I am in Warhammer's Heartsteel

"Oi~"

The money bag landed precisely on the bar counter.

The tavern owner picked it up and was almost blinded by the gold coins. He immediately gave Deyang a fawning smile.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"Get me some equipment: a trench knife, a power sword, 100 rounds of explosives, two sets of explorer gear, and a heavy machine gun and a shield for Pete."

"What shield?"

Dejan thought for a moment, "Can we get a Storm Shield?"

"Huh!" The boss was speechless, his eyes widening. "How about I get you a Knight Mech?"

"I can't afford it."

Deyang spread his hands regretfully, lamenting his lack of financial resources.

Seeing that Deyang didn't doubt his own abilities but was worried about not having enough money, the boss was both amused and exasperated.

"What do you take me for?"

Dejan shrugged. "Arms dealer, intelligence chief, pimp, the invisible godfather of all the gangs in District 137."

No gang in District 137 dared to cause trouble at the Rusty Gear Tavern, which speaks volumes about the owner's status.

"You think highly of me?" The shopkeeper's smile faded. He leaned against the counter, pondered for a while, and then finally relented. "Everything else is fine, but the heavy machine gun is a problem. As for the Storm Shield... don't be ridiculous!"

The Storm Shield integrates a field generator, which can withstand unconventional heavy firepower such as plasma cannons, thermal weapons, and biological cannons. Generally, only elite veterans in Astartes are qualified to use it.

If Pete gets his hands on the Storm Shield, the Inquisition will go crazy.

Deyang was just making empty threats and settling for second best.

"Alright, alright, just get me a big shield that Pete can handle, and don't skimp on the bombs and heavy machine gun. I need it by tomorrow morning."

"Not enough money."

Noticing the other person rubbing their fingers, Dejan rolled his eyes.

"Come to the room and get your money. I'm warning you, if you dare to try to fool me with substandard goods, I'll smash up your shop."

"Rusty gears, honest and reliable!"

"I've spent so much money, give me some information."

When it came time to pay, Deyang played a trick.

The boss stared intently at the money bag. "What do you want to know?"

"What is Lord Shangchao looking for?"

The boss licked his lips greedily and stammered, "If I knew what the gentlemen upstairs were looking for, would I still be working at this place?"

"All I know is that this excavation is unprecedented in scale, and all the gangs in Xiachao have been mobilized. The bounty is 100 million gold coins." The boss patted Deyang on the shoulder. "Young man, your chance for upward mobility has arrived. Twenty years ago, I would definitely have gone with you."

After dealing with his boss, Deyang lay on the bed, lost in thought.

1 million gold coins.

"What exactly is Elijah Coron looking for?"

Something that the merchant ronin dynasty coveted.

Lost technology, a unified will-type artificial intelligence core, a divine artifact, and a contract against demons?

Deyang suddenly felt a tickling sensation all over his body, as if ants were crawling under his skin.

To be honest, he was actually looking forward to this adventure.

It would be best to cause Elijah some trouble.

……

If you pay enough, the tavern owner will be extremely efficient.

Dejan received the equipment that very night.

The following day, he and Pete, fully armed, appeared on the third elevator platform, where they met up with Pike Young and others, and set off on their adventure.

The expedition team consisted of more than twenty people. Apart from seven or eight core members of the Blood Hand Gang, the rest were skilled individuals recruited on short notice.

A group of people, armed with detectors issued by the old men of Shangchao, rode in crudely modified tracked transport vehicles towards the wasteland in search of 1 million gold coins.

The convoy endured radiation exposure and bumped along the barren plains for more than ten days.

Looking at the jagged mountain ridges appearing on the horizon, Deyang found them strangely familiar.

"Where are we?"

Parker glanced at the data panel and spat viciously.

"Bah, Grandno Wasteland."

Deyang was slightly taken aback, and a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

Grandno Wasteland.

We've come full circle back to where the story began.

Could it be that……

Dejan turned to look at Pete, who was sitting uneasily with the heavy machine gun in his arms, feeling as if there were nails stuck in his seat.

"A headache again?"

Seeing Pi Ti nod, Deyang fell into deep thought.

This is interesting.

It doesn't bother me in other places, but it does bother me as soon as I get to the Grandno Wasteland.

The problem lies in the Grandno Desert!

The source might even be the Buto mine!

Looking back now, it seems that the further away Pete was from the mine, the milder his symptoms became.

What happened next confirmed Dejan's conjecture.

"Inert energy detected!"

The mechanical apprentice stared at the ripples dancing on the instrument screen and shouted excitedly.

The team cheered with joy.

Parker's eyes lit up.

"Which direction is the energy source in?"

"Over there," the apprentice pointed in the direction of the Buto mine.

Without further hesitation, Parker urged the convoy to hurry over.

In the evening, the convoy arrived at the outskirts of the Buto mine.

The mine was temporarily abandoned due to the riots by chicken thieves.

Looking around, a desolate and dilapidated atmosphere immediately comes to mind.

Traces of battle remained on the high walls, and shell casings and partially buried debris were scattered on the ground.

The detector's beeping reached an ear-piercing level.

The pointer is fixed on the mine.

"It's right down there! The ruins must be hidden deep in the mine, hahaha!"

Parker laughed heartily and immediately ordered his men to send the coordinates to the employer using an encrypted communicator.

Returning to the same place, Deyang's mindset has changed.

Walking at the foot of the high wall, a sense of destiny welled up in my heart.

His place of exile was the very place Elijah had been searching for.

Fate is both bizarre and absurd.

……

The Hestia Nest, the upper nest, the residence of the Coron family.

In the meditation room.

"Sir, signal locked, strength exceeds threshold!"

The tech priest reported in a mix of excited, distorted binary voice and sharp high Gothic, as his mechanical tentacles presented a data panel to Elijah.

The precise three-dimensional coordinates are fluctuating wildly.

Below is a complex and dazzling energy reading spectral analysis.

Elijah was jolted awake and stood up from his seat, patting the armrest.

Finally... finally found it.

The destined place!!!

Noticing the geographical markers next to the coordinates, Elijah's face flashed with surprise and annoyance.

Buto Mine?

The relic is in the Buto mine!

He was exiled to Deyang!

What a coincidence?

Damn!

The mine riots should have been taken seriously before, otherwise so much time would have been wasted.

Dejan Davent…

Perhaps he died long ago.

Even if you're alive, so what?

A nobody, like an ant.

The worry vanished in an instant. Elijah gave a dismissive snort, regaining his usual calm and authority. With a wave of his hand, he mobilized the troops: "Gather the men and come with me to the Butor mine!"

"yes!"

Driven by Elijah Corren’s fanatical ambition, the area around the Butor mine was transformed into a vast construction site filled with a somber atmosphere.

The frigate patrolled at low altitude, casting a suffocating shadow.

The cumbersome transport ships took off and landed continuously, unloading organized units of the Coron family guard, mercenaries, Astraklans, Mechanicus units, as well as a large amount of heavy drilling equipment, stasis field generators, psionic shielding devices, and so on.

Amid the roar of engineering machinery, the forward base is taking shape.

Inside the central tent, Elijah changed into a light and stylish exploration suit and surveyed Pike and the others kneeling below.

"So you were the one who found this place first?"

"Yes...yes, sir." Pike straightened his back as he tried to stand up straight. "We brought probes and explored all the way from the Grandno Wasteland, and finally discovered that the inert energy reaction is strongest here. As for the bounty..."

Elijah interrupted him without hesitation, "It's too early to talk about the bounty before you're sure this is my goal. Take your men down and find the entrance to the ruins, and the 1 million gold coins will be yours."

"I'm happy to serve you!" Parker's eyes were red; he was blinded by money and didn't consider the risks at all.

The others in the group were also greedy.

Only Dejan remained sober, glancing at Claire before quickly looking down again.

Wearing a radiation-proof mask, he wasn't afraid of being recognized by Elijah.

I have absolutely no interest in Gold Dollars or anything like that.

Due to the complete ban on artificial intelligence, the Empire has no universal currency; Gondor coins are only useful within Gondor and have no value outside of Gondor.

He will leave Gondor sooner or later.

We'd be better off with weapons and equipment, or even spaceships and supplies, than Gondor coins.

【Ding! 】

[Hextech Protocol activated...]

Side Quest: The Star God Collector: Containing Fragments of the Nightwalker