I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 357 Armor Can Also Be a Living Being
……

……

After listening to Rhodes's request, Zoya turned and exchanged a glance with Sainda.

"We know what you're talking about, but there are some difficulties right now..."

Zhuo Ya sounded somewhat embarrassed as she explained, "This time, the gauntlets have magic crystals added to their runes, and the enchantment runes are all passive and provide continuous amplification."

"The offensive magic you mentioned is a one-time burst of magic that will interfere with the other rune effects on the gauntlets."

"As a result, all enchantments on the gauntlets will be nullified after the attack spell is cast."

Sainda nodded, indicating her agreement with Zoya's words.

“It’s the same as my original design, which is why we didn’t add any trigger-based spells,” Senda added.

"That's not a good idea."

After listening to the two, Rhodes said thoughtfully, "Whether it's passive amplification or active attack, I want it all."

Before Zoya and Senda could say anything, Rhodes offered his suggestion.
"Is it possible to set up an independent magic supply module?"

Rhodes raised his arm, gesturing as he said, "For example, engraving runes on the inside of the gauntlets, creating a layer to increase the number of runes for active attacks?"

"In that case, it should work..."

Zhuo Ya turned her head thoughtfully and looked at Sainda beside her.

Senda nodded and said, "But it will increase the complexity of the production process and the weight of the product itself."

"If you want to make it like a magical ornament, it will be more difficult and take longer."

Senda shrugged helplessly.

"You can increase the weight appropriately and reduce the difficulty."

Rhodes said without hesitation, "These gauntlets are not meant for ordinary soldiers and knights; they can be designed based on the abilities of advanced knights."

"Oh, right, what I was referring to earlier, the one that increases magical attack, is the left arm," Rhodes reminded him.

"Understood." "Okay."

Zhuoya and Sainda responded in turn.

Zhuo Ya lowered her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "There is another question, Your Grace."

“Yes, go ahead,” Rhodes nodded in agreement.

"Does the hand armor design you just mentioned also apply to the whole body in the future?"

Zhuo Ya tentatively asked, "Will the other parts also have both passive buffs and offensive spells?"

"Of course, it will definitely happen."

Rod said without hesitation, "It may not be possible now, but it is our goal for the future."

“This is what I’m worried about, Your Grace.”

Zhuo Ya frowned slightly and explained, "If there are too many abilities, it will increase the mental pressure on the knights to connect."

"After all, they aren't wizard apprentices like us..."

"I know."

Rhodes nodded and asked with a smile, "Do you remember what I told you about the armor's autonomy?"

"Look, this activated steel is used to make undead puppets."

"So, is it possible to add necromantic fire from the dead to activated steel?"

"If the armor's functions are controlled by the Soul Fire, and the wearer only needs to communicate with and bind to the Soul Fire, wouldn't that reduce the wearer's stress?"

Rhodes's question clearly startled Zoya.

Only now did she fully understand that what Rhode had meant by active interaction was adding a soul to the armor!
"Yes, we can turn the entire suit of armor into an undead skeleton!"

Zhuo Ya's voice was filled with excitement, "Those cannon fodder undead creatures have no independent consciousness, but they have no problem carrying out orders!"

"That's not all!"

At the same time, Senda's eyes widened. "If it's an independent undead creature, then we can ignore the weight issue to some extent!"

“Clever, Senda.”

Rhodes nodded approvingly, raised his left hand, clenched his palm, and slowly clenched his right fist. "If the armor you forge is big enough, it's essentially like stuffing a knight into that armor."

"Instead of making the knights bear the weight of the armor."

"It's like a person riding in a horse-drawn carriage!"

Zhuoya was incredibly excited, as if she had discovered a new continent, and she screamed in surprise.

"Your Grace, you are simply a genius!"

Rhodes felt a surge of excitement.

After all, the mechs we saw in movies and TV shows in my previous life could very well be realized in the future using magic.

"But note that the traditional soul fire fears being purified by the Holy Light."

Rhodes cautioned, "This needs to be addressed."

"This is a very important issue, and we may need to provide special protection or take a different approach."

Zhuo Ya seemed to be thinking, "This needs to be studied carefully."

……

The brainstorming-style discussions were incredibly exciting.

Rhodes also shared many ideas with Zoya and Senda, such as whether the previously enchanted standard parts could be applied to full-body armor.

There are also questions about the power integration of the full-body armor, whether the magic runes can be disassembled more precisely, and whether there are magic patterns that can be shared in multiple rune designs.

Rhodes's thinking leaned more towards engineering technology from his previous life, opening up new avenues of thought for Zoya and Sainda.

The three chatted until late at night, only ending when Avril reminded them again, and then they went to rest.

The next day.

Rhodes did not rest. After breakfast, he took Avril and toured the entire Northern Wasteland territory.

They inspected the ranch, Monster Valley, horse farm, Blackrock Mine, and other places.

Black Pine Ridge and Ice Peak Valley are already dotted with watchtowers, with one every six or seven miles.

These watchtowers monitor nearby farmland and forests, and can report any abnormalities immediately.

Of course, the biggest anomaly on the Northern Wasteland right now is the presence of wild beasts and mutated magical creatures.

More importantly, these watchtowers provide supplies and rest areas for hunters and gathering wizard apprentices, allowing them to travel freely even in heavy snow.

Most of the watchtowers were still just made of wood, and were some distance from Rhodes's Stone Tower outpost.

Rhodes' last stop was the magic crystal mine.

Located on the edge of Razor Plains, deep in the mountains, this mine is Rhodes' most important business.

A large number of soldiers were stationed here, and Brünn personally managed the area.

"Your Majesty the Duke."

Bron knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully to Rhodes, who had jumped off the dragon's back.

Rhodes quickly stepped forward and personally helped Brom up.

"Thank you for your hard work, Bloom."

Rhodes looked Bloom up and down and said with a sigh, "It's quite windy and frosty here. Take care of your handsome face."

"Thank you for your concern, but my good looks are not important."

Bloom replied with a smile, "These hardships have made me less delicate than before."

“You weren’t always so pampered like a nobleman, otherwise you wouldn’t have come to the wasteland.”

Rhodes patted Bronn approvingly, "Let's go, take me to see the magic crystal mine."

Bloom nodded and led Rhodes and his group into the mine.

The mine is located in a valley. Standing on the hillside, you can see the deep blue magic crystals embedded in the stone walls of the pit.

"We can now mine about 100 kilograms of magic crystal ore every day."

Bloom explained, “The miners are very careful, so the process is a bit slow.”

"Moreover, each miner can only work half a day; working too long will cause dizziness."

"So now the miners work in shifts."

After a moment of contemplation, Bloom said, "Master Senda said it's some kind of magical erosion causing great mental stress, but I don't really understand the specifics."

Rhodes nodded slightly and asked, "How many units of magic crystals can be refined from one hundred catties of magic crystal ore?"

"Yes, yes, Master Senda said that magic crystal ore cannot be described in jin (a unit of weight), but should be described in units of magic power, but I don't quite remember the specifics..."

Bloom said somewhat embarrassedly, "It seems to be between one thousand and five thousand points?"

“These are all managed by Master Senda; I haven’t been involved much.”

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

Bloom was clearly avoiding any appearance of impropriety by not getting involved in these secrets about magic.

Rod didn't say much, and then, led by Bronn, entered a cave.

Here are boxes upon boxes of the deep blue magic crystals that have already been mined.

Rhodes casually took out a magic crystal the size of a fist. The deep blue crystal shimmered with an oily luster in the firelight, and its weight made him feel happy.

Avril and Vivian also stepped forward and took two, happily playing with them.

"The magic here is more active than that of extraordinary gems."

Avril said softly, "I feel like I can absorb the magic inside."

Vivian, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, that's why the magic crystals from before couldn't be passed down."

Rod said with a smile, "Take a few if you like, Brown can put it on my tab."

You can use whatever you want, but everything in and out of the accounts must be clearly recorded.

“Yes, sir.” Bloom nodded seriously.

"Then I'm welcome!"

Vivian immediately grabbed a few magic crystals and stuffed them into her backpack.

Rod did not restrain her and let her take whatever she wanted.

If she's so capable, even if she carries a whole suitcase, Rod won't stop her.

After visiting the temporary storage area for the magic crystals, Brûlé invited Rhodes to the rest area.

It's just a cave, too.

Bloom cleaned the dust off the wooden stump and laid a leather mat on Rhodes.

"We apologize that the wooden houses haven't been built yet because we're in a hurry to start mining."

"This is nothing. You can tolerate living here every day, but I'm only staying here for one day."

Rod said with a smile, "But let Sherry build you a place to live as soon as possible. You can work better if you are well-rested."

"Ah."

Bloom nodded, smiling and remarking, "You're still the same as before, unchanged." As he spoke, Bloom pulled a letter from his pocket.

"There is something I need to report to you."

"The three barons of Frosttown, Howling Town, and Icebreath Hills have written this letter to you to express their submission," said Bron.

“They know you are not in the Northern Wastes and want me to deliver this to you.”

Rhodes took the letter, opened it, and quickly scanned it.

The elegant and well-written text expresses the three barons' loyalty to Rhodes.

The letter was written by Edmund, and below it were the signatures of the other two barons.

They not only acknowledged Rhodes' rule, but also said they could send someone to take over their territory at any time.

They will cooperate fully.

After reading the letter, Rhodes smiled and nodded.

Edmund and the others should have received news from the family and know about the current situation.

Rhodes was pleased that his former allies had made a wise choice.

"Brown, please write back to them for me."

Rhodes looked at Baron Bronn and said, “Tell them that I accept their allegiance and will soon send troops to their territory.”

"But I will not replace them; they can continue to manage the territory."

“By the way, if Edmund doesn’t like managing the territory and wants to be a merchant, tell him to come find me,” Rhodes added.

Bloom nodded emphatically, “No problem, sir.”

"in addition."

Rod continued, "Their property can be kept; I will not confiscate it."

Bloom looked at Rhodes in surprise: "Are you sure?"

Rod smiled and nodded slightly.

Those three didn't have much wealth, and Rhodes doesn't lack that little bit of money now.

Those properties served as a reward for their voluntary loyalty and as a testament to their past alliance.

Rhodes cared more about their land and the three barons themselves.

The vast lands of the Northern Wilderness need people to manage them, and Rhodes also needs to recruit these talented individuals.

Camille and Edmund already had some friendship with Rhodes, and the gift of these gold coins would strengthen that relationship.

Of course, the lord of Coldhowl Town benefited from this.

But Coldhowl Town is more important.

The estuary there is completely different from that of the Blade's Edge Mountains.

Coldhowl Town has a wide coastline, and if the enemy were to land from the sea, the entire Northern Wasteland would be in danger.

Rhodes must station a large force there.

Of course, these legions had to be drawn from other legions, as Frostleaf Town currently did not have any extra manpower.

……

……

Rhodes only stayed at the magic crystal mine for one day.

The next day, Rhodes and Avril flew to Blade's Edge Mountains.

After inspecting Blade's Edge Stronghold and the Seaweed Iron Mine, Rhodes headed straight for his destination: the Sea Abyss Wizard Tower.

The Abyss Wizard Tower is now basically Rhodes's warehouse, storing valuable but temporarily unused items.

Although it had been a long time since he had been here, Rod did not wander around but went straight to the corridor at the end of the hall.

Rhodes held his wand, staring at the door ahead.

Just as he was about to walk forward, Avril grabbed him.
"Be careful, darling."

"Don't worry, I won't go up there to my death."

Rod smiled and patted Avril's hand to comfort her, then stepped into the corridor.

Just like Musen had done before, the group walked down the steps for more than twenty meters and stood in front of the dark purple stone gate.

A little further ahead, the egg-sized purple gem on the stone gate began to shimmer.

Rhodes immediately felt a sharp aura rushing straight to his face, like a thorn piercing into his head.

But I feel okay.

Aside from a slight stinging sensation, Rhodes felt nothing unusual and was completely able to withstand it.

Rhodes felt that even if he took two more steps forward, it shouldn't be a big problem.

But Rhodes did not let his guard down. He stood still and focused his mind on the wand in his hand.

The wand began to hum softly, and the gems on it shimmered.

Immediately afterwards, Rhodes felt his consciousness being pulled away, detaching from the wand and spreading rapidly forward.

At that moment, purple light flashed on the stone gate, instantly forming a barrier that blocked Rhodes.

To be precise, it's not a barrier, but a whole piece.

Because Rhodes's mental tentacles easily broke through the barrier, but then it was as if he had sunk into a large swamp, making every step difficult.

Immediately afterwards, Rhodes felt something around him grab his mental tendrils, trapping him firmly in place.

Rhodes needs to expend a lot of mental energy to advance even one point.

Before Rhodes could adjust, countless sharp spikes suddenly burst forth from the purple light, piercing Rhodes's mental tentacles.

"hiss!"

Rhodes shivered instantly, as if he had been electrocuted.

Rhodes' control was also interrupted, and his mental tentacles disappeared instantly.

"It seems this defensive barrier is quite sophisticated."

Rhodes now understood that whether it was his physical or mental tentacles, anyone entering this area would be attacked, and the methods of attack would be different.

Rhodes watched the stone gate without immediately launching a second attack.

After thinking for a long time, Rhodes closed his eyes again.

When the spiritual tentacles touched the purple barrier this time, Rhodes tried to split off two tendril branches, each piercing a different part of the stone gate.

A surge of purple light erupted instantly.

But this time, the energy hindering Rhodes was noticeably weaker.

With Rhodes' current mental strength, controlling three mental tentacles simultaneously is no problem at all.

However, the remaining two are decoys, so Rhodes doesn't need to be distracted to control them.

The other clones stopped moving after entering the barrier, and Rhode only controlled the most important one.

However, the resistance encountered is still only one-third of what it was before.

Rod's mind raced, and he withdrew his attention, dispersing the tentacles.

What happened just now was merely a test to verify the hypothesis.

Since the barrier automatically allocates defensive energy based on the number of invading tentacles, naturally the more tentacles there are, the less resistance each individual tentacle faces.

Rhodes rested for a while, then focused his attention again on concentrating his mental tendrils.

Before touching the barrier, Rhodes gritted his teeth and suddenly spread his mental tentacles.

More than a dozen spiritual tentacles spread out in the air, truly coiling around the purple barrier like octopus tentacles.

Rhodes naturally didn't have the ability to control dozens of tentacles at once, so he gave up after entering the purple barrier and only controlled one tentacle to rush forward quickly.

The restrictions on the stone gate seemed to sense something, and the pressure on Rhodes grew stronger.

Just as he was about to break through the barrier, Rhodes instantly dispersed his other tentacles, concentrated all his energy, and thrust forward fiercely!

"Snapped!"

In an instant, it was as if a thin membrane had been pierced, and the purple light vibrated violently, turning into a wave of air that spread outwards!

Rod felt a sharp pain on both sides of his head, and his body fell backward uncontrollably!

Fortunately, it was only for a moment, and Rhodes regained his balance.

"call……"

Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the stone gate in front of him again. The light on it had faded, and the purple gem the size of a goose egg had also become dull.

Rhodes rested for a while, then gripped his wand again, focused his spiritual tendrils, and tentatively explored forward.

This time there were no obstacles.

Rod turned to Doron and ordered, "Doron, take some men and try to push open the stone door."

"Yes, my lord!"

Doron immediately responded and waved to the soldiers behind him.

The three of them walked to both sides of the stone gate and stood in groups.
"Ready... Push!"

At Duolong's command, the six men suddenly exerted their strength together.

"Squeak..."

A heavy scraping sound rang out, and the stone door was slowly pushed open.

In an instant, a buzzing sound rang out, and dozens of lights lit up one after another, revealing a spacious and empty hall in Rhodes's view.

"I never expected that these magic lamps would still be lit after so much time has passed."

Rhodes was somewhat surprised and curiously looked around at everything in front of him.
This is a very spacious circular hall with a dome that is about five meters high, and the diameter of the entire hall exceeds fifty meters.

The floor is paved with white marble, which is carved with exquisite and beautiful patterns.

Rhodes did not go in directly. Instead, he focused his spiritual tentacles again and searched the hall.

Finding no restrictions, he opened his eyes.

"Be careful, don't touch anything."

Rhodes warned, "The magic lamps here are still on, which means there is still magic keeping them running."

Although there are no restrictions, it doesn't mean there aren't dangerous things.

"Yes, my lord."

Doron and the soldiers responded in unison and cautiously entered the hall.

Rod and Avril walked behind, curiously looking around at everything.

The most eye-catching feature of the main hall is the seven stone pillars standing directly in front.

The stone pillar was covered with intricate rune patterns and inlaid with dozens of crystals.

However, the luster of those crystals had dimmed.

In the center is a platform with a diameter of five or six meters, and the edges are also inlaid with some dimly lit crystals.

"Why does this magic circle feel a little familiar..."

Rhodes looked at Avril beside him and asked, "Is this... a teleportation array?"

(End of this chapter)