Chapter 120: Chapter 18: Remodeling the Laboratory

After settling down in Golden Harbor, Jeming began to plan his next moves.

Without the restriction of contribution points, Jeming did some quick calculations and found that he had two main objectives at the moment.

The first is to collect certain special materials that are extremely rare and unsuitable for collection in the Wizard World, especially in pure “Wizard Cultivation Dishes” like Nolun Workshop.

The other is to delve into the Divine Power Faith Network of the Elorcia Plane — this is extremely valuable research material for any wizard, potentially the most precious thing in the entire plane.

To facilitate in-depth research and secret experiments, Jeming decided to acquire a suitable residence in Golden Harbor.

He inquired through an agent and quickly identified a target: a luxurious villa at the city’s edge, belonging to a minor noble planning to flee.

“Lord Jack, you truly have a keen eye!” The real estate agent, a short and chubby man with a handlebar mustache, had a sycophantic smile on his face, constantly rubbing his hands together.

“This ’Dawn Mansion’ is a rare gem in Golden Harbor! It covers a vast area with a beautiful garden. Although Baron Garcia is eager to sell, and the price has dropped significantly, its value far exceeds similar properties on the market!”

Jeming merely glanced at the property blueprint full of lavish praises, which depicted the villa exquisitely.

Golden Harbor’s geographical location near the north, and its position at the intersection of several countries, is what makes it so prosperous.

However, under the shadow of the plane wars, many nobles in Golden Harbor are eager to liquidate their assets and seek refuge to the south and west.

This gave Jeming plenty of options for his purchase plan.

“Enough chatter.” Jeming’s voice was deep, carrying an undeniable authority, “I just need to know its bottom price, and how long the paperwork will take.”

The agent was momentarily cowed by Jeming’s aura, a trace of fear flashing across his plump face.

However, upon hearing Jeming’s subsequent words, he immediately became obsequious again, “Yes, my lord! The bottom price is three thousand gold coins. Considering the current tense situation, if you pay in full, I can persuade the baron to lower it by another two hundred gold coins. The paperwork… could be completed as soon as this afternoon! I guarantee to expedite it without delay!”

“Three thousand gold coins, done by this afternoon.” Jeming directly took out a large bag of gold coins and placed it heavily on the table.

The so-called “gold” in the Elorcia Plane is structured differently from the common gold seen in Wizard Civilization, but for a wizard skilled in alchemy, it is not a difficult thing to handle.

Even if the current alchemy level cannot directly change the particle structure of matter, one could still extract a large pile of gold coins using alchemy at any mine.

“Yes! Yes! My lord! Rest assured!” The agent’s face broke into a wide grin, eagerly taking the bag of gold coins, nodding and bowing continuously.

Even though the weight of the coins made the veins in his hands bulge, he clung to it for fear of Jeming changing his mind.

He had never encountered such a forthright and powerful client.

He even vaguely guessed that this “Lord Jack” was no ordinary adventurer but perhaps a “Black Glove” placed in Golden Harbor by a mysterious family or faction — otherwise, who could effortlessly produce such a huge amount of gold coins?

Just a few hours later, Jeming received the property deed for the villa, becoming the new owner of “Dawn Mansion.”

He stepped into the spacious living room, gazing at the exquisitely carved walls and furnishings, feeling quite satisfied.

With this base, he could boldly carry out renovations.

Given enough time, even if an enemy of Third Level Creatures were to attack, he could annihilate them using the stronghold.

As for the materials needed for the renovations and the equipment required for research…

Jeming pulled out several space expansion bags, carefully checking them, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

These space expansion bags were considered rare benefits for newcomers.

While spatial tools like Spatial Rings that could ignore environmental rule differences required a Sixth Level Space Element Wizard proficient in alchemy to create, simpler space expansion type magic could be accessed by Third Level Wizards.

Wizards had not been invading the Elorcia Plane for a short period, and they had, of course, adapted to most of the rule differences here, making the creation of things like storage bags not difficult.

With no shortage of points, Jeming simply bought several of the largest space expansion bags before leaving and bought several sets of research equipment as well.

Moreover, after thoroughly understanding the local space rules, there were even more important things to use besides the space bags.

“I should put it in here…”

Jeming reached into one of the bags, quickly finding a small ruby.

“Got it, a general-purpose space expansion core. Right, I remember this villa should have a basement…”

Using alchemy to scan the entire villa, Jeming quickly found the basement entrance.

Opening the wooden door and smelling the musty odor emanating from the basement, Jeming frowned slightly.

A wave of his hand, and under the influence of alchemy, the mold and dust inside gathered into a ball.

Even the bricks and stones constituting the basement automatically became smooth, instantly turning mirror-like.

He promptly dismantled the slightly decayed wooden door and pulled out a large piece of metal from the space bag, molding it with alchemy into a several-ton heavy metal door.

With the metal door seamlessly installed at the basement entrance, Jeming nodded in satisfaction.

“We’ll add the protective measures later; for now, let’s expand the space first.”

Jeming easily opened the metal door and jumped down, looking at the cramped space of the basement. He pulled out an entire set of equipment and a rune array from the space bag.

He installed the setup inside the basement and placed the ruby into the core’s groove.

Buzz…

A low hum that almost blended with the silence of the basement sounded.

Geometric patterns floated on the surface of the core, and the red crystal suddenly emitted a stable glow, like a heart being awakened.

It smoothly floated from the apparatus, gradually drifting to a point an inch below the center of the basement ceiling.

“Coordinates anchored, dimensional reference confirmed…” Jeming muttered the necessary parameters, connecting and adjusting with the core using spiritual power.

As the entire apparatus started, the metal runes originally arranged on the basement walls and floor seemed to melt, quickly turning the interior into a silvery white.

This is the moment!

With a slight mental command, he activated the “shaping” of the space.

The core trembled violently, not a physical vibration, but a stir in the space itself under the core’s force.

An invisible ripple, potent enough to make any sharp-sensed creatures feel a moment of vertigo, spread from the core outwards in all directions!

Like a stone thrown into water—except that what’s cast is the reality of space itself.

When the ripple touched the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling, there was no hard collision.

The metal-clad walls suddenly seemed to turn into flowing mercury, their hard, stubborn physical structure kneaded, stretched, and extended by some higher-dimensional power.

With a peculiar, low noise like countless grains of sand rubbing against each other, Jeming clearly felt his vision begin to distort and deform.

The ground beneath his feet seemed grasped by an invisible giant hand, extending outward and downward smoothly and irresistibly.

The walls, once close at hand, felt like they were being pushed back by an invisible hand, the sense of space instantly shattered and reassembled.

The smooth metallic walls began to stretch in view, the wall textures seemed to draw into threads, and these “threads” also began to blur, eventually merging into the expanding space.

The low ceiling, full of oppressive weight, was like a curtain being slowly lifted, up and up again.

Whirr…

The sound of the air moving became clearer, not howling winds but the airflow turbulence caused by the sudden appearance of a vast space diluting the existing air, filled by external air.

The previously stagnant air seemed to find a release valve, beginning to circulate, with its dampness and moldy smell quickly diluted and diminished.

Jeming stood his ground, feeling the steady movement of the ground beneath him.

The expansion did not last long; after a few moments, the omnipresent spatial ripples stabilized, the peculiar friction tearing sound dissipated, leaving only the core still emitting its low hum.

Like a miniature sun hanging overhead, consistently emitting glowing light.

The basement completely changed its appearance.

The once body-confining narrow space disappeared, replaced by a wide rectangular hall, appearing to be at least the size of a football stadium.

The walls receded into the distance, and the height increased enough to accommodate complex instruments without feeling oppressive.

The previous constricting sense of oppression vanished without a trace, leaving only a comfortable sense of openness.

“Not bad, not bad, this will be my lab from now on!” Jeming checked the stability of the space and nodded with a smile.

“Next… let’s install the Elemental Pool first.”

…

…

After stabilizing at the “Dawn Mansion” in Golden Harbor, Jeming focused his energy on remodeling the basement.

However, he did not forget his purpose, and since the lab was not yet fully constructed, research on the Divine Power Faith Network could not begin, although he could start collecting some special materials.

So in the following days, in his spare time, Jeming no longer confined himself to gathering intelligence at the Adventurer’s Union but instead delved into the city’s lifelines, experiencing the most mundane smoke and fire.

He would change routes daily, wandering the streets of Golden Harbor.

Sometimes he ventured into bustling markets, listening to the vendors’ cries and the customers’ haggling.

Sometimes he sat on the docks by the harbor, watching the laborers sweating profusely as they transported goods, feeling the salty fishiness in the sea breeze.

He would even mix with the slums that stayed active through the night, listening to the drunken ramblings, feeling the raw struggles of life’s lowest tiers.

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