This was an object about the size of a bucket.
It appeared to be made of a somewhat soft, greenish metal.
Ron leaned closer to the table and examined it carefully. He noticed that both the outer surface and the interior of the metal container were engraved with relatively simple magic patterns, forming a magic array.
Or maybe two?
Ron was basically clueless when it came to magic arrays. He could only tell that these were array patterns—anything beyond that was beyond him.
"What is this?" Ron asked curiously.
"A water condenser I invented."
Illya lifted the glass lid on top and held up the bucket-sized metal container for Ron to see. "The outer layer is a mana storage array, and the inner layer is a water condensation array. The two are connected by patterns that represent the flow of magic power."
"A mage can store magic power in the storage array. When needed, you rotate this small handle to align the flow patterns, allowing the stored magic power to activate the inner condensation array."
"Once activated, the condensation array uses the stored magic power to attract surrounding water elements and convert them into pure water."
Ron looked at the rather unappealing device, his eyes lighting up.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had been constantly absorbing knowledge about magic.
Up until now, every mage he had encountered—although already divided into combat-oriented and research-oriented roles—was ultimately still focused on "combat" or things related to it.
Combat mages went without saying—they were all focused on improving their rank, increasing spell power, refining magic circuits, and creating new spells.
Research mages, on the other hand, focused mainly on potion-making or enchanting items.
And even those pursuits ultimately served to enhance overall strength.
For example, meditation potions improved meditation efficiency and increased a mage's level.
Explosive potions enhanced the power of fire magic.
And healing potions, which were close to completion, could treat injuries and improve survival rates.
So far, he had never encountered someone like Illya—someone who devoted effort to something like "producing water," which seemed useless at first glance.
Because it had no value in combat.
But it was incredibly close to everyday life.
"How did you come up with this?" Ron asked, taking the metal container and examining it more closely.
Illya paused for a moment, then slowly fell into memory.
"When I was young, I traveled across the continent with an elven priest and saw how ordinary people lived."
"Some places were very poor. People didn't have enough to eat, and in some areas, water was so scarce that even getting a single drink was difficult."
"But for a mage, that's just a single Water Control Spell."
"The problem is, compared to ordinary people, there are far too few mages. There's no way they could cast Water Control Spell for everyone every day."
"So back then, I thought—why not create a water condensation array, so those places could have a continuous water source?"
"And that's how this water condenser came to be."
"Unfortunately, it's a failure. Ordinary people simply can't afford to use it."
Ron didn't really care whether it was a success or a failure. What mattered was Illya's spirit of innovation.
"How do you use it? Just inject magic power directly?" Ron tried channeling magic power into the storage array and quickly felt it being absorbed.
The patterns on the surface of the condenser began to glow, indicating it was charging.
"Your Eminence Ron, hold the handle on the side and rotate this ring so the upper and lower patterns align. That will allow the magic power from the storage array to flow into the condensation array."
Following Illya's guidance, Ron turned the handle, aligning the patterns that represented "magic flow." The "circuit" was complete.
The handle functioned like a switch.
Soon, magic power flowed into the condensation array, and the inner walls of the metal container began to emit a faint blue glow.
Droplets of water began to form on the inner surface, sliding down and collecting at the bottom, gradually forming a thin layer.
Ron watched with interest.
Isn't this basically an automatic water dispenser?
And a portable one at that.
"Your Eminence Ron, please lift it a bit so we can see the bottom," Illya said, picking up one of the Element Potatoes Ron had given her.
Ron did as instructed, raising the metal container so they could clearly see its base.
Only then did he notice a socket embedded in the bottom, directly connected to the storage array patterns.
"This is the absorption core of the storage array," Illya explained as she inserted the Element Potato into the socket. "Normally, you would embed an elemental stone here to supply power instead of a mage."
"If these Element Potatoes are as remarkable as you say, then they should also be able to power it."
As soon as she finished speaking, the patterns on the condenser lit up again in Ron's hands, entering a charging state.
"It really works…" Illya murmured, staring at the glowing device in surprise.
Hearing the gentle sloshing of accumulating water inside, Illya nodded thoughtfully, a spark of excitement igniting within her.
"Your Eminence Ron, are there Element Potatoes for other elements as well? And can they be cultivated on a large scale?"
Ron nodded, then shook his head. "There are Element Potatoes for all six elements. As for large-scale cultivation—not yet, but probably in the future."
He didn't elaborate further. He wasn't ready to reveal the full production potential of Element Potatoes to a second person just yet.
It was better to remain cautious.
The elemental stone market was vast and deeply entangled.
If Element Potatoes only existed in small quantities as substitutes, they likely wouldn't attract much attention.
But if news of large-scale production spread, it would undoubtedly trigger the alarm of the powerful interests behind the elemental stone industry.
A trace of disappointment appeared on Illya's face.
"If Element Potatoes could truly be mass-produced, then devices like this water condenser could enter the lives of ordinary people and let them experience the convenience of magic."
"That's what magic should truly mean…"
Listening to Illya's sigh, Ron quietly turned off the switch, stopping the condensation array.
By now, the container was already about half full of water.
And the Element Potato's internal reserves had only been reduced by about one-twentieth.
Though "only" wasn't quite accurate.
On the market, a single elemental stone costs about 10 gold coins. One-twentieth of that was 50 silver coins.
Fifty silver coins for a bucket of water?
Even with careful spending, that was enough to cover a normal family's living expenses for one or two months.
There was no way ordinary people could afford it.