Chapter 383 - Trapped on the Road of Industry

Seeing Vick’s gaze following along as he flipped through the spellbook, revealing an undeniable concern and apprehension, he looked as though he feared Gaven might accidentally damage it.Other than food, this was the first time Gaven had witnessed such an expression on the Goblin Sorcerer.

He wanted to tease him, but felt it would be unbecoming of his status, so he let the thought go and returned the spellbook, asking, "Since it’s for research, why don’t you stay in Dragon Oak Territory?"

After carefully stowing away the spellbook, Vick explained, "This one is only a semi-finished product; we still need the master’s assistance for further research."

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?" Gaven’s interest had been piqued from the moment he saw the barrel apparatus, and he fully understood its value.

What does modern industry rely on?

Mechanical power replaces manpower, saving on labor costs and creating more value.

There were many reasons for Gaven’s previous lack of enthusiasm for developing modern industry.

Ultimately, the main reason was the existence of magic, which becomes evident when reviewing Gaven’s development.

When those Gnolls unlocked their bloodline abilities, capable of using spell-like powers every day, able to do what machines could and even what they could not,

was it better to heavily develop machinery or to tap into the Gnolls’ bloodline powers?

The answer was clear without asking.

When it felt like the Gnolls were at a physical disadvantage, lacking large engineering apparatus,

the Milestone of Destiny granted Gaven the spell of Enlightenment, giving him the ability to create natural engineering tools—the Enlightened Trees.

However, as the use of Enlightened Trees became widespread, their drawbacks also came to light.

Awakened plants aren’t perpetual motion machines; their sources of strength are twofold—one is magic, and the other, self-sufficient photosynthesis.

Although they perform photosynthesis even while active, their efficiency is relatively low.

And they are affected by the weather, especially sunlight.

The longer the sunlight, the faster they can photosynthesize, and the longer they can stay active; the reverse is also true.

How long they can stay active also depends on the intensity of the work.

The Enlightened Trees in Blackwell, tasked with the heavy labor of hauling, basically work at night, only able to operate for about three to four hours a day. They return to the ground before dawn, seeking well-watered and fertilized land with ample sunlight to take root and recharge with a full day of photosynthesis.

If a Druid assists them, using natural magic to aid their recovery, their working duration can increase.

Treants like Thornspike, Black Nanmu, and Five-Willow have much greater recovery capabilities than the Enlightened Trees, especially once their Constitution reaches the Transcendent level and after gaining Rooted Regeneration, they recover particularly quickly.

Often a day rooted could allow them to work continuously for several days.

But the difference in difficulty between creating Unique Treants and Enlightened Trees was like night and day.

The Dragon Oak Territory had more than fifty Enlightened Trees, but only a few treants.

Moreover, their unique abilities made them valuable in wartime.

The time spent following Gaven around far exceeded the time spent on construction within the territory. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt

For the foreseeable future, this pattern was expected to persist.

Because these few treants were currently Gaven’s strongest battle force.

Gaven would be unwilling to invest significant effort and pay a high price to build an industry.

The modern industry on Earth required too much modern knowledge, which he didn’t have the time or energy to accumulate bit by bit.

Even if he managed to produce something worthwhile by combining Felen’s native magical industry, his foundations were too shallow, and despite his willingness, he was powerless. Whatever he did come up with, there was a good chance it would be taken and replicated by the masters in this field, potentially far surpassing him.

There’s the far-off Halruaa Magical Kingdom, and closer to home, the Red Robe Mages of Ser.

But if there’s some mysterious high-tech bit like what Vick had mentioned, ready for the taking, Gaven certainly wouldn’t mind

Vick, however, hadn’t thought this far. He was single-mindedly focused on how to create more practical and powerful mechanical automatons, enthusiastically saying, "I’ve been pondering over these mechanical automatons for a long time, but I had never been able to completely activate them.

Until Lord Virginia brought back this Ghost Grape Wine from here.

Once, by accident, I spilled it over one, and the automaton actually responded.

Afterwards, I improved the energy supply device of the automaton, using Ghost Grape Wine as the fuel, and thus, the multifunctional barrel was born.

It’s just that the energy supply from the Ghost Grape Wine is too short, lasting only five or six minutes each time.

So, I had Lord Virginia send me here to see if I could find a higher quality Ghost Grape Wine at Ghost Manor to extend the duration."

Vick’s multifunctional barrel was full of high-tech flair, but his train of thought was pretty clear.

While he hadn’t attributed the primary energy source to Negative Energy, he knew to look for the cause in this area and sought assistance from Gaven.

"Follow me," Gaven said with a wave of his hand, turning and heading toward Weizemay Manor; he just happened to want to take the opportunity to verify a previous hunch.

Vick turned around and jumped into the multifunctional barrel, and with a forceful pull of the lever, a rumbling black smoke spewed out.

The multifunctional barrel immediately began to sway violently, and then, like a penguin, it waddled forward.

With each swing, the tilt exceeded thirty degrees, making one irrefutably question whether the driver would be flung out.

The speed of movement was quite touching, a typical example of loud action but low efficiency, even Gaven walking alongside couldn’t catch up.

Seemingly feeling the disdain in the surrounding gazes, a blush involuntarily spread across Vick’s face as he took the initiative to explain, "Recently, I’ve been focusing on researching mechanical arms and propulsion. I haven’t had time to work on mechanical legs yet, but once I solve the energy supply issue, I’ll install thicker, larger mechanical legs, and then its speed will increase."

"Why must you use legs? Why not consider wheels? Wouldn’t that be more convenient for propulsion?" Gaven, influenced more heavily by Earth, thought as such, after all, cars running on the roads all have wheels, not mechanical legs.

Vick replied without hesitation, "I’ve studied this carefully. Wheels have higher demands on the terrain. If it’s flat like here, wheels are certainly appropriate, but for complex terrains like Rocklands, mechanical legs are more suitable. If possible, I plan to equip the multifunctional barrel with dual propulsion systems, one with wheels, one with mechanical legs, enabling it to switch back and forth."

Vick embodied the epitome of greed, wishing to attach all good things onto this barrel, with those four mechanical arms as evidence.

Others’ prototypes are the more simplistic, the better; his is the more complex, the better.

The journey had not even reached one-third of the way when the multifunctional barrel broke down again.

This time there was no need for Vick to come down; Gaven walked right up and poured three bottles of Ghost Grape Wine into the fuel inlet.

Gaven felt he could add more but did not continue, as various experiments were to follow, and it only needed to last until reaching Ghost Manor.

In front of Weizemay Manor, the Half-Moon Colt, Luna showed insuppressible surprise and hesitation on her face.

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, when she felt the overwhelming amount of Negative Energy emanating from Weizemay Manor, she still felt immense pressure.

In her eyes, Weizemay Manor was not a mere manor, but a monster that devours people, leaving behind no trace once one set foot inside.

Yet, her curiosity had already been piqued.

Not just by that strange mechanical device but also by Gaven’s followers and their diverse composition.

A Dog Demon that had advanced into the high ranks of devils.

A Goblin Sorcerer who, at first glance, was evidently a cultist who had signed a pact with a devil, and that Dog Demon was probably the contractee.

A Cyclops carrying the scent of the Fairy Wilderness, who, instead of appearing like a powerful warrior, seemed more like a humble serf, which seemed a waste of his colossal stature.

If it was already as such from the outside, what unique existences might be hidden within Weizemay Manor, which felt like an Undead’s nest?

With such curiosity, Luna stepped inside.

Soon her curiosity was satisfied, in a way that was beyond all expectations.

Another Treant appeared, its body not emitting a natural aura but rather pulses of dark energy.

Upon seeing Gaven, four Ghost Knights emerged from inside, bowing deeply to Gaven.

One could clearly discern their faces; they were all Dwarves Elves.

It must be the Black Nanmu, the Unique Treant with the ability to imprison souls mentioned by Uncle Darnell. These Dwarves Ghost Knights were the imprisoned souls within it.

When she first heard of its existence, she found it incredibly unbelievable. Now that she had seen it, it was even more inconceivable, leading her to marvel at how nature can create such unique beings.

And it was thanks to Mr. Gaven that he had the ability to gather all these strange and quirky beings under his command.

Gaven called out to Daphne, "Make a barrel of Evil Water."

Then, turning to Vick, he said, "Get the barrel moving, and exhaust all remaining fuel inside it."

Daphne was puzzled but followed the order nonetheless. She soon brought back a barrel of well water, channeling Negative Energy into it, turning it into a barrel of cursed Evil Water that glowed black.

Just as Holy Water is a bane to the Undead, this cursed Evil Water was a tonic for the Undead but an outright toxic poison for celestial beings, especially Positive Energy Beings. If splashed with it, they would suffer unbearably, attacking the soul directly.

Counteraction is never one-sided; it is always mutual.

After Daphne had finished making the Evil Water, Vick had already exhausted the remaining energy of the barrel, reducing it to a wheezing husk, coughing out black smoke, barely clinging to its last breath but stubbornly refusing to expire.

"Huh?" Daphne, now at a loose end, was instantly captivated by the barrel and couldn’t help but circle around the peculiar machine.

"What did you discover?" Gaven knew well of Daphne’s expertise in Shadows and the Undead. Since the barrel could use Ghost Grape Wine as a power source, it was likely related to Shadows.

He had thought to complete his own experiments first and then ask her to help research Vick’s barrel.

Only by fully understanding it could they mass-produce replicas.

Daphne, somewhat uncertain, said, "I sense a whiff of Shadow consciousness in this machine, but I’m not completely sure. One thing is certain, though; this machine has the capability to draw upon Shadows.

However, it’s a very weak ability. You probably wouldn’t notice it outside, but here in the manor, where the Shadow Energy is denser, it’s more apparent, hence the current situation where the energy just won’t run out no matter what."

"I see," Gaven nodded, and then instructed, "Vick, take the barrel to the entrance."

Vick had already begun to do so without Gaven’s command, but relying on the little energy it had absorbed, the speed was excruciatingly slow, comparable to taking three breaths for each step, and luckily they weren’t far inside.

After struggling for several minutes, he once again left Weizemay Manor.