Ch 2: I Wish There is a Fan.

"Da*n the heat! It will be the death of me!" hollered someone from across the room, opening the floodgates of complaints.

"Why is the weather so hot this summer? I think I am getting a heat stroke."

"Yeah. Me, too. Let's walk around naked." 

"Get lost you, Reim. There are ladies around here in the room."

"*Snickers*. I didn't know you are a woman, Venna."

...

Hearing the complaints from his colleagues, Xuyi looked up from his work, and gives himself a huge swipe across his forehead.

It sure is hot in here.

In a blink of an eye, he has been here working in Elder-Wizzard Camilla's tower for a month already.

It is now mid-July, at the height of the summer, and the temperature is through the roof. 

Up till now, he has not been assigned any research task yet. Within the month, he has been working in one of the research teams under Elder-Wizard Camilla as a junior researcher, i.e. going around doing errands. Xuyi feels that this is not unexpected of any new recruit. Based on his working experiences back on Earth, this is a newbie's rite of passage and help him get used to his new working environment.

Unfortunately, Miss Stelvia's personal decision to employ him had spread throughout the tower, and every researcher thinks that Xuyi got hired only because Stelvia has taken a liking of him. And it didn't help that he is the weakest wizard in the team. Everyone now looks at Xuyi with disdain.

"This chap, could it be Miss Stelvia fancies him for his pretty looks?"

To this, Xuyi can do nothing. He has not seen Stelvia since after the interview, and only found out later from his colleagues that Miss Stelvia is the only granddaughter of the Elder-Wizzard Camilla. 

Despite these setbacks, Xuyi works diligently, and takes every opportunity to observe the researches done by his colleagues to increase his wizardry knowhow. Even from piecemeal observations around his workplace, he managed to learn a lot of wizardry and magical knowledge.

The wizards here is much more proficient in wizardry than even his academy professors. And daily exposure to all these high level research and discussion allows him to absorb a lot of topnotch wizardry.

"Oh yeah, I went to Elder-Wizard Camilla's office the other day, and found that his office is breezy and cooling, unlike in here."

It was Reim who has thus remarked, a guild qualified level 5 wizard, and is the third most powerful wizard amongst the seventeen wizards in the research team Xuyi is assigned to. He is an extreme extrovert and a blabbermouth, always the one livening up the atmosphere.

"You idiot, His Excellency installed a large-scale Ice-Frost shield to cool his office. Even in the hottest of summers his office will be as cooling as a mountain-top resort." 

That was Venna, level 4 wizard and is only slightly below Reim in wizardry prowess. Mostly sober and serious, she is quick to chide and admonish Reim, but everyone here knows that she had a crush on him, so everyone secretly sees them as a couple made in heaven.

"Cool! Why don't we install a large-scale Ice-Frost shield, too?"

"Told you, you are an idiot! Installing a large-scale Ice-Frost would have costed us 30 gold coins, not to mention the daily expenditure of 10 power crystals costing 5 gold coins; per month you would need to fork out 150 gold coins. And how much is you pay again?" chides Venna condescendingly.

"Er...hehe...."Reim couldn't say it out loud. Reim's monthly salary as a high level researcher is 30 gold, and that's not a small sum. But how could he afford to install a spell which will cost him 150 gold monthly?

The only place in the whole tower with such a spell installed is Elder-Wizard Camilla's private office.

"Once, I went to Elder-Wizard Eisenacher's wizard tower for a working visit. Every room in his tower is installed with an Ice-Frost spell. They even provide red wine in all of their pantries," someone joined the debate timidly.

The timid voice belongs to Chelsea, a mage with the closest skill level to Xuyi's. Before Xuyi's arrival, she was the least powerful mage in the team, and she is a somewhat meek in nature. 

"Chelsea, Elder-Wizard Eisenacher is one of the wealthiest wizards in Lamparle Kingdom. With such wealth, an Ice-Frost spell is but a small change to him," replied Reim. "How come is that two equally powerful Elder-Wizards can have so disparing wealth?" grumbled Reim with a big sigh.

When he found that no one acknowledges his comment and he looked up. He is astounded to find that everyone is suddenly dilligently focusing on their work, and no one dares to look at him, accept Venna who glared at him fiercely. Only then Reim realised he had touched upon a taboo subject. He promptly busies himself to cover his akwardness.

Xuyi takes in his colleagues reactions, and smiled inwardly.

Reim's comment on the wealth disparity between the two Elder-Wizards reminds him of his days as a research student. The salary gap between research scientists is very real. Elite research scientists receives many research projects and thus are paid better. Unsurprisingly, their mediocre counterparts earn much less.

Of course, some elite scientists may pay his research assistant generously and some may not. But a poor research scientist most definitely have no money to pay his assistants much.

Whether Elder-Wizard Camilla is just stingy or simply has not the funds, Xuyi has no idea. He is just a junior research assistant and has yet earned his privilege to meet the man in person, thus has nothing to base his judgment on.

"Honestly, I wish I have the money to install even a mini Ice-Frost Sigil in this cruel weather," thought Xuyi while fanning himself with his robe.

He is knows the spell, but his mana can only enough for a half-hour's casting. And it would take three hours of meditation to replete this much mana. Xuyi decides that it is not worth the trouble.

More importantly, he needs the mana to do his wizardry research works. Even Reim, the level 5 wizard takes care not to waste mana for trivial matters such as cooling himself off with a spell.

Xuyi unconsciously looks up at the ceiling, but no air-conditionings or fans are at sight. "Damn this primitive world...." he could only sigh in disappointment. "They could invent a fan at least."

It took a few seconds for him to realise what a blockhead he is. "Ain't I am engineer? I can make it myself!" he exclaimed with a smack on his head.

The loud smack had everybody in the room looking his way in astonishment. The noticed that their usually silent new colleague, is now looking wildly excited.

"Has he gone nuts?"

Xuyi is too excited to care how his colleagues think of him. His mind is filled to the brim with how he is turning his thought into reality.

That's right. He has decided to make himself an electric fan!

But of course, there is no electricity in this world, but he knows what he can substitute electricity with---magic!

In a flash, he mentally organises his train of thoughts, and then feverishly sketches them out on paper. Even when his specialisation is not in light industries, being a fully trained mechanical engineer with a Masters degree himself, he can easily grasp the structurial design and working principles of an electric fan. 

In not time, Xuyi has finished sketching a blueprint of a magic-driven fan. To make up for electricity as a power source, he will use a wizardry sigil. As a matter of fact, he has been experimenting the integration of magic and machinery since his days in Schenkenheier Academy. And the miniature piano music box is the first prototype of magic-machinery integration. Xuyi had even come up with a trademark name for it: Magitech®

The structural design of an electrical fan is a piece of cake, and the reworking of a wizardry sigil to power a magitech fan is not too complicated either. So, it took only an hour to finalise the design of the required sigil. The sigil he chose for the purpose is of an elementary Wind-type spell: Whirlwind LV1, which he retweaks to better conform the construct of the fan.

But of course, there are still tonnes of technical details he had to ignore for the sake of simplicity. They include: how to tweak the Whirlwind Sigil to mimic the movements;  which RPM of the Whirlwind Sigil is most suitable for the fan's leaves, in substitution of the electric motor?

Plus, how to properly embed the sigil onto the fan, simultaneously allowing for proper functioning while maintaining structural stability.

Plus, which type and quality power crystal will ensure enough energy input for the fan.

Plus...

One technical issue crops up after another as he analyses the interior structure, but they only serve to feed his engineering ego. This instant, he felt like he is back in the engineering R&D department, where he always felt most alive. Analyzing and solving engineering problems, is to him the best form of spiritual nourishment.

It seems like a split second when it is already after office hours, and his colleagues begin leaving for home. However, Xuyi is still engrossed in his work. This is not news to them. There has never been a day where he did not work overtime. And Xuyi's passion for work won their admiration.

But little do they know, this unsuspecting project he is working on now will change their lives beyond recognition.