Translator: AnubisTL
Jieming quickly recalled the numbers and calculated the total number of logistics wizards deployed for this campaign: just over 270.
Compared to the total wizard population of over 30,000, the proportion of logistics wizards was less than 1%!
"The Logistics Department... is actually this small?!" Jieming exclaimed in astonishment, then realized the implications, his expression darkening. "Does that mean...?"
Viola nodded in agreement, completing his thought. "There's plenty of work waiting for you later, so cherish this 'easy' time while it lasts! I advise you to request a few more energy potions..."
Watching Viola gracefully walk away, Jieming's lips twitched involuntarily. "This... is considered 'easy'?! If I remember correctly... I haven't slept in days! If this is 'easy,' what does 'busy' even look like?!"
Wait a minute!
If that's the case...
I came here to wage war, so why have I unknowingly become a beast of burden again?!
Is being a beast of burden the ultimate fate of logistics wizards?!
Leaving aside Jieming's mental turmoil, as time passed, the logistics wizards discovered more and more valuable resources.
In just a few short days, they had already identified over a hundred rare resources!
This fully confirmed Master Alvin's intelligence: this plane truly was a vast treasure trove!
Even energy crystals commonly used as universal energy sources in the wizard civilization—such as pure elemental cores and magic crystals—were practically everywhere in the Flamefrost Plane!
Deep within nearly every lava earth meridian or at the bottom of every frigid spring lay massive, untapped clusters of raw crystals, their energy concentration astonishingly high, making every wizard who mined them unable to suppress the gleam in their eyes.
However, beyond studying these precious and unique resources, the logistics wizards' most critical task at this stage remained analyzing the local creatures and elemental phenomena.
This was to provide support for Combat Department wizards on the frontlines and to furnish high-rank wizards with the data needed for long-term strategic planning.
Due to severe manpower shortages, even wizards like Jieming, who were relatively low-ranked and specialized in alchemy and rune studies, were assigned to a seemingly simple yet crucial task: analyzing the biological intelligence of lava giants.
He needed to conduct detailed dissections, analyses, and research on captured lava giants to understand their weaknesses, physiological structures, elemental affinities, and even their social behaviors.
"Bring it in," Jieming said through the internal communication rune.
Soon, an escort team composed of alchemy puppets and low-rank wizards transported a lava giant, bound by a magic formation and rendered unconscious, into Jieming's temporary laboratory.
Even in its unconscious state, the lava giant radiated a suffocating heatwave.
It stood at least seven or eight meters tall, its broad shoulders resembling two small hills.
Its body was constructed from twisted, solidified crimson rock, covered in irregular angles and fissures, as if it were a demon straight from the volcano's depths.
Tiny streams of molten lava flowed continuously across its rocky skin, winding through fissures like veins and emitting a faint sulfurous and scorched odor.
Its limbs were as thick as massive pillars, each hand and foot bearing only three digits, but these digits were thick and tipped with black, shovel-like claws as sharp as iron.
Its eyes were pure energy, glowing like embers even when closed, radiating a faint crimson light.
Wisps of steam escaped from its mouth and nostrils, proof of the intense heat within.
Though captured and restrained, each breath it took scorched and dried the surrounding air.
Jieming donned his specially crafted rune gloves, and the light of his Universal Eye blazed in his eyes.
He intended to extract every hidden secret from the lava giant's body.
Activating the Universal Eye, his vision shifted beyond the visible world.
The world transformed before him.
The gentle flames of the blazing light grass, the energy fluctuations within the iceburst crystal, and even the microscopic movements within every tissue of the lava giant's body were revealed in perfect clarity.
"Initiating analysis," Jieming muttered, activating the recorder beside him.
As he activated the Universal Eye, Jieming also initiated his alchemy. His mental power, like a surging tide, flowed in tandem with the Universal Eye's penetrating vision, beginning to infiltrate every pore of the lava giant's body.
First came the external tissues. What appeared to be hardened rock on the surface, Jieming discovered through the Universal Eye's microscopic vision, were not mere mineral deposits, but rather a highly active form of skin and bodily tissue!
This "Rock Skin" was composed of extremely dense and elastic mineral crystals. Even under microscopic magnification, tiny energy conduits within the crystals could be seen constantly flickering.
When these crystalline structures suffered external impacts, they would locally fracture, then rapidly draw energy from within to refill the gaps, creating a terrifying self-repair capability.
Even more astonishingly, the seemingly flowing magma on the giant's surface was also a form of its skin!
It wasn't merely an external secretion, but rather an outward manifestation of the living plasma blood circulating within the lava giant's body.
This plasma fluid, rich in the fire element, not only transported energy throughout the giant's body but also exchanged heat with the external environment, maintaining the stability of its core furnace.
In its normal state, this layer of living lava thinly coated the lava giant's Rock Skin, granting it that iconic crimson glow and terrifyingly high temperature.
After dictating these observations to the recording device beside him, Jieming turned his attention to the lava giant's overall physical capabilities.
"Good thing I'm proficient in rune studies," he muttered to himself. "Otherwise, calculating this thing's stats would be impossible."
He began calculating by analyzing the energy fluctuations within the lava giant's body and the efficiency of its energy circulation system.
He discovered that even though this living specimen appeared to be just an ordinary adult soldier, the Universal Eye's assessment of its energy density, power matrix, and internal elemental circulation revealed a physique far surpassing that of ordinary creatures.
It's no exaggeration to say that even the most ordinary adult lava giant possesses physical attributes and energy levels that easily reach the first-tier creature level.
Elite individuals, like those who fought against the wizard cannon fodder earlier, could even attain second-tier status.
Jieming continued his in-depth exploration of the lava giant's internal structure, seeking to uncover the secrets of its sensory and physiological systems.
The lava giant's visual system differed radically from that of humans.
Instead of lenses and retinas, their eyes consisted of two crimson-glowing "lava cores."
Through the Universal Eye's penetrating gaze, Jieming discovered that these organs were exquisitely sensitive to elemental energy and thermal fluctuations.
They could directly "see" the trajectories of heat currents in the air, the pulsating frequency of lava veins, and even perceive the faint energy radiation from distant elemental formations.
Requiring minimal visible light, their vision was based purely on the perception of the fire element. Even in complete darkness, as long as heat or the fire element was present, they could see as clearly as in daylight.
Their auditory system was even more peculiar.
Jieming couldn't find any visible earlobes, but he sensed a series of minute resonance chambers and mineral crystals within the lava giant's head.
These crystals could capture vibrations. While insensitive to high-frequency sounds, they possessed an astonishing ability to discern low-frequency infrasound and subterranean tremors.
Through this method, the lava giant could effortlessly perceive the advance of distant armies, the activity of magma within volcanoes, and even impending anomalies deep within the Earth's crust.
This was a highly adapted seismic or vibration-sensing capability tailored to volcanic environments.
Even more astonishing to Jieming was the discovery that the lava giant, despite being a distinctly elemental creature, possessed a complete digestive system!
Under the analysis of his alchemy and the Universal Eye, a complex and highly efficient digestive tract materialized within the lava giant's body.
It wasn't a conventional biological intestine but rather a multi-layered structure formed from solidified lava, capable of directly digesting and decomposing minerals.
This lava giant didn't rely solely on elemental energy for sustenance; it could even consume corporeal creatures. Jieming found remnants of partially digested biological remains within its esophagus.
This undoubtedly shattered his traditional understanding of elemental creatures.
This digestive system meant they could draw energy from a wider range of sources, compensating for the limitations of pure elemental energy.
He also noticed that despite appearing to be living magma and rock, the creature still needed to breathe.
Even while bound by a spell and in a comatose state, faint waves of heat and wisps of air regularly flowed in and out of tiny fissures on its head and torso, indicating that respiration was essential for their survival.
This breathing wasn't merely for oxygen exchange; it seemed more like an internal heat pump and elemental transformation process, maintaining the stability of their core furnace and expelling metabolic waste.
Unsurprisingly, lava giants were masters of fire attribute attacks.
Their bodies could instantly conjure scorching magma and flames, and a casual strike could ignite everything around them.
They were naturally immune to fire, extreme heat, and most toxins that targeted flesh.
Their core furnace could convert all fire energy into their own power, making any fire magic feel like a nourishing tonic to them.
Through deeper research, Jieming uncovered an astonishing characteristic of the lava giant race.
If a lava giant remains in an excessively hot environment for an extended period, such as the core of an active volcano or under the prolonged influence of powerful fire magic, its entire being undergoes a qualitative transformation, shifting into a semi-liquid molten state.
In this state, its "Rock Skin" becomes softer and more fluid, its body loses its fixed shape, and physical attacks become virtually ineffective, as strikes either pass straight through or are absorbed by the molten rock.
Moreover, even if part of its body is destroyed, it can regenerate by drawing molten rock from its surroundings or through its astonishing natural regenerative abilities!
This indicates that their bodily tissues can freely switch between solid rock and molten lava states, allowing for seamless transitions.
Furthermore, by drawing external molten rock, they can temporarily amplify their strength and regeneration speed to an extreme degree.
This terrifying adaptive capability makes them nearly invincible in fiery environments.
But that's not all.
Jieming shifted the focus of his Universal Eye to the lava giant's internal heat regulation mechanisms. To his astonishment, he discovered that these creatures are actually not vulnerable to extreme cold for short periods!
If a lava giant were suddenly subjected to extreme cold, such as the icy breath of a Snow Monster from the Frostdark Realm or a wizard's ice-type spell, its seemingly solid rock skin would rapidly cool, forming a porous, sponge-like structure.
This process mirrored the physical principle of thermal expansion and contraction. The molten lava within would temporarily contract toward the core, while the outer layer swiftly solidified into a porous, insulating shell, preserving the scorching heat of the giant's internal furnace.
This mechanism allowed them to temporarily withstand freezing damage, rendering small-scale cold attacks far less effective than one might expect.
However, this defense came at a cost.
When exposed to prolonged extreme cold, the lava giant would enter a state of "cold rigidity." While not immediately destroyed, its life energy circulation would slow dramatically.
This would severely impair its regenerative abilities and reduce its movement speed, effectively putting it into a state of hibernation or paralysis.
This discovery made Jieming's eyes gleam with excitement:
"Record: Based on research, a potentially effective method for killing them..."
He swiftly drafted a preliminary tactical analysis on his magic net terminal:
"We can begin with a low-temperature strike!" Jieming recorded in his report. "By employing ice-type spells or other cryogenic attacks, we can forcibly induce a 'frozen' state in the lava giants' outer skin, rendering it insulating and rigid. In this state, their regenerative capabilities are drastically weakened. We can then more efficiently eliminate them through physical attacks!"
Ordinary fire attacks are virtually ineffective against them, and pure physical attacks struggle to penetrate their liquid or regenerative forms.
However, combining low-temperature and physical strikes perfectly circumvents their two primary defensive advantages.
"Additionally, asphyxiation spells may unexpectedly prove effective, though they won't deliver a fatal blow. They can, however, temporarily slow the lava giants' movements."
Jieming understood that most asphyxiation spells operate by severing an organism's respiratory pathways, which would likely be ineffective against the lava giants' unique physiology.
Yet the wizard civilization had developed an immeasurable variety of spells. With diligent searching, he was confident he could find the necessary spells.
"Furthermore, high-frequency sound waves can also deliver effective strikes..."
He immediately uploaded the analysis report to the magic network and sent it to the senior commanders in the war zone.
"As expected, every creature has its weaknesses."
Rubbing his slightly fatigued forehead, Jieming's lips curled into a faint smile as he deactivated the Universal Eye.
(End of the Chapter)
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