chsdbacks Chapter 587 Researching Lava Mountains and the Sudden Request
Chapter 587 Researching Lava Mountains and the Sudden Request
Jemin followed the black giant priest out of the laboratory and headed east.
After passing through the settlements of the Black Giants and crossing several still-smoking volcanoes, we finally arrived at a vast plain.
This place was originally a lava lake, but it cooled down a few years ago because the Dark Giant tribe moved here.
The solidified magma formed a layer of black rock, as flat as if it had been paved by hand.
At this moment, the black ground was covered with densely packed runes.
The runes spread outwards from the center, covering an area of tens of kilometers in radius.
Each rune was glowing faintly, connecting with each other to form a huge magic circle.
This was the "experiment" that Jemin had the Black Giant priests prepare.
In order to detect lava flows.
As a level seven elemental creature that follows the traditional path of elemental lords, Lava Mountain is over ten thousand meters tall.
What kind of concept is that?
Standing in front of it is like standing at the foot of a real mountain.
The difficulty of conducting detailed testing on such an entity is self-evident.
The Black Giants spent months preparing for this experiment alone.
Jemin walked to the edge of the magic circle and looked up into the distance.
There, a black figure stood silently.
It was a lava mountain.
Its towering ten-thousand-meter-high body resembles a majestic mountain range stretching across the land.
Its body was covered with that iconic layer of black liquid metal, which gleamed with a dark luster under the gray-red sky.
The liquid metal flowed slowly, like a black river flowing down the mountainside.
Jemin knew that the seemingly liquid surface was just an appearance.
As an elemental creature filled with liquid metal, the actual density and weight of a lava mountain far exceed that of a mountain of the same height. If it so desired, it could easily shatter a continental shelf with a single punch.
Even now, it seems like we're just standing still.
However, the reason why it can stand on the ground given its mass and density is that Lava Mountain has been carefully controlling itself to fly close to the ground.
Jemin's voice was transmitted through mental power.
The enormous figure moved slightly and then began to walk towards the experiment.
It only landed after it "walked" to the specially reinforced ground next to the experiment.
With each step, the earth trembled, the dull throbbing of the crust like the heartbeat of the entire plane.
Jemin stood motionless in front of the controls.
Lava Mountain walked to the edge of the experiment and stopped.
It looked down at the dense runes on the ground, then at Jemin, seemingly waiting for instructions.
"Sit down on the experimental platform." Jemin pointed to the area covered by the magic circle. "Keep your body within the circle's range as much as possible." Lava Mountain nodded.
It carefully stepped into the magic circle and then sat down.
The scene was somewhat comical.
To ensure it remained completely within the magic circle, a giant ten thousand meters tall crouched there, its arms wrapped around its legs, like a small child. Its movements were very gentle and careful, as if afraid of damaging the runes on the ground with too much force.
But it's just too big.
Even when shrunk into a ball like this, it still occupied most of the experimental area, with only a ring of empty space at the edges.
Jemin nodded and began operating the magic circle on the device.
The runes on the ground lit up instantly.
Beams of light shot out from the runes, weaving together into a huge net of light that enveloped the lava mountain from head to toe.
The lights kept flashing, and each flash scanned a part of the lava mountain's body.
In terms of operation, a three-dimensional model is rapidly taking shape.
It was a 3D projection of Lava Mountain's body, with every detail clearly marked, from the skin to the inside, from the energy core to the soul fluctuations. Jemin stared at the model, his brow furrowed slightly.
"The body is too thick; even a detection array of this power would have difficulty penetrating it..."
The thickness of the lava mountain's body has not exceeded the detection limit of the magic array.
More importantly, as an evolution of the Black Giant, after Lava Mountain advanced to level seven, its instinct to absorb energy became even stronger.
Even though the lava mountain had tried its best to contain itself, its energy absorption effect was still formidable.
When these magic arrays are scanning, a large portion of their energy is unconsciously absorbed by them.
Although those specially made scanning runes were powerful, they could only penetrate to the surface when facing an existence of this level.
However, even on the surface, it has already benefited Jemin greatly.
He zoomed in on the model, focusing on the surface area of the lava mountain.
The structure of that layer of liquid metal is clearly displayed in the 3D model.
Unlike other black giants, the liquid metal layer on the surface of the lava mountain has an extremely complex structure.
Not only is the composition of the metallic particles on the surface different from that of the lower-level Black Giants, but these metallic particles themselves also form countless fine textures that intertwine to form layers of three-dimensional network.
Jemin squinted, using his all-seeing eye to carefully analyze the structure.
He is no longer the Jemin who could only stare blankly at such a structure decades ago.
After so many years of study, his understanding of biological structures has reached a new level.
"This is·……"
He zoomed in on one area, staring at the arrangement of the patterns.
Those patterns are not just "patterns"; they are an extremely sophisticated energy circuit.
Each line is an energy channel, and countless energy channels intertwine to form a three-dimensional energy absorption network. This is the root cause of the Lava Mountain's greatly enhanced energy absorption talent.
But that's not all.
Jemin continued his analysis and soon discovered something even more astonishing.
Deep within those energy loops lies another layer of structure.
Those structures were extremely well hidden; he wouldn't have discovered them at all if he hadn't been deliberately searching for them.
They are like the "shadows" of energy circuits, attached to the back of each channel.
"This structure... this thing can actually stabilize the soul naturally!"
Jemin gasped.
For elemental beings, the soul is the most vulnerable part.
Their bodies can be strengthened indefinitely, but the strength of their souls is limited by their innate constitution.
Many elemental creatures are stuck at the threshold of advancing from level six to level seven because their souls are not stable enough to bear greater power. The structures on the surface of the lava mountain, however, solve this problem.
They don't directly strengthen the soul, but rather nourish it with the "aftershocks" of the energy cycle, allowing the soul to become stable subtly. "Indeed, the key to level seven is the soul. It seems that the main reason Lava Mountain was able to evolve to level seven is that its adaptive evolution made up for its previous shortcomings in the soul..."
Jemin quickly jotted down this conclusion in his notebook.
If the Black Giant wants to advance to level seven, he must first resolve the issue related to his soul.
Lava Mountain was "lucky" enough to encounter attacks targeting its soul in multiple battles, but the intensity of these attacks was not enough to completely eliminate it. Therefore, through the adaptive evolution of the body tempering method, it evolved the relevant structure.
If he wants to mass-produce level seven black giants, he must find a way to artificially enhance their souls.
And these structures on the surface of the lava mountain are the best reference.
Jemin continued his research, disassembling the structures bit by bit.
Time passed second by second.
He was so immersed in the world of data that he completely forgot about the outside world.
With each structural breakthrough he gains new insights; with each pattern he discovers, he can deduce new applications.
Until the Magic Network terminal suddenly started vibrating.
Jemin paused for a moment, then came to his senses.
He looked down at the terminal on his wrist; a message was flashing.
[From: Avery Knight (Head of Noren 147 Academy)]
[Message: Jemin, there's a sudden vacancy in the alchemy faculty at the academy, and we need someone to fill it temporarily. Do you have the time? It only requires half a day every ten days, so it won't interfere with your research. If it's convenient, please reply.]
Jemin frowned slightly as he looked at the message.
This news came as a bit of a surprise. When he joined the elite combat unit, one of the clauses in the agreement stipulated that he would no longer be required to perform various teaching duties. However, Dean Avery Knight had always treated him well and had provided him with many conveniences in the past.
Moreover, since it only takes up half a day every ten days, the impact is indeed minimal.
After thinking for a moment, Jemin replied:
[Sure. When exactly will it start?]
The other party replied instantly:
[It starts in five days. I'll have the academic affairs office send you the class schedule and teaching materials; thank you for your help then.]
It's nothing, just something I did.
Don't worry, you won't lose out; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Jemin didn't pay much attention, turned off the terminal, and looked up at the 10,000-meter-tall giant squatting in the distance.
Lava Mountain remained seated there obediently, motionless, awaiting his next instruction.
Jemin smiled and said, "Let's continue."