Chapter 187: Chapter 184: A Sudden Millionaire’s Fortune and the Decisive Weapon

The seasons didn’t change much in the Molten Iron Mountain Range; only the temperature of the dust swirling in the wind gave any subtle sign that time was passing.

Two years was nothing to the ancient, unchanging red cliffs of the Molten Iron Mountain Range, marked only by the falling of a few insignificant pebbles. But for Zone 18, it was a time of rebirth—a true nirvana of steel.

"Reporting to the Commander. As of today, the annual financial settlement for Zone 18 is complete."

Jarvis’s voice was as steady and calm as ever, but to Allen, it was the most beautiful music in the world.

"Current area of control: 10,200 square kilometers."

"Large mineral veins discovered and in production: 5 (Black-veined Iron, Red Copper, Fire Element Crystals, Gray Granite, and an accompanying Mithril deposit)."

"Underground transport network coverage: 800 kilometers."

"With the fifth mine beginning production this month, the current average monthly net profit has reached 524,000 Low-Level Magic Stones. Monthly expenses for equipment and Golem maintenance are approximately 60,000 Magic Stones."

"Liquid capital reserves: 1.08 million Low-Level Magic Stones (equivalent to 1,080 Mid-Level Magic Stones)."

"One million..."

Years ago, he was still pinching pennies over parts worth a few hundred Magic Stones and losing sleep over the loss of just a few Golems.

Thanks to the newly discovered small Mithril deposit, he could finally say he was a true millionaire, having achieved the "small goal" he’d set for himself back then.

"Jarvis, how many Golems are in the First Legion now?"

"It includes 100 Spider Slayer II units, five PX-1As, 30 ’Purgatory’ launch platforms, 10 Demon Eye II units, five Demon Eye III units, and 12 ’Storm Falcons’."

The total value of this mixed Golem Legion’s armaments was approximately 750,000 Low-Level Magic Stones, roughly equivalent to the power of 100 Advanced Apprentices and 10 First-level Wizards. As long as Allen himself remained hidden, steamrolling a bottom-tier Wizard Organization would be no problem at all.

On the holographic map, Zone 18, once a tiny blue dot, had expanded to take up an eighth of the display.

The five massive resource points were like five pillars, firmly anchoring his territory.

Ten-meter-high metal walls, along with garrisoned ’Purgatory’ and ’Demon Eye II’ Floating Cannon platforms, meant every mining site was armed to the teeth.

In the underground tunnels, ore conveyor belts ran nonstop, endlessly bringing wealth to Allen.

These weren’t just mining sites; they were five military fortresses.

But in the center and at the edges of the blue territory, three or four glaring red dots stubbornly persisted.

They were the last of the land’s former masters. Within each red zone lurked at least one powerful Magical Beast on par with a Second-level Wizard.

They were like stubborn thorns in his side, severely restricting the pace of Allen’s expansion.

Over the past two years, Allen had tried various methods, but he still couldn’t defeat these elite creatures by relying purely on Golem swarm tactics.

The absurdly high casualty rates pained him, so he could only designate them as ’ecological preserves’. The Magical Beast packs also learned that crossing a certain red line would result in an artillery barrage from the heavens. Thus, both sides reached a tacit understanding of their respective territories.

"Jarvis, what’s the status of ’that project’?" Allen asked as he stood up, a flicker of fanaticism in his eyes.

"The Control Core, internal frame, outer armor, weapons mounting system, AT Field, and anti-gravity flight Rune Array are complete. Overall progress is at 90%. Energy Core... missing."

"Current total investment in the project: approximately 660,000 Low-Level Magic Stones."

The corner of Allen’s eye twitched when he heard that number.

Six hundred and sixty thousand Magic Stones.

That was enough money to buy more than half of his current Golem Legion, or to build an entirely new legion of 20 "Peacemaker" units.

Allen still remembered how a single failed activation test—done just to check the overload limits of the joints—had instantly vaporized thirty thousand Magic Stones’ worth of materials.

Not even his Mechanical Mind could completely shield him from that heart-wrenching pang.

But now, on the cusp of completion, he was faced with a technical hurdle he couldn’t seem to overcome.

"Take me to it."

Allen took a deep breath, trying to soothe the sting of the loss.

...

In the depths of the workshop, the floor of what was once Assembly Area Three had been demolished and excavated downward, creating a massive, thirty-meter-tall vertical hangar.

As the heavy blast doors slowly slid apart, lights activated in sequence up the walls.

There, on the massive assembly platform, stood a breathtaking Steel Giant, poised silently at the threshold of darkness and light.

Its eighteen-meter height was visually overwhelming. The "blessed" workers in the hangar bustled around its feet, looking as small as ants.

It was covered in silver-gray armor forged from Titan Magic Steel. This enchanted material not only possessed extreme physical resilience but also boasted an astonishing degree of resistance to Magic Power—enough to withstand Witchcraft cast by a Second-level Wizard.

The angular lines of its armor were aesthetically striking. Folded against its back were five pairs of enormous wing-like structures, the core components of an integrated system for high-G maneuvering and its Floating Cannons.

This was the ultimate weapon Allen had spent two years and a fortune to create.

’So beautiful...’ Allen’s gaze was lost as he looked up at the behemoth, as if he were staring at his first love.

Mage Towers? Floating Cities? They all seemed so dull and tasteless at this moment.

Only a machine of pure violence like this, forged from countless precision components, Rune Circuits, and steel armor, could truly make a man’s blood boil.

Allen flew up, hovering near the mecha’s head. He reached out, stroking the neatly arranged Rune Circuits on the cold armor.

To free this colossus from the shackles of gravity, Allen had inscribed a ridiculously complex, massive anti-gravity flight Rune Array within its frame. Composed of over a thousand individual Runes, it allowed the machine to hover and maneuver like a ghost, without any need for engines or thrusters.

’The Anti-Gravity and Flight Rune Array V2.0. In theory, it can perform inertialess, sharp-angle maneuvers and reach extremely high speeds. The energy consumption is just a bit absurd.’

His gaze shifted to the giant sword hilt on the mecha’s back.

’The ’Meteor’ high-frequency vibrating Ship-Slicing Blade. The blade is inscribed with a ’Shatter’ Rune that vibrates thirty thousand times per second. It should even be able to cut through a Scorp-King’s crystallized carapace.’

Next was the shoulder-mounted heavy cannon standing beside it, a weapon as tall as a PX-0 Golem.

’The ’Titan’s Roar’ Alchemical Heavy Cannon. My concept for a ’pseudo-positron cannon.’ It uses a priceless, large Transformation Crystal to compress pure Magic Power into a particle stream. A single shot burns through five thousand Magic Stones.’

Finally, Allen’s eyes fell on the ten units mounted on the mecha’s back, arrayed like the wings of an Angel.

’The ’Dragon Cavalry’ Floating Cannon system. Each unit is a modified, independent ’Demon Eye II,’ integrating both attack and auxiliary propulsion functions. They are guns, but they are also wings. In their auxiliary propulsion configuration, they can push the entire mecha to supersonic speeds.’

This machine was the culmination of all the knowledge and technology Allen currently possessed. Each weapon was a masterwork, the pinnacle of his skills in Alchemy and Rune engineering.

It was perfect.

Except...

Allen’s expression darkened, his gaze falling upon the open cavity in the mecha’s chest—the housing for the Energy Core.

The huge recess was empty.

"Still no good?" Allen sighed.

"Correct, Commander," Jarvis’s voice echoed in the vast hangar.

"According to the design specifications, the unit requires a minimum of five High-Tier Magic Stones to serve as the Energy Core, just to support peak operational performance of all its systems."

"However, with the ’five-core parallel’ configuration, the Magic Power frequencies of the five High-Tier Magic Stones cannot be perfectly synchronized." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"We have run 137 simulations. All have failed. The energy fields of the five High-Tier Magic Stones cannot coexist stably. The mutual repulsion will trigger a chain reaction detonation within 0.01 seconds."

"Estimated explosive yield: Equivalent to two Second-level Wizards self-destructing simultaneously inside your workshop."

Allen’s brow furrowed.

This was the biggest obstacle.

The machine was like a monster with an insatiable appetite.

To power such a behemoth for supersonic flight and high-intensity combat, a conventional power output was nowhere near enough.

He had designed a five-core parallel system in an attempt to power it with five High-Tier Magic Stones simultaneously.

But Magic Power wasn’t like an electrical current. Each High-Tier Magic Stone had its own unique vibrational frequency.

Getting them all to pull in the same direction like a team of obedient horses was proving to be incredibly difficult.

"What if I use my Spiritual Power to forcibly intervene and take control?" Allen asked.

"Although your Spiritual Power is formidable, you are currently unable to simultaneously fine-tune five raging Energy Sources on a millisecond timescale. Even if you could do so in the future, it would consume a massive amount of your own processing power."