Chapter 96 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

Zhang Ye first picked up a Tier Three magic device to examine it.

It was a magic device similar to a musket, about two meters long and very bulky, with magic lines inscribed upon it.

Zhang Ye enveloped it with his mana and searched around. He quickly found the method to disassemble it and then took it apart completely to inspect the components.

“The miniature mana gathering slot at the back is used for loading mana, which is then transported inside through these few magic lines.”

“Inside, there is a low-grade magic crystal inscribed with a magic circle serving as the hub for mana conversion…”

“It converts mana into the form of a Mana Ball, wraps it in a thin mana film, and that creates a mana bullet…”

“So that’s the principle behind it. Interesting…”

Zhang Ye muttered to himself while continuously dismantling various magic devices. Magic devices were ultimately linked to one's understanding of magic. Therefore, Zhang Ye only needed a bit of deliberation to grasp the principles within, and the design in his mind became increasingly clear.

As he dismantled further, some components of certain magic devices could not be taken apart because they were integrated parts condensed from mana. Zhang Ye could only permeate them with his mana to perceive their structure.

Furthermore, the system could perform analysis to help him understand.

Time passed minute by minute. Zhang Ye sat in the field, constantly tinkering with the magic devices, surrounded by a scattered pile of components that made Renomon’s and Lina’s eyelids twitch.

These magic devices had cost over twenty million gold. They had prepared over a dozen types and dozens of individual Tier Ten magic devices alone, and Zhang Ye was dismantling every single one of them. He truly didn't treat money like money at all!

Soon, the sun was about to set. Zhang Ye had actually been dismantling for over ten hours without stopping for a moment, even skipping lunch.

“Brother Ye, why don’t we eat first?” Lina couldn't help but run over and ask.

She had called him for lunch at noon, but he hadn't eaten then either.

Zhang Ye didn't respond. He was staring blankly at a component in his hand, his eyes somewhat glazed.

“Brother Ye? Brother Ye?” Lina suddenly felt a bit worried. Brother Ye hadn't driven himself crazy, had he?

“Nice!” Suddenly, Zhang Ye jumped up and let out a loud shout, startling Lina. She quickly grabbed Zhang Ye’s hand, her eyes welling with tears.

“Brother Ye, don’t scare me like that…”

Seeing her like this, Zhang Ye knew she had misunderstood. He rubbed his hair and gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry for scaring you. I’m fine.”

“I know how to manufacture your exclusive magic device now!”

“Huh?” Lina was a bit dazed, her small mouth slightly agape in an adorable expression.

He had been busy for so long, not only gaining a deep understanding of the construction and principles of various magic devices but even studying their materials. The designs in his head had been swapped out one after another.

He had even called out the know-it-all Ella to work with him. The reason he had been standing there in a daze just now was that he had found the key to creating Lina’s exclusive magic device!

First: the rune groups, magic lines, magic circles, and materials required for “Compression,” as well as the conceptual design of the magic device’s appearance.

Second: Because Lina’s “Blink” involved the light attribute and “Retrograde” involved the time attribute, the materials needed to manufacture the magic device had to be compatible with both attributes.

Light-attribute materials were easy to find, but time-attribute ones… Zhang Ye believed that time and space were likely the most powerful types of energy, so finding materials compatible with them would probably be quite difficult.

“Brother-in-law, could you please go to Kerry Materials and ask if they have any materials that are compatible with both the light and time attributes…” Speaking to this point, Zhang Ye let out a yawn.

After ten consecutive hours of intense concentration, although his mana hadn't been consumed much, his mental strength was greatly depleted. It made him feel as if he had stayed up for three nights in a row; he was incredibly exhausted.

Hearing this, Renomon nodded. “Leave it to me. Brother Ye, go get some rest.”

“Alright, thanks.” Zhang Ye nodded and walked toward his room. Seeing this, Lina quickly moved to support him.

As they walked slowly, Zhang Ye squinted his eyes and smiled. “Lina, just wait a while. Once I’ve learned how to manufacture magic devices, I’ll be able to make your exclusive one right away… yawn…”

“When the time comes, let them see what the ‘Peerless Genius of the Lionheart Empire’ really looks like. I’ll make all those people who laughed at you shut their mouths!”

“I’ll let you hold your head high!”

“Hehehe… yawn…”

Lina felt a sting in her nose as a layer of mist clouded her eyes.

After she brought Zhang Ye back to his room, he collapsed onto the large bed and fell asleep instantly.

Watching Zhang Ye snoring on the bed, Lina leaned over the bedside and looked at his handsome face, her own small face flushing red.

Brother Ye is so handsome, I like him so much… Wait?!

Lina suddenly snapped out of it. Why would I have such a thought?

I’m supposed to like girls!

But Brother Ye really is so handsome, and he’s so gentle too…

Ugh, Lina, what are you thinking!

Lina quickly patted her burning cheeks and ran out of the room. However, when she reached the door, she looked back at Zhang Ye with a brilliant smile on her face.

“Brother Ye, thank you.”

…

Over half an hour later, Renomon returned, looking somewhat hurried.

“Where’s Brother Ye?” he asked.

“He’s sleeping. What’s wrong?” Lina asked.

“It’s urgent. Wake him up first.” Saying that, Renomon pushed the door open and entered. “Brother Ye! Brother Ye!”

Zhang Ye woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes. “What’s up, brother-in-law?”

Renomon said seriously, “Brother Ye, the materials you’re looking for are very rare. If you need them, it will take at least a month to prepare and source them from other empires.”

“A month?” Zhang Ye frowned. That was a bit long.

“Yeah. However, the Kerry Auction House is holding an auction tonight. According to the owner of that material shop, one of the auction items tonight is a piece of Void Meteorite weighing a hundred jin. It fits your requirements perfectly!”

Zhang Ye remembered then; the fat owner had mentioned yesterday that there would be an auction tonight.

“The auction has already been going on for half a Silverglass!” Renomon said.

Zhang Ye was startled and scrambled out of bed. “Holy crap, then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Zhang Ye and Renomon rushed outside, dragging Lina along with them as the three of them hurried toward the auction house.

Upon arriving at the auction house and presenting their proof of funds, the three of them received their numbers and took their seats.

Because they had a Black Gold VIP Card, the three of them even enjoyed the service of a deluxe Black Gold private booth.

By this time, the fifth item was already being auctioned. Fortunately, the Void Meteorite was the grand finale and hadn't been sold yet.

“By the way, what is the usual price for this Void Meteorite?” Zhang Ye suddenly remembered an important matter and asked.

It would be embarrassing if he hadn't brought enough money.

Although he sat on nearly five hundred million in assets, high-level materials in this world were ridiculously expensive. He could tell from the ores he had sold. If the grade of this Void Meteorite was too high, the price might be staggering.

“Void Meteorite is only produced in the Void Lands, and one must be at least Saint-tier to enter the Void Lands. Therefore, it is extremely precious. It costs at least eight hundred thousand gold per jin, and even then, there’s often no supply to meet the demand,” Renomon said.