Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
After that brutal attack, the entire Molten Iron Mountain Range fell into a strange peace. No large-scale conflicts had occurred since.
It was as if the shadow of the Black Wizards had never fallen upon this land.
Allen hadn’t wasted this precious period of peace. He had converted every Magic Stone, every bit of ore, into war machines of steel and Runes.
This was Allen’s fifth year in this world.
In the workshop’s central control room, the blue light representing Allen’s forces on the massive holographic sand table had already swallowed nearly half of the map’s area.
Only three locations remained unconquered: Magma Lake, the Crystalized Forest, and the Black Stone Gobi.
[Commander, this month’s financial settlent is complete.]
Jarvis’s voice rang out.
[Total controlled mines: 12]
[Average monthly ore output value: 1.12 million Low-Level Magic Stones]
[Deducting the 20% share for ntor rcer, average monthly net inco: 896,000 Low-Level Magic Stones]
[Monthly Golem Legion and equipnt maintenance expenditure: 123,000 Low-Level Magic Stones]
[Current available liquid capital: 1.38 million Low-Level Magic Stones]
A monthly inco of nearly nine hundred thousand.
Allen looked at the string of numbers, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
A few years ago, he was losing sleep over the cost of a few hundred Magic Stones for parts.
Now, after building five Freedom Gundams in a row, he was a millionaire once again.
"The trouble with being rich is not knowing which project to throw money at first."
Allen laughed self-deprecatingly.
But corresponding to that inco were even more terrifying expenditures.
In the past two years, he had poured nearly every Magic Stone he earned into an endless production line, transforming them into cold, steel creations.
"Jarvis, report on our current military strength."
The light screen flickered, and a detailed data list unfolded before Allen.
[The Second and Third Golem Legions are at full strength. Their composition is identical to the First Legion, with a total value of approximately 2.25 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[The rapid-response flight unit has been assembled.]
As soon as the voice finished, projections of six enormous chs slowly rose. They were the Freedom Gundams.
Surrounding them, twenty-four sleek "Storm Falcons" stood like loyal Knights guarding their king.
[Comprised of six ’Freedom Gundams’ and twenty-four ’Storm Falcons’. Total value: 4.7 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Eighteen standard mine garrison units, total value approximately 3.12 million Low-Level Magic Stones. The Magma Lake Workshop and Three Forks Canyon Camp are equipped with triple the standard configuration.]
[Magma Lake Workshop: 3 Balrogs, 4 Volcanic Magic Power Furnaces. Total value approximately 1.5 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Investnt in 5 newly developed mines and underground network expansion: Approximately 500,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Investnt in main workshop equipnt upgrades and facility expansion: Approximately 200,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Investnt in Golem maintenance: Approximately 1.2 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Total accumulated investnt over two years: Approximately 14 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]
Allen’s fingers tapped a rhythm on the console. TAP. TAP. TAP.
Fourteen million Magic Stones.
’That number should be about normal for a First-level Alchemy Wizard in a planar expedition force.’
"Peace... it’s a wonderful thing."
Allen murmured to himself.
With no war, there were no losses. Every bit of output could be converted into tangible combat power.
But peace also made one complacent.
Allen’s gaze swept over the sand table, locking onto a red area.
The Silent Abyss. A rift valley less than twenty kiloters from the workshop. There had been no activity from it in five years. It seed to be filled with a thin mist that blocked all detection, and Allen knew nothing about it. The danger was unknown.
Besides that, there were three Magical Beast lairs.
In the Black Stone Gobi road a clan of Rock Armor Earth Dragons. Their leader was absurdly powerful; reconnaissance had detected its Magic Power peaking at 5,700—the level of a peak Second-level Wizard.
Even that Black Wizard back then hadn’t dared to move against it. It was considered the strongest creature in all of Zone 18, and extrely troubleso.
The ltdown Lizards and the Fire Elent Lord near Magma Lake were comparable in strength to the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions. They were nurous but had co to accept Allen’s territory and had stopped their provocations.
The Crystalized Forest. That was the territory of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders. Old acquaintances.
Allen pondered for a mont before making a strategic decision.
"I’ll explore the Silent Abyss last; that place is a little sketchy. The Rock Armor Earth Dragon Lord in the Black Stone Gobi is too strong, a massive threat. I’ll deal with it second. The Magical Beasts at Magma Lake are peaceful for now, so I’ll clean them up third."
"So..."
His gaze fell upon the Crystalized Forest.
"The first target will be the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders."
"Jarvis, pull up the final assessnt report on the Dream-Weaving Demon Spider colony."
[Assessnt complete.]
[Target: Dream-Weaving Demon Spider Colony]
[Current population: Approximately 500]
[Leader: Spider Queen, Magic Power fluctuation 3,500]
[Elite individuals: 26, Magic Power fluctuation 1,800-2,200]
[Standard individuals: Average Magic Power fluctuation 800-1,200]
[Colony traits: Proficient in Spiritual Attacks. Spider silk possesses powerful resilience and Magic Conductivity.]
[Threat assessnt: Threat level to current military strength—Low]
[Potential value:]
[1. A special mineral vein may exist beneath the Crystalized Forest.]
[2. The souls of Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders are high-quality materials for the Mind School and for crafting Control Cores.]
[3. The silk of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders is a high-value material.]
Allen stared at the report, falling silent for a mont.
He still rembered how, when he first arrived, the conflict between the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders and the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions had bought him precious ti to develop.
In a sense, they had done him a favor.
’The spiders that once helped have now beco a stumbling block.’
But so what?
’How can I allow another to sleep soundly right beside my bed?’
’A second-level combat power faction that I don’t control, entrenched right next to my core territory, is an inherent source of instability.’
Two years ago, this colony was an "extrely high threat" to him.
Now, it was rely a "low threat."
’Looks like I’ve beco one of those capitalists who’ll do anything for resources.’
"Jarvis, calculate the required forces for an all-out assault."
[Running simulations...]
[Plan 1: Remote artillery coverage. Due to obstruction from the Crystalized Forest, lethality is significantly reduced.]
[Plan 2: Lure the spider colony into a decisive battle outside the forest. Estimated casualty rate: 5%. However, implentation difficulty is high.]
[Plan 3: Assemble a lee Golem team with 2 Freedom Gundams to engage within the forest. Estimated casualty rate: 15%.]
Allen looked at the three plans, deliberated for a few seconds, then began to mobilize.
"Jarvis. The Dream-Weaving Demon Spider colony occupies the core area of the Crystalized Forest, a region containing an uncharted, high-value mineral vein."
"Although the colony is currently neutral, its existence poses a serious threat to the security of the zone and obstructs resource developnt."
"Overall assessnt: The benefits of eliminating this colony far outweigh maintaining the status quo."
"Dispatch elents of the rapid-response mobile force to coordinate with the Second Golem Legion. Launch a full-scale assault in three days."
"We’ll begin with a probing long-range strike to see if we can lure the colony into a decisive battle outside the forest."
"Objective: The complete eradication of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spider colony, the occupation of the Crystalized Forest, and the developnt of its mineral vein."
[Commands confird. Formulating detailed battle plan...]
On the light screen, the map of the Crystalized Forest was covered in multiple colors, indicating attack routes, fire-support zones, and preset engagent circles.
Allen watched it all quietly, his eyes showing no hint of emotion.
He knew that the spiders had once indirectly helped him.
He also knew that they had never once provoked him.
But that didn’t matter.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, goodwill and neutrality were no guarantee of survival.
Only absolute power was the one and only truth.
Just then, Jarvis’s voice suddenly rang out.
[Warning: The Exploration Golem sent underground in the Crystalized Forest the day before yesterday has been lost.]
[Last signal location: 200 ters beneath the edge of the Crystalized Forest.]
[Ti since contact lost: 26 hours, 32 minutes.]
Allen’s brow furrowed slightly.
"Pull up its last survey logs."
[Retrieving...]
[According to data analysis, a high-value mineral is confird to exist beneath the Crystalized Forest, but the signal was lost before its composition could be analyzed in detail.]
Allen stared at the data signatures, his gaze profound.
"It seems... there’s sothing interesting hidden beneath the Crystalized Forest."
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