Barton narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Zhang Ye before sneering. “Then tell me, how powerful can a piece of junk with no user restrictions actually be?”
Looking at the short but arrogant Dwarf, Zhang Ye let out a cold laugh.
“Forget user requirements. Some things, once built, aren't just usable by ordinary people without a lick of mana—their power can even rival Saint-tier magic!”
“Kid, I bet that cow flying over Iron Fortress was blown up there by you,” Barton huffed.
Zhang Ye waved his hand dismissively. “That’s why I said you’re shallow. Perk up your ears and listen well. Let me tell you about the most powerful thermal weapon of the modern age—the nuclear bomb!”
Then, using the most concise language possible, Zhang Ye gave Barton a crash course on the terror of nukes.
“Take the power of a single Tsar Bomba: the fireball diameter reaches 4.6 kilometers, the mushroom cloud towers 67 kilometers high, the effective killing radius is 27 kilometers, covering an area of 2,290 square kilometers. And the range of the shockwave is three times larger than that!”
“Tell me, can an explosive force like that rival a Saint-tier?”
“And nuclear weapons aren't limited to just atomic and hydrogen bombs. There are also nuclear directed energy weapons. The main types include antimatter bombs, particle beam weapons, laser-detonated nuclear bombs, clean fusion bombs, and nuclear isomer weapons. These weapons don't produce residual nuclear radiation, yet they can cause specialized destructive effects!”
“As long as an ordinary person is trained, they can use them without needing any mana at all!”
“Nuclear weapons, magic devices, and Treasures are all essentially weapons. As long as they produce results, that's what matters. You can't call something a toy just because it doesn't have user restrictions!”
This lecture left Barton completely stunned.
Meanwhile, Ke Ling had produced a small notebook at some point and was busy scribbling everything down.
“Is everything you said true?” Barton couldn't help but ask.
Even though it sounded absolutely incredible, Zhang Ye’s explanation was so well-reasoned that Barton couldn't find a way to refute it.
“Of course!” Zhang Ye nodded.
Barton pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. “Talking is useless. Being able to build it is what counts.”
“However, I’m quite interested in what you’ve said. If you research geeks ever manage to build one, remember to call me over to see it!”
“If it’s real, I’ll take back what I said earlier!”
“Deal!” Zhang Ye grinned.
Building something like a nuclear weapon was naturally extremely difficult, but with the existence of magic, Zhang Ye felt he could figure out something similar.
Furthermore, Zhang Ye was being a bit sly. While using a nuclear weapon didn't require mana, manufacturing and operating one required talents with profound knowledge and precision machinery. But hey, it was good enough to bluff people for now.
“Fine, come pick up the materials tomorrow,” Barton said, turning back toward the furnace.
Zhang Ye nodded.
Although he really wanted to stay and observe the Dwarven forging techniques, he still had to manufacture the parts for the custom magic device. He could only give up for now and come back to learn when he had the chance.
Ke Ling opened a spatial gate, and the two stepped through into a dimly lit laboratory.
The room was filled with large machines covered in complex magic lines and runes. One look at them made Zhang Ye’s head spin.
The machine in the center was likely the precision engraver.
To be able to perform such precise cutting and engraving, the technology behind it had to be incredibly complex. Zhang Ye wanted to study the runes on it, but there was no way he could decipher them in a short time.
With a wave of Ke Ling’s hand, the room brightened.
Another spatial gate opened, and Ke Lan walked in. “I’ll start by smelting the materials according to the proportions.”
There was a specialized smelting machine here that could melt the materials and mold them into the parts Zhang Ye wanted. Unlike Dwarven forging, the smelting and molding process for magic devices produced much finer parts, though it required superb operational skill—which Ke Lan clearly possessed.
Zhang Ye nodded and said, “We need to make a few prototypes first.”
“They don't need to be compatible with the time attribute yet, but we need to confirm the basic functions work properly.”
Ke Ling nodded. “The experiment begins.”
The three of them got to work in the lab, using spare materials to craft prototypes through various magic devices.
A few hours later, a magic device resembling the Pulse Pistols from the game Overwatch was born.
“Sample Unit One is complete. The internal magic circle construction is stable, and the miniature compression magic set is steady. Commencing the next phase of testing,” Zhang Ye said, injecting mana into Sample Unit One.
The magic circles inside the unit immediately began to operate, compressing Zhang Ye’s mana and storing it within the internal magic crystals. Simultaneously, as mana was injected, the prototype was activated; the internal magic circles turned, beginning to autonomously absorb surrounding mana to replenish itself.
Then, Zhang Ye changed the mana attribute. The internal magic circles continued to run, storing different attributes of mana into different magic crystals. With nine empty magic crystals built-in, it could store pure mana and various elemental attributes, allowing for free conversion.
Zhang Ye nodded. “The mana storage set is fine, and the adaptive mana crystal magazine is working. Starting test firing.”
Zhang Ye went to the experimental area, took a deep breath, aimed the muzzle at a target, and pulled the trigger.
Instantly, mana compressed into the shape of bullets poured out, riddling the target with holes.
Seeing this, Zhang Ye’s face lit up with joy. “The firing rate has reached 22 rounds per second, and the power of a single shot is equivalent to a Tier Six Mana Ball!”
“Very strong!”
“Now let’s try Full Activation Mode!”
Adjusting the magic circle, Zhang Ye pulled the trigger again.
The muzzle erupted with brilliant light as the compressed mana stored in a single magic crystal aggregated together, forming a massive Mana Ball that struck the target.
A huge boom echoed as the target was reduced to ash.
Zhang Ye’s face was full of excitement.
In Full Activation Mode, holding the trigger would cause the internal magic circles to extract all the compressed mana from a single magic crystal at once, delivering a massive burst of power.
With just this one shot, Zhang Ye felt it was even more powerful than a Tier Nine Mana Ball!
Moreover, the longer the trigger was held, the more compressed mana would be extracted. If the mana from all nine magic crystals were aggregated together, the power would likely rival a Tier Ten Mana Ball!
After checking the magic device and confirming there were no issues, Zhang Ye moved to the next phase—the compatibility test.
This magic device needed to be compatible with Lina’s attribute so that it could undergo elementization along with her when she used Blink.
Holding the firearm, Zhang Ye began to Blink. After ten consecutive Blinks, Sample Unit One showed no issues at all.
Then, Zhang Ye simulated combat by shooting while Blinking, firing over a thousand mana bullets in a row. Sample Unit One remained perfectly stable.
Zhang Ye said excitedly, “This proves our design concept is correct!”
Next, they just had to wait for the Void Meteorite smelting to be completed, successfully build the custom magic device, and finish the final tests. Then, it would be complete!
Zhang Ye could already imagine Lina wielding two custom magic devices, Blinking across the battlefield. She would look absolutely badass!
Having finished all this, Zhang Ye felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Crafting these parts was extremely taxing. Just building this prototype had consumed more than half of his mental strength. When it came time to build the actual custom magic device, he would probably have to exhaust all of it.
But for Lina, Zhang Ye felt it was worth it.
“I really have to thank you both. Without you, I don't know how long it would have taken to build this magic device,” Zhang Ye said, thanking Ke Ling and Ke Lan.
Without them, Zhang Ye would have spent ages just doing missions to earn points for materials, let alone figuring out the principles on his own.
Thus, he was sincerely grateful to the two of them.
“No need. You were the one who came up with these concepts. We merely provided the equipment and materials,” Ke Lan said, shaking her head.
In her and Ke Ling’s eyes, those ideas and philosophies were the true keys. Compared to those, some materials and the use of a precision engraver were hardly worth mentioning.
They believed Zhang Ye’s concepts could bring massive benefits to the entire magic device industry. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was pushing the development of the era forward!
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