Chapter 54: Gundam
Chapter 54: Gundam
“Hundred Puppets War? What you’re talking about… are puppets?” Stroking his chin, Li Yi pondered. Information about puppets surfaced in his mind.
Puppets were alchemical products. Among several types of alchemy automatons, they were the most practical and common type.
Golems were mighty and formidable, but their downside was that they were far too expensive.
Ones like “Shen Tu”, “Yu Lei”, “Yuchi Jingde”, and “Qin Qiong” possessed immense power that could shake the heavens and split the earth. Their strength approached that of Heaven-Mandated Powerhouses. But you got what you paid for. Crafting them often required the resources of an entire nation. Moreover, the heroic spirits, nature spirits, or godly incarnations sealed within golems were perhaps a thousand times rarer than a phoenix feather!
Unlike the nearly sky-scraping golems, the largest puppets were only about twelve or thirteen meters tall at most. Smaller ones were only the size of a palm.
Also, puppets were spiritless, like marionettes, directly controlled by mental energy.
Due to low cost, strong adaptability, and similar reasons, puppets had many types, evolved rapidly, and were flexible and unpredictable.
Not mentioning distant examples, the steel puppet produced by Luoyang’s Divine Mechanism Abode — the “Frostland Skullcrusher” — was already on its “Model Seven.” It excelled in glacial combat, could withstand charges from the Northern Border’s barbarian cavalry “Nightmare Pagoda,” and had earned great fame.
However, Li Yi’s thoughtful expression made Zhao Xu, standing before him, feel uneasy.
Could it be those people were all lying to me? But so many people said the same thing…
He thought to himself.
Ever since he heard that his competitors had hired high disciples of Wu Yi like Yan He and Qin Yun as consultants, his heart had jumped into his throat. For this, he bribed several disciples of Butian Pavilion, openly and secretly inquiring if there was anyone who could rival those two.
Most of the answers he heard focused on two people — Su Xuan’er and Li Yi.
Moreover, the frequency of mentions for Li Yi actually surpassed even that of the Su Clan’s Heaven’s Pride, Su Xuan’er!
Additionally, he had considered hiring the formation master Wang Sheng but was flatly rejected. After the rejection, Wang Sheng recommended a candidate. Unexpectedly yet seemingly not surprisingly, it was also Li Yi!
Just moments ago, Zhao Xu was still wondering in his heart, what kind of remarkable person was this Li Yi?
Judging by the current situation, it seemed the praise was greatly exaggerated.
“In three months, at Dawn Cliff, the ‘Hundred Puppets War’ will be held. This contest requires five participants: four contestants and one consultant.” In desperation, he simply discarded his worries and distracting thoughts and lowered his posture. “I wish to hire you as my consultant.”
“Consultant?” Li Yi tilted his head, somewhat puzzled. “If you’ve heard of me, you should know I practice Dao Transformation Armament, which isn’t directly related to the puppet lineage. If you’re looking for a consultant, why not hire a high-level puppeteer?”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu’s expression darkened a few shades.
The person before him truly knew nothing about the Hundred Puppets War!
“The consultant’s role is only to broaden perspectives, not to provide full guidance. This competition is for Level 1 puppeteers to hone and test their skills. Therefore, puppeteers of Level 2 or above are prohibited from participating.”
“I see…” Li Yi nodded, getting a rough idea in his mind.
Puppets were a combination of disciplines like magical materials, runes, seals, arrays, machinery, and power systems. They indeed shared many common points with Dao Transformation Armament.
“Master Li Yi, I am very sincere.” Zhao Xu gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, saying, “As long as you are willing to take the consultant position, I am willing to pay one thousand White Crystals!”
“One thousand White Crystals?” Zhao Qin hurriedly tugged her brother’s sleeve, trying to stop him. “What is this trash worth…”
“Two thousand!” Li Yi’s expression was indifferent. He directly doubled the price!
“Two thousand? Why don’t you just rob someone?” Zhao Qin flew into a rage, pulling on his sleeve. “Brother, let’s go. Don’t bother with this madman!”
“Perfect!” Li Yi didn’t argue either. He turned around, ready to close the door.
“Wait!” Zhao Xu stepped forward, holding the doorframe, and made a final decision. “Two thousand White Crystals, deal! I hope you won’t disappoint me…”
Hearing this, Li Yi was momentarily stunned.
Honestly, the reason for the outrageous demand was to make Zhao Xu back off due to the difficulty.
Who would have thought this puppeteer was so rich!
“I have another question. What’s the prize for first place?” He quickly recovered and, after thinking for a moment, asked further.
“The prize is the design blueprint for the ‘Snake-Hair Hunter Type II’.” With the deal struck, Zhao Xu couldn’t tell if he felt more regret or more happiness. “Although it’s an outdated blueprint, it contains the techniques and concepts of the ‘evil puppeteer’ Ma Yu. For us puppeteers, it’s a priceless treasure.”
“In that case, I have one more request,” Li Yi nodded solemnly. “If we win first place, before you take that Snake-Hair Hunter Type II blueprint, I want to study it first…”
“Of course that’s acceptable!” Zhao Xu was puzzled, though. Why would a Dao Transformation Armament master be interested in a puppet blueprint?
Of course, he didn’t know Li Yi followed the path of drawing analogies from related fields.
However, such a minor, harmless request was naturally agreed to immediately.
“Well then… let’s go!”
Li Yi disliked wasting time and spoke with urgent energy.
…
Zhao Xu and the very reluctant Zhao Qin led the way. Before long, in a large alchemy room, Li Yi saw the other two.
One looked somewhat aged, and the other was handsome with delicate features, a pretty-boy appearance.
Zhao Xu introduced them one by one.
“Huo Qi.”
“Luo Yun.”
Zhao Qin and Luo Yun seemed to be in a relationship. As soon as they met, she fluttered like a butterfly to the pretty boy’s side, whispering something and occasionally glancing at Li Yi with scornful eyes.
Needless to say, it definitely wasn’t anything good.
“Two thousand White Crystals?” After listening to the young woman’s words, Luo Yun showed a cold smile, his face full of provocation. “In that case, let us experience our consultant lord’s profound insights, then…”
He emphasized the words “profound insights” particularly heavily, the sarcasm extremely thick.
“Currently, we have two plans.”
Zhao Xu opened a black case nearby, took out two blueprints, and explained them one by one.
“This one is called ‘Wind-Wielding Apostle’. It’s an arcane puppet, agile in movement. Its hands control the power of cyclones. It excels in offense but not defense.”
“This one is ‘Thunder Dragon Warrior’. It’s a flesh puppet, made from thunder lizard flesh and bones. Its physical and magical defenses are good, but its offensive methods are somewhat lacking.”
“Both of these are preliminary sketches. Once finalized, the names will be changed…”
“Why not choose a steel puppet?” Li Yi glanced casually. Both plans were too mediocre and were easily dismissed by him.
Based on the materials used, puppets were categorized as arcane puppets, steel puppets, and flesh puppets.
Arcane puppets used arcane energy as their bones and flesh, half-real, half-illusory. They were light and flexible but had extremely poor defense. In most cases, they could only serve as scouts.
The other two types, especially steel puppets, were much more practical and common.
“A complete layman!” Luo Yun snorted disdainfully, not explaining. Zhao Qin chimed in repeatedly.
“Puppets require mental energy to control. The heavier they are, the more mental energy required. This competition has strict requirements: the controller’s cultivation cannot exceed Lower-Rank Spell Disciple. With the mental energy of a Lower-Rank Spell Disciple, controlling a steel puppet is very difficult…” Zhao Xu’s heart also sank a bit as he patiently explained.
“Lower-Rank Spell Disciple?” Li Yi’s eyes flickered. After calculating in his mind for a moment, he said, “That’s not a problem. I can control it. Let’s switch to a steel puppet!”
“You can control it?” Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu couldn’t help showing surprise. “Are you sure?”
“I have an idea. You can take a look…”
Li Yi pondered, stroking his chin. He picked up a demon-sealing brush and began to draw.
With the first stroke, Li Yi’s demeanor changed!
It was as if he had been reborn, his whole body exuding an otherworldly aura, as if looking down upon the earth from the highest heavens, lofty and unattainable.
His eyes also became intensely focused, shining like stars and the moon, bright and penetrating.
Each stroke landed, lines straight, arcs smooth, as if divinely aided, neat and harmonious.
With a few sweeping strokes of outlining, a preliminary sketch appeared first. Then, bit by bit, details were filled in, perfected, and refined. A rudimentary form gradually emerged.
Zhao Xu’s gaze was initially doubtful. Soon, it became somewhat dumbfounded. Next, it turned to shock!
The gray sketch depicted the form of a steel puppet. Its shape was simple yet fierce and menacing. A cold, fierce, and murderous intent seemed ready to burst from the paper.
“I’ve named this puppet… hmm… Gundam. It has a single horn on its forehead, so let’s call it Unicorn Gundam. How about that?”
As soon as Li Yi finished speaking, he thought to himself, huh, can this peculiar taste be contagious?