Star Forge Titan

"Alvin, okay, maybe he wasn't called that before. Anyway, according to intelligence, he must have seized this opportunity to transform from a street kid into an alchemist," Catherine concluded.

Then she added another sentence.

"Also, although Mr. Isaac nominally voluntarily gave up the copyright of the new coinage technology, our investigators found that this was not the case. There were also some despicable behaviors that were not to be disclosed." The Duchess's expression became a little disdainful when she said this.

"Those businessmen." The smile on Conrad's face gradually faded, and after hearing what he heard, he couldn't help but shook his head with a look of contempt.

"In other words, he probably has no good feelings towards the Genoese Confederation because of his mentor's experience?" The emperor then said:

"MI7 made the same analysis. Even if it doesn't reach the point of 'hostility', there's likely a significant amount of resistance. Overall, the suspicion of him being a spy can be basically ruled out."

"Besides, not to mention his talents in magical engineering and alchemy, Mr. Elian is also very talented in the path of transcendence. Isn't it a bit too extravagant to use such a person as a spy?" Catherine twitched her lips and said with a forced smile:

"Indeed."

After saying that, the two people in the study laughed out loud at the same time.

As a participant in a secret plan, it is normal for Ivan's identity to be investigated again.

He himself had anticipated this, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to meet the half-elf merchant lady from Genoa.

As for why a national-level professional intelligence agency failed to obtain correct information after careful investigation.

The answer is very simple. It is naturally because another national intelligence agency is secretly planning without their knowledge.

For such an existence, relying on the advantage of the enemy being in the dark and us being in the light, it is not impossible to even mislead a national-level professional intelligence agency.

The organization that initiated the intelligence misleading was the Mockingbird, a professional intelligence processing unit that was nominally affiliated with the Genoa Confederation but actually worked for the elves of Eternal Island.

The elves of the world of Palladia are among the oldest intelligent races in the world, and their primitive civilization was established even before the arrival of humans and gods.

This race reproduces very slowly, but their natural lifespan of a thousand years makes the elves very gentle. Adult elves over a hundred years old basically realize that if you can't afford to provoke them, you can endure it, and at worst you can wait for your enemy to die of old age and then dance on his grave.

Beyond that, the differences between elves and humans aren't as great as one might imagine; there's even no reproductive isolation between the two. Furthermore, the total number of elves is very small, and even after so many years, their kingdom hasn't expanded beyond the thriving forests of the Timeless Isle.

Coupled with the similarities in aesthetics and other aspects, the two races do not have any absolutely irreconcilable conflicts when getting along with each other.

After the Great Rupture, a group of fleeing humans even survived with the help of the elves, and rebuilt their own country on an unfamiliar coastline. They were the ancestors of the Genoese.

It is for this reason that elves have a high status in Genoa.

Moreover, after coming into contact with human civilization, this long-lived race relied on their lifespan advantage to become outstanding experts in many disciplines such as poetry, literature, history, and mathematics. The most well-known of these is classical economics, which was formed after they relied on their own lifespan to complete long records and then summarized and analyzed the recorded information.

Economic research is another major reason why elves enjoy a high status in Genoa, a country with developed commerce.

As for the Bionic Bird, it can be said to be one of the oldest intelligence agencies in the world of Palladia.

Originally, this organization was established to protect elves traveling outside the Eternal Island and rescue fellow elves in danger. Later, it gradually evolved into a professional intelligence agency that collects foreign intelligence and regulates the continental structure.

This even involves the Elf King's continental balance policy and the covert influence on Genoa, a human kingdom ostensibly controlled by the Parliament.

It can be said that 'Mockingbird' is the most important external department of the Elven Royal Court.

But for Alvin, the elves have another identity, to put it simply - the local rich people of Palladia.

Firstly, the elves themselves have a very long history of record. Even some things that are considered history by humans have been personally experienced by the elven historians themselves. Therefore, they have been given the title of "Time Recorder", which is also the name of a hidden job mastered by the elves.

Among them are many top-secret documents related to the period before the "Great Rupture". Those unknown number of books and documents are collectively called "Books of Truth" by the elves. They are all secretly stored in the World Library deep in the Eternal Island. They have never been completely disclosed to the outside world for thousands of years. Only occasional fragments and torn pages will be leaked with the deliberate connivance of the Elf Royal Court, and each time they leak out, they often cause considerable turmoil.

In addition, the study of history has also led the elves to vigorously develop archaeology, resulting in them having many "unearthed treasures" in their hands.

To some extent, this unique device, which was obtained from the ruins but has surpassed similar technologies at the current stage, is even more precious than high-level magic equipment.

However, the elves possess a lot of 'discovered treasures', so much so that someone in the previous life joked that even in the next version, the elves would still be able to take out top-level equipment that met the current level limit.

From this perspective, they are simply the ultimate Scoia'tael.

Of course, he couldn't openly talk about stealing other people's equipment, so Alvin had no plans to go to Eternal Island for a "trip" for the time being.

The scene happening in front of him was also very troublesome.

The robber leader who had ordered his subordinates to fire without hesitation was very pragmatic afterwards and decisively surrendered to the young man in front of him who was much younger than him.

Alvin did not immediately raise the Axe of Annihilation and kill them one by one. If these people were handed over to Lind, they could also get a reward, although their end might be worse than death.

You know, criminal superhumans have even less human rights than ordinary criminals, and a robbery leader who is a third-level superhuman is, in a sense, very sought after. Of course, that means as a guinea pig.

In addition, Alvin also hopes to get information about the "mole" from the other party.

However, when he mentioned this matter, he saw a look of confusion on the face of the robber leader. Then his breathing began to speed up suddenly, and his expression gradually changed from confusion to fear.

"No, don't come over! Don't come near me!!!" The robber leader who had been subdued began to twitch violently on the ground. He was like a fish thrown ashore, with his mouth wide open but unable to breathe in any air.

"Suffocation collar? Fear curse? Or hallucinogenic killer?" Alvin made a judgment immediately.

Although he had not expected that a third-level person would be treated in this way and had not prepared for similar situations in advance, it did not mean that Alvin could do nothing.

The black-haired boy pulled out the dagger that the robber leader had just put on his waist, and then stabbed him in the lungs from the side without hesitation. Blood flowed out instantly, but this also opened a temporary channel connecting the outside world and the lungs.

The severe pain and the small amount of oxygen he regained made the robber leader's eyes seem clear for a moment, but he still couldn't speak. He just flushed and grabbed Ivan's hand with all his strength, then cast his eyes on the train timetable hanging on the wall of the train control room.

The timetable records the names of the stations along the way, and each station that has been stopped at will be checked in the space below.

The last stop of this route is Vulcan, the Steel City.

In the end, the robber leader died with a distorted expression, and until his soul dissipated and returned to nature, he did not reveal any information about the "traitor".

Ivan was not angry about this. He just stood beside the corpse thoughtfully, looking down at the other's distorted expression before death.

Sometimes, the very fact of not being able to tell is a kind of intelligence.

The third-level transcendents have already embarked on the path of the Fire Sword. Even pure warriors like the Shield Guard will have a resistance to magic far exceeding that of low-level transcendents due to the awakening of their own soul power.

In other words, it is very difficult to kill a third-level transcendent with magic such as curses, even if it is a newcomer who has just been promoted and whose use of soul power is very rough.

This means that the murderer is at least a third-level cultivator, and is also a master who has in-depth research in areas such as the soul or consciousness, otherwise it would be impossible for him to do such a thing.

Also, regarding the other party's identity...

Alvin slowly turned his head to look at the messy freight car, then looked at the guards who had been tortured by the robber leader. It wasn't like he had no clues at all.

At the moment when the robber leader was completely dead, in a large research institute far away in the steel city of Vulcan, a young man who was introducing a research project to new employees suddenly looked into the distance as if he had sensed something.

The young scholar had a very gentle appearance and temperament. He wore a pair of slightly bulky rear-frame glasses on his nose, which made him look elegant and easy-going, with a hint of the dullness that was unique to scholars.

However, behind the lenses that reflected the light, there was a pair of eyes with an exceptionally sharp gaze.

"Failed? Never mind, it's still within acceptable limits." The young man muttered to himself in a voice that no one else could hear.

"Mr. Joseph, did you say anything just now?" The young female research assistant beside him looked at him in surprise.

"Nothing, Meni, I just suddenly remembered something about work."

The man named Joseph Kerr answered slowly and gently:

At 17:30 pm, the delayed train from Lutetia finally arrived at the station. Soon after, the explosive news that the train had been attacked by a gang of thieves immediately made the front page of the newspaper.

For a moment, Vulkan, the steel city with burning metal furnaces everywhere, seemed to be caught in an atmosphere even hotter than before.

Chapter 19: A Glimpse of the Steel City (Part 1)

Just before the train arrived at the station, the "good citizens" who bravely stepped forward to help had some personal matters to attend to.

After tying up the robbers one by one and throwing them into the freight car, Ivan and Ka Yang met beside the cold body of the robber leader.

Considering that what happened next was not suitable for Diana to see, the two 'Genoese' from Elrond tacitly found a reason to persuade the girl to go and inform other passengers on the train and tell them the good news that the robbers had been subdued.

As soon as Diana left, the necromancer, whose true form was revealed, immediately began to cast a spell on the corpse of the robber leader. Negative energy formed strange patterns in the air, but the result was as expected, nothing was gained.

"This is terrible! This guy's soul has dissipated to the point where even necromancy can't bring it back, and his spiritual essence has also been distorted by magic. Perhaps someone has secretly tampered with him before?" Ka Yang scratched his head and said helplessly.

"Is that so? Well, no need to force it. But it seems the 'traitor' behind the bandits is a very cautious guy." Ivan nodded thoughtfully and said:

In a magical world like Palladia, the ancient practice of silencing witnesses would naturally change according to local conditions. The mastermind behind the scenes did not miss the channel of psychic communication and carefully cut off all possible channels for information to leak between the robber leader and himself.

"Have you asked the other robbers? Have any of them been cursed beforehand like this guy?"

"No, most of them are ordinary people. The only extraordinary person is just a newcomer who was promoted recently. Moreover, that guy died earlier than his boss." As he said this, Khayang showed a somewhat strange expression.

"He was blown in two by a shell... but I don't think there was a cannon on this car?"

"Uh, don't worry about the details." Ivan waved his hand and his expression looked very normal, as if he was not the one who used the shield to fly the cannonball alone just now.

"By the way, are those guards awake?" The topic was shifted to other aspects.

"They woke up. The person leading the team claimed that they were members of the Lind Army Intelligence and Security Department. Then, apart from expressing gratitude, it was not convenient to disclose any other information to 'ordinary people' like us." A sarcastic expression appeared on Kayang's face, and he deliberately emphasized the word "ordinary people".

"Army Intelligence and Security Department? That's normal. They are responsible for various security tasks and serious crimes in Linde. Let's leave the next matter to the official sheriff. As a rule of thumb, we 'ordinary people' don't need to worry too much about this aspect." Alvin smiled and didn't say much, but he secretly took note of this matter in his heart.

Because he felt that the matter was not as simple as it seemed. If it was just a theft of precious materials, there was no need to confront the Army Intelligence and Security Department directly. The risks of doing so were very uncontrollable and would most likely attract armed intervention from Lind's official strongmen.

But they still did it. In other words, the people behind the thieves believed that compared to obtaining precious items, the "risk" of getting in trouble with the Army Intelligence and Security Department was still within their acceptable range.

So, two possibilities can be deduced from this.

First, the other party has some way to significantly avoid this risk.

Second, the material must be valuable enough for the other party to be willing to take such a risk.

Judging from the guards' abilities, Ivan was more inclined to the first possibility. After all, normally, the strength of the cargo guards should be proportional to the value of the cargo.

As he was thinking, Ka Yang, who had covered up the traces of the spell, suddenly asked:

"Speaking of which, why did you suddenly send Bryant back to the Great Wilderness Forest to deliver the letter? Do you have any new plans? That guy looked really awful when he left, as if he'd heard his house was set on fire."

When the necromancer mentioned this, his eyes rolled around and he looked like a bad military strategist in a popular novel written by a bard, full of evil ideas.

Although Ivan always said that he did all kinds of things that he couldn't understand in order to live a better life, Kayang always felt that this guy probably had some huge ambitions, such as... conquering the world?

"Well, you can say that." Alvin did not deny his guess.

"After what happened before, I realized that achieving my original goal on my own seems more difficult than I imagined. At least I can't say I'm 100% sure. That's why I asked Bryant to send a message to the Great Wasteland Forest. Although it may not be useful, it can at least serve as a reminder. Besides, as the old saying goes, more friends mean more opportunities."

"The original goal? I don't think I've heard you mention it." Ka Yang looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Didn't I tell you?" Ivan was stunned for a moment, then spoke without hesitation:

"To save the world, of course."

"Ha!?!" Necromancer looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Why does the world need you to save it? His eyes clearly carried this meaning, but considering the barbarian's fist as big as a sandbag, he didn't say it directly.

"Yeah, this sounds very difficult, so I'm not 100% sure, so I have to unite as many people as possible." Thinking back to the major events in the subsequent version, Alvin couldn't help but show a headache.

He had not forgotten the fallen druid he met in Elrond. He did not seize the opportunity to resolve the hidden danger in advance, which made people feel extremely regretful.

"What news? In what capacity are you delivering the news? Will the other party believe it?" Ka Yang asked in succession. He was now really curious about what was going on in this guy's head.

By the way, although what he said sounded like that of a naive and foolish idealist, the way this guy brags is really good [Elrond swears], as if he is telling the truth. No wonder Frey was deceived by him, damn it.

"Nothing much. I just want to tell them that the seal beneath the Great Wild Forest may be loosening, and that there are signs that the radical druid sect of Winter School is involved in this whole thing."

"As for what identity I used to inform the other party of this matter." Alvin paused. Among the many identities he could mention, this was probably the only one that could make the core manager of the Great Wilderness Forest, the Ninth Elder, take it seriously.

"Odin's Covenanter. I believe this title should be enough to attract the other party's attention."

"...Are you sure it's okay to leak this identity?" As Ka Yang said this, he scanned the surroundings as quickly as possible. After confirming that there was no one else except the corpse under his feet, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't you know Bryant's character? But then again, I actually trust his teacher, the Archdruid White Ape Kakarom, more. He is a truly noble elder." Alvin said with nostalgia, and then added.

"Although I have a bad temper."

"..." Ka Yang was silent for a moment.

"I won't ask you how a barbarian living on the northern ice plains knew the Archdruid who lived in the Great Wilderness Forest. By the way, don't tell me what's under the ground in the Great Wilderness Forest either."

"Uh, okay, okay, the train should be arriving soon, let's go meet Diana." Ivan twitched his lips slightly in embarrassment and also put the matter aside.

"Indeed, I can already smell that the air in Steel City Vulcan is as bad as the rumors say." Khayon shrugged, then his nostrils twitched slightly, and a dissatisfied expression appeared on his face.

At this moment, the train was approaching the destination of the trip, and a unique mountain range could be seen on the distant horizon.

This mountain range stretches up and down into the distance, but there is only a regular circular gap in the middle, which looks like a piece of paper punctured by a needle, and is extremely abrupt.

Moreover, the railway that the train runs on follows this gap into the basin surrounded by mountains, and the Steel City Vulcan is built in the center of the basin.

Even from a distance, one could still see columns of gray smoke standing around the city like giant pillars supporting the sky and the earth.

And this is also the reason why Kayang complained about the bad air before.

Chapter 20: A Glimpse of the Steel City

Vulcan, the Steel City, is an emerging industrial city located in the center of the Vulcan Basin and has a very neat and reasonable urban layout.