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Wensel's last words made Rocky's heart race nonstop!
Could it be that this institute really holds the magic technology from the Continental Era!?
This possibility made Rocky hold his breath, his mind unable to think of anything else, listening intently to Wensel's final words.
"When the cowards chose to flee, I, like many others, chose to stay, to stay and continue with my research."
The image left by Wensel continued to speak, narrating an unknown history:
"The arrival of the demons was so sudden that people were completely unprepared, leading to the establishment of numerous research institutes and the birth of many great inventions."
"Sky City is such an invention, but even the greatest invention becomes a pile of scrap in the hands of cowards who only think of running away, wasting such a great invention in vain."
"In contrast, the flying armor project being conducted by the Wins Dynasty is more practical. They wanted to create armor that allows the user to fly in the air while greatly enhancing combat power, and once developed, it will dramatically increase the user's strength."
"Unfortunately, this flying armor concept, although excellent, appeared too late. If it had appeared a decade earlier, perhaps we wouldn't have been so vulnerable against the demons. Hopefully, hopefully, they can make this plan succeed in the future..."
Wensel's words left Rocky completely shocked! The so-called flying armor plan was clearly the void magic armor!
As Rocky understood, the earliest concept of the void magic armor was indeed proposed at the end of the resistance war, but by then, vast lands had already been lost, making it impossible to realize the idea. The first truly functional void magic armor was developed after people had completely migrated to the skies.
Goodness...
Who exactly was this Wensel?
He even knew about the void magic armor, and judging from his tone, even though the void magic armor was hailed as an invention second only to Sky City, in his eyes it was merely a decent idea?
Isn't this a bit too arrogant?
Or could it be...
That this Wensel was working on inventions no less significant than the void magic armor!?
At this point, the image left by Wensel continued speaking:
"The concept of flying armor is very good, and the invention of Sky City is great, but the research I'm conducting is no less significant than theirs!"
After this, Wensel's image proudly declared:
"My ideas differ from theirs. They are merely attempting to develop new technology to defeat the demons, but these people have forgotten one thing: there isn't the time or resources for that!"
"The demons have already occupied vast lands, the time left for us is short, and the resources we have are dwindling. How easy is it to invent new equipment to resist the demons under these conditions?"
"Even if they succeed, facing land completely occupied, what can just one new weapon or armor achieve?"
"So, these people's ideas are wrong!"
"What we should really do is enhance the existing equipment! And that is the purpose of my research!"
Here comes the key point!
When Wensel's image finished this sentence, it paused for a moment before speaking again:
"Mana Runes, this is my invention."
"The great invention that I devoted my life's energy to, even Sky City pales in comparison!"
As he spoke, Wensel's image waved its hand, revealing a symbol that Rocky couldn't understand.
"This is the Mana Rune, an energy-containing magic symbol, functioning like a magic stone, providing magical energy, and can completely replace the magic stone from now on."
"So... it's just this... thing...?"
When Wensel's image, with an immensely proud tone, revealed his invention, Rocky felt a bit disappointed...
Because Wensel had made it clear that his invention of the Mana Rune was merely a substitute for the magic stone.
In a world dependent on magic technology, mana has become an irreplaceable resource. Everything from Sky City to void magic armor relies on mana to function properly, and the container that stores mana is the magic stone.
Remember the drive crystal in Thunderhawk City? That huge crystal is essentially an oversized magic stone, and even the void magic armor Rocky was wearing had magic stones embedded in it to provide the necessary mana for the armor.
What Wensel invented was a substitute for the magic stone.
But... so what?
Today's technology has already solved the issue of recharging magic stones, making them a renewable resource. As a result, they've become less precious than they once were, so in this context... what use is the Mana Rune?
Replace the magic stone? But the magic stone doesn't need to be replaced at all!
Wensel indeed left his invention, and perhaps a hundred years ago it would have had some use, but a hundred years later today, it serves no purpose…
This result inevitably left Rocky feeling disappointed.
"Oh well, it's still an invention, maybe it can be utilized, so it's not a loss."
With a long sigh, Rocky had to console himself to adjust his mood.
He had always hoped to make a truly significant discovery this time, hoping to turn the tide for Thunderhawk City, but he also knew that one shouldn't be too greedy, and he didn't have that much luck.
And at this moment, Wensel's voice continued: "The methods for drawing mana runes, and my research materials, are all here. Also, there are some experimental items I used during my research here. These things can help you better understand the Mana Rune."
When Wensel finished speaking, the image he left behind began to blur, seemingly about to disappear.
"Make good use of this great invention... drive the demons out of the land..."
After saying this final sentence, Wensel's image vanished completely.
But just at the moment the image disappeared, a wall behind it slowly opened, revealing a hidden chamber!
Seeing the hidden chamber slowly open before him, Rocky immediately walked over. Even though the invention of the Mana Rune may not be highly practical today, it's still an invention after all. If utilized well, it could certainly yield considerable profits, so though Rocky was disappointed, he wasted no time in entering the chamber.
The hidden chamber behind the wall wasn't very large, with just a table and a few large boxes inside.
Walking in, Rocky went to the table and looked down, seeing a yellowed booklet on it, clearly inscribed with several words: Mana Rune Research Notes.
"It seems everything about the Mana Rune, Wensel recorded in this notebook."
Rocky carefully tucked the notebook away and then turned his attention to the boxes in the chamber.
The boxes were covered in dust, looking like treasure chests sealed for many years.
Just now, Wensel mentioned that they contained experimental items.
"I wonder if there are any treasures..."
Seeing these boxes, Rocky became excited once more. Although Wensel's invention might be ordinary, such a master often possesses valuable items, and if there are one or two treasures in the experimental items left by Wensel, it would be worthwhile for Rocky.
So he couldn't wait to pry open the nearest box.
Lifting the lid, Rocky saw two long swords inside. Taking one out, his eyes lit up at once!
"Good stuff!"
Holding the sword in his hand, Rocky immediately knew this was a fine weapon!
Logically speaking, this long sword should have been sealed for nearly a hundred years, but it still gleamed brilliantly, with a chill exuding from its tip, looking menacing.
More importantly, the hilt of this long sword was inlaid with two magic stones!
This was a piece of mana equipment!
By embedding magic stones into equipment through special techniques, one could create mana equipment. Although their power couldn't rival the void magic armor, they surpassed ordinary weapons, and given their far lower cost compared to the void magic armor, mana equipment was highly popular.
This long sword was a mana sword, and it was inlaid with two magic stones. The mana contained in these two stones undoubtedly greatly increased the sword's power, and significantly raised its value.
"I hit the jackpot!"
Swinging the sword twice, Rocky was overjoyed, because he knew such a piece of mana weaponry was worth quite a bit of money. If sold, it could fetch at least several hundred gold coins, almost matching Thunderhawk City's monthly fiscal revenue.
"Hopefully, the other things here are this valuable as well."
Placing the mana sword aside reluctantly, Rocky reached for the second long sword in the box.
This second sword was almost identical to the mana sword he'd just examined, except that it wasn't inlaid with magic stones. Instead, it had strange patterns imprinted on the blade.
Holding the sword, Rocky examined the patterns closely and discovered that they were all composed of peculiar runes!
"These must be the Mana Runes; no wonder there's no embedded magic stone."
Mana Runes themselves are substitutes for magic stones, so although this sword didn't have embedded magic stones, it still belonged to the category of mana weapons due to the runes all over it and was similarly a valuable object.
However...
Gazing at the rune sword in his hand, and then at the mana sword on the table, Rocky suddenly had a curious thought. Which of these two swords, one with magic stones and one with magic patterns, was more powerful?
With this thought, he couldn't help but be curious, and became eager to find out!
"Let's see which of you is sharper!"
Driven by curiosity, Rocky held the rune sword in his left hand and the mana sword in his right, activating the mana contained in both swords simultaneously with his magical power.
In an instant, the two swords radiated light, and he swung both hands, letting the swords collide.
Yet afterward, Rocky didn't hear the expected sound of collision. He just felt a swipe, as his hands crossed paths, then looked at the swords in his grasp, and discovered that the right-hand magic sword had been sliced in half!
The magic sword in his hand... was broken into two!
"This, this can't be!"
Seeing the magic sword split in two, Rocky was stunned...
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