Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 509 Catalytic Beetle
"Are you afraid of bugs?"

Ambichi Kenny swallowed hard and replied dryly, "No... I'm not afraid!"

The premise is that the size of this insect cannot be bigger than a human... Kenny vaguely heard some strange noises coming from inside through the half-open cast iron door, like the sound of a large number of glass marbles rolling rapidly on the hard stone floor, and the noises were getting closer and closer, and more and more frequent!

Is this... is this some kind of living thing crawling? Could it be the "bug" His Majesty mentioned?
Seeing that Harvey had already stepped in, Kenny, who was following behind him, could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, and rush in.

The rustling sound heard through the iron gate just now disappeared immediately. The shepherd knight opened his eyes and looked around, and found that it was a spacious underground cave space. The four walls and floors were obviously polished by humans, but the many stalactites hanging from the ceiling still revealed its naturally formed nature.

With the help of the lighting magic stones embedded in the stone wall, Kenny saw that there were several slightly smaller alchemical vehicles parked in the cave hall. Compared with the common closed war beast vehicles, these small vehicles were obviously open to the public... and the number of people they could carry was just like the seats, which could only accommodate a maximum of four people.

"Okay, get in!" Harvey stepped into the car and took a seat in the back row. Kenny also climbed in carefully and sat next to Harvey stiffly. He felt a soft touch under his butt... The seat of this vehicle was actually made of leather.

Two bodyguards came forward silently and sat in front of Harvey and Kenny respectively. In front of the seat of one of them was a hollow metal disc, which looked like a miniature mechanical winch.

The vehicle was quickly activated, and the slightly shaking body of the vehicle carried the four people slowly into the depths of the cave, and finally entered a long and deep tunnel.

"Your Majesty, where are we going? Are we going deep underground?" Kenny's voice trembled. "Where are those bugs you just mentioned?"

Harvey chuckled, "Go to the South Slope base. The bugs are very shy. When they hear the footsteps of a stranger like you, they all hide."

Your Majesty's castle's underground can be directly connected to the South Slope Base!

Kenny could only feel his heart pounding. No wonder His Majesty had asked him to keep it absolutely confidential. If this matter involving the underground secret passage was accidentally discovered by people other than his confidants, there was a high probability that he would be killed.

The alchemical vehicle, carrying two magic stone lamps, traveled in the dark tunnel for more than an hour, and then arrived at a flatter and more open underground hall. Many soldiers in dark gray uniforms were busy shuttling around in it. When many people saw Harvey's vehicle arrive, they turned around and bowed to him.

The base director, Pep, still looked dusty and dusty. He trotted up to Harvey with a metal helmet on his head and saluted him, then turned around and looked at Kenny a few times.

"Lord City Lord, is this the...breeding expert you mentioned?"

"Well, this mission requires the cooperation of both of you. How are the beetles doing these days? How long is the next breeding cycle?"

Pep smiled and said, "The insects' feeding frequency and movement patterns are normal. They were just a little restless just now, so I guessed you were coming."

Harvey nodded, suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and then the entire underground hall suddenly rang with countless rustling sounds, and a large number of beetles with a faint pure white fluorescence suddenly rushed out from the cracks in the surrounding stone walls. They seemed to no longer be afraid of the people who stayed in the hall at the moment, and pounced towards where Harvey was standing at an extremely fast speed.

Oh my god! So many bugs!
Kenny was so scared that he stumbled and fell to the ground, almost screaming!
Fortunately, these fist-sized glowing bugs did not rush straight towards him to drown and eat him... Instead, they surrounded the few of them with Harvey's standing position as the center of the circle. The sound of the beetles' hard limbs constantly hitting and sliding on the ground was exactly the same sound that Kenny heard through the iron gate in the basement of the castle just now!
These bugs have been following them since they were underground in the castle! "Don't be afraid, they won't attack humans at random, and sometimes they'll even take the initiative to avoid us." Harvey explained to Kenny in a gentle voice, "Once you get used to it, you'll find that these little guys are actually gentle."

How did Your Majesty know that a group of insects were gentle... Besides, there are too many of them!
Kenny took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and got up from the ground.

"Your Majesty, is the task you want to assign to me to raise these glowing insects?"

Harvey nodded. "That's right. Let's talk while we walk. Let's go to the feeding ground first..."

"This type of beetle is called an energy-absorbing beetle. Its byproducts are a crucial strategic resource. The main material used to manufacture the ammunition for the magic guns and cannons you're familiar with comes from this beetle." Harvey paused, then suddenly turned and gave Kenny a meaningful look. "If military secrets of this magnitude were to be leaked, you should know the consequences."

Kenny's spirits trembled, and he immediately pounded his chest with his fist, saying, "I will definitely keep this secret and will never let it out!"

The fact that such important military secrets were revealed to him at least indirectly shows that His Majesty regards him as a trusted and close minister. If he can do his job well, he will definitely have a bright future.

……

The group soon arrived at a feeding ground deeper underground. Kenny instantly saw more glowing beetles than in the hall. When they gathered together, he even had the terrifying illusion that the entire huge mountain cave was glowing.

"I want to raise... raise so many bugs?"

"This is just one of the feeding grounds. It holds an average of about 100,000 beetles. They enter a breeding cycle every forty days. After the cycle ends, the female beetles will directly merge into the magic stone crystal column to lay eggs, while the male beetles will gradually die... and eventually transform into a pure magic stone of the same size. This is the only raw material for creating liquid magic energy..."

Harvey suddenly changed the subject and asked Kenny, "I heard you once tried to crossbreed ordinary domestic pigs brought from the southern border with a wild beast from the wasteland called the long-tusked briar. You successfully bred a new breed of domestic pig that's larger, more tender, and has a shorter breeding cycle?"

This was a work achievement Kenny had always been proud of. He couldn't help but puff out his chest and said with a hint of pride, "Yes, Your Majesty. Through observation, I found that the long-fanged mane beasts and the southern pigs are very similar in living habits, feeding preferences, and body structure. So I tried to have the hunting team capture live ones for breeding experiments..."

Harvey nodded and tapped the ground with his toes. The nearest beetle immediately sensed the command Harvey had conveyed, quickly slid its legs and feet, climbed up along the back of his foot, and finally landed docilely on Harvey's palm.

"The bugs are very docile and not at all aggressive... Their preferred food is the magic stone found in this mine. Their range isn't very large, with a nesting area separating their feeding and breeding grounds. They dig tiny crevices in the mountain to hide in."

He patted Kenny's shoulder and said, "Just like you did with the wild boar hybrids, observe and study these beetles. Compare them to the biological habits that Pep previously recorded, and see if there's any way to make them grow faster, enter the reproduction cycle more frequently, and double the production of pure magic stone."

(End of this chapter)