Chapter 581: Warning Amulet, Product Degradation

Dien's account allowed Xia Duo to calm down slightly. It turned out that some Apprentices had already made contact with the two Pegasus. According to Niya's instructions, the two Pegasus could move freely within the Arcane Garden, but aside from fruit, their food was mostly the wheat from the fields.

And because the wheat in the Arcane Garden matured about once a week, some Apprentices deliberately saved the tender, juicy wheat seedlings that the Pegasus loved most when they first headed, thus managing to get close to the Pegasus. The names of the Pegasus were also initially spread by those two Apprentices.

According to those few Apprentices, each of the two Pegasus wore a Magic Item that allowed them to understand human speech, while also allowing them to convey their own thoughts to humans.

Hearing this claim, Xia Duo immediately thought of the translation spell he had once desperately sought but could not obtain. But now, he naturally knew that a translation spell similar to 【Comprehend Languages】 in games was very difficult to realize.

To actually equip both mounts with one would be quite a high cost.

Xia Duo guessed it might be another kind of workaround spell, such as a mind spell or something like a Druid Divine Magic.

……

Right now, Xia Duo had already seen his own Pegasus with his own eyes, which could be considered satisfying his previous sense of urgency. It just so happened that he encountered Dien and the others in the Arcane Garden. Compared to the Pegasus, he was still more concerned about the situation at the Tilake Research Lab, so he asked:

"Has there been any progress in the Research Lab during this time?"

Upon hearing this, the few of them looked at each other, and Dien stepped forward to answer: "If you hadn't asked, I would have thought you had forgotten! The progress of the Research Lab is very smooth. We have successfully developed the 【Warning Amulet】 you mentioned previously, and we are currently researching reinforced amulets. As for the universal technical standards, I think that by going through the research process of these few reinforced amulets, we should be able to summarize them."

"Very good!" Xia Duo praised without reservation.

He did not expect that after just a few months of not paying attention to this side, this group of people would give him a surprise. He remembered that the last time he went to the Tilake Research Lab, they had just developed a 【Long-lasting Reflective Mirror】 capable of emitting light continuously for three days.

Although that mirror already had commercial value, it was still a certain distance from Xia Duo's expectations. He did not expect that only a few months had passed, and they were already able to summarize universal techniques. It had to be said, it was truly surprising.

The initial Tilake Research Lab was merely born from a personal conjecture of Tilake. Later, after Xia Duo's support, it turned to focus on applied technical development. Even without counting the current results, that previous 【Long-lasting Reflective Mirror】 had already paid back his investment.

Xia Duo asked impatiently: "Tell me quickly about the situation of the 【Warning Amulet】. What is the manufacturing cost, how is the usage effect, and what is the expected service life?"

"The manufacturing cost is not high. Combining material costs, Alchemy Array depreciation, and Spellcaster labor, it is about 200 Gold Coins. Of course, this does not include research costs," Dien replied.

"And what about the usage effect?"

"As long as it is activated, the Warning Field can exist continuously, but it can only take the 【Warning Amulet】 as its core. Once the Amulet leaves, the Warning Field will gradually weaken, and it will disappear after weakening to a certain degree."

Then, without waiting for Xia Duo to continue asking, Dien took the initiative to speak about the service life of the 【Warning Amulet】, "As for the service life, we have conducted experiments in the Green Pearl Forest. Currently, we have not been able to measure the specific service life. In short, it is very long."

"That's not good!" Xia Duo said suddenly.

"Ah?!"

Dien was puzzled, "Our 【Warning Amulet】 is definitely better than those sold outside. How could it be not good!"

It was precisely because it was too good!

If this thing were truly something that would last forever, then how would Xia Duo make money? Even if it were sold at a high price, there would always be a day of saturation. It definitely needed to have a service life so that it would be convenient to keep shipping products.

Xia Duo explained his theory slightly. The way Dien and the others looked at him changed immediately, but at the same time, the excited expressions on their faces, as if they had discovered a new continent, seemed to show they were eager to try!

Only Aideliqi raised a different opinion, "If we artificially set a service life, will it affect the usage effect of the 【Warning Amulet】, and subsequently affect our reputation? This aspect still needs careful research."

"Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense. It does indeed need careful research," Xia Duo also expressed his agreement.

Lowering the service life is not something that can be done just because one wants to, especially for a product with a service life so long it cannot be measured. Perhaps lowering it would affect the usage effect.

"Regarding this, you all continue to research it. You can refer to the settings of some common Magic Items on the market."

Although he said it that way, Xia Duo knew that there was currently no continuous, stable source of Magic Items on the market. They were mostly treated as a personal interest or an occasional way to make money.

Such Magic Items basically did not have any measures to artificially lower quality or lifespan, but because the quantity was small, they always maintained a high price point.

But from a long-term perspective, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous increase in total quantity, the price of Magic Items was constantly falling.

Xia Duo estimated that it was already approaching a certain critical point. From what he currently knew, there were quite a few Mage Towers improving their production methods to reduce costs. As for whether there were technical breakthroughs like those at the Tilake Research Lab, he had not heard of any yet.

But it also had to be taken into consideration. In the future, there might truly be a price war.

As for the service life, when linked Magic Items appear in the future, presumably he should not be the only one who could think of lowering the service life to maintain stable output and income.

Limiting the service life would almost become the common interest of all manufacturers, especially since limiting the service life is often linked to lower costs. This is simply a lethal weapon.

The legendary "bad money drives out good" is nothing more than this.

……

Besides these, Xia Duo also had to consider the factor of stability. In the production of Magic Items, even for Magic Scrolls, it is very difficult to make Mages produce continuously to meet a certain production target.

Unless it is the kind of Mage who has completely degenerated into a tool, or the price offered is so high that Mages cannot refuse.

It is precisely because of this that Xia Duo proposed at the establishment of the Tilake Research Lab to let technology and craftsmanship sink, allowing ordinary people to complete the parts they can, and letting Apprentices complete the parts they can.

Mages only do the things that only they can do. This not only simplifies work but also makes it easier to form a universal production standard, which is convenient for popularization and also beneficial for ordinary people to climb upward.

If one wants to form a magic civilization in the future, one absolutely cannot do without ordinary people, who make up the majority of the population. Providing them with more upward channels can almost be considered the foundation for the long-term stable development of a magic civilization.

At a time when most Mages have not realized the importance of ordinary people, Xia Duo has considered it in advance, which can also be considered a not-so-small advantage.