As everyone knows, when more than three men gather together, a brilliant idea is bound to emerge.
Among this group of Fire Lizards, there is only one female, Sulina, and they all possess considerable practical skills.
Thus, a fantastic idea was born.
"This design has issues; everything except the shape needs to be changed."
As one of the highest-ranking Alchemists among the Fire Lizards, Kallion was the first to voice his opinion.
Sulina quickly followed up with her thoughts on the design.
"I once tried to maintain a Sacred Armor. Although I couldn't understand the internal structure, I could still grasp some of the design concepts.
I'll draw the structure I saw back then."
As the only female Alchemy Master among the Fire Lizards, Sulina had long since cast aside any concerns about her gender. She was almost indistinguishable from the male Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters—except for having her own room and a separate bathroom.
Sulina quickly sketched out the structure of the Sacred Armor she had seen before. Thanks to Richard's training, these Fire Lizards were all incredibly precise when it came to drawing.
As they looked at the structure Sulina had drawn, one Fire Lizard Alchemy Master murmured:
"Doesn't this look like the shell of a bug?"
"No, it's not a bug's shell."
Patlin, who had been recruited alongside Kallion, suddenly spoke up.
"How much do you know about anatomy?" Patlin asked.
The surrounding masters exchanged glances, shaking their heads.
Dragon Alchemy does not require the study of anatomy; among the Fire Lizards, dissecting corpses falls under the category of funerary studies.
Because Fire Lizards mummify their dead, the process involves removing the organs and wrapping them in spices before placing them in metal containers.
Patlin explained, "Before I studied Alchemy, I learned about mummification, so I have a better understanding of Fire Lizard anatomy.
To me, this structure doesn't resemble a bug's shell; it looks more like a special skeletal structure. And those structures we can't comprehend should be the 'muscles' of the Sacred Armor."
As Patlin spoke, his eyes brightened, and he excitedly continued:
"So the Sacred Armor is a powerful shell without a brain, and the Fire Lizard wearing it is its brain! If we follow this line of thought, we need to use..."
The surrounding Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters chimed in unison:
"A neural control system."
Kallion immediately ran toward the World Mushroom at the center of the Secret Realm.
Under the umbrella of the World Mushroom in the Holy City, Ulysses was lazily dozing.
"Lord Ulysses! Lord Ulysses!"
Kallion's voice roused Ulysses from his nap. He opened his eyes, and his emerald gaze made Kallion shiver.
Everyone in the Secret Realm knew about Ulysses's fondness for eating Fire Lizard brains.
"Eh, what is it, Fire Lizard?"
Kallion bowed his head respectfully and said, "Lord Ulysses, we need to contact Lord Richard. We have a brilliant idea that requires his decision."
Ulysses glanced behind Kallion and saw the other Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters looking eagerly at him.
Richard had once told him that these Fire Lizards were technicians, and now that they had gathered together, it seemed that something urgent was at hand.
Ulysses yawned, "Eh, I understand."
With that, Ulysses opened a Mystic Realm Rift and appeared beside Richard.
At that moment, Richard was in a sage time of intermittent contemplation. He had not undergone any modifications to his body, so he still had all the reactions typical of a human.
Seeing Ulysses, Richard curiously asked:
"Why are you here?"
Ulysses replied lazily, "Eh, I didn't want to come out either, but those Fire Lizards you raised suddenly wanted to see you. You should visit the Secret Realm when you have time."
With that, Ulysses opened the Mystic Realm Rift again and returned to the Secret Realm.
Richard furrowed his brow. The Fire Lizards wanted to see him; could it be that there was a problem in the workshop in the Secret Realm? Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to be engaged in some beneficial activity with Ellie.
"Go quickly."
Ellie's voice rang in his ear.
Ellie sat up, a hint of spring warmth in her expression. She lazily leaned against Richard's shoulder, her warm breath gently brushing against his ear, causing a slight tickle.
"Business is important; I'm not a wanton woman infused with the bloodline of a succubus."
...
In the Secret Realm, when the Fire Lizards saw Ulysses return, they gathered together to discuss how to vividly describe their ideas.
Undoubtedly, their idea was excellent.
But just because the idea was good didn't mean they could realize it.
The complex and intricate structures of the Sacred Armor loomed before them like a mountain. Even though they had made up their minds, they still had some doubts in their hearts.
Could they really create their own Sacred Armor? Even a highly simplified version?
One Fire Lizard Alchemy Master voiced his concerns: "What if Lord Richard rejects our idea? Lord Richard prefers stability, and such an extremely unstable project is probably the least welcome in his eyes."
"If he rejects us, we'll just build it ourselves," Sulina said. "We have plenty of spare time, and Lord Richard has given us permission to use materials.
If he rejects this project, we'll just be short on resources; it doesn't mean we can't do it at all."
Sulina's words ignited a fire in the hearts of the Fire Lizards.
Indeed, if Richard rejected the project, they would simply lack resource support, but their most precious and important wisdom would still be available to them.
As long as they were willing to research, resources would only slow their progress; they could not hinder their approach to the ultimate goal.
At that moment, all the Fire Lizards made up their minds.
If Richard disagreed with the project, they would rely on their own research.
Even if doing so might mean they would spend their entire lives without completing the final goal, a bright future was enough for them to die with a smile.
For a craftsman, nothing is more important than creating an exceptional piece of work.
Soon, a rift opened in the Secret Realm, and Richard, dressed in a black Wizard robe, arrived.
Seeing his Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters gathered together, Richard was somewhat surprised and said, "Wow, you're all here. What exactly happened in the workshop that brought you all together?"
Several Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters exchanged glances, and ultimately, Kallion stepped forward to tell Richard their idea.
"Lord Richard, it's like this. The Alchemy Golem blueprint you gave us inspired us greatly.
So we came up with an idea to design our own Sacred Armor and need your technical and material support."
Richard frowned upon hearing this: "Hmm? Your own Sacred Armor? The technology for this is far more complex than you think; you won't be able to make it."
Kallion quickly explained, "No, no, no, we don't want to replicate the Sacred Armor; we want to create a set of armor similar to the Sacred Armor."
"Oh, I thought so. I can't even make the Sacred Armor myself," Richard said, suddenly enlightened.
With that, Richard curiously asked, "But for funding, you can't just rely on words; you at least need to tell me your design concept and what the final product will look like."
Kallion was momentarily taken aback. He had been focused on seeking Richard's support and had forgotten that their idea was still just an idea.
But looking at Richard's gaze, Kallion didn't dare to directly say that they had nothing yet.
Such a high-risk, time-consuming project was already not to Richard's liking; if Richard felt he was being played, the project might truly be rejected.
Kallion glanced at his colleagues and noticed Sulina holding the Sacred Armor blueprint, subtly signaling him.
Recalling Patlin's earlier words, Kallion gritted his teeth and, with a stiff upper lip, said to Richard, "It's like this, my lord. We currently have a rough idea. Based on our previous understanding of the Sacred Armor, we tentatively propose the design concept for this armor as... exoskeleton armor."
With that, Kallion repeated Patlin's earlier explanation, adding many of his own interpretations to make the concept sound more appealing and rounded.
After he finished speaking, Kallion nervously looked at Richard.
He didn't know if the idea he had painted would attract Richard's interest.
Richard was silent for a moment before speaking:
"Exoskeleton... interesting. Your idea is good; I agree. What resources do you need?"
The concept of exoskeleton armor was something Richard had almost forgotten.
The crazy Wizards of the Wizard World directly modified their bodies into machines, and after being accustomed to these mad Wizards, Richard had overlooked the brilliance of exoskeletons.
Moreover, the Sacred Armor also utilized an exoskeleton.
This indicated that the design concept was not wrong, at least not wrong once the technology reached a certain level.
Seeing Richard agree to the project, the Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters all showed expressions of joy.
Kallion excitedly said, "My lord, we now need technology related to neural control. This technology was once used to communicate with volcanic turtles, transforming them into Dragon Breath Cannons.
Currently, New World Island has volcanic turtles, so there should be someone who has inherited this technology."
Richard nodded, "Good, you all keep designing. I will return to Crimson Sun World as soon as possible."
With that, Richard was about to leave the Secret Realm.
But just before entering the rift, he suddenly stopped and asked Tarhe, who was among the celebrating Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters, "Tarhe, how is the research I assigned to you going?"
Tarhe, who had been celebrating with those around him, froze at Richard's sudden question. He stammered, "Uh, um, it's almost done, my lord. I'm just about to figure it out."
Richard's expression turned cold; Tarhe's demeanor was clearly off.
While exoskeleton armor indeed held a bright future, they could not overlook the present.
The Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone piled up in the mine was becoming mountainous. If he didn't figure out the technology for this special alchemical ink soon, he would have to build another warehouse to store it.
Although building a warehouse wasn't particularly troublesome, it was an unnecessary action.
He felt it was necessary to speed up the progress of this project.
Richard commanded the Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters around Tarhe:
"You all put the exoskeleton armor project aside for now and help Tarhe finalize the ink project. The ink project directly relates to the resource availability for your... armor project."
Upon hearing this, the Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters who had been watching the spectacle suddenly lost their smiles.
"Yes, my lord." (in unison)
Just before leaving the Secret Realm, Richard suddenly asked, "By the way, Kallion, what is the name of your project?"
Kallion thought for a moment, consulted with a few nearby Fire Lizards, and replied to Richard, "My lord, we are calling our project 'Mechanist.'"
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