Hearing Illya's explanation, Ron fell into deep thought.
He had originally assumed that experiments on Element Potatoes would yield quick results, allowing their properties to be fully understood in a short time.
But unexpectedly—
They were incredibly stable.
More than two months had passed, and there were still no signs of decay.
At that moment, far away in the flower shop's dimensional cultivation space, the chibi puppet Ron—who had been tirelessly planting crops—suddenly paused.
His attention shifted to the Element Potatoes.
Ever since obtaining the Puppet Tree, Ron had stationed a chibi puppet in the dimensional space to continuously cultivate plants.
The most in-demand crops were:
Nether Orchid
Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum
Scalevine
Scalevine leaves
Now, he temporarily halted those and dug out a water-element Element Potato.
Instead of removing it from the cultivation space, he simply exposed it to the environment and accelerated time.
One year passed inside the space.
The Element Potato remained mostly unchanged—only slightly dimmer in color.
Three to four more years passed.
Only then did it begin to decay, and the stored elemental energy gradually dissipated.
By around five to six years, it had completely lost its effectiveness and rotted away.
"…That's way too long. What kind of preservatives are in this thing?" Ron muttered.
Of course, he knew this only applied when the potato wasn't being used.
If it were constantly supplying energy and regenerating—
Its lifespan would definitely be shorter.
Unfortunately, the chibi puppet couldn't cast magic or extract elemental energy.
Further testing would require:
Mana storage arrays
Functional magic arrays
So he shelved the experiment for now and resumed farming.
Still, this revealed something important:
The dimensional cultivation space wasn't just for farming—
It could also be used for accelerated experimentation.
Years of results—
Condensed into minutes.
Too bad only plants could enter.
Otherwise, Ron could just train inside until reaching legendary rank before stepping out.
Back in the real world, inside the Element Vehicle—
Illya had completed the basic structure of the Element Gun.
Only the internal magic arrays remained.
Ron chose not to share his experimental findings yet.
The Element Potato was already proven powerful.
Precise lifespan data could wait.
"Your Highness," Illya said while engraving,
"If we replace the Explosion Array with other offensive arrays, could we diversify the weapon's attack types?"
Ron nodded immediately.
"Exactly."
"Explosion isn't necessary—it was just a convenient choice."
"I've also thought about other spells."
"For example, a Lightning Spear Spell could enhance close-range combat."
"If possible, we could even combine both into a single weapon—ranged and melee in one."
Essentially—
A magical version of a rifle with a bayonet.
But Illya shook her head.
"The internal space is too small."
"Two composite arrays won't fit."
Explosion Spell = fire-earth composite
Lightning Spear = water-fire composite
Both were complex.
Combining them was impractical.
"I'm just throwing out ideas," Ron said with a shrug.
"Implementation is up to you."
"And it doesn't have to be limited to Element Guns."
"With your linkage system, even magic turrets could be adapted for ordinary people."
Then he paused.
A thought surfaced.
Illya…
She was still an elven priestess.
One day, she would return to the elves.
The continent was relatively peaceful now.
Aside from annual Winter Wars, there hadn't been a full-scale conflict in over a century.
Only localized skirmishes.
But no one could guarantee the future.
And now—
They had created something dangerous:
A weapon that allowed ordinary people to wield magic in war.
Ron was human.
Illya was an elf.
Their personal goals aligned—
To bring magic to the masses.
But their racial interests might not.
Ron rubbed the back of his head, watching Illya work seriously.
He sighed inwardly.
Hopefully… I'm overthinking this.
For now, everything was still under control.
"Your Highness! I'm done recording!"
Edith's voice came from the front.
"How do I start this thing?"
Ron shook off his thoughts and walked forward, guiding her step by step.
"This is the steering wheel."
"This is the accelerator—forward here, reverse there."
"That's the low beam."
"Next to it is the high beam."
"And these are the turn indicators."
Under the night sky—
The vehicle's headlights suddenly flared to life, illuminating over twenty meters ahead and behind.
Edith gently pressed the accelerator.
The Diss No. 2 Element Vehicle began its maiden journey.
Unlike Yuna's reckless driving—
Edith was cautious.
She drove slowly and steadily, circling the experimental zone several times.
"This is so fun~!" she laughed.
Then, suddenly—
"I kind of want to go to Tansen City and become a driver!"
"Why not leave this one for me?"
Ron couldn't help but laugh.
"If you really like it, I'll have Illya make you a smaller Element Vehicle."
"It'll feel way better to drive than this bulky bus."
The Dis No. 2 rolled forward under the stars—
Marking the beginning of something far bigger than any of them realized.