Chapter 479 - 467: Metal Law
The halo of Star Gate Square slowly dissipated behind him. As the familiar tide of magical power surged over him, washing away that suffocating, pulsating rhythm of flesh and blood, Allen felt like he had finally come back to life.
He had returned to Deep Blue Residence E-071.
Instead of immediately entering the Meditation Room, he stood quietly before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the warm glow of the sun outside.
Survivor’s relief? There was none.
His Mechanical Mind had long since compressed and packaged the terror and tension that had spiked to their thresholds during that deadly encounter, along with the exhilaration of his final winning gamble, archiving it all into a file named "Augustus Valentine Contact Report."
What he felt right now was absolute clarity about the path ahead.
Like a mountaineer who had been groping in the dark for ages, a bolt of lightning had just torn through the sky, not only illuminating the path beneath his feet but also revealing the distant, yet undeniably real, summit.
The blockade on knowledge at the upper echelons of the Wizarding World was too strict. Only now did he possess even a partial understanding of the Advanced Wizard tier.
"Jarvis, evaluate the value of the knowledge imparted by Augustus," Allen ordered.
[Cross-referencing based on the Association Credit Points system... Evaluation complete. This knowledge package contains multiple S-rank encrypted terms, including ’Dawn Star Ladder,’ ’Three Stages of Law,’ and ’Concept of Authority.’ The comprehensive estimated value is between 12,500 and 15,000 Credit Points.]
Augustus had said that this knowledge was worth tens of thousands of Credit Points.
Calculated against his annual mission reward of three hundred Credit Points, those few words had just saved him at least thirty-three years of bitter toil.
No, it was far more than that.
The value of guidance that pointed straight to the core of the path could not be measured in Credit Points at all.
Perhaps for an existence at the Moonlight tier, an experimental concept that could inspire them was indeed worth this price.
His perspective had been too narrow.
He, along with the entire Aiselan Plane, might just be a single footnote in the other party’s experimental logs.
Allen attempted to create a personal file for Augustus.
The action immediately triggered the alarm he had pre-set for Jarvis.
[Warning: The target’s state of existence is too high. Any form of probing or analysis has a 99.99% probability of being detected by the target. All related calculations have been forcibly terminated!]
The only piece of valid information was a vague hypothesis based on environmental analysis: [Suspected Bloodline School].
"I don’t even have the qualifications to analyze him..." he murmured.
Allen decided not to dwell on it any longer.
Looking up at the starry sky was necessary, but keeping one’s feet firmly on the ground was fundamental.
What he needed to do right now was digest this destiny-altering knowledge and lay down the first cornerstone for his future.
"The path of the Morning Star..." he muttered to himself.
From an apprentice to a Second-level Wizard, he had always walked the path of "technique." Learning, inscribing, and optimizing—the essence of all these actions was simply "using" existing rules.
No matter how strong a Core Witchcraft was, it was still just a more efficient way of leveraging the power of the Sea of Magical Power.
But the Morning Star tier was the beginning of the "Truth."
It was about "understanding" the rules, and ultimately "becoming" the rules.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
"Law..."
Allen extended his right hand, palm facing up.
A thin silver stream gushed out. Under his control, it rapidly took shape and cooled, turning into a palm-sized piece of Magic Iron.
This was a basic parlor trick.
In the past, what he saw in it was its Rune structure, its energy conversion efficiency, and its material composition.
But now, his gaze seemed to pierce through the refined iron’s surface to see something deeper—a formless, omnipresent underlying logic that defined "matter" across the universe.
"The first stage, touching the Law."
Augustus’s words echoed in his mind.
"Once you touch the ’Metal Law,’ all the metals in the world will hold no secrets from you."
Allen’s heartbeat began to quicken.
What did this mean?
It meant he could instantly analyze the formula of any alloy, no matter how complex it was.
It meant he could see through the essence of an unknown ore with a single glance, discerning its most suitable method of refinement and application.
His mentor, Mercer Iron Star, possessed a Giant Golem that was ten thousand meters tall. Allen had never been able to understand how its main structure could withstand its own terrifying weight during combat.
Now he understood. That was definitely not any naturally occurring metal, but a super material whose physical properties had been enhanced and distorted by the "Metal Law"!
"The second stage, utilizing the Law. Making iron as hard as diamond, and giving Gold the fluidity of mercury."
Allen’s breathing grew somewhat rapid.
This was the true, mighty power of the Alchemy School—it was just like the divine arts from his past life!
Conventional Golem Manufacturing was limited by the physical limits of the materials themselves.
But if he could utilize the Law, he could easily create armor that was incredibly light yet possessed a strength surpassing all known alloys. The scientifically impossible Iron Man suits from movies could be forged with casual ease.
He could forge a skeleton that could freely switch between liquid and solid states to achieve perfect shapeshifting. Wouldn’t he then have a liquid metal robot?
He could even enhance the "memory" properties of ordinary metals, allowing battle-damaged Golems to restore themselves to their original state after a fight. Just think of how much in maintenance costs that would save!
"The third stage... rewriting the Law."
A fire named ambition flickered in Allen’s eyes.
"Creating an entirely new metal out of thin air, one that has never existed in the universe."
The possibilities were endless, and his imagination began to run wild.
A metal that could devour energy and self-replicate?
A metal capable of hosting a soul, allowing a Golem to function without a Control Core?
A conceptual metal with no fixed form, existing between the corporeal and the ethereal, capable of transforming into pure energy?
He would be able to replicate every single imaginary metal from fantasy works!
"Metal Law..." Allen clenched his fist, and the piece of Magic Iron dissipated in his palm. "My first Law will undoubtedly be you."
This was the Law most suited for his path, and the one he was most confident in touching.
Augustus had specifically mentioned the "Metal Law," which was clearly the most mainstream and secure choice for the Alchemy School.
Allen never tried to be unconventional just for the sake of it. His entire knowledge system, his Wesren Heavy Industry, and his path toward a Golem Legion were all built upon the application of countless metal materials.
Choosing the Metal Law was a natural progression.
As for the remaining two Laws, it was still too early to think about them.
That would require him to advance to the Morning Star tier, where he could stand at a higher vantage point to see more clearly.
"And then there’s ’Authority’..."
Allen stored this term, along with "Moonlight," at the very top of his mind palace.
That was a sight belonging to the next era.
Reigning in his thoughts, Allen’s gaze became calm and sharp once more.
A magnificent blueprint had been drawn, but every step toward the summit needed to be paved with sweat and resources.
He only had five years left.
Time was his most precious resource right now.
Within five years, he had to complete the final construction of the artificial soul, finish the theoretical deduction of the [Consciousness Upload] Core Witchcraft, and thoroughly squeeze dry the last remaining value of the Aiselan Plane.
Allen turned around. Space rippled, and his figure vanished from Deep Blue Residence.
***
Bark wore an intricate and luxurious Wizard Robe. Two Alchemy Wizards with equally formidable auras stood behind him, and the background appeared to be a private reception area.
A rather stern-looking projection appeared in the center of the living room.
"What is it? Speak quickly, I’m very busy on my end," the projection said.
"Your Excellency, it concerns a new company called Wesren Heavy Industry..." Bark reported.
"It’s just a mere Second-level Wizard? I understand. I’ll be back in about six years. I’ll deal with it then."