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Chapter 50 - Chapter 50. Golem Making

Bastion may have confidently declared he would handle the production of tens of thousands of bullets, but in truth, he was relying on his recent success with golems.

He had not spent the past three months merely studying how to create them. He had also spent time restoring and activating the ones that were already available. He repaired the outer shells of the golems he had damaged along with several from the storage unit, and learned how to activate them.

Creating an actual golem from scratch required more than knowledge. It required a core, which was a synthetic magic stone made from a magic crystal. This was an expense that remained far beyond Bastion's current means.

Magic stones were crystallized mana typically found in monsters Rank 1 and above. These stones carried the mana signature of the creature and were best used as low-efficiency batteries or elemental infusers. 

Magic crystals, on the other hand, were pure crystallized mana mined from the ground and used as currency. They served as high-efficiency batteries for rituals, magic circles, and magically engineered devices.

Magic cores were synthetic stones made by encasing a magic crystal in a shell etched with dense runes, scripts, and circuits. These cores served as the heart of a golem, much like the amalgamated mana cores found in elementals. 

Over time, mana naturally absorbs intent, which is why elementals gain intelligence after surviving for thousands of years. That same principle of infused intent was the key to bringing golems to life.

By filling the golem's core with mana imbued with the user's intent, the golem would perform exactly as instructed. The dense script carved into the magic crystal defined the physical functions of the golem such as moving arms, legs, fingers, and activating sensors.

The intent embedded in the mana, however, served as the programming that used those functions.

For example, the relatively intact golem Bastion had found in the storage room could be activated with a single command to produce bullets, following the exact details of Bastion's personal experience.

Once instructed, the golem would carry out the process and even refine it, functioning as if Bastion himself were at work. These golems could also absorb ambient mana to recharge their cores. As long as the intent remained intact, they would continue operating for thousands of years, just like the ones Bastion had found still working in the facility.

If Bastion created his own outer shell with higher ranked materials following the exact specifications of the core, he could theoretically make a golem fight for him. Unfortunately, the benefit of doing so does not outweigh the resources needed to pull it off. 

He would need Rank 3 materials to justify potentially wasting a magic crystal. Both of which are out of his budget to purchase.

Bastion was currently limited to Rank 1 materials which were not as strong as he would have liked his golem to be. As an automated system for making bullets however, it has amazing applications with just the scrap iron Bastion had collected from his dungeon dives to replace the scrapped parts. 

It wasn't even difficult thanks to his already impressive forging skills developed over the past year in class, including his knowledge of engraving magic circuits and runes for the core to manipulate.

The entire process began with the core. Bastion spent weeks examining various golem cores under a magnification spell, identifying their available functions. In total, he categorized three distinct types: goblin-sized humanoid, human-sized humanoid, and five-meter-tall humanoid golems. 

All three types shared identical magical functions, but differed in scale, energy requirements, and output capacity. Larger cores absorbed more mana and produced greater physical strength.

After identifying the core type, Bastion turned his attention to the broken remnants of older golems. He meticulously studied fractured components to decipher their embedded movement and detection runes, along with the surrounding magical circuitry. These included systems for joint articulation, rotational movement, grasping mechanics, balance correction, and sensory perception.

To begin reconstruction, Bastion crafted clay molds tailored to the dimensions of each part he needed. For the metal, he gathered scrap iron and small amounts of charcoal, using a magic-fueled bloomery furnace. This medieval-style smelting furnace was enhanced by fire runes to maintain consistent high temperatures.

Within the furnace, iron ore or scrap was heated alongside charcoal. As the carbon from the charcoal bonded with the iron, it produced a semi-solid mass called a bloom, consisting of iron, slag, and low-carbon steel. Bastion extracted the bloom while it was still glowing and hammered it repeatedly, using Reinforce enhanced strength to drive out slag and impurities. He folded and reforged the metal multiple times to improve its quality.

To increase the carbon content and create a more uniform steel, he reheated the bloom in a sealed crucible packed with additional charcoal. The crucible was enchanted to retain heat and promote carbon absorption. This process replicated early crucible steel-making and produced a higher-grade steel with superior hardness and flexibility.

Once the steel was ready, Bastion poured or shaped it into the prepared molds. After cooling, he cut away the excess flashing, then filed and polished the parts to a fine finish. Only when the base material met his standards did he engrave the magic circuits and structural runes using precision glyphwork tools. Each line was carefully inscribed and channeled with trace mana to ensure perfect magical conductivity.

He repeated this process for every missing or damaged part before assembling them into a functioning whole.

To activate the golem, Bastion entered a meditative state, channeling his mana into the core while maintaining a focused intent, a concept similar to free casting. Once the core was saturated with mana infused with clear purpose, the golem would awaken and carry out the intended directive.

Once activated, the golem could be deactivated by withdrawing the mana from its core, a process only the original mana owner could perform. In this way, Bastion retained full control, able to reclaim and repurpose any of his constructs that had fulfilled or outlived their original purpose.

The process of crafting replacement parts from scratch demanded time and effort, but fortunately for Bastion, he had access to a large stockpile of broken golems to mix and match components. In the end, he assembled more than a dozen fully functional golems over the past three months, with nearly a hundred additional cores still in storage.

This was more than enough to automate the production of hundreds of thousands of bullets. However, this success introduced a new problem. He lacked the resources to produce that many Rank 1 bullets.

Luckily, Rank 2 enemies were still vulnerable to damage from Apprentice Rank bullets, even if the effect was less efficient. It was comparable to a human being struck by paintballs launched at the velocity of an autocannon, which remained fully lethal.

Still, he spent a few mithril coins to purchase materials for six thousand Rank 1 bullets, just in case.

"I can't believe you got this many golems working!" Lilia exclaimed.

She had taken a strong interest in Bastion's research on golems and wanted to share in the discoveries. Since then, she had been visiting more often after classes, spending her free time watching him repair and activate them.

"Only the ones that needed minor repairs," Bastion replied. "The larger golems will take more time and effort. These smaller ones are just for practice."

So far, all the repaired golems had been goblin-sized, standing about three feet tall. Their frames were slender, with straight limbs and long, bony fingers. The human-sized ones had similar design while the five meter one had a bulkier frame and legs where most of the output is concentrated.

"So… Bastion…" Lilia began.

"How many do you want?" Bastion asked, cutting her off.

"Five! No—three! Um… two?" she stammered.

"What do you need five for?"

"Well… cleaning the room, cooking, and…"

"You want spares to examine, don't you? I can give you one for a full inspection. I've got over a hundred cores, after all. As for daily tasks, three should be enough."

"Thank you!" Lilia exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him.

"You need to get used to asking for things directly," Bastion said. "Whatever it is, just ask. I'm not so inconsiderate that I wouldn't even entertain the notion. At the very least, I'd talk it over with you like an adult."

"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome."

'That reminds me. Seraphina lives alone too. I should give her five. She might need the extra help with her alchemy,' Bastion thought.

"Eli."

"Yes, Master," Elyra replied as she emerged from Bastion's shadow.

"Send five golems to Seraphina to help with her chores and alchemy. Teach her how to activate them as well," Bastion instructed.

"Yes, Master," she said before heading off toward Seraphina's dorm.

As the maid and cook, Elyra needed frequent access to their shared spatial bag, so she always carried it with her. Her high dexterity and sharp perception made her the best choice to keep it safe, ensuring that no one could take it without her noticing.

She made her way to the opposite side of the castle, where the girls' dorms were located in the east wing. She knew the layout well, having often scouted the area to observe individuals who had caught Bastion's interest.

She quickly found Seraphina's room and knocked. As the future Lady Diamondhart, Seraphina was owed proper respect.

"Come in."

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