Overload Flow

The discussions around them indicated that the match on the arena had concluded.

Clack. Fang Heng closed the casing of the Kingfisher Alpha. Type I Crystals were vastly different from regular attribute crystals, so the internal interface of the magic furnace naturally needed corresponding adjustments. Fortunately, since the third-generation universal magic furnace, designers had considered the issue of replacing different backup core crystals, and the interface had been made adjustable.

As a mature product of the fifth-generation universal magic furnace, the Kingfisher Alpha was no exception. The only issue was that Type I Crystals were still an unknown product in this world, and Fang Heng had spent some time testing its actual output range.

After closing the lid, a window popped open:

Kingfisher Alpha AE Type Magic Furnace -- (Equipment Level: E+ Grade)

'Core Attributes: Max Output Power 190M, Instant Overload 11%, Stable Overload Time 70 seconds'

'Interface Count: Mana Storage Interface - 2, Recharge Interface - 1 (Recharge Efficiency 317%), Main Interface - 1, Auxiliary Interface - 1'

'Basic Attributes: Self-weight 2.7Kg, High-Temperature Working Critical Value 89, Core Heat Generation Rate 0.3~3.7 per second, Heat Dissipation Efficiency 2.7 per second, Structure Enhancement: +9%'

Equipment Requirements: E Grade Aether Knowledge, E Grade Magic Device Basic Theory

Fang Heng committed the attributes to memory.

Fortunately, when he was underground in the Elven Ruins, he had already considered the issue of replacing the magic furnace after reaching level three. He had prioritized using his cognitive experience to raise his Aether Knowledge and Magic Device Basic Theory by one level, from F to E, and it had indeed come in handy now.

The power output was mainly influenced by the Type I Crystal. Originally, the Kingfisher Alpha's maximum output power could reach 580M. However, because the Alpha state of the Type I Crystal itself was slightly inferior to regular attribute crystals, and he had only modified one area of that phosphorescent crystal, only this much output channel remained.

After all, he had less than fifteen minutes to prepare. Crafting a core crystal required the Element Separation skill—this was somewhat similar to chemical reactions on Earth, also following the principle of conservation—which alchemists called equivalent exchange. By altering the elemental structure within the crystal, they could achieve the desired magical attributes.

This was purely manual labor. Without professional tools, it would take at least several hours to complete. Fortunately, modifying a Type I Crystal using an attribute crystal was much simpler than modifying an attribute-less crystal. If he only modified one area, fifteen minutes would be barely enough.

He then locked down the other areas with attribute magic to prevent any issues during the match. This output power was sufficient; after deducting the Walker's maximum power requirement, an additional plugin could be installed.

Additionally, because Luo Yu was a tourist and couldn't use a professional magic furnace, his universal glove also contained an attribute-less core crystal. Fang Heng had initially considered removing this crystal but hesitated and decided against it.

Since this core crystal was relatively small, with only 110M output power, and the glove itself wasn't heavy, he could handle the additional combat load. He didn't have any other equipment either, so he could afford it, and he also had a new idea.

Just then, Luo Yu parted the crowd and returned, bringing the latest news from the arena.

As expected, Hong Ye had defeated Blood Night Demon Moon in the first round. After all, their levels, equipment, and skill were not on the same level. This also confirmed Hudi's statement—this match was, at best, an exhibition match.

Fang Heng's situation was special. Due to the withdrawal of the Elpaxin Artificer Guild's contestant, the judges had already announced his advancement to the next round.

This unexpected advancement had caused quite a stir in the hall. Those who followed the preliminary rounds were a niche group, and very few people at the venue knew Fang Heng. Many were discussing him, the 'mysterious qualifier,' with most considering him a lucky fellow, nothing more. Only a few paranoid individuals whispered doubts about whether the Kaolin Merchant Alliance had rigged something.

Hearing this made Fang Heng break out in a cold sweat.

Luo Yu then said, "So, as expected, the next match should be between Mr. Ed and Sister Hong Ye."

"What about the other side?" Etila asked.

"Ah, that was truly a spectacular match." The Paparal who had been watching there recounted the situation vividly. In the semi-finals, Wu Di had defeated his companion. Neither of them held back, but Wu Di's skill was clearly superior.

That young man's Flexible Construct was similar to the Walker Type III that everyone had seen before, but it had undergone many modifications and even possessed some long-range attack capabilities. However, all of that was meaningless in front of Wu Di's Flexible Construct. Wu Di's Flexible Construct was actually the Empire's third-generation mass-produced heavy-duty Flexible Construct—the Fearless.

Upon hearing about this, everyone couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. Theoretically, the Fearless was a Flexible Construct that required level fifteen to use. Those two youths from Silverwood Spear definitely weren't at that level. He judged that the opponent's AEM type magic furnace, the 'Central Nervous System,' must have played a significant role, with at least two plugins reducing calculation and operation requirements.

Furthermore, Wu Di's own skills and knowledge structure were likely quite specialized, leaning more towards construct control. General Combat Artificers also had to balance crafting abilities, as they were alchemists first and foremost.

Hudi believed that the Fearless was likely not a complete unit either; this possibility was quite high.

Soon, the results brought back by Jita confirmed this guess—he had cleverly obtained the basic data of the two talented youths from Silverwood Spear directly from the Taboris Oak Knights' intelligence department.

Indeed, Wu Di was a level eleven Alchemist, a human male, from the Kaolin-Ishurian Alliance, officially seventeen years old, and had been in Aethelria for four years, one of which was as a Trainee.

Everyone was surprised by this data. This guy had entered Aethelria a year younger than Jita, becoming a Trainee at thirteen. What kind of talent was this?

The other youth was far less impressive. His ID was Liuli Yue, a level ten Alchemist, also a human male, from the Kaolin-Ishurian Alliance, officially seventeen years old, and had been in Aethelria for three years, one of which was as a Trainee.

"Tch," Tian Lan scoffed upon seeing the data. "He's about the same level as Tata. So arrogant."

"This information is rather basic," Hudi commented after reviewing the data.

"There's no helping it," Luo Yu replied for Jita. "These two should be the rising stars of the Combat Artificer program at Silverwood Spear. They've always kept their information confidential, so it's already difficult to get this much."

Tian Lan said carelessly, "Anyway, let's not worry about Wu Di for now. As long as we defeat the next opponent, Brother Ed can teach that detestable troublemaker a lesson."

"Then what about the next contestant's information?" the Paparal asked, standing on tiptoe to barely reach the edge of the table and looking at the others.

Luo Yu and Jita exchanged glances.

Fang Heng's next opponent, Hong Ye, was a female contestant from the Taboris Oak Knights. As trainees of the Knights, they naturally couldn't betray their guild's information.

Tian Lan hadn't realized this yet and blinked at them.

Fang Heng, however, understood and was about to say that it wasn't necessary to know such detailed information, to avoid putting them in a difficult position. Just then, a pair, one master and one servant, arrived at their table, causing him to stop involuntarily and look at them.

In fact, all eyes were drawn to the sudden appearance of these two—a tall, silent, and quiet maid. In front of her was a slender, delicate, and melancholic young girl, whose fair skin glowed with radiance.

Even the surrounding voices consciously lowered.

"What a beautiful young lady."

Fang Heng even heard Tian Lan exclaim involuntarily.

"We meet again, good evening everyone," the young girl said softly, her voice clear and ethereal. "May we sit here? There's no room elsewhere."

Luo Yu frowned and was about to refuse, but a voice replied with uncontrollable excitement, "Of course!"

The young man looked speechlessly at Tian Lan beside him.

"My name is Sky Blue Fantasy, you can call me Tian Lan, beautiful young lady." Tian Lan looked at her with great curiosity, as well as at the huge box she carried in her hands—she sometimes couldn't help but wonder if the girl's slender and delicate waist wouldn't snap under the weight of that enormous box.

"Little... sister?" The young girl blinked, her light blue eyes looking at Tian Lan from behind her veil.

Her eyes were clear as a deep pool, without a single secret, as if her inner world was laid bare. It made Tian Lan's heart skip a beat, even though she herself was also a girl.

The young girl paused before introducing herself, "My name is Sylvid, and this is my maid, Shesta."

The maid's light violet eyes held a suspicious gaze as she looked at everyone present. Still, she clasped her hands over her apron and bowed slightly to everyone.

After receiving Tian Lan's permission, Sylvid placed her suitcase beside a chair and let out a sigh of relief.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment. In front of such a beautiful, doll-like girl, everyone was at a loss for words.

Sylvid seemed accustomed to this and initiated the conversation, "Were you all discussing that contestant earlier?"

Fang Heng finally reacted and nodded.

Sylvid replied, "I know her name is Hong Ye, and she's nineteen years old. By your standards, I'm a native, so I'm not sure how long she's been in this world. However, she's a registered Level 13 Alchemist with the Gula Port Artificer Association, and her specialty Flexible Construct is the Annihilator QV700."

"Annihilator?" Fang Heng was a little surprised. "A magic-guided Flexible Construct?"

Jita glanced at him, then at the blonde girl, and whispered, "What she said is true. Yes, it is..."

"How do you know?" Luo Yu frowned, looking at the girl and asking in a hostile tone.

His questioning tone made Tian Lan pinch his arm hard, causing him to wince in pain.

Sylvid seemed unfazed by the hostility and replied softly, "Because I also live in Gula Port. Miss Hong Ye is a very famous Chosen Combat Artificer there, and she has a very high reputation among ordinary people."

Luo Yu finally fell silent.

Sylvid continued, "I'm sorry, I don't know if this is helpful to you all, but that's all I know..."

"Of course it's helpful!" Tian Lan immediately replied loudly, giving Luo Yu an annoyed look.

Fang Heng was still pondering the magic-guided Flexible Construct when the announcer's voice boomed from the arena:

"Contestant Shaya, Contestant Shaya, please enter the arena--"

Hearing the strange alias, Tian Lan turned back and said to Fang Heng with a grin, "It's your turn, it's your turn! Ai... no, Brother Shaya, good luck! Your goal is the next opponent!"

It seemed she had automatically disregarded Wu Di, who used the Fearless, as that was simply too monstrous. The actual combat power of a Fearless was practically equivalent to a Level 17 combat class.

No matter how blindly confident she was, she didn't think Fang Heng had any hope of winning.

Fang Heng nodded and stood up, walking towards the center of the arena. He fastened the copper clasp of his Magic Furnace with his hand, adjusted its position, and then looked back at Etila and the others. Whether it was an illusion or not, Fang Heng unexpectedly saw a peculiar gaze on him—it was Sylvid's.

However, the girl quickly lowered her head.

The crowd closed in, obscuring the view. In the brief moment Fang Heng had paused, he had already reached the arena.

The surroundings quieted down slightly--

Since the outer arena didn't attract much attention, many people were seeing Fang Heng, the legendary 'lucky one,' for the first time. Most were looking with curiosity. After all, he was the only contestant in a long time to advance from the qualifiers to the finals.

Although it was through unconventional means.

Fang Heng could even hear some hushed whispers, already bestowing upon him titles that made him want to laugh and cry, such as Lucky Shaya, the Alchemist Who Stepped on Dog Poop, and so on.

At the same time, it was also his first time seeing his opponent from the Taboris Oak Knights—Hong Ye. She was an energetic young girl, dressed in a simple shirt, engineer's skirt, and boots. Her equipment didn't reveal much, with almost no 'branded' gear. Her Magic Furnace was a product of the Kingfisher Workshop, one tier higher than his, but its price was far from that of luxury items like the 'Central Nervous System.'

The Magic Furnace's slots were filled with plugins: a shield generator, a shield recharge device, and an external cooling device.

The moment Fang Heng saw the external cooling device, his heart tightened slightly. He suddenly thought of an ancient tactic related to magic-guided Flexible Constructs.

Overload Flow--

He subconsciously glanced at her left hand. Sure enough, there was a dial-like device there. The opponent noticed Fang Heng's gaze and instinctively covered it with her hand, but it was useless. Fang Heng had already recognized what it was—a Magic Stabilizer.

It was indeed Overload Flow.

Fang Heng thought, how long had it been since he'd seen this tactic? Even in virtual communities, it had been at least several years.

Meanwhile, Hong Ye was also frowning as she looked at Fang Heng. She didn't know what her unintentional glance earlier meant. Was it a coincidence? Or had he noticed something?

But Overload Flow was a very obscure style. She didn't believe a qualifier contestant could discern the trick within this Magic Stabilizer. In fact, let alone a qualifier contestant, even the two geniuses from Silverwood Spear—

Hong Ye felt that the other party might not necessarily recognize it.

Between Combat Artificers, there were still mountains separating their fields.

Thank you to the new盟主 (Alliance Leader) 90后非主流少年 for the reward. This means I owe another chapter, which will be released when the book is officially published.

Additionally, classmate Luo Yu Jiu Shang has created a setting post in the comment section. While the content doesn't entirely represent my thoughts, the organized settings and most explanations are generally correct. Since I don't have time to release the settings myself at the moment, if you have any questions about the settings, please check the pinned post. Consider it as related to the settings.

Furthermore, the plot of Traveler's Respite is nearing its end. This is a relatively important plot node in the early stages. I'll also ask for your votes and collections here.