I had been reading, I began to wander aimlessly through the library. I had already found the information I urgently needed, so I could use the remaining time to expand my knowledge base. I needed a lot of knowledge now, but I wasn't sure if I could find it all here.
I set my sights on the history section, browsing through the options before finally selecting a book titled "A History of the Old World." I already had some knowledge of imperial history, so there was no need to delve into it further for now. What truly piqued my curiosity was what the new world was like before.
Instead of taking the book back to my seat, I chose to stand where I was and start reading.
"A Brief History of the Old Era" provided a simple description of the old world before the Cataclysm. Speaking of the Cataclysm, I hadn't come across any specific details about what kind of disaster it was. The wording and descriptions in the book were vague, but I quickly caught on.
Still feeling dizzy, I laid myself on the floor. "Damn, even though it's been an hour since the fusion, the effect is still the same as the first second not even decreasing one bit!" I muttered softly, glancing around while noticing a few gazes directed my way.
The pain in my head had not subsided, though the trembling had stopped albeit only a bit.
Rearranging my focus, the book explicitly mentioned electricity, mechanization, and firearms – things that definitely didn't belong to this era. It even mentioned that some museums in the empire still preserved these items, but most of them were no longer functional.
Reading this, I felt a surge of doubt.
"Could it be… that I haven't transmigrated to another world, but to many years in the future?" I kept this thought to myself for now, as I currently had no way to uncover the truth.
However, it would be too shocking if that were the case.
The book mentioned that around some hundred years before the new era, the rules of the old world changed overnight. Humans could no longer generate electricity, gasoline refused to burn, gunpowder wouldn't ignite and explode, and crops ceased to grow.
Back in the day, the world went through a rough patch. Natural disasters were like a daily occurrence, earthquakes shook things up, animals turned into nasty monsters, and people dropped like flies. This mess went on for centuries until, finally, about 45 years before the new era, humans managed to push back the monster hordes and carve out some safe havens for themselves. That's when things started to settle down, and a bunch of small nations popped up. These little guys spent the next 30 years playing war games and conquering each other until only two big players were left standing: This nation and the other one: Shylverdock.
Atheanora decided to call its founding year the first year of the new era and even named the whole continent after itself. Shylverdock, on the other hand, was a late bloomer, founded in the 5th year of the new era. Back then, this nation was dealing with its own internal drama and couldn't afford to pick a fight with them. Plus, the enemy had a better location, and neither side wanted to risk an all-out war. So, they ended up in a stalemate, two empires staring each other down across the border.
Having read this far, I still couldn't determine whether this world was the Earth I knew. After all, the terrain and landforms had undergone drastic changes.
However, none of that mattered for now. The most pressing issue was to establish myself and ensure my own survival. Only with strength would I have the qualifications to explore this world.
...
Riktor tossed the pile of newspapers into a trash bin and let out a long sigh as he stood up. "Today's been quite productive haa!"
"Mr. Billy, I'm leaving." he handed his library card back to Billy.
Billy took the card and smiled lightly, "Alright, take care on your way back!"
Handing the borrowed books to Billy to be re-shelved, he left the library.
Soon after, a figure appeared near his previous seat.
Despite the cold weather, the newcomer wore a long black skirt and a white sweater that barely contained her ample bosom. With everyone bundled up in thick clothing during winter, her impressive figure naturally attracted attention in the library. Many male students' gazes had long since strayed too far from their books.
The woman, accustomed to such stares, paid them no mind at all.
It was surprising to see such figure rummaging through the trash bin, but the person herself didn't seem to care. She then retrieved the newspapers the boy had just discarded and began browsing through them.
"Just a bunch of old newspapers? Has he been so focused on studying that he hasn't been able to keep up with current events? And since when did he become so interested in reading the news?" The woman with the newspapers muttered, a curious glint in her crimson-tinged eyes. It was like she could see right through the paper and into the secrets hidden within.