Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 401 Power Generation (1.2w)

But Su Ming also noticed a new problem—the time it took for his mental strength to fully recover was longer than before.

"Zijin." While handling business near the Sapphire Base, Su Ming encountered Zijin, who was also busy. He then voiced his doubts, "Why is the 'Whispers of the Stars' talent slowing down my mental energy recovery? Is this a side effect?"

The scholar rolled her eyes at him, somewhat annoyed. "The 'pool' has been widened. To fill a larger 'pool' with water, isn't it only natural that it takes longer?"

Su thought about it and agreed, "Then wouldn't this talent increase the speed of mental energy recovery?"

“Of course it’s improved,” Violet explained. “It’s just that the improvement in recovery speed can’t keep up with the expansion of mental power.” She sighed softly, slightly blaming herself. “I told you not to actively guide you in mental power training. But I couldn’t resist and gave you the origin of ‘Whispers of the Stars’.”

“I think it’s great,” Su Ming said. “Now that I’m using the teleportation device from Earth, the efficiency is much higher than before.”

"Then be careful to maintain horizontal development and don't try to break through upwards recklessly." Zi Jin earnestly advised, "The spiritual resonance we had last time caused your spiritual power to expand much faster than the normal process - you need more time to settle down."

Su Ming nodded, indicating that he understood.

His communicator rang. Su Ming answered the phone; it was Bei Anqi's voice. She was encountering a problem she didn't understand while assembling the sulfuric acid production equipment.

"Shall we go and check out the situation?" Su Ming invited.

Zijin shook her head. "Our recent actions have had a huge impact on the human and goblin merchants operating here. They're bound to cause trouble, so I have to keep a close eye on them."

"Understood, keep it up!" Su Ming said.

"Each each other!"

****
Along the steep ridgeline of the Red Ridge Mountains, the first set of towering wind turbines stands tall, their massive blades spinning steadily in the biting mountain winds. Below, on the sunny slopes, vast arrays of deep blue solar photovoltaic panels are laid out along the terrain, gleaming coolly in the sunlight.

The electrical team of the Bone Demon has accumulated rich experience after many days of practical training. They directed their respective undead creatures to systematically connect and secure the cables according to the wiring markings on the equipment casings.

"That's strange, I can't feel anything when I touch this cable." A veteran electrician frowned, noticing that the zombie he was directing had no reaction when it repeatedly touched the output cable. He became suspicious. "Is there something wrong with this equipment?"

Another equally experienced electrician leaned closer and reached out to probe, only feeling a faint tingling sensation at his fingertips. "Something's wrong, why is there no power!"

Another person touched it too, "Could it be that we're faking it being broken?"

Su Ming, who was watching from a short distance, couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead. A single solar panel generates 35 volts; how could that possibly cause an electric shock?
He immediately gathered all the electricians on site to his side.

"Connect these solar panels in series, ten at a time," Su Ming instructed, then pointed to the two electricians who were personally touching the wires, "and then you two hold hands and touch the output end."

The two electricians did as instructed. As soon as their fingers touched the cable connected in series, which had risen to 350 volts, the cable immediately began to twitch and shake violently.

Su Ming unleashed a shock spell, sending the two flying and detaching them from the circuit.

"The 'Electrical Safety Operation Standards' are now officially promulgated," Su Ming announced to everyone. "Any violation of safety regulations will be punished with a fine, depending on the severity of the offense. At the same time, the 'Introduction to Electrical Engineering' textbook will be released immediately. Those who pass the basic knowledge assessment will be promoted to junior electricians, and their salary will increase by one level!"

Currently, Su Ming is gradually phasing out the points-based resource exchange system, and daily compensation will be paid in gold coins instead. Points will be transformed into a pure performance evaluation system, used for promotion, benefits, and additional rewards.

"Excuse me, Chairman," an electrician raised his hand to ask, "where can we get the 'Introduction to Electrical Engineering' textbook you mentioned?"

"The library," Su Ming replied succinctly.

"Then...where is the library?" the other person pressed.

Su Ming raised his hand, pointing to the increasingly bustling commercial district outside the base. Beyond the "PUBG internet cafe" and the "medical center," there were large tracts of vacant land awaiting construction.

“There, a week from now,” Su Ming stated clearly.

"Understood!"

****
With the completion and commissioning of facilities such as the power system, road network, and basic factory buildings, Su Ming began to strengthen the security and defense of the Ruby Base.

He deployed a security system around the core area, composed of a mix of human mages and dragons. In addition to otherworldly magic arrays, he also constructed a perimeter using modern surveillance equipment to keep out unrelated or malicious individuals.

At this point, Su Ming was finally able to release the detained POWs and put them to work. Their assigned task was to dig exploration tunnels down into the Red Ridge Volcano crater, continuing deeper into the mountain to explore for potential mineral resources.

At the same time, the adaptation of the Bone-Bone Mad Machine Training Camp also began.

After assessment and review, a large number of trainees with excellent performance and clean records were promoted to formal members of the organization. However, about one hundred trainees with criminal records or who exposed serious problems during the assessment were assigned to labor camps to continue working under control and supervision, in order to observe their future performance.

With this, the second Bone Frenzy Training Camp was officially disbanded. Chief Instructor Rupert had once again completed his mission.

"There's something special I need you to do," Su Ming said, getting straight to the point after summoning Rupert.

Rupert was doing very well at work and earning a substantial income during this period, which put him in a great mood.

"Is he going to appoint me as the base's sheriff?" Rupert guessed, since as Su Ming's polar operations expanded, the daily management tasks were indeed increasing.

However, at present, the minor security incidents are still within a controllable range, and administrative staff can basically handle them.

Su Ming shook his head. "I need you to go to Dragon Gorge Port and work as a porter." He recalled, "Last time in Him Cave, when you were captured by the people of the Calamity Bell, I saw that you were quite good at carrying supplies."

Rupert, quick-witted as ever, immediately understood Su Ming's intention—he was being sent to gather intelligence.

Recently, Violet has been pushing for the improvement of business regulations in the Dragon Kingdom and has begun to rectify the port trade, which was originally chaotic and rampant with tax evasion.

The Dragon Clan's laws clearly stipulate a 10% import and export tariff, but investigations have revealed that most of the tax revenue has been embezzled by humans and the Goblin Merchant Guild in collusion with port officials.

Zijin shut down several of the most heavily involved chambers of commerce and is making every effort to recover the embezzled funds. Although there is no outward opposition at present, one can imagine the undercurrents beneath the surface.

Many ships are now diverting to Sapphire Harbor to unload their cargo. The harbor here has better conditions and more advanced facilities. Furthermore, the land routes to the central and southern parts of Dragon Valley are shorter.

Su Ming and Zi Jin were 100% certain that these humans and goblins whose interests had been threatened would not let the matter rest.

Rupert subconsciously pinched his arm muscles. Playing the role of a dockworker and gradually blending in was not difficult for him.

Regarding compensation and benefits—

"Unchanged," Su Ming answered decisively.

"Deal!" Rupert grinned and readily agreed.

Su Ming raised his hand and tossed him a money bag containing 100 gold coins. "Your mission is not just to gather intelligence on your own. You need to develop informants and build an intelligence network. This is your operating fund."

Rupert caught the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and said confidently, "I understand, I know this stuff!"

****
“The sulfuric acid production line is now operating stably,” Beanie reported. “However, the impurity content in the finished product is still relatively high.”

This is the newly built administrative center of the Ruby Base. As the focus of construction shifted, Su Ming moved his office here.

It was nighttime, and from the office window, one could see the base ablaze with lights. In the distance, the blades of wind turbines on the mountainsides, edged with bright marker lights, rotated slowly.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, a wind turbine suddenly collapsed, accompanied by the mournful howl of a dragon echoing through the night sky. As it tumbled down, it also smashed a section of solar panels on the hillside.

Su Ming's expression was numb; he was used to it. Now he felt that his idea of ​​building wind turbines in Dragon Valley was utterly stupid. Setting up more marker lights would be useless; many dragons would even approach out of curiosity just because they saw the lights, only to shove them into his head with a bang.

Fortunately, the wind turbines mainly provide nighttime lighting, and the large-scale power-consuming equipment is not yet officially operational. Su Ming can only pray that these fan blades can last until the hydroelectric power station is put into operation.

“However, we have probably pinpointed the root cause of the sulfuric acid impurity problem.” Beanie looked at the wind turbine that had been destroyed yet and felt a pang of regret. “By using alchemical methods to address the problem specifically, we should be able to solve the impurity issue.” She continued her report.

Many of the production line equipment imported from Earth need to be adapted and modified, and some magic or alchemical techniques need to be added, in order to fit the operating habits of mages from another world.

Su Ming clearly welcomed this. He nodded and turned to the next point, "How are the lead raw material preparations going?"

“The transport ship will arrive at Sapphire Port tonight and deliver it to the base first thing tomorrow morning,” Beanie replied.

“Okay. Once the problem of impurities in the sulfuric acid is resolved, we can move on to the next step: building the battery production line.”

"I'm really looking forward to it!" Beianqi said happily.

After seeing Bei Anqi off, Su Ming processed several documents and approved a few applications. Before he knew it, the clock had struck nine o'clock in the evening.

Several newly appointed secretaries accompanied him as he worked overtime. The junior secretary, Yuniel, who originally held this position, now oversees an increasingly complex resource allocation system, so Su Ming had to select several other members to serve as assistants.

"That's all for today's work." Su Ming put down his pen, gesturing for his secretaries to leave. "Thank you all for your hard work!"

The group began packing up their documents, quietly discussing which newly opened eatery they would go to for a late-night snack. With Su Ming adopting gold coins to pay members, the commercial district surrounding the Ruby Base rapidly prospered. Numerous human and goblin merchants, sensing the business opportunity, flocked in, opening all sorts of taverns, restaurants, and general stores, which were brightly lit and bustling with activity after nightfall.

Such openness naturally comes with security risks, and it inevitably attracts the attention of local chambers of commerce.

But Su Ming believed this was a risk he could bear. Both he and Zi Jin, who was pushing for reforms in the Dragon Court, would inevitably have to confront and compete head-on with the local powerful merchant guilds that dominated the Dragon Kingdom.

Currently, the mere thousand or so members of the Bone-Bone Mad Machine are finding it increasingly difficult to support a growing industrial system. Su Ming has no choice but to rely on local production capacity and has begun to absorb resources from various parties.

The opening of the commercial district to the public is merely a window for display and exchange.

****
The following day, as agreed with Newman, Su Ming arrived at the construction site of the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station, accompanied by Jelus and Ruixiuli.

The first phase of the water diversion and power generation tunnel project has been basically completed, and construction workers are now carrying out fine-tuning of the tunnel walls.

Four massive water diversion channels extend vertically into the mountain from the upper reaches of the river. The turbine installation bases inside the No. 1 channel have already been excavated.

The construction access road was also fully opened, and a large number of skeleton minions, under the command of the necromancer, continuously transported large quantities of metal materials into the depths of the tunnel.

Su Ming stood on a high point on the bank of the Baihe River, looking down. Below, the second phase of the primary earth-rock dam project was in full swing, with hundreds of giant dragons of various colors moving back and forth, pushing and pulling huge earth-rock carts, dumping large quantities of earth and rocks into the river channel.

The earth and rock excavated from the water diversion tunnel were insignificant compared to the enormous volume required to fill the river, and had long since been exhausted. A nearby hill, nearly a hundred meters high, had been half-leveled in just a few days by the dragons' digging.

The wide riverbanks on both sides of the Baihe River are gradually being filled with rubble transported by the giant dragon, and are extending towards the center of the river.

The entire project is progressing rapidly according to the planned schedule, but it must be said that this is an aggressive construction plan. Even the most experienced experts on the technology side are uneasy about its risks, but that hasn't prevented them from completing the design technically.

"President, all materials have been inventoried!" A team leader stepped forward and reported.

Su Ming nodded, and then, guided by the team leader, they proceeded into the mountain through the wide entrance of the No. 1 water diversion tunnel, eventually arriving at the main unit room located deep underground.

Since the Baihe River has not yet begun storing water, the current water level is far below the height of the water diversion tunnel opening, and no additional water-blocking measures are needed. However, there are numerous seepage points in the main unit area, which flow along the walls and converge at the drainage outlets at the bottom.

The engineering team is using magic to drill holes in the walls of the water diversion tunnel and inject specially made alchemical seepage-proof material deep into the rock strata to cut off the seepage channels inside the mountain and eliminate potential hazards.

Continuing downhill through the main engine room, they soon arrived at the designated turbine installation pit. Newman, the half-skull, was crouching at the bottom of the massive pit, holding up measuring instruments for verification.

A moment later, he looked up and said, "The reserved dimensions meet the requirements!"

Su Ming also inspected the key parts of the machine pit and the reserved holes. After confirming that they were up to standard, the staff who had been waiting for a long time immediately took action to transport the remaining materials into the machine pit for storage.

Subsequently, all personnel evacuated to make way for the work area.

The entire crater was filled with nearly a thousand tons of metal materials, resembling a small mountain. The vast majority of them were steel, gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the illumination.

This is the largest equipment transfer since Su Ming entered the other world, with the total amount of materials far exceeding any previous one.

The Independence-class littoral combat ships don't count. That transfer involved a large-scale compression, and the final reassembled ship was just a model weighing less than ten kilograms.

The transmission over this period has proven that in order to reproduce the metal crystal structure, prestress distribution, and microscopic features formed by various complex thermal treatments in the technological equipment, a 1:1 transmission and recombination method must be adopted.

Otherwise, even if the metal element composition is exactly the same, the final physical strength, wear resistance and other key indicators will be very different.

Therefore, the transfer of the No. 1 turbine of the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station means that a meticulously manufactured 250,000-kilowatt turbine unit on Earth will be completely deconstructed and turned into metal powder during the transfer process.

But there is no need for sorrow. The fruits of labor embodied here will be attached to a new material, and shine anew in another world!
****
Su Ming carefully examined the quality and type of the piled-up materials and began to assess the magic power required for this teleportation.

As the heaviest part of the generator set, the turbine weighs up to 1500 tons, but its main structure is not complicated. It mainly consists of the core runner assembly and the huge support ring for fixing.

Through collaboration with Earth researchers, Su Ming has begun to quantify and accurately assess the energy consumption required to transmit a set of equipment. It consists of two parts:

First, there's the transmission cost. On Earth, researchers assessed the required transmission accuracy based on the complexity of the prototype device and used Shannon's information entropy formula to calculate this cost.

Then there's the consumption of the recombination process. On the other side, based on the actual state of the materials provided on-site—their composition, purity, structure, etc.—and the differences between them and the Earth prototype, Su Ming quickly calculated the level of magical power required for the recombination process.

This transmission mainly involved the recombination of crystal structures, rather than molecular-level synthesis. Su Ming ultimately concluded that it was possible to complete the task in one go.

On Earth, researchers erupted in cheers. This meant they would achieve a whole new scale in the weight of disintegrated matter transported in a single transaction!

This is a major boon and a breakthrough for their observations and experiments!
Qiluo did not accompany them this time. The unicorn had been engrossed in directing a group of dragons to conduct biological fermentation, producing alcohol and other agricultural and forestry chemical products, keeping herself extremely busy.

Fortunately, with the help of the "Whispers of the Stars" talent, Su Ming's mental strength has improved significantly. Now he no longer needs to rely on the "Spiritual Enclosure Crystal Barrier" to stabilize his mind.

Su Ming took a deep breath, stepped forward to the mountain of metal materials, and composed himself.

As his thoughts focused, a continuous and complex spatial array constructed around him, layer upon layer. The ten-sided double-layered array that he had previously had to strain and endure to build was now much easier and more effortless for him.

The magic circle began to operate rapidly. Su Ming did not expand the scale further. Because every day thereafter, he needed to complete the transmission of a water turbine generator set, which required a steady and consistent output.

****
With Su Ming's activation, a tangible information storm swept through the Earth warehouse, centered on the little troublemaker. Although the precision of this transmission was relatively low, the sheer volume of material information itself was enough to cause strong ripples.

For the first time, researchers have captured entropy information, specifically the singular perturbation waveform generated during extraction and cross-plane transmission. The researchers stared intently at the data curves on the screen, their eyes burning with the fervor of someone who had discovered a priceless treasure!
Inside the crater where Su Ming was located, a real physical storm suddenly arose. Piles of metal materials, one after another, roared and broke free from the constraints of gravity, soaring into the air and converging in sections. Huge metal components rapidly took shape amidst the interplay of light and shadow, perfectly filling the installation space carved out in the rock chamber.

Su Ming hovered in mid-air. Before him, this colossal mechanical device, unlike anything seen in this other world, lay completely at the bottom of the crater. Encircled by a massive fixed system, the core rotor assembly, weighing five hundred tons and exceeding ten meters in diameter, exuded a heavy industrial aura.

As Su Ming descended back to the ground, Ruixiuli and Jielus immediately stepped forward, one on each side, to support him, who was slightly weakened due to the massive depletion of his mental energy.

"It's huge!" Gerus exclaimed in genuine amazement as she looked up at the colossal object before her.

Su Ming was unable to respond immediately, struggling to calm his turbulent emotions. This colossal machine, capable of generating the equivalent of burning a thousand tons of coal per day, was naturally no small creature!

"It's unbelievable." Newman's soul fire surged violently. "Could such a creation truly be made by humankind?"

“This is far from being…the biggest in our world,” Su Ming said.

After a while, Su Ming recovered somewhat. He walked to the foot of the enormous rotor and looked up. The massive rotor blocked the light from above, casting a deep and heavy shadow. Covered in fine and neat metallic patterns, it sat quietly in the flow channel, like the heart of a sleeping giant.

The leaves radiate outward from the central crown, gracefully twisting and extending, eventually merging with the outer lower ring. These curves are a beauty born from immense computational power, a work of art embodying wisdom.

As the waters of the Baihe River poured into the channel with tremendous force, propelling this colossal object weighing hundreds of tons to rotate, Su Ming could almost hallucinate the impending, melodious roar.

Once the signal to clear the site was given, a large number of workers quickly returned to the pit to continue working on the tunnel walls and filling in some of the gaps. Faced with such a colossal creation, everyone was filled with awe—the purest awe for a creation of civilization!
****
Su Ming did not leave the construction site immediately, as he still needed to transport the generator that came with the water turbine in the afternoon. Rui Xiuli found a relatively quiet room in the temporary camp and took him there to rest.

Gerus put down her backpack, took out three insulated lunch boxes, and handed two of them to Su Ming and Rui Xiuli respectively. Then she took out three drinks.

"You've prepared quite well." Su Ming took the heavy lunchbox, and could still feel the warmth left by the insulation magic.

The construction site certainly has a unified catering service, but he would naturally be happy to accept a better meal if he could.

Su Ming opened the box, and a rich aroma of meat wafted out. But upon closer inspection, the side dishes were boiled taro, stir-fried yam, and a few cassava balls.

"...Do we have a grudge against tuberous vegetables?" Su Ming couldn't help but tease. Although tubers are an important part of the dragon race's staple food, there is quite a wide variety of vegetables to choose from here.

“I’m sorry, I made this myself,” Gerald explained. “I was born in a remote place, and I’ve developed a habit since childhood that I’m not very good at cooking vegetables.”

Although it was a bit strange that it wasn't the kitchen staff who prepared it, but rather Gerus who cooked it herself, Su Ming found that the bento box tasted quite good after tasting it.

Having specially supplied food was far better than eating from the communal pot, so he stopped investigating the reasons behind it.

****
After completing the generator set's transmission work in the afternoon, Su Ming dragged his slightly tired body back to the administrative center of the Ruby Base.

He continued dealing with the backlog of daily tasks—approving project progress reports, signing applications for essential materials, and coordinating the needs of various departments. By the time he finally finished work, the night outside the window was as dark as ink. He stood up, stretched his stiff shoulders and neck, and pushed open the office door to leave.

Under the moonlight, the camp lights twinkled, and the air was filled with the sounds of students laughing and talking, as well as the aroma of food wafting from somewhere, all blending together to create a nocturne full of warmth and life.

Like a ghost, Ruixiuli leaped down from the shadow of a nearby tree and landed silently beside Su Ming.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Su Ming said, shaking his head and rubbing his throbbing temples. "I'm going back to my room to rest. You should get some rest too."

He looked up and gazed at the spot where Ruishuli had been hiding—among the dense branches, there sat a slender figure, its outline indistinct in the moonlight.

"Su Ming, Rui Xiuli!" A familiar voice called out. Su Ming turned his head in confusion and saw Jelusi walking gracefully towards him with a porcelain plate in her hand.

The unique caramelized aroma of roasted sweet potatoes grew stronger as she approached, becoming especially enticing in the cool night breeze.

Su Ming picked up a still-hot sweet potato from the plate, peeled off its brownish skin, and gestured with his chin toward Rui Xiuli, "Who's that girl in the tree?"

“A corpse,” Rishiri replied. “I keep it with me in case of emergencies.”

A few days ago, the battle aboard the "Golden Coachman" made him reflect deeply and decide to carry "ammunition" with him.

"Bought it?" Su Ming asked casually, taking a bite of the soft, golden potato flesh. "Aren't you afraid it will rot and stink?"

With a flick of his wrist, Rishiri sent the body on the tree plummeting through the air like a marionette. Just before it hit the ground, he used levitation to catch it.

Su Ming glanced at her and found that she was a young woman. Although her face was pale from blood loss, it couldn't hide her beautiful features. Her figure was so full that it was almost a pity. Her clothes were revealing but unusually neat, indicating that she had been dealt with swiftly and unexpectedly.

The body's muscles were not yet stiff, and the skin still retained its elasticity, indicating that the time of death was no more than a few hours.

“It’s free, and the supply is plentiful and updated regularly.” Rui Xiuli’s lips curled into a smile. “President Su, don’t you have any self-awareness? We haven’t lacked these kinds of ‘supplies’ these past few days.”

Su Ming was somewhat puzzled, but Jelus explained, "You are now the newly crowned number one on the Temple of Light's wanted list of necromancers."

Su Ming was speechless. It turned out that this girl was a bounty hunter who had come to cause him trouble.

Previously, he either roamed the vast ocean or hid in the blizzard-ravaged ice plains, leaving these hyena-like hunters with no way to catch him. Now, his whereabouts are clear, and while the power of the dragon can intimidate regular armies, it cannot stop these desperate outlaws lurking in the shadows.

Su Ming sighed heavily, "Aren't these people really not afraid of making money but not having the life to spend it?"

His current strength is vastly different from what it once was. If he were to use some cheating methods, he might even be able to kill a master-level expert. Moreover, this place is the core of the Bone-Ending Mad Machine's control, guarded by a large number of members. With giant dragons coiled around it and the defenses being formidable, there is no need to fear its combat power.

Judging from the residual magical fluctuations, the female corpse in front of me was only a novice combatant.

“After all, a reward of hundreds of thousands of gold coins is enough to make many people so envious that they would risk their lives.” Jelus said calmly, “These are all cannon fodder sent to scout ahead, gathering intelligence through various disguises. For example, this one is dressed up as a ‘special service industry’ worker, trying to sneak in.”

Su Ming had expected to encounter spies from various forces, but he didn't expect to be targeted by these greedy mercenaries first. Although they were individually weak, their numbers were large and they were ubiquitous, making defense quite difficult.

Su Ming finally understood why Jelus had been personally preparing his meals for days on end, without asking anyone else to do it.

"Thank you for your hard work." His voice was filled with genuine exhaustion and apology.

“Just focus on your own affairs,” Rishiri said calmly. “There are many small fry right now, but they are easy to deal with. We will report if there is any pressure.” He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, “I do not understand why you are so eager to lift centralized control? Although it can indeed boost efficiency, it will also leave the defense line full of loopholes, giving these people an opportunity to take advantage.”

"Sorry, I won't answer that question, and please don't ask again." Su Ming cut off the conversation directly, too lazy to make up an excuse.

As the construction of the logistics and production base in the Dragon Clan progressed far more smoothly than expected, Su Ming and Catherine's operational plan against the Temple of Light was once again rendered obsolete. The two resolved to embark on a much larger scheme, which included some tactical deception that needed to be employed from this moment forward.

Therefore, some gaps were deliberately left open. Su Ming himself was not actually the bait, but the bait had already begun to be released.

However, upon closer analysis, the enormous bounties are only one reason for the emergence of these mercenaries. Mercenaries and practitioners from all walks of life have long been accustomed to closely following the guidance of the Temple of Light. This vast organization, with its accumulated power and inertia over thousands of years, cannot be reversed by a few short defeats.

Therefore, enemies like the Divine Covenant Faction must be eradicated as soon as possible! Continuing to allow them to carry out their hostility against Su Ming, supported by a massive population and resources, under the guise of the Temple of Light, would be extremely troublesome.

Rui Xiuli said no more. He slowly finished eating the sweet potato, patted the crumbs off his hands, and then, in front of Su Ming, stuffed the corpse onto the roof of his room.

While Su Ming could understand Rui Xiuli's idea of ​​arranging ammunition in advance as a precaution, he was somewhat speechless. "...Won't it smell bad if I leave it like this?"

A flash of light appeared at Gerus's fingertip, and an anti-corrosion spell was branded onto the corpse. "This will keep it fresh for a week and won't affect your sleep."

"..."

****
The next day, Su Ming returned to the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station construction site and used "Summoning of All Things" to complete the transfer of the next set of water turbine generator units.

The ability to transfer and reassemble similar equipment significantly improved his proficiency, making the entire process faster and smoother, and reducing the time taken considerably compared to the previous day.

Taking advantage of the free time in the afternoon, Su Ming called Elder Jinlong and flew to a place where anomalies had been discovered during the previous surveying process.

Unlike other areas in Dragon Valley, this location encountered severe interference during radar scanning, rendering the recorded data completely unusable. Su Ming later equipped the Rainbow UAV with a laser rangefinder pod, which enabled the completion of the terrain mapping work in this area.

Normally, this isn't unusual. The most likely explanation is the presence of minerals underground that can interfere with magnetic fields, such as magnetite. Explorers from other worlds have already observed this phenomenon, and they use anomalous magnetic field patterns to search for potential mineral deposits.

However, to Su Ming's dismay, the detector carried by the Rainbow drone did not detect any abnormal fluctuations in the magnetic field at this location.

What particularly caught his attention was that this phenomenon also existed in another place in Dragon Valley, namely the Ancestral Spirit Land.

Currently, within the Dragon Valley area, Su Ming has deployed five "Dandelion" floating communication base stations, located at Ruby Base, Sapphire Port, Celesteite Hydropower Station, Dragon Court, and Dragon Gorge Port.

The equipment on these base stations could also provide location signals, thus giving Su Ming a convenient navigation system in this other world. Following the guidance information, Su Ming quickly arrived at the area where the anomaly had occurred.

He landed on the ground with his entourage, including Gerus, Rishuli, and the enormous golden dragon elder.

Elder Jinlong's golden vertical pupils scanned the surroundings, but he found nothing unusual in this area, neither in the vegetation nor on the ground.

He cast several earth-based detection spells in succession, and ripples of magic spread from him into the depths of the earth. But the information that returned was still vague and unclear.

"It seems we have no choice but to use the most direct method!" Elder Jinlong said in a low voice.

He let out a long, drawn-out dragon roar, the sound echoing through the valley. Soon, the giant dragons living nearby were summoned by him, and dozens of massive dragons began to take turns, under the elder's command, to dig through the hard rock and soil.

Claws lashed out, dust billowing. After several hours of effort, a tunnel more than two hundred meters deep gradually took shape.

Finally, they found a rock layer studded with colorful crystals—it was a magic crystal vein!

After a careful examination, Elder Jinlong's face, covered in golden scales, showed no joy, but rather a hint of regret.

“It’s exactly the same as the Ancestral Spirit Land.” He turned to Su Ming and said, “It’s a low-grade magic crystal ore with many impurities, and the amount of magic that can be used effectively is very limited.”

Su Ming picked up a piece of ore. The crystal particles inside were small and sparsely distributed, just like those in the Ancestral Spirit Land.

Dragon Valley also has a rich mine of high-grade magic crystals. However, when the drones were surveying the area, they did not encounter this phenomenon. Su Ming speculated that the interference was caused by the interaction between the magic crystals in this poor mine and the impurities within them.

Su Ming nodded and said to Elder Jinlong, "I would like to trouble you to arrange for people to collect several tons of ore samples and send them to the Pansy. I need to conduct in-depth analysis on them."

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away!" Elder Jinlong readily agreed and turned to give instructions to the surrounding dragons.

****
On the same day, a significant breakthrough was announced at the Ruby Base's production area—the first trial production of lead-acid batteries was a success!
This is certainly not the modern high-performance lead-acid battery, but rather a previous generation of lead-acid battery products whose technology has been "rolled back" for decades.

In order to shorten the industrial chain and adapt it to the current rudimentary industrial conditions of the other world, Su Ming shelved technologies that could improve energy density, such as lead-antimony alloy and lead-calcium alloy grids.

His primary goal is to achieve a breakthrough from scratch and solve the problem of whether or not basic energy storage products are available.

Large-scale battery production capacity is crucial for many future applications. However, the most pressing need right now is the development of electric vehicles, a task that can finally be put on the agenda.

Su Ming's teleportation ability will currently be reserved for the core production equipment. He has entrusted the design and manufacturing of the electric vehicle's body, frame, and other structural components to the base's engineering team, while he himself only intends to teleport the electric motor.

This expansion of the technology tree is aimed at solving the increasingly serious logistics problems. After the giant ships of industrial production began to rumble into motion, the traditional transportation methods relying on oxen and horses were almost instantly overwhelmed.

Although alchemical vehicles powered by magic crystals exist in other worlds, their astonishing cost means they can only serve as luxuries for the wealthy and powerful to flaunt.

Therefore, solving the bottlenecks in logistics is an urgent matter.

On the other hand, the daily consumer goods products for dragons that Su Ming had planned also began production one after another. Taking advantage of this opportunity, a "Dragon's Convenience" supermarket, which serves dragons exclusively, officially opened in the emerging commercial area on the outskirts of the Ruby Base.

Although the variety of goods is currently limited, in addition to the regular goods supplied by local humans and the Goblin Merchant Guild, there are only a few special goods for the Bone Frenzy Machine: such as the "Dragon Claw Trimmer" designed specifically for giant claws, the "Dragon Wing Posture Corrector" to help young dragons correct their flight posture, and the "Dragon Scale Nourishing Oil Wax" to nourish their scales.

Su Ming did not intend to invest too much of the Ruby Base's production capacity in manufacturing these kinds of goods. Therefore, he entrusted the design of some products to Violet, who was responsible for organizing and coordinating local production resources for manufacturing.

In any case, Su Ming's goal is to stimulate the dragons' spending and create demand for gold coins. As long as the goal is achieved, the specific method is not important.

Whether or not one can make a direct profit from it is even less important.

****
When the four massive hydroelectric generator units were put in place one after another, the primary earth-rock dam of the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station also entered the crucial closure stage.

To ensure the smooth progress of the project, Dragon King Ge Lie personally led the young and strong men of the Golden Dragon Clan to the construction site. As the most proficient in earth magic and the largest and strongest in physique, the addition of hundreds of Golden Dragons instantly increased the efficiency of the dam-filling project by a significant margin.

Su Ming also drew other dragon laborers from various construction sites such as the Ruby Base and Sapphire Port. In a short time, nearly 1,500 giant dragons of various shapes gathered at the dam construction site, their dense wings almost blocking out the sky, creating a magnificent scene.

Faced with such a massive gathering of dragons, the management team mobilized all its members. They grouped the dragons by race and size, and carried out the operation in batches.

Meanwhile, the "Dandelion" aerial communication base station achieved a triple-digit concurrent access volume for the first time. This modern communication network made complex personnel scheduling and command transmission a reality in this other world.

As a permanent, massive water conservancy project, terrain magic was deemed too unpredictable and was therefore completely rejected. Only the most primal and powerful forces were employed here. Large quantities of earth and stone were pushed into the riverbed, achieving the taming of nature with the purest material volume.

Almost all of the Bone-Beast Machines were reassigned to logistical support. Just satisfying the enormous appetite of these 1,500 dragons was an astonishing expense.

Even before the project started, Su Ming had already ordered tens of thousands of tons of food from the core grain-producing area of ​​Dragon Valley.

Thanks to the wide roads built in the early stages, such a large-scale transport of supplies was made possible. However, this also pushed the transportation capacity of both humans and goblin merchants in the region to its limit.

Traditional animal-powered caravans, relying on oxen and horses, are like helpless infants when faced with the demands of industrialized logistics. These animal-powered caravans stretch for kilometers, working day and night.

The sheer scale and orderly coordination of this scene deeply impressed every dragon present. Since the earth-shattering battle a thousand years ago, the dragon race had never again witnessed such a gathering and mobilization. For all the dragons present, such a magnificent sight existed only in stories passed down from their ancestors, in ancient murals sealed away, or in the distant memories of their forefathers.

Driven by this collective force capable of moving mountains and filling seas, the 1,300-meter-long primary dam was finally successfully closed! The surging waters of the Baihe River were completely cut off.

A dam, thick at one end and slender at the other, began to take shape in the riverbed.

The dragons roared with triumphant cheers, their morale soaring. Under the guidance of technicians, they continued their ongoing reinforcement work on the dam.

****
Standing atop the towering command tower, Su Ming gazed at the vibrant scene below, and his tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. The project was not yet completely finished, but the most arduous step—the damming and closure—had already been successfully completed.

Newman, standing to the side, clicked his tongue and shook his skull head repeatedly, "Tsk tsk, how did it get so crooked?"

"Isn't this exactly what your aesthetic tastes like?" Su Ming teased.

“This kind of thing, which doesn’t require deliberate pursuit and is inherently meant to be built crookedly, actually gives me no sense of accomplishment!” Newman’s tone was filled with disappointment and sighs.

The thicker end of the dam is the core area where a large-scale ship passage array will be laid in the future. Su Ming originally envisioned using a complex structure similar to a multi-stage ship lock or ship lift on Earth, but after calculation, Newman believed that its construction and maintenance costs would be too high under the conditions of this other world.

The inland waterways of this other world cannot accommodate very large boats, at most 1000 tons, and their traffic density does not allow them to fully utilize the advantages of such facilities.

Newman proposed a magical solution: using a magic circle to levitate the ships, allowing them to gracefully "float" downstream. Since it was a downstream descent, energy consumption was relatively low, with the estimated cost of transporting approximately 1 gold coin per 20 tons of cargo.

Going against the flow would be quite costly, as a reverse magic circle ascent would require five times the price.

In fact, the White River is not currently open to two-way traffic, which is a major reason why the cost of inland waterway transportation between the dwarves and the Dragon Kingdom remains high.

After the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station is completed and impounds water, the water flow upstream and downstream will become calmer, forming stable navigable waterways. The transfer of goods between the upstream and downstream areas can be carried out by connecting via levitation at the hydropower station, by relaying upstream and downstream vessels, or by directly transferring to land for bulk transport.

In any case, it is foreseeable that this place will rise to become an exceptionally busy water and land logistics hub.

However, this is the task of the fourth phase of the project. The dam that has just been completed is only the most basic prototype. The so-called "reservoir" it forms is more like a "barrier lake" built by brute force, far from achieving the designed performance, water depth, and storage capacity.

Therefore, the subsequent three phases of the project are arduous tasks: the dam needs to be raised and its structure reinforced; the dam needs to be drilled and grouted to build a seepage barrier; and at the same time, a flood discharge channel with sufficient flood discharge capacity must be excavated before the upcoming rainy season.

In addition, dredging and restoration of the riverbed in many upstream sections are necessary, and dikes must be built in low-lying areas along the banks that obstruct the water storage elevation. Even with full calculations of the dragon's strength, the entire third phase of the project will take about six months to complete. Only then can the reservoir's water level gradually rise to the designed elevation of 150 meters.

However, these long-term tasks are irrelevant to Su Ming's immediate needs. So be it, a landslide dammed lake or not; Su Ming isn't picky about it.

Supported by abundant rainfall upstream, this "semi-finished" reservoir continued to store water. Within two or three days, the water level gradually rose to ninety meters. The water began to flow into the lower entrance of the water diversion tunnel, driving the huge turbine units inside to rotate.

The production lines at the Ruby Base, which had been eagerly awaiting power, have finally begun to enjoy the surging electricity from the Tianqingshi Hydropower Station!

(End of this chapter)