Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 569 The Gear King
There are still some who try to resist in the Kabbalah, or rather, mechanical puppets. Since they are not intelligent puppets, they naturally have no fear. Even in the face of the most difficult situations, they will continue to operate tirelessly without orders from behind.

However, those in the rear were either trying their luck or simply too terrified to issue any new commands. Therefore, the puppet, following its earlier instructions, attempted to retaliate against Rabi.

Then "Rabi" flew over, gave a look, and that was it.

Now everyone has completely given up hope.

The rest of the arrangements were left to Grealley.

This operation will still be carried out primarily in the name of the Mechanical Heart. After all, the Mechanical Heart is considered one of the more progressive forces at present. Rabi and Grellie are familiar with the Mechanical Heart's doctrine, and given Grellie's prestige and influence, as long as he is alive, he will not disappoint Rabi.

The first step was to recruit their forces. Other factions reluctantly handed over their armies, breaking them up into smaller units and accepting the command of the Mechanical Heart led by Grell.

If things go well, even if most of what we have now is diverted to fund the construction of New Scalova, we can still maintain a comfortable life for generations by leaving behind our savings.

If they don't cooperate, they'll only hear devastating news from their hometown in the blink of an eye.

Some progressive groups and independent cities didn't have much resistance to it. But old-school warlords and aristocrats like Durrës felt as if they had swallowed a fly.

After listening to Grealley's plans while sitting on small stools, they realized that their era had passed.

The reality that was instantly reversed and established by an irresistible divine force.

They couldn't make a sound.

While Greli was frantically working on the follow-up tasks with his mechanical heart, "Rabbi" had already entered the Kabbalah Palace.

Following the path to their destination, they found the palace deserted and desolate.

A scan with the rabbi's eyes revealed that the palace was completely deserted, containing only mechanical puppets. And now, even these puppets were all shut down, lying scattered and crooked.

The rabbi glanced around and slowed his pace slightly as he approached the main hall.

The heavy, weathered door in front of them didn't seem to need to be pushed open by the guests themselves; it was already slightly ajar enough for someone to pass through.

The rabbi did not linger, but walked through the door and entered, where he saw the tall figure sitting on the throne.

He was draped in a large coronation robe that almost covered his entire body.

The current king of Kabbalah should be Kabbalah IV. However, the Kabbalah royal family has rarely participated in daily activities since very early on.

Even in Parliament, each speaker could only meet with the king once a year.

For such a mysterious monarch, even the symbolic meaning becomes somewhat diluted.

The rabbi had never met King Kabbalah.

But upon seeing the face of this Kabbalah IV, a question arose in the rabbi's mind: "Isn't this the face of Kabbalah I?"

The founding emperor of Scallova is said to have died long ago. Unless all the men in the Kabbalah family looked remarkably alike, his face is truly difficult to decipher.

However, in the eyes of the rabbi, it wasn't that complicated.

Aside from the human face, beneath the wide coronation robes was a set of brown and black mechanical doll parts. Two prominent gears, one large and one small, slowly turned on the chest, maintaining the body's operation.

"Rabbi Hydwin. Welcome to the kingdom of puppets." The king spoke, his face expressionless and even somewhat wooden, his voice sounding stiff, as if the vocal cords weren't properly tuned.

"God of Gears, or King of Gears, or His Majesty the King?" Rabbi asked with a smile.

"Please do as you please, beings from the outside world, feel free to address me as you see fit." The king's lips moved, but the movements were barely perceptible as he spoke: "I know what your purpose is in coming here. What 'Alchemy' can think of, I can naturally think of as well."

“That’s wonderful. Can you give it to me?” “Rabbi” held out his hand.

"If you want it, you have to come and take it yourself. This has always been the rule for us representatives. No matter what, we cannot admit defeat," the king said. "The Kabbalahs have given themselves to me, entrusting me with their protection and the maintenance of the entire world."

The rabbi said, "But now you're probably going to fail in your duty."

“From the moment the Black World invaded, I foresaw the current situation. All our efforts to resist it have only caused minor ripples. Even the introduction of the White World to maintain balance has been futile. Originally, Rabbi Hydwin’s body was what I wanted.”

Rabbi: ?!

The words from the King, or more accurately, "Gear," were incredibly informative.

The Kabbalah royal family has become less active in external affairs because they, as cogs in the machine of the king, are fighting against the invasion of the dark world that originated from the mines.

Up to that point, it was understandable, but what happened next... Did the gears actively attract all the attention? However, this seemed to be a last resort, a way to fight against the dark world. But this was tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house; the Gears weren't that kind. Even knowing this world had been invaded, they would only think about alleviating the situation slightly, then squeezing every last drop of value out of this world before fleeing, rather than wholeheartedly helping them.

Saving a world costs far more than finding a new one.

And then there's... one's own body.

It was initially targeted by the gears!?
"Alchemy never chose to surrender itself to me, even until it was forgotten. Of course, if it had surrendered everything to me from the beginning, although I would be more resistant to the invasion of darkness, I would probably still be powerless to reverse the situation once the invasion succeeded. But now, our incompleteness has become an opportunity to turn the tide," the king said.

"Ramon Hydwin and Nissina Hydwin, they possess extraordinary talent, and Rodon Hydwin... I admire the efforts they made for you. Alchemical life, in an era whose concept I personally destroyed, still has the existence of a life like yours, even achieving a close connection with mechanical dolls."

Rabbi unexpectedly felt a sense of relief emanating from the gears, far removed from the "anger" the stone had described.

“Normally, the risk of reviving ‘Alchemy’ should indeed annoy me, and I should do everything in my power to eliminate it. But I know that ‘Alchemy’ is also affected and entangled by darkness, and there is no possibility of revival for it. As for me, I can even try to directly fuse ‘Alchemy’ with you and the mechanical puppet connected to you.”

Rabbi: ...

"Unfortunately... bad luck struck. The Hydwin family was implicated in a wrongful case, and I wasn't the one who offered them a helping hand." Even as Gear lamented this, it still revealed a chilling, inhuman quality.

"This is probably the retribution for arbitrarily handing over one's world to white. Even as a representative, one can only become a puppet paralyzed on the throne. Apart from you, apart from Rabbi Hydwin, and that mechanical doll that is currently engaged in a bloody battle, this world is beyond saving."

"Have you finished your last words?" the rabbi asked with a malicious grin.

After a brief silence, the sound of gears turning became loud again.

"But even so..."

The Gear King slowly rose from the throne, his body swaying slightly. In his clearly defined human eyes, the doll's signature indicator light flashed red.

"Even the spokesperson... cannot... admit defeat."

(End of this chapter)