Chapter 352: Section 139: Repairer Puppet – Great!
Inside the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
Golden flames were burning intensely, floating in mid-air, with the heart of the flame melting refined gold.
The firelight illuminated the surroundings.
It reflected on Zi Di’s face, which, at the moment, displayed a serious and tense expression.
She was giving her all, completely engrossed, manipulating the alchemy array.
This alchemy array was drawn right on the floor of the cabin and extended to the metal walls around it.
The main structure of the array was a hexagram, surrounded by a double ring that formed the outermost circle. Between the hexagram and the ring, there was a dense mass of magic runes.
At the center of the array lay a magic device.
The lower end of this magic device, connected to the mana pool of the Deep Sea Monster Fish, was drawing upon the reserves of the mana pool, which allowed Zi Di to initiate this temporary alchemy array.
If she were to rely solely on her Black Iron Level mana, it would take a hundredfold increase to barely meet the minimum standard for initiating the alchemy array.
The array map was sourced from the memory bank of the Tower Spirit, originating from the War Merchant, and was naturally very sophisticated. The flame it produced boasted a terrifying temperature, yet the heat was confined to the core of the flame, so that even if one’s palm touched the outer flame, it did not matter. There was no heat to speak of.
Seeing the chunk of refined gold in the heart of the flame quickly melt into liquid, Zi Di immediately used her spiritual power to draw it out.
The refined gold turned into a fine thread and quickly flowed out of the flame’s core, entering a nearby hemispherical object.
This blue hemispherical object was principally made of Sea Blue Stone. Zi Di had purchased a whole three tons of Sea Blue Ore at an auction in the Black Market.
Sea Blue Stone was the standard material for making Repairer Puppets; what was noteworthy was that this hemispherical sea blue stone had been deliberately hollowed out, like a small bowl.
Zi Di first directed the liquid refined gold into the bowl-shaped concavity, quickly plating the core of the bowl with a layer of refined gold.
Then, the refined gold spread straight inside the hemisphere to eight different directions.
Only when it reached the edge of the sphere did the eight gold lines stop, after which they penetrated the inside of the hemisphere from the ends and middle of each gold line.
Wherever the refined gold went, it forcibly dissolved the Sea Blue Stone.
Under Zi Di’s spirit manipulation, the refined gold lines gradually became denser and formed the preliminary shape of an elegant, intricate array.
After completing this step, there was a little refined gold liquid remaining.
While drawing out this refined gold liquid, Zi Di also took out a vial of potion and drank it.
Her spiritual power had surpassed the Black Iron Level and reached the Silver Level, but just now, the act of painstakingly drawing out the alchemy array had consumed a great deal of her spiritual power, which required immediate restoration.
As her spiritual power swiftly recovered, the refined gold liquid was temporarily stored elsewhere, and Zi Di then processed the Mithril ingot.
The Mithril ingot also quickly melted into a liquid.
Zi Di’s spirit continued to draw it, and the mithril liquid was also poured into the same hemisphere.
Mithril lines wove through the hemisphere, some forming their own pathways, but most of them revolved around the array framework recently established by the refined gold, continually modifying it.
Following the three-dimensional array diagram in her mind, some mithril lines intersected with the refined gold lines, some curled around the main lines like smoke serpents, and others converged and fused into nodes.
Suddenly, a node flared up, rapidly producing a puff of black smoke.
Zi Di’s body swayed, and her complexion instantly turned awful.
“Alchemy failure!” she realized.
She immediately found the cause: she had injected too much mithril liquid at that node just now, and her spiritual power hadn’t been properly maintained, causing a destabilization of magic at the node.
Constructing array nodes has always been a challenge.
Now, the node was severely burnt, not only affecting several connecting refined gold and mithril lines but also causing significant damage to the Sea Blue Stone at the node, almost burning a hole the size of a fingernail!
Zi Di couldn’t help but feel dejected.
Such a slight mistake had made the core incomplete, creating a hole the size of a fingernail. This meant that Zi Di would now need to use Sea Blue Stone from elsewhere to compensate for the damage.
No matter how much she tried to compensate, the original integrity was lost.
This little pit meant she had to say goodbye to the prospect of a perfect final product.
Zi Di quickly overcame the frustration in her heart.
She silently told herself that she was not inherently good at puppet crafting; when studying at the Magic Academy, she had focused on potions. This time, as long as she succeeded in creating a Repairer Puppet, it would be enough. There was no need to covet quality; now was not the time to pursue it.
Zi Di had to pause and first fill in the stone pit, then repair the magic lines over the next several days.
On her second attempt at the crafting node, she held her breath and concentrated, putting in her full effort.
Seconds later, she exhaled a turbid breath, relaxing slightly, thankful to have overcome this difficulty.
Half an hour later, she had set up all the nodes, enduring another failure along the way.
Then, she began carving the magic runes.
After the runes were carved, she started embedding tiny gemstones to reinforce the magic array.
Once reinforced, she obtained a semi-finished product of a Repairer Alchemy Puppet, just one-third of the components complete.
After drinking a second potion, Zi Di caught her breath while summarizing her experience.
“The alchemy of puppets and potions share commonalities, yet there are many differences.”
“Carving arrays requires intense concentration and a high demand for delicate spiritual manipulation. Therefore, the nodes of the array are often the difficulties.”
“Thankfully, I have the alchemy array conceived by the War Merchant, greatly reducing the difficulty of alchemy for me.”
Resting briefly, Zi Di immediately began crafting the second set of components.
Despite another failure at the node, the second set of components was successfully completed.
“Even though I am very careful, fine spirit manipulation is not something that can be immediately improved by mere attention.”
“It is an ability that most people are born with.”
“That’s why not all mages can become alchemists.”
“Phew, the next part is crucial.”
Zi Di took an even longer rest this time, waiting until she felt in good condition before she began.
The two hemispheres began to merge.
This was the most difficult step of the entire alchemy process.
Zi Di’s spiritual power needed to control more than a dozen places at once, connecting the magic lines inside while firing the hemispherical stone material.
After fifteen minutes of effort, Zi Di completed this step.
She was anxious in her heart because, although it seemed successful, it still required verification.
She mobilized her spirit and activated the blue spherical body.
Bang!
A muffled sound, and the stone sphere shattered violently.
Zi Di suffered backlash, her complexion turned pale, blood spilled from her nostrils, and her heart sank to the bottom.
She had failed!
The two rudimentary arrays indeed connected, but during the infusion of mana, the nodes collapsed, the magic lines burned out, and then caused a chaotic burst of magic power that led to an explosion.
The explosion itself wasn’t small by any means, but because of the arrays, its force was greatly confined.
Zi Di had not been physically injured by the blast, but her spirit, constantly maintaining the effort, had suffered backlash and was heavily damaged.
Zi Di hurriedly drank a spirit healing potion.
Looking at the pile of rubble, the girl sighed with regret, shaking her head in resignation without a word.
The alchemy had failed, and the materials previously invested were essentially wasted, their appearance utterly disfigured by the destructive force of magic power, making them impossible to recover for use.
The loss of resources was just one aspect, which Zi Di didn’t particularly care about.
Because she had anticipated the possibility of failure and purchased alchemical resources in excess.
What truly troubled her was the time wasted.
At this critical juncture, time was the most precious thing!
“I still have strength left!”
“I can’t stop, gotta keep moving.”
Zi Di, pushing her body to the limit, adjusted her state and began her second attempt at alchemy.
Three hours later, she joyfully gazed at the Repairer Alchemy Puppet, floating in the center of the array.
“It’s finally a success!”
The Repairer Puppet looked like a blue stone sphere with a propeller spinning atop it.
The light from the alchemy array faintly radiated some of the shine from within the stone sphere to the outside.
“Based on quality, it’s only Defective Quality. But at least it’s usable!”
“Next are the other auxiliary components.”
The difficulty in creating these auxiliary components was nothing compared to the main body.
Soon, Zi Di completed a set.
With these components combined, the Repairer now had multiple arms, some ending in fingers, some in needles, some in pens.
Also, a portable tool sphere box hung under the main body, resembling a chubby belly.
Zi Di, mustering her spirit, assigned the Repairer Puppet the task of repairing the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
She observed for a while, and after confirming the Repairer was operating normally, she could no longer hold on, returned to her cabin, and fell into a deep sleep.
Her sleep was profoundly deep.
By the time she awoke, it was already evening.
The second batch of supplies had arrived in the afternoon.
A portion of these were goods exchanged from the Empire, delivered to the dock, while another portion consisted of low-end materials such as Elemental Crystal and hard head copper, which she had instructed the head of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce to acquire in Dun Dao City.
Since they were delivered during the day and weren’t highly valuable, the local forces of Dun Dao City didn’t make any trouble.
Of course, a more significant reason was that they had already suffered a loss.
In Dun Dao City, only the City Lord could suppress the Justice Pirate Group. But would a Golden Level fighter of such stature and authority stoop to attacking a few horse carts?
“My spirit has recovered nicely.”
“I’m a bit hungry.”
Zi Di checked herself and found that she was in good condition.
But her first course of action was not to find food; instead, she went to check on the work of the Repairer Puppet.
When she saw the Repairer again, it was busy repairing the defense magic array.
On the small arms of the Repairer Puppet, two knives, three gun barrels, and two pens were operating nearly simultaneously, their movements extremely skilled.
“The alchemy array for air creation has already been repaired by it.”
“The defense magic array has also been mostly fixed.”
“Although it’s of Defective Quality, its efficiency far surpasses that of me and Cang Xu combined.”
“It’s pretty much most of an alchemist.”
Zi Di was immensely relieved.
Alchemist Apprentice, Alchemist, Master Alchemist, Grandmaster Alchemist, Supreme Alchemist, Alchemy Grandmaster — these are the professional titles recognized in the field of alchemy.
Currently, Cang Xu could only be considered an Alchemist Apprentice, while Zi Di only qualified to take the exam for the title of Alchemist, and that only in the area of potions.
Neither of them were made for the field of alchemy.
The reason Zi Di devoted her energy and time to potions was simply because she thought it was profitable at the time, not out of any real passion. Although she did have some talent in the area of potions, her bloodline was ultimately too low-level.
“This is already the second day since we entered Knife Harbor.”
Time was pressing. After a hearty dinner, Zi Di buried herself in the cabin, ready to craft the second Repairer Puppet.
However, at this moment Cang Xu came looking for her, “This is the Soul Crystal I have concocted.”
Zi Di examined it carefully.
The Soul Crystal was about half the size of a palm, completely transparent, looking like glass. It was prism-shaped, very lightweight, only slightly heavier than a feather.
“Not bad,” Zi Di commented.
Cang Xu shook his head, “I have no talent for alchemy. Thankfully, the method of concoction in the badge is very easy to understand and grasp.”
Now that she had the Soul Crystal, she immediately changed her original plan and temporarily gave up on crafting a new Order Maintainer Puppet.
She bid farewell to Cang Xu and returned to her own cabin, holding the Soul Crystal in her hand, she began to meditate.
She delved into her Spiritual Space, starting to use Undead Techniques to extract impurities from her soul.
Soon, wisps of soul fragments, like smoke and mist, were stripped and pulled from her soul.
These fragments left the Spiritual Space and were stored in the Soul Crystal in Zi Di’s hands.
Once Zi Di finished her great task and reopened her eyes, she felt a sense of relief deep within her soul.
Her soul seemed unchanged and even the upper limit of her spiritual power had decreased, but Zi Di knew she had benefited immensely.
Her spiritual power was now much more enduring than before, and the hidden dangers deep within her soul had vanished.
Now looking at the soul gem in her hand.
Originally like transparent glass, it was now filled with a grayish-black color, and on the edges, there was a faint trace of silver halo. This trace of a halo indicated that the soul stored in the gem was of the Silver Level.
Zi Di used Spiritual Penetration on the soul gem, browsing through it like a disorganized, incomplete book, witnessing scenes from the ship ghost’s memory.
Adding on the memories she gained from absorbing the ship ghost’s soul, Zi Di spent two hours copying and organizing worthwhile content from these memories.
The record contained the ship ghost’s experience in practicing Undead Magic, the techniques for creating Soul Crystals, as well as the methods to become a Desecration Priest.
Of course, it was still incomplete. After all, when Zi Di devoured the ship ghost’s soul, the latter had already been severely damaged and on the verge of dissolution.
The record was meant to be given to Cang Xu, of course.
Cang Xu’s progress in the area of Desecration Priest as soon as possible was critical for the Justice Pirate Group.
As for the soul gem…
Zi Di put it away as she had other uses for it.
That very same night.
Big Military Port.
Wei Sheng was awakened from his sleep.
This young man had golden short hair and eyebrows, long and thick, joined in the center and extending diagonally upwards towards the temple forming a large V shape with his golden eyebrows.
Although his pleasant dream was disturbed, Wei Sheng was not angry, but instead looked at the person who woke him with some solemnity, “What has happened?”
He was an Earl of the Empire, currently fully acting on behalf of Navy Marshal Yan Tan’s affairs. This rigorous soldier of the Empire knew very well that he would not be disturbed at night without an important matter.