After bidding farewell to the path by the gate and the captain of the knights, young master Nayre and Vylushica took another stroll through their own territory.
They made the necessary arrangements and gave all the important instructions.
Everything was in perfect order.
The potted flowers in Nayre Farshore's estate bloomed more beautifully and naturally than those of any other noble. Despite the Farshore family being primarily a magic-tech aristocracy, under the care of young master Nayre and the dark elf Cassia, the flowers and greenery here had a uniquely refreshing charm.
Now and then, they'd come across mechanical magic automaton knights on patrol, which needed Nayre's personal maintenance.
While others would need special tools for such work, Nayre simply traced a few magic circles and could efficiently and confidently assess the condition of the automata, making necessary adjustments as needed.
Their final stop for the day was a crucial facility — the very heart of not just Nayre himself, but the entire Farshore family:
The Creation Hall.
Eighty years ago, Nayre's grandfather invented a revolutionary technology — a hybrid system powered by magic and centered around mechanical devices.
It was named Magic-Tech.
This formidable technology became a tremendous asset to the Farshore family.
Using Magic-Tech, his grandfather elevated the Farshore house from an ordinary noble family to the fifth-ranking major family in the kingdom.
In many ways, this was already the peak — because the top four families were the Four Great Knight Houses of the Aurel Kingdom, whose position had remained unshaken throughout its 3,000-year history.
Not even the Farshore family, the creators of Magic-Tech, could replace them.
However, the excessive reliance on Magic-Tech soon led to major consequences.
Nayre's father — the previous head of the Farshore family — made the decisive call to restrict this powerful technology as much as possible, even before the crisis fully erupted.
The reason was simple: Magic-Tech was too powerful, and far too easy to depend on.
It nearly started a war.
So even though the Farshore domain was prosperous and held the fifth rank, the people of Aurel didn't outright reject the Farshore family — but they were wary of Magic-Tech as a concept.
After all, the people of the Aurel Kingdom leaned more toward faith and tradition.
This was both the progress and the price brought by Magic-Tech.
Only within the Farshore domain could one see Magic-Tech so widely used.
Among the other nobles in the Aurel Kingdom, even if you offered them practical Magic-Tech as gifts, they would refuse out of fear.
As a result, the Farshore family enforced strict control and regulation over all technological devices in their domain.
The primary duty of Dark Knight Vylushica and the Farshore knights was to oversee and monitor these very things.
That's why Nayre had earlier instructed Rue to maintain the automaton knights daily.
As for the automata themselves — they were humanoid Magic-Tech knights created by Nayre.
The latest technological marvel of his generation.
Their numbers and positions had to be tightly controlled.
"All right, I'm going to start working. You go tidy up and get some rest."
"Yes, young master. Please take care of your health. Miss Cassia also mentioned we're departing tomorrow — don't forget the time."
Dark Knight Vylushica followed Nayre to the most important research facility of the family.
Nayre told her there was no need to follow him — she should return and rest.
Even Vylushica, one of the Three Pillars, needed special authorization to enter this place, and even then, she couldn't touch anything.
Only two people could freely enter and operate within this facility:
One was Nayre Farshore, its master.
The other was Dr. Amira, the final member of the Three Pillars — a gifted technological genius.
Three years ago, it was with Amira's help that Nayre created the automaton knights.
Nayre stepped into the steel-and-cold hall, and what greeted him was a dazzling scene.
In complete contrast to the sunlit, flower-filled gardens outside, this was a world of industry.
The walls were lined with flickering display panels showing complex data and graphs, while the floor was cluttered with precise mechanical parts and half-assembled devices. The air carried the light scent of metal and lubricant.
If the outside was peaceful nature, then inside was the heart of a bustling factory.
Looking at the rather messy parts scattered on the floor, Nayre sighed — he'd gotten carried away with recent creations. It was time to clean up.
Most people would feel a chill just stepping into a place so full of metal and machinery, but Nayre — a young master who should have been pampered and sheltered — was already long used to working with machines.
Many of these parts had been personally crafted by him, though some had turned out poorly and were tossed aside.
— In the end, he hadn't managed to complete even one finished piece before leaving for the academy.
Nayre shook his head and ignored the scattered components, heading straight for the room deeper inside.
Compared to the cluttered hall, this inner room was much neater and more spacious.
This was Nayre's personal laboratory — equipped with the best safety systems and equipment, and of extreme importance.
When Nayre entered, a figure was already working at the bench, manipulating various components.
It was Dr. Amira.
She stood at a massive workbench, her back to the door, fully absorbed in her work.
Her long, sleek black hair was tied up messily so as not to get in the way, swaying slightly as she moved.
She wore a slightly oversized black lab coat, both comfortable and durable, reflecting her lack of concern for appearances and her intense focus on her work.
The sleeves were rolled up just enough to reveal a pair of skillful, steady hands working deftly with various tools.
She heard Nayre enter, but unlike others who would hurriedly greet him, she merely turned her head slightly for a glance.
A pair of refined black-rimmed glasses rested on her nose, behind which her crimson eyes gleamed with calm intensity.
The simple, elegant design of the glasses added to her intellectual allure.
After a brief greeting, she returned to her work, her gaze sharp and unwavering — as though her entire world existed within the machine before her.
— Dr. Amira was always like this…
Such an icy beauty, yet completely devoted to her work.
She didn't bother to properly greet her own master. Outside, she didn't take care of Luc very well either.
Already 28 years old, and even less attentive than Luc when it came to self-care.
If she couldn't even take care of herself, how could she be expected to take care of her young master, Nayre?
She truly poured every ounce of her being into her work.
And yet, Nayre felt a great sense of accomplishment at having "conquered" such a cold scientific genius.
Though her personality leaned toward the overly rational — with the appearance of an ice-cold beauty — the truth was much simpler:
She just didn't know how to interact with people.