Chapter 517 - 503: Want to Fire the Cannon, but Have No Money

Chapter 517: Chapter 503: Want to Fire the Cannon, but Have No Money

The Sea of Magical Power had no "space" in the physical sense. Countless twisted patches of color and bands of light entangled and devoured one another, looking as if God had overturned his palette.

Occasionally, massive energy tides washed over like a galaxy, powerful enough to instantly disintegrate any object without Dawn Star Level protection into the most primal Magic Particles.

The twelve sets of Super AT Force Fields on the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine constantly adjusted their power output, dispersing the scouring tides that were strong enough to warp metal to the sides of the hull.

Spheres of light, which were Planes of various sizes, drifted in this chaotic ocean like pearls in the deep sea. Their outer Crystal Walls refracted different halos of light.

Nearby, an unfamiliar Plane rotated slowly. Its Crystal Wall was dark red, covered with large black spots. Several glowing energy bands extended from the edge of the Crystal Wall, plunging into the depths of the Sea of Magical Power.

Hundreds of probes outside the hull of the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine were hard at work. They continuously recorded the energy density, spatial curvature, tidal directions, and Law Erosion intensity along the way, feeding the data into the central database.

[Out-of-Plane environment model set twenty-seven has been established.]

[Recording navigation route environmental data. A massive amount of information samples has been collected.]

[Assessing route stability... Deviation rate from preset coordinates is 0.0012%.]

[Estimated arrival at the Hub City Crystal Wall in five hours and fifty-one minutes.]

After Jarvis finished reporting, it mobilized six observation arrays to track a moving patch of silver light mist in the distance.

Allen did not interfere. At this moment, he was lying in the lounge area on the upper deck of the bridge.

A temperature-controlled dining table held fruit, roasted meat, and a bottle of chilled wine. Outside the floor-to-ceiling observation windows, the entire Sea of Magical Power slowly shifted and changed.

The warship sailed automatically. Cybertron provided logistics. Jarvis was responsible for navigation and piloting.

"There always has to be a sense of ceremony for the first time!"

Allen picked up his wine glass. The cold touch of the glass transmitted to his fingertips, and the way the liquid sloshed inside was virtually indistinguishable from reality.

He almost forgot that he was in the middle of a dangerous cross-Plane jump mission, feeling as if he were truly on the deck of a luxury cruise ship with the sea breeze brushing his face and the starlight hanging low.

The reason his consciousness resided in this Puppet body for so long wasn’t out of necessity. It was because the body was equipped with the densest neural sensor array—from skin to joints, every inch was embedded with bionic sensors that could accurately simulate touch, temperature, and even the micro-tremors of muscles.

This shell was the best medium for him to maintain the "human experience."

"What is the status of the weapon systems?"

[All weapons are online.]

[Would you like to initiate the testing sequence?]

"No need."

Today was only to verify the complete process of sailing, crossing the Crystal Wall, docking, and returning. The weapon systems had already been tested individually before final assembly. Eighty-four Plasma Bombardment Cannons could continuously cover the battlefield and pose a valid threat even to a Second-level Wizard.

As for the "Zero" Antimatter Annihilation Main Cannon at the bow...

Allen glanced at the energy reserves.

[Main cannon charging progress: 0.03%.]

Very well. It had been built for over a year, and the charging progress didn’t even amount to a fraction of a percent.

It was somewhat comical to think about. The warship’s core deterrent—the "Zero" main cannon, which accounted for nearly seventy percent of the total construction cost—was something he simply couldn’t afford to use.

The total cost of the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine was 1.3 billion Low-Level Magic Stones, with the dimensional sailing engine and the Zero main cannon accounting for 900 million of that sum. Now, after paying the final balance for the ship’s construction, Allen’s personal account only had a little over eighty million Low-Level Magic Stones left in liquid funds.

For the Zero main cannon to complete a single standard-power charge, converting the Magic Power consumption into equivalent Low-Level Magic Stones would come to about 10.7 billion.

It couldn’t be helped. A single shot from this was enough to shatter continental shelves. The absolute peak of Dawn Star Level destructive power also meant the absolute peak of energy consumption.

Even if he ordered Cybertron to immediately halt all production tasks and hoarded the total output of the twenty Earth Vein Magic Furnaces, it would still take thirty-five years to save up enough energy for one shot. Fortunately, besides that strategic weapon which couldn’t be used lightly, the power of the other secondary cannons and missile systems was enough to handle the vast majority of conventional battles.

Logically speaking, given Allen’s current technological prowess, he shouldn’t have been able to understand and utilize such top-tier Dawn Star Level technology. However, during his research, Allen discovered that the weapon’s mechanics actually shared a remarkable parallel with the "Dissociation Technique" he had developed early on. The underlying principles were astonishingly similar.

It was just that the "Zero" main cannon magnified this process to the level of Laws. With one shot, it would bring about world-shattering destruction.

Precisely because he had the technological foundation of the "Dissociation Technique" to build upon, he managed to forcefully decipher the blueprints. He even successfully built a simplified version and installed it on PX-4, also known as "Xiong Da."

Allen took a sip of wine.

Morning Star Wizards possessed long lifespans. However, spending decades to charge up a single ultimate move was still somewhat undignified. He decided he would think of other ways to speed up the charging time later.

The main purpose of this twenty-four-hour test run was to go through a complete cross-Plane navigation process and, conveniently... drop by the company to take a look.

Five hours later, the Crystal Wall of the Hub City appeared ahead on the route.

The Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine reduced its speed as the dimensional sailing engine adjusted its output. The black bow of the ship pierced through the Crystal Wall layer, re-entering normal space. The docking application submitted in advance had already been approved.

When the 1,500-meter-long warship sailed into the outer ring port, the small merchant ships scrambled to clear the waterway. No one raised any objections.

After the warship came to a steady halt, Allen disembarked alone. He didn’t bring Thanatos, nor did he have PX-4 accompany him. He simply used the port’s short-range Teleportation Array to arrive directly at the top floor of Wesren Heavy Industry’s new headquarters.

As the light faded, he appeared in his familiar office.

Colin, Vera, and Lina were already waiting there.

"Boss!"

Seeing Allen’s figure, the three of them bounced up from the sofa almost simultaneously. Their faces displayed a complex mix of excitement, ecstasy, and disbelief.

The news of Allen’s advancement to Morning Star Wizard had reached their ears a few years ago. But hearing about it and witnessing the founder who single-handedly created Wesren Heavy Industry return as a Morning Star Wizard were two entirely different kinds of shock.

"Sit," Allen waved his hand, walking straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

His voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made the three excited individuals instantly quiet down. They sat back down with their backs perfectly straight.

"Did the news of my advancement bring any changes to the company?" Allen asked faintly as he looked down at the industrial park, which had nearly doubled in size compared to five years ago.

"Changes?" Colin pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleaming astonishingly bright behind the lenses. "Boss, it wasn’t a change. It was an upheaval!

"When you were previously trapped in the Lost Plane, the company went through a very difficult period. But on the second day after the news of your advancement was confirmed, our biggest competitor, Mechanical Gears, immediately announced their permanent withdrawal from all low-end Golem markets where they competed with us!

"The ’Greystone Council,’ which had been blocking our Environmental Protection Division from entering the ’Ironforge’ Plane, took the initiative to send a special envoy. Not only did they offer a fifty-year exclusive waste disposal contract, but they also added priority mining rights for three high-quality mineral veins."

"And..." Vera took over the conversation, a dreamy tone in her voice, "those anonymous factions that maliciously review-bombed us on Panorama Mall and organized internet trolls to smear us all disappeared overnight. Their families even voluntarily sent compensations, only begging us not to pursue the matter."

In the Wizarding World, strength was the hardest rule.

A commercial power established by a Second-level Wizard, no matter how large, was nothing but a castle built on sand, liable to be washed away by the tide at any moment. But an enterprise under the protection of a Morning Star Wizard was a solid reef standing firm on the coast.

No one would offend a Morning Star Wizard—who possessed a long lifespan and unfathomable methods—over mere commercial interests. All the previous commercial suppression, malicious competition, and top-down oppression became a joke in the face of the title "Morning Star."

"Very good." Allen didn’t say much more. The burden of the undercurrents and power struggles behind this was his to bear; there was no need to trouble them with it. He turned around and looked at his three core executives. "I won’t be staying long this time. There is a mission from the Association that I need to go out and execute. The date of my return is uncertain."

Upon hearing the word "mission," the expressions of Colin and the other two instantly turned serious. They knew very well that anything requiring a Morning Star Wizard to execute personally could never be a trivial matter.

"During my absence, the company’s development policy remains unchanged," Allen said, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Continue to expand, continue to accumulate. I need more resources, more Magic Stones, and... more advanced technology."

His sight finally fell on Lina. "The finance department will establish a special ’Frontier Technology Acquisition’ fund with an unlimited budget. Buy up any research results or patents related to Soul Science or advanced materials science, as long as there is an intention to sell."

"Yes, Boss!" Lina nodded heavily.

"Alright, that will be all." Allen’s figure began to turn ethereal as the light of teleportation flared up again. "I expect to see a much more massive business empire the next time I return."

As his words fell, his figure completely vanished from the office.

Colin, Vera, and Lina stood rooted to the spot, speechless for a long time. It wasn’t until the office lights automatically adjusted to a soft mode that they finally recovered from that invisible pressure. They exchanged glances, all seeing the fervor in each other’s eyes.

Their boss had taken a massive stride toward the absolute pinnacle of the Wizarding World. And they would forge the sharpest sword and the sturdiest shield for this newly ascended Deity.

On the bridge of the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine, Allen returned to the command seat and issued the order to return to base.

[Route set. Returning to the Great Library Plane.]

[Second test of the dimensional sailing engine has commenced. Estimated arrival in seven hours.]