Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 521 - 519: The Tragedy of Storm Box and Eden

Chapter 521: Chapter 519: The Tragedy of Storm Box and Eden

"Gurgle gurgle..."

In the laboratory crucible, the just-formed alloy liquid was still bubbling as it was poured into a mold to rapidly cool and solidify into a regular metallic ball.

Richard placed the metallic ball on a specially designated workbench for research, using instruments to perform various treatments and tests.

While busy, he muttered, "The proportion is still not quite right, the content should be appropriately increased a bit, maybe that would achieve the desired effect, so..."

"Uh, this time it might be too high, the content should be slightly reduced..."

"This time it’s too low, need to continue increasing it, and the ratio of the other metals should be..."

"Um, this time it’s about right, the data is perfect, can be considered a definitive direction. The current content is 6.38%, right? Note it down, this is a key value." Richard was busy at the table, not turning around; with a wave of his hand, the air rippled, and a quill rose up on another desk in the corner and swiftly wrote down "6.38%" on a papyrus scroll.

"Next, the remaining metal contents need to be tested, and more types of metals can be added to see how the effects vary..."

"And then there’s the size of the volume, will that affect the outcome? It might, that should also be properly tested..."

...

Days passed, in the blink of an eye.

Eden, Magic Testing Field.

In the empty center of the Magic Testing Field, Richard appeared, next to him was a regular cubic metallic block, with its length, width, and height all the same, lying on the ground like a box.

The surface of the metal block was etched with many Magic Runes, making it look more like a piece of art.

This was the product of Richard’s long hours and numerous tests—the 237 alloy.

It was the best mix he had made so far, and Richard was very eager to see the actual effect.

"Come on," Richard whispered softly, looking at the metallic block that resembled a box, took a deep breath, bent down, and placed his hand on its surface. With a thought, the free Energy Elements within his body swiftly surged out, some activating the Magic Runes on the surface of the alloy, and others flowed inside, combining with the alloy.

After a while, Richard had finished pouring the free Energy Elements and withdrew his hand, stepping back a few steps, watching the metallic block with a scrutinizing gaze to see any reactions.

But—

"Hmm? No reaction?" Richard stared at the unchanging metallic block for several seconds, unable to help frowning—this was not what he had expected.

Just then, the air abruptly began to surge.

Richard blinked, looking around, to see the surrounding air as if drawn by a special suction toward the metallic block, urgently flowing into it, continuously.

Due to the strong suction, the entire air of Eden seemed to be affected, creating a massive cyclone, hovering above the Magic Testing Field.

Such a phenomenon lasted for quite a long time before it stopped.

The metallic block, like a greedy giant beast finally satiated, slowly calmed down; the cyclone disappeared, and the air returned to tranquility.

Richard walked closer, observing the metal block for any changes, but on the surface, it appeared no different than before.

"Then—" Richard’s eyes flickered, filled with speculation as he placed his hands on the metal block again, trying to inject the free Energy Elements into it once more. He immediately felt a strong repulsion preventing this action.

If previously, injecting free Energy Elements was like putting an apple into an empty box, now it was like trying to fit an apple into a box that was already full.

It would require force, a lot of force, to possibly fit it in. So, what would happen if it did go in?

Richard’s expression turned slightly solemn. The free Energy Elements in the Magic Origin surged out, flowing through the mana channels in his body to his fingertips, and collided toward the inside of the metal block like an uncontrollable locomotive.

"Boom!"

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but Richard thought he heard a faint explosive sound for a moment as the free elements successfully penetrated the metal block, disrupting some kind of balance.

"Hum!"

The metal block trembled violently as if a giant beast trapped inside was trying to break out, emitting a sound like muffled thunder.

Richard’s face slightly changed, and he quickly stepped back as two different colors of Non-Newtonian Fluid dripped from beneath his clothes, rapidly forming a fourth-state shield in front of him.

Just as the shield formed, the metal block exploded.

The large amounts of air once absorbed by the metal block were released into the environment in a very short time, layering upon each other and creating a visible shockwave. It was like a giant meteor smashing into the ocean, the air billowing and spreading like waves in a tsunami, unleashing terrifying destructive power.

By this time, Richard was far from the metal block, yet he could still clearly feel the shockwave hammering down on the shield like a series of immense hammers.

The air barriers of the shield and the Magic Salt exploded and were destroyed in the first instant, the formidable force severely impacting the shield itself.

The shield hardened swiftly, catching the attack.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Several muffled noises followed, the force transferring, and Richard, while maintaining the shield, uncontrollably backed further, his bones giving a burdened creak as he narrowly blocked the waves of impact from one direction. However, he was powerless against the shockwaves from other directions, which quickly swept past the sides of the shield like red-eyed bandits, rushing toward the sprawling buildings of Eden.

Originally, while constructing Eden, to prevent the influence of Magic Testing on the main buildings, Richard had placed the Magic Testing Field on the outskirts. He hadn’t expected that it was still miscalculated—the power of the metal block was larger by an order of magnitude than anticipated, making it impossible to contain.

Wherever the shockwave reached, many buildings were damaged. Some non-essential buildings without special protections collapsed directly, and some freshly erected equipment was also blown away instantly. Only the places with higher safety levels, such as the Fungal Spore Storage, remained largely unaffected due to various protections.

Once the shockwave from the metal block’s explosion subsided, looking over, the entire Eden was a mess, with only a few buildings still standing resiliently; most were reduced to ruins.

"Whew—"

Richard exhaled, not displaying much emotion, and said slowly, "I guess there are gains and losses, after all, the effect of alloy 237 is so remarkable, some damage is acceptable. Yes, acceptable."

"Clatter!"

At this moment, a pile of rubble not far away made a noise, and a small head poked out—it was Pandora.

She dug herself out from the rubble and, with a dazed expression, looked around and asked, "What? What happened?" For her, everything was normal just a second ago, and then she found the familiar places had turned into ruins, her mind full of confusion.

"Cough, cough." Richard, seeing Pandora cough lightly, responded, "It’s nothing important, just some negligence during my experiment that caused this accident, turning things into what they are now. Speaking of which, you must always be careful in whatever you do in the future, otherwise, the consequences might be even worse than what I caused."

"Really, okay, then I’ll be more careful." Pandora quickly nodded, looking at the surrounding devastation with genuine fear.

"That’s good to hear," Richard said. Then he proceeded toward the few buildings that were still intact, talking to himself while walking, "The metal block possesses such great power; its value is obviously high, yet how to utilize it is a problem. Miniaturization is a challenge, standardization another problem, after all, one cannot use such a large volume of metal block as a human bomb every time, and moreover... Eden has suffered such great damages, it will need extensive repairs, which will take a lot of time..."

Pandora watched Richard walking away, scratching her head, feeling something was amiss. Suddenly, she realized and said, "Wait a minute, now... aren’t you the one who made the mistake? Why are you lecturing me? I didn’t do anything wrong; I’ve been dutifully studying, you know... Huh..."