Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

Sure, here is the translated text:

Looking at the old man's corpse, Richard's thoughts turned.

If the old man had died a normal death, that wouldn't be surprising. However, based on the old man's previous behavior, it didn't quite seem like a normal death.

Especially regarding the old man's eerie smile.

It seemed more like an accidental death.

There's a good chance that some wizard used extraordinary magic to attach his consciousness to the old man's body, trying to infiltrate the No.13 Mine to learn something. Because he was accidentally discovered, he knew he couldn't fight back, and to avoid his own secrets from being uncovered, he decisively ended his own life.

If that's truly the case, then it's much more troublesome.

Moreover, two scenarios need to be considered.

The first scenario is that the investigating wizard belongs to some unknown organization. While that's somewhat troublesome, just being alert should suffice; it's not a big deal.

The second scenario is that the investigating wizard comes from within the Truth Society. For some reason, the other party has become suspicious of his identity or actions, so they came to investigate. In this case, it's much more troublesome, and he must carefully consider how to handle it, as a misstep could greatly affect the ore extraction at the mine, thereby impacting the current nuclear weapon research and manufacturing plans.

Which scenario is it?

Richard frowned, looked at Waltz approaching, and without caring about Waltz's amazement and embarrassment, pointed at the corpse on the ground and directly said, "I want the fastest speed and highest efficiency in obtaining information about this person."

Waltz hesitated for a moment, looked at Richard and said, "Master Wizard, by tomorrow morning..."

"No, that's not fast enough." Richard shook his head, interrupting Waltz, "I want enough information by tonight. Until it's understood, I'll stay at this mine."

"Well..." Upon hearing this, Waltz pursed his lips, his eyes turning as if in deep thought. He finally looked at Richard, took a deep breath, and made a decision: "Then, Master Wizard, you must wait a while."

"Alright."

Waltz turned and walked into the night, soon making the mine noisier than before.

...

Over an hour later.

Within the No.13 Mine, in the room where Richard had previously meditated, the emaciated corpse of the old man lay flat on the ground. Richard quietly sat on the bed to the side, resting with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the corpse's presence.

With a creak, the door opened and Waltz walked in.

Once inside, Waltz gave the corpse a slightly reluctant glance, moved to a corner farthest from the corpse, and spoke to Richard, "Master Wizard, I've already learned some information about the identity of the person on the ground."

Richard opened his eyes and asked, "Who is the person?"

"The person's name is Ford. According to the workers, he had no children and lived in poverty. He seemed to have suffered some trauma, with a somewhat unstable mind. The workers have seen him many times; he often smiled inexplicably, in a way that was eerie.

Originally, he was active only within Shambala Town. No one knows how he ended up here or why he entered the construction site. My guess is... he might have been too hungry and trying to steal food. After being discovered by you, Master Wizard, he was so scared that due to his weakness, he directly died from fright. This was his own doing, so you need not worry."

"Is this the information you've gathered?" Richard asked.

"That's it," Waltz said, spreading his hands. "If you want more information or to verify its authenticity, you would need to visit Shambala Town during the day."

"Alright then." Richard said, looking at the corpse and murmuring, "According to you, the person was completely ordinary, and the sudden turn and creepy smile earlier were due to mental instability. Otherwise, was I just overthinking?"

"No, no." Richard lightly shook his head, speaking to himself, "It's best to be cautious in this situation; after all, it's hard to believe a madman could sense my approach instantly and display a weird smile instead of fear when frightened to death. If possible, it's best to understand the person's memory, or perhaps the remaining soul..."

He looked up at Waltz and instructed, "Waltz, please arrange a carriage to send me back to Jialan City and bring this corpse; I want to investigate it thoroughly."

"Yes." Waltz didn't hesitate and turned to go make the arrangements.

At this moment, Richard spoke again: "Oh, and one more thing, you must remember, Waltz."

"What, Master Wizard?" Waltz stopped, slightly frowned, and asked.

"That is, regarding security, it must be emphasized to avoid similar incidents from happening again. Even if they do happen, there should be some discoverable traces. After all, I won't be visiting the mine every day." Richard said.

Waltz's expression became awkward and frozen for a while, then he looked seriously at Richard and stated, "Please rest assured, Master Wizard, I guarantee this incident is the first and will never happen again! I will immediately select personnel from the miners to form a dedicated security team to maintain order at the mine."

"That's good, go ahead." Richard waved.

Waltz didn't say anything further, with determination, left the room.

Not long after, a carriage departed from the No.13 Mine, carrying Richard and the corpse of Ford, heading back to Blue Lake Estate in Jialan City.

...

After unloading the corpse from the carriage, Richard entered the villa's stone building study, without stopping, he entered Eden.

Inside Eden, Richard walked in and then entered the mechanical processing sector's laboratory.

The reason for bringing the corpse was simple: to understand the soul memory before the corpse's death, confirming whether the person truly died of fright or if there was another reason.

He knew very well that with his current abilities, deeply analyzing soul secrets was somewhat difficult, as most of his research did not involve this area—destroying souls he could do, analyzing them was a stretch.

Fortunately, there was another being inside Eden that might help, which was the Witch Demon Soul inside the Life Box.

Carrying the corpse into the laboratory, Richard laid it flat on the table. He then walked towards an iron rack with an iron box, opened the box, and turned out the Witch Demon Life Box, which he had thrown in himself three days ago.

Holding the Life Box, Richard had a thought, recited a spell, and a transparent worm appeared on his fingertip, which was the Soul Worm.

Without hesitation, Richard threw the Soul Worm into the Life Box.

One second, two seconds, three...

After less than three seconds, the Life Box suddenly shook, a large plume of black smoke emerged, condensing into the shape of the Witch Demon Elder. The Witch Demon Elder grasped the Soul Worm that Richard had just thrown into the Life Box with all his might, flung it towards the corner and angrily looked at Richard, shouting, "Kid, what are you doing!"