Eugene really felt like slapping himself at this moment. Why did he have to spout such nonsense?
In reality, he could not guarantee that he would be able to completely use up this thing within half a year. Under normal circumstances, it would not be a problem, but what if some unexpected delay occurred?
There was no choice, now that he had made such a bold claim, he had no option but to bite the bullet and accept it.
"Well... let’s just agree on this then!"
"However, we must sign a commercial contract to ensure that once I’ve met your conditions, you’ll give me a new core as agreed!" Eugene wasn’t a fool; he wouldn’t just provide six months of labor for free. A formal contract was essential.
"That’s fine, but I must clarify that the core you’ll receive afterward will only grant you the right to use its energy, not the ownership of the core itself," Mu You said.
"Usage rights? Ownership? What do you mean?" Eugene frowned.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. Once it’s used up, you’ll need to return the empty core to me intact. Moreover, there will be some restrictions on how the energy is used, such as not using it against the Fool, and so on. Otherwise, I have the right to reclaim the core... Don’t worry, all these details will be clearly written in the contract," Mu You explained.
The Heart of the Forest Spirit belonged to the Forest Spirits; he was merely borrowing it to help them cleanse the pollution within. After the cleansing was completed, the clean core would still need to be returned to the Forest Spirits.
As for the source of the polluted cores, there were plenty among the Forest Spirits population.
As long as Mu You could bring back a cleansed Forest Spirit Core, it would prove his ability to clean the pollution, and naturally, a continuous stream of Forest Spirits would seek his help voluntarily.
Eugene wasn’t too concerned about that, as long as there was a written contract to ensure his hard work wouldn’t be in vain.
Eugene then thought of something else and said, "By the way, the goblins who are homeless can also join the completed Alchemy City, and you must not treat them harshly!" Eugene hadn’t forgotten that the initial purpose of establishing the Clockwork City was to provide refuge for his homeless kin.
"That’s acceptable, as long as they abide by the laws of the City of Eternal Night," Mu You nodded.
He did not mind the addition of more non-human population; after all, each one was a living labor force.
Eugene had no more doubts. Whether it was the reward after completion, or the significance of this matter itself, this transaction was beneficial to him in every aspect.
Meanwhile, with this ambitious goal in sight, Eugene was again filled with determination and immediately opened his luggage, took out paper and pen, sat down on the spot, and began to sketch, pausing occasionally to think. From the content on the paper, it seemed as if he was already planning the layout of the New Clockwork City.
Mu You took a look from behind at the city planning sketch drawn by Eugene and noticed its ambition. The entire fan-shaped area of land allotted to it was nearly all utilized, and if indeed this city was built, it would be several times larger than the Clockwork City.
Mu You had no objections to this, on the contrary, he was quite pleased to see it come to fruition. After all, he was not short on energy; there were plenty of cores from the Forest Spirits, and he could replenish them as needed. Even a city of great scale was within his capacity to support.
Moreover, not to mention the City of Eternal Night, if this model proved successful, it could be promoted throughout the All Star Spirit World and even on Earth. Just relying on the Forest Spirits alone, the energy problems of both worlds could be resolved.
Afterward, Mu You made a trip back to Earth and brought back the Goblin Engineer in his backpack.
In a daze, the Goblin Engineer was brought by Mu You to the City of Eternal Night. When it came to its senses, it saw a familiar figure of its own kind in front of it.
Alchemy Masters were not abundant among the goblins, so even someone with a reputation like Eugene’s could be recognized by it at a glance.
Eugene, interrupted in his train of thought, looked up irritably to see who it was, but when he noticed it was a fellow goblin, his surprise turned into understanding as he saw the Engineer’s Badge on its chest. Clearly, Mu You had brought him an assistant.
"Master Eugene, how are you here... were you also kidnapped by the Fool?" The Goblin Engineer, shocked, naturally assumed that Eugene was in the same predicament as itself, captured by the Fool and forced to work.
"To be precise, it’s our race that abandoned us," Eugene sighed.
"Abandoned us?" The Goblin Engineer was puzzled. It did not know about the animosity between the goblins and the Fool from ancient times.
Seeing that Mu You had no intention of explaining, Eugene had to briefly recount the past events and the news of Clockwork City’s disappearance.
"How could this be..." After listening, the Goblin Engineer was struck with despair and knelt on the ground.
The disappearance of Clockwork City meant its Transmission Mark was no longer effective. Even if it found a way to return to its homeland, it would only be facing an abandoned wasteland, and from then on, it would become a homeless wanderer...
Eugene frowned at the Goblin Engineer’s bereaved appearance.
"So what if Clockwork City is gone? It’s not a big deal. I’ve decided to build another Clockwork City here in the City of Eternal Night. Are you in or out?"
"Ah? Build another... Clockwork City? Me?" The Goblin Engineer looked up incredulously, almost thinking it had heard wrong.
"Yes, although you are young and inexperienced, you are at least an Intermediate Engineer, which is barely qualified," Eugene scrutinized the Goblin Engineer up and down. Having been an Alchemy Master for many years, his eye was sharp, and he instantly recognized the potential in this young fellow in front of him.