Translator: AnubisTL
He had long been pondering how to resolve the two major flaws of rune-imbued magical artifacts.
First was the issue of stability.
Traditional spell artifacts were stable but had limited uses. Rune-imbued magical artifacts, theoretically reusable, were highly susceptible to fluctuations in plane law, causing them to malfunction.
His previous solution—modular design and rapid battlefield modification—remained inefficient and dependent on advance preparation.
Second was the problem of resupply.
Manufacturing rune-imbued magical artifacts was time-consuming and resource-intensive. Stockpiling a few thousand for a war was already the limit, and their numbers dwindled during combat, making sustained warfare difficult.
But now, with the automated factory that could be stored within his internal space, all these problems were solved!
He could now mass-produce rune-imbued magical artifacts within his internal space at any time.
Upon entering a new plane and determining the approximate parameters of its elements, he could immediately adjust the production line within his internal space to create rune-imbued magical artifacts perfectly adapted to the local environment!
In Jieming's vision, once his internal space expanded further, he might even attempt to relocate the entire cannon fodder production line inside.
This would allow him to create a truly "portable legion," capable of both fighting and producing simultaneously.
If the cannon fodder he developed could achieve a sufficiently high resource utilization rate, he might even achieve a perfect cycle of combat and replenishment, all while utilizing battlefield resources!
At that point, he alone could be considered a swarm!
However, such ambitions remained distant dreams for now.
Suppressing his excitement, Jieming began studying the accompanying manual in detail, delving into the complex machine's operational methods, maintenance procedures, and the meanings of its core control runes.
After several days of intensive study, he grasped the basic functions. Taking a deep breath, he approached the hovering automated factory.
Focusing his consciousness into his dantian, he connected with his golden core and activated the space power within his body.
An invisible, immense suction force emanated from him, enveloping the automated factory above.
The factory's protective magic array sensed Jieming's pre-programmed sequence password and offered no resistance. Instead, it responded with a soft, harmonious glow.
Soon, enveloped by space power, the massive factory began to blur and distort.
Finally, it transformed into a stream of light, which Jieming successfully absorbed into his now vastly expanded internal space.
Next, he needed to find a suitable "home" for this giant beast within his internal space, then proceed with initial adjustments and installation.
After successfully integrating the automated factory into his internal space and setting up the initial production protocols, Jieming eagerly conducted several experimental runs.
Rune-imbued magical artifacts flowed like water from the automated production line, undergoing basic shaping, rune inscription, and energy infusion at a rate far exceeding manual crafting. He was deeply satisfied with the efficiency.
However, problems soon surfaced.
The most pressing issue was energy supply.
Relying on energy crystals or small portable elemental pools to power the factory proved unstable, affecting the precision and quality of the components being produced. Moreover, the consumption rate was alarmingly high.
After just a few production batches of rune-imbued magical artifacts, the stockpile of high-purity crystals had visibly dwindled.
At this rate, he'd likely need to carry an entire crystal mine just to sustain continuous combat operations.
"Energy is the lifeblood of industry," Jieming sighed, withdrawing his consciousness from his internal space and connecting to the magic net terminal. "It seems this truth holds true everywhere."
He checked his current military merits balance. Although recent large-scale purchases had depleted much of his reserves, the steady income from the Self-Stabilizing Field Regulation Protocol still left him with ample resources.
Without hesitation, he quickly placed an order through Noren Workshop's internal marketplace for a fourth-tier large elemental pool.
Unlike fifth-tier elemental pools, which are often used to support the planar energy of entire realms, fourth-tier large elemental pool are specifically designed for large-scale war machines, high-energy research equipment, or medium-sized production bases.
To fit within war machines, their volume is relatively controllable. Through precise space fold technology, they can be fully accommodated within Jieming's current internal space, with ample room to spare.
The manufacturing process for fourth-tier large elemental pool is less complex, and their reserves are quite abundant.
Shortly after Jieming placed his order, the elemental pool, radiating a stable and powerful energy fluctuation, was delivered.
He carefully positioned it next to the automated factory and connected the energy interface.
As the elemental pool officially activated, a massive surge of pure energy instantly flooded the factory's power grid, elevating the stability and efficiency of all equipment to a new level.
By his calculations, this fourth-tier large elemental pool, without recharging, could sustain the automated factory at full power continuously for over a century!
This breakthrough in energy supply reignited Jieming's creative thinking.
"If my internal space can accommodate a factory, why not a mobile laboratory?" he mused, stroking his chin, his eyes gleaming with inspiration.
During dimensional expedition, the command center would set up public laboratories in the camps.
However, these facilities were often generic, with limited precision, far inferior to the specialized equipment he had meticulously configured and grown accustomed to using.
Of course, given the current capacity of his internal space, he couldn't yet fit an entire fully equipped large-scale integrated laboratory.
But prioritizing the relocation of key, rare, or frequently used core experimental instruments was entirely feasible.
The energy provided by the fourth-tier large elemental pool would also be sufficient to power these precision devices.
"Hmm... I'll also need to plan for adequate storage zones to stockpile raw materials and store spoils of war and biological samples collected during the expedition," Jieming thought, mentally mapping out the spatial divisions within his internal space while inventorying its current contents.
automated factory, fourth-tier large elemental pool, spare energy crystals, commonly used magical materials, several dormant black giant core... His consciousness swept through these items like a scanner.
Suddenly, his awareness froze as it passed over an unremarkable metal sealed box tucked away in a corner!
An unsettling feeling surged through his mind.
He remembered clearly: this box contained his most precious assets—the twenty-nine hard-won strands of plane origin!
When he had first placed them inside, each test tube had radiated a dazzling, intoxicating energy.
But now, sensing through his consciousness, the test tubes within the box... seemed strangely "dim"?
Jieming's heart skipped a beat. He immediately used his willpower to open the metal box.
The sight before him made his pupils contract and his breath catch in his throat!
Inside the box, where twenty-nine crystal test tubes should have been neatly arranged, shimmering with iridescent light, twenty-eight of them had become completely transparent!
The liquid, luminous origin within had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
The last remaining test tube's glow was now extremely faint, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Its volume had visibly shrunk by more than half, and it was still diminishing at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye but clearly detectable to Jieming's senses!
"My... my origin?!!"
Shock, bewilderment, and even a hint of absurdity seized Jieming.
He had treasured these strands of origin, planning to use them to acquire crucial resources at critical moments. How could they have vanished into thin air?!
And it was happening within his own internal space—what difference was there between this and a gold bar vanishing from a vault without a trace?!
His internal space was a completely independent region under his absolute control. Currently, apart from himself, no other conscious beings existed within it, nor any entities capable of absorbing his origin.
Therefore, only one answer seemed possible...
Jieming's consciousness abruptly turned toward the internal space itself—the region cultivated by the Inner Circulation technique and anchored to his golden core.
Could it be... that the space itself was "stealing" his origin?!
To verify this hypothesis, he forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spent several days observing the fate of the final wisp of origin with unwavering focus.
He clearly "saw" the faint glow being drawn in by invisible tendrils, thread by thread, merging into the space's "barriers" and "earth," until it vanished completely.
The instant the last trace of origin was absorbed, Jieming keenly sensed an almost imperceptible, indescribable shift within the entire internal space.
The boundaries of the space seemed to have solidified slightly, the sparse spiritual energy that spontaneously arose within the air appeared marginally more active, and the texture of the spatial barrier beneath his feet felt subtly more "real."
The change was so subtle that only Jieming, as the master of this space and having maintained constant, focused observation, could detect it.
Considering the "cost-effectiveness" of the investment, exchanging precious origin for such a negligible "foundation-strengthening" effect was a colossal waste!
According to the most rational assessment, the optimal solution would be to immediately halt this wasteful practice and hoard all future origin he might acquire.
Jieming fell silent.
On one hand, there were tangible, precious resources he could see and touch.
On the other hand, there was the nebulous, uncertain potential for growth within his internal space, with unknown ultimate benefits.
Yet, this decision required surprisingly little deliberation.
Almost instantly, Jieming resolved to regularly allocate a portion of his income to purchase plane origin, using it to "feed" this internal space with its peculiar "appetite."
He couldn't predict the final outcome, but he had a strong intuition that this was far from a bad thing.
"It just means I'll have to live a bit more frugally, buying fewer unnecessary knowledge and research materials," Jieming reassured himself. "But if I skimp on this investment now and my internal space suffers from some innate deficiency at a critical moment in the future, or if I miss some crucial opportunity for evolution... that would be a regret I could never forgive myself for!"
(End of the Chapter)
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