Chapter 70: New Channels and Social Demise (Please Recommend!)

Lando clutched his rumbling stomach and hurried to the dining hall. From a distance, he spotted Old Moore, smoking in his rocking chair, and immediately called out, “Quick, bring me something to eat, Old Moore! I’m starving to death.”
No wonder he was so hungry; he’d asked Little Ash and learned he’d slept for two whole days.
After this period spent adjusting the Arcane Furnace, he had finally begun to master the Standard Elemental Body, but according to the usual pace, it would take at least fifty years to complete. Because of his elemental affinity, perhaps forty years would suffice.
At his current level, Lando was still far from reaching the legendary fasting realm.
Speeding up his cultivation was simple—money, of course.
Whether it was elemental essence or the experimental grounds the Empire had painstakingly established at the junctions of the four elemental planes, all could easily meet his needs. The only requirement was a “small target”!
Don’t ask about specific numbers; Lando admitted his heart was too fragile and didn’t want to recall the moment he saw those prices, when his heart almost stopped.
Fortunately, he still had the system as a backup. Otherwise, he’d seriously have to consider selling his quota.
Old Moore, startled by Lando’s appearance, hurriedly fetched some ready food for him to tide over his hunger, then went to the kitchen to prepare more.
Normally, Lando cared little for etiquette, and now he was even more voracious and wild, devouring everything brought before him for a full hour. Only then did he contentedly pat his stomach.
Though the Elemental Body couldn’t allow him to forgo food, it did speed up digestion.
Old Moore stood nearby, clearly on the verge of exploding, and as soon as Lando finished eating, he roared, “You brat, do you know how much you’ve eaten?!”
“Hehe, who could resist your delicious cooking?” Lando was unfazed by Old Moore’s outburst; it wasn’t the first time, after all.
As expected, Old Moore grumbled, “You always use that excuse. Hmph!”
Heh! Got him!
Old Moore tossed over a bracelet. “Toru asked me to give this to you. See if it’s what you wanted.”
Lando accepted the bracelet without enthusiasm. After these recent dealings with Toru, he already had a pile in his dormitory drawer.
He’d figured out their value—more or less equivalent to plastic bags from his previous life. Yes, high-end and exquisite... “plastic bags”?
He swept his gaze over the contents: hundreds of assorted antiques and relics. With the system’s perception, he confirmed that four or five could extract souls. Lando smiled and said, “Perfect, this is exactly what I wanted. Old Moore, next time Toru visits, contact him for me and tell him I have business to discuss.”
Because Toru often traveled between worlds, Lando’s only way to reach him was when Toru returned here, so entrusting Old Moore was the simplest solution.
Old Moore looked displeased, but nodded reluctantly.
Bidding farewell, Lando strode happily to the laboratory. Instead of heading for the warehouse where the magic tower was placed, he entered a new storage room. With a wave of his hand, two rows of shelves appeared. He emptied the bracelet’s contents onto them. Thankfully, his practice with elemental condensation had paid off; otherwise, the sheer number of fragile items would have made unpacking a considerable chore.
Watching the antiques and curios encased in large globes of water element, he first extracted their souls—nothing surprising, all green souls—then arranged the items neatly on the shelves. The sight of the full shelves filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
“Hmm, maybe I really do enjoy collecting such things!”
In his previous life, there was a saying: a wall of figurines for nerds, an apartment in the capital. What he’d gathered now was far more valuable than mere figurines.
“One day, I’ll fill this warehouse, and then I can proudly say...”
Lando struck a grand pose: “This is the empire I built!”
...
After a prolonged silence, Lando retracted his stiff stance and said flatly to Little Ash, “Delete everything you just recorded.”
...
Casually making his way to the warehouse for the magic tower, he saw the mechanical golem had already left. Entering the tower, he found all exposed wiring gone and the interior spotless and new.
Well, it was new to begin with.
He wandered briefly, feeling satisfied, and went to the first floor, placing the prepared furniture in the bedroom and living room. He made sure not to forget the holographic projector. The entertainment room was sparsely furnished, for now hosting only a set of holographic gaming equipment. He could afford even more advanced virtual gaming gear, but restrained himself from buying it.
He’d tried these things when he first arrived at the academy, but soon avoided them like the plague—worse than women for distracting him from his training. During that period, only Little White’s strict orders kept him from losing control.
This was a game world, not a world for games.
The second and third floors were still empty, as he hadn’t yet settled on his main research topic. Even basic equipment purchases were on hold, and the third floor was even less certain.
Descending to the hidden chamber at the very bottom, he planned to summon a demon for fun. He activated all the restraint and suppression arrays, and set the summoning array to minimum power—after all, it was his first attempt, and caution was wise.
As the summoning array lit up, a red-skinned imp appeared at its center, instantly bound and suppressed.
The imp looked confused at first, then shifted through dazed, bewildered, shocked, terrified, and despairing expressions, finally settling into numbness.
Lando watched the imp’s transformations with great amusement. After half an hour of study, he released it unharmed.
He simply couldn’t bring himself to do more!
Stepping outside the magic tower, he admired his handiwork in detail, growing ever more satisfied.
He produced a specially crafted bracelet, designed for storing a mobile magic tower—far superior to any “plastic bag.”
After absorbing the tower into the bracelet and putting it on, a protective aura enveloped him. This was the magic tower’s shield, the bracelet’s true purpose.
Lando could hardly wait to report his success to his mentor, and hurried through the laboratory. When he found Otto, the latter was smiling at him.
“Hehe, teacher, I did it! My own magic tower!” Because of the limited space, Lando didn’t take it out to display.
“Congratulations. You’ve finally taken a small step forward on your path as an arcanist. Go home and rest today; tomorrow, I’ll begin teaching you some new material.”
“Thank you, mentor, thank you for all your guidance!” Lando said, moved.
After chatting a bit more, Lando prepared to take his leave.
As he reached the door, he suddenly heard Otto’s amused, “curious” question.
“‘Emperor’—is that a special title from your original little world?”
...
???!!!