Chapter 710: Volume Twenty: Wolf in the Mediterranean - Seventeen: Miss Klepper
Vladimir Koff’s soft anti-magic armor was placed on the table in front of Mr. Mihailovich and Komer. This set of armor, originating from the treasury of Damarlinsk Castle, had an indeterminable age, but its excellent anti-magic performance and the convenience it afforded when worn made Vladimir Koff love it dearly, to the point that he was somewhat reluctant to remove it when Komer asked him to.
Mr. Mihailovich was not a professional miner or blacksmith, but his long experience in creating magic puppets had given him an understanding of various materials. The armor was crafted from a blend of Tianluo Mud and Bin Iron, found in the South. Tianluo Mud, a non-metallic mineral with impressive pliability and toughness, when infused into Bin Iron during the smelting process, not only greatly improved its resilience but also transferred the Mud’s earth-like qualities into the armor, granting it considerable resistance to general Water Magic.
To modify the armor into the so-called Illusory Puppet Armor that Komer mentioned was indeed a headache for Mr. Mihailovich. Even crafting a new magic puppet would be far simpler than installing an intelligent puppet mechanism onto this existing armor.
"Lord, please share your thoughts; my mind is utterly blank at the moment. I deeply admire your natural talent in Puppet Magic, and perhaps a hint from you would spark a breakthrough," said Mr. Mihailovich with a wry smile and a spread of his hands.
"Hmm, Mr. Mihailovich, please don’t overcomplicate the issue. The problem may not be as difficult as we imagine. My concept is quite simple: to install passive, reactive puppet devices in specific parts of this armor to circumvent the myriad restrictions imposed by the Spartans in the gladiator fights. For example, we put a magic puppet inside the armor’s breastplate. Once the breastplate is hit and triggers a certain magic mechanism, the puppet inside automatically activates and attacks, preferably in the form of a physical attack, like a crossbow bolt," explained Komer.
Komer knew that this makeshift solution would be somewhat unfair to Mr. Mihailovich, but to confront Aristotle’s disciple, he had to consider all possibilities, looking to grant Vladimir Koff and Solonberg any edge within the confines of the rules—employing any means not explicitly prohibited by the Gladiator Competition.
The competition rules banned the solitary use of magic and magic tools, but did not prohibit the use of inherently magical weapons or defensive gear. Komer intended to exploit this loophole to maximize the chances of victory.
Mr. Mihailovich nodded as if enlightened, only now grasping Komer’s intent; it was to cheat using a loophole in the rules. In a regular fight, setting a puppet mechanism in armor would be a ridiculous endeavor compared to crafting an actual magic puppet, which could function similarly and whose release timing could be controlled, thus being much more convenient and effective.