Chapter 62: Steam Industry

These two high-level incantations.

One is the Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation.

One is the Puppet Secret Thread.

The Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation is a high-level incantation, 14 syllables, consuming 5 units of source power.

14 syllables is the full syllable count for a high-level incantation, the conventional limit.

There are also high-level incantations with more than 14 syllables, which are generally enhanced versions.

With 14 syllables, the incantation takes a full 3.5 seconds to release, which is quite long.

"Perceive and detect the enemy's existence, then release the incantation, ignoring obstacles and distance. Most importantly, this Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation is very covert; when the enemy is ensnared by it, they may not even realize they have been located."

"The Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation can play a crucial role in certain situations. It's quite good."

Gunie nodded slightly, summarizing thus.

The Puppet Secret Thread is a high-level incantation with 12 syllables, consuming 4 units of source power.

Upon release, it can gather powerful puppet threads on the enemy, used to control their body and even soul, and is very covert.

At the same time, this Puppet Secret Thread can also be applied to objects for manipulation.

Most importantly, the threads constructed by this Puppet Secret Thread can penetrate the interior of an object for perception and detection.

"Strong functionality!"

Gunie pondered this incantation inwardly.

Strong functionality is the hallmark of covert compound incantations.

Currently, Gunie was in great need of such functional incantations.

"Compared to the Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation, this Puppet Secret Thread is more mysterious and eerie. I could even control the enemy without them knowing."

"Now, with the cultivation of the Soul Seal Codex, my ability to multitask has improved to a certain extent."

"When I encounter an enemy, I can stall a bit."

"Then I can use the Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation and the Puppet Secret Thread to lock onto and control the opponent."

Afterward, Gunie sipped his coffee and opened his AFK system.

[AFK]

First AFK slot: Bone Element Potion Secret Incantation (Level 7)

Second AFK slot: Cyber Source Pool (Level 2)

Third AFK slot: Soul Seal Codex (Level 0)

Fourth AFK slot: Devout Knight Breathing Method (Level 2)

Fifth AFK slot: Blood Pool Codex (Level 1)

After some consideration, Gunie removed the Level 7 Bone Element Potion Secret Incantation and the Level 2 Devout Knight Breathing Method.

The Bone Element Potion Secret Incantation was already at Level 7, sufficient for use.

The Devout Knight Breathing Method actually overlapped somewhat with the Blood Pool Codex.

Because the Blood Pool Codex, while strengthening Gunie's blood, also continuously strengthened his body, with effects no worse than the Devout Knight Breathing Method.

After all, the Blood Pool Codex was a "Codex" more powerful than high-level texts.

With the Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation and the Puppet Secret Thread placed.

The first wave of experience soon floated out.

The experience for the Soul-Fixing Divine Ring Incantation was 12.

The experience for the Puppet Secret Thread was 10.

Both were quite good high-level incantations.

Gunie looked at the first slot in the second row, the sixth AFK slot.

It had been over half a month now, and its progress bar was less than one-tenth full.

Based on his previous experience, unlocking the sixth AFK slot would likely take about half a year.

"With these incantations, after a period of stable AFK, my strength will steadily improve."

"At the same time..."

Gunie also pondered inwardly.

"In a month, I can probably advance to a second-rank incantation master. Maybe even less than a month—just over twenty days—and I can advance to second rank."

"For ordinary supernaturals, advancing from first to second rank takes at least half a year, and even a year is common."

"Some with weaker talent cannot advance at all."

"My advancement speed... is too fast!"

Gunie's heart stirred.

"But my foundation is already solid; advancing quickly to second rank can be explained away."

Half an hour later.

Count Shiya and Alex walked out together.

At this moment, both of their faces bore faint smiles.

Clearly, their discussion had gone very well.

It was already dinner time.

Count Shiya invited everyone to dine together.

No one declined.

After dinner, the sky had darkened.

The guests then took their leave, departing by carriage.

…

Night fell.

Inside the small secret chamber.

Gunie, seated cross-legged on the meditation spot, was utterly tranquil at heart.

"It seems they really can't find me."

After returning, Gunie disguised himself again and scouted the vicinity back and forth.

He found no Blood-Ear Elves nearby, nor did he sense any danger.

Evidently, the Blood-Ear Elves and their kind had not traced the murder of their kin back to Gunie.

"Given how many of them I killed, with the Blood-Ear Elves' temperament, they would surely stop at nothing to find the murderer. They must have dispatched many experts skilled in divination, spying, deduction, and even retrospection to track me down and retaliate."

"Yet, up to now, there hasn't been the slightest stir."

"The effect of severing the chains of fate is truly astonishing."

Gunie gently rubbed his fingers, etching the powerful trait of the chains of fate deep into his heart.

"However, there are still countless fine threads of fate's chains on me. Two more times, at most three, and I will completely sever all the chains of fate."

"I wonder what scene that will be."

"I look forward to it." Gunie mused inwardly.

Then, Gunie looked at his system inventory.

Earlier, Gunie had also guarded against enemies tracking him.

He had directly placed the many transcendent equipment and spatial storage rings into the system space, without taking them out or examining them.

Given the powerful nature of the system space, as long as Gunie didn't take them out, no one could find where they were.

Now, having confirmed that those enemies likely couldn't trace his trail,

Gunie could finally tally the spoils of this encounter.

As Gunie sorted through them,

One after another, black-iron-grade transcendent weapons, leather armor, and short boots were taken out by Gunie.

Occasionally, there were one or two bronze-grade transcendent equipment pieces.

These Blood-Ear Elves' transcendent equipment still remained at the primary processing stage of natural raw materials.

For instance, these short blades and daggers—transcendent weapons—were hand-forged, with craftsmanship that looked quite good.

But upon closer inspection, the forging texture inside the weapons was uneven, which reduced the sharpness and power of the transcendent blades, and their own toughness was insufficient.

In contrast, the current steam alchemy technology of the human world—coal fuel, flame burning, small blast furnaces for smelting, mold casting, forging and quenching, and finally high-temperature enchantment—these steam mechanical processes

completely overwhelmed the utilization of transcendent properties by such handicrafts.

To put it in the most detailed weapon data:

If the toughness strength of these alien black-iron-grade handcrafted transcendent weapons is 10-12,

then the toughness strength of black-iron-grade transcendent equipment manufactured by human steam processes is 14-16.

Moreover,

with the continuous advancement of human steam alchemy technology,

black-iron alloy equipment can be mass-produced on a large scale.

The imperial military basically uses black-iron alloy equipment.

More precisely, 'black-iron alloy firearms.'

Thermal weapons—firearms—those who use them know their worth.

Black iron and bronze can both be produced in certain quantities.

Mithril, at that level, though not abundant, is also available.

Magic gold-grade equipment is currently in the process of being conquered.

Meanwhile, those wilderness transcendent alien races are largely still stuck with black-iron alloy, black-iron grade, and a small amount of bronze-grade transcendent products.

The crushing of handicrafts by the transcendent steam industry,

the crushing of cold weapons by thermal weapons—

this is also the reason why humanity, in the current steampunk era, can expand territories, explore unknown mysterious regions, open up sea routes, and suppress the alien races that once flourished in past eras, keeping them from raising their heads.