Warship Activation!

"Hiss, hiss, hiss."

After Merlin poured more than ten thousand Elemental Crystals into the High-Energy Power Furnace, the dust-covered, battered furnace finally responded with a series of strange sounds.

Lights began flickering across the warship, though they remained unstable.

"Beep. Warship energy is below one percent. Minimum activation requirements have not been met. Please add more energy!"

The Matrix spoke again. It had taken control of the warship's central console, and nothing that happened aboard escaped its monitoring.

"It really can convert them. It worked!"

Merlin watched the High-Energy Power Furnace come fully to life, delighted. Its ability to break down materials exceeded his expectations. The energy from more than ten thousand Elemental Crystals was still nowhere near one percent of the warship's capacity, but he could keep adding more.

Soon, Elemental Crystals poured from his spatial ring like sand and into the High-Energy Power Furnace. This time, he fed it not ten thousand, but a full million crystals.

"Beep. Energy has reached one percent. The warship can now be activated. Activate?"

The Matrix's announcement brought Merlin little joy. He had put in a million Elemental Crystals, yet the warship's energy had risen by only one percent.

Fully restoring its energy would require at least a hundred million Elemental Crystals. Even to Merlin, that was an astronomical figure.

"Don't activate it yet!"

Gritting his teeth, Merlin poured in another ten million-plus Elemental Crystals. The warship's energy rose to eleven percent. It was still low, but no longer as dangerously low as before. He could do quite a lot with the warship now.

"Activate the entire warship!"

Merlin gave the Matrix the command, and the whole vessel began to tremble.

"Hum."

It seemed to be the sound of the warship's propulsion system starting up. Then the entire vessel lit up, brilliant