Chapter 365: Star-Cast Titan

"Alright, that’s all for the basic theory."

Vinad finally concluded:

"Actual operation requires professional alchemical equipment and a dust-free environment.

You prepare ten complete magic stones first, and at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, arrive at my private laboratory in the Central Land on time."

His tone became formal:

"Charging a fee is necessary; although I appreciate you, we are not yet in a formal mentor-disciple relationship.

Knowledge transmission always requires corresponding rewards; this is a conventional rule."

Hearing Vinad proactively mention the consultation fee, Luo En felt a sense of relief instead.

Although ten complete magic stones were not a small amount, this kind of clearly marked transaction was far safer than owing a favor.

At least he knew what the other party’s expectations were, and he knew how to repay them.

"Of course, this is completely reasonable."

He responded respectfully: "I will go to your laboratory tomorrow to pay the fee."

"Very good," Vinad nodded with satisfaction, then seemed to remember something:

"By the way, since it’s rare to be in contact, I’ll let you witness true alchemy."

He manipulated several mechanical tentacles and operated rapidly on the control console inside the colossus:

"My periodic maintenance this time is almost over.

This big guy has been asleep for nearly ten years; today is the day it wakes up again."

"Why restart it?" Luo En asked curiously.

"A small asteroid drifted over my extraterritorial territory."

Vinad’s tone was light, as if he were talking about today’s weather:

"Although it’s not too big, if it hits the surface, it will still cause quite a bit of trouble. So it needs to be dealt with in advance."

He pointed in another direction of the projection:

"You can put the badge I gave you into your portable simulation device, so you can get a more realistic experience."

Luo En quickly did as he was told, putting the wrench badge into the simulation device in the laboratory.

The moment the badge was activated, his consciousness was completely surrounded by silver light.

He could feel his spirit crossing endless voids, traversing one plane barrier after another, finally arriving at some remote alien world.

When the light dissipated, he found himself inside a giant structure that was suffocating.

This was a control center specifically designed for some kind of existence that exceeded conventional understanding.

The ceiling was so high he couldn't see the top, and the surroundings were covered with countless glowing pipes and circuits, like the blood vessels and nervous system of a giant beast.

The air was filled with the smell of ozone and melting metal.

"How does it feel, little guy?"

Vinad’s voice sounded in his consciousness.

Unlike his usual business-like tone, he carried a kind of excitement that bordered on childlike:

"This is the crystallization of my hard work over hundreds of years—the 'Star-Cast Titan'; you are currently located in its core control room."

Luo En turned slowly, trying to adapt to this scale that exceeded imagination.

In front of him was a circular control console the size of a basketball court, densely arranged with thousands of control devices of different functions.

Some were traditional crystal buttons, some were biological interfaces with writhing tentacles, and some were even constantly changing forms, seemingly alive.

The most shocking were the giant display screens hanging from the ceiling.

Each screen was tens of meters wide, displaying complex data streams that were dizzying:

Energy distribution map, structural integrity monitoring, environmental analysis report, threat assessment system...

The density and complexity of the information already exceeded the understanding limit of a formal wizard.

"These control systems..."

Luo En struggled to digest this information overload, his voice full of amazement:

"How high a level of mental diversion technique is needed to control all of this simultaneously? I feel that even a Great Wizard couldn't process so much information at once, right?"

"Ha! You hit the nail on the head!"

Vinad’s laughter carried bitterness.

Countless precise mechanical tentacles extended from his body, connecting to various control nodes like an octopus:

"Actually, even for me, I can only directly control about 40% of the systems; the remaining 60% are handed over to auxiliary intelligence processing."

While speaking, those mechanical tentacles began to move rapidly, jumping between thousands of control devices, their movements as precise as a well-trained pianist:

"Do you know the manufacturing cost of these auxiliary intelligences?

Each one is equivalent to the total income of a wizard clan for ten years! And I installed thirty-seven of them in total!"

Vinad’s tone began to become somewhat excited, even carrying a boastful meaning:

"Just this control system alone has emptied my little treasury several times! But that’s not the most expensive part..."

He paused deliberately, seemingly waiting for Luo En’s follow-up question.

"What is the most expensive?" Luo En blinked, feeling he had taken the bait, satisfying the other party’s vanity.

"Hahaha! Good question!" Vinad’s triumphant voice sounded:

"The most expensive is the energy core! Do you know what a magic crystal is?"

"Magic crystal?" Luo En shook his head, indicating he didn't understand.

"Ah, I forgot you haven't reached the level to come into contact with it."

Vinad’s tone became more triumphant, but he deliberately pretended to be distressed:

"A magic crystal is the essence of magic stones; only in a large magic stone vein that can produce tens of thousands of complete magic stones can a magic crystal be naturally born!"

His voice began to tremble, not knowing if it was because of excitement or heartache:

"The energy density it contains is thousands of times that of ordinary magic stones!

And it has many special bonuses that magic stones don't have—such as space manipulation, time acceleration, and even reality reconstruction!"

"By the time we reach this level, ordinary magic stones can be extracted and manufactured from the void, as simple as you breathing air."

Vinad continued, the boastful meaning in his tone becoming stronger and stronger:

"But natural treasures like magic crystals cannot be artificially synthesized even by those ancient alchemists! Unless..."

His voice became mysterious:

"Unless you master the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, this ultimate creation that only exists in theory!

But that is too ethereal; for several epochs, I’ve only heard of two or three examples that might be close."

Vinad manipulated the control console, and the Titan began to emit a low starting sound:

"Back then, for this magic crystal, I threw in all the wealth I had accumulated for eight hundred years! I even mortgaged the mining rights of those few alien world territories of mine!"

His tone became more exaggerated:

"I owed a astronomical debt equivalent to fifty thousand complete magic stones!

So much so that I, a dignified Great Wizard, was forced by debt to become a mercenary!"

But speaking of this, Vinad’s tone became triumphant again:

"But now... hehe, those guys who laughed at me for being a spendthrift back then are all jealous to the point of madness when they see my wealth report."

"Great Wizards are also troubled by debt?" Luo En was somewhat incredulous.

"You child, do you think Great Wizards don't eat the food of mortals?" Vinad laughed loudly:

"The higher the level, the more terrifying the consumption.

The cost of each cross-boundary teleportation is enough to make a Dark Sun-level wizard feel heartache.

And manufacturing a decent alchemical piece of equipment starts at thousands of magic stones."

As the startup procedure progressed, Luo En could feel an increasingly strong vibration under his feet.

It didn't feel like the rotation of mechanical gears; the feeling it gave him was more like the rhythm of some giant living body waking up.

As if they were inside an ancient giant god that was awakening.

Through the external sensing system, Luo En saw the true face of the Titan for the first time.

It was a humanoid colossus standing a thousand meters tall, made entirely of a special alloy exuding a dark golden luster.

Its surface was covered with glowing patterns like blood vessels, which were flickering with the rhythm of a "heartbeat."

Two giant light orbs with a diameter of over a hundred meters on its head were slowly lighting up, like two newborn stars.

"Is it beautiful?"

Vinad’s voice was full of pride:

"This is my masterpiece! Every screw, every circuit, has been carefully designed!"

The planet where the Titan was located also entered Luo En’s field of vision.

This was a completely transformed metal world.

The surface was covered with countless crystal-clear energy towers, each releasing light beams of different colors toward the sky.

The distant mountains were not made of rock, but of giant crystal clusters, shining under the illumination of the twin moons.

The ocean presented an eerie silver color, with glowing algae plants floating on the surface, like a liquid starry sky.

The whole world exuded a surreal beauty, but at the same time revealed artificial traces.

"When I discovered this place, it was originally a dead, barren planet; I spent several hundred years transforming it into what it is now."

Vinad’s tone carried the pride of a creator:

"The atmospheric composition, gravity field, and even geological structure were all redesigned according to my will. Now it is one of the most resource-rich territories in this quadrant!"