Beastmaster King

Lu Ran answered the video call, and Dr. Cheng Kong smiled on the other end. "First, the reward for winning the invention competition. Since you left in a hurry, they didn't have time to hand it to you. It's now been mailed to the Divine Research Institute. You can come pick it up later."

"Got it." Lu Ran nodded.

The competition's prize was Stellar Moon coins. It was pure cash, and a substantial amount at that. For now, it was useless to him. He'd figure out how to spend it on resources before leaving.

"Second, I discussed your situation with Director Lin En. He's agreed to grant you access to three suitable Legendary-grade energy sources and seven Epic-grade ones for your research. He suggests you first explore whether you can develop a viable alternative manufacturing energy source.

"The current Elemental Life Creation Device is still imperfect. As its inventor, you naturally have the right to continue refining it yourself. Rather than handing over the technology for others to improve, letting you handle it is far more meaningful, both for you and for #18."

"Thank you." Lu Ran nodded gratefully.

Most research-type mechanics were paired with a research-type mechanical lifeform. For such lifeforms to level up and enhance their abilities, they needed to engage in continuous research and experimentation. The more groundbreaking the inventions, the greater the growth in the mechanical lifeform's level.

#18's rapid leveling in such a short time was largely due to its intensive research efforts. Since the Elemental Life Creation Device was a semi-finished product, Director Lin En's willingness to provide resources for further research meant #18 had a chance to level up even faster. In other words, Lu Ran and #18 would get to solo the research experience.

At the Mechanical Universities of the Stellar Moon Republic, such scenarios were common. Within a research team, a mechanical professor and several students might collaborate on a project funded by the school.

Typically, the professor wouldn't let students participate in core research, relegating them to menial tasks or passive observation. This was to ensure the professor and their mechanical assistant could solo the research experience, as dividing labor among multiple mechanical assistants would inevitably split the research experience.

Even if the projects were meant to train students, unwritten rules existed everywhere. Some professors always found excuses to keep students at arm's length.

However, Director Lin En was providing resources and allowing Lu Ran to conduct research independently, which was a clear sign of his goodwill and high regard for Lu Ran's potential.

"Ah, Director Lin En is such a good person... But this is just an ascension realm. The Primary Divine's blood will disappear afterward anyway. Phew, good thing this isn't real life, or I'd feel like a total scumbag..."

Lu Ran wrestled with his conscience for a brief moment before deciding to stick to the original plan. Soon after, he received the list of resources Dr. Cheng Kong had sent.

The first Legendary-grade resource was the Primordial Womb Sea Water. Any unborn embryo soaked in this water would experience a dramatic boost in potential. A King-rank embryo could easily break through to Overlord.

The second one was the Flower God's Nectar. It was a reward offered by the Flower God to flower visitors. A single drop could rapidly raise a Grass-attribute animal's level from 1 to 90 with no side effects.

The third Legendary-grade resource was the Flame of Life. It was a wisp of life flame separated by the Divine Phoenix, a kin of the Supreme Divine Dragon, out of pity for the suffering creatures during the Legendary war. It could heal injuries and resurrect the dead.

The seven Epic-grade resources included...

Before Lu Ran could finish reading, Dr. Cheng Kong said, "These are relatively mild Legendary-grade resources, and they're not top-priority materials in the artificial god research. That's why they're being made available to you. Among them, I need to emphasize three points about the Legendary resources.

"For the Primordial Womb Sea Water, though the Divine Research Institute has a certain stock, your initial research quota is limited to one drop. The Flower God's Nectar is also restricted to one drop. As for the Flame of Life, its core flame is off-limits. You can only receive a strand of its subsidiary flame for research. Only if you achieve significant results with a particular resource can you apply for a larger allocation."

Well, fuck.

For a brief moment, seeing the three resources had gotten him excited, thinking he was about to strike it rich. However, Dr. Cheng Kong's words crushed his hopes.

One drop... one strand... Fine.

Lu Ran knew that for a newcomer like him, being granted even a drop or strand of such high-grade resources was already generous. Among them, the Flower God's Nectar and the Flame of Life particularly caught his attention.

The Flower God was likely the Legendary being who had nurtured the Tree Monarch. As the Tree Monarch's inheritor, Lu Ran had once had the chance to train under her.

As for the Divine Phoenix's Flame of Life, it also held great significance for him. As the strongest of the Life Dragon's three kins, the Divine Phoenix was essentially a colleague of his superior. Lu Ran desperately wanted to get his hands on this.

The Broken Horn of the Divine Deer was becoming obsolete. The Flame of Life could serve as a high-grade replacement. Moreover, the Divine Deer had once given him a mission to seek out the Divine Phoenix's legacy. Though he wasn't sure if this Flame of Life counted, bringing it back for the Divine Deer to examine would at least prove his capabilities.

As for the other Epic resources, Lu Ran skimmed through them and noticed they were mostly derived from Legendary creatures, like the blood of certain beasts. The allocations for these were also limited, suggesting the institute was keeping backups rather than handing everything over to him.

Dr. Cheng Kong grinned. "Even so, this should be pretty exciting, right? At your level, I'd never even seen so many top-tier resources."

Lu Ran nodded vigorously. "Excited? Very! Professor, how do I claim these resources?"

"They're all stored at the Divine Research Institute's headquarters. It's the place we first landed. Once your application is approved, just head to the resource room at headquarters. The institute itself is a massive mechanical lifeform with its own intelligence. As long as you have permission, you can ask it for the resources you need, and it'll retrieve them for you.

"Right now, all ten resources on this list have been authorized for you. You can go claim them anytime. But let me remind you that these resources are strictly for research. Whether your research succeeds or fails, you must provide records proving they weren't used for personal gain. For instance, the institute can accept these Legendary resources being expended in critical research, but won't tolerate researchers pocketing them. These are national assets."

Dr. Cheng Kong worried that Lu Ran, being so young, might succumb to temptation and warned him sternly.

"I understand."

"Still, as a mechanical researcher at the Divine Research Institute, there are other perks. Access to top-tier resources for scientific advancement to boost your mechanical assistant's research capabilities is just one of them. If a researcher makes significant contributions, some resources from the repository might even be approved for personal use.

"For example, Dr. Kaku once applied to use the Primordial Womb Sea Water to enhance his granddaughter's familiar's egg's potential. As long as you follow the proper procedures, everything's negotiable. Once your Elemental Life Creation Device is shared with the institute, applying for personal use of certain resources shouldn't be an issue."

Lu Ran nodded. It didn't matter. Once he got the resources, who could police whether he used them for research or personal gain after returning?

"Professor, I plan to visit the senior researchers next. Many seem interested in elemental lifeforms, so I'll gift them some elemental sprites. For you... I've prepared sprites of various attributes. I'll package them and send them over."

"Huh? Hahaha,sure, sure! When I saw them at the competition, I thought those little sprites were adorable."

Over the next two days, Lu Ran and #18 visited each researcher at the Divine Research Institute. They gifted elemental sprites as tokens of goodwill. Their modus operandi was simple–give presents, then ask for targeted mechanical knowledge.

With gifts in hand, the seniors were exceedingly generous. After sharing their expertise, some even handed over mechanical research notes. Lu Ran and #18 had truly mastered the art of gaining much with little.

Meanwhile, Lu Ran continued to apply for the resources the institute had authorized him to access. However, he didn't actually need to research them to know they couldn't serve as alternative energy sources for the Elemental Life Creation Device. The reason was simple: the Six-Path Flower's essence, fused with the Limit Breaker trait, possessed a unique ability to overcome restrictions. It was the key to creating elemental lifeforms in this era.

While some of these resources were also derived from Legendary beings, their restriction-breaking capabilities paled in comparison to Six Flower's essence. This was confirmed after #18 analyzed a few of the resources. Given this, Lu Ran decided against forcing the research. He didn't want to damage the resources. It was better to save them for future use back on Blue Planet.

With only a few days left, their top priority was preparing for the scam operation. At this point, Six-Path Flower wasn't even on the Divine Island anymore. It had temporarily separated from Lu Ran, waiting to make a grand entrance from the outside when the time came.

On a remote island far from the Divine Island, a spatial rift slowly tore open. Six-Path Flower emerged in human form, conjured a Wooden Asura, and perched on its shoulder.

"My divine name is the Six-Path Reincarnation God, comrade of the Divine Tree, who fell in war. Through the power of reincarnation and the Divine Tree's might, I have been reborn. I have come to retrieve the Chaos Dragon God's blood that was lost to the outside world. This blood will aid in restoring my peak strength. Its divine nature is too violent, as it's infused with the Chaos Dragon God's divinity. You cannot harness it. It would be better in my hands.

"Moreover, this item is the spoils of my old friend's battle. It does not belong to you. When I ascend as the next Plant Primary Divine after the Divine Tree, I shall not forget your kindness. Artificial gods? Interesting. I may assist you in your research. Don't believe me? My descendant, the Flower God, once nurtured a Mythical plantmaster. You underestimate me."

Six-Path Flower quietly rehearsed its lines but couldn't shake the feeling that this plan was flimsy.

Lu Ran, you little brat! Don't you dare screw me over!