"Gaia, produce one thousand Second-Generation Ant-Men. Load them with mechanized minds and the artisan template!"
"Sub-Brain, transmit the artisan knowledge template!"
"Confirmed! Loading complete!"
"Confirmed!"
Lu Zhiyu watched as the black sphere began to writhe. One by one, its hatches opened, and hot air billowed out. It looked like a beehive, with Ant-Men emerging one after another. They formed ranks atop the nameless black mountain. No trees grew on its peak; only the bare ridges of the mountain range stretched into the distance!
These Ant-Men looked different from their predecessors. The Second-Generation Ant-Men were much stronger and shorter, their bodies clad in gleaming black armor. They looked like black-armored warriors, nothing like ants or insects anymore.
Their hands had also become more dexterous, capable of finer tasks with fingers like human hands. They had even gained vocal organs, though they could only give basic, programmed responses. They could not answer questions beyond the knowledge contained in their templates. Most importantly, they would live longer.
The Ant-Men put the many tools Lu Zhiyu had brought to use. Under Gaia's mental control, the thousand Ant-Men were assigned their tasks. Following Lu Zhiyu's plans, they began construction: leveling the ground, quarrying stone, felling trees, and gathering materials.
Lu Zhiyu had installed Gaia on this nameless mountain in the Black Forest because he wanted to build his own Wizard Tower here. From this starting point, he would recruit wizard apprentices from the Maria World and develop the wizard system.
After all, Lu Zhiyu had invested so much effort in developing even the Magic Network. He had to put it to use as soon as possible. In his vision, a fantastical tower would rise on this mountain. In the future, wizard apprentices would emerge from it, learning how to use the Magic Network and awakening