"Master, you mean…?"
Niv put down her work, looking at Hel with a puzzled expression.
"I mean, the relays are just alchemical tools infused with souls. These underground worms have the same structure. Why bother with the relays at all?
We can just let the worms take their place. That way, I can use the undead summoning array to make them summon each other, saving on both space and materials."
"That makes sense,"
Niv nodded, agreeing with Hel's idea. But seeing Hel about to proceed, she couldn't help but warn her:
"Master, using a fourth-tier soul for each worm seems wasteful. Even with the souls you've gathered before, I don't think it's enough to cover the entire continent with the network."
"What are you thinking? I'm not planning to cover the entire continent at once."
Hel rubbed Niv's little head irritably, then explained:
"Our first phase only has a thousand worms. That will cover the areas around the Sacrificial Kingdom, a few neighboring countries, and some of the beastmen territories.
If the soul power is too weak, transmission won't work. So even if progress is slow, the strength of the souls cannot be reduced."
"And after that?"
"Afterwards, the demon breeding bases will provide souls. Using the corrupted blood daily, we can generate ten fourth-tier souls. We'll finish the rest of the project gradually."
Hel said casually. The leftover elemental crystals could also be given to her followers to strengthen themselves. No real waste occurred, even if someone complained.
"Alright. Looks like the mech puppet project might need to be put on hold for now."
Niv said regretfully. She had been looking forward to the final mech puppet, but she knew a sixth-tier combat unit would only slightly increase Hel's forces.
The soul network, however, would be immensely beneficial. Once completed, Hel could send clones everywhere, lowering attention in the Sacrificial Kingdom and gathering resources covertly.
So Niv had no reason to stop Hel just because of her personal interest.
"Well, you can think of it this way."
Hel smiled, leaning close and pulling Niv into her arms. She whispered softly into her ear:
"Think about it: such a large mech, made from top-tier materials. If we make it only a sixth-tier puppet, that's such a waste.
So we can wait until we create a seventh-tier elemental crystal and then craft it."
"Really?"
Niv's eyes lit up. Her earlier disappointment vanished instantly.
"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you."
Hel nuzzled Niv, smiling mischievously as she revealed her true intent.
"So Niv, that elemental crystal meant for the mech? I'm going to use it first."
Niv gave her an 'I knew it' expression, but seeing Hel's cute, sly look, she petted her head indulgently:
"That's your crystal, Master. You can do whatever you want with it."
"Good."
"Of course, Niv is also Master's, so you can play with me however you like."
"Don't copy that perverted Lily stuff!"
Hel patted Niv's head in mock scolding. Niv, looking guilty, averted her eyes.
These days, straightforward actions win over tsundere stubbornness. Hel had been tempted a moment ago, but now all they did was hug and nuzzle. That was enough.
"Ahem. Let's get back to the point."
Hel cleared her throat, trying to hide her embarrassment. Niv might have noticed it in her microexpressions, but since she didn't comment, Hel acted as if nothing had happened. It had become their unspoken understanding.
"I'm going to create a new body for myself."
"A new body?"
Niv tilted her head, curious.
"What kind of body do you want?"
"Something similar to the one I created for you."
Hel led Niv toward the Bioweapons Research Institute as she explained:
"The current little warlock bodies are too weak. Even with the Philosopher's Stone, I can't guarantee winning against stronger opponents.
If I want to cause trouble, I need to be cautious.
"But if I have a sixth-tier body, it can truly become the Death Witch. Then the Death Witch identity can be completely separated from me."
"Master, you mean you want to go around killing and causing chaos freely?"
Niv's eyes sparkled. When Hel told her stories before, she thought this plan was brilliant. She had even hoped for her own identity assignment someday, and now Hel already had plans.
"Exactly. So this time, the new body can't be weak.
Fortunately, I brought back a sixth-tier elemental crystal. I want to see if a body can contain two identical elemental crystals."
Niv tapped her chin, recalling similar experiments. "If that's the case, the two crystals might fuse, or nothing might happen."
"But together, the effect will definitely be stronger than a single crystal.
The one I brought back is a sixth-tier nine-star crystal. If we combine it with your sixth-tier one-star crystal, we might even create a seventh-tier crystal."
"Ah, Niv understands. We still have some leftover materials from when you created my body before."
"No need to be extravagant," Hel waved her hand. "This body is meant to be in the open, to attract attention. Who knows when it might be destroyed? Simple materials are enough: bones from shining gold, and blood and skin made from primordial matter."