Chapter 109: Explosive Growth

[What is this? Didn’t you say you had never learned Puppet Techniques?]

“...”

Crunch-

Whirr- Click- Whirr- Click-

In front of Karlstein, a small robot was pushing away mountains, digging deep underground, and laying foundations.

[Did you learn Puppet Techniques after all?]

“Hmm...”

This was a new worker robot he had brought in.

It was a product with significantly downgraded materials and software while maintaining performance.

It was a unit specialized for Dimensional Transfer.

From the robot body the size of a small child, all sorts of mechanical arms extended out, building structures at the level of shelters.

[What kind of joint structure is that, to have no angular limitations...]

[What’s that? The metal is melting like clay and being molded as desired...]

[How is it building to exact specifications without even a millimeter of error...]

[I clearly don’t sense any Spiritual Power, though?!]

[Ah, why is it building walls with such a complex structure...]

[I see. It looks simple, but it’s a structure that disperses impacts from all directions...]

[What did you do to the joints? It’s as natural as if it was one piece from the beginning...]

The wooden doll followed the worker robot around, constantly muttering.

“To me, a living wooden doll seems more fascinating.”

The Puppet Demonic Warlord seemed to have lost his soul, unable to come to his senses.

Usually, the more you know, the more you see.

Architecture was the flower of engineering. As such, the Puppet Demonic Warlord couldn’t hide his excitement as he examined the technology that went into building the underground shelter.

[Ah! This structure can certainly be applied to Puppet creation!]

[I see. So that’s what the meaning of this arrangement was! Ah, this too....]

Moreover, that robot was just a part of it. Currently, Aria was producing custom products in the Galactic Empire that were specialized for Dimensional Transfer to this dimension.

Weapons would need to be brought in gradually too.

“Old man! This Prohibition is sturdy, right?”

[Huh? Ah, the Prohibition? There’s no perfect Prohibition in the world, but this one can’t be broken by mere Lower Realm standards.]

“I see.”

Karlstein smiled with satisfaction.

“It would be good to open a separate passage from here to the hut as a base. The Spiritual Power here is certainly very good for cultivation.”

[Even in the Lower Realm, Spiritual Qi accumulated over tens of thousands of years can’t be little. If you look, there might be places where Spiritual Qi has pooled to form springs.]

That was how the spring where Karlstein cultivated came to be.

“Junior Brother... This spiritual mountain is the Flame Metal Sect’s property. If we get caught...”

Senior Sister Zhang had been anxious throughout, watching him develop this place.

“Who knows if we might get kicked out of that hut? That’s why I’m digging a rabbit hole in advance. I’ll let you use it specially too, Senior Sister.”

“Uh, huh?”

Senior Sister Zhang’s eyes trembled.

“I hear you haven’t even received a proper cultivation chamber?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but...”

“It’s going to get busy from now on. I plan to move actively.”

It will be different from before.

Having confirmed the potential of this place, development was essential.

If need be, he was even considering dimensional incursion.

[By the way, would it be alright if I disassemble this Puppet once?]

The small wooden doll looked up at him restlessly.

“Well...”

Hmm.

Karlstein still couldn’t gauge how helpful the Puppet Demonic Warlord would be.

I should also think about fusing Xianxia’s Puppet Techniques with AI robots.

There should be ways to use him somewhere.

***The Puppet Demonic Warlord felt like his eyes were going to roll back in shock.

[How can this be....]

How could...?

“Aria, analyze this too.”

[Understood.]

He assigned the analysis of the Puppet Techniques and cultivation methods he had received from the Puppet Demonic Warlord.

“Also, send me the data on the current Avatar. They say its physical constitution is a Phantasmal Metal Body, but I don’t understand it at all.”

[I will send it right away.]

“Phew....”

He had told Aria about the punk called ‘Hunshi’ who was presumed to be the Single Number Proxitan. Of course, Aria showed interest too.

“You still haven’t been able to locate him, right?”

[Yes. With Galactic Empire’s current technology, we cannot fully pinpoint the location of a Single Number.]

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem unrelated though.”

[It seems Master’s work will increase.]

“Ugh.”

As it could be related to a Single Number, it meant Karlstein’s work had increased.

“Is it still difficult for the others to use Avatars?”

[There is progress in the research, but it seems difficult for now.]

“That’s a shame.”

[Mental connections beyond the Astral Dimension are impossible without considerable resistance, after all.]

Currently, the situation was that the 2nd Expansion beyond the Barrier had been completed.

Because the Kaiju bastards were unexpectedly compliant in giving up territory, his subordinates were about to have nothing to do.

“Anyway, take care of that matter too.”

[Understood.]

“I wonder if by the time this matter is roughly wrapped up, it will be possible to deploy others...”

[It is difficult to give a definite answer. It might be possible for World, but not for that place.]

“Is Xianxia just a special case? Hmm. I see. I’ll finish dealing with things over there first and come back.”

Until now, he had tried to stay quiet and grasp the political situation of that world, but it seemed he needed to hurry a bit.

Even if there was a big advantage in the time ratio, there was no need to wait leisurely forever.

***When Karlstein focused intently on cultivation, his growth speed was terrifying.

[It’s an impossible speed.]

He accumulated Spiritual Power at a speed that made even the Puppet Demonic Warlord marvel.

[Is it because of this? What kind of medicine is this?]

Numerous supplements and enhancers sent from the Galactic Empire.

Additionally, he brought in pharmaceutical facilities and began producing Spiritual Pills.

“Old man, it’s good to know a lot, isn’t it?”

[....]

Alchemy, the secret technique for producing Spiritual Pills.

Although the Puppet Demonic Warlord had no outstanding skills other than Puppet creation techniques and Puppet Techniques, he knew the basics.

Even if it was just basics, this was the Puppet Demonic Warlord who had rampaged in the Upper Realm. His basics were at a level not easily imaginable in the Lower Realm.

“Old man, why isn’t this working properly?”

[This is too early.... It’s absolutely not possible with your realm.]

“It seems almost done though?”

[That’s... but.]

Qi Refining Techniques for creating Dharma Tools.

This was the easiest field for Karlstein, who had brought in custom-made facilities.

And the creation and refining of Dharma Tools went through certain manufacturing processes.

“Hmm. As expected, materials are severely lacking.”

He could draw basic materials from the Galactic Empire, but that was it.

Many of the special materials needed for refining Dharma Tools couldn’t be found in the Galactic Empire, and many of the Galactic Empire’s excellent materials couldn’t be transferred due to restrictions.

Still.

Whirr- Click- Whirr- Click-

[....]

The Puppet Demonic Warlord was at a loss for words as he watched the mass production of Dharma Tools with a production system in place.

[Just what am I seeing....]

“Hm? What did you say?”