Wizard: Building a Golem Legion From Zero-Chapter 45 - 43: The Divergence of Paths
The next day, in the reading area of the Central Library, Allen spread out five massive tomes.
Continuing his work from the previous night, he carefully studied the overviews of the five major schools in the Wizarding World.
This information flowed into his database at an incredible speed.
The after-effects—or rather, the buffs—from his expanded Sea of Consciousness were still active. His mind processed information far faster than the day before, like an old computer suddenly upgraded with an 8GB stick of RAM. It ran smooth as silk.
He was scribbling and drawing on a piece of paper, which helped him organize his thoughts.
Meanwhile, in his mind, DSeek had gathered sufficient information.
’DSeek, establish an analysis model for "Wizarding Path Selection."’
’Objective: Filter for the school with the highest synergistic effect with my current knowledge base and the greatest long-term development potential. Evaluation dimensions include: Core Philosophy, Resource Investment, Knowledge Barrier, Ultimate Ceiling, and System Scalability.’
[Model established. Evaluation complete...]
[Bloodline School]
[Core Philosophy: Fusion and Evolution. By transplanting, fusing with, and devouring the bloodlines of High-tier Transdimensional Creatures, one obtains their abilities, ultimately achieving a transcendent evolution of one’s life-form.]
[Resource Requirements: Samples of High-tier Transdimensional Creatures, materials for life-form modification rituals, Bloodline Stabilizing Potions. Resource acquisition is subject to uncertainty.]
[Knowledge Barrier: The core lies in extraordinary bloodline analysis and gene editing. Practical application is difficult, and correlation with the user’s knowledge base is low.]
[Conclusion: High risk, uncontrollable growth path. Priority: Low.]
Allen’s pen drew a clear X over the "Bloodline School" branch on his paper.
The bloodline path was essentially a high-stakes gamble, entrusting one’s destiny to the "blessing" of foreign genes. This ran counter to his belief in systematic and controllable development.
[Mind School]
[Core Philosophy: Consciousness interfering with reality. By training Spiritual Power, diving into the Sea of Consciousness, and directly using willpower to distort or create physical phenomena, one ultimately reaches the state of creation through sheer will.]
[Resource Requirements: Various mental stimulants/tranquilizers, bio-emotional energy (?), cognitive-anchoring resources.]
[Knowledge Barrier: Involves psychology, neuroscience, and memetics. Partially correlated with the user’s knowledge base, but its core theory is built on mastery over the power of the mind, lacking a unified, quantifiable empirical system.]
[Conclusion: Poor risk controllability. Difficult to perform cost-benefit analysis. Combat methods and their effects are difficult to quantify. Priority: Low.]
He needed tools to transform the physical world, not to immerse himself in the Sea of Consciousness. The power of the Mind School was more like an art, full of uncertainty and emotional expression.
He knew he had absolutely no artistic talent.
[Witchcraft School]
[Core Philosophy: Analyzing and Mastering Rules. By learning, researching, and understanding the fundamental rules of the world’s operation (elements, gravity, space, time, fate, etc.), one eventually assimilates with the rules to become their master.]
[Resource Requirements: Element Cores, sources of Magic Power with special properties, physical manifestations of rules, etc.]
[Knowledge Barrier: Requires building a cognitive model of the world’s fundamental rules from scratch. The learning curve is extremely steep, with high requirements for talent and comprehension.]
[Conclusion: Orthodox and powerful. The effects of its Witchcraft are diverse, and the growth path is stable. The learning period is long, and there is a risk of ’rule assimilation’. Conversion efficiency with the user’s modern industrial knowledge base is low. Priority: Medium.]
This was a royal road to truth, but for Allen, it still wasn’t the optimal path. He would keep it as a backup option.
[Contract School]
[Core Philosophy: Building a Power Network. By signing equal or unequal contracts with powerful beings, Magical Creatures, Elemental Monarchs, or even Concept Gods, one can borrow or exchange their power.]
[Resource Requirements: Rare offerings, high-potential Magical Beast cubs, special magical plant seeds, precise planar coordinates, cultivation resources, high-value trade goods.]
[Knowledge Barrier: Requires deep knowledge of magi-zoology, transdimensional ecology, cultivation or planting, and information on higher beings.]
[Conclusion: The power ceiling depends on the quality and quantity of contracted parties. The foundation of one’s power system is built on external entities, posing significant security risks such as betrayal, backlash, and extortion. System stability and independence are the lowest. Priority: Low.]
It sounded decent, but the bizarre creatures of the Wizarding World were not as friendly as "Pocket Monsters." He would never entrust his safety and future to so-called "partners" or "patrons."
Finally, only one option remained.
[Alchemy School]
[Core Philosophy: Knowledge is a tool, and resources are power. By analyzing matter, converting energy, and building structures, one creates tools, constructs, and systems to serve one’s own purposes.]
[Resource Requirements: Minerals, energy, magical materials, advanced knowledge. Initial resource demand is huge, but self-sufficiency and even profitability can be achieved for some resources by establishing industrialized production lines.]
[Knowledge Barrier: Engineering, military theory, automated control, systems theory... The user’s industrial knowledge base from Earth can be utilized to its fullest extent, creating a complementary effect.]
[High initial investment, long return period. Once a closed-loop industrial system of ’R&D-Production-Application’ is formed, power will grow exponentially. The only constraints are startup capital and initial technological accumulation. This is an engineering problem, not a fundamental contradiction with the path itself. Priority: High.]
’This is it.’
Allen put down his pen, his gaze focused.
His knowledge from Earth, his mindset as a strategy gamer, and his belief in systems and logic all pointed to this single path.
The Alchemy School was the only school that would allow him to follow the principle of the "optimal solution" to the very end.
With the school decided, the tower for his advanced studies was also determined—the Black Tower of the Forge.
It was the only one in the Seven Towers Alliance that specialized in the Alchemy School, a sacred ground for aspiring Alchemy Wizards.
Allen pulled up the internal data on the Black Tower of the Forge on his personal terminal.
The tower was also rife with factions, but the mainstream was roughly divided into three branches.
[Branch of Universal Transmutation]
Research Focus: From something as small as a Magic Potion for cultivation to something as large as an Alchemy Wonder capable of resisting Legendary Magic, they are top-tier artisans and apothecaries who pursue the pinnacle of "quality."
Allen classified them as "Specialized Equipment and Precision Instrument R&D." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
[Mechanized Ascension Branch]
Research Focus: The fusion of flesh and machine, the construction of Alchemy Life.
Their ultimate philosophy is "Flesh is weak, mechanization is ascension." They gradually replace their own bodies with more powerful, efficient, and eternal Alchemy Components, eventually becoming perfect mechanical gods.
[Branch of Macro-construction and Domination]
Research Focus: The pursuit of scale, structure, and overall efficiency.
Their works are not exquisite pocket watches or sharp prosthetic limbs, but sky-blotting Floating Cities, inter-planar Star Gates, Golem Legions forged from steel, and networks of Defense Arrays covering entire continents.
They do not pursue individual power, but the power of a system.
Allen’s gaze locked onto the description of the Branch of Macro-construction and Domination.
Allen’s ambition wasn’t just to transform himself, to pursue individual evolution and ascension.
He wanted to transform the world. Turning himself into a perfect machine, while powerful, would mean losing the perspective of a "system designer." He wanted to personally create megastructures, heralding the overture of a new era with the roar of immense power and cannons.
From this perspective, the Branch of Macro-construction and Domination was the most suitable for him. This faction was the ultimate expression of systems engineering, with the highest resource utilization efficiency and the greatest overlap with his knowledge base from his previous life.
The overall strength of the Branch of Macro-construction and Domination was among the absolute top tier of all the branches of the five major schools. It was also the core and most powerful faction in the Black Tower of the Forge.
The list of mentors for the Branch of Macro-construction and Domination further confirmed his judgment.
[Mentor: Ilyria. Research Focus: Floating Cities, Anti-Gravity Matrices, inter-planar Star Gates, etc.]
[Mentor: Gregory. Research Focus: Modular design of general-purpose Golems and battlefield repair systems.]
[Mentor: Eric. Research Focus: Floating Battleship design and inter-planar warfare.]
[Mentor: Fiona. Research Focus: Continent-level Defense Arrays, inter-planar Magic Power communication networks, and demi-plane ecological recycling systems.]
...
The list was long. Every mentor was an Alchemy Master renowned in some vast field.
They were architects, chief engineers, and experts in war logistics.
Allen’s finger slowly scrolled down the list on his personal terminal.
DSeek simultaneously processed each mentor’s public information, project results, and most importantly—the genuine evaluations left by apprentices on internal forums using jargon and code words.
This fragmented information was quickly filtered and integrated by DSeek, building a more three-dimensional profile for each mentor.
Finally, his finger stopped on a name.
The name was at the bottom of the mentor list, yet it carried a grim aura completely different from the other scholars.
[Mercer Iron Star]
A long string of titles followed the name.
[Title: Lord of Forging Fire]
[Level: Morning Star Wizard]
[Position: Special-Term Mentor of the Black Tower of the Forge, Formal Member of the Ring City Alliance, Chief Engineer of Floating City No. 12 "Heart of the Melting Furnace," War Agent]
[Research Focus: Standardized production and inter-planar deployment of Steel Golems and Golem Legions, legion combat tactics.]
[Project "Commanding Molten Iron Mountain Range": Ongoing war project. Objective: Completely eliminate the Fire Element Lords of the Molten Iron Mountain Range and fully occupy the plane.]
This wasn’t a scholar’s profile at all; it was the resume of a front-line commander-in-chief and the CEO of a top-tier military-industrial complex.
The other mentors might be able to teach him how to build a more exquisite machine.
But Mercer Iron Star could teach him how to use a Golem Legion to conquer a world.
The choice was obvious.
Allen closed the light screen.
The Alchemy School, the Black Tower of the Forge, the Branch of Macro-construction and Domination.
This path was fraught with peril and was enormously expensive. Every step would require a massive amount of resources to fund.
But it was also a grand highway to the pinnacle of power, the only path that would allow him to leverage the advantages of his knowledge from Earth to the absolute fullest.
He stood up, closed the books on the table, and neatly returned them to their proper places.
Allen walked out of the library, heading toward the academy’s administrative center.
Having made his decision, he would not hesitate.
He was going to submit his application for his choice of school and mentor right now.
In his mind, all other plans were now void. Only the proposal named [Blueprint of the God of Myriad Machines] had quietly turned to its first page.
