Versatile Mage: I Awakened Nine Stars

Chapter 392 The Celestial Stars Project
Shao Zheng gestured for Li Kai to take out the array plate made by Ding Yumin and demonstrate it to everyone.

"In theory, the defensive range of this satellite array can cover the entire globe, but it also takes time for the soul beasts within the array to arrive in time. The optimal defensive radius of a satellite array based on the core of the earth and using monarch-level spirits as soul beasts is about 500 kilometers. Of course, finding some demon spirits with speed specializations might be faster, but this slight increase in speed is not very meaningful."

Li Kai said, "Our plan is to saturate the entire land of Shenzhou with this array to completely eliminate the threat of beast tides below the monarch level to humanity. According to our calculations, we will need about 20 to 30 arrays based on the Earth Core. We don't have that many Earth Cores at the moment, but even if we make do with the Star Sea Heavenly Vein for now, it will be enough to deal with most demons below the commander level."

After Li Kai finished speaking, Shao Zheng said, "We'll tentatively call this plan the 'All-Heavens Stars Project.' Does anyone have any objections to this plan?"

Unsurprisingly, the "All-Stars Project" received unanimous approval.

None of the people here are fools.

Everyone knows how perfect a formation is that can be built once, used permanently, requires no subsequent maintenance, and whose defense level can theoretically even reach the monarch level.

“I have a question,” a sprightly elderly man said, tapping his fingers lightly on the conference table in the meeting room. “Speaker, how are the locations for these dozen or so satellite arrays determined?”

Everyone knows that the closer you are to the formation, the faster you can get reinforcements and the safer you are. So this is the key point of contention among the many stakeholders.

Sure enough, after the old man finished speaking, the group of white-haired old men and women sat up straighter and all looked at Shao Zheng.

Shao Zheng smiled.

He waved his hand, and a simulated map of China's topography was projected onto the conference table in 3D, with a dozen or so green dots flashing on the map.

"The green coordinates you see now represent the best construction sites found purely from the perspective of terrain, topography, and population density, without any other conflicts. We will also consider adding more Earth Cores if there are any left over. If you have any suggestions for modification, please let us know now."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

A dozen or so bigwigs stared intently at the map on the conference table.

None of those who attended this meeting were alone; each had a powerful clan behind them.

They naturally wanted the magic circle to be built near their family's territory.

But Shao Zheng spoke so bluntly, if anyone stood up and said they had other opinions, wouldn't that be blatantly telling everyone: I'm going to find a pretext to take advantage of you?
However, shamelessness and power are precisely what are used in such crucial moments.

Before long, a debate broke out in the conference room, which became as lively as a vegetable market.

Seeing this scene, Shao Zheng, who was sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but sigh.

He naturally knew what everyone was thinking.

However, time waits for no one.

This map is the fairest one he has produced, taking into account the interests of all parties.

However, human desires are never enough.

Few people would believe that these locations are absolutely fair.

When aristocratic families consider issues, they often seem to overlook the silent majority of ordinary people.

Shao Zheng rubbed his temples in frustration and slammed his hand on the table a few times, saying, "If you think these locations are unreasonable, give me a list of reasons."

The conference room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone knows they have selfish motives.

But at this point, anyone who steps forward would be a fool.

No one would believe that Shao Zheng was able to secure his position as Speaker of the Council because of his ever-smiling face.

"Alright, I'm too lazy to say more," Shao Zheng said. "Satellite arrays need to incorporate demonic essences to form combat power, and the Divine Continent Magic Association can't provide that many high-quality essences. I propose that whichever family contributes Earth Core or high-quality essences first will have priority in constructing the satellite array at the nearest coordinate point."

Everyone agrees with this point.

The Essence of the Earth is a controlled substance, and any individual or family that discovers it must unconditionally hand it over to the Forbidden Spells Association.

The members of parliament present certainly don't have any if they don't have any hidden possessions.

But the same goes for spirit essences. Some families with deep foundations might even possess emperor-level spirit essences.

This level of essence is enough to give birth to a monarch-level soul beast. Coupled with its almost endless clones, as long as the emperor does not appear, it is no exaggeration to say that the city it protects is as solid as a rock.

Shao Zheng paused for a moment and then said, "According to the wishes of the inventor of the satellite array, this array will be completely open source. After approval, everyone can choose a location to build the satellite array at the Star Sea Celestial Vein level."

The moment the words were spoken, the commotion in the conference room grew even greater than when the strategy of abandoning the 20,000-mile coastline was announced.

If you ask what the most expensive thing in the world is...

Without a doubt, it's safe, safe, and absolutely safe!
This is the true luxury in this world surrounded by demons.

Countless people have sacrificed themselves for it.

But now, all that's needed is a single Earth Core.

It's just one less forbidden spell slot, but it truly brings absolute safety in return, and no one would agree that it's not worth it.

Furthermore, using a bit of imagination, there are many places outside the An Realm that are teeming with demons and rich in resources.

With this formation, isn't it like installing a safe outside my mine that only I can open?

"Is she crazy? Shouldn't such a good thing be put up for sale?"

Some lawmakers found it unbelievable.

If he were the inventor of the array, he could easily become the world's richest person by relying on this magic array, even if he only collected patent fees.

"There are always some people who have a broader vision and are willing to make selfless contributions for the sake of China and humanity."

Thinking of Ding Yumin and Tang Yue, those two sensible girls, Shao Zheng's expression softened considerably: "However, everyone understands the principle of Zigong redeeming the ox. They gave us such a big surprise, so we should give them something in return."

"Speaker, you tell me, it wouldn't be unreasonable for someone to want the stars in the sky if they could contribute such a formation."

In the meeting room, a member of parliament responded with a smile.

Shao Zheng nodded slightly and drew a circle on the map, which was none other than Dongting Lake.

"The Dragon King of Dongting Lake is dead. From the Wuling Mountains eastward in the Jiangnan region, there are no more large demon tribes. Since ancient times, the water-rich plains have been a land of plenty, and this area is large enough to support a population of hundreds of millions."

As is well known, we originally planned to build four cities here: Jinlin, Yuezhou, Yunmeng, and Wuling. Among them, Yuezhou, Jinlin, and Wuling are located in the Dongting Triangle, and these three cities are planned as large-scale base cities with a population of ten million.

However, the Yunmeng area, located in the heart of the lake, was built to defend against the demons in the lake and was prepared according to the standards of a military fortress.

With the satellite array in place, this plan needs to be revised. The remaining Earth Core from the Forbidden Spell Society happens to contain a water-based one, and the essence of the Dongting Dragon King is still present.

Yunmeng is located in the heart of a lake, abundant with water elements. The formation is built with the essence of the water system and the spirit of the Dragon Lord as its soul. Both the environment and the material attributes are perfectly matched.

Currently, the cleanup of the demons in Dongting Lake is not yet complete, and many military mages and hunters are still fighting there. I plan to build the first satellite array here.

With this satellite array in place, Jinlin, Yuezhou, and Wuling can proceed with their city-building plans without needing a protective barrier. This not only saves them four Earth Cores but also frees up their military mages and hunters—a win-win situation.

There wasn't a single fool in the room.

Shao Zhengming was clearly proposing a reward for those who contributed to the formation, but after talking for a long time, all he talked about was Dongting Lake.

No one would think that the two are completely unrelated.

One councilor hesitated and asked, "Are you suggesting that we carve out an island in Yunmeng and give it to the inventor of the satellite array?"

Shao Zheng shook his head and laughed, "A mere island is a bit too petty."

He drew a circle with his fingertip and said, "I plan to send Yunmeng away."

(End of this chapter)