Chapter Sixty-Three: Experimental Iron Golem (1)

“Yes, just put it here, don’t move it.”

Because construction during winter was troublesome and the iron golem factory was massive in scale, it couldn’t be completed in a short time. For fear that the development of the iron golem would fall behind schedule, Mo Fangyuan set aside an area inside the central castle as a temporary workplace for Fang Zhi and his students.

After all, Fang Zhi was now a member of the Block Kingdom, and his technology, in a sense, belonged to the entire realm. To guard against any unforeseen circumstances that might befall Fang Zhi, Mo Fangyuan deliberately arranged for several bright and nimble children to serve as his apprentices and assistants. This was to lay the foundation for the future growth of golem technology.

After fixing the right arm of the iron golem in place as instructed, Fang Zhi turned to his students. “Jiemu, do you know why the iron golem’s legs are designed this way?” he asked, pointing at the schematic, directing the question to the child beside him.

Jiemu was a student personally chosen by Fang Zhi, and it proved to be a wise decision. In the field of iron golems, Jiemu had demonstrated exceptional talent from the start. From the principles to the structure, Jiemu could grasp the concepts almost immediately after a single explanation from Fang Zhi—something none of the other children could achieve. Sometimes, Fang Zhi wondered if Jiemu had been sent to the Block World by the Sun itself just to build iron golems. And Jiemu was only eight years old!

“Teacher, is it… to stabilize the golem so it doesn’t fall over?” Jiemu asked, curious why the two short legs were grouped together as the “leg section,” while the arms were divided into left and right.

“You’re only partly correct,” Fang Zhi replied with a smile, as the other two busy children quickly ran over, eager to listen. Ever since encountering the iron golem, these clever children had realized this was no ordinary work.

“It’s because this is an iron golem! The main material is iron, which enhances its toughness and damage. But that also creates a weakness.” Raising a wooden plank in one hand and an iron ingot in the other, Fang Zhi prompted them to think.

“I know—it’s because of the weight!” Jiemu exclaimed. As expected, he quickly understood the reasoning.

“Exactly, the issue is weight,” Fang Zhi confirmed. “The iron golem is made entirely of iron, which is a very heavy material. This means every movement consumes a tremendous amount of energy, and its speed is slow.” Fang Zhi sighed, as if recalling something bitter. “It’s impossible to increase its speed, because the material restricts it. Only if our technology improves or we acquire better materials could we overcome this obstacle. But for my generation, this is an unattainable dream. I must leave it to you all.”

Over thirty years, Fang Zhi had racked his brains countless times trying to solve this problem, but always failed. In the end, he realized that even if he found a solution, the Block People’s current abilities were insufficient to implement it.

“To increase the golem’s speed, the legs would need a much more complex design, which means adding more material—and that would only make it heavier and slower…”

“If the legs become bulkier, the golem’s original strengths—power and defense—would be suppressed. The gains wouldn’t be worth the loss, so the legs must be designed as they are…”

The other two children could understand the earlier parts, but as Fang Zhi explained further, they became more and more confused.

“What is Teacher talking about?” one whispered.

“I have no idea,” the other replied.

Only Jiemu could comprehend the complexity of his teacher’s feelings.

“Haha, I’ve digressed. Let’s get back to the main topic and discuss the principles behind the golem’s arms…”

As they taught and worked, the first generation of experimental iron golems in the Block Kingdom was finally completed.

“Your Majesty, please do us the honor of placing the last block!” they called.

Hearing that the kingdom’s first iron golem was about to be unveiled, Mo Fangyuan was so excited that he hurried over to witness this historic moment.

“Certainly.”

In the little garden outside the central castle, everyone gathered around the iron golem, which stood three blocks tall, chattering with excitement. The once-beautiful garden had been transformed beyond recognition by Mo Fangyuan—flowers, grass, and trees all cleared, ponds and flowerbeds filled with stones, and scarecrows and targets set up for training. Under Mo Fangyuan’s hand, the garden had become a small training ground.

Holding the square iron golem head, Mo Fangyuan fell into thought. The moment he picked it up, his appraisal ability—evolved from his experience bar—analyzed it instantly.

[Damaged Power-Type Combat (Iron) Golem Core]

He had expected it to be damaged, so that came as no surprise. What did surprise him was that the head served as the core of the golem.

With everyone watching in awe, Mo Fangyuan stepped forward, leapt up, and set the head in place atop the golem’s body.

As the head was fixed, those present seemed to see a flash of ethereal white lightning strike the golem before Mo Fangyuan.

A clicking, mechanical sound began, and the lifeless iron golem started to tremble. First its arms, then its legs, and finally its whole body moved.

“Ah…” gasped the crowd as the golem’s hollow, black eyes glowed red. It lowered its head, saw Mo Fangyuan, and took a step forward before halting.

That single step made Mo Fangyuan feel as if the ground itself were shaking beneath him.

“Good heavens, what astonishing power…” Mo Fangyuan was ecstatic.

But soon he was puzzled: why did the golem stop after only one step?

“Master Fang, what’s going on?” he asked Fang Zhi.

But just as he turned his head, the golem moved again.

“What now?” he muttered, watching the golem take another step, pause, take two more steps, and then stand dumbly in place. Mo Fangyuan was bewildered. Was it malfunctioning?

“Your Majesty, this is only an experimental golem. There are many flaws. We will modify it based on the data from these tests,” Fang Zhi explained, more excited than Mo Fangyuan at seeing the first golem he had ever built.

“Very well, keep up the good work!” Though it was only a prototype, Mo Fangyuan still found it difficult to accept how sluggish it was.

“Jiemu, come help your teacher with the tests.”

Professional matters should be left to professionals, Mo Fangyuan knew. He stood aside and watched as they began testing the golem.

“Jiemu, bring the hammer…”

Bang!

“Hm, the hammer causes little damage to the golem. Record that.”

“Now bring the axe…”

Bang!

“Bring the pickaxe!”

Bang!

“Bring the sword!”

Clang!

After several rounds of testing, Fang Zhi reported confidently to Mo Fangyuan, “Its defense is astonishing. Whether struck by sword or axe, it barely takes any damage! But we need to test its limits… So, Your Majesty, may we borrow your diamond axe?”

The diamond axe dealt nine points of damage to monsters—it was the most powerful weapon in the Block Kingdom.

“Of course, use it as you wish,” Mo Fangyuan said, pulling the diamond axe from his backpack and handing it to Fang Zhi, happy to let his people make use of it.

“Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty!”

Watching the two figures, clearly intent on putting the golem through its paces, Mo Fangyuan offered a silent three-second prayer for the golem.