The wasteland wind carried the scent of blood as it dissipated. The Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion retreated into the gloomy depths of the canyon to lick its wounds, and the Dream-Weaving Demon Spider pulled its horrifying, jointed legs deep into the forest.

It was as if the two overlords had agreed to press the pause button at the same time.

But for Allen, this was a rare and stable period of rapid development.

"CLANK, CLANK, CLANK—"

Inside Assembly Workshop No. 1, "the fortunate ones" tirelessly transported parts.

Another brand-new Spider Slayer II rolled off the assembly line.

Allen held a freshly made drink in his hand, watching the factory’s production run smoothly.

The basic survival pack his Master provided had everything. He didn’t have to cook for himself in this godforsaken place; it even included snacks and desserts, adding a little variety to his monotonous life.

’This is what security feels like.’

The workshop could now process hundreds of tons of black-vein iron ore each day.

After setting aside what he needed for his own use, the rest was refined into ingots and sold through Master Mercer’s channels.

The average daily net profit was around 1,100 Low-Level Magic Stones.

Although he was still a ways off from breaking even, his liquid capital had recovered to 56 Mid-Level Magic Stones. He was finally a little further from the brink of bankruptcy.

"Jarvis, any news from ’Groundhog’?" Allen asked, putting down his cup and getting down to business.

Groundhog was the nickname he’d given the digging drone. That thing had been drilling underground for three solid days.

[Report, Commander. Shockwave signal received three minutes ago.]

[Coordinates: 40 kilometers southeast of the workshop. Depth: 52 meters underground.]

[Minerals detected. Preliminary analysis indicates ’Red Copper Ore,’ with trace amounts of ’Fire Essence Stone.’]

A holographic map instantly unfolded, with a conspicuous red dot flashing southeast of the workshop. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Allen’s eyes lit up.

Red Copper Ore. Its Magic Conductivity was superior to black-vein iron, making it a common material for crafting Magic Conductivity circuits. And the associated Fire Essence Stone was a hot commodity, used for making Alchemy Bombs that were in high demand on the market.

"What are the reserves like?"

[The deposit is medium-sized. Estimated mineable quantity is 30% of the black-vein iron vein. It can be mined by 10 Mining Golems for 50 years.]

"That’s more than enough."

Allen made a grand gesture. "Besides, Red Copper is worth much more than black-vein iron."

But then, he frowned.

Forty kilometers.

The distance was a bit awkward.

A round trip by ground transport would take at least half an hour.

On this wasteland, fraught with peril, a long supply line was synonymous with risk.

"How far is it from the scorpion’s nest?"

[A straight-line distance of 82 kilometers. It’s in a relatively safe zone. However, we cannot rule out the presence of other wandering wasteland predators.]

"Let’s do it."

Allen hesitated for only three seconds.

’Fortune favors the bold.’

"Jarvis, prepare for mobilization."

Allen walked to the holographic tactical display, his finger tracing a sharp arc through the air above it.

"Deploy fifteen Spider Slayer IIs as the defensive force for Mining Site Two."

"Get the recently repaired PX-1A out here. It will act as the command center for the mining site’s defense and hold the fort. Two ’Purgatories’ will accompany it."

"Activate five hundred ’Jumping Spider’ kamikaze Golems. We’ll fortify the three-kilometer perimeter of the mining area until it’s an ironclad defense."

"And temporarily reassign the three Mining Golems from Mining Site One to start operations there."

[Commands confirmed. Mining Site Two expeditionary force now assembling.]

The great doors of the workshop boomed open.

The procession was even grander than the one for the last mining operation.

The PX-1A led the way on the ground. Its crystallized shell shield, which Allen had heavily modified, glinted coldly in the sunlight. Thirty Spider Slayers fanned out ahead to scout.

Following behind were two somewhat clumsy-looking "Purgatory" launch platforms.

A transport Floating Ship flew high overhead, carrying a dense swarm of Jumping Spiders and Factory Servants laden with supplies.

Watching the convoy depart, Allen brought his newly purchased medium-sized refining equipment and flew high into the air, following from behind.

Even though they were going to start a new mine, he didn’t feel at ease.

His ground forces were strong, but their mobility was too poor.

If they were harassed by a large number of Magical Beasts and needed to quickly send reinforcements between the two mining sites, they wouldn’t make it in time even if they ran until their legs broke.

’Storm Falcon...’

Allen turned, thinking of the half-finished product on his workbench.

This was the aerial unit he’d been obsessed with.

He had already gone through a dozen versions of the blueprints, revising the aerodynamic layout over and over. He had even designed the onboard weaponry—two Magic Guide Ray Cannons.

But so far, it was still just a model.

The reason was simple: it didn’t have a brain.

Literally.

Flying Golems had extremely high requirements for their Control Cores, demanding powerful three-dimensional spatial awareness and millisecond-level reaction speeds.

The soul of an ordinary Magical Beast simply couldn’t handle it. Once airborne, it would be like a drunken pigeon. Forget about combat; you’d be lucky if it didn’t crash.

Only the soul of a raptor-type Magical Beast would be a perfect fit.

"Jarvis, are there still no ’Void-Rending Hawk’ souls on the black market?"

[Searching... None in stock.]

[The most recent transaction record was from three days ago. A First-level ’Void-Rending Hawk’ soul was sold for the price of 1,300 Magic Stones within thirty seconds.]

"1,300... thirty seconds," Allen’s lip twitched. "That’s highway robbery."

"Could we modify the soul of a ground-based Magical Beast?" Allen asked, unwilling to give up. "What about the Giant Scorpion’s soul? Could we make do with that?"

[Incompatible underlying behavioral logic. It would most likely be an unstable flying rock.]

Jarvis’s commentary was always so cutting.

Allen sighed, his fingers drumming impatiently on the tabletop.

’Am I really going to get stuck on this?’

Without air superiority, his expansion was locked to a 50-kilometer radius. Any further, and his supply lines would become a nightmare.

’Oh, right. I heard the Alchemy Wizard in the neighboring zone is also one of the Master’s students. I should try contacting them and see if I can buy what I need.’

’I’ve been going it alone in this place for two months. It’s about time I said hello to my neighbor.’

While in flight, Allen contacted his Master, reported his recent activities, and asked for the contact information of the person in charge of the neighboring zone.

He also asked about their situation.

"Zone 17?"

Mercer’s voice came through the communicator. "Catherine. She’s also one of my students, a First-level Wizard. But she arrived much earlier—she’s been there for five years."

’Five years...’ Allen calculated inwardly.

"She’s taken over more than half of her zone, controls a dozen or so resource points, and the Golem Legion under her command is a hundred times the size of yours."

Mercer was blunt. "You want to buy something from her?"

"I thought I’d try. The fortress trading market is out of stock."

"Fine. You can talk to her yourself." Mercer sent over a communication code and hung up.

’A five-year veteran... she must have plenty in stock, right? I wonder if she’ll do me a favor, since we’re both the Master’s students.’

Well, no harm in asking. He used his personal terminal to compose a message.

Hello, this is Allen Wesren from Zone 18, a student of Master Mercer. I was wondering if you have any spare raptor-type Magical Beast souls? The price is negotiable.