‘I suppose having friends in high places has its merits.’

Two craftsmen were attaching some heavy cables to a large platform. One was quite tall with a height of one hundred ninety-three, something he had achieved after his tier 3 rank trial. It was a phenomenon known as post-ascension growth and sometimes occurred to accommodate drastic changes to one's body. Luckily this growth had already stopped and now Roland could focus on the task at hand.

“What’s that boss?”

“What do you think it is?”

Roland asked while holding something that resembled a mana crystal, something they used in bulk to treat alloys to get higher quality products. Bernir eyes this peculiar-looking crystal that was strangely pink and elongated. Soon, the crystal made its way into a special container that had been prepared on top of a workbench.

The container looked quite advanced, with a glassy outer case that allowed them to see the floating crystal inside. It was shaped like a tube with various runes inscribed on the bottom and top of the cylinder. The glass, on the other hand, was covered in traces that pulsated from time to time. Inside, an intricate gridwork of thin mana threads connected to the crystal through ethereal pathways.

“Is it some kind of magic crystal? Maybe a compressed one? But there is no smelter here, so probably not?”

“Not even close.”

Roland replied with a small chuckle, knowing it wasn't something his assistant would recognize. It was an item gifted to him by Arion, his friend at the Institute. While it looked like an elongated crystal, it was actually more akin to a storage device for data. Though it appeared semi-transparent, slicing it apart would reveal many tiny runic traces and compact runes inside. Through this complex array inside, a lot of data could be transferred and connected to other runic devices, like the ones they were building in this underground workshop.

“It’s something like a basis for the mage tower core I’m making but also contains the ‘code’ for the transferal gate.”

“...”

“Is something wrong?”

Bernir seemed a little out of it as Roland started explaining the item and its use. It seemed that his friend was having a hard time understanding any of it. Bernir's eyes glazed over as Roland explained the intricacies of the crystal and its purpose. Despite his considerable skills as a blacksmith and craftsman, the advanced magical theories and concepts often left him feeling out of his depth. Roland noticed his assistant's blank expression and realized he might need to simplify things a bit.

"Think of it as a blueprint."

Roland said as he tried to make the explanation a bit more simple.

"This crystal contains all the information we need to build and operate the gate, as well as a simplified basis for the mage tower core. Once we assemble both, the tower spirit will take control of the calculations for us and will help us connect with other gates.”

The teleportation gates in this world worked on a sort of handshake basis. Knowing the right coordinates wasn’t enough for the connection to be established; both sides needed to confirm their existence, making intrusions from outside impossible. If one wanted to forcefully open a gate, there were ways, but typically someone needed to alter them from the inside. Otherwise, they would be rejected by various safety features like mana barriers and teleportation scrambling magic.

“I see, I think I get it.”

“Good, now let's start the process.”

Both of them nodded as they prepared to start the process of activating the tower spirit. The core, which would serve as its brain, had been reinforced with several layers of metal. From the outside, it now looked like an icosahedron, more commonly known as a twenty-sided die in a certain popular game from his old world. It was a special alloy that included orihalculum which would help manage all the magical energy in the vicinity. It also gave the tower core lining a similar luster to gold and shifted tha mana coloring along with it.

"Alright, Bernir. Let's begin with the core. Help me place those containment rods around it.”

“Aye Boss.”

While Bernir was still only using the unfinished prosthetic, it allowed him to work quite well. He couldn't place much weight on it, but when it came to grabbing and moving his digits, it was quite human-like. The two craftsmen began slotting in five large rods that fit into specially created sockets around the core. Once inserted, the rods started to fold upwards and connected with the ceiling.

A pentagram appeared on the floor, with these rods acting as focal points. As their name implied, these rods were a safety feature for what they were trying to activate. If, for some reason, the tower spirit went berserk, the rods were designed to contain its power and shut it down. The pentagram generated a powerful shield that could theoretically contain power close to tier 4. They would also activate in the case of any explosions and outside intrusion. Some special spells and devices targeted mage tower cores and they needed to be defended against.

“Everything seems to be in order, I guess this is it…”The time for activation was upon them and Roland activated the pink crystal. It began to glow with a soft pink light and Roland took a step back. He glanced at the display that recreated screens from his old world and made things a lot easier to read through. On it, he had already fashioned a graphical interface that would allow others to see the whole process.

“It seems stable enough.”

It was quite a sight to behold, the runes on the crystal’s surface flickered to life and everything shimmered with magical energy. Within moments, the crystal's energy connected with the tower core, initiating the process of awakening the tower spirit. The core hummed with power, resonating with the magical frequencies emanating from the crystal. Slowly, but steadily, the workshop began to vibrate as the data transfer took place and the tower spirit was being created.

There were many types of tower spirits that could be created, ranging from simple constructs with basic intelligence to complex magical beings capable of interacting with their surroundings. Roland had chosen to create a more advanced spirit, one that could assist him in his research and help manage the various magical devices in his workshop. However, he did not want it to have an ego of its own, as it was a variable that could complicate matters.

The more complex the spirit was, the bigger the probability of it developing an ego of its own. Sometimes, these beings were just monsters made of energy that could run wild. He was not making a conversation partner but a machine to manage his underground workshop and for calculation. He wanted something more similar to an AI assistant and not a magical beast with its own mind and feelings.

As the process continued, Roland monitored the energy levels carefully, ensuring that everything remained stable. The runes on the core’s casing continued to pulsate, and eventually, the process reached its conclusion. For a moment, the air crackled with power, and a strange burst of energy erupted from within the tower core. Quickly, the containment array reacted to block this surge of energy, causing Bernir to jump back in fright.

“Woah!”

“It’s fine, the mana can’t get through the shield, you’ll be fine.”

“Whew, that gave me a scare.”Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Bernir chuckled and stood back up, his eyes focused on the focal point of the core chamber. Meanwhile, Roland, able to see through the casing, observed the magical reaction taking place within it. He witnessed the birth of the tower spirit and the formation of its shape. Soon, it floated forward, depicted as an orb of light slightly larger than a tennis ball.

“So this is it, the tower spirit?”

He asked himself while examining the pale blue ball of light. It didn’t look like much and could probably be mistaken for a tier 1 spell that produced light. However, once he identified it as the tower spirit, he felt a sense of satisfaction. This small, unassuming orb contained vast potential and was proof that he had reached a higher point in his crafting profession.

“Greetings… Master.”

The ball of light floated forward at a slow pace. Initially seeming a bit confused, it eventually turned in the direction of its creator. Once there, it greeted Roland in a somewhat monotone voice that reminded him of old text-to-speech technology from his own world. This was his tower spirit, an artificial intelligence created from many months of work and a buildup of knowledge.

“Greetings.”

Roland replied and was greeted with silence. Bernir on the side rubbed his nose a bit and then shrugged as if he didn’t know what to say.

“Tower Spirit? Do you know what your purpose is?”

“My purpose is to assist my master.”

“Right, are there things that you must not do?”

“Yes, Master.”

“... Uh, could you list those things?”

Roland replied, realizing that this artificial spirit he had created was quite passive. It was like a newborn baby, eagerly awaiting to absorb information. Luckily, it was following the main directive he had implanted inside of it. He needed to ensure that it would not attack him or the people he was affiliated with. This wasn’t anything new, as all artificially created beings usually followed some type of rules. It was a safeguard employed by any self-aware inventor to prevent it from ever being able to attack him.

The tower spirit paused for a moment, processing Roland's request. Then, it began to list the restrictions placed upon it:

"I must not harm my master or those under his protection. I must not divulge sensitive information without authorization. I must not interfere with my master's personal affairs unless requested to do so. I must not act against the interests of my master…”

Roland nodded as the spirit continued to list down the constraints it was under. Some people liked to include orders to never harm humans under any circumstances. However, this AI spirit would be allowed to control many of his battle golems and tower defensive systems in his workshop. It could not operate without being able to use deadly force in this world of strife. What he already created was a database with people's names and mana fingerprints, that his creation would not be able to harm instead.

‘I should give it a scan…’

Name:

None

Species:

Artificial Spirit