Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 295 Dealing with the Mark

The atmosphere in the sunken town at night is even more eerie and dangerous than during the day.

There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets, but there seemed to be more eyes peering out from the shadows.

Many people who dare not act openly during the day are now starting to show themselves.

In some secluded alleyways, the faint sounds of suppressed arguments and brief fights could be heard, but they were quickly suppressed by the cold gaze and silent approach of the Shadow Hand patrol team.

Luo Lin quickened his pace, keeping his eyes straight ahead, and soon arrived at the Rust and Spark Blacksmith Shop.

The heavy iron door was tightly shut, but the dark red glow of the furnace still shone through the cracks, along with the faint, dull sounds of metal being repeatedly forged—the dwarves seemed to still be working.

Rowling knocked on the door.

The knocking inside paused for a moment, then Bruno's gruff, impatient voice came through: "We're closed! Come back tomorrow if you need anything!"

"It's me, Rowling. The item has been found," Rowling said in a low voice.

There was silence for a few seconds inside the door, then the heavy sound of the bolt sliding down came from inside.

The iron gate was pulled open a crack, and Bruno's face, covered in sweat and grease and flushed red by the firelight, peeked out. His single eye looked Rolin up and down through the crystal lens, and he raised an eyebrow, especially when he saw the obvious signs of an adventure on Rolin's body.

"Come in." He opened the door.

Rowling slipped inside, and Bruno immediately closed the door and bolted it again.

The blacksmith's shop was sweltering, with the flames from the furnace illuminating half the room.

Various tools and parts were scattered on the workbench. The metal arm that had been there before had been disassembled into more than a dozen pieces and placed on a padded metal tray. Several wires were connected to it, and the other end of the wires was connected to a finely structured brass instrument that was constantly flashing with complex runes.

Bruno is clearly conducting an in-depth analysis of the severed arm.

"Back so soon? You look like you've had quite a haul?" Bruno walked to the workbench, picked up a dirty towel to wipe his hands, and looked at Rolin.

Without wasting any words, Luo Lin took out the still slightly warm lead box and placed it on the worktable.

"Three core energy fragments were extracted from an unstable ancient energy node."

"It is highly reactive and its energy is unstable."

Bruno's eyes lit up, and he immediately went over, but instead of opening the box rashly, he picked up the brass instrument and attached several probes to the surface of the lead box.

The runes on the instrument immediately began to flash wildly, and several pointers jumped violently.

"Whoa!" Bruno whistled. "Such high energy readings? And so restless? What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

"A power relay station on the verge of collapse," Roland said briefly. "Is it usable?"

"Whether it works or not depends on my craftsmanship." Bruno rubbed his hands together, his face showing excitement, the kind of fervor a craftsman feels when he sees top-quality materials.

"However, this thing has too violent energy. If it is used directly as the core of the jammer, the success rate is probably only 50%, and the thing made may also be an unstable bomb."

"They need to be tamed first."

He walked to the furnace, opened a heavy metal cabinet next to it with cooling runes engraved on its surface, and took out a large piece of strange, dark silver metal that constantly emitted a cold aura, like an ice block.

"Frosty Star Silver, one of my most treasured possessions, is specially used to stabilize and channel highly active and chaotic energy."

"With the help of some special runes and techniques, it should be possible to guide the energy of these fragments and make it controllable."

He then looked at Rolin: "However, the taming process will take time, at least two days."

"And we need your cooperation."

"Should I cooperate?"

"Yes." Bruno pointed to Rolin's wrist. "The mark on your hand is from the same source as these fragments."

"During the taming process, I need you to provide a little guidance, not to use your spirit to touch these dangerous energies, but to use the faint resonance you marked to help Lao Tzu locate the most core and stable rule line inside the energy fragments."

"This way, when I inscribe the energy-conducting runes, I can achieve twice the result with half the effort and reduce the risk of explosion."

Luo Lin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is there any danger?"

"As long as you don't do anything reckless and just behave yourself as a beacon, there's not much danger."

"The main risk is on my side. If things go wrong, these fragments and the Frost-Patterned Star Silver might explode together, and this shop will be finished." Bruno snorted. "Are you in or not? If not, take the stuff and leave. I don't want to take such a big risk and not even get a guarantee."

"Let's do it." Roland didn't hesitate. "When do we start?"

"Now," Bruno said, a man of decisive action, "take out what's in that little box and take a look."

"If it were a more core control unit, it might increase the success rate."

As instructed, Luo Lin took out the small box containing the dark purple flakes and opened it.

The dark purple metallic sheet lay quietly on the velvet, its surface texture flowing slowly as if it had a life of its own, emitting a refined and orderly shimmer.

Bruno's one eye widened instantly, and his breathing became heavier.

He practically lunged at the worktable, picked up the high-powered magnifying glass, and brought it close to the thin film to examine it closely, his fingers hovering in the air, wanting to touch it but not daring to.

"This—this is—" His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, "The rule baseboard? Or a fragment of the protocol core?"

"Damn it, I've only ever seen similar descriptions in the oldest books!"

"This thing—its energy level isn't high, but its order and completeness far surpass those energy fragments!"

"It's like—like a key, or a standard template!"

He suddenly looked up at Luo Lin: "Kid! What the hell kind of luck did you have?!"

"With this, the success rate of taming those energy fragments can be increased to at least 80%!"

"Moreover, using it as the logic core of a jammer will result in a much more effective device!"

"It might not just be interference; it could even be a form of deception!"

Luo Lin was also shocked.

It seems that the value of this dark purple shard is even higher than he expected.

"How exactly do I do it?" he asked directly.

Bruno rubbed his hands together, paced excitedly around the shop for a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, his eyes gleaming: "The plan needs to be changed! I'm going to use the Frost-Patterned Star Silver as the base and energy buffer layer, these three energy fragments as interference signal generators, and this regular substrate as the control and modulation core!"

"Create a complex, proactive protocol interference amulet!"

He walked to the workbench, picked up a charcoal pencil, and quickly sketched a structural diagram on a relatively clean iron plate: "The main body of the amulet is made of cold-patterned star silver, with multiple layers of energy-conducting runes and a stabilizing matrix etched inside."

"Energy fragments are embedded in specific nodes, providing energy and basic interference signals. The rule-based substrate is placed at the core, connecting all the fragments, and is responsible for modulating the frequency and mode of the interference signal, making it more like a real, higher-authority command signal, thereby overriding or misleading the mark in your hand!"

Although the sketch was hastily drawn, its structure was clear. Rowling could discern the underlying ideas.

"What do you need me to do?" Rowling asked.

"First, it provides a marker resonance, helping Lao Tzu to accurately locate the core rule lines of the energy fragments, making it easier to etch energy-conducting runes."

Secondly, in the final core connection phase, you may need to provide a little bit of mental energy as a catalyst to help the rule substrate, energy fragments, and the mark on your hand establish a preliminary, controlled, and weak connection.

Only after the amulet is made can it bind to you and exert its maximum effect.

Bruno speaks extremely fast.

"Of course, the second step is riskier than the first; it depends on whether you dare to take it."

Luo Lin looked at the materials on the worktable, then at his wrist.

While Morpheus's protection and the Secret Council's way out are important, the fundamental issue is resolving this thorn in our side.

"I'll cooperate," Rowling said calmly. "Let's begin."

"Alright!" Bruno slapped his thigh, his single eye gleaming with excitement and focus. "Let's get started! First, we need to deal with these energy fragments!"

"Kid, stand over there, wrists exposed. Try to make the mark react, but don't overdo it!"

As instructed, Luo Lin stood to the side of the worktable, rolled up her sleeves, and revealed her left wrist.

He focused his mind and gently stimulated the hidden mark.

Dark golden specks of light emerged, shimmering slightly.

Almost simultaneously, the three energy fragments inside the lead box seemed to sense something, and the energy pulsations on their surfaces noticeably accelerated for a moment, while the temperature of the box also rose slightly.

"Yes! Just like that! Hold on!" Bruno had already put on a pair of heavy leather gloves with lenses, and carefully opened the lead box completely.

Three dark gold fragments with blue-white energy flowing across their surfaces were exposed to the air, immediately illuminating a small area around them with flickering light and shadow, and even causing the air to distort slightly due to the energy radiation.

Bruno held his breath and used a special, non-metallic bone clamp to pick up one of the fragments and gently place it on a piece of cold-patterned star silver blank that had already been preliminarily shaped and had a groove carved in the center.

The moment the fragment made contact with Star Silver, "Sizzle!!!"