Chapter 243 - 242: Arrangements for Strengthening the Undead

Chapter 243: Chapter 242: Arrangements for Strengthening the Undead

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After some meticulous experiments, Gu Su gradually figured out the operating principles and ingredient yield of the Mechanical Grinding Disc, and his previous questions were answered one by one.

He discovered that the hourly grinding volume listed on the Mechanical Grinding Disc’s panel wasn’t calculated by the quantity of ingredients fed into it, but by the number of finished portions it produced.

Simply put, it took about one minute to produce a single portion of refined ingredients. The Grinding Disc’s operating efficiency was linked only to the final output, irrespective of the quantity of ingredients used.

Based on this efficiency, if the Mechanical Grinding Disc ran nonstop all day, it could produce over 1,400 portions of refined ingredients. This yield far exceeded Gu Su’s expectations.

What reassured him even more was that at this rate of consumption, the ingredient output from his Dark Erosion Cave was more than enough to cover it. He wouldn’t have to divert goods from the Trading Post meant for commerce, nor would it affect his trade with the Deceivers, other players, or especially Yuan Guang.

At the same time, Gu Su also clarified the uses and his plans for the three types of ingredients.

Flesh and Blood Ingredients, used for Undead leveling, and Essence Ingredients, used for quality advancement—these two were key to strengthening his core Undead. They must never be sold and had to be kept firmly under his control.

As for the Bizarre Ingredients used for temporary Attribute boosts, if there was a surplus later, they could be sold as a flagship product.

He was already calculating in his head. ’If I put the Bizarre Ingredients up for trade, their practical +1 Attribute boost for 12 hours will definitely catch Yuan Guang’s eye. That way, in addition to the aphrodisiac ingredients, I can establish another stable, primary cash flow to further accumulate funds and materials.’

However, there was still one tricky problem to solve.

Gu Su didn’t currently have the required materials to make the Essence Ingredients that the Mechanical Grinding Disc was capable of producing.

Making these Essence Ingredients required special materials. These rare materials were, in fact, the ones from his production bases that yielded only three to four units per week.

Counting all of Gu Su’s production bases, there were the various mushrooms from the Mushroom Cave, the chicken from the Five Poison Chicken Coop, the toxic ingredients from the Poisonous Insect Cave, and the Tibia-thinning Grass from the newly cleared farmland.

The yield of common materials was quite high. Mushrooms alone accounted for around 2,500 units per day. Even after setting aside the aphrodisiac materials, this was enough to completely cover the Mechanical Grinding Disc’s needs.

He could pretty much schedule production however he wanted, but the same wasn’t true for rare materials.

None of the four production bases, nor the various plants growing on the Graveyard Demon, produced any rare materials that could be used as ingredients. In other words...

...Gu Su couldn’t produce Essence Ingredients right now.

But Gu Su wasn’t concerned about this, nor was he the least bit impatient.

He knew perfectly well that the Levels of the Undead under his command were generally low; the strongest among them was only Level 6. They were still a long way from needing Essence Ingredients to break through to the next quality tier. Therefore, this matter could wait. It wouldn’t be too late to start production once he found the necessary special materials.

Having organized his thoughts, Gu Su issued a command: "For now, produce the Flesh and Blood Ingredients and the Bizarre Ingredients at a one-to-one ratio. Once the..."

He trailed off, his brow furrowed in a moment of clear hesitation before he continued, "—once all the High Tier Undead, Undead with Special Talents, all Bosses and Minions, and all the Professional Undead in the city have finished leveling up, adjust the production ratio to one-to-ten."

Initially, Gu Su had wanted all the Undead in the city to use the Flesh and Blood Ingredients to gain a Level, strengthening his overall forces as much as possible.

But on second thought, he dismissed this idea.

He knew perfectly well that among his many Undead, not all of them deserved to consume refined Flesh and Blood Ingredients that could grant a direct Level increase.

Take the numerous Corpse Rat Swarms, for instance. A single ordinary corpse could spawn at least six Corpse Rats, and a single Gravepile could hide over a thousand of them.

If he had to provide every single Corpse Rat with a portion of leveling ingredients, not only would his current production be unable to keep up, but even if it could, it would be an enormous waste. The cost would far outweigh the benefit.

What’s more, it wasn’t just the Corpse Rats. In Gu Su’s eyes, even the Bone Dogs used for scouting and charging, and the weak Ordinary Skeleton Soldiers that had not yet become Professional Undead, were nothing more than cannon fodder for the battlefield.

When battle came, it was enough to feed them some Bizarre Ingredients for a temporary Attribute boost, allowing them to be more effective. As for giving them Flesh and Blood Ingredients to Level up? That was absolutely out of the question.

If this cannon fodder charged onto the battlefield only to die, the ingredients invested in them would be completely wasted. Gu Su wouldn’t make such a bad investment.

Gu Su was crystal clear on this point. Every portion of ingredients had to be spent where it would be most effective—prioritized for his core Undead to maximize the combat strength of his entire force.

As for the cannon fodder Undead, it was enough that they could meet basic combat needs; there was no reason to waste precious leveling ingredients on them.

For now, Gu Su decided to focus on his core Undead, prioritizing raising their Levels to solidify his own foundation of power.

Upon hearing Gu Su’s clear command, the Boss, Bone Rush, who was already prepared, immediately stepped forward. He respectfully accepted the order and quickly took charge of producing and distributing the ingredients.

He was one of Gu Su’s labor-type Skeleton Bosses. Most importantly, he was personally quite fast, a trait that also affected his subordinates.

And because he was fast, Bone Rush had his own effective system for managing his subordinates.

If he couldn’t manage the arrangements, it could easily cause his Undead Teams to get in each other’s way.

Some Undead would be worked to the bone, while others would have nothing to do.

Therefore, putting him in charge of this was the most suitable choice, which was why Gu Su had assigned him the task from the beginning.

And Bone Rush did not disappoint. He methodically organized the work, with one group of Undead responsible for hauling chicken and mushrooms, continuously feeding ingredients into the Mechanical Grinding Disc’s hopper.

Another group of Undead stood by the output chute, sorting the processed Flesh and Blood Ingredients and Bizarre Ingredients before distributing them to the core Undead first, just as Gu Su had commanded.

Gu Su stood to the side, watching the Mechanical Grinding Disc run smoothly as ingredient production and distribution gradually fell into place. A great weight was finally lifted from his shoulders, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

’That’s one thing taken care of. I’m sure it won’t be long before I can raise the Levels of my Undead. Then I can try selling the Bizarre Ingredients and see if I can trade them for something useful.’

But just then, a familiar blue light suddenly flashed from the direction of the Doomsday Tavern.

That was the signature glow of a Furnace Stone teleportation.