Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 23: Unexpected incident during the peeling operation
Reiner raised his arm and activated the sharp metal probe powered by magic energy installed in the tool slot.

Following the points Harvey had marked on the amber in advance, he slowly penetrated into the crystal.

This piece of amber ore, which looks extremely hard, unexpectedly allowed the probe to penetrate it without any hindrance and did not shatter directly.

"Like a piece of jelly covered by a fragile shell." Harvey watched Reiner's movements closely, reminding him to adjust the angle of the insertion at any time.

The probe penetrated deep into the crystal, directly touching the upper arm of the man in the amber, and then pierced into his body without stopping.

The Amber Man's tightly closed eyelids trembled slightly, as if he could endure this level of pain.

"Okay, we've got enough blood."

Harvey took out the contract that had been prepared in advance, unfolded it and showed it to the Amber Man without reservation.

"Well, now you can tell me your name."

"My name is... Asdaren."

Harvey's hand paused as he was about to sign the contract. It was very strange that the other party had no surname.

However, only the real name can match the person's blood, and the magic contract will take effect.

So he was not worried that the other party would make up a fake name to deceive him, which was completely meaningless.

As the blood dripping onto the parchment merged with the name, the magic contract emitted a slight energy fluctuation, and the words written on it solidified on the surface like an engraving, no longer able to be erased or modified.

Harvey put away the contract and patted the amber crystal casually.

"It's a pleasure to work with you! Uh, Mr. Asdalen."

He then pointed to Reiner beside him and introduced carefully: "Next, my assistant, Mr. Reiner, and I will begin to try to separate you from the crystal."

Asdaren blinked, "Then... let's get started."

"I know you're in a hurry, but please give us some time to explain the specific process of the stripping work in detail."

Harvey explained gently, "This is your right to be informed about the surgery."

"I will first let Reiner use the scorching rays to cut and melt part of the surface of the crystal." Harvey pointed to the welding gun installed on Reiner's arm and introduced it to Asdalen.

"But the temperature of the rays is extremely high. They can't cut the part close to your body, which will cause harm to you." He turned around and picked up a metal wire as thin as horsehair from the laboratory table.

"So, I'll use a magic-powered, uh, metal wire saw to cut the inside of the crystal."

Harvey nodded to Reiner, signaling him to begin the operation. "Don't worry, Reiner has a very steady hand."

"We'll start by peeling from the head."

……

As the welding gun in Reiner's hand touched the surface of the crystal, everyone inside and outside the amber seemed to hold their breath.

A faint yellow smoke rose from the contact area, and there was no strange smell.

The flames gradually embedded themselves into the crystal.

Piece after piece of fist-sized amber crystals were neatly cut and separated and fell to the ground.

The explosion and collapse that Harvey expected did not happen. The outer crystal was quickly peeled off, revealing a more fragile crystal core inside.

It was less than half an index finger's depth away from Asdalen's body.

Reiner took out the welding gun and replaced it with the new wire saw made by Harvey. He used magic power to activate it, making the wire saw move back and forth at high speed, making a buzzing sound.

The blue soul fire in the metal skull's eye sockets shrank and converged like pupils, which was a typical sign of Reiner's extreme concentration.

When all the crystals covering Asdalen's shoulders were peeled off, the person sealed inside finally opened his bloodshot eyes as if he had been reborn.

"Thank you... I don't know how long it has been since I smelled those various scents in the air."

He finally spoke this time, with a hint of trance on his pale handsome face.

Harvey saw that he was in good condition and had not suffered any terrible changes due to being suddenly exposed to the air.

"How do you feel now?"

Asdalen turned his neck, which seemed to have been corroded for a long time, with difficulty, and saw that his shoulders and lower parts were still wrapped in thick amber crystals, and he smiled bitterly.

"I feel like I can't move now." This guy, who looks like an ancient person, has quite a sense of humor.

Harvey complained silently in his heart and signaled Reiner to continue peeling off the other parts. He tried to have a brief conversation with him for a while to distract his attention.

"I'm curious, Arsdalen, how did you end up sealed in this amber mine?"

There was a sense of confusion in Asdalen's eyes. "I, I don't remember either..."

He paused, "When I woke up, I was already sealed in this crystal. As for how long it's been, I can't remember. I was in a coma most of the time."

Harvey was surprised and asked, "Then how did you send out a distress signal? And how did you find out that we had entered that collapsed stone tower?"

Asdalen smiled bitterly and said, "I was awakened by the earthquake. As for the distress signal..." He lowered his head to look at his neck. "This magical ornament I'm wearing allows me to perceive my surroundings through my thoughts and communicate with others."

A magical accessory controlled by mental power, I see.

"So is there anything you want to know from me?" Harvey felt that letting the other person quickly familiarize themselves with the current situation was also a good way to bring them closer together.

Asdaren was silent for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Now, what year is it?"

"Glorious calendar, 581." Harvey replied calmly, "Four hundred years have passed since the Dragon War."

"Glorious Calendar? The Dragon War... four hundred years..." Asdalen muttered in a low voice, still seeming confused.

He seemed to have suddenly thought of something. He looked at Harvey anxiously, his lips trembling as he asked, "Do you know the Kingdom of Eternal Night? And, there's also the Holy Blood Knights."

Harvey shook his head. "As far as I know, among the seven existing wizarding kingdoms on the continent, there is no such country as the Kingdom of Eternal Night."

"As for the foreign races and demons in the north, it seems their tribes don't consider themselves to be a nation."

"As for the Knights you mentioned, I've lived in a remote area for a long time, so I don't know how many chapters there are. I'm sorry."

Harvey had a vague premonition that the pale man in front of him, who had no surname, was probably living in an era that was no longer in the historical process he knew.

Asdalen calmed down and said calmly, "If the Dragon War you're talking about is the same historical event as the Glorious War I know about..."

"I'm afraid I've been trapped in this amber ore for over five hundred years..."

Seeing that he was getting more and more depressed, Harvey didn't know what to say for a moment.

If Asdalen is indeed a human, then being trapped in the amber ore for five hundred years means that all his relatives, friends, and lovers have disappeared in the long river of time, leaving him alone.

For some reason, this situation gave Harvey an illusion of empathy.

"Are you a spellcaster, Arsdalen?"

"A spellcaster?" Asdalen frowned, a little unsure. "If you mean a wizard, yes, I am one."

It turns out that in ancient times, spellcasters were called wizards.

Wait! So female spellcasters are called witches? Why are spellcasters categorized by gender? And not by the type of spellcasting they perform?

Asdalen, who called himself a wizard, glanced at Harvey. "What? Are you going to report me to the church?"

In his memory, in that familiar era, wizards did suffer from a lot of prejudice and hostility, and the church's witch hunters hunted or expelled them at will on the grounds of blasphemy.

Harvey was stunned for a moment. "What? Why should I report you? I'm also a spellcaster, uh, a wizard."

Asdaren raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "It seems that you are very good at hiding yourself and avoiding being hunted."

He lowered his head again to glance at the alchemical creature who was bending over and carefully cutting the crystal, and couldn't help but express his admiration.

"Your alchemical servant is also very... uh, ah!" He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly frowned and cried out in pain, "Ah! It hurts! Stop! Stop!"

Reiner was startled and raised the wire saw that had already cut to his waist, looking at Harvey with a blank face.

Asdalen finally caught his breath, his already pale face taking on a grayish hue, his lips trembling slightly from the intense pain.

"What's going on?" Harvey was also shocked. He quickly looked down at the place where Reiner cut, and found that it did not touch Asdalen's body.

Asdalen took two deep breaths, looked down at his waist and seemed to understand something, then chuckled bitterly.

"Haha, no wonder I felt like that strange saw was cutting my body." He looked up at Harvey with a look of despair and self-mockery on his face.

"I'm afraid my body has already merged with this amber ore..."

(End of this chapter)