Chapter 379 - 189: Brand New Power

[Friendly Reminder: The Spiritual Research Room has been built.]

The system notification brought a surge of joy to Li Ziyu. He looked out the window and, sure enough, spotted a brand-new building that resembled a Divine Hall.

He opened the interface for the Spiritual Research Room. It listed many researchable projects, the first of which was the development of the Spiritual Core.

Unlocking the Spiritual Core required 10,000 units of Skeletons and 50,000 units of Soul Energy. Li Ziyu didn’t even bat an eye; he chose to unlock it immediately.

He would have unlocked it no matter how many resources it cost. Too many other buildings required it.

Unlocking the Spiritual Core was just like unlocking a normal Weapon; there was no wait time. As long as he had enough resources, it was unlocked instantly.

[Craft Spiritual Core (Basic): Spiritual Energy * 100 units]

’Surprisingly cheap.’ Li Ziyu had thought something so important would be expensive, but it only cost 100 units of Spiritual Energy. ’What’s there to even think about? I’ll make ten for emergencies!’

The Spiritual Cores were crafted quickly. Before Li Ziyu had to wait long, ten of them were already in his hand.

They were sky-blue marbles, looking completely unremarkable.

"This is it? The Spiritual Core?" Li Ziyu felt like he was being mocked as he toyed with the ten freshly made Spiritual Cores.

’Wasn’t this thing supposed to be one of the Undead Race’s proudest inventions?’

’Wasn’t it supposed to be jointly developed by the Skeleton Undead Sages, the Great Filth Demons, and others?’

’All that effort, and their "proudest invention" is just a glass marble?’

It was baffling how a marble could be hyped up so much. It was just like the Death Breath Crystals, really—one was black, the other blue.

Li Ziyu sighed. As long as he could use it to construct new buildings, that was all that mattered. He didn’t need to think about it too much.

Now that he had the key item, the Spiritual Core, Li Ziyu could start working on the Undead Engine.

’I’ll make one and see what it’s like!’

The Undead Engine was also crafted quickly. Li Ziyu received a brand-new item from the system: a small, square, bone-like box that resembled an electric scooter battery from his past life, complete with a skull logo on it.

’No, but seriously... have the Undead Race had a change of heart? The more advanced something is, the more plain and simple it looks? Isn’t this Undead Engine a bit too rustic?’

’Just look at the old Skeleton Engine. That thing was so domineering, it really looked the part. Now look at this Undead Engine in my hand. The difference is just too vast. It has zero design sense, no cool exterior whatsoever. It’s the kind of thing you could throw on the ground and no one would even bother to pick it up.’

Li Ziyu scratched his head. He was starting to not understand the Undead’s developmental direction. The change was so abrupt it was giving him whiplash.

’Wait, did I miss something?’

After opening the system and studying it again, Li Ziyu had a sudden realization. The Undead Engine couldn’t be used on its own. The Skeleton Engine was a standalone unit that could be used immediately after installation, but the Undead Engine was different. It couldn’t be used alone; it needed to be equipped with a Skeleton Power Module to function.

’Fine, I’ll make a power module too.’

[Skeleton Power Module]

[Introduction: What’s there to read? Isn’t the name clear enough?]

[Crafting Requirement: Skeletons * 500 units]

Li Ziyu chose to craft the Skeleton Power Module. This item was also made in a flash. When he took the power module out of the system, he finally nodded in satisfaction. Now *this* looked more like it.

The power module was about 400 cm long and 150 cm high. It was shaped like the blazing flames of Purgatory, with the upper half of a skeleton’s body emerging from within. Made entirely of bone, it was a stark white, looking like an unpainted model fresh off a 3D printer.

Li Ziyu went forward to study it. He opened the chest cavity of the half-skeleton, revealing six empty slots inside. Judging by their size, they were clearly meant for installing the Undead Engines.

He picked up an Undead Engine and installed it directly into one of the slots.

Once the box-shaped Undead Engine was fitted into the slot of the Skeleton Power Module, white tubes immediately extended from it, connecting to the inner walls of the chest cavity.

Li Ziyu took two steps back and saw a flash of brilliance sweep over the power module.

’Does this mean... it’s powered on?’

’Let’s try starting it up,’ Li Ziyu commanded the Skeleton Power Module in his mind.

The open chest cavity sealed itself shut. The power module began to vibrate violently. The Undead Engine lit up, pulsing like a heart as a blue halo of light burst forth and was transported through the tubes to the rest of the module. With a flash of brilliance, the Skeleton Power Module was activated.

RUMBLE—

A ball of Soul Fire ignited within the skull. The skeleton came to life, its mouth opening to spew flames—not real fire, but a form of energy that ignited the flames below.

Blue Purgatory Fire erupted, and a deafening roar filled the air.

"Okay, stop, stop, stop!" Li Ziyu shouted, covering his ears as his eyelids twitched from the vibrations.

The energy instantly returned to the Undead Engine. The Purgatory Fire went out in a flash, and the Soul Fire in the skull dissipated, returning everything to silence.

Holy cow, that thing packs a punch. A single Undead Engine could make as much noise as a whole fleet of sports cars.

Li Ziyu patted his ears, which were still ringing slightly.

Still, you had to admit, the performance was impressive. At the very least, Li Ziyu felt this power engine could make his massive Fortress fly.

Once his hearing returned to normal, Li Ziyu crafted five more Undead Engines and installed them into the Skeleton Power Module, filling all the empty slots.