Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Magic Binding to Mind Binding
Nate remained somewhat cautious of Ultear.
Through their conversations, he got the sense that she was trying to lure him to the Magic Council. After finding an excuse to end their chat, Nate put Ultear out of his mind for the moment.
He then turned his attention to the [Library], where he searched for a book on 'Mind Magic'. Specifically, he was interested in learning more about the fundamentals of mind-related magic, knowing that mastering 'Thought Projection' would require a deep understanding of these concepts.
The train ride passed without further incident.
By the time the train reached Magnolia, it was already night. After disembarking, the group dispersed, each heading home.
Since Nate and Lucy were neighbors, they walked together along the riverbank, with Nate staying close to the water's edge.
Lucy noticed that he was engrossed in a magic book and couldn't help but tease him.
"If you don't watch where you're going, you might fall into the river, Nate."
"I can see in all directions," Nate replied with a chuckle, still focused on his magic studies.
'Six Eyes magic…' Lucy glanced at Nate's eyes, admiring how striking they looked.
"Is that something I can learn?" she asked, intrigued.
"You can't," Nate shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to share the technique, but Six Eyes was a unique magic granted to him by his system, not something native to the Fairy Tail world. Even if he tried to teach it, others wouldn't be able to grasp it.
…
Back at home, Nate drew a bath. Even while soaking, he continued reading the 'Encyclopedia of Magic'.
Before going to sleep, he received a private message from Juvia. She was very diligent, sending him messages at specific times every day. Their conversations usually followed this format:
[Morning]
Juvia: "Good morning, Nate-sama."
Sigma Male: "Morning."
[Afternoon]
Juvia: "Good afternoon, Nate-sama. Have you eaten?"
Sigma Male: "Good afternoon... Yes, I've eaten."
[Evening]
Juvia: "Good evening, Nate-sama."
[Before Bed]
Juvia: "Good night, Nate-sama. 🌙"
It was so punctual that Nate found it both endearing and amusing, wondering why she never initiated a longer conversation.
Tonight, however, Juvia had something new to say.
Juvia: "Good evening, Nate-sama!"
Juvia: "I've finally sold all 400 rings!"
It was clear she was looking for some praise. Naturally, Nate indulged her.
Sigma Male: "You've been a huge help, Juvia. You're amazing."
Juvia: "I'm so happy to help Nate-sama~ 😊"
Juvia: "I'm still out on the task assigned by our guild master, but I'll come to see you as soon as I'm finished."
Juvia: "Oh, I saw on the forum that you're interested in learning Thought Projection magic?"
Juvia: "The Phantom Lord library has some books on that magic. I can sneak one out for you!"
"What a considerate woman..." Nate thought, both amused and touched by her offer.
Sigma Male: "Please don't. It'll cause trouble if your guild master finds out."
Juvia: "Is Nate-sama worried about me? I'm so happy~ Don't worry, I'll be very careful! 🥰"
Nate didn't even know how to respond to that. After a few more exchanges, Juvia wished him good night, as usual.
…
The next morning at 9 a.m., Nate walked into the Fairy Tail guild. The guild hall was as lively as ever.
"Good morning, Nate," Mirajane greeted him warmly.
"Morning, Mira," Nate replied with a smile.
As always, Mirajane was dressed in her elegant red dress, her hands clasped gently in front of her, and she wore a smile that could brighten anyone's day.
'She's really beautiful,' Nate thought, noticing how just seeing Mirajane always put him in a good mood. She was exactly his type.
He took a seat at the bar.
"Mira, have the commission requests been synchronized?" he asked.
"It's all done," Mirajane replied cheerfully. "I've sorted the requests into several categories based on their nature."
Nate opened the Internet and entered the [Commission Requests] section, then navigated to the [Fairy Tail] subforum. Unlike the empty board from the last update, it was now filled with numerous commission requests.
There were various types of commissions categorized neatly, such as [retrieval], [extermination], [collection], and [magic] tasks. It was easy for guild members to browse through the options and pick the commissions that best suited them, even sorting them by payment.
From the bar, Makarov chuckled, raising a cup of beer.
"This system is really convenient, Nate. And Mira, you did a great job too," Makarov said.
The old man sat cross-legged on the bar, one hand holding a wooden staff, the other clutching his drink.
Mira smiled humbly.
"It's all thanks to Nate. I only did a small part."
Nate shook his head.
"Mira, you're the real hero here. I just created the platform. Maintaining the commission request section is all thanks to your hard work."
Makarov watched them with a thoughtful look. 'These two look quite compatible together,' he mused.
"Nate," Makarov suddenly said, "what's the next feature you plan to develop?"
Nate thought about it. He had so many ideas, it was hard to decide where to start. Ideally, he wanted to learn 'Thought Projection' so that a clone could handle coding, freeing him from work.
In pursuit of his lazy lifestyle, Nate was tireless.
"I was going to ask if you had any suggestions," he said, curious about the users' needs.
Makarov stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Can your magic be adapted for use by ordinary people?"
"Ordinary people…"
Nate fell into deep thought. Currently, the magic rings—those silver rings that served as the 'Internet log-in devices'—required magic power to activate and were bound to the first user who infused them with magic.
How could ordinary people use the Internet?
There were many common magic items that didn't require users to input their own magic. In most magic shops, a large portion of the items were powered by 'Lacrimas' that provided the necessary magic power.
It wouldn't be too difficult to modify the rings so that they were powered by Lacrimas instead. However, the issue lay in the 'binding' of the device to its user. Currently, the binding process required magic power from the user.
How could a Lacrima fulfill the binding requirement?
Perhaps the binding condition could be changed.
Seeing Nate deep in thought, Makarov spoke up again.
"Right now, people can accept commissions online, but not all requesters have magic. If regular folks could use your magic network, they could directly contact Mira and post requests. It would make things even easier."
"Can it be done? Let me know if there's any issue, and I'll help brainstorm solutions with you."
Just as Makarov finished speaking, a new 'system task' appeared for Nate.
[Task: Develop a new type of Internet login device based on the magic ring that can be used by ordinary people.]
[Reward: Dependent on task completion.]
Another triggered task.
This time, Nate wasn't surprised. After reading through the task, he nodded to Makarov.
"The biggest issue is how to bind the user."
"Master, what if we change it from magic binding to mind binding? Would that work?" Nate asked thoughtfully.
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