Chapter 86

Familiar streets, slightly different scenery.

Since Li En had come over, he was unusually happy, didn't have to worry about work tomorrow, and turned dinner straight into a midnight snack.

Larry had also sobered up, lying on the sofa, staring blankly at Dimon, barefoot and acting as host, who simply took the two of them out for a night stroll, showing them the construction site under way.

"Before, the only places lit up after dark were the casinos and the flower streets—but now, their enthusiasm can't be stopped."

Standing at the foot of the hill, Dimon pointed down at the factory zone.

Larry was deeply moved, but Li En found it strange.

Nighttime construction efficiency is pretty low, after all, this era still relies mostly on human labor—working in total darkness makes slacking off easy and accidents likely.

His dragon eyes turned toward them, and only then did he notice something odd.

Construction was indeed happening: under the lights, some workers were laying bricks and building walls, but others—"big brothers"—sat in chairs, watching.

If this were an ordinary person, they'd be utterly confused—but Li En, who had walked the grassroots, glanced twice and already understood what was going on.

"Working nonstop can avoid extra losses?"

"Mm." Hearing this, Dimon was slightly startled—he never expected Li En, who also seemed like a noble-born youth, to understand such messy matters.

Li En, of course, understood: in times of economic chaos, newly opened construction sites and projects in remote areas would be stripped bare—down to just metal sheets—if left unguarded at night.

Many valuable machines would vanish overnight, leaving only scrap yards as their final destination.

"They volunteered—I couldn't stop them. I thought a few guards would be enough; nighttime work is risky. But they insisted, so I let them."

Li En shook his head, saying nothing—he felt the people below were right.

Those who understand the slums are still the people from the slums.

Even if you leave a few guards, as soon as the lights go out, they can't hold it. In some places, the whole village might turn out—no barbed wire can stop them (they'll tear it down), and they'll haul everything off in one go.

Better to work day and night together—speed up progress and avoid unexpected losses.

Losing a little money or goods doesn't matter, but if machinery is stolen, it becomes a nightmare—even if recovered, it'll likely be reduced to scrap metal and copper wire.

"What's that?"

Li En pointed to another row of low buildings, where the faint aroma of cooking food drifted.

By location, it was also within Dimon's territory.

"A seafood processing plant—mainly making dried fish and rations, meant for sailors and adventurers. We're testing the market first—it's better than those bars and restaurants. I used to do this; most of what they sell is just kitchen waste."

Li En nodded. Dimon truly had thought ahead—this market was indeed relatively empty and held great potential.

What adventurers and sailors dreaded most was food spoilage; even the meal boxes and rations sold at lodging places weren't much better, especially from unscrupulous vendors who planned only for one-time tourist profits.

But Dimon saw further: if, as he'd said, he built up this underground passage's logistics business, it was better to earn reputation and build long-term trade than to exploit customers once and leave.

Then, when people bought food here, they'd naturally pick up weapons, supplies, spare parts—even stay overnight. If it became a well-known, reliable supply line, it meant stable, semi-permanent income.

Perhaps Dimon hadn't read many books, but he wasn't foolish.

"Once business picks up here, I take three-tenths, you take one-tenth—the rest will be distributed. The same goes for the next one—like that textile factory, Miss Shaliman holds six-tenths."

Li En nodded, agreeing.

Acting as the backer meant taking this share—even if small, you had to be tied into the relationship.

Li En didn't care about this income—it might not even reach a few gold coins a year—but the future was hard to predict.

"Power" was nothing but manpower and capital; once this industry stirred, what was needed would come in time.

"Heh, I've got some assets too."

Though seemingly insignificant, looking at the busy crowds below and the dilapidated factories, Li En felt a quiet joy and satisfaction.

At least, where this outsider had walked, some traces remained.

Perhaps the change was small, the traces faint—but still visible to the naked eye.

"I can help! I can help!" At that moment, Lord Lord Kuku became lively again.

"Great Alchemist! Food improvement! Eat more!" He meant he could help improve the taste of rations and portable food.

"I've eaten so many kinds of rations! From every race! I can replicate them! Delicious! Elven! Dwarven! Machine race! Sub-dragon! All delicious!"

Li En hesitated, remembering Lord Lord Kuku's past record—don't blow up what's just getting started.

"Alright, go ahead."

Hmm, maybe it's not that big a deal—right now, there's nothing to lose. If it blows up, rebuild it.

If he actually succeeded, they'd strike it rich.

Li En never underestimated the power of the Spirit Soul—even if Lord Lord Kuku looked utterly unreliable, and indeed was, he was still a legendary hero recorded in history.

"Dimon, let me introduce you to a technical consultant."

Because he introduced Lord Lord Kuku to Dimon, Li En couldn't leave. Considering Lana had a maid watching over her and wouldn't be in danger, Li En simply stayed and slept there.

Naturally, he suffered another painful dream.

"Ha! Ah! So painful! So painful!"

Physical pain—actual headache—awakened the "sleeping" Lord Lord Kuku.

The dog-headed man clutched his head, lost in confusion and disorientation.

The original "dual-core" surgery didn't go well—in fact, the dog-headed man's overconfidence led him to perform the surgery before the technology was mature.

Had fate not favored him—or had he not been incredibly tough—he would have been dead, killed by suicide.

Even so, due to surgical aftereffects, he endured a long "intellect-decline period" and a life of wandering.

"Pfft! Pfft!" He spat out dead rats and sand, looked up dazedly, and saw endless desert and oases—he had no idea where he'd ended up.

Later, he calculated: during those six months of lost reason and intelligence, Lord Lord Kuku wandered over a dozen cities, thousands of kilometers—surviving was sheer luck. And no one dared provoke a mad mage.

When he regained his intellect and sanity, he was astonished to find the side effects were milder than expected—and the results were far better than imagined.

He, indeed, had gained a second mind—and even a second personality—yet remained himself.

"Let's work together! Learn magic!"

"Together! Become a Master."

Thus, one Lord Lord Kuku became two Kukus.

The boost from dual cores finally allowed him to break through the bottleneck of a Three-Ring Mage, and even reaching Four Rings posed no difficulty.

But soon, he discovered a better use for multiple thought threads.

"Crack! You study Evocation! I study Transmutation!"

A caster's spells and supernatural abilities are roughly divided into eight schools based on their characteristics.

Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment (Charm), Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation (Alchemy); this is merely a rough classification, a subject convenient for casters to research and learn.

Magic and knowledge have no limits, but a mage's lifespan and energy do; concentrating time to specialize in a certain discipline is a common practice. This classification is actually quite unscientific, with many problems and contradictions, but it is indeed useful for newcomers.

In this process of specialization, mages often gain much.

"No! I study Transmutation! You study Evocation!"

However, every caster has their own preferences and characteristics; naturally, every Lord Lord Kuku wants to learn the system suited to themselves.

Both Kukus were interested in Alchemy, which leans toward the Transmutation school, and neither wanted to study Evocation (a certain mage: Evocation barbarians? They look like crude sorcerers).

Even though Evocation is extremely powerful in combat, ranking second only in destructive power and stability.

Ultimately, the first Lord Lord Kuku won by virtue of an advantage in "age."

Dual thought threads do not merely provide an extra "hand" in combat; more importantly, both minds research and learn from different perspectives and angles, finally merging their results together.

"Divination school! Useful! How about! One more!"

"Great! Great! You're too boring; having another person to chat with!"

Thus, the third one was born; this time the period of confusion lasted only a month, and Lord Lord Kuku locked himself in his residence.

"You study Divination! Newcomer!"

"No way! I want to study Alchemy, study potion-making!" Uh, they started fighting each other again.

But the original side effects should have been far more severe; the same surgeries all failed. At this time, Lord Lord Kuku did not know he could succeed; it was because he was truly special.

Lord Lord Kuku was merely very satisfied; the new Lord Lord Kuku was still Lord Lord Kuku, with apparently no hidden dangers of personality conflict or soul rupture that others spoke of.

"Since there's no problem! Do it again!" The Kobold's confidence made him forever believe the next time would succeed.

Many informed people waited for his madness and self-destruction.

But he actually succeeded.

The same thing happened again and again; heaven knows how many Kukus there were in the end.

But by then, Lord Lord Kuku was already a true Archmage, even a rare generalist mage.

However, he still did not stop; he even intensified his efforts.

"Shamanistic Witchcraft! I couldn't learn it well before! Get a specialist!"

"Elemental Conjuration! Warlock magic! Need an expert too!"

"Dragon Tongue Incantation"

Perhaps no one expected that among the casters of that era, a true little monster was hidden.

He no longer knew how strong he was; at least among the casters he knew, no one dared to underestimate him anymore.

"Hellhound Demon Dragon"; at this time, Lord Lord Kuku had a strange yet normal-sounding title.

Finally, at a certain point in time, Lord Lord Kuku, who had finally gained enough power, began to try returning to the origin, to fulfill his lifelong wish of walking the path of magic.

Knowledge is to solve problems.

"Break the bonds! Free all Kobolds from the control of evil dragons! Let them live for themselves!"

This was Lord Lord Kuku's origin, and also what he wanted to leave behind for the world.

But this time, will fate favor him?

(End of Chapter)