The next day.
I had returned to Gimul last night, and this morning, I conducted a brief patrol of the abandoned mine. While the Gimul Northern Mine served as my home, it was also land entrusted to me by the Ducal House, so I couldn't afford to be negligent in its management.
Of course, the majority of the tunnels that used to be monster nests had long since been sealed off. I could leave the patrols to the Rimur Birds and the weeding to the slimes. Even the unsealed tunnels were mostly used for things like the Goblins' sake brewery, so they required very little effort.
Taking a walk around the mountain to enjoy the fresh air, I finished what little work remained by stringing up ropes I had picked up from the factory across several entrances—leaving them open just in case I found a use for them later—and placing curses on them. It wasn't even noon yet, and I already found myself at a loose end.
"What should I do now...?"
I had only just declared yesterday that I would take a good rest for a while, so I really did intend to spend some time relaxing. The problem was, I didn't actually know what to do with myself. Every time I tried to take a break, I ran into this same dilemma.
There were plenty of things I wanted to do, but whenever I pursued my interests, everyone else seemed to think I was overworking. Personally, I felt it wasn't much different from playing around all day.
In my mind, work was defined as something you were forced to do, even if you hated it, just to earn enough money to survive. Since I was able to earn more than enough by doing what I loved, I considered myself incredibly fortunate. When those efforts produced results and gave me a sense of accomplishment, I found myself wanting to devote even more time to them.
"Still, everyone is worried about me, and it’s obvious that neglecting my health would be bad..."
I understood the concern, and I truly appreciated it. However, that didn't stop me from being bored.
"...I know. I'll go to the church."
■ ■ ■
And so, I arrived at the church—or rather, the Divine Realm.
"Welcome, Ryoma-kun," Lulutia greeted me.
"Yo, glad you could make it. Something on your mind?" Tekun added.
It appeared only Lulutia and Tekun were present today. The others were likely busy with their divine duties.
"Good to see you both. Nothing happened; I just had some free time, so I thought I'd drop by."
"Oh my."
"If the priests at the church heard you say that, they’d either blow a fuse or faint right on the spot," Tekun chuckled as he prepared a place for me to sit. I accepted the seat without hesitation.
"Here, I brought some gifts. These are the same as last time: some Seishu brewed by my Goblins and a few different snacks. I’m sorry, but the snacks are just random things I picked up from the stands in the city."
"Don't sweat it. In fact, these are rare for us, so I'm happy to have them."
"Many people provide offerings, but almost no one offers food from street stands," Lulutia noted. "If they offer food at all, it's usually those pre-packaged Offering Sets they sell around the church."
"I wouldn't have the courage to offer street food at a proper altar, either. It’s only because I can hand these to you directly."
"I get that, but I personally wish we saw more stuff like this. It feels more connected to how people actually live," Tekun said as he bit into a meat skewer and drained a cup he had filled while I wasn't looking.
Lulutia also took some stir-fried vegetables onto a small plate and began eating them with a sip of Seishu.
We spent a while chatting and enjoying the food. Once our initial hunger was satisfied, Tekun spoke up as if the thought had just struck him.
"By the way, Ryoma, you've got time to kill today, right? If so, how about I teach you that staff-making technique we talked about before?"
"I would love to learn."
The offer was exactly what I had been hoping for, and I agreed instantly.
"Alright! Let's get to it! First, we’ll start with the theory. The mechanics of a staff overlap a lot with the Principles of magic itself, so it should be easy for you to wrap your head around. Let’s make this quick."
"I'm ready when you are."
As I bowed, Tekun knocked back his remaining sake in a single gulp.
"First, what do you think determines whether a Magic Staff is good or bad?"
"A staff's quality... The first things that come to mind are high-quality Mana Stones. I've handled them before and know that the good ones are expensive and vital for staves. I've also heard that a staff should allow mana to pass through it as easily as possible."
High-quality Mana Stones were essential for advanced magical items, not just staves. Regarding mana conduction, I recalled Big Sis Remily mentioning processing methods for her own staves back in the Town of Ghosts.
"You're not wrong, but you're not exactly right either. Let’s start by filling in the blanks.
First of all, a Magic Staff is an Auxiliary Tool for casting spells. It's not strictly necessary. However, using one can increase your power, make spells easier to manifest, or reduce mana consumption. The reason it does all that is because it assists in Mana Maintenance and Conversion."
To cast magic, one must release internal mana, use mental imagery to convert its attribute, maintain that state, and then trigger the effect. If any one of those three steps is insufficient, the spell fails. Among them, conversion and maintenance are arguably the most critical.
Hearing Tekun’s explanation, I felt I had grasped a key point.
"So, the staff works to keep the mana from dissipating?"
"Exactly. That’s the first function. Mana starts scattering the moment you release it, so you have to use Mana Manipulation to hold it together. Mana that has been converted to an attribute is even harder to manage than No-Attribute mana. If a staff makes maintenance easier, the magic becomes much simpler to use."
This was likely why Elia and the Madam had been unable to evolve their slimes into Earth Slimes when I had done it shortly after arriving in the city; they couldn't maintain the attribute-shifted mana long enough.
"And then there's the second function: conversion. Humans can change their mana from No-Attribute to something else, but they can't convert all of it perfectly."
"So there's always some waste. Out of curiosity, what’s the average conversion rate for a mage?"
"It fluctuates as they get better, but frankly, even among veterans, it's rare to see a human hit fifty percent."
"That's right," Lulutia added gently. "A beginner who has just managed their first spell might be in the single digits. Once someone is considered a competent professional, they might reach ten to twenty percent. Thirty percent is veteran territory, and anything over forty is the mark of a genius. Races more naturally inclined toward magic, like Elves, would probably be a bit higher."
In other words, most mages couldn't even use a third of the mana they released. I wondered where I stood, but it was shocking to think that seventy to eighty percent of the power was simply being wasted. The conversion function of a staff was meant to address that inefficiency.
"Even with help, a staff won't let you use every drop of mana," Tekun cautioned. "Depending on the materials, the craftsman's skill, and the final quality of the piece, you’re looking at an efficiency boost of about ten to thirty percent."
"Perfect efficiency is something usually reserved for us, Divine Beasts, or high-ranking Dragons," Lulutia said. "It essentially requires being a long-lived race that can spend centuries refining the craft."
"I see... So perfect conversion isn't really a realistic goal for me. Still, a thirty percent boost is massive."
Seeing the numbers made it very clear why staves were considered standard equipment for any mage.
"It depends on your goal, though," Lulutia noted. "For instance, when a beginner is learning, a staff can help them get the 'feel' of magic much faster. However, if they rely on it too much, their actual skill acquisition slows down. In the worst cases, they can't even cast a basic spell without their staff.
If you’re focusing on self-improvement, it’s better to train without one. That’s why many magical institutions have beginners start with a staff to get the basics down, then ban them for a period to force the students to develop their own control, and finally permit their use again once the mage is fully competent."
"A systematic approach to mastery... That’s fascinating."
"Alright, let's keep moving," Tekun said, waving his arm.
A simple staff, several loose branches, and two toolboxes appeared before us. Looking closely, the staff was composed of a main body and a separate headpiece embedded with a large Mana Stone.
"The best material for the body of a Magic Staff is generally a branch that mana flows through easily. Trent branches are the classic choice. You’ve seen those, haven't you, Ryoma?"
"I hunted Trents once, so I remember them well. It feels like a long time ago..."
Trents were monsters that lived with mana circulating through them like blood. I recalled being told that their wood was exceptionally conducive to mana.
"It’s not just Trents. Any wood suitable for a staff has a specific property: the vessels that carry water and nutrients throughout the tree also tend to trap and hold mana. This reduces the amount of power that leaks out."
"So the Vascular Bundles are the most important part, and the staff's body acts as the primary component for Mana Maintenance."
"Exactly. Plus, as the mana flows along those vessels, the structure helps straighten out the flow. That acts as a Rectifier, which increases your accuracy. If you go to a shop, they’ll tell you to 'choose a straight staff.' It’s sound advice—it makes the magic feel more intuitive and you’re less likely to end up with a dud."
I hadn't known it functioned like a Rectifier.
"The amount of mana a piece of wood can hold depends on the species and the quality. There are also types better suited for specific attributes, but we can skip that for now unless you’re planning to become a professional staff-maker. We don't have all day, after all.
For now, just remember: you want wood that conducts mana easily and holds onto it firmly. And keep in mind, that's just the modern standard. In the old days, people made staves out of whatever trees were nearby. Through centuries of trial and error, they eventually figured out which materials were best.
Nowadays, a crude staff wouldn't sell, but for your own personal use, there’s no wrong way to do it. As long as you understand the core Principles, you're free to experiment with whatever materials you like. You enjoy that kind of thing, don't you?"
"I like it so much that I'm actually a bit afraid of falling into another bottomless rabbit hole," I admitted.
It was a real problem—this sounded far too entertaining. Back on Earth, I used to love completing fusion charts in video games, and I could already tell this would be an even deeper obsession.
"So, I understand that the body affects maintenance and rectification. Does that mean the Mana Stone handles the conversion?"
"You've got it. You mount the stone at the tip so the mana passing through the staff flows directly into it. No-Attribute mana is very susceptible to being influenced by other attributes. If it passes through a concentrated source of a specific attribute, a portion of it will 'stain' or align with that attribute. The higher the quality of the stone, the more effective this is."
"So the Mana Stone converts the leftover mana that the mage couldn't handle on their own, boosting the overall conversion efficiency."
"Modern scholars call that process 'purification,'" Lulutia explained.
"That's the main goal," Tekun continued, "but you can also use the mana stored inside the stone to supercharge a spell. It damages the staff, so it’s an emergency-only trick. You don't need to worry about that for crafting purposes; just keep it in the back of your head.
Obviously, you want to choose a stone that matches the user's affinity. In your case, Ryoma, you might as well just make a staff for every attribute. With your Space Magic, carrying them all won't be an issue."
He was right. Even if I lacked materials, I had more than enough money to simply order what I needed. Since most of my magic was for daily work, using a staff to increase efficiency was a very attractive prospect.
"That’s the basic theory you need to know before we start. Any questions?"
"I'm sure more will come up as we go, but I've got the gist of everything you've told me so far."
"Then let's get to work. From here on, I'll explain things while we're actually building. You can't master a craft just by sitting around listening; you’ve got to get your hands dirty."
With that, Tekun quickly placed a set of branches and a toolbox in front of me.