Design

The butler bowed his head deeply and smiled at Victoria.

“If there’s anything you want, miss, just come to me. I’ll make sure to prepare everything for you.”

The butler left with his attendants, leaving behind a joyful Victoria.

After organizing the last of her documents, Victoria checked the time.

Seeing that it was still early, she skipped her way back to Collins’s laboratory.

Collins was in the same posture as when she had left—his back hunched, eyes focused on the sheets in front of him.

Endless streams of data and formulas flowed from his fingers, elegant like the hands of a master pianist dancing over the keys.

But when Collins noticed Victoria entering, his brows furrowed.

Victoria flinched, showing a frightened expression.

Collins immediately softened his expression into a gentle smile.

“It’s nothing. I just thought a stranger had come in.”

“But since it’s my employer, you’re welcome any time.”

He moved the papers aside and extended his spiritual energy.

A multitude of runes began to layer upon each other under a delicate magical framework.

They functioned like circuits, gradually activating their designed purposes.

“Hmm, this is basically the prototype for the foundational structure I’ve envisioned.”

Unlike Victoria’s explosive fire-element magic structure, Collins’s structure had a water-elemental base.

However, water was only one foundation—there were also fire and earth elements supporting it.

And surprisingly, the core element was wind.

Just at first glance, Victoria could tell this magical foundation far surpassed anything she had ever created.

After all, this was a genuine fourth-tier magical circuit.

And not just that—it was a highly optimized and layered advanced circuit.

Simplified to the point that even Collins, a mid-tier mage, could operate it using his own magical skills.

Of course, just because Collins could use it didn’t mean the magic was weak.

In fact, the more optimized the magic, the easier it was for mages to use.

That’s why a mage’s competence is often measured by how well they optimize their spells.

Judging by the level of optimization Collins had just demonstrated, Victoria was confident that even the top student in her university’s magic array department might not compare to him.

He truly was a genius.

Victoria sighed with both awe and envy.

Even more so, she felt a burning passion ignite within her.

It was exactly this kind of genius she needed to assist her in achieving her experimental goals.

Only such a genius was worthy of supporting her.

Collins didn’t notice how, in the shadows, Victoria’s gaze burned intensely as she stared at him.

Maintaining a fourth-tier circuit consumed a lot of energy.

After just a few minutes, Collins had already used up half of his spiritual strength.

But this was just a demonstration to show Victoria his progress.

Most of the details were still written on paper.

“That should be enough for now. Do you see anything that needs adjusting?”

Collins asked with a smile.

Victoria awkwardly shook her head.

Her technical skill wasn’t on the same level as Collins’s.

How could she possibly find fault in something so carefully crafted?

If she nitpicked and said something ignorant, that would only make her look foolish.

“Well, it looks great. I’m very satisfied.”

Collins nodded and handed her a list.

“These are the magical instruments and materials needed.”

Victoria glanced over it, and her face twisted in hesitation.

Collins cleared his throat.

To be honest, he had slipped in a few items for personal use.

Many of the tools and materials listed were things he himself needed.

He had told her he didn’t require much funding, but that was because he figured he could obtain what he needed through materials and instruments.

Seeing Victoria’s furrowed brows now, Collins felt guilty.

Deceiving his client—it felt quite unprofessional.

“Um, actually, not all of this is necessary. If you think some aren’t needed…”

Victoria shook her head.

“No, actually, this material list is pretty minimal for me.”

“If you held back because you were afraid of offending me, don’t worry—I’m very easy to deal with.”

She patted Collins on the shoulder.

“You’re here to help me. I can’t shortchange you.”

“If you need anything, just say so. If I can make it happen, I absolutely will.”

“I trust you.”

Victoria gave him a brilliant smile.

Collins suddenly felt that deceiving such an innocent girl wasn’t just unprofessional—it was downright heartless.

“Um… this is the fundamental magical equation I designed.”

“If you think it looks fine…”

He pushed a stack of blank paper toward Victoria.

Victoria giggled and began flipping through the pages.

Among the thick sheaf of handwritten documents, a splash of color stood out—an ink-printed promotional flyer peeked from between the sheets.

The stark contrast delivered a strong visual impact.

Curious, Victoria picked up the colorful flyer.