Chapter 3165: NegotiatedEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the magic array gradually operated, the speed of extracting the world’s strength accelerated.
The Land of Ice Soul planet was the largest known planet, and its energy reserves were equally immense; otherwise, it could not have given rise to the naturally high-strength Core Flame Vein ore.
Wu Yi felt faint tremors under her feet.
The extraction speed was too fast.
Could it really be this insane?
Even the Evil Clan, when attempting to extract world strength, had never reached such terrifying efficiency.
For example, they had used a pump to slowly drain a fish pond, whereas Fang Heng had opened the floodgate.
It was a frenzied plunder.
The native creatures of the Land of Ice Soul already sensed the world’s essence being violently drained. They did not know exactly what was happening but instinctively fell into a state of extreme unease.
Outside the cavern, many of the world’s native creatures detected the threat and rushed toward the magic array.
However, the local creatures were generally not strong. By the time they reached the cavern’s periphery, they were all wiped out by the mechanical creatures of the spawns gathered there.
Wu Yi furrowed her brows and scanned the cavern around them.
Only then did she notice that the cavern walls, shrouded in Black Fog, were densely covered in vines.
Had they reinforced the structure with these special plants in anticipation of the catacombs collapsing?
Wu Yi watched in awe and uncertainty as Fang Heng continued absorbing the world’s energy for more than ten minutes.
"Fang Heng, that’s enough," Wu Yi could not help but remind him. "The Core Flame Vein requires sufficient world energy to grow. If too much is extracted, its growth will stop..."
"So?"
With Fang Heng’s alchemy level rapidly increasing, he could control the dimensional magic array while casually conversing with Wu Yi.
He looked at her and said, "Should I leave behind something I cannot obtain for the spawns?"
Wu Yi was momentarily speechless.
So he had planned this all along?
The hatred between the spawns and vampires ran deeper than she had anticipated.
"But the Core Flame Vein is crucial to us, or rather, extremely important to the Helium research. Without the ore, the plan would be severely impacted, even stalled."
"Is that so?"
Fang Heng looked at her with a measured gaze.
Wu Yi felt as if a hunter’s eyes had locked onto her, her heart tightening.
D*mn it!
Her weakness had been exposed.
"Fine, I admit it. The Evil Clan came here to acquire the Core Flame Ore, which had always been controlled by the spawns. Combined with the spawns’ long-standing dominance over the Helium research, the benefits we could gain were never satisfactory."
Wu Yi took a deep breath to calm herself and continued, "I was sent here under orders. If I could secure the Core Flame Ore, the Evil Clan could conduct some private research away from the spawns’ gaze."
"The Core Flame Vein’s output in the universe is extremely low, and the institute’s consumption is high. Its importance is far greater than you imagine."
Fang Heng listened to Wu Yi’s explanation and shrugged lightly.
So that was it.
When Wu Yi first approached him, she spoke of a fair trade.
She could help the vampires escape in exchange for all the Core Flame Ore they could acquire from the Land of Ice Soul.
Naturally, Fang Heng would not agree.
It turned out the Core Flame Ore was connected to Helium research.
Fang Heng paused the magic array, stepped back two paces, and glanced at the game hint.
In just over ten minutes, he had absorbed about 4% of the dimensional world’s strength.
He was not worried that the Core Flame Vein could not regenerate. The main concern was that his mental strength had suffered some strain. Though the upgraded magic array was dozens of times more efficient, its consumption had also multiplied dozens of times, making it impossible for him to maintain the array for long.
He needed to rest and recover his mental strength.
Fang Heng quickly cleared his thoughts, a faint smile forming on his lips. He looked at Wu Yi and asked, "Interesting. It seems we can indeed collaborate."
Seeing that Fang Heng had stopped further damaging the world, Wu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Evil Clan has always been sincere. If the vampires are willing to provide us with enough Core Flame Ore, we can help you find a way to leave safely. Afterwards, we could jointly conduct Helium research privately. With your assistance, we could..."
"Short-sighted."
Fang Heng shook his head, cutting off Wu Yi, and said, "That’s too small a vision."
"Huh?"
Wu Yi looked at him suspiciously.
Short-sighted? What did he mean?
"I have a new proposal. Do you want to hear it?"
Wu Yi’s suspicion deepened, and she nodded, "Please, go ahead."
"We can collaborate. I will destroy the Land of Ice Soul and take full control of the remaining Core Flame Ore. Then, the ore will be entirely in our hands. Whether you wish to conduct private Helium research or secure influence over research with the spawns, it can be easily done. What do you think?"
Wu Yi frowned, thinking how audacious Fang Heng’s appetite was.
"That’s impossible. Research consumes vast amounts of Core Flame Vein. If we destroy the Land of Ice Soul, the remaining vein would not be enough for long."
"Is that so? Not necessarily." Fang Heng said lightly, turning toward another cavern. "Follow me."
Wu Yi felt a premonition; her brow furrowed. She continued following Fang Heng down the passage to a lower cavern.
After turning several corners and following a long corridor, they entered the lower cavern. Wu Yi’s eyes widened in astonishment at the scene before her.
This...
Incredible!
She spun to look at Fang Heng, her gaze piercing as if trying to see through him.
The vampires! What kind of race were they?
Fang Heng smiled faintly at the astonishment on Wu Yi’s face and shrugged, "Well? Not bad, right? Hope it satisfies you."
Looking back, the massive underground cavern teemed with prisoners and vampires busily transporting materials.
They moved crate after crate of raw Core Flame Vein ore into mechanical furnaces, where it went through multiple refining processes. The finished ore products were placed in wooden crates and continuously transported out of the cavern.
Rows of ore smelting instruments, numbering in the thousands at least, were stacked throughout the cavern.
Yet, the temperature inside the entire cavern remained surprisingly cool.
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