Chapter 58 Storyline U.S. (Part 9)

I sat on the bank of the pond for a very long time and thought about everything in the world. My impulse was mine, not like before — inspired by... something. I just felt wrong, empty, and I wanted to fill it, and the barriers the shamans had broken to the spirit worlds provided enough magic to fulfill that desire.

The spirit's words clarified some things and made me think about some things. I was also convinced that I had decided not to stay in Russia.

Everything is fine there, there is no void, and the gods and spirits still walk among the people. Everything is as it should be. Of course, the Magi are treacherous, and if I had stayed there, they would have interfered in my affairs forever, their power cannot be weak.

On the other hand, they are the ones who have been supporting life and nature in Russia for thousands of years. Why are the central regions of the USA dry and barren? Yes, because the Indian tribes were beaten by the whites, and their strength is hardly enough on the coasts of the continent, where they settled in the main mass. Why can't I settle in South America?

Now I understand. Have you seen the Amazon jungle? That's what I mean. I can't imagine how many sorcerers and shamans there are. The standard of living is low?

Well, everything is explainable here: when there are more people living on a piece of land than it is realistic to feed, then either famine begins, or, like in China, the soil quickly degrades and turns to sand. Russia is a good country, and the people are not bad, but they need strong, honest leaders and a powerful IDEA.

 But it's the same everywhere. In Japan, where I have lived for so long, the emperor sits and plays against his own subjects, catching fish in troubled waters, and as soon as the mud settles, he stirs it up again with a slight movement.

Why? So that they can fight each other and not invent coups — Divide and conquer! — Ancient wisdom. I don't understand what is going on in the USA, I don't have much information. If in Russia there is a strange, in some places no logic system, where aristocracy and common people live side by side, and there is no serfdom, and the power of the magical side is strong and effective.

 Then, looking at the magical world of the USA, I see the most ordinary America with FBI, CIA, NSA and masses, or who is there "world government". Whatever, I have never been interested in conspiracy theories. So, here you can observe a flourishing system of police regime, with a hard press of the people in terms of educating views, hiding and nurturing obedient and loyal professionals, and so on.

Even in strict Germany I managed to buy some interesting books, although it is not the widest market of Russia, but also not the USA.

On the other hand, people live well: they are fed, clothed, healthy, have fun, but they are hardly suited for real magic, because they have very limited information and education. The masses are indifferent to the mundane but no less magical wonders, including those available to them. And these are magicians, sorcerers?

Now I see what Mstislav warned me about — the "culture" of consumption, the cult of the dollar. I hope it doesn't happen in Japan, or I'll really come back and start shedding blood....a lot of blood.

Whatever happens, but the mystical world of Japan has become especially dear to me, its beauty, wonders, unlimited versatility, all this cannot leave indifferent. All this fascinates me, sprouts in my soul, and binds me forever with its sly, charming smile, similar to the smile of the kitsune. I think the second flag of Japan, the mystical part of it, could well be the kitsune mask — it would perfectly and subtly hint at "thick" circumstances.

As dawn broke, I welcomed the new day by feeding the little spirits a large sweet apple. Somewhere in the distance I heard a long chant with a melodious female voice, which was gradually joined by a dozen others, no less beautiful and enchanting.

 I didn't understand the words, but I couldn't help noticing the green sparks in the air, the ripples in the spiritual plane, the circles of little spirits. Under the song of many voices, all the greenery seemed to shake, yawn and stretch, awakening, flowers bloomed, trees swayed with green branches, smelling the sweet aromas of blossoming.

A new day has come, and people are happy about it, calling all the surrounding life after them! Even the voices of the birds were somehow organically woven and even organized into this song. It sounds strange, but that's how it was. After stretching, I got up and went to rest with a big smile and a light heart.

***

Spirit's words about Lone Eagle's arrival were confirmed by the natives, who warned me that he would arrive in three or four days. As I was told, the Lone Eagle is an elder shaman who has lived for an unknown length of time. A worthy, if distant man. Well, I have something to do to pass the time.

With the permission of one of the elders, I've set up a temporary laboratory-workshop in one of the empty barns, where I've been working on my designs. But first let me say that I have asked for riding lessons. I'm not saying I need it badly, but if I have the opportunity, why not?

I spent four hours a day with the horses in the company of the laughing twins who introduced themselves as Bright Wing and Soft Paw. I'm not saying I'm a genius, but it's pretty good...if the horse is quiet, otherwise I'm out of the saddle.

The new work started a long time ago and the calculations were completed recently. I decided to start the new doll with a "heart" — a crystal core, which is already ready, and a capsule in which it will be well protected. After much thought and studying the properties of metals, I decided to use tungsten coated with molybdenum.

Tungsten is a heavy, strong, moderately ductile metal that does not crumble when struck. And the system of internal jumpers will add the effect of amortization, eliminating the penetration of the impulse into the crystal, and, accordingly, its destruction will not allow.

Also, the jumpers create the crystal bed. Coating with molybdenum will give additional protection from high temperatures, with corrosive substances tungsten will cope by itself. But succumbing to paranoia, the cylinder capsule was coated with a thin layer of iridium, which also tolerates high temperatures and chemicals well, it even holds "tsar's vodka" for some time.

 In the top and bottom of the capsule there are round holes for organic "wiring". Hieroglyphics are first created on the body, which I will later wrap with additional verses and sutras of protection and additional properties. The heavy silver capsule cylinder is developed in the center for better comfort. Organics play a more important and elaborate role in this design.

A special kind of lianas, with high sap flow, strong fibrous structure of the branches, the semblance of animal muscles in the center of the branches, and the presence of pseudo spirit finally stopped my choice on this magical plant. Its sap is the only digestible, though inexpensive, ingredient for potions, and it resembles animal blood, only acid-green in color. The idea goes like this.

Chinese seaweed will weave the crystal core, the interior of the capsule, and emerge through the holes. Liana will rigidly fix and weave the capsule, being herself woven with algae, which will act as a full-fledged nervous system in the doll's body. The strong skeleton made of titanium alloy with molybdenum-iridium joints will be completely covered with the "flesh" of the liana and permeated with algae.

The power ganglia of the organics will be placed standard to the human body. As a result, it should be an uncanny mixture of humanoid appearance, powerful senses, and strong body, and thanks to the plant affiliation, there will be no problems with nutrition and repair. An intelligent spirit inside the crystal will be able to fully live in a living body, learn, develop, even use the magic of life, become my protection.

In two days I finished the work with the capsule, thanks to the training in transformation (branch of transfiguration) of the source material, and immediately began to work on the most difficult thing in the doll — the skull and joints. Before Lone Eagle arrived, I only had time to finish the metal frame of the skull and began to assemble the auditory organs.

The eyes are the most difficult organ of the future bodyguard puppet. Following Master Barker's instructions, I completed the design of the eye prosthesis. The lens and iris were no problem, but the retina required my brain. Photosensitive fibers have a terribly complex structure of thin sensitive tissue and synapses.

I bought a surgical encyclopedia of normal anatomy just for this job and spent a long time sorting out the details. The lens and iris are similar to a camera lens and its shutter, so I decided to simply replicate them, with a magical drive. But with photoreceptors, that trick didn't work, and I kept getting crap, until I realized a simple thing: everything can be simplified. Why is the "image" perceived only from the bottom of the eye?

Why is it upside down? Nature had gotten too clever, so I decided to simplify the circuitry to my liking. Sapphire lenses, double flaps, and light filters allowed me to avoid turning the "picture" upside down, and also freed up a lot of working space that I needed. I can do as fine a job as nature creates in the retina, but each such eye would be prohibitively expensive.

Why bother when you can lighten the technology by increasing the size of the receptors? Like a television set, that is, the method of forming colors, only in reverse order, blocks of tiny multicolored crystals, arranged and grown in a cleverly twisted way, allowed them to perform the same functions as the original cells. That is, by the method of "hedgehog needles," many tiny crystalline hairs of different colors and different curved shapes are assembled into dense blocks.

The colorfulness makes it possible to perceive the colors, and the curved shapes make it possible to perceive the volume of the image. The hemisphere of crystal receptors is located in the upper hemisphere of the eye, very close to the lenses and flaps. In the free space of the posterior sphere, I have placed Chinese algae, limiting their growth through hieroglyphics.

They act as small internal nerves in the prosthesis, transmitting information and commands to the moving parts, easily replacing the optic nerve itself, direct connection to the brain is possible.

Everything inorganic was made of quartz and sapphire glass. I was confident in my calculations, but when the first finished sample was taken out of the sphere and placed on the test bench, I was jubilant. At that moment I realized that I had created something unique, something new, and my name would go down in history.

It was a long time since I had been so proud of myself, so satisfied with my achievement. — The Crystal Eye is entirely my design, and no one will ever take it away from me!

Who has an orb capable of such delicate and precise work? Charms? Transfiguration? Duck! Technique! Even if I release my design, no one will be able to replicate it without the Orb or its counterpart, something I haven't seen anywhere even at the rumor level.

If even the Dragon Pearl is legendary and no one knows about the orb, that's an indicator! Without the orb, no one but me will replicate my development, and the orb is a secret that I will generally keep quiet. It's just a pity that the prosthesis is almost useless for the uninjured.

The thing is that all the mechanical components are powered by magic, i.e. without it there is no focusing and quality filtering of the image. The maximum that will be seen — blurred multicolored spots, in the daytime, when the sun will be bright, nothing but flooding the perception of light will be impossible to consider. The only way out is to feed the power ganglion of the algae with magic every few days, and then the eye will work as intended.

When I was notified of the appointment with the old shaman, I had just finished the first three pairs of Crystal Eyes, dyed the irises the color of lush young grass, and had time to hide the orb. I made the doll in pieces, which I hid immediately, so it was difficult to figure out what I was doing.

The meeting was scheduled for the evening, at dusk.