A Study in Potatoes, Part 2

The Fresher’s Fair at the National Institute of Technology were always great spectacles. While the Institute was known for its magitech and scientific achievements, it was also known for the variety of its student clubs and societies. From cultural exchange programmes to sports clubs, from hobbyist gatherings to career-oriented societies, the NIT offered them all. The Fresher’s Fair, of course, was the prime chance for those clubs and societies to show off the fruits of their labour.

But what would those clubs and societies, varied in nature and disunited in purpose, be showing off to new students that they hope to attract?

Potatoes, apparently.

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At the centre of the Fair was a giant potato, suspended in the air through some advanced magic from the clear crystals poking out of it. Illuminated by spotlights and covered in brand labels, the out-of-proportion vegetable was flanked by a few of its floating potato siblings, which were more appropriately sized.

In the shadow of the strange vegetable family was an information booth, whose staff members were dressed up mascot suits that looked like the potato above. Was the Institute so fond of potatoes before? I could not recall, but hazarded a guess that it wasn’t the case.

“…so, it begins. The potato epidemic…” Lilia muttered. Her slightly traumatised voice caught the attention of a staff-potato, however, who began to dash towards us while shouting something:

“Lilia. Yuri. You are here!”

“Mr. Stratford, I see you are doing well. But I have to say your sense of fashion is quite… unique.” Lilia returned her brother’s friendly greetings with satire.

“Come on, I don’t want to wear this stupid costume either; it’s Sanders’ idea.” Andrew replied, referencing the potato-loving professor, “Trust me. I am just as shocked as you are when the university approved Sanders’ idea to show off our invention.”

“The potato?” Lilia asked.

“The things atop of it, that is.” Andrew proudly pointed his finger at the “potato”. “This thing is actually a block of painted foam, and it is quite heavy at 50 kilograms. To lift it and keep it in the air, normally you’d need several large, noisy propellers and powerful electric motors, powered by a heavy battery; even then it’d be a miracle if you can keep it in the air for more than an hour.”

Pointing his finger at the crystals poking out of the exhibition, Andrew continued, “But our team, with the help from the EEE department and the Materials department, devised the bleeding-edge, 3D-printed synthetic crystal magic channelers and the ion-propulsion magical algorithm with improved efficiency. The result is this: a large, stable drone that is completely silent, and one that can stay in the air for days at a time.”

“How high can it fly?” I asked out of curiosity.

“At least 10,000 ft. It’d be difficult to control if it was to fly higher, so we haven’t tested it yet. But Sanders thinks that if we scale up the crystal, it could replace commercial aircrafts’ engines. It might be the start of a green aviation revolution.” Andrew answered with great enthusiasm.

“It will power the metal birds in the sky? What a wonderful magic… and the magic is made without visible magic circles or using the mana in the air, nonetheless. I wonder what the composition of the magic is like…”

“Oh, you can see it right here. Our paper contains all the calculations and the 3D models used to create the demo…”

“Is that OK? Aren’t advanced magics supposed to be state secrets?”

“It’s not like it’s a military project or something. Besides, why do you think it was demoed liked this? We can’t get funding if we never show off our research. The more people who see it, the better.”

Andrew handed me a tablet with the magic’s complex schematics. On a blue background, white lines extended upwards from a hexagon, splitting off like branches of a tree along the way. “How beautiful,” I remarked, “it looks just like a snow-tree.”

“Eh… what did you say?” Andrew appeared to be baffled.

“A snow-tree.”

“Uh… I never heard of it. What is it like?”

“It’s easier to show you than to explain in words.” I replied, then started chanting. “The amalgamated mana under the influence of stasis. From the formless over-secretion, to your nature-given form: materialise and solidify!”

A double-stacked magic circle appeared in the air, and from it a “tree” sprouted. Made of what appeared to be ice with a slight white tint, it grew upwards before splitting off into parallel “branches” and snowflake-shaped “flowers”. A gust of wind blew by; a single “flower” fell off, and quietly melted on the grassy lawn.

“So you think the blueprint of our magic looks like this… but what is it?” Andrew asked.

“The snow-tree is a magical phenomenon where an over-concentration of mana, or magical power, affected by cold weather, becomes stasis-primed and solidifies in a tree-like pattern. It is quite common in cold areas with ley lines running through, which would sometimes leak condensed mana into the air. It looks like a tree with snowflakes as its flowers, hence the name.” I explained. “But it can be artificially induced. By stacking a mana-release magic circle on top of a cooling magic circle, I can saturate a small space with mana and induce the phenomenon via the cooling magic.”

“So, it’s an effect of mana supersaturation?” Andrew seemed to understand. “I suppose it’d make sense why it’s rare here. I’ve heard of similar phenomenon before, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in person, created by a Classical magic spell nonetheless. I wonder if I can reconstruct it with Modern Magic-“

“Hmm, Andy.” Lilia interjected.

“I think it should be possible. I don’t exactly know how you calculate or form magics’ structure, but since it’s a relatively simple and well-understood phenomenon it should-” I replied to Andrew’s question as I heard an unfamiliar voice calling out to me. It was a young woman with an elegant look; someone that I was sure I’ve never met before.

“Excuse me, miss. Are those your magic circles?”

The unknown young woman pointed her finger towards the heavens. High up in the sky, the once-transparent crystals atop of the “potato” was slowly turning blue, as two gigantic magic circles --- the same as the one I’ve demonstrated moments before --- materialised above the “potato”.