Chapter 13

The final component of the formation was the lines, responsible for connecting the prism structure. These lines acted as a battery, utilizing spiritual iron and spiritual bronze to extract energy from the crystals and distribute it throughout the formation. The formation's energy source consisted of earth, light, and wind crystals, with earth crystals being the predominant choice.

To streamline the process, I had devised a mold with pre-sculpted inscriptions, saving me the effort of individually sculpting each node. The mold, a creation of my own invention, was crafted using fire-affiliated materials such as spiritual iron, flaming clay, and a touch of balzing rhino turd dust. It proved to be a worthwhile investment, as it was both cost-effective and reusable, capable of accommodating the entire set of formations with an estimated three additional uses.

Once the nodes were ready, I proceeded with testing the concealment formation in a nearby forest. To my satisfaction, it worked flawlessly on the first trial, a testament to my genius.

With the concealment formation complete, I swiftly transitioned to the next project—the beast repellent formation. This formation demanded rarer materials, making it the costliest endeavor. It harnessed the innate instinct of animals—their fear of something stronger. By manipulating energy, the formation would manifest a terrifying beastly aura. To optimize energy consumption, I modified the formation to only release an aura two levels higher than the approaching creature, conserving energy while providing the user with valuable information about the intruding beast's level.

The beast repellent formation took the shape of a hexagon, but its intricate inner workings were more complex. Within the formation resided three smaller formations: an innermost star-shaped formation, a prism-shaped chain formation, and a square-shaped formation closest to the outer layer. This formation consisted of a total of 23 nodes, fewer than the concealment formation, but its inscription process proved to be ten times more challenging.

The hexagonal formation nodes were crafted from spiritual iron, metal tree roots, and golden lion blood. The hexagonal formation served as the broadcast system, emanating the aura. The inner three layers, with the spiritual iron base, comprised the death bug corpse for the innermost formation, crushed dark jade for the second formation, and singing metal for the outermost inner formation. These elemental formations combined to create and transmit the aura to the hexagonal formation.

After completing the nodes for the beast repellent formation, I proceeded with the testing, only to encounter difficulties. The formation failed to work properly, requiring numerous attempts of fixing, testing, and error identification. Eventually, I discovered that the problem lay in a shallow inscription sculpture code. Once I rectified this issue, the formation began functioning correctly. When I tested it using a remote control, I felt the dense aura emanating from it, nearly causing me to faint when I stood just one meter away from the outer layer.

Taking a well-deserved rest, I spent an entire day in my bedroom, engrossed in reading books. The following day, I returned to work, this time focusing on the illusion formation—the most complex of them all. This formation utilized all seven elements, resulting in a daunting level of complexity.

As I looked back at the design draft, I muttered, "Oh my god," realizing the magnitude of the task ahead. The calculation process proved to be an arduous challenge, with my head screaming for relief from the torment. After two hours of complaining, I commenced the calculations, spending seven hours immersed in the task. Once I completed the design, I took a well-deserved rest of 12 hours before proceeding to create the nodes.

The illusion formation required an entirely different set of ingredients and comprised 14 layers of formation. Essentially, it consisted of three types of formations: the outer circle, eight inner circles, and an innermost formation within each of the inner circles. In essence, the formation resembled a fantastical magic circle.

The total number of nodes for this formation amounted to around 83, with 12 for the outer circle, 64 for the eight inner circles, and one for each innermost circle. The ingredients needed were extensive, totaling around 22, with spiritual iron serving as the foundational material. (I won't list all the ingredients here, as there are too many.)

After gathering all the necessary ingredients, I returned to the workshop to reshape the previous mold. To create the mold, I began by engraving the node shape into metal wasp wax, with the inscription sculpture inverted. Metal wasp wax was a unique type of wax with a higher melting point. When mixed with other metal materials, it enhanced their strength. However, not all metals were suitable for this technique.

After creating the wax model, I carefully placed it inside cylinder-shaped stones made from tungstone, known for its incredibly high melting point. Once the wax was securely in place, I filled the stones with finely ground tungstone, resembling smooth dust-like particles. Ensuring there were no gaps, I meticulously covered everything with sand.

With preparations complete, I began pouring a special metal mixture onto the metal wasp wax. This mixture had been prepared two months prior to making the concealment formation and had the unique property of hardening upon contact with the wax, forming a metal that was exceptionally strong, roughly half as sturdy as diamond.

After allowing the metal to cool, I removed the formed metal from the cylinder stones and inserted it into red-colored metal cylinders, which served as molds. Placing the metal model precisely at the center of the red metal, I carried both components to a furnace constructed from the same metal as the model.

The outer part of the furnace-shaped stone featured inscriptions, with an earth and water crystal positioned in the middle. This furnace-shaped stone served as a pressure chamber, exerting force to shape the red metal according to the model. Once the process was complete, the model would be melted and used for subsequent models.

Operating the machine required lubricating the metal with a slimy water substance while earth energy filled the chamber, exerting pressure to crush the red metal and mold it into the desired shape. I repeated this process to create four molds for each node model.

To expedite the cooling process of the nodes, I had already devised another machine that utilized water and wind elements to create cold temperatures. This machine significantly reduced the cooling time, ensuring efficiency. The entire node-making process took approximately two weeks.

Upon completing the nodes, I immediately ventured into the woods to test the formation, and it worked flawlessly right away. Overwhelmed with joy, I exclaimed, "Ohohoho, thank goodness it worked! I'd love to stick these nodes right into the rich prince's ass." I had grown weary of the project, having dedicated three months and two weeks to its development, and now approaching the fourth month with the task of crafting 100 electric sticks.

"Ah, well, the rewards from the rich prince will make it all worthwhile," I remarked, acknowledging the value of my efforts. Fortunately, I could utilize the same method used for creating the nodes to make the electric sticks. With minimal finishing work, I managed to complete the weapons in two weeks.

In summary, I had spent a total of three months and two weeks working on the project. However, before finalizing the entire endeavor, I decided to leave a little surprise in some random nodes and sticks as a playful gesture.