Chapter 209: Chapter 203: Energy Dominion! The War Wizard’s New Form

Allen had flattened the front section of the open land beside the workshop and converted it into a large landing pad. With the increasing number of Flying Golems, the maintenance and docking bays inside the workshop were in severe shortage, forcing him to park them outside.

The Odyssey was docked at its berth, its bay doors wide open. Thirty "Spider Slayer II" models, striding on their menacing long legs, followed two PX-1A units, boarding the ship in an orderly fashion.

Allen watched his last soldier board the ship and asked Jarvis in his mind, "Are the defense and production arrangements in place?"

"Commander, ’Sentinel Mode’ is active. Defense protocols are loaded. ’Demon Eye III’ has taken over mining production scheduling and full-territory surveillance. Workshop production and maintenance are proceeding as planned."

"All right, I’m heading out."

"I wish you a pleasant journey."

The floating transport ship, the Odyssey, ascended smoothly.

Six "Storm Falcon" Flying Golems formed a vanguard and flanking escort, guarding it like stars clustered around the moon.

Most eye-catching of all was the eighteen-meter-tall giant humanoid weapon quietly following a hundred meters behind the Odyssey—the Freedom Gundam.

On this trip to Forged Fire Fortress, Allen’s entourage was grander than ever. He even carried five additional PX-1As in his Alchemy Bracelet.

It couldn’t be helped. Compared to his ever-increasing assets, his personal safety was paramount.

The flying fleet ascended high into the sky, making a beeline for Forged Fire Fortress.

...

Stepping once again into the command hall on the top floor of Forged Fire Fortress, Allen found his state of mind completely different.

It was worth noting that upon entering his master’s airspace, Allen had received an air traffic control signal from the Fortress for the first time and was guided to a designated landing platform. It seemed a Golem of the Freedom Gundam’s caliber warranted special attention, even within the Fortress.

Master Mercer was the same as always, like an eternal statue standing amidst a torrent of data.

Allen said nothing, simply standing silently to one side.

A moment later, the curtains of light surrounding Mercer retracted. He turned, and his deep blue, crystalline eyes landed on Allen, seeming to instantly read all his data.

"Your total Spiritual Power meets the requirement." Master Mercer’s tone was as placid as still water. "It seems you are ready."

"Yes, Master." Allen bowed slightly, unsurprised by his master’s foresight. Before a being of his master’s caliber, a First-level Wizard had almost no secrets. "I have come to learn my second Core Witchcraft."

"I noticed you built a magic furnace near the volcano. Good work. Magic Power is the lifeblood of a Golem Legion. You must always ensure a sufficient supply before going to war."

Allen tried to guess his master’s intent as he replied, "Yes, I have come to deeply appreciate the benefits of having ample Magic Power."

"It seems you have thoroughly mastered the ’Singularity Engine’ technology."

"Don’t just obsess over piling up more steel. Ponder the nature of energy itself."

Mercer tapped a finger lightly in the air. A Rune model unfolded between them, as magnificent and profound as a rotating galaxy.

"The second Core Witchcraft you seek is called—the [Energy Dominion Technique]."

"It will allow you to do three things."

"First: Magic Network Perception. Your consciousness will be able to access any workshop Magic Network you have personally built. The energy consumption of every device, the load on every circuit, even the slightest energy leak—nothing will escape your notice."

Mercer held up a second finger.

"Second: Magic Power Allocation. You can, at will, take the vast Magic Power from yourself or a magic furnace and, bypassing all pipes and conduits, precisely inject it without contact into any friendly unit, device, Golem, or even another Wizard, allowing for rapid recharges and overload bursts."

The look in Allen’s eyes changed. ’Isn’t this just wireless charging? With this tech, as long as I’m nearby, my allies will never have to worry about running out of Magic Power!’

’But there’s one problem... I can’t just stay next to a magic furnace all the time.’

As if guessing Allen’s thoughts, Mercer raised a third finger.

"Third: Magic Power Transmission. Within a certain radius of your workshop’s magic furnaces, you can directly draw upon the Magic Power they generate for your own use. The closer you are, the higher the efficiency."

"Within one kilometer, you can channel ninety percent of its output; beyond fifty kilometers, that decays to one percent. But even that is enough to allow the Magic Power you personally wield to break through your physical limitations, making your capacity equivalent to the storage and production performance of the magic furnace itself."

Holy shit!

Allen was so excited, not even his Mechanical Mind could suppress his emotions.

’This is incredible! It means that for an Alchemy Wizard who owns a workshop magic furnace, their personal Magic Power reserves will no longer be a bottleneck in battle!’

’From now on, as long as I build enough magic furnaces within my territory, my personal Magic Power will be practically infinite! My combat effectiveness will no longer be limited by my own paltry reserves, but will be linked to the total energy output of my entire industrial empire!’

’I will become the Energy Core of the entire Golem Legion!’

At this thought, Allen stared at Master Mercer, his gaze burning with a desire so intense it was almost spilling from his eyes.

Master Mercer smiled faintly. A legacy crystal chip, carrying all the knowledge of the [Energy Dominion Technique], slowly floated in front of Allen.

"This time, learn it yourself. I won’t be teaching you."

But Mercer wasn’t finished. "This technique is very practical, but you’ll need two Intermediate Witchcrafts to unleash its true power."

He tapped his finger in the air, and two new Witchcraft models materialized before Allen.

"Witchcraft is rare. I know you currently have no way of acquiring new ones. These two are a perfect match for the [Energy Dominion Technique], so I may as well teach them to you."

The first Witchcraft model took the form of a highly condensed, slender, spiraling cone that seemed capable of piercing through anything.

[Directional Magic Pulse].

"It compresses Magic Power into a high-density singularity in an instant, then fires it as a pulse. It’s a point-to-point piercing attack with a devastating effect on most energy shields, Rune Arrays, and Mechanical Bodies."

Allen’s eyes shone even brighter.

’Isn’t this just the Witchcraft version of an EMP weapon? And a directional one at that!’

The other Witchcraft model resembled a chaotic, violent storm of self-annihilating energy.

[Magic Turbulence]

"It releases a massive amount of chaotic Magic Power in a designated area, creating a zone of violent magical instability. It’s like unleashing a tidal wave on a calm sea."

"Within this area, all cast Witchcraft becomes extremely unstable. The failure rate for casting skyrockets, potentially even causing backlash. Communication and detection Witchcraft will fail completely. Unprotected units will suffer continuous corrosive damage from the Magic Power. It is the most direct and brutal form of area denial and counter-measure, especially effective against Wizards who rely on complex magic."

Allen’s heart pounded in his chest.

’One for ultimate single-point destruction, the other for an overpowered area-of-effect suppression.’

’No wonder Master said they were a perfect match for the [Energy Dominion Technique].’

’Perfect. Absolutely perfect!’

"Master, their price?"

"Five thousand Mid-Level Magic Stones each."

"I’ll take them both," Allen said loudly, without a moment’s hesitation.

’The more I earn, the more I spend... I’m afraid I’m destined to live paycheck to paycheck,’ Allen griped inwardly.

But holding the three cool memory chips his master gave him felt far more reassuring than holding three hundred thousand Magic Stones.

"Thank you, Master." Allen carefully stored the chips away.

"Go." Master Mercer waved a hand and turned back to his galaxy of data. "Remember, technology is merely a tool. How you use it is what will set you apart."

Allen gave a respectful bow and exited the command hall.

He didn’t immediately return to the Odyssey. Instead, he went straight to the fortress’s logistics office, paid the 18,000 Magic Stone fee for the Witchcraft, and then spent another three hundred Low-Level Magic Stones to rent a Quiet Chamber for three days.

For him, there was no safer place to learn than right under his master’s watchful eye.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, an isolation Array slowly activated, completely shielding him from all internal and external snooping and interference.

Allen sat cross-legged, retrieved the knowledge model for the [Energy Dominion Technique] from his Sea of Consciousness, and began the arduous task of inscribing it.

He needed to brand this incredibly powerful Witchcraft into the deepest part of his soul as soon as possible.

At the same time, he made a decision.

’I’ll reserve my third permanent Witchcraft slot for [Directional Magic Pulse].’

’A long-range, precise, and efficient means of attack is always the top priority on the battlefield, to say nothing of its special effectiveness against precision Mechanical Bodies and Runes.’

Allen closed his eyes. His Spiritual Power transformed into a scalpel, and he began to meticulously sketch, stroke by stroke, the new blueprint for energy dominion within his Sea of Consciousness.