Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 314 - Chapter 314 Chapter 313

Chapter 314: Chapter 313 Chapter 314: Chapter 313 Walking over to the laboratory bench, Richard sat down, lit numerous candles, adjusted the reflecting mirrors, and started his research on Magic Runes.

After a month of research, Richard had achieved substantial progress with Magic Runes, having filled dozens of Papyrus Scrolls. On the fingers of his hands, the No.1 Ring and the No.2 Ring each had a new Magic Rune inscribed on them.

The one added to the No.1 Ring was “Bai Ting Boiling Blood Technique”, a very commonly used Spell. Considering its convenience, Richard ultimately engraved it there.

The one added to the No.2 Ring was “Small Dehydration Technique”, a rather unique Spell. Taken at face value, its function was to speed up dehydration in the body, putting enemies into a poor physical state, thereby gaining a certain advantage in combat.

However, what Richard valued was not actually the effect of the Spell–dehydrating a person.

For true dehydration to the extent that it influenced combat, the necessary time was too long. For instance, severe dehydration required a loss of more than 6% of one’s body weight or a reduction of over 10%, which could potentially lead to symptoms such as shock or coma. This might take dozens of minutes or even several hours to achieve–by then the fight would have long been over.

What Richard valued about the Small Dehydration Technique was the pathway through which the Spell took effect.

Generally, the most common dehydration occurs during high-intensity exercise in high temperatures, causing profuse sweating. However, the “Small Dehydration Technique” took a different approach.

Its mechanism of action stimulated the enemy’s body to produce a substance like Sodium Salicylate (Diuretic), causing a degree of central nervous system excitation in the enemy, resulting in a fairly effective and prolonged diuretic effect. At this point, the kidney function within the enemy’s body significantly enhanced.

As is well known, human blood needs to pass through the kidneys to filter out waste such as urea. In this process, an enhanced kidney function will lead to more water being separated from the blood while disposing of waste, and then this water flows down the ureters and into the bladder for storage.

Of course, the reabsorption in the renal tubules also plays a role, transferring part of the water and certain solutes back into the bloodstream. However, the speed of reabsorption pales in comparison to the rate at which water enters the kidneys and bladder.

Thus, as long as the “Small Dehydration Technique” is applied repeatedly, the enemy’s bladder will swell up explosively. The sensation of the bladder expanding to its limits, and what it feels like when it reaches that point, can only be known by those who have experienced it personally.

This tactic may seem somewhat less than serious, or even a bit comical. But in Richard’s view, it didn’t matter whether it was funny or serious; all that mattered was the effectiveness of the result.

If it could kill someone, then what difference did it make whether the person died laughing or crying? Either way, the result was the same–a dead person.

Regarding the Small Dehydration Technique, Richard considered it a very excellent and promising Spell. Lately, he had been considering perhaps improving it slightly, enhancing other dehydration pathways–besides renal dehydration, diarrhea is actually another major pathway for dehydration, and could be even more powerful. Yet, Richard had not found the specific plan for modification and was continuing to explore.

But nevertheless, to this point, Richard’s two Rings now each possessed five Magic Rune Magics, forming a certain level of combat capability.

The No.1 Ring, strengthening personal functions, had the following Magic Runes: Wind Light Spirit, Wind Force, Pearce’s Nerve Sensitivity Technique, Accelerated Recovery, Bai Ting Boiling Blood Technique.

The No.2 Ring, weakening enemy functions, had the following Magic Runes: Paralyzing Lightning, Frost Freeze, Erosive Poison, Low-Temperature Dizziness, Small Dehydration Technique.

Richard considered making these two Rings the core components of his current combat. With this setup, once a few more Rings were created, he could contend with official Wizards head-on.

At the moment, by using some methods and paying a rather large price, he could indeed confront an Official Wizard. However, in some aspects, there was still a somewhat insufficient capability, and it was best to avoid such situations when possible.

Reflecting on these matters, Richard, under the lamplight, started working on the two Rings, mainly trying to adjust some details–the major changes, however, were not present.

Even so, the work still consumed no small amount of energy and time, occupying him for a good half-hour before he finished his busyness.

After finishing his tasks, Richard stood up to stretch and looked toward the corner, only to see Pandora sprawled on the bed, sound asleep, with one leg sticking out from under the covers in a very inelegant manner.

Richard shook his head, walked over, and pulled the blanket back over Pandora.

But no sooner had he done so than Pandora kicked it off again, her leg stretched out anew.

Richard covered her again, Pandora kicked it off, and stretched her leg out once more.

On the third attempt, it seemed Pandora had had enough; with a violent effort, she “ripped” a hole straight through the blanket with her leg. The blanket still covered her body, but her leg stubbornly remained through that hole as if declaring, “My leg is my own, it has to be outside, and no one can hide it again.”

Richard: “…”

He sighed and gave up, stepping over to a wooden chair by the side and taking a seat. Blinking, he flipped his hand and pulled out a fist-sized Crystal Skull from the Space Iron Ring.

The Crystal Skull had been unearthed while he was spend time with Gregory, carving a whole passage out of the mountain side and opening a secret chamber–the very passage that was later used to bury Suo Men, the wizard who killed Gregory.

Richard had been studying the Crystal Skull ever since he obtained it.

However, due to the extremely complex Magic Runes engraved on it, more complex than those on the Drifting Bottle, Richard had only managed to make some improvements on the initially identified two functions.

The first function: if specific waves of Mana were input, the Crystal Skull would emit a Spirit Shock, which upon hitting a biological body, would cause the target to lose control of emotions and consequently, become enraged, acting solely on instinct. The more Mana input, the more pronounced the effect.

The improvement made: it was possible to extend the range of the Spirit Shock and make it more accurate, even capable of targeting two subjects simultaneously, though with varying degrees of impact–a primary target would receive a focused attack, while a secondary target would experience a lighter assault.

The second function: it generated a built-in Spiritual Field. Beings within the Spiritual Field, if humans with Wisdom, would have their spiritual power exercised, enhancing their Spiritual Strength, and if non-intelligent creatures, their minds would be lifted. The field’s range could be adjusted, with smaller areas providing more potent effects. When the field was reduced to within a meter, it could significantly increase the Spiritual Strength of those inside it.

The improvement: the Spiritual Field could be made more precise and effective at enhancing a person’s Spiritual Strength, purifying and tempering the spirit.

Through prolonged training with the Crystal Skull, Richard’s Spiritual Strength had now far surpassed that at the Apprentice Level.

If an Apprentice’s spirit were a pond of water, then his spirit now was ice made from that water–a century-old glacier, tougher than steel.

Since he had little contact with wizards, Richard was not sure if an Official Wizard’s spirit would be like his own, but he assumed it must be similar.

Nevertheless, he continued to train with the Crystal Skull–after all, strengthening oneself always held benefits.

Richard placed the Crystal Skull in front of his chest, activated the relevant functions, then closed his eyes and lay down on the wooden chair, motionless.

Before he knew it, daylight… dawne…

Dust blew over from the distance, and it seemed as though a sandstorm was about to sweep through…

…