This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 733 - 381: Development Keynote - Professional Promotion_2

Chapter 733: Chapter 381: Development Keynote - Professional Promotion_2

Having too deep a connection with other forces—if an incident occurs, should he save them or not?

What if it happens to be something Li Ming can’t handle alone, and Lord Azure Dragon has to intervene? Should he act or not?

"We just need to focus on business." Li Ming emphasized, and Ulrich nodded.

"Additionally, I plan to establish a Dimension Exploration Department, tasked with investigating the Dimension World. This will be led by Lord Theo upon his return," Li Ming assigned.

"I’ll invite Lord Austin to assist us in stabilizing the pathway to the Dimension World permanently."

Dimension World is a treasure he will not abandon, but exploring it himself consumes too much time—he prefers to reap the benefits instead.

"Understood." Theo’s response was as succinct as ever.

"Our primary goal remains unchanged: expansion." Li Ming scanned the room, his voice resolute. "If there are any obstacles, I will address them. If I cannot, I’ll seek my teacher’s assistance."

He stood up. "Everyone, the Interstellar Summit is waiting for us!"

"The Interstellar Summit!"

The group rose in unison to echo his sentiment. Even Ulrich couldn’t help but feel a ripple of emotion within. After all, why were they investing so much of their resources into this? It was because Lord Azure Dragon was paving the way—a future of endless possibilities.

Li Ming was leading the overall strategy, while the intricate details fell to Ulrich and the others.

After the meeting, Ulrich escorted Li Ming to the warehouse. This facility had an extraordinarily high confidentiality level. Multiple levels of advanced metallic materials had been employed in its construction.

Although relatively small in scale, after passing through layer upon layer of verification, they finally reached the Constant Star Crystal Core stored inside.

The brilliant metallic luster caused Li Ming to narrow his eyes slightly as he stepped straight inside.

After shutting the warehouse door, Li Ming remained inside for a full half-day before finally emerging, exhaling deeply.

Ulrich was still waiting outside. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the now-empty warehouse through the metallic door’s gap.

The item is gone?

He mused internally—had it been directly sent to Lord Azure Dragon by some means?

He wasn’t certain what Li Ming planned to do with these metallic materials—he assumed it was a request from Lord Azure Dragon.

Li Ming’s eyes gleamed brightly: six billion, five hundred million in metal energy—the highest amount achieved so far.

He was now itching to spend it.

"The mechanical body warehouse is over here..." Ulrich pivoted. Li Ming had intended to head over but hesitated, his intuition stirring. "Let’s wait a bit; there’s no need to rush for now."

Ulrich paused briefly, then nodded.

Li Ming hurried away, but before leaving, he reminded Ulrich, "Lord Ulrich, something might arrive in the next couple of days. Make sure to deliver it to me directly."

"Understood." Ulrich nodded. After watching Li Ming depart, Ulrich opened his smart terminal.

Back in his room, the layout was unchanged—still familiar.

Six billion, five hundred million in metal energy; he needed a precise plan.

The Infinite Hammer required ten billion, leaving a shortfall of three billion, five hundred million—a significant number that couldn’t be met in the short term.

So, he decided to control the Divine Craftsman Relic first.

Li Ming retrieved the Divine Craftsman Relic, which stored all the technology of the Hammer Divine Craftsman. He began by extracting the data, copying it to Vermilion Bird, and assigning it to organize the information.

The data was far from useless—extremely valuable, in fact. Items such as the Photon Storm Field and Superstring Resonator were immensely practical, alongside blueprints for various weaponized mechanical constructs. These were remarkably helpful for producing high-end mechanical bodies.

Then, decisively, he expended two billion in metal energy to control the Divine Craftsman Relic before directly consuming it.

The control page emerged, distorted, its text cloaked in radiant hues.

[Mechanical Sovereign] → [Mechanical Lord]

With the promotion, [Mechanical Lord] was now classified as a Sixth Rank Profession.

[Mechanical Lord: Possesses the abilities of [Lord Power] and [Guard Squad]].

[Lord Power: Allows the utilization of metal energy to execute ultra-scale modifications, repairs, enhancements, and constructs on Controlled Objects. Constructs have a small probability of [mutation]].

[Guard Squad: Enables the construction of six mechanical bodies with the [Guard] trait.]

Li Ming examined the description carefully. The promotion had bolstered two capabilities—"large-scale" was now "ultra-scale," and a new feature, [mutation], was introduced.

The Mechanical Guards increased by two units, which Li Ming had expected.

However, his curiosity focused on the feature [mutation].

[Mutation: During the constructing process, mechanical bodies have a 0.1% probability of advancing one level, and a 0.01% probability of advancing two levels without additional metal energy consumption. Advancements cannot exceed the host’s level.]

Li Ming blinked, his expression shifting. The [Mutation] feature was highly potent. Triggering this ability didn’t entail additional metal energy expenses.

Though the probability was exceedingly low, the sheer scale of operations could make up for it.

"Ha! Good thing I exercised caution." Li Ming exhaled deeply—the likelihood that his profession’s abilities were tied to enlightening mechanical bodies had prompted him to hold off on the enlightenment process.

Now eager to test it out, he immediately headed for the mechanical body warehouse to experiment with the new abilities...

Leaving the room, he boarded a flying device and headed straight for the expanded mechanical body warehouse. Its scale had increased more than tenfold, with mechanical constructs stacked layer upon layer—like a majestic mountain made entirely of metal.

The exteriors glinted with a cold, hard sheen. Every part was a precise fit; the streamlined designs were sharp and orderly. The intricate, overlapping structures dazzled the eye.

As the door to the warehouse shut behind him, Li Ming stepped forward, entering the heart of the mechanical constructs. Extending his limbs, arcs of electricity burst from his fingertips, streaming out in brilliant blue streaks.

Like the hidden veins of this metallic mountain, the currents began spreading rapidly. Sparks danced along its surface, crackling and reverberating like distant Thunderclap filling the valleys.

From afar, it appeared like a frozen storm of metal and machinery.

Suddenly, at one particular location, a white arc exploded violently, twisting like a frenzied blue snake.

Mechanical components encased in the arc scattered everywhere like a rain of metal, each piece vibrating, deforming, and reshaping under the impact of powerful energy, becoming more refined and formidable.

This was only the first occurrence—white arcs erupted across hundreds of locations.

Unexpectedly, a blast of blue energy erupted from one spot, triggering an even more intense transformation. The collision of metal resonated deafeningly, as sparks shot out like dazzling fireworks.

Energy surged madly within the mechanical body, glowing blindingly from its seams, illuminating the entire area in vivid blue.

Under this light, the mechanical body’s form began morphing into something entirely new—more sophisticated and powerful.

A pair of mechanical horns emerged from its head, glinting with icy light, capable of piercing through any obstacle effortlessly. Standing three meters tall, its towering form exuded suffocating pressure.

Its mechanical limbs were massive, radiating strength through their muscular, metallic contours. Its glowing blue mechanical eyes rotated incessantly.

A faint blue Energy Shield shimmered across its surface, while electricity slithered like serpents across its frame.

After the enlightenment process ended, Li Ming approached this mechanical body, scrutinizing it closely. Through a few tests, he confirmed its level had reached B-level.

Constructing one hundred thousand D-level mechanical bodies had consumed six million metal energy. Among them, over a hundred ascended to C-level, and only one advanced to B-level.

Li Ming sighed but understood that the mechanical bodies were too low-level. An elevation in tier would make this B-level machine an A-level.

However, raising the tier of these mechanical constructs required resources exponentially greater than a mere doubling—more likely tenfold or beyond.

The warehouse door reopened, and Ulrich was still waiting outside. Li Ming seemed slightly surprised but stated, "These mechanical bodies are now ready for deployment."

"Understood." Ulrich nodded, then explained his purpose, holding a black box. "This just arrived. The recipient is Lord Azure Dragon, sent via Giant Shield Company courier. As instructed, it’s been delivered immediately."

"Oh." Li Ming’s eyes glinted as he accepted the metal box, noting its surprisingly light weight.

"Thank you, Lord Ulrich. I’ll be on my way." Li Ming nodded and departed.

Ulrich stepped into the warehouse to assign the mechanical bodies to their destinations.

Yet, as soon as he entered, he froze, staring in astonishment at the imposing bull-headed mechanical construct.

When did we manufacture something like this?