Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 330 Research Base, The Way of the Mechanism

After this period of renovation, Loulan City is quite different from what it used to be.

Centered around the God of War, the research centers built on several mountain peaks primarily study the mechanisms and rune technology on the God of War.

At the foot of the mountain is a research institute that mainly studies other applications of rune technology and explores the functions of runes.

Finally, there's this research institute within the city, which primarily studies the combination of mechanical and runic technologies.

This research requires sufficient resources, so there is a permanent portal in the city square that regularly transports resources over and takes away the research results from the entire research base.

Some of these mechanisms and rune items, depending on their effects, may be mass-produced and then enter the organization, becoming equipment that organization members can exchange for.

Products that don't perform well will be directly put into inventory.

Destruction is impossible.

Who knows, with technological advancements, items that seem ineffective now might become adaptable to those advancements and unleash incredible power.

"A teleportation portal? This ancient race actually possesses such incredible technology?!"

When Yin Zhong learned of the existence of the teleportation portal, he was also shocked.

Even in ancient times, such technology did not exist.

Those powerful gods and demons can unleash terrifying spatial abilities, traveling a thousand miles in a single step, or feeling as if they are worlds apart.

However, these abilities are limited to themselves. Apart from them, almost no one in their bloodline can inherit these abilities, let alone turn them into a reusable technology and spread them widely.

This alone was enough to make Yin Zhong look at the organization with new respect.

Having traveled the world for hundreds of years, he naturally knew that the reason why many things in this world take so long can be summed up in just three words.

on the way!
A war, three months of trekking, half a month to defeat the enemy.

One business transaction took five days to purchase and sell, but ten days to transport the goods to their destination.

A conspiracy can be planned by the mastermind in just one or two days, but execution requires sending people to contact others and making several trips back and forth. It may take ten days to half a month to get enough people on board.

However, by using such a portal to directly bridge the distance in between, the time spent on these tasks will be greatly reduced.

The significance of this is astonishing.

Take Loulan as an example.

One of the mechanical experts invited by the organization had a flash of inspiration and came up with a conjecture.

To test this hypothesis, one often needs the elements of wood from the east, metal from the west, water from the south, and earth from the north.

Gathering these resources could take months or even a year.

Then, these resources are integrated to verify the hypothesis.

Failed.

However, in the months to a year that followed, the master mechanics had other inspirations, so he needed to collect resources again to verify them.

A person's life is but a hundred years.

The period of peak energy is only a few decades.

In other words, an ordinary master mechanic can only verify his conjectures a few dozen times at most in his lifetime.

What are the chances of a successful experiment out of these dozens of attempts?
Perhaps not even once.

However, with such a portal, the organization can often gather resources in just one or two days.

Therefore, the master mechanic only needs four or five days at most to conduct an experiment and verify his conjecture.

They can conduct fifty or sixty experiments a year.

If someone is highly energetic and can conduct several experiments simultaneously, that number would be several times higher.

The probability of successfully producing a prototype will eventually increase significantly.

Even renowned institutions like the Mohist school and the Gongshu school, which were famous throughout the Nine Provinces, often produced only a dozen or so masterpieces over hundreds of years.

However, in just a few months, the Loulan Research Base has already produced dozens of outstanding mechanical artifacts.

All of this is naturally thanks to the powerful logistical capabilities provided by the portal.

"Currently, the most successful research product in District 13 is this..."

Zhou Ming took out something that looked like a wrist guard, put it on his wrist, and with a wave of his hand, he unleashed a gust of wind that made people unable to open their eyes.

Suddenly, he clenched his fist and shot out an invisible energy blast that slammed into the ground, creating a crater in the bluestone pavement.

"It can amplify palm strikes and launch attacks condensed from air? It seems to be the result of inscribing the runes 'Condensation' and 'Enhancement'. However, if it's a pure runic treasure, these two runes alone probably wouldn't be enough, would they?"

Yin Zhong took a closer look and said, "I see. It uses a sophisticated mechanism to determine the function and runes to enhance the power. In this way, the need for runes is reduced. It's quite ingenious."

"Second Uncle has a good eye. This item only needs two runes, which is why it is so small and exquisite, making it easy to carry. If you add one more rune, it probably won't be able to be made into a wrist guard; it would have to be made into an arm guard."

"However, its power is somewhat lacking."

"So be it. This item isn't meant for grandmasters, but for peripheral members of the acquired realm."

This level of runic mechanism is already capable of mass production.

The mass production concept here in Zhou Ming is different from that of the entire Kyushu and Four Seas.

Currently, productivity across the entire country is still people-oriented.

Mass production refers to the process of having many people involved, which enables the production of a large number of products.

Zhou Ming's mass production refers to large-scale production through machine tool assembly lines.

No special skills are required; all you need is the ability to control the production line.

Only runic mechanisms with power reaching the innate level require skilled mechanics to create.

"The two most prominent mechanical lineages at the time, the Gongshu family and the Mo family, followed different paths. The Mo family pursued human-controlled mechanisms, the most typical example being the mechanical White Tiger. The Gongshu family, on the other hand, pursued automatic mechanisms, thus creating many deadly weapons."

The runic mechanisms you've created seem to be designed to assist powerful martial artists and enhance their strength.

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "The Gongshu family pursues the ultimate lethality and believes that people are an obstacle to the mechanism, so they created the drone mechanism."

The Mohists' approach of having people control mechanisms was to ensure that the power of these mechanisms was entirely in human hands, thus preventing them from turning against people.

However, purely automated mechanisms will only operate according to fixed procedures. People who operate these mechanisms will also encounter various problems.

The organization's chosen path is not for mechanisms to assist humans, but rather for the strong to control them. Humans are not flawed, but equally powerful beings; the combination of the strong and powerful mechanisms will generate even greater power!

Yin Zhong nodded.

He built various mechanisms in Loulan City and realized that the mechanisms here were different from those inherited by all other mechanisms in the world at that time.

The difference mentioned here is not about the relationship between people and government agencies.

It is a relationship between strength and weakness.

Whether it's the unmanned automatic mechanisms of the Gongshu family or the manned mechanisms of the Mo family.

Even the various institutions of other sects.

Essentially, it's all about the strong using the weak.

In the eyes of these mechanical sects, the so-called strong are not people, but powerful machines. But in Loulan, the strong are the ones who equip these machines, thus achieving victory against all odds.

Let the acquired be able to defeat the innate, and let the innate be able to defeat the grandmaster.

"Uncle, you have such a clear understanding of runes. Why don't you take on a researcher position here after joining the organization?"

Yin Zhong was taken aback: "Me? Studying runes here?"

"Yes."

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "The organization here follows the principle of 'more work, more pay.' Although high-ranking cadres receive a basic salary each month, they must contribute to the organization if they want to earn more."

Therefore, this basic salary is already high enough for cadres to enjoy a life of luxury and wealth. But I think that luxury and wealth are probably not what my second uncle is pursuing.

"More work, more pay? Basic salary?"

Yin Zhong learned two new concepts and couldn't help but laugh: "The kings and generals of various countries, occupying high positions and holding power, all wish they could lie in bed and enjoy everything. It would be truly interesting if you followed such rules!"

"So, Mr. Yin, do you think this rule is good or bad?"

A voice suddenly broke into their conversation.

Yin Zhong turned around and saw two figures walking towards him.

A man dressed in a white scholar's robe, holding a folding fan, always had a smile on his lips.

The other man was stout and wielded a transparent, crystal-like sword. He was expressionless, yet exuded a terrifying sense of threat.

Yin Zhong laughed and said, "How can the canal be so clear? Because it has a source of fresh water. Ensuring the flow of water is the key to a clear canal."

"Mr. Yin's words are truly insightful."

The scholar said, "Looking at the prosperity of all the countries in the Nine Provinces, it all comes down to the word 'living.' There are vacancies in every social class, and everyone has the possibility of moving up, so naturally everyone has the motivation to move up."

The decline of any nation boils down to one word: 'death.' When every position within a country is completely filled, leaving no room for vacancies, everyone loses the motivation to strive for improvement. The entire nation is permeated with a sense of stagnation; how can it not decline?

Yin Zhongdao said, "If the rulers of various countries had your insight, brother, how could they possibly face the danger of their countries being destroyed and themselves dying?"

The scholar said, "That is not true. Not to mention those monarchs who lost their countries, when they ascended the throne, the country was already on the verge of danger. Even those who founded the country could not completely guarantee the liquidity of the entire country."

Yin Zhong clasped his hands in greeting: "May I ask who you are, sir?"

The scholar said, "A descendant of the Jiuli tribe, of the bloodline of Chiyou, one of the seven sages of the ancient tribes, and the founder of the organization, Aizen. This one is Jian Yue from the Central Plains Sword Sect."

"The Central Plains Sword Sect?"

Yin Zhong was not surprised by Aizen's identity, but he was truly taken aback that Ken Yue was from the now-extinct Sword Sect.

"Yin Zhong greets you both."

Aizen waved his hand, and a golden portal appeared before them: "This is not the place to talk, you two, please!"

The four of them then stepped into the teleportation portal and, in the blink of an eye, returned to the Loulan Palace.

At this moment, Yin Zhong naturally knew that he had also come to Loulan in the northwest of this continent from the ancient Shu Kingdom in the south of Zhongzhou through this kind of teleportation portal.

But he was already unconscious at that time.

This is the first time I've ever passed through a portal while fully conscious.

It felt quite novel.

Take a seat and be served tea.

"We naturally welcome Mr. Yin's joining the organization. However, there is one unpleasant thing to say beforehand."

Aizen said, "Mr. Yin is currently seriously injured and his strength is less than one-hundredth of what it used to be. Therefore, the treatment we are offering is based on Mr. Yin's current strength, not his original strength."

Yin Zhong frowned: "But as long as I have one Yellow Millet Pill, I can recover most of my fighting strength."

"That requires the Yellow Millet Elixir. From this perspective, it seems that you must join our organization, rather than our organization needing you."

Of course, we have taken this factor into consideration. Therefore, the rank we can currently offer you is 'prospective cadre'.

"Isn't that a bit low?"

"That's not low. You should know about Wudang Daoist Mu. With his Grandmaster cultivation, he was a probationary cadre when he joined the organization. It was only after half a year that he was promoted to a formal cadre based on his merits."

Yin Zhong was speechless.

If that's the case, then this level is indeed quite high.

After all, given his current state, he certainly couldn't expect the other party to treat him according to the standards of his immortal god-demon strength.

Putting that aside, despite his mere Grandmaster strength, he was treated like a Great Grandmaster.

That's certainly not low.

But Yin Zhong was still somewhat unwilling. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Although I am seriously injured, my knowledge has not been hindered in the slightest."

Aizen smiled and said, "In that case, Mr. Yin, why don't you join the organization through the technical route? With your abilities, I can directly arrange for you to lead a team, with a status equivalent to an officer!"

"That's...ok."

Yin Zhong hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing to the condition, but then added, "But I still need to confirm whether the organization's Huangliang Pill can really heal my injuries!"

Aizen said, "That's easy. I can personally gift you a Yellow Millet Pill. It'll be perfect, and I can also see your strength after you recover."

Yin Zhong smiled smugly: "I want to see my strength, but I'm afraid this small Loulan country can't withstand it."

"That's easy. Beyond Loulan lies an endless desert. You may use your methods to your heart's content!"

A moment later, four figures appeared in the vast, uninhabited desert.

Yin Zhong held the Huangliang Pill in his hand and carefully sniffed it, trying to understand the medicinal ingredients inside.

Judging from the taste, it seems to be just a few common tonics put together.

Let alone restoring the body to its best condition, even reversing aging is absolutely impossible.

On second thought, such a miraculous medicine, how could one possibly guess its formula so easily?

I decided not to overthink it and just swallowed it whole.

The medicine took effect instantly, and a feeling of lightness washed over me once more.

Yin Zhong could feel that his body had recovered.

Unlike the last few brief moments, this time it lasted for a much longer period of time.

Unable to contain his excitement, Yin Zhong suddenly exerted all his strength and stomped his foot hard.

The earth trembled instantly, and an incredibly terrifying power erupted.

Dust and sand flew everywhere.

Driven by this force, countless grains of sand vanished into nothingness.

An invisible force swept in all directions.

Jian Yue appeared in front of the two in a flash, and a sword blade shot into the sky, blocking all impacts.

(End of this chapter)