Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

In the development of Manalite, Erik discovered that this new material exhibited very interesting properties. Firstly, Manalite, unlike the common plastic that Erik had grown accustomed to in his past life, was almost immune to ultraviolet rays; its structure was so stable that even when exposed to considerable stress along with one hundred times the amount of ultraviolet radiation of a common sun, it was not affected in the slightest.

On the other hand, Erik also discovered, after having successfully created his healing pills, that magical artifacts could be crafted out of Manalite. Obviously, they couldn't sustain a very high mana load, and the runes that could be carved into it were limited; nevertheless, this discovery left Erik astonished, making him aware of the treasure he had created.

With this unexpected discovery, Erik knew it was only a matter of time before he received a nomination for the Auric Awards. After all, although the galaxy was not yet fully aware of the absurd potential of Manalite, he certainly was—no wonder he had once lived in the "plastic era."

But although his discovery was destined to take the world by storm, Erik knew that it would be an incredibly slow and gradual process that might take millennia or even longer. So, to shorten the time as much as possible, he had devised a little strategy to secure his nomination for the Auric Award in under a thousand years; after all, the cash prize was attractive and the reputation it would bring him would be very useful, especially for his brand.

With that in mind, Erik quickly developed three other versions of Manalite and presented them as a set along with the patent package, all with the intention of sending a message: "Manalite has infinite potential", demonstrating firsthand the "ease" with which variations could be developed for specific purposes.

Secondly, Erik made his "donation" to the university, and, although he truly did it because he wanted to support—in his own way—the paradise that was the Arcane Order, he was also seeking some publicity for his invention. After all, the adoption of a new material for mass production would encounter countless obstacles, whether from the large industries whose profits would be affected. Or from the natural resistance of the market to change, not to mention the issue of perceived quality and a whole host of other problematic matters.

To avoid having to deal with that cauldron of problems himself, Erik specifically designed version 4 of Manalite with outstanding characteristics in terms of hardness and durability. He improved its thermal adaptability and corrosion resistance, along with providing it with superior mana conductivity. Moreover, he ensured that it had a sufficiently high maximum mana capacity to create specialized artifacts of decent quality, among other enhancements.

All this was aimed at developing a material highly suitable for creating armor; after all, this was the most eye-catching and expensive element for the university guards, the police, the order's army, and others—and what better warhorse than the militia? If the weapons and armor created with version 4 performed well enough, they would be employed on a massive scale, and the public would gradually come to see Manalite as something trustworthy and safe, which would greatly accelerate its widespread adoption.

...

"—And who did you lose the bet against, Master?"

After a few moments—wanting both to return the favor and to satisfy his curiosity about who had been responsible for his beautiful master's anger—Erik asked with a slight smile as he looked at Sigrún. This caused the cheerful expression of the beautiful blonde to change to one of anger, and she replied while simultaneously pinching Erik's waist to sour his mood.