First Light of a New Age

Chapter 62: Dungeon Level 1

Cahyono stopped in his tracks and stared at Letif, "I heard he has Earth Magic, but does he really have the power to create something like this?"

"Not exactly," Letif explained. "He could originally make only a dozen or so smaller golems, but they’d only last about a few hours before he had to transfer more magic to keep them going. At the first start he wanted to use them to help out with the mining work, but it depleted his energy greatly."

"I see," Cahyono nodded, glancing back at the massive golem. "Then looking at this giant, I say there has been some kind of breakthrough?"

"Oh, absolutely," Letif grinned even wider. "You see, those Dragonite crystals we found? They’re packed with magic powers that will make most of our energy sources obsolete. Odysseus placed one of the crystals into one of the golems, and it ran like some energizer bunny, its operating time lasting a solid three days straight and still running strong."

"So, we decided to experiment with larger golems, and the results were incredible," Letif continued proudly. "We estimate that just 10 grams of Dragonite crystal alone is equal to roughly five days of battery life for these monsters."

Seeing the Lieutenant Colonel's dumbfounded expression, Letif gestured to the giant golem diligently unloading the contents of the mining carts. At that moment, a trio of mini golems, carrying a crate over their heads, ran past Cahyono and disappeared around a corner.

"They have very basic intelligence," Letif explained. "You need to be specific with their instructions. They respond well to commands that are almost like programming. I’ve had a couple of IT eggheads to see if we can apply programming languages onto their magic cores, hoping if they can write or develop some form of basic AI for them."

"That is outstanding," Cahyono praised, seriously impressed by the blend of magic and technology in this world. "But how do they move their arms and legs if they’re made of solid rock?"

"Honestly, I don't have an answer for that," Letif shrugged. "Even if you ask Odysseus, he’ll just say, ‘It’s magic.’"

"Hmm, interesting," Cahyono murmured as they entered the main admin building, where Letif began to strip off his work overalls and safety gear. "Keep me constantly updated on the golem AI development."

"Of course, Sir. Oddly enough, we can’t use concrete for the golems," Letif added as they walked toward the offices. “Odysseus mentioned something about 'living rock' and how concrete lacks life or something along those lines."

Letif opened the door to his main office, revealing a room lined with desks where two staff members were busy filling columns and ticking checklists in thick ledgers.

"Welcome to Mining Incorporated!" Letif said with a grin. "That’s my office, and this is where my staff handle the records of output, expenses, and accounts."

He pointed to another door on the right. "That’s Odysseus’ office, though it looks like he’s not in."

"Aetter?" Letif called out to a young woman who was busily punching numbers into a calculator amidst the messy pile of paperwork around her desk. "Where is Odysseus?"

"Sir Odysseus?" the woman paused her work with a slightly irritated glance. "He should be in his workshop." She then returned to her work, paying them no further attention.

"Sorry about that," Letif said, smiling apologetically at Cahyono. "They are very hardworking and focused."

Cahyono grinned, appreciating the professionalism, and followed Letif out of the admin building and back into the courtyard. Soon, they reached a large, two-story building with wide, red-painted swing doors standing open. It was one of four similar buildings, each marked with a large white number. This one bore the number '4,' and a pair of rail tracks led into its open doors.