The Surging Magical Energy Sentinel Tower and the "Dangerous" Handicraft

The early morning in Yena Village was filled with the calm before the storm.

Although the few mud monsters that delivered themselves to the door yesterday were easily dealt with by Lynch, the news the old village chief brought back still weighed on everyone's hearts like a boulder. The shadow of the massive beast tide did not dissipate with the death of a few vanguard monsters; instead, it grew even heavier.

Behind the fences, the villagers were reinforcing their defenses. Calling them defenses was a stretch—it just meant sharpening wooden stakes or digging a few shallow pits outside the walls. Such crude defenses wouldn't even stop a few mad cows, let alone an army of magical beasts.

Lynch stood in his courtyard, looking at his territory surrounded by a stone wall only half a person high, and frowned slightly.

"Relying on this alone definitely won't work."

He looked down at the heavy cloth bag in his hand. It contained the five tier-one earth-attribute magic cores he had just farmed yesterday, which were the key materials for building advanced defensive facilities.

"System."

Lynch muttered in his heart.

A translucent, azure-blue panel instantly unfolded across his retinas.

[Territory Construction Mode Activated]

[Currently Available Resources: Tier 1 Earth Magic Core x5, Tier 1 Wind Magic Core x12, Wood x Various, Stone x Various]

[Unlockable Facility: Magic Energy Sentry Tower (Beginner)]

[Construction Requirements: 5 Tier 1 Earth Magic Cores (as base), 100 units of Stone (automatically converted by the system), Time Required: 10 minutes.]

"Only ten minutes? That's quite efficient."

Lynch didn't hesitate at all. He tapped the air with his finger, selecting an empty plot in the southeast corner of the courtyard wall—it had a wide field of vision, perfectly covering the village entrance and the path leading to the forest.

"Confirm construction!"

As the command was issued, the cloth bag in Lynch's hand instantly became lighter, and the five earthy-yellow magic cores turned into streaks of light and burrowed into the ground.

Immediately after.

Hum—

A muffled humming sound came from deep underground, as if the earth were taking a deep breath.

The originally flat ground began to tremble violently, and the accumulated snow rustled down. The old locust trees in the yard moved without any wind, their leaves rustling.

"An earthquake?!"

Kuma, who was catching up on sleep in the house, suddenly pricked up his ears and darted to the window with a whoosh.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Felsy, who was elegantly flipping through a magic book, also slightly raised her eyelids.

"Earth elements are gathering... and it's a high-density, directional reconstruction."

Felsy looked out the window at the bulging ground, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes. "This technique... doesn't look like a magic formation. It seems more like some older, more coercive power of rules. Just how many trump cards is this idiot hiding?"

Rumble!

Under Lynch's expectant gaze, the soil in that empty plot began to churn as if it were boiling.

Countless hard granite rocks grew out of the ground on their own. They seemed to be kneaded together by an invisible giant hand, fitting together seamlessly and even giving off a metallic luster.

A cylindrical tower rose from the ground just like that, defying common physical sense.

One meter, two meters, five meters...

Finally, it settled at a height of about ten meters.

It was a sentry tower filled with rugged beauty and a mysterious aura. Its entire body was made of dark gray rock, and the tower was engraved with complex purple arcane patterns that flickered slightly with the flow of magic. At the top of the tower floated a transparent crystal the size of a basketball, slowly rotating and emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

[Ding! Magic Energy Sentry Tower (Beginner) construction completed.]

[Attributes: Automatic enemy tracking (range 500 meters), single-target arcane ray (attack power equivalent to peak Tier 2 magic), rate of fire: 1 shot/3 seconds.]

"Awesome!"

Lynch looked up at this defensive tower, which had a mix of sci-fi and magical styles, and couldn't help but whistle. "Is this what they call 'truth only lies within the range of cannons'? With this thing, I'd like to see who dares to cause trouble here!"

Just as Lynch was admiring his masterpiece.

"L-Lynch..."

A trembling voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

The old village chief was leaning on his cane, standing outside the fence, the dry tobacco pipe in his mouth having fallen to the ground. He widened his cloudy old eyes, staring at the place that had been a vegetable patch a few minutes ago but now had a towering structure standing on it. His whole body was almost petrified.

"Is... is this a miracle?"

The old village chief tremblingly pointed at the sentry tower. "I was just passing by, felt the ground shake a bit, and then this... this just grew out? How did you do it? Could it be that you used a legendary forbidden spell?"

Several villagers passing by also gathered around, looking at Lynch as if they were looking at a descending god.

In this impoverished backwater where even two-story houses were rare, this method of raising a tall building from flat ground simply exceeded the limits of their cognition.

Lynch was stunned for a moment.

Oh crap, the commotion was too big, and I forgot to set up a cover.

However, as the expert of the village, the right to explain naturally rested in his hands.

Lynch coughed lightly, put his hands behind his back, and assumed the calm and breezy posture of a master:

"Village Chief, everyone, don't panic."

"This is neither a miracle nor a forbidden spell."

Lynch spouted nonsense with a straight face, "This is just a little trick I learned from an ancient book, called Civil Engineering Alchemy."

"Civil Engineering... Alchemy?" The old village chief repeated this unfamiliar term.

"That's right."

Lynch pointed at the sentry tower. "The principle is to use the earth elements deep underground, through a specific resonance frequency—which was the ground tremor just now—to make them quickly harden and restructure. It's like molding a clay figurine, except I molded it using my spiritual power."

"This is a defensive facility I specially rushed to build overnight to deal with the upcoming beast tide."

Actually, I just whipped it out in ten minutes... Lynch complained inwardly.

Hearing that it was to fight the beast tide, the villagers' eyes instantly changed from shock to fanatical worship.

"As expected of Mr. Lynch!"

"So this is called Civil Engineering Alchemy! It's too profound!"

"With this tower, our village will definitely be able to hold out!"

The old village chief was even more excited, tears welling up in his eyes. He picked up his pipe and bowed deeply to Lynch. "Lynch, you are the benefactor of our entire village! I'll go notify everyone right now to move all the village's grain reserves near your house! This is the safest place!"

Watching the backs of the villagers happily going to move their things, Lynch rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty, but mostly a sense of reassurance.

At least, the first line of defense was established.

...

The daytime flew by in busyness.

Lynch not only tested the sentry tower's enemy-tracking mechanism (using a passing wild pheasant as an unlucky tester, which instantly turned into roast chicken), but also guided the villagers to set up some simple traps within the tower's firing range.

When night fell, wind and snow once again shrouded the land.

After dinner, Lynch didn't give Felsy a massage like usual. Instead, he ducked into his first-floor workshop early and locked the door from the inside.

"I have to get that thing done tonight."

Lynch lit the oil lamp and looked at the pile of scrap metal he had begged from Rhodes at the blacksmith shop. It was mostly brass sheets, clockwork springs taken from old clocks, and some polishing tools.

He was going to make the Singing Bird Music Box he had seen in town but couldn't afford.

Although he couldn't afford it, thanks to the hardcore DIY videos he had watched in his past life, he understood the principles perfectly.

The core components were simply a cylinder with bumps on it and a comb-like metal plate. When the cylinder rotated, the bumps would pluck the teeth of the comb, producing different pitches of sound.

The hardest part is the pitch and the power transmission of the mainspring...

Lynch put on his homemade goggles, picked up a file, and began to carefully polish a piece of brass.

Zzz— Zzz—

The harsh sound of scraping metal echoed in the silent night.

This is a bit loud...

Lynch frowned. Afraid of waking his wife upstairs, he specifically found a thick cloth to pad underneath it, but the sounds of metal striking and cutting still couldn't be completely eliminated.

Whatever, the sooner I finish, the sooner I can give it to her.

Lynch gritted his teeth, and the small hammer in his hand began to tap away with a clinking sound.

What he didn't know was...

This rhythmic sound of metalworking in the dead of night reached the ears of a certain sensitive and paranoid witch on the second floor, painting a completely different picture in her mind.

...

Second-floor bedroom.

Felsy was leaning against the headboard, holding the unfinished General History of the Continent in her hands, but her gaze remained fixed on the same page without moving for a long time.

Her ears twitched slightly as she carefully distinguished the noises coming from downstairs.

Zzz— Zzz—

That was a sharp sound, like a sharp blade scraping against bone.

Clink! Clank! Bam!

That was a heavy pounding, as if forging some kind of hard alloy.

There was also the occasional click, clack of mechanical gears engaging.

Felsy closed the book, a trace of solemnity and even a bit of deep emotion flashing in her purple eyes.

He is... making weapons.

A picture quickly formed in Felsy's mind:

In a dimly lit basement, a shirtless Lynch was sweating profusely. He was using some unknown forbidden metal to polish sharp projectiles capable of piercing dragon scales.

That click sound must be him assembling some complex, highly destructive explosive device.

And that zzz sound was clearly him quenching some highly toxic hidden weapon!

He locked himself in his room and even canceled his evening massage... just for this.

Felsy stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the magical sentry tower in the courtyard emitting a faint blue light in the blizzard, then lowered her head to listen to the grinding sounds downstairs.

Building a tower by day, crafting explosives by night.

This man... he is actually this vigilant against the impending crisis.

Even though I already hinted that he doesn't need to worry, even though I am here... he still chooses to take his destiny into his own hands.

Felsy's fingers gently brushed across the cold glass window, her exhaled breath blooming into a blurry patch of fog on the pane.

So silly.

She said softly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach, but mostly an unconcealable admiration, and even... pride.

In the Demon Realm, the strong ruled supreme.

She couldn't even be bothered to glance at those males who only knew how to cling to her.

Only a wolf like Lynch, who would sharpen his fangs and claws to desperately protect his territory and mate even when facing an invincible enemy, the beast tide in her eyes, was qualified to stand by her side.

It seems... I can't be too idle either.

Felsy turned around and looked at Kuma, who was sound asleep on the carpet.

Kuma, wake up.

Ugh... what's wrong, my lady? Is it time to eat? Kuma rubbed her eyes groggily.

Stop sleeping.

Felsy walked over to her and gently nudged her with the tip of her foot. That idiot is downstairs working himself to death making secret weapons to protect us; we can't just act like mere ornaments.

Secret weapons?

Kuma perked up her ears in confusion and listened. This sound... why does it sound like someone sharpening scissors?

That's a hidden weapon! It's the fuse for a high-explosive magical mine!

Felsy sternly corrected her misconception. Anyway, he is under a lot of pressure right now. So as not to distract him, go... go scout the terrain within a ten-mile radius again.

Especially to the west.

A cold glint flashed in Felsy's eyes. If any blind high-tier magical beasts try to launch a sneak attack early, I don't want them to live long enough to reach the tower's firing range.

Huh? Now? In the middle of the night?

Kuma glanced at the blizzard outside the window, feeling absolutely dreadful as a fox. My lady, it's really cold outside! Besides, didn't Brother Lynch build that super awesome tower?

The tower is the tower, and I am me.

Felsy crossed her arms and slightly raised her chin. That tower is proof of his determination to protect this home.

And clearing out those potential threats... is my... um, return gift to him as the lady of the house.

Go quickly! Don't force me to throw you out myself.

Yes, yes, yes... I'm going...

Kuma sighed, resignedly climbing up and wrapping her little cloak tightly around herself.

This family... each one is more of a try-hard than the last.

One sharpens blades and builds towers in the middle of the night, and the other forces her subordinate to patrol the mountains at midnight.

I can't live like this anymore... I want to go back to the Demon Realm...

Accompanied by Kuma's grumbling, a petite dark silhouette pitifully squeezed out of the window and disappeared into the blizzard.

The room fell silent once again.

Felsy sat back down on the bed, listening to the unceasing zzz sounds from downstairs.

That originally harsh metallic scraping sound now sounded to her ears like some kind of reassuring melody.

It was the rhythm of security.

Idiot.

A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Felsy's lips. She pulled the blanket over and buried herself in it.

Since you are working so hard... then I suppose I can reluctantly look forward to your secret weapon.

I hope when the time comes... it makes a loud bang.

Downstairs.

Lynch, who was drilling a hole in the music box's cylinder, suddenly sneezed.

Achoo!

He rubbed his nose and looked around in confusion.

Why does my back suddenly feel a bit cold? Is the heating not turned up enough?

Whatever, back to work! For my wife's gift, let's go!

Lynch raised his small hammer once again and launched his final sprint toward that soon-to-be-completed secret weapon, the music box.