Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 149 5th Tier Universal Mechanical Repair Factory

Chapter 148 Fifth-Order Universal Mechanical Repair Factory

After Anna left, the study door was gently closed.

The coke in the fireplace crackled, and the orange-red flames danced on Lorraine's face.

Instead of immediately dealing with the mountain of official documents on his desk, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes slightly.

He focused his mental energy inward, touching the witch's secret book that only he could see.

The screen unfolded before him, and he entered a keyword.

The De Sar family.

A flood of information rushed into my mind, like an encyclopedia that had been opened.

He had read most of the content many times—the geographical location of Camille City, the distribution of mineral veins, military strength, and political network.

But there was one piece of information that he paid special attention to from the first time he read it.

The strongest force in the Desa family, on the surface, is a fifth-order witch.

Fifth order.

In the context of the entire North and even the central region of the kingdom, this is already at the very top of the pyramid.

With the immense wealth brought by this fifth-tier witch and three magic crystal mines, the Desa family has been operating in Camille City for four generations, its foundation as deep as a century-old oak tree, which no one can easily shake.

But the secret text told him far more than that.

Lorraine's gaze fell on a line of text marked in gold on the screen.

The Desa family also harbors a sixth-order witch.

Sixth order.

That's a stage of qualitative change.

The leap from the fifth to the sixth rank is not simply an increase in magical power, but rather a touch and mastery of the laws.

A sixth-tier witch in this era is practically equivalent to a walking natural disaster.

This sixth-order witch has never appeared in public, and no intelligence network has ever tracked her down.

She is the deepest trump card of the Desa family, a secret weapon built up by four generations with all their resources, connections and luck.

only--

Lorraine's fingers tapped the armrest unconsciously.

The records in the secret manual are very clear.

The ascension ritual of this sixth-order witch was incomplete.

Not only were there problems with the key materials for the ritual, but the inscriptions on the magic array were also incorrect. Naturally, things went wrong at the last moment of advancing to the sixth rank.

She successfully crossed that threshold and indeed entered the sixth tier.

However, the cost was that the magical energy circuits within the body became irreversibly disrupted.

Lorraine opened her eyes and looked at the cold description on the screen.

"The magic is in disarray, and the laws are incomplete. It is beyond repair by mortal means. I only have three chances to unleash my full power in this lifetime. Each time I unleash it, the disorder will worsen. Once I've used all three, I will be completely exhausted."

three times.

A sixth-tier witch can only make a move three times in her lifetime.

It sounds like a joke, but nobody will actually laugh.

Because that's the sixth order.

Even just once is enough to change the course of a war.

Three all-out attacks are equivalent to three death-proof cards that can decide the outcome.

The Desa family kept this sixth-tier witch hidden away, never using her lightly—because every time she was used, there was one less she had.

This is their lifeline.

Lorraine turned off the light screen of the secret manual and turned her gaze back to the royal decree on the desk.

All the analyses he just gave Anna were true.

The prince's purpose was clear: to use this investiture decree to put Frostwolf City and the Desa family on opposite sides, causing them to weaken each other so that he could reap the benefits.

To accept the investiture, one must wage war against a centuries-old family that possesses a fifth-tier witch and a sixth-tier witch.

Refusing to grant the title would cause the Desa family to develop an indelible suspicion of Frostwolf City.

No matter which you choose, you'll lose.

But Lorraine's thoughts went far beyond simply "how to deal with the prince's schemes."

He stood up and walked to the huge map on the wall of the study.

Starting from Frostwolf City, the fingertips traveled north, crossing snowfields and tundra, finally stopping at the northernmost blank area on the map marked "Far North Ice Plains".

The secret manual gave him a new piece of information a few days ago.

In the distant far north, the abyssal rifts are reopening.

The Winter Lord is dead, but the chain reaction caused by the pact that the fifth-tier demon made with the Abyss before its death has not ended.

Although Skabrand's phantom had not fully descended, the rift from the abyss had already been torn open.

Vampire.

Thousands upon thousands of Khorne vampires are pouring out of the rifts and gathering on the far north ice plains.

The secret manual estimates that the Khorne army will march south in three months at the latest.

Lorraine's fingers slid slowly from the far north ice plains back to Frostwolf City, and then from Frostwolf City to Camille City.

To the north lie the Abyss Rift and the army of Khorne.

To the south lies a prince's political trap and potential infighting among lords.

Besieged on all sides.

He stared at the location of Carmíl on the map, his gaze gradually darkening.

The Desa family – a fifth-order witch in charge, and a sixth-order witch hidden at the bottom.

If this family goes to war with Frostwolf City, it will be a catastrophic loss for both sides.

But if————

Lorraine's fingertips slid back and forth twice between Carmitch City and Frostwolf City.

What if we could turn the De Sar family into allies?

An ally with sixth-tier foundation.

Even if that sixth-tier witch can only attack three times, three times is enough.

At the crucial moment when the Khorne army marched south, a full-force attack from a sixth-tier witch was enough to turn the tide of the entire battle.

Moreover, the fifth-tier witch of the Desa family is no mere figurehead. Add to that the vast resources provided by the three magic crystal mines in Camille City—

Lorraine walked back to her desk and sat down.

He tapped his fingers three times slowly on the table.

In his mind, the outline of a plan was taking shape.

It was neither an acceptance of investiture nor a rejection of it.

It's the third road.

A path that would make the Desa family willingly stand on the same side as Frostwolf City.

but----

Lorraine picked up the quill pen on the table, wrote a few lines on a blank piece of parchment, then crossed out two lines and revised them.

For this plan to be implemented, some preparations still need to be made.

Some very specific and practical preparations.

He folded the note he had written and put it in his pocket.

His gaze swept across the darkening sky outside the window, and he got up and walked towards the door.

The study door opened, and from the corridor outside came the dull rumble of engineering puppets carrying supplies in the distance, as well as the faint laughter of the people returning home after work.

Lorraine stepped out of the study without the slightest hesitation.

There is a lot to be done.

time does not wait.

The next morning.

Lorraine got up just as dawn was breaking.

Instead of going to the Lord's Hall to handle official documents and meet with the royal envoy again, he led his guards directly through several alleys in the inner city and headed towards the open space deep inside the inner city that was specifically used to house the witch's exclusive building.

In the very center of the open space, a metal building covering less than half an acre stands in the morning light.

Universal Machinery Repair and Manufacturing Plant.

This is Ohm's witch-exclusive building.

The factory's exterior is unremarkable, with its gray-white metal walls covered with a dense array of pipe connections and exhaust valves, and the chimney on the roof spewing out pale blue steam.

But Lorraine knew that this inconspicuous little factory had undergone a qualitative change the moment Messiah successfully awakened as a fourth-order Myriad Machine Witch yesterday.

He stopped at the edge of the open space, took out the note he had written the night before from his pocket, unfolded it, glanced at it, and confirmed its contents.

Then he carefully put the note away and ordered the guards he had brought with him, "Go and summon Ohm and Messiah."

The guard turned and ran away.

Lorraine crossed his arms and looked up at the exterior wall of the Universal Mechanical Repair Factory.

Not long after, two sets of footsteps came from the same direction.

Ohm came running, his long silver hair billowing behind him like a flag. Before he even got close, he called out, "Big brother!"

What do you want from me so early in the morning?

The Messiah walks a little slower.

She wore a dark gray dress, and her silver eyes quietly scanned the surroundings before finally settling on Lorraine.

Compared to his disheveled state when he first emerged from the life support tank, Messiah had regained some composure.

But there was still a slight awkwardness in her steps—for someone who had only had a real body for less than a week, walking on two legs was something that required getting used to.

"Big brother, my sister practiced walking all night," Ohm whispered in Lorraine's ear. "She practiced until 3 a.m. before going to sleep, and she almost couldn't get up this morning."

Messiah twitched his eyebrows and glanced at his sister indifferently.

Ohm immediately shrank back and obediently shut his mouth.

Ignoring the subtle banter between the two sisters, Lorraine turned to the All-Powerful Mechanical Repair Factory and got straight to the point.

"I called you here because we are about to begin an important construction project."

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