Building a Mechanical Gargoyle (3)

More than 10 minutes later, the radiance died down. A metal part rested silently in the center of the transmutation circle. This was a small section of the mechanical gargoyle's skeletal structure. It was the shape of a half moon. The part was smoothed and polished, without any signs of having been carved. 

Transmutation circles functioned differently from polishing. Polishing involved changing the shape of the metal through application of a strong external force. The product would be cruder. When transmutation circles crafted the metallic parts, they modified the metal from the inside to turn the metal into the desired shape, which was a comparatively finer procedure. Hence, when building a high-end technological object such as a mechanical gargoyle, players would usually opt for transmutation circle products over delegating the task to blacksmiths.

For instance, if the corner of a part in the mechanical gargoyle's skeleton was slightly out of place, the corner would cause the entire section to be stuck. In light cases, the mechanical gargoyle would have difficulty moving about and some of its parts might be badly damaged. In serious cases, the entire machine would be crippled.

There was no cause for such worries if the gargoyle was built with parts produced from transmutation circles.

Xiao Ling stroked the metallic part. The amethyst was smooth and cold to the touch. This metal part was practically perfect. Every notch arced perfectly, and the inner walls were smooth without any protrusions—as expected of a work of a god!

Xiao Ling placed the part on the table. The used energy powder could not be reused. He drew another transmutation circle according to the mechanical alchemy blueprint and continued to make parts.

The size of each part was difficult to gauge. Xiao Ling had to do it all over again if there were some failed products. Eventually, 53 parts of odd shapes and sizes were produced and laid on the table.

The sight of the oddly shaped parts made it difficult to imagine that they could be assembled into an eccentric product of mechanical alchemy.

Xiao Ling polished the connectors of the parts and compared their sizes. If any part was slightly larger or smaller, he would have to carve out or add on some metal accordingly and remake it. After five long hours, Xiao Ling finally had all his parts ready. He began assembling them.

Adjusting and assembling the mechanical gargoyle required great determination and patience. A good sense of the overall structure was also needed. As Xiao Ling put the pieces together, he carved linking glyphs with his carving knife on the connecting sections. Although it was only a rank 1 glyph, Xiao Ling could barely manage it. His expertise ranking was on the low side. After all, he was not a full-time engineering student, as he gave up on his training halfway through.

Slowly, the main parts were connected. The outline of a short mechanical gargoyle could be seen now. The dark golden sheen of the metal flickered with a captivating glow in the dim light. The beautiful radiance made Xiao Ling's heart leap. It was as if he was forming a life form with his very hands.

After connecting the various parts, the bare skeleton of the mechanical gargoyle now seemed fuller. Xiao Ling did some basic tests. Its limbs and body moved freely without any sign of delay.

Seeing that every joint was as flexible as could be, Xiao Ling was overjoyed. This time, he made no mistakes. He carried a pair of bat-like wings made out of metal and carefully fixed them onto the gargoyle's back. He tried moving them. They could be moved flexibly like any gargoyle's wings. Xiao Ling carefully carved linking and fortification glyphs onto the connecting joints between the mechanical gargoyle's wings and body.

The entire structure of the mechanical gargoyle was now displayed before Xiao Ling's eyes. Its entire body screamed metal. Aside from the empty, lusterless eye sockets and a dozen nooks all over its body, it was perfect.

Xiao Ling took two Cobalt Gems, which shone with a mysterious color. He fitted them into the mechanical gargoyle's eye sockets. The mechanical gargoyle's eyelids closed slightly. The gleam in the gargoyle's eyes startled Xiao Ling. The Cobalt Gems seemed to be the vital finishing touch. The mechanical gargoyle actually seemed alive right now.

He fixed the other mechanical parts into the nooks of certain crucial joints, which included the kneecaps, shoulders, hip, the wings' base, and other joints. Then, he carved some insertion and energy coupler glyphs into them. The Cobalt Gem on the gargoyle's chest required additional motive power glyphs as well because the Cobalt Gem would be the energy source which powered the mechanical gargoyle. Only then would the mechanical gargoyle be considered complete.

He observed the mechanical gargoyle silently as it stood there, about a meter tall, with a slender body and a peculiar face that made people laugh. Unlike its weak frame, its wings were powerful and looked like the most perfect sculpture in the world. Xiao Ling found himself awed by it.

However, there seemed to be something else missing.

Xiao Ling smacked his forehead. How could he forget that? Xiao Ling slowly reached out to the Cobalt Gem on the mechanical gargoyle's chest. The instant his fingers touched the mechanical gargoyle, the gem on its chest started sucking Xiao Ling's magic elements like a magnet. It shone with a bright azure light.

The magic elements gathered around the mechanical gargoyle's chest. Then, it spread quickly to all parts of its body. The amethyst of the gargoyle seemed to have brightened up and became exceptionally glaring. The gemstones on its arms, kneecaps, and other parts of its body shone. The magic elements flowed along the fine channels of the mechanical gargoyle's central skeleton. With a click, the mechanical gargoyle's finger twitched.

Shortly after, the dim glow in its eyes intensified, turning into a burning light. The magic elements clumped into a mass around its eyes and formed blue eyeballs surrounded by colorless crystals. Xiao Ling looked into the mechanical gargoyle's eyes and could clearly see his own reflection. At this moment, Xiao Ling had the strange feeling that the mechanical gargoyle was studying him—it seemed to be regarding its master with curiosity.

A mechanical puppet would only have a single master. Once a player infused his own magic element into the mechanical puppet's heart, it was the equivalent of forming a master-servant contract between the two entities. The master granted the mechanical puppet a certain amount of consciousness, and the mechanical puppet could only swear fealty to a single master. Similarly, a player was only allowed one mechanical puppet at a time. If he wanted to switch to another mechanical puppet, he would have to disassemble the mechanical puppet. The gemstones would also break in the process, and the mechanical puppet would lose its consciousness.