Chapter 61: Clay Golem

Chapter 61: Clay Golem

Jodan was highly efficient, delivering the materials Su Nan needed the very next day.

Su Nan immediately had the workers transport the materials to the temporary laboratory he had set up and began preparing to create his first golem puppet.

The main material for a clay golem is, of course, clay.

A type of soil with very little sand, it is highly malleable and does not easily let water pass through. It has excellent plasticity.

Creating a single clay golem requires about 0.5 tons of clay, a small amount of silver and crystal, and most importantly, a soul core.

The lowest-tier clay golems can use gems as soul cores, but this results in extremely low intelligence, making them suitable only for simple tasks.

For example, sweeping an area, moving objects, or even hitting people.

In his previous life, Su Nan had created many clay golems. Now, revisiting his old craft, he quickly got back into the swing of things.

After about half an hour, a large, two-and-a-half-meter-tall clay body stood on the wide workbench.

Its face was square, with no neck, a broad and muscular chest, and thick, powerful arms that hung down to its knees. Its fingers were short and stubby but surprisingly flexible. Its legs were only a third of its body length, and its feet were wide and flat.

The chest of the clay golem was still open, revealing an intricate array of enchantment runes.

Su Nan placed the engraved gem into the slot, then closed it and began chanting the activation spell.

The final step in creating a golem is to activate it, imbuing it with life.

As the spell took effect, the energy particles around the room suddenly became active, rapidly converging from all directions and rushing into the clay golem's body.

Simultaneously, elemental magic from the ley line nodes flowed in.

Under the influx of energy, the clay golem's body began to change. A unique vitality, distinct from that of living flesh, started to grow and strengthen within the clay.

The entire process lasted about ten minutes.

Then, the magic gradually dissipated, and the energy particles settled back into a calm state.

Rustle!

The clay golem on the workbench suddenly moved, followed by its massive, muscular body sitting up and its stiff face turning to look at Su Nan.

"Success."

Su Nan's face lit up with joy, and he pointed to a nearby box, issuing his command.

"Move the box outside."

"Yes, Master."

The clay golem responded with a dull voice, then jumped to the ground with a heavy thud. Its movements were a bit clumsy at first, but it quickly adapted and effortlessly carried the heavy box outside.

Su Nan nodded in approval.

Clay golems were excellent laborers, and they consumed very little energy.

A single full charge could last them four to five days of continuous hard labor.

When their energy was nearly depleted, they could quickly recharge by entering the ley line node's connection array.

They were, in essence, the best workhorses one could have!

"The most expensive material for creating a clay golem is the gem. The rest, like the clay, silver, copper, and crystal, are relatively inexpensive."

"The cost of creating a single clay golem is only about a dozen gold coins. In the long run, it's much more cost-effective and efficient than hiring human workers."

Su Nan decided on the spot to create ten more clay golems over the next few days to expedite the completion of the base.

As for the iron golems, those would have to wait until the puppet factory was established. After all, metal golems required higher skill and more advanced equipment.

Unlike clay golems, which could be created with just a simple workbench.

Time passed quickly, and the month of Revival arrived.

The snow melted, and the fields were filled with the vibrant signs of spring.

With the ten clay golems put to work on the construction site, the base's building speed increased significantly.

Stones that required several workers to carry could now be moved by a single clay golem, leaving the illiterate workers in awe.

Koy had come to inspect the site a few times and, upon seeing the clay golems in action, his eyes lit up.

"This thing is a natural for logistics!"

Koy immediately had the idea of forming a clay golem logistics unit.

Even after learning that the cost of creating a Clay Golem was over a dozen gold coins, Su Nan didn’t give up.

"This thing might be expensive, but it’s still cheaper than the Blackrock Cavalry. The improvement it brings to our logistics during war is revolutionary."

"If we could form a logistics unit with these golems, the pressure on our supply lines during battles would be greatly reduced!"

Unable to resist Koy's persistent requests, Su Nan finally agreed to supply him with a batch of Clay Golems once the base’s manpower needs were met.

It’s worth noting that after reclaiming the Spark Territory, the revenue from the land increased significantly. Koy immediately halted the external supply of Blackrock Iron, ensuring that all the iron produced in the Blackrock Mines was exclusively used to arm the army and expand the Blackrock Cavalry.

Expanding military strength remained the top priority for the Spark Territory, especially with the threat of the Goldenrock Marquis looming nearby.

The first obstacle in expanding the Blackrock Cavalry was the insufficient supply of Lesser Dragon Blood Elixirs.

The Spark Territory had only about sixty to seventy Blackscale Lizardmen captives, and the amount of blood they could provide each month was limited.

The resulting Lesser Dragon Blood Elixirs were far from enough to support the rapid expansion of the Blackrock Cavalry.

Koy had been deeply troubled by this issue, discussing it with Su Nan several times.

Su Nan had considered various solutions.

For example, extracting blood from the Hidden Dragon.

The Hidden Dragon’s bloodline concentration far exceeded that of ordinary Blackscale Lizardmen.

From it alone, the amount of blood material that could be obtained each month would be much greater than from the entire group of captives.

However, after much thought, Su Nan ultimately rejected this idea.

Continuously extracting blood from the Hidden Dragon would significantly slow down its bloodline concentration improvement, which was unacceptable to Su Nan.

Strengthening the territory was important, but enhancing his own power was equally crucial.

Hodge’s appearance had served as a reminder.

Although the Starlight Continent was now an elemental wasteland, it still harbored many hidden strong individuals.

Hodge, at most a First Circle Legendary Knight, had forced Su Nan to expend nearly thirty rune gems to defeat him. If a more powerful enemy appeared, Su Nan might not even have the luxury of retreat.

For his own safety, he could not afford to slow down his strength enhancement!

After much contemplation, Su Nan came up with a feasible solution.

He decided to find a substitute for the Lesser Dragon Blood Elixir!

Considering the future expansion of the Blackrock Cavalry, this substitute had to be mass-producible and cost-effective.

This ruled out potions.

After much consideration, Su Nan’s attention turned to magical plants.

While his memory did not contain any magical plants that met his criteria, this wasn’t a problem. If they didn’t exist, he would create them.

With the Synthesis Cube at his disposal, he had a natural advantage over other wizard apprentices in cultivating new magical plants.

"I have some ideas about the potion issue. Give me some time, and I’ll find a solution," Su Nan said.

Koy had great trust in his younger brother. Hearing this, his expression relaxed considerably.

Then, Koy suddenly remembered something and asked Su Nan, "You mentioned recruiting apprentices from the territory. What’s that about?"

"Once my facility is built, many areas will require specialized personnel for maintenance. I plan to train them myself and see if I can find a few promising wizard apprentices."

Hearing the last part, Koy’s spirits lifted.

The Blackrock City had rapidly grown and reclaimed the Spark Territory largely due to Su Nan, the wizard apprentice.

The importance of a wizard apprentice to a territory’s development had been proven.

If the territory could produce more wizard apprentices, it would be a tremendous boon!

With this in mind, Koy immediately agreed, promising to handle the matter with utmost care for Su Nan.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end