Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 476 The flesh and blood are weak and bitter

Besides its ability to attract and bind the original energy of the magic network itself, the Miser Core's value also lies in its capacity to store, constrain, and regulate energy, including elemental or other forms of energy.

To give an analogy, it's like a nuclear power plant equipped with an energy storage device and substation of the same scale. Naturally, there's no worry about energy, and you can go all out.

But this wondrous creation, as the empire's greatest masterpiece, was not so easy to obtain. Generally, each floating city only had one, and no matter how capable Drezan was, it was impossible for him to find one to install in his own workshop.

"Generally speaking, in order to store the energy drawn from the element pool and then converted, the bottom of the mage tower is equipped with corresponding energy storage facilities."

"Those with sufficient financial resources can construct magic array circuits using magic gems and magical metals, layering and connecting them; those without such resources can use magical metals to create containers to store arcane energy, or simply skip this step altogether."

"Just delete this feature directly?" Zhang Yuan asked curiously.

"Aside from the Miser core, spellcasters throughout history have made numerous attempts to store and regulate energy; you could say they've exhausted every possible avenue, but the results..."

Tyrandeur paused briefly at this point, seemingly considering his words:

"It's better than nothing. The innovative energy storage methods have promoted the development and innovation of alchemy and artifact manufacturing, but for a mage tower of this scale, it's really too limited."

"So you're just abandoning this high-cost, low-efficiency approach and going straight to a clean, ready-to-use system? That's why this system needs so much warm-up time before it can run?"

"That's roughly it. Actually, the element pool itself does have a considerable energy storage function, but its capacity and storage ability are limited. After so much time, it has long since dissipated completely."

After finishing their conversation, the master and apprentice said no more, quietly watching as the energy drawn from the elemental realm continuously replenished the long-parched and empty equipment cluster.

Having lain dormant underground for millennia, the steel beasts, seemingly forgotten by time, are now awakened from their slumber.

When the element pool is running, earth, water, fire, and wind circulate and roar endlessly;

Once the spell circuit node has fully charged, the energy pulse is transmitted through the circuit, producing a rhythmic buzzing sound.
Fire elements mixed with wind were blown into the furnace, and flames ignited, adding a touch of warmth to the long-desolate and cold tomb hall.
The various forging, casting, stamping, and cutting lathes were started and tested, and the robotic arms were adjusted and reset amidst the sounds of bearing rotation and mechanical friction.

Amidst the cacophony, yet imbued with a concerto-like melody, the steel sonata formed the first roar of the behemoth after its awakening.

During his studies in Gaolibao, Zhang Yuan had witnessed the operation of the assembly workshop and even practiced it himself, but the scene before him stirred up some thoughts in his mind.

That was the final scene from the Drezan legacy—the old arcanist's mechanical ascension.

A thousand years have passed, and we return to the moment before the furnace cooled down. The elderly Drezan lay silently in the Soul Transfer Coffin, a large mechanical bell hanging above the metal coffin, its mouth facing him.

With one ring of the bell, the alchemical reactor and the mind core were stuffed into the golem's chest, and the limbs and torso were tightly connected by bolts and mechanisms, completing the final assembly of the soul-possessed golem.
The bell tolled twice, and pure energy from the elemental pool was injected into the reactor to activate it, and the golem's heart began to beat.
After the bells rang three times, Drezan closed his eyes and fell into eternal sleep, bidding farewell to the flesh and blood that had accompanied him through his life.

The Soul Golem's eyes lit up, and the cables connecting its body to various devices detached. Its limbs, forged from Shadowsteel, moved slowly and cautiously, as Drezan tried to adapt to his new body. "I'm pretty lucky. The equipment is mostly in good condition, though some parts are rusted. Replacing or repairing them shouldn't have a major impact."

While Zhang Yuan was still in a daze, the Archmage had already inspected all the equipment. After wandering around the various facilities, Tyrantir came to the above conclusion and then took out a scroll and a metal ingot.

"uncanny workmanship!"

The Grand Master unfurled the scroll, and with a few gestures, the originally hard metal ingots rose into the air, being kneaded and cut like soft clay, and soon transformed into various metal parts.

"Don't just stand there, come over and replace these parts."

Zhang Yuan, who was swimming in the images of the past, was awakened. After breaking free from the memories of his senior, he immediately realized his glorious mission of fixing screws.

Labor is the most glorious thing, especially when it is working for one's own assets. While diligently reading through the introductions and maintenance rules of these equipment in the inheritance, he also replaced the old and damaged instrument parts.

Fortunately, Tyrande was there, and even the specially enchanted metal components inevitably bore the deep marks of time after thousands of years.

Small parts can be replaced, but damage to certain large components can only be repaired and filled using the Archmage's transformation magic.

The two spellcasters, who always paid attention to their daily routines, completely forgot their rule of going to bed early and getting up early, and plunged headlong into the steel jungle, refusing to come out.

Still feeling they didn't have enough manpower, the two continued to pull laborers. The Tinker and Old Clockwork were naturally conscripted. Tyrantir, who didn't have time to wait for the Tinker to slowly make his way over, simply handed a scroll to his apprentice and grabbed Old Bosh, who had just stepped into the Shadow Gate.

The labor was busy and focused, but the results were gratifying. After the system itself checked itself and the Grand Master examined it carefully, it was confirmed that there were no more omissions, and the entire construction workshop could finally be put to use.

It was already the next morning. Tyrantir, who had unknowingly stayed up all night, finally felt a little tired after letting out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to stretch, he caught a glimpse of his cheap apprentice next to him and forced himself to stop.

It's hard.

The archmage's two forearms, which he had barely managed to raise, froze in mid-air, still pressed against his body, making him look like he was jumping rope, or somewhat like a Tyrannosaurus Rex struggling to stretch its short arms...

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan quickly stretched and yawned, patted his mouth, and looked back at the teacher. He was completely at ease, and the slight embarrassment had vanished.

"The equipment appears to be working properly. We can now use these instruments to try some things to see if they still retain their original functions."

The high priest glanced at some parameters on the monitor and explained methodically:

"There are still some remaining dark rocks from that year in the raw stone crusher. However, it is best to use the extracted shadow liquid to quench the shadow steel as soon as possible. Go and add these steel ingots to the feed port of the alchemy forging furnace for future use."

Thank you Eric Jin for the monthly pass!
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(End of this chapter)