"Are you referring to ’our’ kind of fight?"
Ronald’s expression froze upon hearing the explanation from the senior witch.
Given the elderly caster’s usual demeanor, she would hardly bother with a common mystical skirmish, leading Ronald to even suspect that if an investigator were to chase a member of the "Coven of the Primal Witches" past her apartment building’s entrance, the senior witch probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
Therefore, the only possible cause for today’s events would be the enemy invoking an ancient tome.
And sure enough, the senior witch’s following response confirmed that Ronald was right.
Seated in the carriage, the elderly caster nodded slightly before she began to explain,
"Indeed, people like us."
"Before today, I never imagined we could capture a book holder here despite knowing this era was different, but I suppose I still haven’t adjusted to these changes..."
Seeing the senior witch’s somewhat dejected expression,
Ronald naturally wouldn’t choose this moment to make any insensitive remarks.
Maintaining the silence within the carriage, he quietly summoned the grimoire and softly began to chant the verses:
The dark waters flow downward, running to the dim and precipitous cliffs below.
This time, the spell casting was different from the past.
Previously, Ronald simply recited the incantations, allowing the grimoire to automatically channel the power.
However, after negotiating with the senior witch these past few days,
This antiquated method was abandoned.
While reciting the incantations, Ronald first summoned the magic power within himself, using it as a starting point to construct the spell under the guidance of the grimoire, and only then did the grimoire’s power begin to maintain the operation of the spell.
The effect of doing so
meant Ronald’s control over the spell had significantly enhanced.
The black mist, which was already as responsive as his own limbs, could now be used for the delicate work of calibrating a gyroscope without any issue.
Of course, once the black mist had wrapped around his hand,
The first thing Ronald did was to immediately confine the scope of his detection.
Sitting beside him, the senior witch also witnessed this scene.
Watching Ronald, who made no effort to hide his actions, the elderly caster’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Then, the senior witch inquired in the direction of the driver,
"Mr. Driver, would you mind if I sped up the carriage?"
"It won’t cause too much strain on the carriage."
The driver promptly replied with practiced ease,
"Please do as you wish."
So, for the first time in front of Ronald, the senior witch produced her grimoire.
With one hand gently lifted, an old, yellowed book was drawn from within her clothing; she no longer needed to turn the pages but merely holding the grimoire was enough to start uttering the incantations.
While beside the senior witch,
Merely at the sight of the cover of this tome, Ronald felt himself grow tense.
Ronald’s unconscious reaction had a simple reason.
It was reminiscent of a treasured memory from his days as a student.
—The name of the grimoire was on its cover.
— "Introduction to Fluid Mechanics"
It even had the name of the author, Prandtl, inscribed on the front.
The book was so renowned that anyone who had received compulsory education would have some impression of it.
The work of the father of aerodynamics and the father of modern fluid mechanics...
Who would have thought that he would see it again in another world?
Following that, the sound of the Grand Witch gently chanting the "incantation" could be heard:
"When the pressure difference is large, significant changes in density or volume mainly occur in air and vapor flows..."
The various senses of ’spells’ were chanted, and Ronald had seen the invisible air currents rise around the carriage several times before, protecting the structural stability of the carriage while simultaneously providing a decent acceleration.
Of course, the Grand Witch hadn’t made any common sense errors.
Even after accelerating, the carriage trotting on Springs Street still maintained a fairly appropriate speed, so as not to attract people’s attention.
He was still sitting in the carriage but his mood was quite subtle now.
During his school days, mechanics had been a sore spot for him, and now after graduating, starting work, and even crossing into another world, could he really be encountering this ’old friend’?
Almost subconsciously, Ronald took a long breath:
Sitting beside Ronald, the Grand Witch naturally noticed his reaction.
So she turned slightly towards him and asked with concern:
"Mr. Ronald, are you alright?"
Quickly adjusting his emotions, Ronald smiled and shook his head:
"It’s just that I was reminded of some things from the past."
However, even so, how could the Grand Witch not notice the look in Ronald’s eyes just now?
Although her expression was a bit peculiar, the Grand Witch still generously picked up the original book:
"Ronald, would you like to take a look at my original text?"
"If you’re just looking, I don’t mind that much."
Ronald didn’t even need to think before he replied:
"No need, that’s not necessary."
"I haven’t even figured out my own text yet, let alone contemplating others."
She looked at Luo An seriously for a few seconds.
The Grand Witch shook her head with a strange look in her eyes and then put "Introduction to Fluid Mechanics" back into her clothes.
After that, both of them stopped talking and started to quietly watch the outside of the carriage.
The driver for the Investigative Bureau was very skilled.
Even though the carriage wasn’t moving at his usual driving speed, he skillfully maneuvered through the streets of Springs, unceasingly heading towards the Baisha District.
In fact, upon careful recollection, Ronald had once caught a distant glimpse of Baisha District.
That was when he had first arrived in Springs, the scenery he saw from the cruise ship.
Baisha District, as the name implies, is a district near the coastline, where many industrial facilities are placed, making the environment there quite poor.
From a distance, it really gave off the impression of the Steam Era—with machines roaring, chimneys emitting waste gases, and polluting the air day and night.
And with the progress of the carriage.
The changing streetscapes also proved that Ronald’s impression was not wrong.
After approaching Baisha District, the green plants on the surrounding roads disappeared in front of your eyes, and the ground was even directly covered with tracks for cargo trolleys, while busy and weary workers rushed about in filthy clothes.
As for the surrounding buildings, they were large blocks built of red brick.
Only at higher positions were some windows opened for ventilation and lighting.
Quietly watching the scene outside the carriage, the Grand Witch wrinkled her nose and said with a bit of dissatisfaction:
Ronald shrugged his shoulders as well:
"Who would like a place ?"