I became the slime toy of the evil dragon girl?

Chapter 111

"However—" Ian calmed down, "the node can currently only be directly controlled by me. If we want Angry Horn, Giorno, and the others to use it as well, we'll have to resolve the permissions issue."

He remembered the "clone terminal" he had made before.

Those smaller slime clones he created were inscribed with runes, allowing people to access the functions of specific meridians by touching the clones.

What if we connect the clone to the node?

Ian immediately split into a small clone the size of a fist.

Place this clone on the ground, then use your tentacles to touch both the clone and the first node simultaneously.

Consciousness connection.

A message resembling an application appeared in my mind.

It's very cryptic; Ian can only roughly translate it as: [Node Access Request: Clone - 001] [Authorize?]

"I desperately need my mental disability control panel to take over these things!"

Ian mentally performed a mock-mystical authorization.

The golden light spots on the surface of the clone flickered for a moment before stabilizing.

Ian retracted his tentacles and used only his consciousness to contact the node through his clone.

Successful.

Even with a clone, you can still read and adjust all the network states managed by the nodes.

Although the response time is slightly slower than a direct connection to a node, it is perfectly usable.

"This is equivalent to—a wireless remote control," Ian commented. "The clone acts as the terminal, and the node acts as the server. The terminal connects to the server, allowing for remote operation."

Next is the permission test.

Ian needs to find an "authorization object".

His gaze fell on the entrance to the workshop.

Gugu was peeking inside when it saw Ian looking over and shrank back in fright.

"Coo coo," Ian called out.

Gugu peeked in cautiously: "Sir, did you call me?"

"Come here." Ian pointed to the clone on the ground with his tentacle. "Touch this one."

Gugu looked at the small, dark blue jelly, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out with a trembling hand to press it.

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Gugu was stunned. "I didn't feel anything?"

"Because you don't have the authority," Ian said. "Now I'll give you the authority."

The tentacles pressed back onto the clone and the node, and the consciousness entered the node's permission management interface.

There are no visual panels, only a vague "perception".

You can vaguely sense which "terminals" this node is connected to, and which users are authorized.

Ian silently ordered in his mind: "Authorize Gugu, access level—read-only. Can only view the network status, cannot adjust it."

A faint magical fluctuation emanated from the node and flowed into Gugu's body through the clone.

Gugu's body trembled violently.

"Similar to the previous terminal?" he stammered. "Lots of lines, oh? And there seems to be a cluster of light?"

"That's the ball of light!" Ian nodded. "Go try adjusting it."

"Adjust... adjust?" Gugu asked blankly. "How do I adjust it?"

"Use your thinking, but you need to think more than before. Try adjusting the entire structure all at once," Ian instructed.

Gugu looked completely bewildered. What kind of mystical adjustment method was this?

He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed, and he looked constipated.

A few seconds later.

The flow rate of magic in the meridians has indeed decreased slightly.

"Wow!" GuGu jumped up excitedly. "Such a huge area? Will I be able to control hundreds of fireballs by myself in the future?"

"Is that all you've got? All you ever do is throw fireballs!" Ian said with a laugh.

"Yes, that's possible," Ian concluded. "While goblins have simple brains, they can execute single commands without problems. Complex operations are beyond their capabilities, but basic switching and adjustment can be mastered with some training."

He revoked Goblin's permissions, and the "dot" in the goblin's eyes immediately disappeared.

"Mother of the Earth, what is that?" Gugu asked curiously.

"You'll find out later, you can go out now." Ian dismissed Gugu and continued his research.

The basic functionality of the node has been tested. Next is the extreme testing.

Ian wanted to see how many networks a single node could manage.

He walked out of the workshop and came to the ruins of the western wall of Dragon Territory. This was the area where he had previously set up the densest defensive network, with underground magic lines as intricate as a spider web.

Tentacles pressed to the ground, and consciousness sank.

[Magic Vein Weaving] activated.

A brand new, larger node was constructed in the void.

Ian tried to connect it to all the surrounding networks: the Mud Spell network, the Earth Spike network, the Temporary Lighting network, and the Simple Communication network.

One, two, three — ten, twenty —

The magical structure of the node began to tremble slightly, as if it were bearing too much of a load.

At the thirtieth mark, the tremors intensified.

At the thirty-fifth mark, subtle magical energy dissipates from the node surface.

"The limit is probably around thirty," Ian noted down the data. "That's enough. One node covers an area and manages thirty networks, which is sufficient to handle most needs."

Ian withdrew his magic, and the node slowly dissipated.

But just as the node disappeared, Ian suddenly thought of a question.

The node is virtual, maintained by its own magic. If it strays too far from the area, or if its magic supply is interrupted, will the node collapse?

If a node crashes, what happens to the networks it manages? Will they also crash, or will they revert to an independent state?

"I need to test it out," Ian thought.

He reconstructed a small node, connecting only two veins, and then deliberately cut off the magic supply.

The node flickered a few times, then quickly dimmed and disappeared.

Those two pathways are still functioning normally, but they have reverted to independent states that require manual adjustment.

"That's alright." Ian breathed a sigh of relief. "The node is just a controller."

This means that even if one temporarily leaves Dragon Territory or runs out of magic power, the previously established network will not be paralyzed; at most, it will lose its intelligent control capabilities and revert to its basic operating mode.

This design is quite reasonable.

As Ian was thinking, Vivian ran out of the workshop.

"Little Ian! What are you doing?" She leaned closer, her golden vertical pupils staring curiously at the ground—even though there was nothing there. "You've been lying here in a daze for a long time."

"I'm testing a new ability," Ian explained. "From now on, I can control the magic of Dragon Territory in a simpler way."

"Oh." Vivian nodded, seemingly understanding, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way! When are you going to build the dessert shop you promised me?"

"Soon," Ian began to promise, "Once I've perfected this new ability, I'll use it to build you the best, shiniest, and cakeies-filled dessert shop in the entire Dragon Territory."

"Really?" Vivian's eyes lit up.

"Really." Ian gently patted her head with his tentacles. "But before that, I need to do some preparation."

"What preparations?"

"For example—" Ian looked into the distance, towards the direction of Honeydew Town, "Let's scout out a place first, see where it would be suitable to build a house."

"I want to go too!" Vivian immediately hugged his tentacles.

"Okay, I'll take you there," Ian said. "But we'll have to wait a few days until I've rolled out the node network and can get Dragon Territory running on its own for a while."

Vivian nodded in satisfaction, then yawned.

I'm sleepy————

"Then go back to sleep."

"Stay with me."

"----OK."

Ian was being held by her.

To be precise, Vivian used her two front paws to hold him in her arms, like hugging a slime pillow, and slowly moved towards the dragon's nest.

He nestled in her arms, the golden light within him slowly circulating.

Concepts such as node networks, permission systems, and remote control gradually took shape in his mind.

If all goes well, Dragon Territory will soon enter the era of automation.

He no longer needs to jump around like a firefighter.

"Take it slow," Ian thought. "Let's test the waters by setting up a few key nodes first."

Close your eyes and prepare to enjoy a short rest.

But deep within his consciousness, in some corner, the surveillance network previously laid out for the war suddenly reacted.

It's like something—extremely similar to Vivian's curse magic.

Ian froze for a moment.

"What is that?!"

I tried to pinpoint the source of that resonance, but it was too far away; the signal was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

The only thing that can be confirmed is ————

That direction leads to Honeydew Town.