Chapter 132: How Many Stars is a Perfect Score?

Of course, that was easier said than done.

In reality, Chariot spent the entire seven days of the Mana Turbulence repeatedly testing this material.

It was only when the Mana Turbulence was nearing its end that he finally delivered a satisfactory result.

Chariot: "I'm telling you, this material is absolutely flawless. It can even increase the muzzle velocity of the beams, and it doesn't matter how high the temperature gets."

Tower: "I think you might have misunderstood something."

Chariot: "What?"

Tower: "The mana conversion for these forty Funnels isn't just fire-attribute. There are also water, wind, and earth attributes."

Lan Qingyou explained her concept to Chariot.

The reason she did this was to capitalize on the advantages of elemental suppression.

Chariot: "Ah, I already took that into consideration! Rest assured, no matter the attribute, and no matter the friction, there will absolutely be no problems."

Chariot replied with evident pride.

'What a joke!' he thought. 'Who do you think I am? If I couldn't anticipate something this trivial, I might as well quit being a master mechanic and go back to being a simple blacksmith.'

With Chariot's promise, Lan Qingyou was satisfied.

After all, the guy did not make empty claims.

If he said it would work, it would work.

Chariot: "By the way, I originally thought you would build a Humanoid Magic Puppet. I never expected you to choose a Beast-Shaped Magic Puppet."

Tower: "I might build a Humanoid Magic Puppet later, but definitely not right now. After all, my current skills aren't up to par yet. In some ways, a beast shape maximizes my concepts and attack power."

Chariot: "That's true. So, do you want to try a spider configuration? The all-terrain mobility is absolutely top-notch, and you can even design a seat on it as a place to rest."

Chariot: "Plus, since you can fly, you could make the seat ejectable. Catching you would be next to impossible."

Tower: "Oh! That's a great idea. I'll take it. I'll sketch out some designs when I have the time."

The day after receiving this inspiration from Chariot—which was also the second day after the Mana Turbulence ended—Lan Qingyou took her magical constructs out on a hunt.

Bang! Bang!

Thud!

Crack!

Not long after flying out, Lan Qingyou encountered a D-rank Forest Wolf. She immediately released all the bronze beasts from her Card, subjecting the poor creature to a righteous gang beating.

Pew! Pew!

As the triangular cones fired off beam after beam, the Forest Wolf was instantly sliced into several pieces.

"Hmm, the results are roughly what I expected. However, the Rolling Blade Beast's blades don't seem as sharp as I imagined. Maybe I should just change them to saws? Mana-driven ones, the kind that will instantly silence whatever they touch."

After briefly testing the abilities of her various bronze beasts, Lan Qingyou was highly satisfied with all of them, except for the Rolling Blade Beast, which clearly needed some improvements.

Additionally, since this was her first time simultaneously controlling two triangular beam guns, her Mana Points were drained in an instant.

Although she had Mana Potions to recover, she still felt somewhat mentally exhausted.

Thus, after concluding the experiment, Lan Qingyou stored the bronze beasts back into her Card and returned to her Shelter, sitting sidesaddle on her Magic Broom.

Chariot: "I see. In that case, it seems magical constructs really aren't suited for slashing weapons like swords. I'll brainstorm a bit based on what you said, or would you prefer to sketch a few more lines on the design yourself?"

After hearing the results of Lan Qingyou's experiments, Chariot completely understood the issue.

After all, the bronze beasts did not possess muscles. Weapons that required physical exertion for slashing were indeed a poor fit.

Chariot: "By the way, how about mounting a few spring-loaded spear guns on the Rolling Blade Beast's belly? It wouldn't be a bad idea for mid-range combat."

Tower: "Why don't you just suggest I strap a block of iron to its belly while I'm at it?"

Chariot: "Haha, that idea isn't entirely off the table."

Tower: "Alright, I'll revise the blueprints and send them to you later."

Since it was her own creation, she naturally had to handle the design herself. Besides, there was no need to bother someone else for such minor adjustments.

It wasn't as if she didn't know how to do it.

After spending half a day modifying the blueprints, Lan Qingyou grabbed the meal Gu Xiaobei had delivered and headed down to where the tent was pitched.

Ever since this Magic Tent was deployed that day, she had never packed it away.

It remained standing even during the Mana Turbulence.

Now, Lan Qingyou was heading over to check on its condition.

Although it had been exposed to the elements for over a week, the fact that it was still standing tall proved that the Mana Turbulence had caused it no harm.

In fact, because she had attached a blue fluorescent sphere to it beforehand, not even a single monster had come to attack it.

Consequently, its energy levels were exactly the same as before.

Lan Qingyou was quite satisfied with this, though she wondered how it would fare against a full-blown Mana Tide.

Tower: "@Empress, speaking of which, how are the tests going on your end?"

Empress: "What tests?"

Lan Qingyou's abrupt question left Jiang Lan completely baffled.

Tower: "The tests regarding the blue fluorescent spheres, of course."

Empress: "Sorry, sorry! I've been so busy selecting seeds these past few days that I completely forgot about it. Each fluorescent sphere covers an area with a radius of about twenty-five meters, and the illumination range is around twenty meters. As for its repelling effectiveness, I'd give it three stars."

Lan Qingyou's abrupt question left Jiang Lan completely baffled.

Tower: "The tests regarding the blue fluorescent spheres, of course."

Empress: "Sorry, sorry! I've been so busy selecting seeds these past few days that I completely forgot about it. Each fluorescent sphere covers an area with a radius of about twenty-five meters, and the illumination range is around twenty meters. As for its repelling effectiveness, I'd give it three stars."

Tower: "Wait! What the heck is three stars? How many stars is a perfect score?"

The Empress's sudden rating system caught Lan Qingyou off guard for a moment.

Empress: "A perfect score is five stars. The reason I gave it three is because some monsters, especially plant-type ones, do not seem to be affected by the repellent."

'Ah... so that's what she meant...'

'Plant-types...'

Tower: "I roughly understand where the problem lies."

Lan Qingyou furrowed her brow slightly, and after a moment of thought, the answer came to her.

The ingredients she had used when crafting the fluorescent spheres were originally formulated to repel large, carnivorous, and aggressive monsters.

It was no surprise that they were completely ineffective against plant-type creatures, which lacked a sharp sense of smell to begin with.

Improving this aspect would not be difficult. At most, she just needed to add a few more ingredients that specifically targeted plant-types.

For instance, she could mix in some green-emitting Luminous Potions that plant-types despised, and swap out the blue slimes for green ones while she was at it.

Although the resulting green lighting effect might look a bit eerie, there was no such thing as a truly perfect solution in this world.

Another option was to create some pungent chemical odors or rotting stenches that plant-types hated.

However, that method would be a bit like taking out a thousand enemies at the cost of fifteen hundred casualties to oneself.

Tower: "When I have some time later, I'll make a few improvements and craft some new ones for you. You can test their effectiveness then."

Having formulated a plan in her mind, Lan Qingyou typed her reply.

Empress: "Are you preparing to head out?"

Tower: "Exactly! I've been preparing for so long just for this very trip."

And wasn't that the truth?

The Magic Broom, the drive unit, the Magic Tent, the magical constructs, and the repellent fluorescent spheres—all of these were preparations for her journey.

Now that everything was ready, it was only natural to go out and explore, even if it just meant leaving for three to five days before returning.

She could just treat it as a vacation; why not enjoy it?