Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 39 Rescue and Reception

Harvey stood on a slightly flat open space in the ancient wizard ruins.

He looked at the messy construction site with a worried look on his face.

His original plan was to have Asdalen stay at the manor and continue to sort out the materials that needed to be moved.

He went to the ruins with Reiner and Pierce first to explore the specific location of the "energy-absorbing beetle"'s nest in the ruins, as well as to plan the subsequent territory construction.

To this end, he activated all of the more than 30 evil beastmen zombies originally stored in the manor, and used the newly purchased alchemical materials to create three huge alchemical camel beasts, which were transformed from the souls of wasteland reindeer.

The reason why the Mage Ruins were chosen as the territory, besides the beetle ore, was more importantly that the collapsed Mage Tower itself was a ready-made building material.

The black stones, which were solid in texture and extremely dense, were piled up in the pit of the ruins. All one had to do was set up a pulley support and control the alchemical camel to get them out from the bottom of the pit.

Who would have thought that after returning to the ruins in the freezing rain of early spring, they discovered that due to long-term rainfall and melting snow, the pit had subsequently experienced a larger-scale chain collapse.

The only good news is that because of the collapse, the beetle nest originally hidden underground also revealed a dark entrance.

Harvey sent two alchemical wolf spiders into the cave to investigate and found that there was no danger. The beetles seemed to be quietly embedded in the soil and fell asleep when they had no magic energy as food.

"This huge pit needs to have its edges reinforced, otherwise it will continue to collapse..."

Harvey and Reiner stood in the makeshift tent, studying a hastily drawn topographic map of the ruins.

"But the pit itself is a natural underground space. We just need to build a sheltering structure on top of it, and we'll have a ready-made experimental workshop to use."

Reiner nodded and quickly wrote down Harvey's thoughts in a small notebook with a charcoal pencil.

He is now the only contractor for the territory's construction. After all, only he can finely control the zombie laborers to do the transporting and construction work.

"After we complete the pit reinforcement, we'll start building the ground facilities. My plan is to build a three-story main building for us to live in. I'll set up a small energy-gathering array on the second floor to facilitate charging for you and Asdalen..."

"The warehouse and laboratory are all located underground. We need a separate passage to connect to the beetle nest..."

"Hmm... the food storage and utility rooms are built next to the main building, connected by an open corridor. We can't allow daily necessities to come into contact with experimental materials. Food safety still needs to be taken into account..."

Reiner took notes quickly, and occasionally expressed his own opinions and suggestions.

"Sir, why don't we just use the black stones at the bottom of the pit to reinforce the edges, saving us the trouble of carrying them back and forth?"

Harvey nodded in agreement. "A perimeter wall around the ruins is a must. Each section must be equipped with magical warning devices, and alchemy beasts must patrol and warn at night..."

After all, the location of the ruins is no longer within the borders of the human kingdom, and the probability of encountering emergencies and unknown attacks is greatly increased. Harvey also learned the lesson from the last sneak attack.

His entire armed force now consists of only ten wolf spider alchemy beasts, not including zombies that require orders to attack.

The Alchemy Camel Beast has no combat capabilities, and only its carrying capacity and stability were considered at the beginning of its transformation.

When Asdalen is not around, Pierce and Reiner will take turns staying by Harvey's side, which also reminds him all the time that he is just a rookie spellcaster in reality who can't even cast spells instantly.

The two were discussing something with great interest when Reiner suddenly dropped his charcoal pencil and notepad and shuddered. "Sir, the Wolf Spider Beasts outside the ruins have sent a warning!"

"Let's go and take a look. Maybe Pierce is back."

As soon as they arrived at the ruins three days ago, Harvey arranged for Pierce to follow the established route every day and expand his exploration of the surrounding areas of the ruins and the wasteland.

After all, among the few of them, only the mixed-race hunters have the ability to move quickly in the primitive mountains and forests. Whether it is the superior perception of the blood race or the night vision talent, they are the best choice as outpost explorers.

"Sir! Reiner! I'm back!" Harvey saw from a distance that Pierce jumped onto a broken stone tablet with light movements and waved at them vigorously.

"How is it? Have you found any traces of evil orcs stationed in the wasteland?"

Pierce shook his head. "No, the evil orc tribe was invaded, and all the tribes that went south have evacuated and returned..."

"How did you know?" Harvey asked in confusion.

Pierce pointed behind him and said, "Sir, I rescued a group of captured human slaves and two half-orc laborers from a camp left by evil orcs."

"They've all been badly injured and are walking slower than me. It'll probably take a while for them to arrive."

Pierce scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, sir, I brought them back without your permission. Perhaps after settling them down a bit, I can send them away..."

Harvey interrupted Pierce's explanation, "How can rescuing my own people cause me trouble? You're doing a good job, and these people may be of great help to me."

"Pitch up a few more tents and house them properly. After they recover from their injuries, I'm willing to hire them to work for me."

Pierce and Reiner were both stunned, their minds unable to wrap around for a moment.

"Don't forget, I have a pioneering order issued by the lord himself." Harvey winked humorously and laughed. "Perhaps soon, I will be a new noble with my own territory."

"Let's not talk about this for now, let's go pick them up." Harvey clapped his hands and quickly arranged for Pierce to return the same way.

Then he had Reiner control the zombies to hastily build a few tents next to the temporary camp. "When people arrive, you must pay attention to the zombies' range of activities and don't scare the civilians."

Reiner nodded, then asked with some concern: "Sir, what about me...what about my identity? If someone finds out..."

Harvey patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry. To the outside world, you're my chief advisor. Commoners won't understand these taboos. Just consider yourself a spellcaster."

Reiner's eyes lit up instantly, and he straightened his chest. But he asked in disbelief, "Then... then I can call myself a spellcaster from now on?"

Harvey smiled and nodded, pointing to the spellcaster robes on his body. "When the conditions in the territory improve, I will make you a spellcaster robe of the same style as the Federation. At least in my territory, you will be a true master mage."

Watching Reiner rush out cheering and preparing to set up the camp, Harvey shook his head with amusement.

The identities of nobles and spellcasters are indeed more tempting to common people than real money.

(End of this chapter)