Yi Aier's Insistence

The thirty-fifth failure.

Staring at the mangled corpse on the lab table, Li Lin frowned.

"This time, the cause is cardiopulmonary insufficiency... leading to Magic Power congestion."

Meanwhile, Nia continued to record the reasons for each failure, as always; clearly, this was not an easy problem to solve.

The main problem lies in...

Without a soul, one cannot manipulate or regulate their own body.

Li Lin continued, saying that this problem, which appeared in the first experiment, still existed in the thirty-fifth. Clearly, this indicated that the experiment itself had significant flaws and biases from the outset. Five days had passed since the previous experiment, but now it seemed the experiment itself was far too intractable. Li Lin had consistently used the method of first forcibly extracting the soul from the test subject's body, then implanting a magic core, and subsequently initiating assimilation. However, during this process, the power of the magic core would react to the body, and if the body itself did not respond to these reactions in time, the result would be a direct explosion. But, a body without a soul naturally could not proactively respond to these reactions.

"It seems this matter won't be so easily resolved."

Li Lin shook his head and sighed. To be honest, he was starting to regret not choosing medicine as his major while he was on Earth.

"How about we wait until Miss Angela returns before dealing with this?"

Nia closed the notebook in her hand and offered her suggestion with a hint of helplessness.

"Miss Angela seems to be quite skilled in this area..."

In a sense, Nia's understanding wasn't entirely wrong. Angela had a penchant for killing, but just like in movies where the most ruthless killers are often the most capable of saving lives, she should have a deep understanding of human anatomy and structure. However, despite this, Li Lin didn't believe Angela could be of any help to him in this regard. After all, this was a different matter, but for now... it seemed there were no other good options.

"That's the only way."

After washing the blood off his hands, Li Lin shrugged and made his decision.

"After Angela comes back, I'll talk to her and see if the little one has any good ideas."

"Master, you have a guest."

Just then, Suoxiate suddenly appeared beside Li Lin, handing him a towel and speaking as she did so.

"Is it that princess?"

Needless to say, there are very few people in Ringwraith City who are qualified to do this.

Stepping out of the laboratory and back into his bright study, Li Lin found Princess Shirley waiting quietly. Upon seeing Li Lin, Princess Shirley quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. "Respected Arcane Mage, please forgive my intrusion."

"It's nothing, you didn't bother me. Besides..."

Li Lin paused for a moment, but ultimately didn't continue. He wondered what Princess Gonghe's expression would be if she knew Li Lin had just been experimenting on humans. However, he could now roughly guess the princess's purpose in coming.

"Princess Shirley must have something important to discuss with me."

"Yes, Your Excellency Arcane Mage."

Princess Shirley nodded slightly and continued speaking.

"I have come here to express my gratitude... Thank you for providing such powerful weapons to our Sea-Encircled Country to defend against foreign enemies. Such generosity leaves us speechless..."

"We can skip the diplomatic talk, Princess Shirley."

Li Lin had already guessed why Princess Shirley had come. Just two days prior, Yi Aier had finally secured the first experimental weapon he had designated for export, and was currently planning to send it to the Sea-Encircled Country for trade. Naturally, Princess Shirley was informed of this so that she could take the weapon back to her country. Of course, this was still somewhat different from the civilian weapon Li Lin needed; strictly speaking, it was... an experimental product.

As long as no one dies, it's fine.

Although the weapon was incredibly rudimentary in the eyes of a mage, it was more than enough to fool ordinary people.

"We all know very well that this is merely a diplomatic deal."

"However, our Sea-Encircled Country has nothing to offer you in return."

After revealing her purpose to Li Lin that day, Princess Shirley seemed much more relaxed. This Arcane Mage was currently neither short of money, women, nor status. As a diplomatic envoy, she naturally understood that equal exchange was the foundation of politics; otherwise, although the Magic Empire was currently providing them with "unconditional" assistance, they would certainly use it to make demands on the Sea-Encircled Country in the future. Rather than that, it was better to quickly finalize the details of the trade agreement, at least on a political level, to avoid any omissions or problems.

"I understand what you mean, Princess Shirley."

Li Lin understood what Princess Shirley meant, so he didn't stand on ceremony.

"In fact, there are some things I hope you can help me with."

"Please speak."

Upon hearing this, Princess Shirley straightened up, her face serious and tense. Finally, the negotiations had reached the crucial, substantive issue.

"First of all, I think you should understand that our Magic Empire is not a nation that enjoys bloodshed and death. Although your country is located on the periphery, you should have heard the story of how our empire perished over the past thousand years... Although that story is not entirely accurate, to some extent you should be able to understand the crimes the Five-Nation Alliance committed against us."

"That's... of course..."

Princess Shirley replied with some confusion, unsure of what Li Lin was trying to say. Justify his actions? It didn't seem so. In fact, given the Magic Empire's current strength, even without justifying its actions, wouldn't these small countries have to obediently comply? Did they really think that uniting would allow them to contend with the Magic Empire? What a joke! If the small countries possessed such power, how could they have been suppressed by the Five-Nation Alliance for so long?

"For us, the Five-Nation Alliance is our enemy, and we do not wish to cause trouble outside of it."

Li Lin changed his posture, interlacing his fingers as he looked at Princess Shirley.

"But now, I think things have become less as we thought."

You mean...?

Princess Shirley had been living in the Ringwraiths and the Book City for days, completely unaware of the outside world, so she didn't understand why Li Lin would say these things now.

"We received intelligence a few days ago."

As he spoke, Li Lin made a gesture, and soon, Suoxiate stepped forward and handed a scroll of intelligence to Princess Shirley.

"The Temple is currently planning to unite all the nations on the continent to destroy our Magic Empire."

Li Lin emphasized the word "all".

"I think your country is unlikely to become one of them."

"Of course not, Arcane Mage."

Upon hearing this, the clever Princess Shirley immediately understood what the other person meant and quickly responded.

"We do not believe in God of Justice, nor do we wish to be deceived by the Five-Nation Alliance any longer."

"Of course, I believe in your country's sincerity."

The hype is dying down; it's time to prepare for the next move.

"But I am worried that other countries, under pressure from the Five-Nation Alliance, will make decisions we do not want to see."

Now, Li Lin finally revealed his conditions completely.

"Princess Shirley, you are a member of the royal family of the Sea-Encircled Country, and the Sea-Encircled Country is also one of the more prestigious among those countries. I hope you can persuade those countries not to participate in such a foolish action. Our goal is only Five-Nation Alliance; we do not wish to create more enemies."

At this point, Li Lin's expression darkened slightly.

"However, we are not afraid of any enemy. Any enemy who dares to stand in our way of revenge, no matter their reasons, we will not show mercy. Those who offend us will be repaid tenfold. We will not be lenient with any enemy, nor will we give them any leeway. If they choose another path, they will pay a heavy price for their choice."

The air suddenly turned cold and heavy. Princess Shirley lowered her head, not daring to breathe. It was the first time she had seen Li Lin so angry. Although he didn't show it on his face, his voice and the surrounding atmosphere clearly revealed it. Princess Shirley then realized what kind of person she was dealing with. Whether the legend was true or false, the other party was, after all, Arcane Mage, a former ruler of a thousand-year-old empire. Compared to him, she was merely...

"This is my request, Princess Shirley."

Suddenly, Li Lin's expression changed again. The tense atmosphere from before disappeared, and now, his face showed his usual calm and gentle expression.

"I can assure you here that our Magic Empire will only attack the Five-Nation Alliance. Moreover, we will only occupy the lands we once possessed. As for other territories, we have little interest in them. If you are willing to eliminate the Five-Nation Alliance and annex those territories, we will not object. Of course, I understand that our Magic Empire's reputation on this continent is not very good at the moment, so if we were to intervene, it would always have negative consequences."

"... I will try my best, Your Excellency Arcane Mage. Although I cannot make any guarantees, I will do my utmost to prevent other nations from believing the lies of the Five-Nation Alliance and making unwise decisions."

I believe you can do it.

At this point, Li Lin revealed his usual gentle smile.

"Well, it's getting late, Your Highness. Are you ready to depart?"

For Princess Shirley, there was naturally no other choice.

Although Li Lin had been full of confidence in the weapon that Yi Aier had modified after receiving her "confident" report, seeing this strange thing now, Li Lin felt his eyes twitch slightly and couldn't utter a single word.

Floating on the water was a warship from the era of the Magic Empire, though only its exterior resembled this; its interior was entirely different. The entire deck lacked sails, a lookout tower, and even a captain's cabin. Instead, there was...

"Yi Aier?"

"Master, what is it?"

"Why did you build so many cannons?"

From bow to stern, there were approximately fifty magic cannons covering the ship with a ferocious and terrifying aura. The huge metal barrels reflected the sunlight and had a cold, metallic texture. Whether it was front to back, left to right, or even top to bottom, the ship was probably filled with turrets. It was basically a hedgehog covered in thorns, making it a sight to behold.

"This..."

Noticing Li Lin's disapproving gaze, Yi Aier couldn't help but stick out her tongue. In fact, creating entirely new weapons for ordinary people in such a short time was impossible. Therefore, inspired by the Federation's cannons, Yi Aier modified the magic cannons from the Magic Empire era. Utilizing the effects of magic arrays and magic crystals as an energy source, the magic cannons would continuously fire pure energy beams as long as the magic crystals' power wasn't exhausted. Once the magical energy was depleted, it had to be sent back to the Magic Empire to be replenished via a special magic array. Of course, considering crucial issues, Yi Aier also adjusted the weapon's range and power. It was more than capable of dealing with the warships currently on the continent, but if it came to dealing with the Magic Empire ... then these things would be nothing more than scrap metal.

But most importantly...

Why build so many gun emplacements?

Li Lin repeated his question. Fortunately, Princess Shirley was clearly shocked by the terrifying behemoth and was completely unaware of the abnormality beside her.

"This... this..."

Yi Aier rolled her eyes, finally deciding to tell the truth, "Master, this is the only way!"

"..."

"The quality of artillery isn't the key; it's the quantity! With enough artillery, no matter the enemy, they will surely fall!"

Facing Yi Aier, whose fists were clenched and whose face was flushed with excitement, Li Lin couldn't utter a single word.

"I never expected you to be a member of the Multi-Turret Divine Church?"

"Hmm? What's that? Master, I really love multiple turrets. Look at all these turrets! Just the sheer number of them could scare the enemy to death! The unparalleled shock and awe when thousands of cannons fire simultaneously, filling the sky with fire... Ahhh, that's the essence of a turret, isn't it?"

Fortunately, the magic cannons do not produce recoil, and although Yi Aier has some... strange hobbies, she does her job very well. Despite installing so many turrets on the ship, the balance is not affected at all, which is quite a technically demanding project.

"So..."

Looking at Yi Aier, who was so excited she could hardly contain herself, Li Lin could only shake his head helplessly, then turned to Princess Shirley and gestured for her to proceed.

"Your Highness, please board the ship."

"Okay!"

Hearing Li Lin's voice, Princess Shirley finally snapped out of her shock. She swore she had never seen such a massive warship in her entire life; it was almost taller than the royal palace of the Sea-Encircled Country. Good heavens! Look at those cannons—they were almost thicker than smokestacks! Even more unbelievable to Princess Shirley was that the entire ship was made of metal—metal that could float in water? How was that possible? And without sails, how did this ship move forward?

Li Lin naturally wouldn't answer these questions. In fact, the use of metal for ship hulls wasn't a secret during the Magic Empire era. However, with the advent of airships, most sea transportation was abandoned, and metal ships had long since ended up in museums. As for propulsion... unlike on Earth, magic ships navigate on water using magic arrays that alter water flow. Once the array is activated, the ship can be easily controlled by manipulating the rudder. Of course, these were products only usable by mages during the Magic Empire era. To make them usable by ordinary people, Yi Aier modified the Magic Power source to transmit energy through magic crystals. Of course, the energy had to be returned to replenish it after use.

In reality, this ship was less of a ship and more of a massive sea fortress. It must be admitted that Yi Aier's grasp of the battle situation was indeed very accurate. With this powerful sea fortress, Kudel's navy would naturally no longer be able to blockade the Sea-Encircled Country. However, due to the special nature of the sea fortress, it could not possibly move to land, thus limiting the Sea-Encircled Country's desire for expansion.

Currently, the ship is being managed by Dark Elf. They are strictly hierarchical and taciturn, making them the most suitable for maintaining secrecy. Moreover, Dark Elf are highly sensitive to magic, so if any problems arise during the Dark Elf run, they can detect the issue immediately and investigate and resolve it.

"Arcane Mage, this..."

As Shirley entered the cabin, she immediately noticed the dark-skinned elves. Her expression changed instantly, unsure of what to say. After all, like the Magic Empire, Dark Elf Dark Elf infamous, and seeing so many of them made Princess Shirley understandably nervous.

"Don't worry."

Li Lin reached out and placed his hand on Princess Shirley's shoulder.

"They're only responsible for handing the ship over to you; they'll leave immediately once their mission is complete."

"I see..."

Hearing this, Princess Shirley's expression softened considerably. Although allying with the Magic Empire was already quite bold, Arcane Mage were, after all, human. If so many Dark Elf appeared, no matter what she said, no one would believe her.

But... I'm in Ringwraith City right now, and if I remember correctly, it's floating in the air. So, how am I going to get this huge ship into the sea?

Princess Shirley hadn't finished thinking about the question when, at that moment, Li Lin looked at Yi Aier, who was standing in the command room and gave Li Lin a "ready" gesture.

"Let's begin."