Sacred Souls: Genesis

Chapter 145: Chapter 144 Game Rules (3rd Update! Request monthly tickets! Please subscribe!)

Xia Shan placed the mechanical arm between the furnace and the conveyor belt. Once again, she activated the conveyor belt with magic power, and the mechanical arm began to throw the raw iron ore from the belt into the furnace.

“The output is here.” Xia Shan sized up the furnace, thinking to herself that it was indeed a big shot’s tool.

The delicious-looking white snake had given Xia Shan a master-level furnace, which seemed to be constructed of piled-up stones. However, the stone surface was etched with an abundance of dazzling magic inscriptions. This was an upgraded version of the master-level furnace, with at least three times the smelting effect and output rate of a standard furnace.

This type of ordinary iron ore could be refined into iron blocks in about five seconds … as for why not first smelt it into molten iron and then solidify it into iron blocks.

The players lacked the skill and the patience, so the blacksmith players’ furnace was basically a mini steel mill—a kind that could smelt any ore.

Xia Shan found the output above the ludicrously luxurious furnace, which had blinded her for a moment, and it had already produced several iron blocks. Players just needed to forge them slightly to make them usable for producing equipment such as armor.

“Next is this.” Xia Shan took another mechanical arm from her backpack and positioned it at the output. The mechanical arm precisely grabbed the refined iron blocks from the output and placed them onto the conveyor belt that Xia Shan had laid out.

Like laying floor tiles, Xia Shan placed the conveyor belts on the ground one by one, stepping back with each placement. After retreating about five or six meters, the conveyor belt transported the refined iron blocks to… the feet of the members of the Dancing Nuclear Guild.

“This is actually a very common automated logistics system, just magically modified for the game,” said Xia Shan to the members of the Dancing Nuclear Guild after she had completed the setup.

Indeed, it was magically modified … Jiang Qiao examined the starting point of the entire logistics system, which was the mining machine I created by Xia Shan herself.

As soon as Mining Machine I sunk its drill into the earth, it continuously excavated raw iron ore and transported it onto the conveyor belt.

To anyone with a background in mechanics or even a bit of understanding of machinery, this scene would make them exclaim, “This is just too unscientific!”

Even less scientific were the conveyor belts that only needed an injection of magic power to run, and the master-level furnace that integrated a steel plant’s functions: skills impossible to achieve in reality and only effective in the context of a game.

And Jiang Qiao could further simplify the process of refining minerals, like creating a small fairy using Creation Energy that could consume the ore and spit out iron blocks.

But Jiang Qiao didn’t plan to do that because it would consume a massive amount of Creation Energy. The more powerful the object he created in the Holy Spirit World, the more Creation Energy it would require. In contrast, something that more closely followed the laws of reality would consume less energy.

The Creation Energy it would take Jiang Qiao to create such a fairy could be a hundred, a thousand, or even ten-thousand times more than if he simply built a steel mill!

But most importantly, it wouldn’t be fun anymore.

Jiang Qiao smiled as he watched Xia Shan, who looked slightly anxious in the distance, and the members of the Dancing Nuclear Guild.

As a game designer, Jiang Qiao’s job was to balance gameplay with reality. That furnace was the perfect example: the process of smelting iron wasn’t as complex as in reality, but the omitted steps didn’t make blacksmith players feel bored during smelting.

Xia Shan’s logistical system perfectly embodied Jiang Qiao’s philosophy.

Jiang Qiao could see in the eyes of the Dancing Nuclear Guild’s members… when they saw Xia Shan’s logistics system, it wasn’t the kind of sycophantic admiration or “Wow, true master!” Instead, it was… a desire to play!

“Chang… Chang Qing, do you have more of these conveyor belts and mechanical arms?” The voice of the member known as Mama Has a Dog was tinged with a trembling excitement.

This was the excitement akin to a big boy discovering he could drive a Lamborghini! Showing off was one aspect, but the other was the discovery of such an interesting… toy.

It really was fun, the fully automated logistics playstyle of the Alchemy Engineer.

Surrounded by players brimming with creativity, the moment they saw this logistics system, they realized they could use it for even more interesting endeavors.

It was like when they first saw the base-building system; the feeling that welled up from within was… I absolutely have to use this system to construct a huge house.

And now, their thought was probably… I have to use these belts and mechanical arms to construct a gigantic factory.

The notion that ignited such an impulse in them was probably because it was simple.

“Do you know how difficult it is to build a fully automated logistics system in reality?” Jiang Qiao said to the floating Hai Lan beside him.

“Ah? I don’t know, but it must be very expensive, right? The electricity alone is costly,” replied Hai Lan, unable to answer Jiang Qiao’s question because Add Milk Not Price, who was floating beside Jiang Qiao, thought he was speaking to her.

“Electricity? Indeed, it’s costly, but first comes the development of the equipment, the personnel for logistical management, the control of the machines—a series of headaches that make people not want to bother with it. But none of that exists here.”

Jiang Qiao looked at the players who had surrounded Xia Shan and said.

“There’s only fun here, the fun of how interesting it is to build a fully automatic logistics system.”

“She’s gone.” Hai Lan finally got a chance to interject, now that Jiang Qiao was in a state of achievement explosion.

For Jiang Qiao, there was nothing more satisfying than players shouting ‘Shut up and take my money! I want to play with this thing!’.

“This girl has taken on the role of an agent on her own initiative,” Jiang Qiao said, watching Jian Nai add milk free of charge run all the way to Xia Shan’s side, separating her from the excited members of the Dancing Nuclear Guild surrounding her.

Xia Shan was also a bit dazed, any newbie would be in a panic if a group of big shots suddenly approached them with a ‘let me have one to play with’ expression on their faces.

“One at a time! One at a time!” Jian Nai add milk free of charge said.

“How many of these machines do you have?” Mo Shigui asked Xia Shan, ignoring Jian Nai add milk free of charge.

Xia Shan’s logistics system had freed their mining labor force; all they needed to do was hang up the system every day to receive an endless supply of mined resources, provided they killed enough monsters on the islands.

“As for the transport belts, I have an unlimited number, that’s a blueprint given during the apprentice stage of an alchemy engineer. I also have five or six mechanical arms, but as for the automatic mining machines, I only have two right now,” Xia Shan said.

“That’s it!” Jian Nai add milk free of charge snapped her fingers excitedly upon hearing Xia Shan’s words, relieved that Xia Shan wasn’t foolish enough to say something like ‘No problem! You can have as many as you want’.

Rarity increases value, so if there aren’t many mining machines, the price would naturally go up.

“Building the mining machine is a bit tricky. Even if I register it on a blueprint, the success rate is only 12%, so I have to assemble it myself,” Xia Shan said. “The mechanical arms are much simpler, with a 50% success rate if built from blueprints.”

Blueprints are a labor-saving method of construction, but the more complex the player-customized items, the lower the probability of replication using blueprints. Xia Shan rarely used blueprints to replicate due to being poor.

“How about you sell the two mining machines to us first?” Mo Shigui suggested.

“Two is not enough! Boss, get us ten, we also want to play with this logistics system.”

“Then you guys should switch to the alchemy engineer job!”

“Right, there’s still time to switch jobs now; boss! I’ll make a trip back to Lionheart City.”

“I’ll go back too.”

“Their mining machines and mechanical arms are homemade! Do you have the brains to make them?” someone in the guild yelled at the eager members.

These players, mostly miners, might not be able to adapt to this construction-oriented game.

“Sell?” It was Xia Shan’s first time selling something in an online game. She had always been an introverted builder when playing online games. Although she interacted with others, the role of a merchant didn’t suit her.

“This is when I should step in to talk about the price, neighbor guild leader, you have a good eye.”

“What’s your budget?” Jiang Qiao asked, popping up from the other side and interrupting Jian Nai add milk free of charge.

“…”

Mo Shigui’s face darkened at the mention of a budget by Jiang Qiao. He had been caught up in the astonishment and excitement of the mining machines and logistics system, forgetting a very serious matter.

Although he was the guild leader of the Dancing Nuclear Guild, he really didn’t have much money. The guild’s assets were communal, after all, and there was a commercial organization called a club behind the Dancing Nuclear Guild.

“Oh right! Sister Chang Qing, let’s go talk to the leader of the Cola Fanatic Guild,” Jian Nai add milk free of charge said, also snapping to her senses upon Jiang Qiao’s reminder. At times like this, it was better to turn to the rich.

“I… I think I’d just like the materials, if that’s okay,” Xia Shan said, not falling for Jian Nai add milk free of charge’s temptation and making her own suggestion.

“Okay! What materials do you want?”

Mo Shigui agreed without a second thought. Money… he couldn’t manage, but there was no problem with materials in the guild. This would be a good opportunity to nurture Xia Shan, even though she belonged to Jiang Qiao’s guild.

Mo Shigui was also looking forward to what oddities Xia Shan, or rather… this game, could come up with.