Rino was in the middle of designing a useless array just to frustrate the gods who assigned him the punishment when someone else appeared in this dimension.

Immediately, Rino threw the wheat stalk he was holding and stood on guard against the new person. She was dressed in a black medieval dress with a black veil covering her face.

"Who are you?"

The lady did not reply quickly. She turned slowly to the lich, who caught an eyeful of cleavage spilling over the bodice of her dress. However, he wasn't interested in her cup size. If anything, he was more intrigued by her skin colour. To be more precise, he wondered why she was a little translucent.

The lady chuckled and Rino concluded that she must be dead. That echo wasn't something normal people could master, and the way she glided over slowly did not seem like walking. She had to be a ghost. It was the only explanation.

As a magician dealing with many odd cases in his previous life, Rino had his fair share of experience with the paranormal. Spirits only linger when they have unfilled regrets. This lady must be no different. However, her appearance in this dungeon must mean that she died here or was looking for him specifically.

Her aura was different from other spirits. It was powerful yet mysterious. The elegant dress wasn't made of common materials, and Rino recognised that it was woven from wool. The veil was spun from silk, and those wooden accessories were actually runes.

In other words, this was the lingering soul of a powerful magician. Rino had no idea who she was, but he had an inkling they were not here to help him with his harvesting.

"Rino. I've been watching you for a while. It's a pity that we have to meet like this, but with such a powerful barrier and army, I couldn't approach you."

Whoever this magician was, she didn't seem hostile. If anything, Rino was more confused about her motive now. If she watched him for a while, did that mean he had a stalker from a different dimension? How did she know him, and for how long has this been going on?

Ace observed Rino's reactions from behind the veil and listened to Phil's feedback from above. The lich was very creeped out now, and the god of prayer quickly cut the act. The more he dragged this out, the more Rino would doubt him.

"Thank you for taking care of my only disciple. He might not seem like he is fond of you, but I assure you that's not the case."

Disciple? Rino could not help but wonder what kind of meth this lady was smoking. He did not recall taking care of anyone who wasn't part of his undead army. Also, there weren't that many people he knew who could be a disciple of a powerful magician…

"Your disciple?"

The lady laughed lightly, covering her mouth with one hand. "I was slightly surprised when he allowed you to name him. I believe he now goes by the name of Noir?"

Noir… that name was familiar. It took Rino a while to remember that Noir Province was named after a particular black cat who could use magic. The cat mentioned that he already had a master, but Rino did not know anything else. Could this lady really be…?

Following the customs of his previous world, Rino stood at attention and bowed slightly.

"Sorry for the disrespect earlier, Noir's master. It's just not every day I see a ghost loitering in a dimension for farming created by the gods of this world."

Indeed, Ace agreed wholeheartedly. The story was a little wonky, but Phil assured him that as long as he stuck to the script, Rino would buy it.

"It's not a coincidence either. You could probably tell how much power I have left. I followed Noir around in secret for a long time to see where he would go and what he would do after my passing. Then, I found you. After observing you from afar for a while, I think I can rest easy knowing that Noir has someone to look out for him when he needs it."

When Noir's master said she didn't have much time or power left, Rino found it hard to believe. The aura and pressure she exuded as a spirit was more powerful than what Kragami could manage. She must have been both a beautiful and talented magician while she was alive. Rino's natural capacity was nothing compared to this lady. No wonder Noir told him that he could not accept another person as his master.

When they told Rino that he was the best magician, he never believed it. Now, he understood what a truly great magician was like. It was a little unfortunate that he could not meet Noir's master under better circumstances, but he was still happy to know that he still had a lot of room to grow as a magician.

"It's my pleasure," he told the witch. "I might not be as powerful as you were in your prime nor as knowledgeable as you were. It was Noir who gave me pointers for dark magic that I struggled with. Although my understanding is still lacking, I will do my best to be there for Noir if he needs me."

In his mind, Ace couldn't believe that Phil's backstory worked. He had to fight the urge to celebrate and maintained the act of Noir's master even if he felt a little fuzzy hearing how Rino thought of his fur ball incarnate.

"I'm glad, chosen child. It's a shame I cannot stay to witness the birth of a glorious empire. However, I will watch them through Noir's eyes. Be well, Monarch of Solitude. It was my pleasure meeting you."

The grand and graceful exit happened as suddenly as she appeared, and Rino stared at the empty spot. Was Noir's master just gone like this? For some reason, he found it hard to believe what just happened. Was it an apparition or an illusion? After remaining trapped in this dimension for so long, Rino started to wonder why she appeared before him in this place.

Was Noir in some kind of predicament? The black cat was powerful, but even so, Rino was slightly worried. Noir's master did not approach him, asking him to rescue Noir or anything of that sort. If anything, it reminded him about a grandparent checking out their grandchild's potential marriage partner and giving them blessings.

The thought warmed Rino's hollow rib cage, and he looked at the punishment quest. It must have taken her a while to break through this barrier created by the gods to bid him goodbye. Her power was amazing even after death, and Rino couldn't imagine how long it had been since her passing. However, the attempt must have exhausted her, and Rino felt slightly bad for taking so long in this place.

Making up his mind and feeling slightly inspired now that he met Noir's master, Rino decided that this level of power wasn't sufficient. He wasn't nearly as great a magician as Noir's master was. There was still a long road in front of him, and it started with the mysterious dwarven mines that Rino had not explored.

Intel. Answers. Rino needed them now more than ever.

Ace collapsed as his consciousness returned to his body with a shudder. Phil steadied him so that the god of prayers would not fall off the chair. They watched as Rino picked up his working speed.

"Good work," the god of landscaping patted Ace on the back and continued to observe Rino from the reflecting pool.

Ark and Stephanie were out of the office, talking to their clients to reassure them that the order would be delivered by the deadline and begging for more chances. Honestly, Ace didn't sympathise with them. If they properly handled the situation and knew how to treat Rino better, none of this would happen.

Phil told Ace to rest while he monitored the system. He purposely altered the quest rewards a little, not that Rino knew yet. Two weeks wasn't sufficient enough to finish that grand windmill.

The windmill was not known as a breakthrough creation of Rino's world without reason. It was the product of many engineering failures and a project that succeeded after the humans and dwarves settled on a war truce. The dwarves put their knowledge of gears while the humans put their carpentry skills to birth this mechanical monster, capable of removing backbreaking manual labour forever.

Those with magic might not find the windmill or grindstone a big deal. After all, it was always easier to use a spell or rune to automate something. However, for the commoners without magical talents, the millers were hailed as gods. Without them, there would be no bread or pasta. The stoneworkers who created grindstones, repairing and maintaining them, also kept their secrets close to their hearts, only passing them down by word of mouth from one generation to the other.

Rino did not have any chance to learn it even if he saw something from his time with his dwarven friend. Phil only captured that memory and drafted a blueprint based on the tips he received from the god of smithing. It wasn't a complete blueprint, but if Rino had a little more time to run through that concept, he would be able to figure out its secrets. The gnomes were not worse than the dwarves in Rino's memory when it came to designing skills.