Chapter 229: Chapter 223: Mysterious Ore
’Now that I’ve stumbled upon a way to counter it, there’s no reason to wait.’
Allen stared at the Crystalized Forest on the holographic sand table, ready to begin the second half of the battle.
As long as all participating units were models equipped with AT Field Generators, the operation could proceed.
"Jarvis." His voice regained its composure. "Deploy three more Freedom Gundams and ten Pacifistas. Have them assemble at the Spiderweb Outpost immediately."
[Command confirmed. Reinforcements estimated to arrive in seventeen minutes.]
「Half an hour later, at the edge of the Crystalized Forest.」
Six Freedom Gundams hovered silently in mid-air, like judges from the heavens.
On the ground, twenty PX-1A Pacifistas stood in two columns. The red lights in their eyes pulsed, as if they were great beasts breathing.
This was an assault legion composed purely of elite units, representing the vast majority of Allen’s current high-end forces. Against a Magical Beast population like the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders, a configuration like this made victory a foregone conclusion.
At the command, the elite Golems, protected by their AT Fields, plunged deep into the Crystalized Forest once more, like the tip of a sharp blade.
This time, there were no surprises.
The psychic attacks of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders were useless against the Golems, and their webs could not halt their advance.
As the Freedom Gundams swung their Ship-Slicing Blades and the Pacifistas’ Divine Punishment Main Cannons roared to life, the battle was over before it even began.
The Demon Spider Queen let out a final shriek while defending its nest before being completely obliterated by two intersecting heavy cannon beams.
The entire extermination took only thirty-seven minutes, most of which was spent mopping up stragglers.
Jarvis’s voice marked the end of the battle:
"The Dream-Weaving Demon Spider population has been completely eliminated. Confirmed kills: 412. Our losses: two Pacifistas."
Allen sat in the command room of the Odyssey, watching as the red dots representing enemy units went out one by one, until the entire forest on the display turned blue.
"Begin salvage operations."
The Golems moved at once, collecting the carcasses of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders and piling them up. Their poison sacs, their silk glands—every part was a high-value alchemy material.
The Queen’s twelve-meter-long carcass alone had a preliminary valuation of over 40,000 Magic Stones.
"What a shame," Allen said, his heart aching as he looked at the wreckage on the screen. "I couldn’t collect the souls."
The presence of the Crystallization Field prevented him, an Alchemy Wizard, from entering the area personally.
In that environment, the fragility of flesh and blood far surpassed that of steel. Only creatures like the Demon Spiders, which had evolved to adapt to the Crystallization Field, could live within it.
He would never personally set foot in that forest until he was one hundred percent certain that the crystallization power didn’t possess other unknown properties.
"Commander, unknown ore has been discovered deep within the spiders’ nest," Jarvis reported suddenly.
Just as the troops were clearing the battlefield, a PX-1A unit assigned to storm the nest made a new discovery.
The view switched, showing several fist-sized, semi-transparent polyhedrons half-buried in the ground at the matriarch’s spawning site.
A colorful, glowing mist could be seen slowly flowing inside the ores, making them exceptionally beautiful.
As the Pacifista approached, its data feedback indicated a slight increase in the AT Field’s energy consumption.
’So this is the source of the Crystallization Field...’
Allen’s gaze sharpened. "Bring them out."
A Pacifista carefully dug out the ores and immediately placed them into a specially-made alchemy container.
Runes inside the container lit up, and the AT Field they generated completely sealed the ores within.
When the Steel Legion, laden with spoils, withdrew from the forest, that beautiful yet deathly still world finally returned to its former tranquility.
In the Primary Workshop, the special alchemy container was placed in the center of the testing area.
On the container’s surface, the Rune Circuits flickered with a faint glow—a sign that the AT Field Generator was active.
Inside the container, three fist-sized ores lay quietly.
Allen stood before the container, wearing a magnifying eyepiece to carefully observe the three ores through the glass.
"Jarvis, is there any information on this type of ore in the database?"
[No relevant information found.]
’None? It must be some kind of extremely rare mineral.’
"Then what are its potential applications?"
[Extremely high. If its crystallization mechanism can be analyzed, it could be applied to fields such as material modification and weapons development.]
[However, the risk level is assessed as ’High.’ It is recommended that any experimental research be conducted in a completely isolated environment.]
Allen’s gaze grew profound. "If I could master this power..."
’Then this ore would become a strategic-level resource.’
’Imagine if this crystallization effect could be weaponized. What kind of nightmare would his enemies face?’
’Steel would turn to glass.’
’Flesh and fiber would turn to crystal.’
"But first, I have to figure out how it works."
Allen fell silent for a few seconds.
"Seal it away for now. We’ll study it after I figure out what kind of ore this is."
He wasn’t the type to take risks out of momentary curiosity. Unknown powers required sufficient preparation before they could be touched; otherwise, it was just playing with fire.
"First, tally the battle report."
[Operational Costs: 480 Magic Missiles, equivalent to 96,000 Magic Stones; Golem losses, maintenance, and energy resupply, equivalent to 72,000 Magic Stones. Total: 168,000 Magic Stones.]
[Preliminary Valuation of Spoils: Dream-Weaving Demon Spider materials, approximately 320,000 Magic Stones; crystallized ore, value unknown but extremely high; control of the Crystalized Forest, strategic value unquantifiable.]
Looking at the report, Allen finally showed a hint of a satisfied smile.
"Not bad at all."
But he soon frowned again.
"Jarvis, has the missing Exploration Golem been found?"
[No wreckage found. Cause of destruction confirmed: structural disintegration due to the crystallization effect.]
[Anomaly detected upon comparing existing data.]
A comparison curve appeared on the light screen. The left side showed the time it took for a Spider Slayer’s structure to be transformed upon entering the Crystalized Forest, while the right side showed the time for the Exploration Golem.
Their primary materials were identical, but the speed at which they crystallized was clearly different.
"The crystallization effect is stronger underground?" Allen immediately realized the implication.
[Inference: This suggests a crystallized mineral vein may exist underground, located approximately 200 meters below the surface. The Force Field’s strength at that depth is several times greater than on the surface.]
"Interesting..."
"Jarvis!" Allen’s voice held a hint of excitement. "Design and build an Exploration Golem equipped with an AT Field."
[Project established. Estimated 72 hours to complete design and assembly.]
"Speed it up. I need to know what’s down there as soon as possible."
Allen paused. "Also, prepare a communications request. I need to contact my mentor."
[Communications request sent.]
Allen looked at the AT Field-sealed ore sample in his hand, preparing to call for outside help.
’My mentor has been operating on this plane for so many years. He should know what this ore is.’
