Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Chapter 65 The Application of Mage's Handicrafts

"However, we must also recognize the challenges." Professor Zhang Hongjian looked at Matthew with a serious expression. "Comrade Matthew, this kind of precise operation will likely place extremely high demands on your mental capacity, your ability to maintain continuous output, and the absolute stability of your control. Previously, only you possessed this magic. How to maximize its benefits, and even whether we can train more magic engineers in the future, are all long-term issues that require planning."

"Yes!" Matthew nodded solemnly. "Professor Zhang is right. We have to take it one step at a time. My primary task right now is to practice a lot to improve the precision, power, and duration of my control over Mage's Hand. At the same time, we also need to start planning which key areas, where the bottlenecks are most prominent, we should prioritize applying this ability. I believe there is no problem that cannot be overcome."

"We can immediately launch a pilot project for 'magical finishing.'" Zhang Hongjian looked at Matthew again. "We don't need to tackle the most complex cylinders right away. We can start small, such as trying to polish a plain cast iron surface with the hands of a mage, aiming for a mirror finish. This will not only verify the feasibility of the idea but also help you accumulate experience data on micro-control, such as magic consumption, precision limits, and time consumption."

"That's a great idea!" He Wentao immediately agreed. "We can prepare samples with different roughnesses and set clear quantitative targets. At the same time, we can record the changes in surface morphology before and after each processing, as well as your subjective feelings, such as controlling the 'feel' and the degree of fatigue. This will help us establish a preliminary set of process parameters for the magic processing."

"Yes, the professors' suggestions are invaluable!" Matthew concluded. "Then, you will prepare a series of increasingly difficult samples for me to practice and test, quantifying the processing limits of the 'Mage's Hand,' while also familiarizing me with the feel of processing various materials, and recording my mental energy consumption. The goal is to produce a 'Preliminary Assessment Report on the Refined Processing Capabilities of the Mage's Hand.'"

"Okay, no problem, we'll cooperate fully."

Shortly after the meeting ended, Matthew also received good news from the Misty Mountains.

The military team has successfully wiped out the two goblin tribes, "Dark Green Axe Teeth" and "Gray Skin Miscellaneous Teeth," as planned, with zero casualties and only a few minor injuries.

The mission went even more smoothly than expected, and they didn't even need to use the ambush they had set up in Broken Claw Valley.

However, Matthew also knew that the traps designed in Broken Claw Valley were originally a contingency plan. The cautious attitude of these military experts made them prefer to prepare more rather than leave any possibility of reducing the chances of victory.

"The military team is currently clearing the battlefield, and the captured supplies are being tallied."

"Great!" Matthew's spirits lifted. Although he had expected this result, he was still very excited now that everything was settled.

The second most direct threat from the Misty Mountains has finally been completely eliminated.

"Furthermore, Comrade Yang Guang, the captain of the 15th Squad, while pursuing enemy units into the cave, discovered a huge underground cavern behind an extremely well-hidden crevice. Inside the cavern was a humanoid skeleton dressed in fine armor. Preliminary assessment indicates that the skeleton spontaneously releases a powerful psychological deterrent field, preventing ordinary soldiers from approaching within a few feet. Comrade Yang Guang attempted to approach but experienced severe dizziness and suffocation, forcing him to retreat. This report is submitted to request instructions on whether special personnel should be dispatched or other measures taken for further investigation."

"A corpse capable of releasing mental deterrence?" Matthew raised an eyebrow, a surge of intense curiosity and vigilance welling up within him.

The fact that the corpse could retain such a powerful spiritual residue indicates that it was no ordinary person; it's also possible that it possessed something extraordinary.

In short, this could very well be an opportunity.

"You stay put and wait. I'll personally lead a team to go and investigate with you later," Matthew decisively ordered.

He immediately summoned Will and Conrad.

Will is knowledgeable and well-informed, while Conrad is experienced and knowledgeable; perhaps they can help me make some judgments.

After hearing Matthew's brief description, Will and Conrad were quite surprised.

Will, in particular, was also filled with curiosity, but it was difficult to make a judgment based on the few words the soldiers had sent back. So he decided to accompany Matthew to find out what was going on.

The group quickly set off, led by soldiers, and entered the Misty Mountains along the established safe route.

After meeting up with Wu Ronghui, they went directly to the depths of the cave, to the entrance of the discovered fissure.

By this time, the soldiers had carved a wide passage through the crack, large enough for one person to pass through easily.

"Comrade Matthew, the space inside is quite large, but the skeleton is very intimidating. I can only get within about fifteen steps at most," said Yang Guang, who was acting as the guide. He had tried to get closer again not long ago, but still failed.

"Understood, let's go in." Matthew nodded and, led by Yang Guang and several other soldiers, entered the newly excavated passage.

Will and Conrad followed closely behind.

After passing through the narrow passage, the suddenly open view before them amazed Matthew and Will.

The enormous cavern, shimmering with phosphorescence, and the mirror-like underground lake, are filled with a mysterious and ancient atmosphere.

Their gazes were instantly drawn to the armored skeleton on the stone platform.

Even though they were nearly twenty meters apart, an invisible pressure was already pressing down on him, making Will feel a slight palpitation and instinctively take a half step back.

Conrad tensed up, sensing an instinctive threat.

However, Matthew felt nothing. He even continued walking towards the corpse. When he saw that there were only a few steps left, he realized what was happening and turned to look at Will, Conrad, and the others behind him, who were all looking surprised.

"Your Highness, you...you can't feel the mental pressure?" Will asked in surprise. He had just tried to follow Matthew closer to the corpse, but after only a few steps, he couldn't take it anymore and stopped.

The same is true for others.

"I didn't feel anything," Matthew answered truthfully, quite surprised himself. Was he not afraid of that mental intimidation?

Is this the protagonist's halo?

No, perhaps it's my own magic pendant.

He subconsciously sensed it and indeed detected the magical fluctuations within the magic pendant, indicating that it was indeed related to it.

It just goes to show that having a cheat makes all the difference.

"This is incredible; you were completely unaffected by that mental intimidation," Will exclaimed.

"Your Highness, you still need to be careful." Conrad leaned on his knight's sword, his face looking rather grim. He really wanted to approach with Matthew, but even he couldn't withstand the powerful mental pressure.

"Okay, I'll be careful. You guys wait there." Matthew looked at the corpse again, and continued to approach. He stopped two steps away from the corpse and examined it carefully.