Alice in the Land of Steam

Guided by Elder Momogu, Ling and his group left the settlement of the Mushroom Tribe in the Glowing Woods and embarked on the ancient path known as the Matte Path. This winding path, hidden among towering rocks and strange plants, was covered with a fine layer of dark moss that seemed to absorb all light, soft and silent underfoot. Only the suppressed breathing of the group and the occasional soft thud of loose stones broke the silence. Along the path, the giant mushrooms and moss that had once emitted a soft glow in the woods gradually thinned, replaced by twisted, dull-colored rock pillars and withered fern remains, as if life had been quietly siphoned away from this place.

The journey through the matte path was long and oppressive, the air thick with an indescribable heaviness, as if even the light itself was bound and swallowed by some invisible force. Apart from the lantern in Ovira's hand, all light here seemed exceptionally faint, illuminating only a limited area beneath their feet; beyond that light lay an impenetrable darkness. Leticia tried several times to speak, but Neville stopped her with a look. In this area where even sound seemed to be absorbed, silence was the best way to minimize risk.

When their view finally opened up again, they arrived at the Crystal Hills marked on the map. The scene here was completely different from the previous desolation; countless crystal clusters of varying sizes and shapes burst forth from the ground, filling the field of vision. These crystals emitted a faint, unique, and eerie cold light—blue, purple, green, and other colors—weaving together to create a hazy and eeriely beautiful spectacle. Subtle magical particles floated in the air, and occasionally, an arc of light flashed within a crystal, producing a soft crackling sound.

"Beware of those active Light-Eating Beasts," Ovira whispered, recalling the elder's warning. They cautiously moved among the crystal clusters, avoiding areas with unusually strong energy fluctuations. Sure enough, they soon witnessed the so-called Light-Eating Beasts. They were translucent, jellyfish-like creatures with no fixed form; their true forms were luminous cores at the center of their bodies. Drawn by the light from the lantern in Ovira's hand, these Light-Eating Beasts silently gathered, hovering like ghosts at the edge of the halo.

A larger light-eating beast seemed to have identified the lantern as a palatable target and suddenly accelerated towards it. Neville reacted with lightning speed, her blood claws flashing out and miraculously piercing through its soft body, precisely shattering its inner core of light. The moment the core shattered, the light-eating beast emitted a sharp yet silent tremor. Everyone felt a series of sharp, needle-like pains surging from the depths of their minds. Then, the light-eating beast's spiritual body dissipated like a bursting bubble, leaving only a handful of faintly glowing, crystalline dust.

“If it were on the ground, this would be an extremely rare and extraordinary material,” the countess commented. “It is said that extraordinary individuals of the Dark Path and Demon Path frequently use this material as a ritual offering, and mages of the same path also need it to refine potions for advancement.”

The style of these two approaches perfectly matches this gloomy, dark, eerie, and mysterious underground world.

Upon hearing the word "rare," Selena's eyes sparkled brighter than a lantern. The Holy War Army desperately needed extraordinary materials and magical items; even if she couldn't use them herself, exchanging them for resources was a good option. Seeing that the Countess and the others were indifferent to the shimmering dust on the ground, she knew these wealthy allies didn't value such a small amount. So, after consulting the Countess, she pulled out a bag from somewhere, squatted down, and began diligently collecting the dust, intending to take it back for her "family."

Leticia snorted, "Too slow, don't waste everyone's time."

After saying that, he squatted down to help her collect the materials, and while Selena was giggling, he warned her, "Don't be greedy for materials and deliberately attract those guys over here."

Serena muttered to herself, "I would never do that."

Why do these two people seem to have their personalities reversed?

After this encounter, the group became even more cautious, proceeding while carefully avoiding the light-eating beasts. According to the countess who flew up to scout, the light-eating beasts gathered in this hilly area were so densely packed that it was alarming. Perhaps due to the lack of natural predators, if they swarmed in, even she, a demigod vampire, would not fare well. Fortunately, the light-eating beasts were relatively dull in other aspects except for their perception of light, and most of them gathered near the clusters of crystals. Ovira temporarily shielded the light from her lantern with her sleeve, trying to stay along the sparse edges of the crystal clusters. Although she inadvertently alerted some enemies along the way, most of them were acting alone and posed no threat. In this way, they crossed the hilly area without any major incidents.

As the last shimmering cluster of crystals was left behind, the sight ahead made everyone involuntarily stop in their tracks.

The sky—if this underground dome could even be called the sky—began to take on an ominous, dark red, like congealed blood. This red light did not originate from any visible source, but rather permeated the air, casting an eerie hue over everything. All natural light sources, whether faint or strong, vanished, remaining untouched by a visible line, leaving only the unsettling red light shrouding everything in sight.

At the same time, an indescribable odor entered my nasal cavity.

It was the taste of death and corruption, filth and curse, evil and revenge, past and memory intertwined.

"We're almost there," Ovira whispered, her voice unusually clear in the space filled with a mix of red and dark. She instinctively gripped the lantern in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white.

The land of the fallen, the land of the cursed, the forbidden land.

Nibelungen is just ahead.

……

As Ling and his companions approached the origin of the legend, the shadow of war was quietly creeping over the distant land of Atoliga. In the distance, the ochre-red mountains where the Feather Mine was located twisted and blurred in the heat, like a lurking behemoth. Winding between the ridges and valleys was the colossal water pipeline that supplied the mine with its lifeblood. The metal pipe, so thick that it would take several people to encircle it, gleamed with a dark, lead-gray luster. It was made of countless riveted steel rings, section by section, like a dead python crawling on the earth. Some sections of the pipeline were supported by massive stone arches, spanning ravines; others were embedded directly into the mountainside. The surface was covered with maintenance ladders, valves, and pressure gauges left by Imperial engineers. Although slightly weathered due to lack of maintenance after the Holy War Army took over, the overall structure still exuded a breathtaking, unnatural grandeur. Below the pipeline, the damp mud, eroded by the constant dripping of water, contrasted sharply with the surrounding arid red earth.

In the early years, when the Fether Mine was still in the hands of the Empire, the large mining equipment and blacksmith workshops required a large amount of water, and the groundwater extracted from within the mine was simply insufficient. Therefore, the Empire invested heavily in exploring and excavating groundwater sources in the surrounding area, constructing three large wells connected to the mine via pipelines. After the Assyrian Holy War, the wells and pipelines naturally fell into the hands of the Holy War Army, becoming important strategic facilities under their control.

However, while the Holy War Army could utilize these facilities, it lacked the technology to modify and rebuild them. Therefore, the original blueprints left in the hands of the Empire could still be useful. When war was imminent, the Imperial Army would naturally consider plans to destroy the wartime production capacity of the Feather Mine by sabotaging wells and water pipelines.

Arnor, Kalia, and Gordan huddled in the shadows beneath a section of elevated pipe, holding their breath. The air was thick with the smells of rusty metal, the stench of earth, and a faint, lingering scent of dust and leather from their enemies.

“It’s the Black Blade Legion’s siege-breaking phalanx,” Arnor whispered, his voice almost carried away by the wind. He peered through the gaps in the pipe joints, observing the small groups of enemies rapidly approaching in the distance. For days, the Imperial army’s troop movements in Atoliga Province and several surrounding provinces had gone unnoticed. Even the Holy War Army, with its limited intelligence, had learned of the situation. Besides the Black Blade Legion already stationed in Atoliga Province, the Empire’s Dragon Fang Legion and Lionheart Legion were also about to arrive. Their vanguard had already arrived, and the main force would follow within three days. Such rapid mobilization and marching speed completely exceeded the Holy War Army’s expectations. It was hard to believe this wasn’t a deliberate conspiracy by the Empire. Perhaps even the fall of the Mikkelsen Corridor concealed some hidden story?
Before the main forces of the other two legions arrived, the Blackblade Legion, as the garrison legion of the Atoliga province and also the weakest of the three legions, naturally took on the crucial task of launching the initial attack and probing the enemy's strength. Moreover, its weakness was limited to within the Imperial Army; for the Holy War Army, it remained a formidable enemy.

Unlike the Spellbreaker phalanx, which excels at countering supernatural forces and disrupting magic and rituals, and the Armybreaker phalanx, specializing in high-speed mobility and flanking maneuvers, the Black Blade Legion's Citybreaker phalanx is a pure assault force. Their primary duty on the battlefield is to destroy enemy fortifications and various strategic facilities. Therefore, they are typically equipped with individual explosive javelins, portable wall-breaking hammers, and, as they are currently carrying on their shoulders, two-meter-long lightning-type magic cannons with cone-shaped armor-piercing projectiles. This last weapon is likely a magical artifact introduced from the Western Continent, and is one of the results of the Empire's internal magical reforms. Not only is it powerful, but it also produces a tremendous sound when fired, accompanied by a strong flash and shockwave, enough to carve a fatal breach in thick city walls or metal pipes.

On the eve of the war, the Black Blade Legion dispatched a mobile unit of the Citybreaker phalanx, which silently approached the vicinity of the water pipeline; their purpose was self-evident. Arnor lowered his voice and said, "We can't let them get close to the pipeline."

Kalia nodded silently, her amethyst eyes sharp as an eagle's in the shadows. She gripped her elven shortbow tightly, a specially crafted armor-piercing arrow nocked on the bowstring. Gordan, meanwhile, was half-crouched, holding a massive axe the size of a door panel in his hand. The axe's rough blade reflected the cold gleam of the pipe metal, and his broad back was bulging with muscles like taut rock.

This squad of about twenty city breachers moved swiftly and methodically, like jackals smelling blood, rapidly approaching the pipe base in a dispersed formation. When they reached a suitable distance, the group of soldiers carrying the lightning-powered magic cannons, under the cover of their comrades, knelt down and quickly deployed and installed the cannons' temporary supports. The core metal of the magic device began to charge, and a low hum emanated from the muzzle as it aimed at the top of the pipe.

At that very moment, Yanor gave a soft shout: "Make your move!"

Almost as soon as he spoke, Kalia's arrow was released. The arrow traced a tricky arc, accurately striking the shoulder joint of one of the gunners, a weak point in the armor. It instantly pierced through the chainmail, spurting out a spray of blood. The gunner groaned, and the operation of injecting magic into the core metal stopped, the muzzle gradually dimming.

"Enemy attack!" The Imperial squad commander reacted swiftly, his hoarse roar ringing out. Gordan roared and leaped out from behind cover, sweeping his giant axe to deflect several explosive spears thrown at Anor. The alchemical gunpowder attached to the spear tips exploded due to the violent impact, leaving charred marks on the axe surface.

The battle broke out instantly.

Arnor's side had the advantage of a preemptive strike and were familiar with the surrounding terrain, but they were outnumbered, and another squad member, Edwin, was absent due to unforeseen circumstances. Lacking the support of the bard, they were unable to quickly establish a decisive advantage. On the other hand, the Imperial forces, after an initial period of panic and confusion, quickly regrouped under the orders of their squad commanders, demonstrating rich and tenacious combat experience. After all, they were a team that frequently carried out demolition operations behind enemy lines, so such mental fortitude was to be expected. However, for Arnor and his men, it was undoubtedly bad news.

Seeing the battle reach a stalemate, and with the enemy artillery, under the cover of their comrades, recharging their lightning-powered magic cannons, clearly determined to complete the demolition mission even after being exposed, Yanor was tightly bound by several enemies and powerless to stop them. He gritted his teeth in frustration: Damn it, if only there were reinforcements…

At this critical moment——

A deep and oppressive rumble came from above the pipe. Unlike the clanging of metal weapons or the sharpness of magical artifacts, this sound was more resonant, carrying the heavy texture of metal friction.

A dark shadow crashed down from the top of the elevated pipe like a meteorite, landing precisely in the middle of the Imperial Army squad, accompanied by a loud and excited voice: "Looks like things aren't looking good?"

"This means it's time for the genius player to step in!" (End of Chapter)