Chapter 282
Chapter 282
After the structure was topped out, the installation of pipelines, equipment, and interiors—no, rather, the Four Elements Pool, Positive and Negative Energy Rooms, Control Room, Alchemy Laboratory, Meditation Room, Arcane Library, Arcane Garden, Magic Defense, Magic Alarm, Magic Traps...
And Garrett’s P4 laboratory, air conditioning layer, pipeline layer, working layer, sewage treatment layer...
These parts were also installed very quickly. In fact, elements like the Elemental Pool, Arcane Library, and Arcane Garden had already been modularly designed by the alchemy workshop. The warehouse always had three to five sets in storage, ready to be taken out whenever a new Mage Tower was needed.
The facilities in the P4 laboratory benefited from having been set up once before; this time, they were just stacked vertically, layer by layer. There weren’t many modifications needed, and the workers were mostly experienced hands.
The protection system, curse system, and transformation system’s grand magicians had two meetings, and after confirming the requirements with Garrett several times, the work proceeded smoothly and without any obstructions.
In one day and night, the interior was completed. In the evening, Archmage Carlisle, accompanied by two elders, personally arrived at the site.
Garrett only glanced at the two magicians before shrinking behind Archmage Carlisle. The two wore deep black magic robes that subtly shimmered with multicolored lights. With every breath they took, a silent force emanated, making it hard to breathe and forcing one to step back respectfully.
The magic badges on their chests were also unique. Shining quietly, they were not copper stars, nor silver or gold, but were speckled with indescribable cold lights. Possibly above level 15, do magic badges have a special design? Garrett silently calculated, level 15 was five gold stars, and above that, level 16, level 17...
"This is Master Mansfield from ’Unity in Diversity’, a 9th-circle arcane magician, level 17 grand magician," he was calculating internally when he heard Archmage Carlisle say:
"He specially came to awaken the spirit of the Mage Tower. This one is Master Frazer from our Thunder Horn, a 9th-circle arcane magician, level 18 grand magician, who has begun to challenge the legendary magician. This time, he came to connect the Mage Tower to Nevis City’s magic network and to help you control the Mage Tower’s hub."Garrett quickly bowed in thanks. Archmage Carlisle, accompanied by the two elders, stepped into the Mage Tower and led the way up. Garrett followed behind, unable to resist tapping Aurora and quietly asking:
"The magic network...?" Could the Mage Tower go online after it was built?
"Do you think Mage Towers can be built anywhere?" Transformation system’s Master Mansfield didn’t look back, casually saying:
"Of course, it needs to be placed on a node with abundant magical power to have enough strength to maintain the entire Mage Tower’s operations."
Got it, so Mage Towers need to be placed on ley lines. Garrett nodded in understanding. Seeing his realization, Master Mansfield continued:
"These nodes intertwine along certain paths, forming a network. Your Mage Tower, by connecting to the magic network, can enjoy the support of surrounding nodes on normal days, and during war, all Mage Towers’ defenses rise together, forming a bigger labyrinth outside the Eagle Lock.
—Didn’t your teacher tell you these things?"
"Cough—"
Archmage Carlisle coughed slightly, his face embarrassed. This knowledge is beyond the reach of ordinary magicians in their lifetimes, as even striving for a lifetime, they might not have their own Mage Tower. Those who do get a Mage Tower are mostly born into prestigious families, absorbing knowledge from their teachers without realizing when they’ve learned it.
Garrett, however, was an anomaly. Being practically free-range in Thunder Horn and under the watch of legendary magicians, no one dared to recruit him first.
The advantage was that it gave Garrett enough freedom; the downside was the lack of common knowledge. And he was only level three, Archmage Carlisle had not previously considered teaching him this knowledge...
Fortunately, those in the know were not few. Master Frazer from Thunder Horn stepped in to smooth things over:
"Master Mansfield came here to use the ninth-level magic ’Construct Awakening Art’ to awaken the spirit of the Mage Tower.
Ordinary Mage Towers have a lower level of tower spirit intelligence, only able to perform a few pre-set tasks through the control hub. Only the tower spirits awakened by ’Construct Awakening Art’ possess human-like intelligence, becoming a great aid to their masters.
Casting ninth-level magic once comes at a great cost, you should thank the master properly!"
Garrett hurriedly expressed his gratitude. They all reached the top of the Mage Tower, where Master Frazer first approached, placing
his hands on the crystal ball at the center of the control room.
He closed his eyes slightly, magical power circulating throughout his body, his magic robe fluttering without wind. Three Ain stones silently flew up, buzzing around Master Frazer’s forehead, spinning incessantly.
As he chanted softly, the crystal ball flickered on and off, becoming brighter and synchronizing with the flashing rhythm of the Ain stones. Suddenly, Master Frazer opened his eyes and shouted a magical syllable:
"Feo—"
The crystal ball burst into light. At the same moment, the Mage Tower vibrated with a hum, as if it had come to life. Master Frazer took a deep breath and nodded to the transformation system’s master:
"Your turn."
Master Mansfield stepped forward, his robe sleeves fluttering. A handful of silver powder flew out, beginning to automatically draw a magic circle within three meters around the crystal ball. Various gems, gold crowns, beast horns, and plant powders also flew out, landing in specific positions, indicating that the magic required his full effort.
Garrett was also pushed to the front, forming an equilateral triangle around the crystal ball with the two masters. Master Mansfield glanced at him and frowned slightly:
"Level three? Can he handle it? Weren’t you supposed to first take over the hub, and only transfer it to him if the conditions were right?"
"Let’s give him a try first," Archmage Carlisle interjected. While speaking, he took out a diadem, necklace, and bracelet, one by one handing them to Garrett, urging him to put them on. He also whispered:
"These amplify mental strength; first enter a meditative state and synchronize with them. Later, just follow the masters’ instructions. Don’t be nervous, if it really doesn’t work out, Master Frazer will take over."
Master Mansfield gave Garrett a long look. He usually kept to himself, immersed in his research, only appearing to fulfill his duties when the council or school needed him. Now, looking at this young mage, he found him quite interesting?
A level three magician—even a 4th-circle arcane magician—having their own Mage Tower was already quite rare; the young fellow also managed to have Thunder Horn send out top magicians below the legendary level to escort him, giving him a chance to try controlling the core of the Mage Tower—even ensuring his safety in case of failure!
Such attention to detail, Master Mansfield had awakened the spirit of dozens of Mage Towers before, but had never seen anything like it.
He softened his attitude a bit, nodding at Garrett and slowing his speech:
"Don’t be nervous, once you’ve synchronized with the amplifiers, slowly extend your mental force and leave a mental imprint in the hub. During my awakening process, as long as you maintain the imprint, you’ll naturally control the tower spirit. If you can’t do it, it’s okay, just disconnect in time, Frazer will protect you."
Garrett nodded gratefully. Following the instructions, he regulated his breathing, closed his eyes slightly, and entered a meditative state. As soon as his mental force reached out, he exclaimed, "Ow!" and immediately reached to cover his eyes.
It was too bright!
What his mental vision saw was not the two masters, but two dazzling suns! And the control hub of the Mage Tower, though not as bright as the two masters, was still blindingly bright and much closer, making the pressure feel much heavier!
Startled, he momentarily exited the meditative state. Upon opening his eyes, neither of the masters showed impatience, instead looking at him with a smile. Embarrassed, Garrett nodded to them and re-entered meditation.
This time, smoothly, he extended his mental force into the control hub and, based on his experience with magical items, left his own mark.
"Is it done?"
"It’s done."
A gentle consciousness touched his. Garrett quietly responded in his mind, unsure if the other side heard. However, the next moment, the originally calm control hub suddenly surged!
Garrett’s head buzzed.
His initial feeling was like flying a kite high in the sky, occasionally reeling in or letting out the line, trying to adjust the kite’s height by aligning with the wind’s direction. But now, the clear skies surrounding the kite had suddenly turned into thunderclouds. Air currents churned, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, with bolts striking near the kite.
That fragile connection seemed like it could break at any moment!
The disturbance was too strong—
Is this the ninth-level spell, "Construct Awakening Art"?
Garrett desperately maintained his connection with the imprint, his brows unwittingly furrowed tight. Suddenly, a grand and gentle force enveloped him, gathering the threads of his mental force within it, isolating the surrounding tremors:
"Don’t rush. Don’t fight it, just maintain your presence..."
Another consciousness transmitted in the meditative environment.
Had Master Frazer made his move?
Garrett, without the luxury of thought, instinctively followed the instructions.
Yet, the situation hardly improved. Even without resisting external disturbances, the mental imprint oscillated endlessly within the core of the crystal ball.
Especially as "Construct Awakening Art" reached its mid-phase and the tower spirit’s consciousness began to emerge, its struggles and resistance intensified. Garrett felt as if he were clinging barehanded to the top of a fighter jet, being tossed about in the sky.
He couldn’t hold on any longer—
He was about to fall...
Garrett quickly became unsteady. The little imprint flickered like a candle in the wind, at risk of being extinguished at any moment. Master Mansfield’s mental force had already probed in, gently permeating the surroundings, ready to take over at any time.
What to do?
Should he give up?
Garrett gritted his teeth and decided to let everything fall where it may. He stopped trying to maintain the imprint or the mental force connection and simply mobilized his mental force, sketching the most familiar image within the crystal ball’s core.
206 bones, over 600 muscles; the heart, blood vessels, arteries, veins; respiratory system, digestive system, nervous system, endocrine system...
His mental force flowed in like opening a floodgate. Initially, it was merely a transfer, but soon, a great force began to voraciously draw it in. Garrett’s face turned from red to white, then from white to blue, his body swaying, nearly collapsing on the spot.
Archmage Carlisle rushed in. He pulled out a bottle of mental strength replenishing potion, uncorked it, and shoved the bottle into Garrett’s mouth. Garrett unconsciously gulped it down, his complexion immediately improved, but soon began to pale again.
The second potion.
The third potion...
Countless potions were poured down his throat. However, the absorption of the potions became slower and slower, providing less and less replenishment to his mental strength. Archmage Carlisle’s brows furrowed deeply, repeatedly signaling to Master Frazer, wondering if there was a higher-grade supplement. Master Frazer, however, was already concentrating, ready to take over the tower spirit’s core and safely expel Garrett’s mental force.
At that moment, a bright green light suddenly flew up in front of Garrett. As the green light swept over, Garrett’s complexion immediately improved, his nearly depleted mental strength replenished, and the mental force landscape he had been struggling to sketch was finally completed.
From the inside out, from bones to skin, forming a complete human body. The crystal ball gently vibrated, its light receding, followed by a speck of phosphorescence flying out of the ball, directly entering Garrett’s forehead.
"Incredible. He actually did it..."
Master Mansfield’s face was filled with disbelief. Master Frazer, about to respond with joy, suddenly changed his expression. With a gentle wave of his hand, a pair of mage hands appeared just in time to support Garrett from behind—their timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as the next moment, Garrett, drenched in sweat, fell backwards.
How long he had been sitting, Garrett had no concept. He only knew that when he awoke, his sweat had almost completely dried, with Archmage Carlisle and Aurora anxiously watching him from either side. The two masters, however, were all smiles, showing no impatience and even lavishly praising him upon his awakening:
"Well done!"
"Bravo!"
"Come, try it out, see if you can control the tower spirit now?"
Garrett tried according to their words. Indeed, opening doors, closing them, displaying scenes from various parts of the tower, and manipulating invisible servants—all worked perfectly. Master Frazer stood up with a smile:
"Good, as long as you can control it. We’ll head back now. You can slowly explore its functions. Anything you can think of, it can probably help you do. Oh, and remember to give it a name—"
Garrett respectfully saw them out. As soon as the figures of the
two masters and Archmage Carlisle disappeared, he jubilantly jumped up:
"Aurora, I have a Mage Tower now! We have our own Mage Tower! Come, let’s go up, pick a room to live in—"
They checked each floor. Skipping the lobby on the first floor and the P4 laboratories from the second to the fourth floor, from the fifth floor onwards were the alchemy laboratory, library, arcane garden, magicians’ residences, and so on. Floor by floor, room by room, their excitement gradually cooled.
The Mage Tower was empty everywhere.
No wallpaper on the walls, no carpets on the floors, no desks, bookcases, or sofas, and if you wanted a cup of water, you had to fetch a cup from your spatial bag.
A bed?
Of course, that was impossible; spatial bags couldn’t fit bed boards!
"Hey, boss, just the two of us—and Bernard, the three of us living in such a big Mage Tower?"
Barbarians aren’t magicians; many floors he simply wouldn’t enter, basically equivalent to just the two of them living...
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