Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 195: The Battle for Truth (Part )

Reiner and Asdalen, who were busy outside, received Harvey's call at the same time and quickly rushed back to the underground laboratory in the castle.

As I stepped into the laboratory, I saw a stranger lying naked in a thin blanket on the metal table used for alchemical soul transfer experiments in the center of the spacious experimental hall.

"Who... who is this? Sir, is this the civilian from the territory that you called in to participate in the magic experiment?" Reiner asked with his eyes wide open, somewhat puzzled.

Harvey, his back to his two assistants, bent over the lab table, busy at work. Without even looking up, he replied, "Of course not. How could I allow my subjects to participate in dangerous living experiments? This is just a puppet body I created."

Asdalen approached the stranger lying on the lab table with his eyes tightly closed, observing him carefully for a moment. "Could it be that this puppet was created using the demon blood I accidentally obtained from the evil orcs, using the secret method of reshaping flesh and blood?"

He couldn't help but extend his metal finger and poke the puppet's body a few times, sighing in admiration, "It's so lifelike, no different from a zombie. If I could solidify alchemical inscriptions and magic circles within its body and transfer a living creature's soul into it, wouldn't that mean true alchemy of life?"

Reiner also came over and smacked his lips, commenting cautiously, "Why does this creature made of flesh and blood... look so strange? It looks like a human, but its appearance is completely different from that of the people of the Southern Territory. It has black hair and light yellow skin, and its body is so thin, it looks like a malnourished alien teenager..."

Harvey tried hard to suppress his laughter. The general appearance of the human race in this world was somewhat similar to that of the Western race on Earth. They basically had various different colored hair and eye colors, and their skin was relatively fair and easily red in some areas.

The dwarves of the caves are mostly brown-skinned, the elves have skin of varying shades of green similar to plants, and the demons and evil orcs generally have deep red skin...

Of course, they had never seen a yellow-skinned person like Harvey from Earth.

"I do want to use this puppet body to conduct a soul transfer experiment, but it's completely different from a zombie. It's a true empty shell of flesh and blood, without even a trace of soul left."

Harvey manipulated the wizard's hand and picked up a transparent round bead with a strange light flowing inside - this was the legendary auxiliary magic weapon "Gallagher's Phantom Eye" sponsored by Mr. "Shadow Knight".

It has no offensive or defensive effects, but it can completely conceal the holder's own magical fluctuations and body shape and appearance, and cannot be detected by any divine arts or magic detection of the same level.

The only flaw is that the effect cannot be maintained for too long. It can only last for six hours after one activation. The same spellcaster can only use the illusion effect of this magic weapon three times in his lifetime. If the number is exceeded, irreversible side effects will occur, making it impossible for the holder to restore his original appearance, and he may even be transformed into a deformed flesh and blood monster.

The six-hour duration of the illusion was enough for him to reach Alayeh via the continental teleportation array. Then, before the duel began, he could use this magical instrument to allow this puppet body, which had clearly undergone alchemical transformation and experimental processing, to simulate the same magical fluctuations as a real person, thereby masking the effects of the soul-soul separation...

"I called you two here to assist me in completing the transformation experiment on this puppet. Come! First, transplant this Phantom Eye onto the puppet's right eye..."

After all, this was a flesh puppet identical to his former self. Harvey felt a bit apprehensive about operating a knife or cutting flesh to complete the experiment, so he had his alchemy assistants do the work instead. Reiner walked over to the alchemy accessory rack nearby and quickly assembled the mechanical tentacles on his back. He took the implant from Harvey and said with a hint of uneasiness, "Sir, are you truly going to travel alone to Alayeh, thousands of miles away, to challenge that... idiotic archmage to a duel? I've always felt it was far too dangerous."

Asdaren immediately chimed in, "Yes, it's indeed a very risky move, and there's no real benefit... Aside from your reputation among spellcasters, I don't see any reason to risk it."

Harvey smiled and shook his head, not wanting to explain the specific reasons to them in too much detail. After all, the changes in his spiritual anchor and his special ability to separate his soul and spirit were always linked to his secret identity as a time traveler, and he could not reveal it to anyone even close to him.

"I'm not going alone, either. I'm bringing two personal guards with me who've awakened their bloodline talents. Besides, Alayeh is located in the heart of the continent's magical civilization. Under the strict control of the Federation, there's no danger at all. As for the magic duel... I've reached a secret agreement with the Federation's chief. They won't sit idly by and watch me fall into life-or-death danger."

The main purpose of this trip to Alayeh is not only to use magic duels to prove his ability to those high-level members of the Federation who are inclined towards the Spellcaster Forum.

The more important reason was that Harvey wanted to see for himself whether they were worthy of his subsequent "technical investment". After all, the pioneer territory isolated in the northern wilderness would not remain secret forever. There would always be a time when it would be exposed to the eyes of various forces. If the Federation could stand behind him as a support at that time, it could help Harvey solve many conspiracies and troubles from within the human race.

Harvey felt that now was the time to secretly reveal Kel'Thuzad's identity as the real-world agent of the Spellcaster Forum to the forum's high-ranking members with Confederation backgrounds...

……

Reiner and Asdalen quickly and skillfully completed the experimental operation arranged by Harvey, implanting the "Gallagher's Shapeshifting Eye" into the right eye of the flesh puppet.

Harvey used physical contact to directly activate the strange effect of separation of soul between himself and the puppet, and used the perception of the puppet's body to guide his mental power into the magic net. He found that he could indeed activate the magic patterns in the magic net like his original body, and he could also freely use the magical attack capabilities engraved in the magic patterns.

Reiner continued to nag at Harvey's suggestions, "It's fine if you're not taking Mr. Asdalen and me, but why not Pierce too? Even if Pierce isn't suitable, isn't there a Northern Army officer who has awakened the powerful bloodline talent of Annihilation? Even if we take a step back, Egno is an experienced mid-level mage and a natural spellcaster who can instantly heal all kinds of injuries. He even lived in Alaye for a while and could serve as a guide..."

Harvey felt a buzzing of alchemical flies in his head, and quickly covered his ears as he explained, "Your and Asdalen's identities are absolutely taboo. No matter how disguised you are, you can't escape detection from the Union's high-level and legendary spellcasters! Take you two with you, and when I come back, I'll only be pulling back a bunch of spare parts on a cart!"

"Pierce's identity is that of a high-ranking vampire, a creature that spellcasters covet. He is a living, precious spellcasting material. Even if he isn't burned to charcoal by the Church at the stake, he will be imprisoned in a high-ranking spellcaster's laboratory and drained of his blood..."

As for some warriors of half-orc blood, let alone anything else, just the face with huge mouths, fangs and twisted animal shape is enough to make those experienced magic gentlemen in Alaye send them away with a fireball to their faces.

Orcs, a mixed-race hybrid with human blood, are more disgusting and repulsive to them than evil orcs.

(End of this chapter)