Golem production was significantly less of a chore now that Chariot was handling the bulk of the material preparation. It wasn't that Lan Qingyou couldn't craft the parts by hand, but since there was machinery available to produce them in batches, there was no reason to waste her time on it.
Of course, she still had to make the core components herself.
For example, the core drive area of each golem—the space where the mana crystals and monster cores were housed—had to be perfect. No matter how brilliant a golem's design was, if the drive area wasn't built correctly, the whole thing was useless.
After all, the core drive area wasn't just the power source; it was also the hub for the instruction set.
Acrylic board... or more accurately, the Transparent Toughened Board, as Chariot called it, was the perfect material for this part.
Lan Qingyou had originally wanted to find a way to coat it with Thorium, which was much stronger than Chariot’s board. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried to use Setting Potion to encapsulate it, the liquid Thorium ore simply crystallized.
Consequently, she had to settle for Chariot's acrylic board, which was at least harder than steel.
Fortunately, she had Orichalcum to serve as a second layer of protection. Otherwise, a single powerful punch would likely blow the whole core apart.
Once she finished drawing the instructions, magic patterns, circuits, and enchantments, Lan Qingyou began the assembly.
Naturally, she left the actual enchanting to Ruan Qingyi. Lan Qingyou wasn't about to show off her own limited knowledge before she had even finished reading the books on the subject.
Click, click...
As she snapped the material fasteners into place one by one, Lan Qingyou let out a long sigh of relief.
She was a bit clumsy during her first attempt, but having completed every step—from design and production to engraving and assembly—gave her a strange sense of accomplishment.
This particular golem was cone-shaped, resembling a triangular barrel. In fact, it looked exactly like those orange triangular roadblocks commonly seen at construction sites.
It appeared simple, but it was complex on the inside. It was equipped with one of Chariot’s mana thrusters for propulsion and also featured a built-in weapon system.
To put it simply, it was essentially a floating cannon.
Lan Qingyou gave it a gentle pat, and the triangular barrel wobbled as it drifted into the air. She then pulled a fist-sized rock from her magic desk and placed it on the ground.
Biu!
A red beam of light shot from the tip of the cone, striking the rock with precision.
Bang!
The rock exploded instantly. Fortunately, Lan Qingyou had kept her distance, or she would have been pelted with stone fragments.
She emerged from her hiding spot with a deep frown.
The red beam seemed powerful, but she wasn't satisfied. According to the attack program she had set, the rock shouldn't have exploded; it should have been melted and pierced through by the beam.
Clearly, the attack had failed to meet expectations.
“Was it because the mana convergence during the conversion process was off?”
Muttering to herself, she took the device apart to investigate. It didn't take long to find the problem.
The issue wasn't with her magic circuits, nor was it a mistake in converting non-attribute mana into fire elements. It was simply that the material wasn't strong enough.
A single shot had melted the muzzle at the tip of the cone.
Under those conditions, the beam that should have been tightly focused became dispersed the moment it was fired. As a result, what should have been a piercing wound became a surface explosion.
Lan Qingyou reported the issue to Chariot. Since he was in charge of the materials, she needed to provide immediate feedback on her 'customer experience.'
After Chariot agreed to redesign the material for the muzzle's durability, Lan Qingyou turned her attention to the other parts.
The triangular cone was only the first weapon. She still had several other types of golems waiting to be engraved and assembled.
While waiting for Chariot to fix the muzzle material, Lan Qingyou assembled the rest of the golems.
These golems came in three forms.
The first was a round, chubby fellow with its head attached directly to its body and no neck. It had two arms with large blades welded to its hands, and instead of legs, it moved on two wheels. Lan Qingyou called this melee golem the Blade-roller. Its front was protected by a solid slab of Orichalcum.
The second was a humanoid golem carrying a massive hammer, known as the Copper-hammer. This was also a melee golem, but unlike the offensive Blade-roller, the Copper-hammer was designed more for protection.
The final type was a four-legged beast with horns, looking like a cross between a leopard and a tiger. It was named the Horned Lion. Since its horns could fire magic attacks, it was positioned as a skirmisher meant to harass enemies and create openings for the Blade-rollers.
Among the three types, she had ten Blade-rollers, six Horned Lions, and four Copper-hammers.
Each of them featured two slots for the triangular cones.
Strictly speaking, those cones weren't independent golems; they were armaments for the larger golems. This meant the ten golems had twenty triangular cones as weapons, all of which Lan Qingyou could control.
Essentially, the golems carried her weapons for her, and some could even use them themselves based on her commands. However, they couldn't perform the 'floating cannon' style of attack she had just demonstrated; that level of control required Lan Qingyou's specific talent.
Even though each cone had a thruster that could force it into the air through brute strength, making them perform complex combat maneuvers was difficult. Or, perhaps, Lan Qingyou's craftsmanship simply wasn't at that level yet. She knew this herself and didn't bother making excuses.
After assembling the twenty golems, Lan Qingyou tested their functions. Both their acceleration and their attacks were smooth.
Beyond physical combat, each bronze beast had its own magic attack.
The Blade-roller had the D-grade magic skill Four-fold Strike, allowing it to deliver four slashes in a single second. The Horned Lion had Lightning Link D, which, despite its low damage, had a paralysis effect that provided excellent support. The Copper-hammer’s Iron Wall Protection acted as a barrier to buy Lan Qingyou time in critical moments.
Truthfully, if it weren't for the ongoing mana turbulence outside, she would have taken her squad of golems out for a stroll.
As for the forty triangular cones, she sent the parts back to Chariot for reinforcement. While it was technically a remake, he only needed to strengthen the nozzles. It wasn't complicated for him; he just had to find a material that could withstand higher temperatures.
Rate on N.U.
