Chapter 213: Terminator

Only Lei En and Yisu remained on the beach.

"Master Anxi wants to take you as a student?"

Yisu snapped his head toward Lei En, his face full of indescribable envy.

He is a Holy Soul Wizard, and one of the Empire's three most powerful Holy Soul Wizards; becoming Master Anxi's student is simply too lucky!

Even if Lei En's talent is average and his strength mediocre, just relying on this status will let him stride across the Empire in the future.

Not to mention, Lei En's talent is rare in the world.

"Yes, this is what the teacher promised earlier," Lei En modestly nodded in acknowledgment, though he was truly delighted inside.

He had thought that the mission hadn't been completed satisfactorily, perhaps not even half investigated, so Master Anxi might not fulfill the promise, or they'd have to wait until the matter concluded for a chance.

He felt embarrassed to ask himself.

Unexpectedly, Master Anxi agreed outright, which made Lei En overjoyed. He had fought tooth and nail, and finally snagged this big prize, ha!

"You must be smug..." Yisu said sourly.

He summoned a Chado Black Eagle, and the two rode it toward the castle.

Under the cover of night they entered the castle courtyard, startling the guard centaurs and mercenaries until they saw the lord return, then they withdrew with relief.

Lei En nodded to himself; it seemed the castle's defenses hadn't slackened while he was away.

After greeting Ai Mi Li Si, she returned to the study.

"Come out."

Lei En said a word, and Yisu's figure appeared in the study, asking, "What next? Master Anxi sent someone to Shield Island; do you still want to continue investigating the Ai Deng family?"

"You actually heard that..." Lei En raised an eyebrow; Yisu's eavesdropping ability was unexpected, managing to catch useful information beneath the Holy Soul Wizard's very nose before being discovered.

"Of course."

Yisu shrugged, relaxed, sat on the sofa as if at home, grabbed the snacks on the coffee table and tossed them into his mouth.

Lei En paced back and forth in the study, deep in thought.

Count Atlan Ke Pi Li Nuo* Ai Deng, this person is definitely problematic; he has likely pledged to the Abyssal evil god "Lord of the Dead" for many years.

But it cannot be confirmed whether Pi Li Nuo's corruption is linked to Mo Du nobles' scheming on Shield Island.

So far among the Mo Du nobles observed, no second corrupted one has been found.

There may be, just not encountered yet.

Only by closely interacting with Mo Du nobles and covertly observing their beliefs can one make a judgment. Not only Mo Du nobles, but also the Wizards in Weizelan's Fu Kong Cheng, as well as various dignitaries and renowned figures—anyone met face‑to‑face must be screened with the Soul Eye.

If the number of corrupted ones far exceeds the norm, it can basically be confirmed that the prophecy concerns them!

Lei En clarified his thoughts, sat down and said, "The Ai Deng family is problematic; we must keep watching them."

"Why are you so certain?" Yisu asked, a bit puzzled.

"I have my own clues and reasons; you don't need to know why," Lei En said, not wanting to explain too clearly, continuing, "Whether Pi Li Nuo threatens Fu Kong Cheng or not, he will eventually be eliminated—that's exactly what you want, right?"

"Hmm." Yisu nodded with a grim expression.

His deep hatred toward Pi Li Nuo must be repaid with blood, even at the cost of his own life.

Lei En saw his impatience and soothed, "Be patient; before news from Shield Island returns, we must not act rashly. I will also investigate covertly by other means."

Yisu stood up to leave, "Understood, I won't jeopardize Master Anxi's grand plans."

"You can stay in my castle; I'll have someone arrange a room," Lei En offered.

"Staying here is boring; I prefer hanging out at Pink Colt, I'm leaving," Yisu said, then hurriedly slipped into the Shadow Plane, vanishing before his eyes.

Lei En, half contemptuous, half envious, muttered, "That guy... treats the brothel like home."

He checked the time; it wasn't yet nine PM.

Lei En didn't want to rest so early, so he entered the castle's magic training room alone, intending to explore applications of Living Metal.

A thought sparked within him, activating the Steel Body.

First his whole body became incredibly hard, then softened; his muscles flowed like liquid, his entire arm twisted and reshaped, the five fingers fused into one, the palm's edge sharpening, the arm elongating forward, finally turning into a translucent blade!

He swept his hand across the ground; the blade struck the stone slab, sparking and carving a deep groove.

"Sss..."

Lei En gasped; it was sharper than ordinary swords, its hardness and toughness far surpassing common alloys.

He held his hand out, and the arm continued extending forward.

But the extension wasn't limitless; it stopped at two meters, his body shrank a notch, and the arm became thin, hard to support.

The arm retracted, and three curved claws sprouted between his fingers.

They clashed, emitting a metallic ringing.

Lei En fumbled for a moment, gauging the transformation's limits.

The torso and limbs can change, but not without limits; they can only deform within a range, unable to stray far from a roughly human shape.

Moreover, regardless of the shape, weight and volume remain fixed.

Lei En thought he could turn into a puddle of slime; he tried, but it was impossible—forcing a non‑human form would likely kill him!

Even so, Living Metal remains extremely powerful, with great potential to tap.

Lei En faced the wall mirror, his muscles flowing; after a few seconds he reshaped, becoming a completely unfamiliar form.

Not only was he a bit shorter, but his appearance was entirely different.

After shedding the Steel Body, this appearance persisted, essentially making two people.

"This is way more badass than Shape‑shifting Art!"

Lei En touched his face; Shape‑shifting Art can only alter facial features, whereas Living Metal can change the whole body, and once fixed, no flaw is visible.

Such transformation cannot be seen through any technique; as long as one doesn't voluntarily undo it, this is one's true appearance!

The only possible drawback is the inability to create clothing.

But that's only a minor issue; Lei En decided that from now on he would keep dozens of outfits of different sizes and professions inside the ring, both male and female garments, ready to change into at any time.

He stood in front of the mirror, his physique constantly shifting.

At one moment he grew taller and thinner, becoming a middle‑aged Wizard with an odd appearance; the next he shrank to under one‑meter‑five, his body widening, short and stout like a barrel, a living dwarf; then he grew tall again, slender and curvaceous, turning into a breathtakingly beautiful elf maiden.

Admiring the stunning face in the mirror, Lei En was feeling smug when he suddenly sensed a hollow emptiness beneath him and quickly reverted.

Cough—size doesn't matter, it can be big or small, but it can't be missing!

He kept shifting into more than a dozen forms—human, dwarf, elf, barbarian, troll…

Finally, Lei En turned into a stern, muscular face, his height slightly lowered, muscles bulging, donned a black leather jacket, retrieved a long‑unused M870 shotgun from the ring, held it aloft, and coldly said to the mirror, "I‑WILL‑BE‑BACK!"

The moment he finished speaking, he couldn't hold back his laughter.

Lei En reverted to his original form, shook his head and said, "Too bad there's no sunglasses, no cool motorcycle; otherwise I could look even more like…".

"Hmm…" he thought carefully, "maybe I could have a motorcycle."

The idea sparked inspiration.

Steam and mechanical technology have been popular in Ai Lun E Si for centuries; this world lacks oil, so machinery can only be powered by steam engines or combined with magical techniques.

This drives automobile prices sky‑high—a cheapest car still costs over a thousand Gold Shields, far beyond ordinary families' means, preventing mass adoption.

Bicycles are too cheap, lacking technical content, yielding little profit.

Moreover, bicycles aren't fast enough.

If a steam motorcycle could be invented to fill the mid‑range transport gap—priced reasonably and reasonably fast—it should appeal to the urban middle class.

The motorcycle could also be converted into a three‑wheeler or sidecar, serving as a small transport vehicle, far more labor‑saving and convenient than a carriage, so sales would surely be high!

From four wheels to two, then three, the lacking element is not technology but creativity.

When free time comes, it can be tried.

Lei En retracted his scattered thoughts and continued testing activated metal.

He fetched several massive iron blocks from the neighboring training ground, lifted them, and the thousand‑pound pieces swiftly reshaped into a heavy greatsword.

The greatsword softened, enveloped his whole body, becoming a fitted suit of armor.

Lei En thought to merge this iron armor with his steel body, but found it impossible; at best it could temporarily link, forming a single unit, which would instantly separate once the activated metal was deactivated.

"A steel body is merely a simulated metal form, not true metal; the two are fundamentally different and cannot fuse."

"That's fine then; embedding metal into the body is too dangerous."

Lei En removed the armor and reshaped it in his hands, kneading it like modeling clay, stretching it outward; the details grew ever finer—barrel, spring, grip—each component forming and assembling, and in under two minutes it became a massive Rambo Gun.

The thousand‑pound heavy machine gun, dark and glossy, reflected light.

Lei En twirled the gun a few times, pulled the bolt to chamber, pulled the trigger, and a "click" sounded.

The metallic tactile feedback indicated the Rambo Gun was usable; loading ammunition allowed firing, but due to material limits it would wear out after only two or three shots.

As long as the appropriate metal materials are gathered and smelted into alloy, a genuine Rambo Gun can be forged in minutes.

"In two days I'll equip each of Xi Ka Liu Si's group with a Rambo Gun."

Lei En calculated this in his mind, but the bullet supply remained a problem.

Casings could be purchased from a mechanical workshop or hand‑crafted, but acquiring propellant and primers was trickier, and secrecy had to be considered.

With only one Rambo Gun, others would mistake it for a legendary weapon—like a Soul Gun—usable only by the transcendent.

If they appeared in large numbers, anyone could spot the issue.

If the machine‑gun manufacturing technique leaked, every transcendent would have a Rambo Gun; if the weight were reduced, ordinary people could use it, which would inevitably have a huge impact on Ai Lun E Si, even reshaping the world's power structure, reorganizing institutions and order.

Then, as the gun's "inventor", his fortunes would be unpredictable.

"We must be cautious; let's put this aside for now," Lei En shook his head, ultimately not daring to mass‑equip the machine guns immediately.

(End of chapter)