Magic Spring Ore

"It might be some kind of periodic gathering and homing of monsters..."

Just as Mu Ri was about to say something to reassure the troops, a series of ringing notification sounds suddenly rang in his mind.

That's the sound from the control panel.

[Current Normal Quest: End the Warcraft Crisis (Completed)]

Mu Ri paused for a moment.

Then he let out a long breath.

The Warcraft crisis, the Earth-Surging Demon Springs, it's really over.

"Disarmament can begin."

Beside them, a middle-aged man in military uniform spoke up. He was the Minister of Military Affairs of the Suguang Civilization, who had served Mu Ri for twenty years. "Next, we need sufficient manpower to participate in the construction."

He was telling the truth.

The Suguang Civilization currently has a population of 500,000, but its army and logistics personnel total 45,000.

With roughly one-tenth of the population in the military, this proportion would be exaggerated in any era, and insane in the Steam Age.

The war potential has been completely exhausted. Half of the workers in the factories are producing military supplies, most of the labor force has been conscripted for transportation, and every expenditure in the treasury must be carefully calculated. The state of the entire civilization is very unhealthy.

"No."

Mu Ri slowly stood up, holding a book in one hand and a sword in the other, looking at the Sun of Origin Star.

The Minister of Military Affairs was taken aback.

"The military will be retained for the time being."

"But—" the Minister of War exclaimed anxiously, "Without labor, we cannot develop! Factories need people to farm, farmland needs people to work, construction needs people to contribute, and the army occupies so many people, how can we develop?"

"Without labor, we certainly cannot develop," he said, his voice soft but clear. "But our eyes must be on the Future. On the Future fifty years, a hundred years."

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of soldiers before him.

What will the world be like in the Future?

No one answered.

"Globalization," Mu Ri says, "Industrialization, militarization."

He paused.

"And what is the foundation upon which all of this is built?"

"Men!" a soldier answered.

"Energy!" another soldier answered.

"Yes. Energy." Mu Ri nodded. "Energy is the foundation of Civilization Development. So, what is the best energy source, the most versatile energy source?"

"Mana!" another soldier replied.

"From where does it come?"

"The fissure in the earth! The demonic spring!"

This time, more people answered.

Mu Ri's lips curled up slightly.

"Then, the fissures in the earth are like Mana mines. Tell me, what reason do we have not to seize them?"

A commotion broke out in the army.

"All troops, attack!" Mu Ri raised his sword high and swung it down sharply. "Establish positions in the fissures! Before the other civilizations can react, occupy as much fissure area as possible!"

"Yes--!"

The sound was deafening.

"At the same time," Mu Ri continued after the voice subsided, "Prepare for relocation. We need a new city, right next to the crevice."

The army began its operation.

The tanks roared forward, their tracks leaving deep marks on the ground. Infantrymen jogged to keep up, clearing the way and providing support, while Steam Armored Soldiers marched in formation. The accompanying mages began casting spells, bestowing various buffs upon the army.

On the Cangyuan Continent, fissures teeming with magical beasts and Mana Spread from the center to the east.

According to the theory of light, the Suguang Civilization is furthest from the crevice in the earth.

However, the Suguang Civilization bore the brunt of the monster attacks.

Therefore, it is only natural to occupy more of the mineral resources in the fissures!

Mu Ri stood atop the tank, watching all of this.

He suddenly looked down at his hands.

That hand, the hand holding the sword, was translucent in the sunlight. It wasn't an illusion; it was genuinely somewhat transparent, and you could vaguely see the veins and bones beneath the back of the hand.

His body... underwent some unknown change.

As soon as the special event ended, Su Luo couldn't wait to adjust the time flow to 6000 times and then went to find the God of Magic.

He's just being stubborn in the World Channel. Who wouldn't want to learn a blue level 40 Spell during District War, then frantically craft the Skill Book and have the God of Magic buff it?

Kundina and Yun Xiaoxiao had just freed up their hands.

Just now, they successfully recorded most of the data for a blue level 40 Spell, and Su Luo couldn't wait to take it into the Dream Library.

Learning, computational Optimization, minimizing Xiao Luo, specifying directions, data collection, simulation experiments, real-world experiments...

After going through the entire process, Su Luo felt the Spells that suited her, activated her class skills, and began inscribing regardless of the energy consumption.

[Frost World (Blue)]

[Level cap 40]

[Learnable]

Su Luo handed the Skill Book to Kundina, somewhat expectant.

Kundina took it and used it. After a while, she shook her head, sent a screenshot through her Personal Channel, and spoke at the same time.

"I already had a level 40 skill," she said calmly. "After learning your improved skill, you naturally had a high level of 39. Using some Skill Experience Stones, you broke through the blue level 40 barrier and reached the purple level."

[Frost World (Purple) Level 1]

"The upper limit is no longer displayed. Purple Skills are special and cannot be leveled up quickly using Skill Experience Stones... meaning the maximum you can farm is purple. As for whether Purple Skills can actually be farmed, we don't know yet, but that would require a lot of time to level up, and we don't have that much time."

Kundina refused the experiment that Su Luo hadn't yet mentioned; she didn't have that much energy.

Instead of using Scholar Spells, Kundina needs more blue skills, or she can directly practice the Purple Skills obtained from Exploration Quests.

Each Purple Skill in the Exploration Quest is equivalent to Survivor's "trait," not only unique but also capable of growth, unlike a single Spell.

"... Alright then, let's continue recording, and then work on other blue Spells after we're done?" Su Luo said with a hint of regret.

There's simply no way to keep grinding. Purple Skills are different from previous quality skills; they require combat, time, and enlightenment.

In other words, Dreamscape cannot withstand high energy levels; otherwise, it would be better to let Kundina experience time acceleration...

However, raising all Spell levels to near purple is also a good idea; it's good for building a foundation.

"Sure," Kundina readily agreed.

"What about me? What about me? Am I just recording data?"

Yun Xiaoxiao asked somewhat anxiously.

It's getting really boring.

I don't know why a mindless human-machine interface would be bored; maybe it's just that strange from the factory settings.

"You..." Su Luo thought for a moment, "I brought the Machine Fortress out to play with you."

Without hard work, you'll only become a plaything for Yun Xiaoxiao.

Su Luo reached into the Dreamscape and pulled out the Machine Fortress.

The Machine Fortress has changed a lot recently. It was originally a pure Dreamscape creature, but after awakening some of the architect's memories, it slowly became Semi-Dream Creature.

Perhaps because the architect, as a member of Previous Civilization, was himself Semi-Dream Creature, the Machine Fortress has regressed to its ancestral form.

The older it is, the stronger it becomes.