Chapter 154: Chapter 103: A Big Secret, Do You Want It...?

However, before building the Mechanical Puppet, Wei’en first took out a blue-and-white box, then exchanged for two tools from a specter.

Specifically, a Giant Tooth Hand Saw and a drill press from the Mechanical School. These were modern tools from the Steam Era.

Back in Jerry’s time, during the Third Era, most parts for Mechanical Puppets had to be painstakingly ground out bit by bit with a handsaw.

Some Wizards in even tougher circumstances had no choice but to buy raw ore and start from the smelting stage...

Things were much more convenient now.

The drill press cost 20 gold pounds, and the handsaw 15... The expense nearly cleaned Wei’en out.

He looked at his remaining 4 gold pounds, 5 shillings, and 7 pence. ’I really need to make more money.’

Now he finally understood why so many Wizards in the Mechanical School chose the modification path.

Compared to the puppet path, where a single Mechanical Puppet could cost tens of gold pounds, the modification path was clearly easier for learning and improving one’s strength in the early stages...

Besides these tools, he had all the various materials and components needed to build the Mechanical Puppet.

Olen metal, used for the limbs and overall frame, possessed extreme hardness, decent toughness, and excellent defensive capabilities.

The chest armor, however, was made of Niebos metal—a material even sturdier than Olen metal.

It was also the most expensive material, costing a hefty 1 gold pound and 3 shillings per pound.

Therefore, Wei’en had only bought five pounds.

As for the puppet’s remaining internal components, they consisted of gears and rollers purchased in Nocturnal City, as well as some memory metal and the highly conductive Sar metal...

It was worth noting that the Rune Array would be inscribed onto the Sar metal to ensure the Mechanical Puppet could operate smoothly.

With all preparations complete, Wei’en took out the blueprints and began crafting the various components according to the specified dimensions.

This step was not only complex and tedious but also the one most prone to error.

By comparison, the final assembly was actually the easiest part...

As the first component was completed, Wei’en couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. ’A good start.’

He examined the brightly polished component on the drill press, noting the groove reserved for the Sar metal. After confirming everything was in order, he moved on to the next part.

One component, two, three... He didn’t stop until every single part was complete.

’One hundred and ten components.’

Forty-five components for the core, twenty-four for the limbs, fifteen for the head, and another twenty-six for the ten fingers and reserved conductive pathways.

After checking each part against the blueprints one last time, Wei’en began to fuse the Sar metal into every component.

He started at six and worked nonstop until ten, by which time he had finally finished preparing all the components.

’Thank goodness for the drill press and the other tools. Otherwise, who knows how long this would have taken with just a handsaw?’

Wei’en checked the time, drank a glass of water, and began the third and most important step: inscribing the Rune Patterns.

According to Jerry Mage’s Wizard’s Manual, this was the stage with the highest failure rate for puppet-path Wizards.

Many apprentices had a weak foundation in runology, and coupled with unrefined inscription techniques, they would inevitably run into all sorts of problems.

This, however, was precisely Wei’en’s strong suit.

He could inscribe the Rune Patterns onto the Sar metal-covered areas of the components with barely a thought, the lines and nodes looking as if they’d been printed on.

They were not only precise but also possessed an exquisite aesthetic.

As a result, it took him less than half an hour to finish inscribing the runes on all 110 components.

Not only that, but he also finished inscribing the runes for the Mechanical Puppet’s external and internal armor, as well as its frame.

Only now were all the preparations for assembling the Mechanical Puppet finally complete.

’This is so damn hard!’

Wei’en looked at the silver-and-grey components laid out neatly on the floor. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t thrilled.

But the entire process had been a genuine ordeal.

There could be no room for the slightest error, no deviation in the runes, or the entire component would have to be scrapped and remade...

Fortunately, he had finally reached the last step: testing whether the entire puppet was a success or failure.

Wei’en glanced up at the Xiaoxi, his gaze falling on the driver with three runes on its forehead. He smiled and said, "This is for you, you know. Let’s hope it works on the first try."

"Baba, give it some gas!"

’Gas?’

’This world doesn’t have anything that uses gas. We have steam engines, and you add water to those...’

Wei’en pursed his lips, then began assembling the Mechanical Puppet.

Keystone Rune assembly, complete. No issues!

Spirit Rune extending to the limbs. No issues!

Solid Heart Rune...

One by one, the components were assembled onto the puppet’s frame. The connecting gears and chains began to interlock. Finally, the outer armor was fitted... Activate! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

[You have successfully created a Mechanical Puppet. Evaluation: A puppet is an extension of life... Special Reward: Survival Points +3, Toughness Level +1, Spirit Level +1.]

’A puppet is an extension of life?’

’That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.’

Wei’en gazed at the Mechanical Puppet before him. It was about his height, its body entirely black except for the silver-grey joints, giving it a refined, mechanical beauty.

’Not bad,’ he thought. ’At least my design is aesthetically pleasing.’

It was a little different from the Iron Heart Fury in Jerry’s manual, though...

However, to control the Mechanical Puppet, Wei’en still needed to learn a basic spell from the Mechanical School’s puppet path: the Puppet Manipulation Skill.

That was simple enough.

Soon, he had drawn the runes for the Magic, upgraded it, and branded them onto the driver’s forehead.