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So, while searching the library for books that could help him solve the power issue of his steam locomotive, Gustave eventually sighed upon realizing that studies on automatons or constructs—fields aligned with his magical contraptions—were exceedingly rare, to the point of being almost nonexistent.
Considering that sorcerers in this world rarely created magical contraptions for the populace, focusing instead on personal-use items such as Mutagenerator, Magic Compass, and Megascope, Gustave knew that what he intended to build would be a difficult endeavor, as he had no existing examples to follow.
That was because the majority of a sorcerer's time was spent either on developing personal spells or crafting magical artifacts they could sell—trinkets that could be easily copied and traded on the market—such as Rings of Favor and Conjurer's Candles.
Alternatively, they focused on items that served as personal amplifiers of Power, such as Arcane Tomes, Prism Pendants, or Scepters of Storms, which could only be used by individuals with an active Source.
Even when magical contraptions existed that aligned with the field of magic-science he wished to pursue, the constructs found on the Northern Continent were limited to Golems bound to Elemental Planes or Living Armor so expensive that purchasing one could buy an entire region of land, and which only Kovirian Mages were capable of creating.
And even if there were constructs or automatons he could study and take as examples, Gustave knew they did not belong to the Northern Continent, but rather lay beyond the Great Sea, where the Dawnwalker game took place. From the trailer alone, he had seen one of Ammurun's Higher Vampires create wooden and copper automatons capable of both combat and flight.
Coupled with the fact that magic on the Northern Continent was far more popularized in the realm of genetics, Gustave knew that the place he was born into was not suited to the kind of magic he wanted to build.
To the point that mages cut from the same cloth as Alzur, Idarran, and Cosimo were able to cast mutation spells as easily as fireballs, with a mere wave of the hand, creating effects such as Rapid Evolution, Transmutation, and Giantification, which were considered among the most advanced achievements in almost any other field of magical study.
So, knowing that he would be effectively going in blind while pioneering this field of magic-science, Gustave decided to visit the Magika Academia Cintrensis library, just in case his Twin Realms library was not an exact counterpart of Cintra's collection.
Perhaps he might be lucky and find at least a design, or even a hint, regarding the creation of Living Armor, since he knew that unlike Golems, whose power came directly from the Elemental Planes, the constructs made by the Kovirian mages must draw their Power from the physical plane of existence.
With that thought, he returned the book he had just read to the shelves and proceeded toward the academy's teleportation hub, choosing the academy version rather than the palace one, as the latter was reserved strictly for emergencies in order to minimize the risk of attacks through portals.
Sure enough, there were books here that had not yet been copied or transferred to his Twin Realms collection, considering that the majority of mages in his kingdom were only First- to Second-Degree practitioners.
After reading through the many tomes, notes, and books on Living Armor and other constructs, Gustave was finally able to identify solutions to both of his problems: the lack of sufficient Power to run his design in the first place, and the issue of Dimeritium forcibly shutting down his magical steam locomotive.
At last, he discovered a spell that effectively allowed the creation of charging stations using ley lines, eventually forming a Circle of Elements similar to the one in Kaer Morhen, which could recharge Witcher Medallions and Avallac'h's phylactery during Lambert's quest.
With that realization, Gustave picked up the relevant book on the Circle of Elements, intending to study it in greater depth to solve his locomotive Power problem.
And not only that. Now that he understood a construct could continue functioning even when struck by a Dimeritium bomb, with only its active abilities being temporarily shut down, Gustave also gathered books on constructs in general, as well as on semi-spirit creations.
This was because Quintessence-based designs were what allowed constructs—or, in this case, the magical contraptions he intended to build—to be fundamentally resistant to complete shutdown by Dimeritium.
After all, something that possessed a will of its own, even if enslaved or too simple-minded to truly think, could not be fully shut down, because it had fundamentally become part of nature.
So, while studying and researching the tomes and updating his designs—not only to solve his locomotive problem, but also to improve his own magical contraptions such as the RDBM, since these kinds of science-magic were closely aligned—Gustave began to study Living Armor more carefully.
Specifically, he focused on how each individual piece could move and fly on its own to form a unified entity, essentially a robotic counterpart to this magical society. He knew that having such individually enchanted, semi-spirit components was the key to ensuring that his locomotive and future inventions could still perform basic functions even while being bombarded by Dimeritium.
Thus, living in the Cintrian Magic Academy library for two days straight, eating and sleeping among the tomes, notes, books, and shelves, Gustave was finally able to complete the design. His concentration during that time was broken only once, by his mother, who invited him on the first day to meet the guest council and present the unfinished prototype.
But because he was too invested in the invention of his locomotive and RDBM 2.0, which now fully relied on a magic system rather than scientific apparatus merely supplemented by magic, Gustave chose to ignore it.
Manipulations of political power plays, such as arranging for Vivienne de Tabris's father to work with Syanna to restore her rightful throne, were merely side work to him. And considering that the unfinished prototype was already in his mother's hands, Gustave trusted her to carry out whatever power play was necessary for the benefit of the Twin Realms.
Thus, having finished the designs for his locomotive and RDBM 2.0 using this kind of knowledge, which was essentially science shaped by imagination, Gustave found himself enjoying the process greatly.
Unlike on Earth, in this world the study of science-magic had real, visible manifestations. With that in mind, he brought the designs back to Rivia, intending to build them in his workshop. He was stunned, however, to discover that the hidden workshop and testing field his mother had prepared for his future projects lay beneath Rivia itself.
Watching Shelmar all around him being directed by Lyrian and Rivian Spellweavers to carve out tunnels, which were then transformed into livable spaces with the help of Trolls and non-racist handymen under the guidance of Toussaintois, Nazarian, and Cintrensis architects, Gustave could not help but nod, feeling as though he were witnessing the golden age of mages.
It was the same golden age when Aretuza and Ban Ard were first built, and he imagined this was exactly how it must have looked. Taking a different tunnel from the rest of underground Rivia, Gustave finally arrived at his hidden workshop, which was still crudely constructed, utterly lacking in aesthetics, and little more than a block of bare stone.
But because what he cared about most was the apparatus inside, Gustave quickly looked around, and sure enough, everything was present. From the Megascope he did not need, to the alchemical laboratory, and finally the forging room, it was all there.
He was even more surprised to see that the lathe design he had given to Zoltan Vaucanson 1.0 had been upgraded, now featuring mounted components for easier and faster cutting.
Seeing that Zoltan, or perhaps even his mother's people, were also working to improve the design and make it more precise, Gustave set down his notes and parchment designs, then proceeded to meet Zoltan first, who still used a workshop aboveground in Rivia.
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