Chapter 309 - 302: The Bond of Master and Apprentice
Chapter 309: Chapter 302: The Bond of Master and Apprentice
Allen’s heart surged.
"Beyond this point lies your own wilderness."
The words, like the tolling of a great bell, reverberated in Allen’s Sea of Spirit.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his deep blue eyes had regained their calm.
The road ahead was unknown, perhaps magnificent, perhaps cruel, but that was a matter for the future.
An Alchemy Wizard always had to solve the immediate problem of resources first.
"Mentor," Allen said tentatively, bowing slightly.
"Since the Son of the Abyss is dead and the remaining Magical Beasts in Zone 18 pose no threat, can I cross the border and continue to pioneer westward?"
To the west lay even vaster lands, which meant more unmined ore veins and high-tier Magical Beast resources. Now that he had the Earth Vein Magic Furnace, he was fully capable of pushing the front line forward.
Mercer turned, his crystalline, deep blue eyes fixed on Allen.
"No."
The refusal was crisp and final, leaving no room for negotiation.
Allen was taken aback.
"Why?"
"Because it’s no longer necessary." Mercer walked to the sand table, his finger swiping across the projection.
The map of the entire Molten Iron Mountain Range plane lit up, with large swathes of territory showing up in green, representing safety. "The arrival of Lysander, the Son of the Abyss, was a disaster, but also a thorough cleansing."
Mercer stated the facts plainly. "He instigated a Beast Tide across the entire plane, forcing all the latent Morning Star Level Magical Beasts out of hiding. Now, they’re pretty much all dead."
Allen’s eyelid twitched.
"I originally established the war zones and recruited Pioneers like you to act as pins, to hold back the proliferation of native creatures and share the defensive pressure."
Mercer’s tone was flat, as if he were reciting a cold financial report. "Now, the Black Wizards are extinct and the high-tier Magical Beasts have been cleared out. My own Golem Legion can handle the occupation and development of the remaining scraps."
"Therefore, I no longer need you to continue pioneering."
"Just stay put in your Zone 18," Mercer issued his final command. "Fix up the mines. When the twenty-year agreement is up, you’ll take your share, leave the workshops you’ve built, and then get out."
"I will not be recruiting any new Wizards to this plane. In ten years at most, I will take full control of this plane. Any subsequent deep development has nothing to do with you."
Allen felt the corner of his mouth twitch inwardly.
’Some nerve. Casting me aside now that I’ve served my purpose.’
Just a moment ago, when they were discussing Moonlight Mages and one’s path, this great Morning Star Wizard had the air of a peerless master guiding a lost sheep.
The moment the conversation turned to territory and Magic Stones, he instantly reverted to being a stingy old skinflint.
This plane had no mortals or other lifeforms, and no other products; it was almost entirely minerals. His mentor didn’t need to consider anything else. Indeed, he could conquer it with his Golem Legion alone.
’Even a capitalist would shed a tear at this level of exploitation,’ Allen complained inwardly.
"This student understands," Allen said with a bow.
No arguments, no complaints. Since the rules of the game were made by the strong, he would just have to obtain the greatest possible benefit for himself within those rules.
Allen wasn’t angry.
This was the rule of the Wizarding World: equivalent exchange and the sanctity of contracts.
Twenty years was twenty years. His mentor wouldn’t let him take advantage for even a single extra day.
"Go on." Mercer waved his hand. "Manage your territory well. If you can’t deliver this month’s ore quota, I will deduct your Magic Stones as per the agreement."
"Yes."
Allen turned and left the command hall. It wasn’t until he stepped into the elevator that he let out a long, heavy sigh.
He now understood completely: you could never get ahead by working for someone else.
He had to squeeze every last drop of value out of Zone 18 in the remaining eleven years, and then figure out his next move.
Walking out of the fortress’s main tower, Allen headed straight for the logistics department’s supply warehouse.
His second reason for coming to Forged Fire Fortress was to cash in.
Inside Giant Warehouse No. 4.
"Lord Allen." The head of the logistics department came out to greet him personally.
This was a formidable character who had just been promoted to Level 2 and had survived the war; the supervisor had no choice but to be respectful.
"Tally it up."
Allen wasted no time. He raised his hand, and his spatial ring flashed repeatedly.
RUMBLE—
A mountain of biological materials poured out, instantly filling half the warehouse. The thick, metallic stench of blood filled the air.
The appraisers, like sharks that had smelled blood, immediately swarmed forward.
But soon, their excited gasps turned into pained regret.
"What a terrible shame..." The supervisor, wearing special Alchemy Gloves, stroked the enormous earth-dragon carapace. "This would have been a top-quality material for crafting high-level shields. But look at the edges—the abyssal aura has already seeped in. We can only cut off the contaminated parts and use it as scrap."
"And this batch of fire-poison bee venom sacs... they were all shattered in the explosions, their potency completely lost."
With every loss the supervisor reported, the corner of Allen’s eye twitched.
During that defensive battle, in order to survive, he had gone all out, unleashing a nigh-endless barrage of missiles and energy beams as if they were free.
Seventy percent of the high-tier biological materials had been turned to charcoal in the high-intensity bombardment, and many more were tainted by the abyssal aura.
If all these materials had been perfectly intact, the sale price would have been more than enough for him to build six standard Golem Legions.
"Just give me the total," Allen cut off the supervisor’s heartbroken lament.
’If I listen to any more of this, I’m going to go back and blow up that Crystalized Land all over again.’
The supervisor wiped his sweat and quickly calculated with a few appraisers.
Half an hour later, the supervisor walked up to Allen with a long list.
"Lord Allen, excluding the parts that are a total loss, our logistics department can take all the remaining materials." The supervisor respectfully handed over the list. "The total price is 4,142,000 Low-Level Magic Stones. What do you think of this price...?"
Allen glanced at the list. The price was fair; they hadn’t tried to lowball him.
"Acceptable." Allen nodded. "I have a lot more, but the materials are too bulky for my spatial ring to hold the rest. There’s about two-thirds left. I’ll deliver it in batches later through the Teleportation Array in Zone 18."
"No problem! We’ll transfer the payment to your Crystal Card right now." The supervisor sighed in relief.
DING.
Allen took the Crystal Card from his pocket and glanced at the flashing numbers on it.
Adding his previous balance, his liquid capital was back to 10,962,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.
If he sold all the remaining materials, he would have a little over eighteen million.
’I’m still a long way off from the eighty-something million needed for a demiplane fragment,’ Allen thought to himself.
With the transaction complete, Allen didn’t linger in the fortress.
He strode toward the landing pad and boarded the waiting Odyssey.
"Jarvis, start the engines. Let’s head back."
[Command confirmed. Route plotted. Destination: Main Workshop, Zone 18.]
The Floating Ship slowly ascended and headed west.
Allen stood before the viewport, his gaze fixed on the distance.
The metal titan once again came into view. It sat slumped amidst the collapsed volcanic cluster, like a silent mountain range.
The web of cracks across the left side of its body was shocking to behold under the dim sky.
A few days ago, when Allen had first seen it, he had felt only awe and reverence—an instinctual fear of a Morning Star Level’s might.
But now, as he gazed upon the Giant Divine Soldier again, the look in his eyes had changed.
He was no longer looking up to a god, but scrutinizing a "work."
"Bigger is better, more is better."
Mercer’s words echoed in his ears.
Allen looked at the Giant Divine Soldier, his gaze profound.
The might of a Morning Star Wizard was truly something to aspire to.
’Is the ultimate form of a Golem really just "the bigger, the better"?’
’So, what is my path?’