Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 3 Talent and Curse

Magic exists on this land called the Old Continent.

In the first few days after arriving in the world, the magicians employed by the Northstone family gave Vilan, an outsider who had been raised with scientific ideas since childhood, a little magical shock.

It was a magical phenomenon that defied scientific explanation. By simply holding a magic core extracted from a magical beast, mages could unleash power comparable to advanced technology, such as sending a small fireball flying from their hands. Of course, if a magic wand was used, the fireball would grow larger and become even more powerful.

Yes, the magic core is the underlying logic of magic. According to old Hans, humans are different from other races. Humans cannot generate magic power out of thin air. They can only extract magic power from the magic core and then release magic power by relying on their innate talents.

And not everyone has "talent," so old Hans couldn't feel any magic at all.

Sensing Vilan's surprised gaze, Igris calmly tossed the "grain of rice" that had lost its magic into the fire.

"My lord, I know you want to hurry up, but please forgive me. I not only have to process your dry and tough ingredients, but I also have to do my best to make them taste good. This is the fastest I can do."

Iglesias still had a hint of dissatisfaction on her face, as if she didn't want to be the troublesome cook.

But Vilan completely ignored her complaints, instead looking at the fireplace with interest. "Igris, are you a magician?"

"Obviously, but there's nothing to brag about; I don't have the ability to join a magic legion."

Vilan nodded. Being a mage isn't easy. Putting aside the differences in magical talent, the most basic supply of magic cores alone is enough to stump 90% of people.

High-quality magic cores are too expensive; apart from powerful nobles, virtually no commoner can afford them.

Without energy, even the most powerful magical talent will have no chance to be displayed.

"The magic core you just used is much smaller than any I've ever seen. What kind of magic core is it?" Vilan asked, puzzled.

A strange smile appeared on Igris's face. "Look, this is what we found in the goblin corpses outside. I have another bag of them."

She hefted a burlap sack tied to her belt, from which came the sound of crystals clinking.

"Goblins? Those ugly things that are everywhere?"

Vilan paused for a moment, the image of a goblin flashing through his mind.

On the journey from the family to the territory, Vilan sat in the carriage and saw those ugly creatures almost every day in the nearby hills and muddy fields. Their skin was withered, their bodies were thin, and the largest of them did not exceed one meter.

At first, Vilan was surprised, but after seeing more of them, he just found them troublesome. Those goblins weren't even the lowest-level magical beasts; they had absolutely no combat power or intelligence. Their only advantage was their ability to reproduce.

Llorente said that adult goblins can reproduce once a month, producing a whole litter each time, and their growth period is only three months, so humans have to clean them up frequently to keep the goblin population under control.

In this world, when people insult someone, they don't say that someone is like a stray dog ​​on the street, but rather, they say, "You are as lowly as a goblin on the street."

Igris shrugged. "Yes, those things are everywhere. Anyone can pull the magic cores out of their corpses if they can stand the stench. I collected some to start a fire, but other than that, pebbles are more useful."

"May I take a look?"

Vilan suddenly spoke, and at the same time, a short memory surfaced in his mind.

It seems I also have magical talent?

He looked at Llorente, "Mr. Advisor, do you remember what my magical talent is?"

Everyone has different magical talents. Some people can cast elemental magic, while others can shape objects. Moreover, these talents cannot be changed or increased.

Llorente nodded. "Of course, but I'm not sure if it's a talent. After all, the mages in your family say it's a curse. Why don't you try holding the magic core in your hand?"

Vilan truly couldn't remember what his magical talent was, and perhaps the original owner had never cared about it either. He took a goblin magic core from Igris's hand and gently clenched it in his palm.

It was indeed difficult at first, but soon his magical talent allowed him to sense the faint magical power within the magic core.

It was something like flowing water, flowing within his consciousness. The feeling was strange, as if he were controlling an invisible machine, which could be started simply by thinking about it.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Vilan felt a heat in his palm. He opened his hand and saw a ring of white powder.

"My God! How did you manage to crush the magic core?!"

Igris exclaimed in surprise. This was the first time she had ever seen such a scene, after all, the texture of the magic core was harder than stone.

"As you can see, this is your talent; you seem capable of...destroying all the magic cores?"

Llorente gave a helpless smile, unsure how to explain.

"No wonder it's called a curse; it's impossible to cast magic like that," Igris exclaimed, shaking her head.

Vilan's expression didn't change much. He rubbed the powder on his fingers, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Although the magic core was destroyed, the magic power did not seem to disappear, but continued to circulate in the powder, but Vilan could no longer control this magic power.

Yes, he could sense a faint magical energy within the powder, and this magical energy was different from its state within the magic core; it was noticeably more active.

Furthermore, this magic also faintly carries a fiery red color, just like a bright and intense flame.

"fire?"

Vilan looked at the boiler that Igris had lit, and without hesitation, walked over and sprinkled all the powder in his hand into the boiler.

The next second, a wave of heat swept over, and the flames in the furnace suddenly shot up more than three meters high.

The three people in the kitchen stared in disbelief. Llorente immediately shielded Vilan behind him, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Igris looked at Vilan in panic, "What did you do?"

As Vilan gazed at the towering flames, his eyes grew brighter and his heart pounded faster.

A crazy conjecture flooded his mind uncontrollably and became unstoppable.

"Mr. Consultant, perhaps this is not a curse, but a true talent capable of changing the world."

"Sir, what have you discovered?"

"No, it's not certain yet, Miss Igris. I need more magic cores. Would you mind lending me some?"