Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 480 Difficulties and Turning Points

Faced with the teacher's advice, Zhang Yuan didn't hesitate much before revealing his plan:
"I do have some knowledge in alchemy, so enchanting shouldn't be a problem unless it's something too advanced or sophisticated."

"Besides, I never intended to become a wholesaler of magical equipment; I just wanted to forge a few pieces of armor for myself, but..."

At this point, Zhang Yuan looked troubled, seemingly hesitant to speak.

"Speak up, for the sake of this surprise you brought us."

The archmage, who could guess someone's thoughts with just a glance, was in a pretty good mood. After all, the benefits that he had failed to obtain even after traveling all the way to the ruins of Nether had come to him so easily. Even he, who was usually calm and collected, felt a little unreal.

Having benefited from the situation, Zhang Yuan quickly seized the opportunity and presented his own conceived plan:

"I learned from the legacy left by that arcanist that a very special activated magical metal must be used in the creation of a soul golem, so that the soul of the golem can have a certain external tactile sensation and smoother and more free manipulation performance."

"Are you talking about a living-like magical alloy? That kind of magical alloy is not only expensive, but also has relatively limited uses. In terms of protective and magical conductivity, it has no advantage over other alloys. Except for certain special cases, such as making metal prosthetics, it has few uses."

"The Shadowsteel alloy you currently possess is quite good in terms of performance, sufficient as a raw material for enchanted armor. Or do you have subordinates with missing limbs who need activated alloys?"

Tyrantir was no stranger to this, but he still did not understand the intentions of the disciple before him.

"That's not the case,"

After organizing his thoughts, Zhang Yuan began to speak fluently and eloquently:

"I believe that since our predecessors were able to achieve mind manipulation and sensory transmission by activating metals, could we develop other uses for them, not just as prostheses or metal skin?"

"That is?"

"For example, is it feasible to modify it into muscle fibers?"

"Ok?"

Tyrantir, who also had considerable expertise in necromancy, was naturally well aware of what muscle fibers were. However, what was the significance of constructing bionic muscles from metal?
Why not just build a robotic arm and then add active metal control tendons and sensory skin? Muscle fibers? Do prostheses even need that?
However, the Grand Master was not in a hurry to refute the other party's wild ideas. He was even looking forward to what new and interesting ideas his disciple would come up with.

"In close combat, apart from spells and morale, the focus is on a few key elements: strength, endurance, agility, skill, defense, and weaponry."

That's true.

Tyrandeil responded indifferently to these remarks, and Zhang Yuan, unconcerned, went on to explain his own ideas:
"If we could transform active metals into a fiber bundle garment with stretching and elasticity for users to wear, and equip it with an energy-driven device, could we significantly improve the wearer's strength and defensive capabilities without affecting mobility?"

After finishing his speech, Zhang Yuan looked at his teacher expectantly, but the latter hesitated for a moment, then asked instead:
"It's not impossible to work on the active metal processing aspect alone, but the problem is energy-driven."

"You have to understand that the power unit that can drive the entire steel armor is not as easy as driving a prosthetic limb. Even if it is miniaturized, it still needs to be the size of a backpack. Where would you find the space for that inside the armor? Do you expect your men to fight while carrying backpacks?"

This…

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but feel a little unwilling, and tentatively asked:

"What if we could further miniaturize the power source?"

“Yes, but that’s pointless.” Tyrandeur shook his head repeatedly, directly refuting the hypothesis:

“We can indeed miniaturize the drive source further, just like those prosthetics or magical artifacts.”

"But what are the consequences? It means that you have to replace the energy gem every now and then or enter a static state to recharge for a whole day!"

"If you have to replenish your supplies after every battle, then endurance is indeed a big problem, but it's not unacceptable."

Zhang Yuan's thoughtful expression was immediately interrupted by the teacher.

"Who told you this thing could last the entire battle?"

The Grand Master chuckled:
"We've abandoned the alchemical reactors that extract energy from the inner planes or the magic network. While those energy-rechargeable cores are convenient, they're only good for driving heavy armor. The duration is measured in minutes. It'll be good if they can last half an hour."

"Unless you're willing to use the highest-grade mana gem as your energy core, then that would be quite a bold move."

The teacher's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Just as Zhang Yuan was about to say something, his eyes suddenly flickered a few times, and his expression became serious, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

"There is always a way. Besides, a lower power output is acceptable. With the wearer's own strength as support, the metal fiber can play an auxiliary role."

"Instead of painstakingly designing this kind of construct armor, why not just create a beast-type hunting golem? The hunting instinct brought by the soul of a wild beast, combined with the steel teeth and claws of a construct, wouldn't cost much more than your design, but would be far more efficient."

Tyrantir pondered for a moment and offered a suggestion. To be fair, from an efficiency and benefit perspective, it was indeed a good idea, but…

"But ultimately, that's just a golem. What I need is not a simple killing machine."

Zhang Yuan shook his head, insisting on his demands.

The Grand Master was taken aback, and after a brief silence, he finally nodded in agreement to his disciple's request.

"I will come back here after I finish studying those materials. If the remaining assembly workshop can process and produce active metals, then all that's left is to adjust the parameters, which is not difficult."

"However, you still have to make your own choices regarding energy-driven matters. The current level of technology is such that it is difficult to achieve the best of both worlds, unless there is another way in the data left by Nesse."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you, teacher."

Zhang Yuan did not offer any further explanation, but simply thanked him and left the matter unresolved.

The two stepped out of the Shadow Gate and returned to Gaoya Fortress in the Prime Material Realm. The Grand Master gave his disciple a few words of advice, telling him not to slack off and that research and collaboration would be promising in the future. Then he went straight back to Gaoli Fortress, leaving Zhang Yuan standing there.

“Bausch, Retotrap, is what you just said truly accurate?”

After watching the teacher's figure disappear, the monk slowly turned his head and looked at the two craftsmen, asking them a question.

"While we cannot be 100% certain, so far, our world's crystal energy technology and related creations have not malfunctioned or encountered any adaptation problems on this plane. In theory, the crystal energy core can be transferred to the restructured alchemy device."

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(End of this chapter)