He stood up. The hard lines of his face, etched by years of calculations and cultivation, softened considerably.
But this softness lasted only for a mont.
The next second, his gaze grew sharper than ever before.
In this cold, unfeeling Wizarding World, a place filled with transactions of convenience and slaughter.
Soone was thinking of you from across a vast distance.
That feeling... wasn’t half bad.
’Since that’s the case, I have even more reason not to lose.’
"Seventy thousand Magic Stones..." Allen touched his chest. "I’ll accept this ’huge sum’."
He strode toward the fortress’s materials exchange district, his steps more resolute than when he arrived.
"Jarvis, update the shopping list."
"Upgrade the ’Freedom’s’ armor coating by another tier."
"Also..."
Allen paused, his gaze sweeping over the crimson wasteland and volcanic ranges outside the fortress.
"Since I’ve taken the money, I should bring back a local specialty."
"Once I slaughter that Scorpion King, its giant pincer should make for a pretty good souvenir."
He hesitated no longer, his figure quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd.
This ti, it wasn’t just about getting stronger, but also about living up to the trust that had crossed planes.
The "Freedom’s" heart had already been purchased.
Next, it was ti for this steel behemoth to let out its first roar in this world.
As for those Black Wizard rats hiding in the gutters...
Allen let out a cold smirk.
’They’d better not ss with .’
’Right now, I’m the man carrying the "hopes of the entire village".’
...
The comrcial district of Forged Fire Fortress wasn’t bustling like the markets of other planes; it was more like a gigantic, precision-run warehouse.
There were no street vendors hawking their wares, no clamor of haggling—only cold tal counters and, behind them, the numb-faced, chanical Alchemy Puppets or apprentice clerks.
The high concentration of Fire Elental Magic Power suffusing the air kept the entire plane’s temperature high, unsuitable for mortal life. Every breath felt like swallowing scorching hot sand.
It was said that the fortress housed over a thousand low-level apprentices, several hundred Advanced Apprentices, and a dozen or so Official Wizards. They all ca seeking fortune and were scattered throughout the massive fortress, so you could go half a day without seeing another person.
Allen glanced up at the do. The massive exhaust fan blades spun slowly, carrying away the factory’s waste fus but doing nothing to dispel the oppressive heatwave.
A portion of the profits from every ore mined and every potion circulated here ultimately went to that Morning Star Wizard.
The so-called comrcial district was rely an "official supply station" set up by his ntor.
In fact, the owner behind basically every noteworthy shop in the entire Forged Fire Fortress was rcer.
As the supre controller of this plane, rcer not only monopolized the cross-planar Star Gates but also held all the pricing power.
You could say that all the apprentices and Official Wizards trying to make a living on this plane were, in essence, working for rcer.
’A monopoly really is the ultimate form of profiteering.’
Allen grumbled silently to himself.
Although he could also place orders through the fortress’s online trade network, Allen much preferred the feeling of personally handling and weighing the materials himself.
Especially when it ca to a core component like the "Singularity Engine," he needed to see it with his own eyes to feel at ease.
He walked toward the largest materials exchange center—Material Warehouse No. 3.
"Welco."
The clerk behind the counter was an Advanced Apprentice who looked to be around thirty. When he sensed the undisguised fluctuation of Magic Power from Allen, a reverent smile imdiately forced its way onto his stiff face.
"Your Excellency, what can I get for you?"
Allen didn’t waste words. He simply raised his hand and projected a light screen above the counter, displaying a long list of materials.
"Thirty standard units of third-level energy storage crystal clusters."
"Twenty kilograms of liquid Mithril."
"Two complete sets of neural bundles from a High-Tier Magical Beast, the ’Thunder Beast’."
"Void Condensation Crystal, high-purity."
...
The clerk glanced at the list.
A few seconds later, he looked up, a hint of surprise in his voice. "My lord, many of these are specialized materials for workshop-grade magic furnaces. We have them in stock, but the price..."
"Quote the price."
"The Void Condensation Crystal is currently at a twenty percent premium, and our stock of the ’Thunder Beast’s’ complete neural bundles is low... All together, this order will cost about sixty-eight thousand Magic Stones."
The clerk quoted a figure high enough to give an ordinary First-level Wizard a heart attack.
Allen didn’t even bat an eye. "I’ll pay."
"O-Okay, one mont, please!"
A short while later, several heavy tal cases were placed on the counter.
"My lord, your goods are all here."
Allen opened one of the palm-sized Rune boxes. An intense chill instantly billowed out, and the surrounding air seed to freeze solid.
Inside lay a deep blue, irregularly shaped crystal, which seed to contain a deep, starry sky sealed within.
This was the Void Condensation Crystal, the cooling dium for the "Singularity Engine."
The core principle of this technology, purchased from his ntor, wasn’t actually that complex.
Unlike the most common magic furnaces that rely on Magic Stones for power, it used Rune technology to construct a miniature, controllable singularity. This singularity would "breathe," slowly drawing raw Magic Power from the void, which would then be filtered, converted, and stored in an array of energy storage crystal clusters.
Dseek had already simulated the operational data for a three-ter model using the technology provided by his ntor.
[Charging Mode A (Passive Respiration): In a standard Magic Power environnt, a full charge takes 720 hours (approx. 30 days). Full charge is equivalent to the Magic Power of: 5 High-Tier Magic Stones.]
[Charging Mode B (Grid Fast-Charge): Connect to a workshop-grade magic hub for forced infusion. Ti to full charge: 72 hours.]
[Burst Mode (Pay-to-Win): Directly insert High-Tier Magic Stones into the reactor. Conversion Rate: 92% (Extrely poor cost-effectiveness. Not recomnded except in ergencies).]
[Endurance Assessnt: At full charge, can support the ’Freedom’ cha in 72 hours of standard combat or 80 minutes of maximum full-power output (AT Field active, all Floating Cannons firing, supersonic maneuvers).]
’A whole month to charge naturally... that charging speed is just touching,’ Allen complained internally. ’But at least it’s free. For long-duration guard duty, this is practically half a perpetual motion machine.’
The most crucial thing was that it solved the "instantaneous power output" problem.
Powering things with Magic Stones was like using dry cell batteries. The voltage was constant, which was fine for his second-level or newly third-level "Pacifistas," but it couldn’t handle a power-guzzler like "Freedom."
The "Singularity Engine," on the other hand, was like a giant reservoir. It slowly collected water during peaceti and opened the floodgates during battle. The resulting torrent was enough to drive an eighteen-ter-tall Steel Giant to perform maneuvers that defied the laws of physics.
After stowing the expensive materials, Allen turned and headed for the daily necessities area.
The style here changed abruptly.
If the tals in the materials district were dirt cheap, then the prices in the living supplies area were highway robbery.
A low-level potion from the "Erald Garden" plane was priced at 20 Low-Level Magic Stones. On the main continent of the Wizarding World, this stuff sold for 5 at most.
A standard barrel of purified water cost 1 Magic Stone.
As for the thermostatic robes that kept a person cool in high temperatures, the price had been driven up to astronomical heights.
’In a place where even breathing scalds your throat, coolness is the greatest luxury. Good thing I have my chanical Mind to suppress the discomfort, or else surviving these past three years would have been hell.’
Allen shook his head and waved his hand grandly.
"High-concentration nutrient paste, give a ton."
"I haven’t seen that brand of cooling drink before. Give a case."
"Coolant, 500 kilograms."
"And that, the fire resistance potion, give so of that too."
Since he was here, he might as well treat himself.
He might be a capitalist from the exploiting class, but since he was the only living person in his own workshop, he figured he should be good to himself.
Another ten thousand-plus Magic Stones spent, with the bulk of it still on necessities for his cultivation.
By the ti Allen walked out of the supply center, his Space Ring was stuffed to the brim, and the liquid capital in his account had shrunk considerably.
"Odyssey, prepare for departure."
Allen issued the command remotely through his ntal link.
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