Published: February 5, 2025
Ye Zhongming activated the enchanting technique.
...It was ineffective.
Immediately, beads of sweat began to form at his temples and forehead.
Ineffective? This was something Ye Zhongming had never encountered before.
Under what circumstances would the enchanting technique fail? It typically only occurred when repeatedly enchanting with the same materials, but right now, the Thunderous Mechanic was clearly a brand new robotic battle pet. Why was the enchanting technique not working?
Moreover, the level of Ghost Gold was absolutely sufficient, matching the status of the Thunderous Mechanic.
Where was the problem?
Could Ghost Gold have a shelf life? That seemed impossible.
In a moment of desperation, Ye Zhongming tossed the piece of Ghost Gold into the Gate of Sacrifice. He had been reluctant to use such a valuable item for sacrifice earlier, after all, it was something he had obtained at the cost of his life from the iron lock prisoner. Each piece lessened his chances of encountering that giant again in the future. Even if he did encounter it, the creature would likely be a level five or even six powerful life form by then, capable of crushing Ye Zhongming with a single hand.
Once the Ghost Gold was sacrificed, the changes were substantial; the white line that represented the amount of energy instantly rose significantly, reaching about an eighth of the entire gem.
Ye Zhongming smacked his lips, weighing the thought of abandoning the idea of using Ghost Gold to fill the gem completely.
After the Gate of Sacrifice was filled with energy, Ye Zhongming was still uncertain about what it could yield. If he used a large portion of Ghost Gold for sacrifice, the final value might be less than what the Ghost Gold was worth, and that would be a huge loss.
Since the Gate of Sacrifice had recognized the Ghost Gold, it meant that the enchantment's ineffectiveness was not due to the material, but rather an issue with the Thunderous Mechanic itself.
Ye Zhongming looked around, studying it for a long while. Finally, when he flipped over the iron lump that weighed at least two hundred pounds, he found three recessed holes at the bottom of the mechanic, arranged in an equilateral triangle.
Inlay holes?!
Seeing these three holes, Ye Zhongming's eyes lit up!
For a long time, glorious artisans had a profession skill that was often overlooked: inlay technique.
Among the five major skills of glorious artisans, which included gathering and refining, homogenous strengthening, forging, enchanting, and inlay, Ye Zhongming had rarely used the inlay technique.
It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was just that he seldom encountered equipment with inlay holes.
Inlay holes can't just be carved at random; they are designed for embedding items, allowing the equipment to directly possess certain properties of the embedded items. It involves an energy connection process, as complex as organ transplantation, requiring a perfect fit and connection with the equipment itself.
Thus, there are only a few ways to ensure equipment has inlay holes. One is that the equipment comes with it; the other is that the artisan possesses the ability to create inlay holes; and the last is to have a specialized drilling tool, a prized single-use consumable item.
Ye Zhongming had not used the inlay technique before, not because he didn't want to, but because he simply didn't have that capability at the time.
Now, suddenly discovering that this Thunderous Mechanic actually had three inlay holes made Ye Zhongming want to whistle with joy.
Inlay holes are incredibly precious; even survivors might refer to a single inlay hole as a small upgrade, implying that equipment with inlay holes is of a higher level than its own. This clearly shows the benefits they can offer.
If the enchanting technique wasn't functioning on the Thunderous Mechanic, it was likely due to the settings of this high-tech equipment itself. However, shutting one door certainly opens another window; this guy could actually be inlaid.
Without hesitation, Ye Zhongming embedded the Ghost Gold into one of the holes.