Chapter 300 - 293: New Energy
Chapter 300: Chapter 293: New Energy
「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Allen personally repaired the last component damaged by the tremors. The indicator light for Production Line No. 1 turned from red to green; it was finally operational.
"Merits, back to work."
At his command, the Factory Servants, which had been silent for days, reactivated. Mechanical arms swung, delivering all sorts of materials, and the workshop finally regained some of its vitality.
The conveyor belt of Production Line No. 1 began to move slowly. The Factory Servants, the "Merits," bustled between various stations amidst a shower of sparks, creating a lively scene.
"Halt the production of new units for now. Switch full production to repair components." Allen temporarily tasked Production Line No. 1 with manufacturing Golem components.
Compared to building a new PX-1B from the ground up, repairing the battle-damaged Golems missing arms and legs was undoubtedly more cost-effective.
Dozens of dilapidated PX-1Bs and Spider Slayers lay outside the workshop, exposed to the elements. By dismantling them, piecing them together, and replacing damaged parts, he could raise a new force in the shortest amount of time.
’Repairing is far faster than building from scratch.’
[Jarvis, report on the progress of restoring mining operations.]
Allen asked while continuing with his work.
[Commander, the Factory Servants and Mining Golems have already taken the equipment and are en route via transport Floating Ship. We expect to restore 50% of production capacity by tomorrow. The main underground tunnel to Mine No. 2 has been bored through by the ’Pioneer’ shield machine.]
Mine No. 1 was the black-veined iron mine at the foot of the Anvil Hills. He had made his fortune from this open-pit deposit when he first arrived in this plane. Back then, he had even personally gone down to calibrate the refining equipment. Now, the wandering Magical Beasts in the vicinity had been cleared out by the two remaining Flame Demons.
"The first batch of ore will be out tomorrow." Allen’s tense nerves relaxed just a bit.
[Warning: High-density biological Magic Power fluctuations have been detected near Mine No. 2. Preliminary analysis indicates a newly settled Magical Beast colony, numbering over one hundred.]
"We’ll deal with them in two days," Allen gave the order.
In the past, he wouldn’t have even batted an eye at three hundred Second-Level Magical Beasts.
But now, with no troops on hand and being too busy himself, he could only wait until the Golems were mostly repaired before dealing with them.
As more and more projects resumed, a critical problem presented itself to Allen.
Energy.
In the center of the workshop, the once five-meter-tall Magic Furnace was a shadow of its former self. To survive the Beast Tide, Allen had overloaded it far too many times.
"Jarvis, what’s the current status of the main furnace core?"
[Current power output is only at 74% of its peak. It is currently maintaining Production Line No. 1, Mine No. 1, and the charging of existing Golems. An energy shortfall is projected once Mine No. 2 resumes production.]
Allen rubbed the bridge of his nose.
The "Volcanic Magic Furnace" he had created before was indeed effective, with high output and low cost. But that thing had a prerequisite—it had to be built in a place with an extreme concentration of fire elements.
And now? He himself had detonated the southern volcanic cluster in a fit of madness. The lava had erupted, yes, but it had also completely depleted the rich Magic Power underground.
The plan to freeload off of Mother Nature was officially bankrupt.
Now, the entire Zone 18 was back to square one—relying on a single Magic Furnace to cover all energy expenditures.
’I have to find another way.’
’Develop something myself from scratch?’
’No, that’s too slow. What I lack most right now is time.’
An idea flashed through Allen’s mind.
He immediately called up the light screen for the rare resource exchange library that Master Mercer had opened to him.
Ignoring the demi-planes and divine materials that cost tens of millions, he quickly found his target.
[Universal-Type Earth Vein Magic Furnace: Complete Structural Design Blueprints and Rune Array Analysis]
Price: 2,000,000 Mid-Level Magic Stones.
Allen stared at the string of zeros, his heart bleeding. But he knew this money had to be spent.
Two million.
This was almost a sixth of his remaining liquid assets.
In the past, this technology was monopolized by High-tier Wizards; you couldn’t buy it even if you wanted to. Now, for the sake of the front-line war effort, his master had completely opened up access. This was a rare opportunity; miss it, and he wouldn’t get another chance, even with money.
"Buy."
Allen gritted his teeth and paid. The liquid funds in his account instantly shrank.
[Command confirmed. 2,000,000 Mid-Level Magic Stones have been paid.]
[The item will be delivered via the teleportation Array in the materials warehouse. Estimated time of arrival: 5 minutes.]
’Done.’
Allen let out a long sigh of relief.
He had coveted this thing for a long time.
Ever since he came to this plane and stepped into the first workshop Master Mercer built for him, this furnace core had been the "heart" of his entire territory.
He had tried countless times to analyze it with [Flaw Detection Formula], but each time he was repelled by the dense, anti-tampering lock Force Field.
That was the technological barrier of a High-tier Wizard, an insurmountable chasm for him when he was just a First-level Wizard.
But now, not only did he have the money to buy it, he also had the ability to understand it, replicate it, and even... surpass it.
Five minutes later, Allen walked into the materials warehouse.
The teleportation Array flashed, and a Memory Crystal shimmering with a soft, silvery light floated silently in mid-air.
Allen reached out, his Spiritual Power probing into it.
HUMMM—
A torrent of information, so vast it was hard to imagine, instantly flooded his Sea of Spirit.
If the "Singularity Engine" was a detailed technical manual, then these blueprints were a vast library!
[Warning! Information overload! Dseek computational power at 98% utilization!]
[Diverting surplus Jarvis computational power. Initiating seven cognitive sub-threads for collaborative analysis...]
Allen let out a muffled grunt, his face turning slightly pale, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.
Countless Rune structures of extreme complexity, energy flow diagrams, material ratio formulas, and Array stacking logic... exploded in his Sea of Spirit like a Big Bang, evolving into an entirely new galaxy of knowledge.
He could finally see the internal structure of this "heart."
"So that’s how it works..."
Allen sat down cross-legged, completely immersed in this ocean of knowledge.
Its logic was similar to the "Singularity Engine," yet different.
The "Universal-Type Earth Vein Magic Furnace" was a true "power plant."
Its blueprints contained three main areas of knowledge and technology.
First, the [Deep Geological Structure Resonance Model].
This wasn’t a simple Array, but a complete set of complex algorithms and detection formulas. It could build a model of the geology and Magic Flow tens of thousands of meters underground by firing weak Magic Pulses deep into the earth’s crust and analyzing the echoes.
"No wonder the initial sites Master Mercer chose always had water sources and ore veins underground. This technology is basically an underground map hack. It’s incredibly useful," Allen realized with a start.
Second, the [Super-Distance Spatial Anchoring Rune Matrix].
This was the true core technology.
The earth veins were not physical entities, but flowing, invisible rivers of energy. After calculating the position of an earth vein node, this Rune Matrix could, in an inconceivable way, "anchor" that point in space, forcibly tear open a tiny connection port, and extract Chaos Magic Power from thin air.
It was like using mapping software on an image to separate layers, select an area, and extract a color block—except this was done from a distance, out of thin air!
Its difficulty was a whole dimension higher than the "Golem Projection Technique" Allen had previously mastered.
Third, the [Magic Power Purification and Stabilization System].
It included the Earth Vein Magic Power Connection Array and the Original Magic Power Connection Array.
The raw Magic Power drawn from the void and the earth veins was incredibly violent, like high-pressure steam. This system used as many as thirty-six series-connected Arrays and "transformer"-like stabilization Runes to convert it into a stable energy source safe for the workshop’s use. It could even convert the outputted non-elemental Magic Power into common elemental types.
"Compared to this, my Volcanic Magic Furnace is practically a wood-burning stove," Allen mocked himself.
His previous approach of specializing in the fire element, while seemingly clever, was in reality a reluctant compromise in the face of a technological barrier.
And now, he held the real key.
As long as he could fully master this technology, he could build a ceaseless energy center anywhere there was an earth vein beneath his feet.
This was true energy independence!
Allen’s Spiritual Power moved at lightning speed through the vast sea of blueprints, his seven cognitive sub-threads operating at an unprecedented pace.
Dseek and Jarvis frantically recorded, analyzed, and created models.
He was like a dry sponge, greedily absorbing every technical detail.
From material science to runology, from spatial studies to energy theory...
These blueprints opened a door for him to a higher realm of technology.
He wasn’t just learning how to build a Magic Furnace; he was learning an entirely new design philosophy.
After an unknown amount of time, Allen slowly opened his eyes.
His Sea of Spirit ached from the excessive calculations, but his gaze was filled with an unprecedented clarity.
[Jarvis.]
[Here, Commander.]
[Using the technology from the ’Earth Vein Magic Furnace,’ combined with the energy storage and conversion logic of the ’Singularity Engine,’ create a long-term projection for a feasible design of a second-generation Golem power engine.]
Allen’s voice was tinged with excitement.
If the "Singularity Engine" gave the Freedom Gundam the ability to breach defenses at supersonic speeds, then a second-generation engine using this new technology would inevitably bring greater capabilities and power.
[Projecting plan... Preliminary conclusion: If realized, the Freedom Gundam will gain enhanced endurance and be able to carry higher-spec weapon systems.]
The corners of Allen’s mouth curved up slightly.
’Worth it!’
’This money was so worth it!’
Inside the workshop, the repair work continued in an orderly fashion.
Allen looked up at the crimson sky, as if he could already see countless new Magic Furnaces rising from the ground, endless energy pouring into the production lines, and ultimately transforming into a Golem Legion that blotted out the sun.
"Victor."
Allen suddenly opened a communication channel to Victor.
"What is it?" Victor’s voice came from the other end, slightly weary but still elegant. The faint sound of metal being cut could be heard in the background.
"Are you short on energy?" Allen asked.
Victor was silent for a moment, as if trying to gauge Allen’s intentions.
"...Yes," he finally admitted.
"I can build Earth Vein Magic Furnaces now," Allen said with a smile. "Interested in buying one?"
"Get lost. Trying to rip me off again? I bought that tech too!"
"Fine, don’t buy it then. Can’t you show a little more respect for a Level 2 Wizard!"
"Piss off!"