Chapter 175 - 117: Space Materials and Element Imbalance

Chapter 175: Chapter 117: Space Materials and Element Imbalance

"Understood. I’m willing to pay!" Chen Shang nodded.

"The design of your single Magic Spring is excellent. The shell’s toughness, energy density, and the precision of the Spiritual Power access points have all reached a superior level," Hathaway said, using a rune pen to draw a circle on the blueprint. "But if you construct a Fourth Magic Spring, it will break the elemental balance within your body."

Chen Shang frowned. "My various Magic Springs are not interconnected. They don’t interfere with each other, so why would there be a balance issue?"

Hathaway put down the pen and leaned back in her chair, her tone calm and unhurried.

"The Magic Springs aren’t interconnected, but each one is connected to your body. Your body is the foundation that houses them.

"A Fire Attribute spring will tilt your body toward fire, while a Water Attribute one will tilt it toward water. These two attributes are manageable because they can counterbalance each other. As long as their concentration remains within an acceptable range, your body can maintain its equilibrium.

"However, adding a third attribute will shatter this balance, especially the Wind Attribute, because your body lacks a sufficient structural foundation."

"So your advice is to construct an Earth Attribute Magic Spring first, or simply not enchant it yet?" Chen Shang quickly grasped Hathaway’s meaning.

Hathaway nodded. "Exactly. The Earth Element is the most supportive Basic Element, the best at harmonizing multiple attributes.

"Among the four Basic Elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, earth is the foundation. Wind, water, and fire can all coexist upon it.

"But if you don’t have an Earth Attribute spring and force your body to house wind, water, and fire all at once, you will be like a tree without roots. You might look lush and flourishing on the surface, but a single strong gust could uproot you entirely."

She used her rune pen to draw a simple diagram in the blank space on the blueprint: a square representing the body, with three dots above it symbolizing the wind, water, and fire springs. The dots were connected by dashed lines, with nothing supporting them underneath.

"Right now, you have wind, water, and fire, but no earth. Your body is that foundationless square. You won’t face any issues in the short term, but over time, the three attributes will clash. The first thing to give out won’t be your Magic Springs, but your body.

"Your Constitution will be corroded by the three attributes, suffering irreversible damage. If it gets bad enough, your Magic Springs will collapse from the inside out."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment. There was nothing inherently wrong with his Fourth Magic Spring, but if he applied Enchantment to it, it would lack a foundation. However, without Enchantment, there was absolutely no reason to construct a Fourth Magic Spring. After all, his Main Magic Spring was sufficient for the time being. Moreover, forgoing Enchantment would interrupt his Three Elements Mutual Multiplication plan.

Seeing him lost in thought, Hathaway continued, "Earth is the foundation. Build the Earth Spring first, then the Wind Spring. The order cannot be reversed. Furthermore, the Earth Attribute spring doesn’t need to be too large. It’s the foundation; what it needs is stability."

Chen Shang put the blueprint away. "Thank you, Master."

Coming here today had been the right choice. Hathaway’s words were worth their weight in gold. If he had recklessly established his Fourth Magic Spring, it likely would have planted the seeds for a massive disaster.

Hathaway waved her hand dismissively. "Save your thanks. That’ll be ten thousand Wizard Coins."

Chen Shang gave a wry smile and prepared to pay. The advice was well worth the price. Making money off knowledge was just that ruthless.

"Of course," Hathaway added, "if you’re willing to let me take a look at your Third Magic Spring... I’ll give you a fifty percent discount."

"Uh... no problem." Overjoyed, Chen Shang quickly agreed.

Hathaway’s advice was highly valuable, but the construction of Chen Shang’s Third Magic Spring was also knowledge, and equally precious. Knowledge was prized by both sides, making it a fair trade.

Leaving the laboratory, Chen Shang did not head back immediately. Instead, he paced the corridor for a long time.

Hathaway was right. Earth was the foundation; wind, water, and fire all required earth to support them. However, the Samadhi True Flame and One-Element Heavy Water he possessed were both Purple traits. The newly fused Fei Lian Eight Winds was the same. Therefore, he had to find an Earth Attribute power of equal standing to match them. He couldn’t just settle for a green or blue one to make up the numbers.

If the foundation was too weak, the building would still collapse.

Chen Shang opened the Celestial Net and searched the plane database for keywords: Earth Element Origin, Earth Vein Core, Gravity Crystal, Heart of the Earth, and so on.

There were numerous search results, mostly consisting of academic papers and transaction records. He filtered through them one by one. It took nearly an hourglass of time before he selected a few targets.

The first was the Broken Rock Plane. This was a plane dominated by giant rocky landmasses, with its surface covered by rock layers tens of kilometers thick. Deep underground lay the Heart of the Earth Veins, a crystal condensed from pure Earth Elements. Its quality was extremely high, and the danger level was moderate, earning it the spot as Chen Shang’s primary target.

The second was the Gravity Abyss. This was an area with abnormal gravity, said to be the remnants of a Great Wizard’s failed experiment. The minimum gravity there was dozens of times the normal value, with an unknown upper limit. Not to mention an ordinary person being crushed into a pulp upon entering, even some Wizard Apprentices or Official Wizards could be injured if they went inside.

However, the concentration of Earth Elements there was incredibly high, meaning there was a minute chance of it condensing into a Gravity Core. This held immense appeal for Chen Shang. Gravity combined with the Earth Element could simultaneously patch up his two shortcomings. If it weren’t for the unspecified danger level, he would have loved to go check it out immediately.

The third option was the edge of certain unstable world clusters. These areas were the borders of the Pan-Wizard Alliance’s territory. The Void there was unstable, and shattered landmasses frequently drifted through it. Those landmasses might carry unknown Earth Element Crystals, but the risk was immense, and the returns were uncertain.

Nevertheless, the unknown brought not only danger but also the possibility of opportunity, so Chen Shang included it among his targets.