Chapter 72: Sea Island Auto‑Attack Divine Tool (33)

Three days later, in the lord's governmental office.

Luosen listened attentively to the administrator Klub's report.

"My lord, since yesterday, people have been continuously coming over to join us."

"Only over ten people came yesterday, but this morning, over thirty gathered outside the city gate."

The subjects of the four traitor knights together number just over ten thousand; if this many flee in a day, Crescent City won't need to do anything—they'll soon be barefoot commanders.

But Klub still had some worries: "My lord, although we still have plenty of the grain we bought, if this continues, we may not have enough to consume."

Luosen gave a slight smile: "No problem, I have made preparations."

Because he had already received a letter from Muraladi, at most ten days later he will transport a large batch of supplies via the new route, which includes a huge amount of grain.

So even if over ten thousand from the four towns all come running, he can still support them!

Seeing Luosen, the lord, so calm, Klub also felt relieved.

He then began reporting on other governmental affairs, and Luosen listened attentively.

It is clear that Klub is a very capable and down-to-earth governmental talent.

Therefore, Luosen usually remains silent; only occasionally does he voice his opinion, issuing key instructions at crucial points.

This also made Klub feel that this young mage lord before him is not the kind of lofty lord who has his feet off the ground.

He has a deep understanding of all social strata, even of street‑begging vagabonds, and is extremely erudite and well‑informed, with unusually well‑connected sources.

The little tricks he previously used to fool the Blaze Mercenary Corps are completely ineffective before him.

Thus Klub also set aside all extraneous thoughts, working carefully and conscientiously with his feet on the ground.

Just as he finished reporting, a young Kao mage walked over.

"My lord, Master Ruwakaduo requests an audience."

Luosen's heart stirred; he quickly checked the contents of the Detect Guard, and chuckled to himself.

"My auto‑attack divine tool has arrived~"

Five minutes later, he arrived at the weapon research department of the Sea Island Magic Method Center.

On the table he saw three samples of the Lightning Torrent Bow laid out, together with ten matching disc‑shaped Lightning Crystal Grid Arrays, filling him with satisfaction.

Luosen held the forging manual, comparing it to the actual objects as he read, growing happier the more he looked.

"Not bad~~very not bad~~~this is a splendid outcome."

"Everyone's work efficiency is far higher than I imagined, and the finished products are much better than I thought!"

In total, it took 14 days to produce three mature Lightning Torrent Bow samples and ten 'Lightning Bow Disks', each disk holding 300 Lightning Bolts, capable of firing up to ten bolts per second at maximum.

That is, he can auto‑attack three hundred times in half a minute without panting.

Now look at the appearance of the Torrent Bow.

Although it is called a 'bow', it actually has nothing of a bow's appearance; rather, it resembles a shotgun of an otherworldly style.

The barrel is about one meter long, weighs ten kilograms; when using it, one only needs to aim the muzzle at the target and then release the lightning sphere from the disk.

The usage requirement is a low‑level mage who has mastered the Lightning Missile Technique.

This threshold is very low—any mage can handle it; even on the magically barren White Sturgeon Island, one can find fifty‑six such mages.

One of the three main forces behind the Torrent Bow's creation, Gatran the mage, also looked relieved, but his face showed mostly embarrassment.

"My lord, this thing is pretty good, but charging it is a major problem."

A 300‑shot Lightning Bow Disk contains the lightning power of 300 low‑level Lightning Missiles.

This power is so huge that even Master Ruwakaduo can only charge it a little over halfway in one breath.

To fully charge the ten Lightning Bow Disks on site, fifteen Kao mages would have to spend over half a month working on it.

Thus, although it looks powerful, it suffers from a major flaw: it is extremely difficult to charge.

Precisely because of this flaw, when they initially took the Arcane Torrent Bow to Shire County to seek investment, people mocked them as 'taking off their pants to fart—utter nonsense'.

Luosen gave a faint smile: "Indeed it's a problem, but I will find a way to recruit enough chargers."

Upon hearing this, Gatran the mage felt increasingly embarrassed, even ashamed.

He felt that what these people were doing was utterly improper, basically like swindling money.

If Luosen were a hypocritical, greedy lord, deceiving them would be fine—but the other party is honest, generous, and very reasonable.

Over the past half month, we have also wined and dined them, and poured huge funds into building such an excellent forging chamber for them.

Therefore we feel we have let the baron down.

Turning to look at the other Kao mages, they all wore guilty expressions.

Luosen, however, seemed not to notice; he turned his head to Master Ruwakaduo and said: "Master, I have read the forging manual for the Torrent Bow—it is written very well, and I am very satisfied."

"These finished products are also very good, and I am very satisfied."

"You have fully fulfilled the contract, so I will fulfill my side as well."

"According to the contract, the remuneration is ten thousand Ogres, plus five thousand Ogres as compensation, for a total of fifteen thousand Ogres—correct?"

This sum is not small, but it is not for the Torrent Bow; it is a case of spending a fortune to buy a horse.

The Kao mages all nodded.

Gatran, Maklei, and Ge Langke, the three chief high‑tier mages, also nodded, but they did so with shame.

Luosen waved his hand at Ailiya, who was beside him: "Ailiya, give the money."

Ailiya had already brought the money box; she immediately took out 140 Arcane gold coins, plus 1,000 Ogre gold coins: "Exactly fifteen thousand Ogres—please each check the count."

The brilliant gleam of the gold coins made the Kao mages squint; as commoners and impoverished minor nobles, they had never seen so much money in their lives.

When Master Ruwakaduo received the money box, despite the steadfast spirit of an Arcane Master, he could hardly stop his hands from trembling.

The group counted over and over; after counting ten times, Ruwakaduo said in a trembling voice: "My lord, it's correct, not a single piece missing." Luosen then said: "Then, as agreed, you are free—go wherever you wish."

The Kao mages did not expect Luosen to be so straightforward.

They looked at each other, wanting to leave immediately, yet feeling a bit lost, not knowing where to go next.

After all, they had been living quite comfortably on the island, their days fulfilling; now that their freedom had suddenly been restored, they felt a sense of having nowhere to go.

Luosen ignored them and ordered Stonard to start receiving the finished products of the lightning torrent crossbow.

After the lightning torrent crossbows and lightning crossbow mechanisms were all taken away, they saw the Kao mages still there, standing in the corner of the forging room dividing money.

They seemed to have some disagreement, arguing now and then.

Luosen was well aware, but he pretended not to notice.

After about half an hour, the money was finally divided; Master Ruwaka Duo led a group of young mages away, but three high-tier mages and several intermediate mages remained where they were.

Luosen smiled and greeted Master Ruwaka Duo: 'Master, are you ready to return to Kao?'

Ruwaka Duo nodded: 'I owe over 800 ogres in my hometown; my family has been suffering because of this for years, so I must go back to repay the debt.'

Luosen nodded: 'Then you should hurry back; I wish you a smooth journey.'

Ruwaka Duo nodded again and said: 'Baron, you are a truly noble lord. I know you need talent, and I actually would like to stay and continue serving you, but I am really too old.'

He sighed, then continued: 'When I return to my hometown, I will surely spread your deeds far and wide; I believe many young, excellent Kao mages will come to follow you.'

Luosen nodded happily: 'Then thank you, Master.'

Seven or eight thousand ogres' money to hire an arcane master for advertising—worth it! Ruwaka Duo left with a face full of emotion.

After he left, the three high-tier mages approached, followed by five young intermediate Kao mages.

Altogether eight people, accounting for half of the fifteen Kao mages, they were the elite of the team, their abilities far surpassing the other seven, and they were the absolute main force in building the torrent crossbow.

Among the three, Gatelan was the strongest, and this time he spoke on their behalf.

He looked ashamed: 'Lord, the lightning torrent crossbow actually has many fatal flaws. We three unanimously believe that if we don't thoroughly solve these problems, we would truly be unworthy of your trust.'

Luosen was not at all surprised by this, since from daily interaction it was clear that these three high-tier mages were engineers from another world.

They all had the obsessive-compulsive drive of top-tier engineers to strive for perfection.

He smiled and asked: 'So what do you plan to do?'

Gatelan said: 'We plan to keep improving the lightning torrent crossbow, needing no extra pay; as long as the lord manages our daily living and research expenses, that will suffice.'

After saying that, he gave an embarrassed laugh: 'I know even so, the consumption is actually not small, hehe~~'

The more he spoke, the guiltier he felt.

Luosen, however, simply snapped his fingers and readily agreed.

'No problem, not just the lightning torrent crossbow; in the future, if you have any novel ideas, you can discuss them with me.'

'As long as you can convince me that it's useful, I will invest money to support it.'

The Kao mages' eyes all lit up.

Macklay Mage laughed heartily: 'I knew this would surely succeed; you still don't believe it.'

The other mages all wore faces full of joy, for Luosen's promise meant they would have a decent income for life and could engage in work they were best at and interested in.

Few people in the world have such good fortune.

Seeing this, Luosen joked: 'I say, are you not planning to continue adventuring?'

Granck Mage laughed: 'Lord, adventure comes in many forms. Some like to roam about seeking adventure, while we prefer to search the arcane world for the Creator's hidden treasures.'

Luosen nodded in agreement: 'The moment you find the treasure, you feel a great sense of achievement resonating with the Creator. That feeling is more enchanting than the finest wine.'

Upon hearing this, each Kao mage's eyes brightened sharply, and they looked at Luosen with the gaze of one who has found a kindred spirit.

Luosen continued: 'Then I wish you all successful adventures, and by the way, I will also show you something good.'

After the gazes of those Kao mages who had voluntarily stayed turned toward him, he smiled and asked: 'Do you know why I chose to build the lightning torrent rather than the arcane torrent?'

Gatelan immediately asked: 'We are all puzzled by this question; why?'

Luosen set up a silent barrier, then said: 'First, I must explain that since you intend to formally serve me, we need to sign a confidentiality agreement.'

This is natural, after all, every lord has his own secrets.

The Kao mages also nodded in agreement.

Luosen wasted no moment, immediately producing the confidentiality agreement and began discussing its clauses with the Kao mages one by one.

The signing process was troublesome, as they thoroughly negotiated both parties' rights and obligations.

All told, it took about two and a half hours; by the time they finished signing the contract here, the seven Kao mages led by Master Ruwaka Duo had already departed the island by boat.

As for the Kao mages who remained, they bound their entire lives to White Sturgeon Island.

Now, they are no longer called Kao mages, but have been renamed the island's Crescent Mages.

Then Luosen revealed the secret word by word.

'Because, from the Creator's treasury, I found a lightning house that can automatically draw and store lightning power from nature.'

Upon hearing this, the mages were instantly stunned, their faces showing extreme shock.

'I don't believe it! This is impossible!'

Gatelan shouted in astonishment.

Luosen gave a slight smile: 'I will demonstrate this to you. You may widen your eyes, but be careful they don't pop out of their sockets.'

Of course, this is not showcasing the pinnacle achievement of the underground magic method laboratory, but merely a simplified sample.

He also believes that this batch of exceptionally high-quality engineer mages will become the most important maintainers and improvers of the island's various automatic production lines.

(End of chapter)