Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 541 - 5: The Master of All Machines Church and the Artificial Body Priest

Chapter 541: Chapter 5: The Master of All Machines Church and the Artificial Body Priest

In Ulysses’s mouth, both he and Richard were true Divines, sent down as Prophets, Sages, Saints.

So, the means available to them would be very close to those of the mortals.

But in fact, Ulysses didn’t need to patch this up, because their two rivals had already defined transformation as a kind of Divine Grace.

Therefore, when Richard spoke of flesh transformation, Ben had no doubts.

He thought this was just right. A Saint sent by the Divine should be like this.

Under Richard’s guidance, Ben laid down on Richard’s usual dissection table, his heart full of excitement.

Richard administered a bit of anesthetic to make him unconscious and then started pondering the transformation plan.

This transformation was not Richard’s own idea but a suggestion from Ulysses.

According to Ulysses, as Richard’s first Believer in this world, he must display enough miracles in front of Ben to secure his faith.

Then use Ben as a starting point to preach among the general populace.

And the simplest way to demonstrate a miracle was the enhancement of strength. Elevating Ben from a mortal to a Level 1 Creature was such a miracle.

Additionally, a Church definitely needed the support of force. Richard was a Prophet, the embodiment of God. If he had to handle everything himself, his authority would diminish imperceptibly. Therefore, it was very important to cultivate a few high-level forces to serve as Church Guardians.

Modifying Ben’s body directly addressed these two points, killing two birds with one stone.

Looking at Ben on the operating table, Richard was flooded with many ideas. But he had little understanding of the goblin Race, and rash transformation could easily lead to complications.

"Forget it, let him sleep here for now. Ulysses, let’s go for a stroll."

With a snap of his fingers, the World Mushroom swallowed them into its body.

"I’ll have the Mayfly Essence ready for him during this time. Let’s first cultivate him into a Level 1 Creature."

"Yes, Master."

After exiting the Secret Realm, Richard’s form flashed and he appeared in a corner of the street.

He applied an Invisibility Technique to himself, then started observing the goblin Race he named.

The goblin’s were very short, with even mature goblins only about 1.2 meters tall. Unlike the robust Dwarves, the goblin Race seemed much weaker.

Even the seemingly strong goblins, by Richard’s estimation, had strength barely comparable to that of an ordinary adult man.

However, the factory had not yet closed, and the streets were somewhat empty, so he did not rule out the presence of more and stronger goblins inside the factories.

Walking along the street, the filthy air filled with dust and sewage flowing on the streets made Richard slightly frown. He could responsibly say that the air he was breathing was mildly toxic. If one breathed such air for a long time, even a Wizard Apprentice would become weak or even end their life prematurely.

"In such an environment, there are so many goblins living as if nothing is amiss. This Race has impressive Life Energy," Richard internally marveled.

But it made sense. Creatures in high-energy environments generally exhibited vigorous Life Energy. High energy environments pose threats to life, as active Energy penetrates cells, impacting the Life Core of cells. If Life Energy weren’t vigorous, extinction would be inevitable.

Of course, species that survive on high reproductive abilities also exist. They compensate for the short lifespan of individuals with their large population numbers as a countermeasure.

Passing through the West District where the worker Mechanics resided, Richard arrived in the East District of the city.

Like monstrous beasts, gigantic factories incessantly emitted various mechanical noises, and workers buzzed about the production lines non-stop. These workers were almost naked, their emaciated bodies covered in iron-hard muscles.

Richard noticed that the workers’ modifications varied. Those who worked in high temperature had larger noses than the ordinary goblins, which allowed the scorching air to cool in the nostril, thereby preventing the burning of the lungs. For the goblin workers in dusty environments, their noses possessed more nasal hairs than normal.

This targeted transformation seemed professional, but to Richard, it felt like a makeshift measure—treating the head when it aches, and the foot when it hurts.

"Instead of modifying the workers, it would be better to change the machines, change the environment."

In Richard’s view, modifying workers was a waste. Regardless of the modification, their lifespans would undoubtedly decrease. Unless goblins had lived in such environments for thousands of years and their bodies had evolved to adapt. Otherwise, all modifications merely reduced damage.

However, the technological trajectory of this world was mostly dead-ended, so Richard did not blame them, only feeling a slight pity for the goblin Race’s misfortune.

The factory district was huge, handling everything from ore refinement to finished metal processing. Carriages of fuel entered the factory through steam locomotives, and the hot flames melted the smelted ore into molten metal. Then the steaming metal flowed from the furnaces, turned into steel rolls, and once cooled, was transported by specialized steam locomotives via rail to the nearest processing plants.

Goblins had come far on the path of steam technology. Some of their intricate designs surprised even Richard.

Any path taken to the extreme produces works that can leave one in awe.

But as Richard observed these factories, a somewhat peculiar structure entered his view.

It resembled a church, but from within it, two massive chimneys belching out billowing black smoke extended. The church’s decorations were also filled with artistic gears and levers.

"Our colleagues do have some accomplishments in the arts," Ulysses commented.

There are two major churches in this world, the Master of All Machines Church and the Lord of Flesh Church. The two major evolution paths of the goblins are also led and developed by these two churches.

The Master of All Machines Church developed industrial and prosthetic limb technology, while the Lord of Flesh Church developed medical and biological modification technology. The deities of these two churches are the Sons of God, the kings of the two major kingdoms.

"Let’s go in and see if we can catch a subject for experimentation."

Richard and Ulysses nodded to each other and then, in a flash, appeared beside the church.

Inside the church, Richard felt a strong Power of Faith. This also allowed Richard and Ulysses to relax slightly.

One of the key points in distinguishing rough-spun deity from systematic ones is the location of the Power of Faith. The Temples of the Gods Civilization, or to say, the Divine Statues, all condense their Power of Faith on the statues, with very little within the building of the church, which is often deliberately done by the gods for certain effects.

But the church before them seemed as though every brick was filled with the Power of Faith. Clearly, this wasn’t how a systematic deity’s church should be.

Having confirmed that the opponent was indeed unsystematic, Richard and Ulysses applied an Invisibility Technique to themselves and swaggered into the church.

The interior of the church had a similar decorative style to the exterior, with the only difference being that the devices inside the church were mostly made of brass or steel.

With a sweep of his spiritual power, Richard took in the entirety of the church. There weren’t many people inside, only the priests, deacons, and a few servants. But to Richard’s surprise, save for the servants, both the priests and the deacons had reached the status of Level 1 Creatures.

"Interesting."

A flash of surprise crossed Richard’s face, and then with a flicker, he arrived in a prayer room next to the boiler, below the church.

The sound of machinery filled the prayer room, but the priest of the Master of All Machines before Richard was praying with total focus.

The priest’s body had many mechanical modifications; both of his arms had been transformed into metal prosthetics, and his torso’s skin had also been replaced with metal plates. He wore a metal helmet similar to a gas mask on his head, and carried a metal backpack. At this moment, the muffled sound of breathing was continually coming out of the filter port on the helmet.

However, what most caught Richard’s attention was that the set of gear on the priest was not just simple steam machinery. It was mixed with new technology.

"I’ll try this guy’s level, you keep an eye on the surroundings."

"Understood."

Ulysses vanished into the Void, and Richard immediately released his Invisibility Technique, deliberately making a slight noise.

Tap.

"Who’s there!"

The priest sprang to his feet, his sharp gaze slicing through the protective goggles as if they were blades, sweeping behind. But upon seeing a tall figure in a black robe, whose face was not visible, he hesitated for a moment.

Somewhat warily, he asked, "Which lord are you?"

Richard answered with silence and a light, drifting straight punch.

Bang.

The seemingly effortless punch carried the force of a sledgehammer, the priest blocked with his prosthetics, but the tremendous force still sent him flying backward.

Boom!

The priest’s body crashed heavily against the metal wall of the prayer room, the two metallic arms nearly completely scrapped by the colossal strength. Sparks, steam, and dissipating energy leaked continuously from the prosthetics.

But to Richard’s surprise, the priest did not faint. He struggled to fall from the wall, continuously spitting out fresh, red blood.

"Who are you exactly! An invisible assassin from the Lord of Flesh Church? A Transformed Knight from the Royal Court? No, you’re even stronger than them."

Richard did not answer but gave a fair assessment.

"Having withstood that strike, your abilities have already surpassed that of the ordinary natives. So, I’ve decided to take you as my sample."

With those words, the priest suddenly felt darkness before his eyes, and a spiritual assault instantly shattered his consciousness.

Richard approached the wall, producing a simple Alchemy Array in his hand. Under the influence of alchemy, the indentation in the wall was filled in, and the exposed piping on the inside was repaired.

Just as Richard was about to leave the church with the priest to return to the Secret Realm, Ulysses’s form suddenly materialized on his shoulder.

"Richard, take a look over here. I’ve found a place beneath this church that resembles your laboratory somewhat."