Weaving Dreams
With the outbreak of the border war, the goblins completely abandoned all pretense of civility.
They halted all freight transport between Green Thorn Port and Dragon Valley and attempted to intercept any ships that tried to bypass Green Thorn Port and sail directly to the Dragon Race territory, intending to blockade the Dragon Race ' maritime trade.
Su Ming's side had a contingency plan for this situation.
Located about eighty kilometers north of Dragon Valley, in the sea, lies Snow Wing Island. This large island also belongs to the dragons' territory.
As the northernmost point in the Dragon Race Kingdom, almost all the Blue Dragon groups migrate here to escape the summer heat.
Although the season has not yet arrived, Su Ming has already taken precautions and dispatched about two hundred Blue Dragon to Snow Wing Island in advance. He has turned this island into a strategic foothold, using it as a base to suppress the waters surrounding Green Thorn Port.
Although the goblin navy was not a powerful force, it still possessed several main warships equipped with anti-dragon weapons and with strong anti-air capabilities. For a time, the two sides were locked in a stalemate at sea.
"Should we send the Pansy north to join the battle?" Elder Zhimeng suggested. "With its power, clearing out these goblin naval forces shouldn't be difficult. In that case, we can switch from defense to offense and counter-blockade the goblin's Green Thorn Port."
A hint of surprise flashed across Zijin's eyes; this was indeed a good tactical idea.
"Green Thorn Port is the goblins' largest trading hub, practically their economic lifeline," Mo Yuan wholeheartedly agreed. "If it's cut off, the goblins' collapse will be greatly accelerated."
"I'm sorry, the Pansy is currently undergoing refitting and combat readiness maintenance and is temporarily unable to be deployed," Zijin explained.
"Modify?" Elder Zhimeng looked puzzled. "With the power of the Pansy, even without any modifications, it should be more than capable of handling this situation, right?"
"Warships, of course, the stronger the better," Zijin replied.
****
Pansy, in the command room.
Su Ming and Newman were confirming the ship's magical defense system plan.
"Didn't you already repair the ' Everwatching Obelisk ' using materials from the ' Sacred Antelope Horn '?" Su Ming asked.
Alchemy is the most common secondary skill among mages, and necromancers are no exception. Newman easily assembled a high-quality alchemy team within the Final Bone Mad Machines and completed the task of repairing this large defensive weapon.
"The defensive array for the 'Everwatching Obelisk ' area requires the support of ley lines to function," Newman explained. "If it were forcibly transplanted onto a ship without the support of ley lines, its effectiveness would probably be less than one-tenth of the original."
"In other words, we need to build a completely new magic defense system for the Pansy." Su Ming quickly realized the core of the problem, "We don't have enough materials?"
"We have a sufficient supply of materials for constructing the magic circle," Newman shook his head. "We've collected and stockpiled quite a bit over this period. The problem lies in the amount of Magic Power crystals needed." He glanced at the massive hull. "Given the size of the Pansy and your proposed defensive strength requirements, we need 500,000 'Minor Flaw' level Magic Power crystals."
A slightly flawed magic crystal costs about ten gold coins on the market. Purchasing just 500,000 magic crystals would cost a staggering five million gold coins! Su Ming finally truly understood how expensive war was.
But it's not just a matter of money.
Such a huge demand cannot be met in the market. The dwarven kingdom's promised transaction amount of one million gold coins can only satisfy one-fifth of the demand.
"Understood." Su Ming suppressed the shock in his heart. "First, complete the basic work of laying the defensive array on the ship. I'll figure out a way to solve the magic crystal problem."
"What about the restored core Everwatching Obelisk '?" Newman inquired. "Is it deployed at Sapphire Port or Ruby Base?"
Su Ming shook his head. "This is the heart of the dragon's territory. The enemy would be out of their mind to launch a full-scale attack." He pointed towards the Celestite Hydropower Station. "Besides, our experimental weapon system will be deployed there, with a range sufficient to cover the Ruby Base. There's no need to worry about defense."
"Understood." Newman nodded, accepted the order, and left.
****
After Newman left, Su Ming began to think about the Magic Power crystal. This important strategic resource was ultimately vulnerable to constraints because their side did not have sufficient production capacity.
In the entire Dragon Territory, only three magic crystal veins have been discovered so far.
One of the sites had relatively normal quality, but it was small in scale, with an annual output of only about 200,000 crystals, which was not enough for the dragons' daily needs. The other site was the Land of Ancestral Spirits, where the crystals were mostly of poor quality with too many impurities, making them unprofitable to mine.
The third vein, which was recently discovered through topographic surveying and exploration, was named the Green Pine Vein by Su Ming. Although its reserves are quite considerable, the quality of the ore is as poor as that of the Land of Ancestral Spirits.
Su Ming opened the mineral sample box beside him, which contained specimens collected from the turquoise vein by Elder Gold Dragon's team. The box was filled with a dazzling array of crystals of various colors, which refracted brilliant light under the light, making them quite beautiful.
However, this only applies to their appearance. With the help of magnifying tools, it can be clearly seen that these magic crystals are filled with a large number of impurity particles and structural flaws.
Because impurities can severely interfere with the operation of Magic Power, Magic Power crystals are generally considered to have no value if their content exceeds 0.5%.
The crystals mined from turquoise veins generally have an impurity content of around 1%.
The mages of this other world have tried countless methods to purify Magic Power crystals. However, Magic Power crystals are extremely sensitive to mechanical stress, and strong external forces can damage their crystal structure.
As for magical methods, they have little effect on aggregates that are already rich in magical elements. Moreover, magical energy itself will also cause damage to them.
Su Ming is attempting to introduce some ore processing technologies from the technology sector, and related experiments are still underway.
****
Younier pushed open the door and came in. "President, the necessary materials have been prepared."
Su Ming nodded slightly, stood up, and walked with Younier into the depths of the Pansy's lower deck.
"According to the combat readiness list, is it necessary to load a full two thousand tons of bombs onto the Pansy?" Younier asked as they walked, her tone tinged with worry. "This amount will severely restrict the supply quota for the East of the Ridge front."
"It's alright," Su Ming explained calmly. "The combat supplies along the East of the Ridge are enough to support us in capturing about five goblin stronghold cities."
"Only attack five?" Younier asked, puzzled. "Gray Ridge has over two hundred goblin cities." Su Ming gave a wry smile. "Even if we only take out half of them, it will take years— Katharine and I don't intend to waste our time there."
Younier was still confused. "But Guild Master, shouldn't we keep fighting enemies like goblins until the very end? Like forcing them to surrender completely?"
"Goblins are a different race," Su Ming sighed. "Even if they surrender under pressure, they will inevitably cause all sorts of trouble and problems afterward." He paused, then added, "Dragon Race, on the other hand, are few in number but powerful individually, making them unsuitable for long-term, meticulous local governance."
If it were a conflict between members of the same race, it might be possible to resolve it gradually over time through political maneuvering and cognitive assimilation. But when it came to the goblin race, Su Ming hadn't considered this approach at all.
"It is indeed a thorny problem," Younier thought for a moment and began to feel the same way.
Soon, the two arrived at the engine room, the lowest level of the Pansy. A new compartment had been cleared out beforehand, with various materials neatly stacked inside.
Beianqi and the core members of the engine room were waiting here.
Holding the operation manual translated by the Electricity-Swallowing Beast in her hand, her eyes gleamed with surprise, and her voice was filled with excitement, "Gas turbine? Another completely new type of power equipment!"
Su Ming nodded. "Its advantages lie in its compact size, high power density, and fast startup and response speed."
While steam turbines were highly efficient and inexpensive to operate continuously, their enormous size was a major drawback. They alone could not possibly meet the Pansy's massive electricity demands during intense combat operations.
With the oil fractionation system at the Ruby Base now operational, Su Ming finally obtained a large quantity of marine diesel fuel to power the gas turbines.
"Therefore, this allows different power systems to complement each other." Beianqi immediately grasped the significance. "This will enrich our tactical choices and response capabilities when facing different battlefield situations."
At Su Ming's summons, a massive gas turbine main unit with a power output of up to thirty megawatts materialized from flying materials and appeared on the reserved equipment base.
Beianqi stepped forward, carefully examining the brand-new equipment, and exclaimed in amazement.
"Such a small size, yet its power output exceeds half that of the previous large equipment?" She still found it hard to believe.
"One drawback of this system is its significantly low fuel efficiency," Su Ming said.
"That's still very strong," said Beianqi. "The ability to deal damage per unit of time is very important on the battlefield."
Following the manuals in their hands, the engine room crew began locating the reserved interfaces on the equipment, securing the equipment base, and connecting various oil, gas, and electrical lines.
The scene suddenly became bustling. With the help of Levitation Spell, people and undead creatures floated everywhere in the ship's cabin.
The secretary handed him a cup of steaming tea, and Su Ming sat down to rest for a while.
The work is far from over. According to the plan, he still needs to summon a second gas turbine, along with a series of supporting equipment such as generators and control systems. Clearly, he will spend all his time today on this upgrade project.
Once installed, together with the existing 50-megawatt steam turbine unit, the Pansy's total power supply capacity will leap to a powerful level of 110 megawatts.
Correspondingly, Su Ming will also need to add an extra propulsion system. At that time, the speed of this giant ship is expected to exceed thirty knots.
****
Later that evening, Su Ming returned to the Ruby Base, exhausted, only to unexpectedly run into Elder Zhimeng, who had just arrived.
Her appearance surprised Su Ming greatly.
"I'm visiting Silver Moon Forest." Zhimeng folded her wings and gracefully landed in front of Su Ming, explaining, "This time we need to purchase a large quantity of supplies from the elves and unicorns."
Su Ming had heard Zijin mention this matter, but he guessed that the quantity was quite large, which was why Zhimeng made the trip herself.
"I flew here ahead of time," she continued, explaining her itinerary, "So that I can set off first thing tomorrow morning and fly directly to my destination."
Su Ming nodded understandingly, but was still somewhat puzzled, "But shouldn't you be resting in the Central Court?"
"I heard you provide meals here?" A mischievous smile appeared in Zhimeng's huge dragon eyes.
The base did indeed have a canteen for the dragon laborers. However, since the Grand Elder was here in person, Su Ming naturally wouldn't be stingy. He instructed his secretary to immediately order a top-of-the-line deluxe meal from "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe".
"Thank you for your hospitality!" Zhimeng said with great satisfaction.
While waiting, Su Ming asked, "Excuse my bluntness, but can Dragon Court's current financial situation support such a large-scale procurement?"
"This crackdown on various goblin merchant guilds and the confiscation of some assets have provided some compensation," Zhimeng answered truthfully, her massive head swaying slightly. "However, there's still a significant shortfall; borrowing is unavoidable."
Su Ming pondered for a moment, then said, "I have something I can use for routine trade with them."
He then led Zhimeng to a warehouse in the base.
"You look very listless." Zhimeng had already noticed Su Ming's condition. She gently flapped her wings, and a warm and soft emerald halo instantly enveloped Su Ming's entire body.
Su Ming felt surrounded by fluorescent light, which gradually dissipated after a moment, but he did not feel any special changes in his body. He couldn't help but look at Zhimeng in confusion.
"Don't worry," Elder Zhimeng Weaver explained, "It's just a blessing to ensure you have a good dream tonight."
"Oh, I see. Thank you!"
The warehouse entrance was designed for human size, Zhimeng to enter. The warehouse staff laboriously dragged out a huge sealed bag from inside, opened it in front of the two, revealing that it was filled to the brim with crystals that shimmered with a ghostly blue luster.
Su Ming put on gloves and reached into the bag to grab a handful of glistening blue particles.
"These are copper sulfate crystals," he told Zhimeng. "Add lime, and you can prepare a reagent called 'Bordeaux mixture.'" As he spoke, he pulled a document from his pocket. "This is a detailed instruction manual for its preparation and use."
Bordeaux mixture itself does not directly kill pathogens, but is a highly effective plant protectant. Its active ingredient is basic copper sulfate, and the dense film formed after spraying can effectively prevent pathogen spores from contacting and invading plant tissues.
"Broad-spectrum and highly effective, with a wide range of prevention and control, and quite environmentally friendly." Zhimeng placed Su Ming's document on the Dragon Claw's claw, casting an amplification spell to aid reading. The dragon's eyes quickly scanned the contents. "This is indeed something the elves desperately need."
"What price you can get depends on your negotiation skills," Su Ming said.
"They'd definitely be happy to trade the forest's produce for it." Zhimeng handed the file back to Su Ming. "However, could you please revise the formatting and structure of the file, making it like an academic paper?"
"Why use a thesis format?" Su Ming didn't understand her intention for a moment. "This is the drug's instructions for use."
"So that the Bay Owl can sign it," Zhimeng said matter-of-factly. "Bordeaux liquor" has never existed in our world before. Instead of wasting time explaining it, it's better to have the Titled Scholar " endorse it directly—concise and authoritative.
The Zijin has successfully solved many difficult plant disease problems and is renowned in the field of agronomy in this other world.
Su Ming thought about it and agreed that it made sense and would save her a lot of trouble. "Okay, I'll let Zijin know later."
The Grand Elder of Zhimeng seemed to be quite flexible in his approach to things, he thought to himself.
Su Ming then made another request. "Do we have a way to buy some Magic Power crystals from the elves?"
After a moment's thought, Zhimeng tapped the ground lightly with her Dragon Tail. "We should be able to negotiate, but the Council of Aether won't trade in large quantities; they themselves have a significant need for Magic Power crystals."
"Let's do our best, buy as much as we can," Su Ming said, expressing his understanding.
****
The delivery dragon arrived, bringing the "top-tier deluxe stewed chicken set meal" ordered by the secretary. Zhimeng used its claws to skillfully hook the handle on the bag, opened it, and elegantly poured the steaming rice, tubers, and the tenderly stewed whole chicken into its mouth.
This is currently the most popular "food bag" design, making it convenient for dragons to eat, and the bag itself can be washed and recycled.
"This thing you designed is really convenient," Zhimeng praised while eating.
Su Ming smiled helplessly. These were actually ton bags used by the Ruby Base to store raw materials, which were requisitioned and modified by the people at the "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe". The slings that were originally used for mechanical handling were conveniently pierced by the dragon's claws and became ready-made handles.
Su Ming suddenly remembered something she could ask, "Elder Zhimeng, are you familiar with divination?"
"Oh?" Zhimeng stopped what she was doing, and the giant dragon eye looked over. "You're having some kind of trouble with divination?"
This is actually because of something that happened on Earth. Miao Xin was just an ordinary working woman, yet she was repeatedly hunted down by the Jackal Organization. The only relatively reasonable explanation is that this group was trying to prevent her from doing certain things in the "future".
Su Ming had been investigating divination. Even in this other world, it was a very niche power. Even the well-informed Zijin didn't know much about it, bluntly stating that it was a "very useless ability."
Su Ming explained the situation to Zhimeng Meng.
"Zijin is right, prophecy is indeed very narrow in its uses and extremely limited," Zhimeng affirmed to Su Ming after listening. "And its learning threshold is exceptionally high." She seemed to be considering how to explain, "For example, if I were a prophet, and I predicted in the morning that I would have chicken to eat that evening," she shook the fragrant bag in her paw, "That if I told others about this prophecy, or if I took any meddlesome actions myself, then it would very likely not happen."
Su Ming thought about it carefully, "This is because the more variables there are, the less certain it becomes which link might be altered due to prior knowledge, thus disrupting the prophecy?"
"Absolutely correct." Zhimeng nodded in approval. "The more complex the matter, the more precise the requirements, the more difficult the prophecy becomes, and the easier it is to be interfered with. Not to mention that making a prophecy itself is already an extremely troublesome and uncertain matter."
She raised her Dragon Claw, "This leads to the fact that, most of the time, prophets simply cannot tell whether things have changed or their prophecies were wrong from the start."
Lacking clear feedback and an error correction mechanism, its guiding significance is unclear. Su Ming nodded; prophecy seemed wonderful, but it had many insurmountable flaws.
"In short, this ability is very limited, and it's generally difficult to utilize its information," Zhimeng said. "However," she changed the subject, bringing the massive dragon head closer, a glint of light in its eyes, "Su Ming, if you want to glean information about what might happen next, divination isn't the only way!"