Chapter Twenty: The Vajra Puppet (Part One)

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For Xiuyi, obtaining the undead demon rat was unquestionably a tremendous gain. In the short term, its value even surpassed that of Electra’s laboratory.

The undead demon rat had retained all of its former ghostlike mobility and lightning-fast reflexes.

After seeing Ashlin off, Xiuyi tried sparring with it.

The result proved that the creature moved far too quickly. Even after using Gale Strike, Xiuyi could not move faster than it—especially after he had enhanced it with a Wind Spirit Formation.

The rat also possessed formidable offensive power. Alchemy had forged its tail into an extraordinarily sharp sawblade. Xiuyi had further bestowed the advanced enchantments “Sharpness” and “Magic-Breaking” upon its tail, teeth, and claws, and reinforced its entire body with a “Sturdiness” formation on top of the strengthening it had already undergone.

At last, Xiuyi poured all his battle aura into a single slash against the rat. He failed to inflict even the slightest damage upon it, while completely destroying an enchanted longsword. Xiuyi estimated that it could probably withstand the slash of a warrior of Ocean rank or higher. He simply did not know whether it could endure an even stronger opponent.

In the days that followed, Xiuyi devoted himself wholeheartedly to alchemy.

He was busy manufacturing adamantine golems and cultivating the seeds he had sown.

During this period, Buckler spoke with him several times, mainly to report on the bandits led by Reler. From what he heard, although Xiuyi himself was absent, his lingering influence remained—the treatment they received from Hoding was quite favorable.

Although Buckler did not know what Xiuyi intended to do with them, this at least proved that Xiuyi had no intention of remaining in Biliyas for long. That reassured Buckler considerably. After hearing Lilith and Ashlin’s reports, Buckler had finally confirmed that Xiuyi would indeed bring trouble to everyone.

For now, he could only hope that Xiuyi would leave him at least one spatial ring before departing.

For such a thing, taking one risk would be worthwhile.

Time passed swiftly under such circumstances, and the materials Buckler had promised to collect for Xiuyi arrived one shipment after another. With those materials in hand, Xiuyi accelerated his work on the adamantine golems.

Xiuyi decided to manufacture six adamantine golems at once.

Automaton Assistant Number Six warned him that, without first conducting a trial production, attempting to manufacture six adamantine golems simultaneously would make the likelihood of failure far greater than the likelihood of success. But Xiuyi had no choice.

He knew that he did not have much time. The only way to improve his efficiency was to throw money at the problem.

He did not expect all six adamantine golems to succeed on their first attempt, but he hoped that, even with such a low success rate, at least two would be completed successfully.

To that end, he devoted all his energy to the task, planning to finish everything within thirty days.

On the seventh day of work, the first adamantine golem was completely ruined. Every stage of the process began with it, so the risk of error was greatest there.

On the twelfth day, the second adamantine golem was declared a failure.

Such a rapid rate of failure filled Xiuyi with a trace of despair.

“Number Six, am I simply too incompetent? Or am I too greedy?”

Today, Xiuyi sat on the floor, staring at the four half-finished golems before him. For a moment, he did not know where to begin.

The manufacture of an adamantine golem involved several key steps. The first was preparing a special shape-changing metal.

Fortunately, Electra’s notebook contained a clear description of the manufacturing process, so this was not difficult for Xiuyi.

The real challenge came after the metal had been prepared: shaping it according to a special design and inputting its commands.

The commands were input through magical patterns. Xiuyi already had experience in that area and was quite confident in his ability. The problem was that he had no experience whatsoever with shaping.

Shaping was a branch of alchemy Electra had specifically developed for adamantine golems. Their transforming attacks did not change at random; they followed a specialized set of transformation rules. Shaping meant designating the adamantine golem’s various offensive and defensive forms before its birth.

In theory, an outstanding alchemist with an excellent foundation in martial arts could shape an adamantine golem into as many as a hundred attack forms, making its power immensely formidable and terrifying.

The adamantine golem Electra had left behind possessed only four shapes. In other words, that golem had only three methods of attack and one method of defense: a greatsword on its right arm, a heavy axe, a shield on its left arm, and a full-body suit of spiked steel armor. The greatsword was used for thrusting, the heavy axe for cleaving, the shield for blocking, and the spiked armor for charging.

For Electra, who was not a warrior and possessed few warrior combat techniques, those four forms were already sufficient.

But Xiuyi was different. With his combat ability and awareness, he could shape his adamantine golems into many more combat forms and teach them far more combat techniques. He could devise many additional methods of fighting.

The only problem was that his alchemy clearly fell short of what was required.

His first two adamantine golems had both been destroyed during this process.

“My former master once said that the reason he considered the adamantine golem superior to the Troll God was not merely because it could be carried inside a spatial item. More importantly, it possessed enormous potential. Unfortunately, my master had a habit: he was interested only in unexplored fields of knowledge and never devoted effort to perfecting what he already possessed. He did not concern himself with maximizing the practical value of a given technology; he cared only about whether he possessed that technology at all. Therefore, he believed that keeping adamantine golems in his hands was actually a waste.”

The automaton assistant spoke slowly.

Xiuyi raised his head in confusion. “You mean…”

The automaton assistant replied, “Although people like to divide alchemists into specialized categories such as potion-makers, artificers, and enchanters, my former master divided them into only two types. One type endlessly explores the unknown. The other pushes the development of known fields to their limits. My master belonged to the former. He often said, ‘A person must know what he is good at before he can do it well.’

“So, my new master, although you have repeatedly failed to manufacture adamantine golems, I believe that you belong to the latter category my master described—the kind of alchemist who pushes known fields to their limits. Your exacting demands regarding the shaping of adamantine golems are proof of your talent in this area.”

Xiuyi listened, somewhat absorbed. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I thought I was doing this only because I wanted to resist the Empire’s pursuit.”

“For an alchemist, there are many ways to strike at a person or a nation. The method you choose usually reveals where your interests lie. If my former master were standing here now, and he wanted to deal with the target you wish to oppose, he would certainly choose another method. He would create even more powerful automatons and continue developing new ones, rather than applying existing alchemy to its utmost limits.

“That is precisely why the adamantine golems were ultimately hidden away. He had no interest in considering how to use them. But you are clearly different. If my memory is correct, I recall you telling me that you improved potions several times in the past. You also invented spatial rings and teleportation formations by building upon my former master’s work and drawing your own insights from it.

“This means that you are not a genius who creates everything from nothing. You are a genius who can turn stone into gold. You do not possess the kind of imagination that conjures rich possibilities from thin air, but you do possess the gift of association—the ability to extend a single clue without limit.”

Xiuyi was stunned.

He had never realized that his true strength in alchemy was not that of an alchemist who first used extraordinary imagination to construct a possible concept, then worked tirelessly to bring it into reality.

Yes, he had not studied alchemy for the sake of pursuing magic. In that respect, he was unlike every other alchemist. He was an alchemist who delved into his craft in pursuit of power. He was more enthusiastic about learning the techniques of others and then improving them, making them even more exceptional.

At that thought, he nodded. “You are right. This notebook contains records of more than just adamantine golems, but that is clearly what interests me most. What I have been thinking about is how to improve them. Unfortunately, I failed, despite having worked hard enough.”

“Then work a little harder.”

Perhaps because an automaton’s intelligence was too simple, Assistant Number Six offered him no further encouragement or comfort.

Yet those words—work a little harder—left Xiuyi frozen.

Then work a little harder!

Yes. If the effort he had already made was insufficient, then he would simply have to work harder.

Had he not encountered countless difficulties on Purgatory Island, only to grit his teeth and overcome them? Why was he sighing over such a minor setback now?

Xiuyi had never imagined that he would be taught a lesson by an automaton, but those words completely moved him.

He nodded at Number Six. “Yes. Then we will work a little harder! We are not going to give up, are we?”

The automaton assistant nodded in its stiff, mechanical rhythm.

At the same time, Chakley was entering Lasher’s office.

“Word has come from Royo City. Someone purchased a batch of alchemical materials there on the afternoon three days ago. That makes it the fourth consecutive large-scale purchase in recent days.”

Lasher immediately perked up. “What kind of materials?”

“Mostly ores, along with a small amount of rare metals, such as mithril and starsteel. The four purchases totaled around ten thousand gold Vettes. Before that, a batch of magical weapons was sold off on the market for almost the same amount. Judging from the timing, they were probably handled by the same group. They were very cautious, but we still noticed something suspicious.”

“Ores?” Lasher narrowed his eyes. “When Xiuyi Glaire purchased materials last time, he did not seem to need much of those. Can you determine what they are making from the materials?”

Chakley answered coldly, “Puppet warriors. High-grade puppet warriors, at that. But we cannot determine which kind.”

“Damn it!” Lasher sprang to his feet. “What is Xiuyi Glaire planning? Is he trying to assemble an army and oppose the Empire?”

“Perhaps he is.” Chakley sneered. “Royo City lies in the Biliyas Mountains. If your deduction is correct, Xiuyi Glaire should be somewhere in that region. It is a famous refuge for lawless people.”

Lasher fell silent and began searching the map carefully.

Chakley asked, “Where do you think he will be?”

“Thorn Locust Town.” Lasher pointed to a spot on the map.

“The territory of that Ocean-ranked warrior, Brian Buckler?”

“In fact, the people who purchased those materials were very likely Buckler’s men. You know he has never been afraid of us.”

“That is because the Empire has not had the time to play hide-and-seek with him. But if he dares shelter Xiuyi Glaire, the nature of the matter will change completely.”

“You know Xiuyi Glaire has more than enough ways to buy Buckler off. That would not trouble him.”

At those words, Chakley’s expression immediately darkened.

Xiuyi Glaire was clearly very adept at cooperating with all kinds of people, especially greedy ones.

“So we are going to Thorn Locust Town?” Chakley asked.

“No. There is no need.” Lasher shook his head. “Didn’t the people who purchased the materials explicitly say that they would return on the twentieth of next month? They intend to attend the annual Ancient Alchemical Materials Exchange Fair. We only need to wait for them there. Entering the mountains would create too much disturbance and might alert them. Once Xiuyi Glaire escaped, it would be extremely difficult to catch him again.”

“But that could also be a smokescreen.”

“For anyone else, perhaps. But not necessarily for Xiuyi Glaire. The materials exchange fair holds a fatal attraction for any alchemist. Given Xiuyi Glaire’s character, he cannot possibly miss such an opportunity. Besides, he declared war on us once before… Chakley, you know what a declaration of war means, don’t you?”

After thinking for a moment, Chakley replied, “Open opposition.”

“Exactly. If he intends to oppose us, he cannot remain hidden.” Lasher was brimming with confidence. Then he continued, “Personally, I think this looks more like information Xiuyi Glaire deliberately released for us to find.”

“And what does that information represent?”

“That he intends to wage the war in Royo City rather than let the flames of battle spread into the Biliyas Mountains.”

“That may be precisely why Thorn Locust Town was willing to accept him.”

“Exactly. That is what I think as well. For us, this is a good thing. After all, suppressing bandits in the mountains has never been easy. Oh, and there is something else you should know. Our reinforcements have arrived.”

“Reinforcements?” At the word, Chakley’s expression changed slightly.

“Yes. Three of them this time: Sky Warrior Kevin Beers, Sky Warrior Garrick Enston, and the purple-robed mage Liu Bogel. His sixth-level water magic should be enough to restrain the Flamebird, while his fifth-level nature magic should be sufficient to counter Xiuyi Glaire.”

“Those are all major figures. In theory, Bogel alone should be enough to deal with Xiuyi Glaire.”

“Theory is always just theory. Do not forget that Xiuyi Glaire is an alchemist. And do not forget that Ablit is also a sixth-level mage. Xiuyi Glaire is currently manufacturing automatons as well—automatons whose capabilities and functions we know nothing about!” Lasher replied coldly.

Lasher took out a communication crystal and placed it in front of Chakley.

“Kevin Beers sent someone to tell me directly that I am not qualified to command them. They will not come to see me, much less obey my orders. Once I find Xiuyi Glaire, I only need to use this to notify them. They will naturally go capture him. I need not concern myself with anything else—and neither do you.”

At this, Lasher drew a long breath. “A bunch of arrogant bastards.”

Yet on the surface, there was no sign of dejection on his face.

Chakley picked up the communication crystal. “Who invented this? I have never seen one before.”

A mocking smile appeared on Lasher’s face. “Xiuyi Glaire’s only legacy to us: distance communication. The Empire is currently gathering every alchemist it can find to study how it is made, striving to decipher the entire process… This is a semifinished product. It works perfectly well, but its cost is several times higher.”

Chakley gave a helpless, bitter laugh. “All the alchemists in the country put together still cannot match him alone?”

“Knowledge cannot be accumulated through numbers. The combined knowledge of a hundred children can never equal that of a single adult.”

“That is true.”

“You know, Chakley, part of me now hopes that Xiuyi Glaire will kill those arrogant bastards one by one.”

“Watch your words, Lasher,” Chakley cut in coldly. “I do not think I need to remind you that they are all major figures. What drew them here was the value of the target, not the target’s strength. In a certain sense, the fact that we cannot resolve this matter ourselves is already a humiliation. Perhaps you do not care about that humiliation, but I do. I should have opposed your request for reinforcements from the very beginning.”

Including Lancelot, the Lancelot Empire possessed only two Saint-ranked warriors, five Star-ranked warriors, and twenty-six Sky-ranked warriors. As for mages, there were fewer than twenty sixth-level mages or higher in total, including those of Saint rank—and Xiuyi had already killed one of them.

Powerhouses of this level had long since transcended the ordinary notion of nobility. They were major figures in the truest sense. One need only consider that even the little princess’s guards were not qualified to ask a Sky Warrior to serve as their captain to understand the pride of Sky Warriors. Across the three great continents, it was unlikely that a peak warrior as miserable as Lancelot could be found a second time.

For Chakley, who had always been fiercely proud, the implication that Lasher considered him incapable of dealing with Xiuyi Glaire—and had therefore brought in major figures to help—filled him with boundless anger.

In theory, if he reported Lasher’s present remarks to the two Sky Warriors and the purple-robed mage, Lasher would be doomed.

Unfortunately, Chakley did not dare.

Even though he truly wanted to hack the bastard before him into pieces for daring to threaten him.

In response to Chakley’s warning, Lasher merely gave a contemptuous sneer.

“Just wait and see,” he said.