I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The following morning, the air circulation system in the history department's underground laboratory emitted a low hum.

Rhodes was standing in front of the lab table, holding a wiping cloth in his hand, carefully cleaning a huge black mechanical arm.

This arm is made entirely of obsidian, with dark gold runes engraved on its surface. The joints are connected to sophisticated hydraulic transmission rods, and even when it is stationary, it exudes a chilling sense of heaviness.

This is a sample he brought up from underground: the left arm of an obsidian guard.

"Thump, thump".

The silence was broken by a dull thud.

Rhodes didn't turn around, but simply said, "The door isn't locked, Lord Sig."

The heavy iron door was pushed open, and a gray figure slid in silently.

Sig's left arm was still wrapped in thick bandages. Although it had been treated, the wounds caused by the necromantic corrosion were obviously not so easy to heal.

Without wasting words, the leader of the royal assassins walked up to Rhodes, made a gesture with his intact right hand, and then pointed in the direction of the palace.

That was the king's decree: His Majesty wants to know how that thing is doing.

Rod put down the wiping cloth in his hand, patted the heavy obsidian arm, and made a crisp sound like metal clashing.

"Tell His Majesty that although the core is still being tested, I brought him an appetizer."

Rod picked up the 200-pound mechanical arm with one hand as easily as picking up a dry tree branch.

His bones and muscles, strengthened by the [Abyssal Dragon Spinal Fluid], gave him monstrous strength comparable to that of magical beasts.

"Let's go, don't keep His Majesty waiting."

……

The Golden Flower Palace, a private study.

Instead of sitting behind his large desk, King Edward paced anxiously back and forth in the room.

The sunlight streaming through the window fell upon him, but it couldn't dispel the heavy gloom between his brows.

Since the calamity of the undead subsided, the capital has not experienced the expected peace.

On the contrary, a more subtle and dangerous undercurrent is brewing.

"His Majesty."

Sieg pushed open the door and stepped aside to make way for him.

Rod carried in the long, narrow object wrapped in black cloth.

He slammed the item down on the carpet with a thud that made the coffee table in the study tremble.

"What is this?" King Edward stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the package.

"This is part of the power you desire, Your Majesty."

Rod reached out and pulled off the black cloth.

The grotesque, cold, and violently aesthetic obsidian mechanical arm is exposed to the air.

The dark gold runes shimmered in the sunlight, like some ancient breath.

The king's pupils contracted slightly.

Although he didn't understand alchemy, he could sense the terrifying magical fluctuations contained within this object.

"These are... soldiers from that legion?" The king's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This is the arm of an Obsidian Guard, an elite unit within the Legion."

Rhodes continued, "Although the core has been ignited, thousands of years of slumber have caused most of the constructs' energy circuits to break. This arm is a sample that I barely managed to repair after spending an entire night."

As Rhodes spoke, he took out the black chip with its permissions rewritten from his pocket and gently placed it on the broken end of the robotic arm.

"move."

With a low shout from Rhodes, the chip flashed a blue light.

"Buzz—"

The previously silent mechanical arm suddenly emitted a low rumble.

Five sharp obsidian fingers suddenly opened, and the runes at the joints instantly lit up with a dazzling red light.

Rhodes grabbed a decorative stainless steel shield from the side and casually tossed it toward the mechanical arm.

"Snap!"

The robotic arm precisely grasped the circular shield in mid-air.

With his five fingers clenched, accompanied by a sickening metallic twisting sound, the fine steel round shield, which was strong enough to withstand the shot of a heavy crossbow, was actually crushed into a ball of scrap iron like a piece of paper.

"Bang."

The scrap metal ball fell onto the carpet and rolled to the king's feet.

King Edward looked at the lump of scrap metal, then at the mechanical arm that had returned to stillness, and the anxiety in his eyes was instantly replaced by a fanatical greed.

"well!"

The king took a deep breath, bent down to pick up the lump of scrap metal, and felt the terrifying gripping force remaining on it.

"Is this the wisdom of ancient mortals? No need for sorcerers, no need for martial arts, just machines to achieve this level of destructive power?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rhodes replied respectfully, "This is only an arm. If it were a complete Guardian, its combat power would be equivalent to a fully armed, peak-level first-ring knight. But if it were one of those prototypes..."

Rhodes stopped talking at the right moment, leaving the king with plenty of room for imagination.

"How much longer?" The king gripped the scrap metal ball tightly, his knuckles turning white. "How much longer until they're all standing up?"

"Repairing the circuit is a delicate task, and energy is also a major problem." Rhodes looked troubled. "I'm trying to extract energy from the old magical artifacts in the Royal Treasury, but that will take time. Probably... another half month."

In fact, if Rhodes wanted to, he could bring those five hundred killing machines underground to the surface right now.

But he must keep the pace under his control.

"Half a month..."

The king frowned again, threw the scrap metal ball back onto the table, and his tone turned somber.

"Too slow. Rhodes, do you know what the situation is like outside?"

Rhodes lowered his head slightly: "I've been in the underground lab, so I don't know much about it."

"Leaving aside the impending sea monsters, the church itself is already acting unruly."

The king spat out those words through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

"That old charlatan Cecil is making a big fuss about this plague. He claims the disaster is because the royal family condones black magic and because we have strayed from the teachings of the Morning Star. Now, half the commoners in the capital are lining up at the church to receive holy water, and even some minor nobles are beginning to waver."

Rhodes understood.

This is the side effect of his previous tactic of using one tiger to devour another.

Although the Church was used to strike at the necromancy faction, it also brought the Church's prestige to its peak, directly threatening the monarchy.

"They're putting pressure on me." The king walked to the window, gazing at the towering spire of the Morning Star Cathedral in the distance. "They're demanding the establishment of an Inquisition at the Royal Academy and cutting funding for the Court of Mages. If I don't have an absolutely loyal and powerful force to deter them..."

The king turned around and stared intently at Rhodes: "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Your subject understands."

Rhodes said in a deep voice, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Within half a month, I will repair ten Obsidian Guardians. They will become your strongest shield, and anyone who dares to question the monarchy will be crushed under their iron fist."

"Ten..." The king considered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, ten it is. These ten guards must be deployed around the palace as a priority. I want Cecil to see who truly rules this country."

"Yes, ma'am."

Rhodes bowed and wrapped the robotic arm back in the black cloth.

This test was successful.

The king's attention was successfully diverted to the church, and Rhodes bought himself a precious two-week buffer period.

These two weeks are enough for him to do a lot and prepare for the impending deep-sea crisis.

……

It was noon when we left the palace.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling. Rhodes carried the mechanical arm and walked out along the white stone-paved palace avenue.

Just as he was about to step out of the palace gates, a white carriage decorated with a silver cross emblem slowly drove up and blocked his way.

The carriage stopped and the door opened.

An old man dressed in a white robe with red trim and holding a golden scepter descended the steps.

His hair and beard were all white, and his face was kind, but his deep-set eyes burned with a kind of fanatical flame that made people afraid to look directly at him.

Morning Star Church, Cardinal Cecil.

Rhodes paused slightly in his steps.

The bones of the Abyssal Dragon within him tensed instinctively, and the heart of the Ancient Siren beat slightly faster.

It's an instinct like encountering a natural enemy.

The seemingly frail old man in front of me possesses light element energy as terrifying as a volcano.

Moreover, they are the kind of fanatical believers of the Three Rings, whose faith is extremely firm and whose spiritual power is almost materialized.

"This... this must be the young savior of the plague, Lord Rod Griffin?"

Bishop Cecil did not make way, but stood in front of Rhodes with a gentle smile on his face.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Bishop." Rhodes bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"The Lord's glory is everywhere." Cecil raised his scepter and made the sign of the cross on his chest. "I have heard of your deeds. Using alchemy to save the world, though it is a mortal's path, it is still in accordance with the Lord's mercy."

His gaze fell on the black cloth wrapped around Rhodes' shoulder, and his eyes instantly sharpened, as if two beams of holy light were trying to penetrate the black cloth and see what was inside.

"That's...some kind of unclean thing?" Cecil frowned, his nose twitching slightly. "I smell the decay of an old era, and...an unpleasant magical fluctuation."

"These are the ancient artifacts His Majesty requested, Your Excellency."

Rhodes answered calmly, while secretly activating the magic resistance properties of his [Crystal Shell] to form an invisible barrier on his body, blocking the other party's probing gaze.

"Cultural relics?"

Cecil smiled, a smile that carried a hint of scrutiny and warning.

"Young people, pursuing knowledge is a good thing. But some knowledge is taboo, and some power is poison. The Royal Academy has already produced a Mortimer, and I don't want to see another lost sheep."

He took a step forward, and the terrifying pressure of the three rings pressed down on Rhodes like a mountain.

"The Church's Inquisition will soon be located in the college. At that time, I will personally visit your laboratory. I hope that you will only have pure potions there then, and not these... sulfurous scraps of metal."

Rod felt a weight on his shoulder, but he didn't take a step back.

He met Cecil's gaze, a faint smile curving his lips.

"I'll be at your service, Your Excellency. However, my laboratory contains only science, not theology. I'm afraid that will disappoint you."

Cecil gave Rhodes a deep look and withdrew his oppressive aura.

May the Lord forgive your ignorance.

After saying this, he boarded the carriage again and, escorted by the paladins, drove into the palace.

Rhodes stood there, watching the carriage disappear into the distance, his eyes gradually turning cold.

"The courtroom has moved into the academy..."

Rhodes touched the mechanical arm on his shoulder.

It seems that he doesn't have much time left.

If we don't prepare a surprise for this bishop, he might actually reach into the underground laboratory.

"Then let's see if your Holy Light is harder, or my Titan's fist is harder."

Rod pulled his hood tighter, turned, and disappeared.