---Third POV---
Since The Watchers' finances have been tight, the technical equipment for micron-level robots and their construction materials have become increasingly difficult to acquire.
Viktor could only replace these expensive, high-consumption weapons with something more practical...
Click, click!
The sound of footsteps from behind interrupted his reminiscence.
Alyanne grabbed hold of a protrusion on the crate outside and climbed inside. Seeing Viktor standing at the back, she was slightly stunned.
"Why are you standing back there?"
The pile of parts was clearly in the front of the crate. No matter how many there were, they shouldn't have reached the position where he currently stood. Moreover, why was he suddenly gazing at the staff in his hand with such a nostalgic expression?
How could she see nostalgia on an undead's face? Her thoughts began to wander.
Could it be that he was finally valuing the bond between a magician and their staff? Was he starting to repent for previously using it as a shovel, a pickaxe, or even a walking stick?
"It's nothing," Viktor came back to his senses, his gaze softening. "Is everything taken care of?"
Alyanne nodded. "There are more task specialists now, so things are much faster."
After all, it was just about putting some merchandise on the shelves. Even though it looked like a lot, there weren't many types, and most of it could just be stored in the warehouse. There was no need to strain themselves by moving everything onto the shelves.
She glanced toward the inside of the crate.
"Are you planning to move all of this out? Should I call a few people to help?"
Previously, she had tried moving everything into the warehouse, but the materials were unexpectedly heavy, far heavier than they looked. The four of them, all task specialists, couldn't even lift a half-meter-long rod. With no other options, they had to leave the items where they were for now.
Viktor smiled faintly and shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I can manage this alone."
"You?" Alyanne looked at Viktor in puzzlement. It wasn't that she doubted his abilities. As the infamous legendary necromancer described in both history books and bardic tales, he was undoubtedly powerful. But these parts were astonishingly heavy, and everyone knew how physically fragile the undead were.
Was he planning to use magic to transport them?
She glanced around.
"Should I step outside?"
If Viktor really intended to cast spells, she might need to leave temporarily.
However, as though seeing through her thoughts, Viktor smiled and said, "No need. I'll show you instantaneous magic."
With that, he extended his right hand and held the staff horizontally.
"Watch closely."
Suddenly, he let go, and the black staff plummeted toward the ground.
Alyanne instinctively squinted and turned her head.
The anticipated sound of collision never came. Instead, the staff disintegrated into a heap of black sand the moment it touched the ground. The sand didn't scatter in all directions; instead, it rolled like a gust of wind toward the pile of parts in front of them.
To her astonishment, the black sand seemed alive. It clung to the surface of the parts, arranging them in a line and carrying them out of the crate one by one.
One, two, three... The process was quick and orderly, with each part swiftly transported to the clearing outside the crate.
She was dumbfounded, her gaze following the movement of the parts passing by her. Her head turned from right to left, up, down, and back again... She could hardly believe her eyes. Unable to hold back, she blurted out, "The staff is alive!"
"Thanks for the compliment, though it's still working on that," Viktor replied casually.
Pointing to the neatly stacked parts outside, he said, "Leave this to them. Let's go talk elsewhere."
The returning swarm of robots thoughtfully formed a staircase for the two to climb down. But Alyanne, her legs weak from inexplicable fear, struggled to move. After trying twice, she gave up and chose to leave the way she came.
As she exited, her eyes were irresistibly drawn to the black sand busily moving around. She noticed how the sand, like a flowing black river, zipped back and forth in her field of vision.
It seemed to possess extraordinary intelligence and autonomy, able to handle the varying shapes and sizes of parts with great flexibility.
There were even signs of specialized roles among the grains! And the speed was astonishing!
In the time it took Alyanne to climb down, the black sand had already made five or six trips.
She was so absorbed in watching that she didn't even notice Viktor walking up beside her.
"Interested in them?"
Startled, Alyanne blinked, suddenly aware of the dryness in her eyes.
Closing her mouth, she shook her head. "No."
This kind of mysterious magical device, clearly of profound complexity, was far beyond her reach. Still, its sheer otherness, just watching the floating black grains,made her skin crawl.
She only had one question in mind.
"Is there a lot of this sand?"
"Sand? You dragons really do name things similarly," Viktor chuckled. "Someone else calls it black sand too."
Perhaps reminiscing about something familiar, his mood brightened, and he grew more talkative.
"This is a unique magical device of The Watchers. As for quantity... imagine the scale of a locust swarm."
"A locust swarm?!" Alyanne's eyes widened in shock. Her mind flashed to a childhood memory of a locust swarm, an overwhelming black cloud that left fields barren, with only bare stalks and desolation in its wake.
Her breath hitched.
If the black sand were as numerous as a swarm of locusts... that was terrifying!
Her heart raced.
"That much?!"
"Not anymore," Viktor sighed with a trace of regret. "These machines are incredibly precious. If one batch breaks, it takes out a huge portion."
Bang!
Just as he finished speaking, the black sand carrying a U-shaped part suddenly veered off course and crashed.
Alyanne's heart skipped a beat as the part fell to the ground with a loud thud, leaving two deep dents in the earth. Her body flinched, followed by a wave of heartache.
She didn't know the exact cost of the black sand, but its capabilities made it clear that it wasn't cheap. However, the next moment, the fallen black sand rose again as if nothing had happened, continuing its work of transporting parts.
The fleeting look of heartache on her face froze. Turning to Viktor, she saw him spread his hands.
"I never said that this level of impact would break them."
Indeed, there were plenty of forces capable of damaging the black sand: divine battles, self-destructing archmages, gods' weapons with special rules... all could lead to heavy losses.
Of course, anything below a demigod's attack? It might as well be bedtime for the sand.
It didn't take long. Half of the parts in the cargo box had already been moved out. Some of the black sand had even started assembling the parts on the spot.
Viktor sent out a timely message, summoning the players currently in Honeyvale Town. He gave them a time and place, promising surprises when they arrived.
Alyanne, standing nearby, kept stepping back, afraid of stepping on the strange black grains of sand. The scattered parts gradually formed into sets of semi-finished products. As the full shape of the items slowly took form, her frown deepened.
"This is… a table? No, a hammer?"
"It's an industrial mother machine."
"A mother...?"
"Hmm, let's wait until it's fully assembled before I explain."
Explaining technology to a dragon wasn't easy; perhaps it was better to leave it to the "helpful" players. He tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. Rumor had it Alyanne even had her own fan club on the forums?
As expected of the players…
After a brief sigh, he continued overseeing the work of the black sand. With a slightly melancholic tone, he muttered, "If only I had more than just a hundred billion grains of black sand. Their working speed is still too slow."
Due to his special identity, it was far too easy for people from the Church to track him down. As a result, he had to entrust all important items, including these micron-level robots, to others for safekeeping. For now, he had only retrieved a portion of them from the Ship-Carriage Guild. At best, these were tireless subordinates, more dedicated than players, but still unable to fully unleash the black sand's capabilities.
Watching the gradually forming components, he consoled himself, "Oh well, taking it slow is fine…"
After all, with his current mental strength, he couldn't precisely control all one hundred billion grains for detailed tasks. Right now, the priority was still recovery and resource stockpiling.
Half an hour later, under Alyanne's incredulous gaze, most of the parts had been assembled into seven large components.
"Let's go."
Viktor directed the black sand to form a cart with only a base and wheels. He arranged the seven large components neatly on the cart and began transporting them toward the task point's front hall. A pile of uninstalled embedded components trailed behind.
Alyanne snapped out of her immersion in the assembly process and quickly caught up.
"Where are we going?"
"To the industrial district," Viktor replied without looking back.
The industrial mother machine's final destination wasn't the task point. Given the weight of the assembled machine, it wasn't suitable for transportation once complete. He hadn't planned to finish assembling it on-site. Now, it was time to move it to its ultimate destination.
---
The atmosphere in the task point's front hall was tense.
Bard couldn't help glancing toward the back door of the task point. It had been over half an hour since the necromancer in the black magician robes had entered.
No one had passed through that path since.
The door stood quiet and ominous, unsettling everyone.
If Cobb hadn't dragged him back by force, he would've already fled to who-knows-where. Rationally, he knew from the first day he joined Honeyvale Town who this lord really was.
He even knew that the lord could be considered a merciful, yes, even kind, leader.
However, half a month of interaction couldn't overcome the fear instilled by childhood horror stories, or the sight of skeletal remains glimpsed by chance.
He leaned in to whisper to Cobb, ensuring only the two of them could hear.
"When you work here, do you encounter him often?"
Cobb was slightly taken aback but quickly understood who Bard was referring to. He shook his head lightly and replied just as quietly, "Not really. He's probably here because of the transport vehicle found this morning."
"Transport vehicle?" Bard frowned.
Just as he was about to ask for more details, a sudden creak of the door interrupted him.
Both men turned simultaneously.
A torrent of black sand burst forth from the back door, surging forward like a tide! The black sand moved as if alive, wriggling and spreading across the ground. It resembled countless tiny ants, frantically carrying metal and iron ore outward.
Bard gasped and shouted in terror, "What the hell are these?!"
Panic erupted in the task point.
"Monsters! They're monsters!"
"Oh no! The town's barrier must've failed!" someone cried in fear.
The words exploded like a bomb, sending waves of terror rippling through the crowd. People scrambled to retreat from the black sand, desperate to flee.
"Run!"
"It's a new monster! We're doomed!"
Just then, a calm yet commanding voice rang out from behind them.
"Quiet!"
Everyone stopped instinctively, turning toward the source of the voice. There stood Viktor, following behind the "black tide," appearing before them.
"Relax. These aren't monsters. You're safe."
Though his voice wasn't loud, it carried an undeniable authority and reassurance. The crowd gradually quieted, though fear still lingered on their faces.
Looks like I scared them too much, he sighed inwardly.
He had focused on notifying the players and forgotten to consider the mental endurance of the town's native residents. Many of them likely had PTSD from close encounters with death in the Great Oak Forest and the goblin nest, making them highly sensitive to the unknown.
But such unknowns would only increase in the future. They'd have to get used to it eventually.
He turned and placed a hand on the shoulder of Alyanne, who had jogged to catch up, stopping her in her tracks.
"These people are your responsibility. Explain what we're doing to them."
With that, he turned decisively and walked out of the task point's front door.
Alyanne stood frozen, utterly baffled. She didn't even understand it herself!
---
On the streets, this peculiar convoy of transporters caught the attention of both native townsfolk and players.
"What the heck is that?"
"Ants moving house?"
"Monsters!"
"No, not monsters. That's the lord in the middle!"
The native townsfolk instinctively kept their distance. Even if there was no danger, years of experience and caution drove them to avoid the unknown.
The players, on the other hand, were buzzing with excitement and curiosity, clustering around to follow. This strange sight must be some kind of special event!
"What's with the huge spectacle?"
"Could it be a new boss?"
"Viktor has upgraded his equipment again?"
"Damn it, my money's going to NPCs again!"
"Where's your money even going?"
The combined reactions of both groups conveniently cleared a wide, empty path for Viktor. This allowed him to arrive at his destination five minutes earlier than expected.
The destination?
A newly built factory on the edge of the industrial district.
Its location was ideal, right on the border of the industrial zone with excellent transportation access. And just behind it was an ore processing plant.
It was a prime spot in the industrial district.
As he entered the factory with the industrial mother machine components, a crowd of players was already waiting inside.
"He's here! Viktor's here! Make room!"
"Whoa! What's that massive black thing behind him?"