Because he will probably have to devote his energy to improving the level of his mechanic for a long time to come.
However, even though Carl has no plans to become a warlock for the time being, the two powers of the time machine soul inherited from his life on Earth and the distorted mind from the mind flayer larvae have begun to fully manifest themselves in Carl.
When Carl summoned the mecha back and used repair techniques to fix the damaged parts of the mecha, he actually felt that there was some kind of inexplicable connection between himself and the mecha.
This feeling was just like the one he had when he transformed into a mecha in the third level of his dream.
The mecha is no longer just his armor, but has become a part of his body.
So Carl re-entered the mecha and tried to operate it to see how he was different now than before.
But as he integrated into the mecha, he suddenly found that his operation of the mecha became extremely agile.
The sensors that used to require concentration to activate are now like an extension of his five senses. He doesn't even need to pay special attention to them; they will transform everything around him into information and transmit it to his mind.
His consciousness seemed to have possessed some of the characteristics of the Demon Tomb, and was able to directly convert the machine's instructions into information that he could understand.
"Oh~, this is awesome! I feel like I really have become Optimus Prime."
Operating the mecha's speakers, Carl made the special voice of Optimus Prime in the movie.
Iris, who was standing by, was a little at a loss for a moment when she saw that the mecha actually showed a human-like expression towards her.
In her perception, Carl seemed to have completely merged with the mecha. Even her psychic power could not detect Carl's position in the mecha. It was as if what was in front of her was not just a mecha, but a modified war terracotta.
Just as she was thinking about whether to let Carl come out first, the mecha knelt on one knee and went back to sleep, and Carl walked out from the exit behind it.
Seeing that the three iron ants were still helping with the repairs, Carl extended his psychic power and reconnected his consciousness with the three constructs.
But somehow, just after the connection was completed, the three Iron Ants suddenly changed back into flying saucer form and then went directly into hibernation.
"What's going on?"
Caught off guard by the Iron Ants' sudden stoppage, Carl quickly walked to the red Iron Ant and placed his palm on the other's body, trying to allow more spiritual energy to penetrate into the other's body.
In an instant, Carl felt a large number of construction program instructions being iterated and updated, and the source of this change was the psychic power of the three Iron Ants that he had just connected to.
His psychic power seemed to carry some complex information that only constructs could sense. With just a simple contact, the three Iron Ants began their "system upgrade."
According to Carl's observation, this upgrade process might take three hours to complete.
As for whether this upgrade is good or bad, we can only wait and see until they wake up again.
"Carl! The meal is ready!"
About an hour later, Hope called Carl to eat.
The four of them were grilling steaks in another part of the deck, and there was a large pot of stewing soup nearby.
Putting down the work in his hands, Carl walked over with Iris and the dwarf.
"After all, we are at sea, and the variety of food is limited. I will make you a big meal after we return to Storm Bay!"
Leaning in Carl's arms like a little wife, Hope shyly nudged Carl with the horns on her head, trying to offset the responsibility of "abusing" Carl in the past few days.
"Humph! I won't be bought off by a meal. Tonight I will avenge all the grievances I suffered in the past few days. You three should be ready later! As for Mitris..."
Looking at the calm Mitris with sidelong eyes, Karl really had no idea how to retaliate for the injustice he had suffered before.
'Damn it, don't let me take the chance!'
His gaze lingered for a moment on Mitris’s face that looked like No. 18, then Carl lowered his head and took a fierce bite of the steak.
I don’t know if it’s because pigtails are inconvenient, or if pigtails don’t suit the temperament of the proprietress of the Next Life Bar, but Mitris has already changed her hairstyle back to the style that Carl jokingly called No. 18.
Ignoring Carl's "vicious" look, Midris took a sip of the thick soup made by Nia, her eyebrows slightly raised.
Asking a Transmutation School mage who specializes in making alchemical potions to make a thick soup is really an overkill.
The superb alchemical craftsmanship fully brought out the flavor of the thick soup, and the wonderful taste made Mitris linger for a moment.
Reluctantly swallowing the soup, Mitris picked up the handkerchief beside her and wiped her mouth, then asked Karl and Iris:
"What should we do next? Should we continue south and help the remaining pirate fleet attack Dalkar Harbor, or should we return to Storm Bay?"
Because of the betrayal of the steward of the Linland family, this expedition suffered heavy losses.
If we take into account the damage caused by the pirate fleet to the port of Dalkat, and be a little more shameless, it can be considered a great victory.
However, from a strategic perspective, this expedition did not achieve the expected results.
Therefore, if the Dragon Mark Family wants real results, it is better to continue fighting with Port Dalcat.
However, due to the other party's negligence and Carl's performance, even if Carl turned the ship back now, the Dragon Mark Family probably wouldn't dare to say anything more.
Although they are powerful, they still have to save face.
This can be roughly seen from the behavior of Iris who was urgently sent by them to check on Carl's situation.
"My current attitude is to hold off for now, or abandon the ship and head towards Lonely Mountain."
After saying that, Carl looked around, then stopped his gaze on Iris and asked, "How much do the Dream Spirits know about the Eternal Furnace?"
In Carl's opinion, since the nightmare spirit clone he destroyed knew about the Eternal Furnace, there was no reason why Iris, a dream-departed drow who was connected to a complete nightmare spirit, would not know about it.
Seeing Carl's inquiring eyes, Iris slowly said:
“I’m not very clear about the specific situation, but it seems that all the dream spirits that were deeply involved with the Eternal Furnace have degenerated into nightmare spirits.
All I know is that this is the eternal energy source built by the Giant Emperor, which can support the development of the Giants in all walks of life.
There is more than one Eternal Furnace, and each furnace seems to have certain differences in basic principles. The invasion of the Dream World and the subsequent severance of the connection between the Dream World and the main plane seem to be related to the Eternal Furnace. "
Although she said a lot, Carl felt that Iris's words were like chicken ribs.
It seemed that she did tell some ancient secrets, but upon closer inspection, she only proved that there was more than one Eternal Furnace, and it seemed to be related to the plane of dreams.
Iris's words were actually of no help regarding the current situation and future developments.
Rubbing his forehead, Carl pondered for a moment, then asked, "Have Ashe and Lauren received any news from the Rose Cult? Was their original action the personal behavior of the Rose Cult, or were they helping Ruiyi Draco?"
Compared to the Ruiyi Drow Empire, which seems to have great ambitions for the Eternal Furnace, the Rose Sect, which just wants to spread its influence and provide benefits to adventurers and absorb their energy, can be considered handsome.
The former is aiming to become another giant king, while the latter is just a less compliant sect leader.
In other words, the Rose Cult has certain united front value in dealing with Ruiyi Drol.
Hearing Carl's question, Iris looked up at him in surprise. After a moment of silence, she explained, "Ashe's power was taken away by the Rose Cult elders using rumors. Now she has become a traitor who is hated by everyone in the Rose Cult. This is why I was able to regain her easily.
As for Lauren... she gave up on herself for a while after learning that the Rose Cult had colluded with Ruiyi Drol, but now she is actively helping me promote the Dark Girl doctrine."
"Oh, I didn't realize that the drow named Lauren is a rare person in the drow community who cares about the country and the people."
Hearing Iris's description of Lauren, Carl raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that the other party had overturned his initial impression.
He had always thought that Lauren was a die-hard believer in Rose.
"It seems that the cooperation between the Rose Cult and the Ruiyi drow is not thorough. The drow scattered in Khorvaire may indeed be involved in certain espionage activities, but not all of them. In this case, we can indeed consider attacking Dalkat."
If the cooperation between the Ruiyi drow and the Rose Cult is very deep, even to the point where they can control the drow in Khorvaire, then Carl and his team cannot act rashly and have to wait until they have dealt with the drow in Khorvaire.
Otherwise, once the port of Dalcat senses the threat of capsizing, there is no guarantee that they will not react excessively.
After thinking it over, Carl tapped his fingers on the dining table, which was also made of bronze wood, and gave his answer.
"Let's not go to Dalcat Harbor yet. Let the Dragonmark Family solve this mess themselves! You guys follow me, we'll go to Lonely Mountain to guard it!"
Hearing this, the dwarf huddled in the corner wanted to say something, but when he thought that his life was saved by Carl, he shut his mouth again.
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Carl raised his head and asked the dwarf sitting in the baby chair: "Do you have anything to say?"
The dwarf met Carl's gaze with some fear and trepidation, and said tremblingly: "Lord Carl, my ability is a bit low, and I am a little scared to follow you to Lonely Mountain. How about I follow that ship back to Storm Bay first, and then send someone stronger to follow you?"
It's human nature to be afraid of death.
Considering that there would be basically no need for instant communication in the future, and that the Dragonmark Families might even send reinforcements to garrison, Carl nodded and agreed with the dwarf.
(End of this chapter)