Chapter 500 - 488: Mandatory Quest

Chapter 500: Chapter 488: Mandatory Quest

One year later.

Hub City, Mechanical Gears Headquarters.

Inside the top-floor conference room, the atmosphere was as oppressive as a solid block of lead.

On the giant light screen, a continuously plunging red curve represented their market share over the past four quarters.

"...Last year, our market share for traditional custom Golems shrank by thirty-seven percent. This year, that number is fifty-two percent." The financial director’s voice was dry and hoarse. "Our total profit is dropping every year.

"Wesren Heavy Industry’s ’Spider Slayer’ and ’Peacekeeper’ series have eaten up the entire lower-end market. Their prices are only two-thirds of ours."

Bark’s face was gloomy.

"Drop the prices! We’ll drop ours too!"

"We can’t keep the costs down," a deputy said as he pulled up another set of data. "They’ve acquired extremely cheap raw materials through some unknown channel. If we follow suit and lower our prices, we won’t make a single penny of profit."

"Wesren Heavy Industry!" Bark Phillips, a Second-level Alchemy Wizard, squeezed the name through his gritted teeth, his face livid.

Two Golem models were displayed on the table in front of him. One was their flagship product, the "War Rampart," featuring a heavy structure, solid materials, and an exorbitant production cost. The other was a Golem named "Peacekeeper."

The latter, along with the "Spider Slayer" Golem, were like two wild bulls charging into a china shop, completely upending the high-end custom market they had run for centuries.

What humiliated him even more was that, years ago, he had personally gone to "warn" that brat named Allen.

And the result? Not only did the other party not hold back, but he had doubled down!

"We’ve already lost orders from over twenty long-term partner Wizard Clans. They’ve all switched to Wesren Heavy Industry.

"We must figure out a solution! If this continues, the board of directors will hold us accountable!"

The conference room erupted into noisy chatter.

Right at this moment, a calm yet majestic voice drifted in from outside the door, instantly drowning out all the discussions.

"A business entity that hasn’t even been around for thirty years has thrown you into such disarray?"

The carved doors of the conference room silently slid open to both sides. A handsome man wearing a classic black Wizard Robe with gold trimmings stood quietly outside the door, his eyes as profound as the starry sky.

He didn’t release any oppressive aura, yet in that moment, everyone’s soul felt a visceral, instinctual shudder.

Morning Star Wizard, Kaspar Murphy.

The true master of Mechanical Gears.

"Your Excellency!" Bark seemed to have seen a savior, his excitement rendering him incoherent. "You... Didn’t you say it would be a while before..."

Kaspar ignored his loss of composure and slowly walked into the conference room. His gaze swept over the glaring red on the light screen, his face completely expressionless.

"Speak. What happened?"

Bark took a deep breath and, using the most vicious and inflammatory language, painted Wesren Heavy Industry as an unruly Giant Beast of commerce that recklessly expanded and destroyed the market through low-price dumping.

He embellished the story, describing how Allen Wesren had ignored the kind warnings of Mechanical Gears and used underhanded methods to poach their clients.

Kaspar listened quietly, his fingers absentmindedly stroking an antique ring. It wasn’t until Bark finished that he spoke softly, as if discussing a trivial matter.

"Since it’s a weed, just pull it out."

A single sentence caused the temperature in the entire conference room to plummet.

Bark looked up and asked, "But he is currently a Level 2 Investigator for the Association, protected by their rules. If we make a move directly, it will invite trouble."

"Rules can protect people, but they can also kill people." Kaspar’s deep gaze fell upon Bark. "He is also a member of the Association, correct? An Investigator?"

"Yes! Yes, Your Excellency!" Bark nodded hastily. "ID number EX-2071, Level 2 clearance!"

"Very good."

***

Meanwhile, Allen was inspecting his accomplishments over the past year.

On a light screen, a sleek, red-and-gold armor model was rotating.

A year ago, this "First-level Wizard Tactical Vehicle" that Allen had casually tossed out had completely detonated the market with its low price and performance that far exceeded its peers.

Priced at ten thousand Low-Level Magic Stones per unit, its annual shipment volume had exceeded one hundred and twenty thousand sets.

Many newly promoted First-level Wizards had also become loyal users. They used the Mark II as external armor to compensate for their own defensive shortcomings.

Even more unexpectedly, it had tapped deep into a vast blue ocean—the high-end military equipment market of the Mortal Kingdoms.

Those Kings and generals who yearned for Extraordinary Power but could not reach the threshold of becoming Wizards showed an almost fanatical enthusiasm for this "Divine-Gifted Armament" that allowed mortals to withstand Wizard attacks.

Today, the "Mark" series armor had become Wesren Heavy Industry’s newest calling card, sweeping across the realms much like their Educational Golems had done before.

"The blueprints for the Mark III have been finalized," Jarvis’s voice echoed in his mind. "By utilizing ’Adamantium Alloy’ available on the market, the overall weight is reduced by forty percent, and its impact resistance is increased by sixty percent. Prototype testing is expected to begin next month."

"Good progress." Allen closed the light screen.

Once he advanced to the Morning Star realm and his material science touched upon the level of Laws, he could create many special metals, turning numerous Golems from mere blueprints into reality.

The expansion of his commercial empire was only a surface-level achievement; his true foundation of confidence lay within the Cybertron Half-Plane, in that silent forest of steel.

Allen’s consciousness sank into Cybertron.

Inside the magnificent underground hangar, thirty Golem Legions, expanded according to the new standards, stood quietly like thirty mountains of steel.

Thirty thousand "Spider Slayer" Type IIs, nine hundred "Purgatory" models, nine thousand "Peacekeeper" PX-3 Heavy Armored Golems, one thousand five hundred "Demon Eye" Type II flying fortresses, and three hundred "Hive" motherships...

In total, over fifty thousand main combat units formed a massive force capable of instantly obliterating any Second-level Wizard faction.

[Commander, all legions have completed combat readiness. They can be deployed into battlefields of any intensity at any time.]

Jarvis’s voice resounded within Allen’s consciousness.

Allen hummed in acknowledgment.

This was his true confidence to face anything head-on.

And even more important than this army were his breakthroughs in personal cultivation.

The construction of his eighth Core Matrix was nearing its end, and his sixteenth sub-thread of thought had also been successfully differentiated. The model for his third Core Witchcraft, [Consciousness Upload], had also been fully constructed.

[It is estimated that in one year and three months, you will complete all the accumulation required for the Second-level Wizard stage. You can then attempt to engrave your third Core Witchcraft at any time and push for the Dawn Star Realm.]

The Dawn Star Realm was right within his reach.

He had even prepared two consciousness backups for himself. One was stored in Cybertron’s core database, safeguarded by Jarvis, and the other was placed in the underground secret chamber of the Deep Blue Residence.

As long as these two locations were not destroyed simultaneously, he was immortal.

Everything was proceeding according to his script. He only needed to cultivate peacefully for another year to touch that entirely new realm.

Just as Allen was planning his final sprint, his personal terminal suddenly lit up without warning. A message was projected directly before his eyes.

[Mandatory Mission: BR-0931]

[Mission Type: Plane Exploration and Asset Evaluation]

[Mission Objective: Proceed to the Lost Plane recorded at coordinates X-7734 to explore and evaluate the salvage value of an ancient mechanical civilization’s ruins.]

[Mission Reward: 200 Credit Points]

[Mission Time Limit: Three standard months]

[Assigned By: Association Asset Evaluation and Risk Control Department]

[Note: This is a highest-priority mandatory mission. Refusal to execute will result in a trial by the Association’s Arbitration Court.]