Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 1275 - 512: The Furnace Master and the Gold Burning Technique

The light of the Teleportation Gate suddenly dissipated, and Ron instantly held his breath.

Underfoot, he wasn’t standing on soil, but on a gigantic hexagonal metal platform.

As he lifted his head, the scene before him broadened Ron’s horizons.

Countless identical hexagonal platforms were joined tightly like a beehive, extending infinitely toward the horizon, forming a vast, boundless metal plain.

Each platform pulsated with subtly different frequencies, making the entire plain appear as if a living being was breathing.

What stood in the distance weren’t mountains but towering energy spires reaching into the clouds.

The bodies of these towers were made entirely of translucent crystal, with visible swirling energy vortices inside.

The top continually spewed and consumed energy beams interwoven in red, blue, and gold, converging and dispersing in the air like auroras.

And those meandering "rivers" were gigantic pipelines with diameters reaching dozens of meters.

Through the translucent walls of the pipes, one could see silver liquid magic power and deep blue coolant flowing alternately, emitting a gentle wave-like sound.

The air was filled with a unique mixed scent.

The sharpness of ozone, the refreshing aroma of metal coolant, and the cloying sweetness emitted by pure energy.

The sky above showed a bizarre orange-red, with two stars of different sizes slowly setting in the west.

"Here...there’s absolutely no breath of life."

Ron activated [Extraordinary Recognition], attempting to perceive the presence of surrounding life, but the feedback made him frown slightly.

The entire world was like the inside of a precision mechanical watch, where every component carried out its predetermined function but lacked the randomness and warmth that life should have.

Countless alchemy puppets were the only "residents" of this steel world.

Some climbed between buildings like giant spiders, their eight mechanical legs leaving a trail of sparks on the vertical surfaces;

others resembled armored beetles, bearing enormous freight containers and conducting never-ending transport along preset tracks.

There were also flying puppets, with wings composed purely of energy, weaving their patrol routes in the air.

"This isn’t a true colony, but rather a...transit station?"

Ron quickly understood the situation.

According to his previous knowledge of colony construction theory,

a successful otherworld base must bear the responsibility of "educating the natives" and obtain feedback of favors through the spread of civilization.

But in this case, it was clearly just a giant workshop used by Vinard to dock mechanical devices.

The real colony might still be elsewhere on this planet, or even on other planets.

Just as he was immersed in observing the environment, the sound of mechanical operation came from behind.

A three-meter-tall multi-legged alchemy puppet was walking straight toward him.

This puppet’s design was filled with Vinard’s personal style—a blend of perfectionism and practicality.

The main body was a smooth silver sphere with a diameter of about one meter, devoid of any unnecessary decorations, featuring only functional heat dissipation grilles and sensor arrays.

From the center of the sphere extended mechanical arms of varying lengths, each one a masterpiece of engineering.

As the puppet approached, Ron could hear the gentle turning of gears inside.

It stopped two meters away from Ron, and a blue light flickered on the loudspeaker atop the sphere.

Vinard’s impatient voice came through:

"At last, you’ve arrived, Ralph. I thought you were lost in some time rift."

The dissatisfaction in the tone was evident:

"Don’t just stand there, the project progress won’t wait for you to adjust to the environment. Every minute of delay now could result in..."

At this point, as if sensing something, the words suddenly ceased.

The puppet’s head multi-optical sensors began to flash, alternating red, green, and blue lights scanning Ron’s entire body.

The sensors could even detect the subtle fluctuations of magic power within him and the special marks emotions left in spiritual power.

Faint currents hummed from the loudspeaker as Vinard seemed to be processing analytical data.

A few seconds later, the voice resounded again, but the tone had noticeably changed.

It was less technically cold and more thoughtfully humanized:

"There’s a ’death’ aura on you..."

The voice hesitated for a moment:

"Not your own, but from someone closely connected to you, is it Senior Uther?"

Ron’s heart stirred, unexpected by how accurately Vinard could analyze such a subtle piece of information.

Without waiting for him to respond, Vinard continued speaking on his own:

"I realized long ago; his void remains are deteriorating past the critical threshold, and the soul’s fire could extinguish at any moment."

The mechanical puppet’s posture relaxed slightly, akin to a doctor diagnosing a condition:

"Wizards at our level have a keen perception of the life state of beings of equal standing.

We can capture the minute fluctuations of void remains energy, deducing the approximate remaining time."

Though the voice was electronically synthesized, Ron could sense a regretful emotion within:

"This was also why I did not outright refuse him when he pleaded on your behalf.

The last request of a great soul should always be accorded proper respect."

Seeing the slightly dispirited young man before him, Vinard attempted to offer consolation, but the approach was extremely "technical":

"Analyzing from the perspective of the law of conservation of energy, his knowledge reserve and will quality have already been passed down to you through instruction.

This form of existence continuation, in some sense, is more valuable than mere biological subsistence."

One of the puppet’s mechanical arms gesticulated complex formulas in the air:

"Indulging excessively in feelings of farewell is an inefficient spiritual expenditure.