章 78: Shall we go on a hunt…?

"FINALLY!!! HAHAHA!!" Carter screamed and laughed like a maniac as Esmond returned to the cabin, leaving him to wonder what the hell was wrong with Carter who ran out the cabin door.

"Off to the institute… *sigh*…" Gabriel groaned while handing Esmond a can of soft drink.

"He seems more eager than me…" Esmond said, a little shaken by the enthusiastic Carter.

"Carters only like that since they seemed to have made a breakthrough in their research.

What they need now is a functional organisation with a fleet system to incorporate everything, using it as a base to create a semi original order to serve the Empire…

Honestly, they created more work for themselves…" Scarlett had analysed the situation since she couldn't figure out Carter's obsession to media arts.

Scarlett hadn't spent time watching shows or anything of the sort just yet, but Rosie never expected herself to show such an obsessive nature like Carter.

The girls told him to head off and wonder around since dinner wasn't ready, leaving Esmond to go straight over to Stovi and hunt, but as Esmond walked out the door, Echo appeared.

"Need your help." Echo grabbed onto Esmond without saying anything else and shifted over to one of the manufacturing research facilities where automated machines would be tested, improved, and developed.

"Check these out…" Echo threw some rocks at Esmond, who caught them effortlessly without bothering to move other than one of his hands.

"Those there are Magic Stones and Crystals, however they have had some… interesting changes…"

The Magic Stones were set to a specific element, such as the Ice Stone within Esmonds hand.

They were perfect for crafting magical items and weapons, but they required certain crafting techniques.

Esmond knew he could possibly create the tools needed to utilise the stones within their crafting, but the true problem laid with making it mass produced.

There was a way to do so with ease, but Esmond didn't have the materials for it nor the right races.

The Magic Crystals on the other hand were a different story since Esmond could use them as part of inscriptions or runesmithing.

Crystals worked in various ways, offering a mage or smith more freedom in their creation than using Magic Stones but the problem was finding Crystals since they were made up of pure dense mana energy.

Some would absorb the mana from the crystal to improve their own mana reserves, but it required many inscriptions and tools that costed a ridiculous amount.

Smiths would infuse the mana directly into crafted materials like swords to give them a magical affinity, allowing the weapons to be used by any Mage or Knight regardless of elemental affinity.

"What changes, Echo?" Esmond asked while examining the two types of magical resources within his hand.

"… Watch closely…"

Echo fixed his eyes on the furnace set up.

The two were standing behind a glass encasing on the second floor of the research centre, staring at the large furnace being blasted with immense heat, but not anything like he expected.

"Your using… Pure Fire element to blast the furnace, aren't you?"

Echo cheekily smiled before explaining, "Since your soul has healed, accessing your past memories is becoming easier.

So far, I've processed memories associated with crafting magical items however everything I found doesn't seemed as streamlined as it could be.

That's why I focused on incorporating modern aspects as a test factor to see if it was possible."

Currently in the furnace, Echo had placed spiritual essence infused metals, melting them down to molten metal that was ready to be poured out.

Using the Wind element to control the air flow to the Pure Fire element, helping quickly melt the metals, but infuse more mana into to the molten metal.

Esmond watched the machines carefully pour out the molten metal into a casting mould which seemed to have some inscriptions written within.

"You made casting moulds connected to Magic Stones…" Esmond only just realised Echo had the Magic Stones fuel the inscriptions to affect the molten metal throughout its cooling process.

"Pretty good huh!

Honestly thought you might this wasn't as clever as what you might have come across previously."

"Actually Echo, you would be surprised how much stagnation a species could go through because of their own ego to not develop… *sigh*"

Esmond remembered the space faring Dwarves he'd befriended in another life who were adamant on building starships through arcane methods.

Only after Esmond battered his Dwarven friend into submission and showed him the benefit of modern methods that the swelling of the dwarf decided to ease down.

Echo explained the inscriptions ensured weather resistance, increased durability, strengthening, and more would be transferred over to the metal through the cooling process.

Of course, it was possible to place inscriptions on the metal afterwards, but they took up large amounts of space, also Echo had other plans.

This process was similar to enhancing the metal but since it was happening through the forging process it could be considered as part of magic foundry production.

After that the metal was cooled with Wind element through ventilations that were cooled by Ice element.

"The semi-finished product can be sold or utilised while offering greater protection than basic metals to the natural elements.

I've already thought about creating several buildings to see how we could incorporate them into our daily use." Echo described his vision of the entire infrastructure within the Seven Seas Kingdom built by materials that utilised Magic Engineering as the researchers had come to call.

"If that's a semi-finished product, then what's a complete product…?" Echo seemed to have been waiting for this question from Esmond, instruction the machines to begin the next part of the procedure.

A large instrument appeared within the lab, coming down a production line that seemed to control and manage the huge machine.

"This here is an incredible laser, that we've come to reprogram to use the energy from the Magic Crystals since its Pure Mana without any grubby element affecting it."

The researchers decided to reprogram a laser system that was being used by the Armed Forces to send the energy from the Crystals onto the metal.

To simply, the laser was printing onto the metal, and in this case, it was Ogryx – Phrik – Vibranium – -Adamantium - Steel alloy that would be used for construction in Echos research.

Esmond was astonished to learn what the make up of the steel alloy, but more importantly, Esmond was captivated by the printing program.

"Holy shit…

You're using coding to print… my god Echo!

This is fucking genius!!" Esmond watched the monitor above, realising the laser was printing abilities and functions into the steel.

They had system compatibility written in, allowing the A.I Spirits to control the steel from a remote distance if needed.

Other functions such as drawing in Mana energy from the air into the material and weight resistance were included.

Everything seemed to be in control of the A.I Spirits so there were plenty of functions the laser placed on the steel before it stopped.

"While the Spatial Ark Star World has improved the quality and density of the Stones and Crystals, the elements you have affinity with Esy, could do with some improvement…"

Echo naturally complained about Esmonds lack of attention to his Magic training.

The core within the star was the might of Esmonds body affinity, and the plasma of the Artus Anima Star explained the density of his Universal Body Essence Energy.

With sparks of the Elements around, everything was quite chaotic within Esmonds body, but it still meant he wasn't training with focus.

Currently the form of Esmonds Universal Body Essence Energy was in a gaseous form that needed to condense and change into a liquid substance.

Even though Esmonds Magic Stat was 400+, it only meant the mana Esmond used would be more efficiently consumed and Esmond could control a greater sum of Mana Energy, meaning larger and stronger spells.

Problem was spells were categorised in a numerical leveling system.

Level one spells could be activated simply with the basic form of the Body Mana Core, however anything above would necessarily require the core to have a magic circle imprinted to help condense the energy within the body and increase the amount it could absorb.

Since Esmonds level was 400+, his body could consume a ridiculous amount of Mana from the air, both to refill the MP Stat, but also what would be stored within his Artus Anima Star.

Echo hoped Esmond would focus on improving his Artus Anima Star so his affinity with the elements grew but Echo knew better to force Esmond along.

Esmond wanted the rest of the elements before he started forming magic circles around the Star in his heart.

"Whats the difference if we use Magic Stones in the process?"

Esmond regretted asking once he saw the sly expression again across Echos face.

"Stop it, that face is creepy as all hell!"

"My bad…

*Cough*… check this out.

During the blasting of the furnace, we include Magic Stones of the element we wish for.

So far, the researchers have figured out how to create steels materials with two element affinities, but three or more is becoming an increasing struggle on the material.

Only particular items can withstand more element affinities than two, like Vibranium or Phrik, but that's why we are creating alloys with printed properties to help reduce the number of valuable items leaving the Spatial Ark Star World."

Echo had to give his props to the researchers, amazed at their level of madness since the Virtual Labs let them run completely wild, to the point their wildest ambitions could be tested.

Esmond told him to continue with the researching while he trained, however Esmond asked Echo to connect with Isabelle so she could start crafting equipment with the new methods.

A mass production of armour and other equipment for his droids and other clan members would greatly help them through their wars on Stovi.

There weren't any real plans to sell the materials to the Guild since they might consider the finished items to be something completely anciently or godly.

Unfortunately, by the time Esmond reached Stovi next, he would blame himself for not being stern with Isabelle regarding certain tasks.

After spending dinner with the family, Esmond decided to head out to Stovi and head over to the Wicked Grove to fight on his own… well beside Ace… and Rath… and the four direwolves by his side, Esmond would be alone.

Appearing at the Lord Estate, Esmond went off to the stable first and retrieved Ace and Rath who both seemed more than eager for a battle.

The direwolves also appeared out of the battle, appearing at Esmonds side before they tried to approach the hulking Ace and noble Rath.

Both horse and falcon buddying duo seemed to eye the 'competition' when staring at the little wolves however Esmond was stern with the two, knowing that they would probably bully the direwolves.

"You better not be pricks to them.

They are part of the family so treat them as such and protect them.

… You too, Frigus…" the ice dragon whose natural cold aura could be felt from above as he flapped his wings, landing on Esmonds shoulder.

Noticing the direwolves cower and shaking, Esmond knew Frigus had arrived from wherever he had been hunting.

Isabelle and the others had told him of Frigus going to extreme levels to hunt, vastly increasing the size of beasts within the Spatial Ark Star World.

Not wanting to overload and saturate the Guild market, Isabelle had kept the beasts hunting by Frigus till now, even preparing to change a whole lot into armour that could be used by the residents of the space.

"Shall we go on a hunt…?"