Star Forge Titan

After walking a distance, Afrediya couldn't help but frown.

"If we separate, what if those people show up at night?" Considering that there were many people around and many eyes, she didn't say anything too specific.

"I know." Alvin nodded and went upstairs to explain to her.

"We need two rooms, but we only live in one. This way, even if the other party comes, they may not be able to make the right judgment."

"Huh? So that's how it is." Afrediya showed a look of understanding, but suddenly her expression became a little strange.

"Wait, you were planning on staying in one from the beginning."

"Yes, is there any problem?" Alvin looked at her puzzled.

"No...no." Afrediya's cheeks were slightly red, like plump red apples.

"Having said that, I still hope we can spend this evening in peace."

Ivan sighed.

Chapter 24: The Dead Hotel

In Elrond in the new calendar year 1885, it was no longer just caravans and messengers traveling on the roads, but more and more young people were emerging.

Commoners no longer almost never left their birthplaces, as they did in the past, whether they were children of farmers, small merchants, or craftsmen.

After acquiring a certain level of ability, these young people often choose to leave their hometowns and go to the primary departments of royal academies in the state capitals on foot or by riding donkeys, mules or horses to learn knowledge.

They hope to change their originally predetermined destiny through this means. Whether it is to become a craftsman with a higher social status with the knowledge they have learned, or to go further and enter the Royal Academy's higher education institution at the northern headquarters, these are new paths that ordinary people in the past had never imagined.

After putting down their luggage, Alvin and Afrediya went to the lobby on the first floor of the hotel to prepare for dinner.

At this moment, both of them had changed their clothes. The black-haired boy dyed his hair golden, and with that cheap coarse linen coat, he looked like a young knight from a poor noble family.

The red-haired girl dyed her red hair, which was a distinctive feature of the Gusmith family, into black, just like most Elrond girls, and changed her clothes into inconspicuous linen clothes.

But their outstanding appearance still attracted the attention of others, which even cheap clothes could not hide. It was not until they found a secluded table and sat down that the hall became noisy again.

The ready-made food prepared by the inn tonight was not rich, but fortunately it was cheap and plentiful. A large bowl of stew cost only 5 copper pence, and the price of bread was around 5 silver shillings per kilogram. Even farmers who went to the market in the surrounding towns could buy a dinner that was enough to fill them up.

Of course the taste is a little unsatisfactory...

Afrediya frowned and stuffed a spoonful of soup into her mouth. Although she liked delicious food, she would not be too demanding about the taste of the food when she was being hunted. As long as she could fill her stomach, it was enough.

However, despite saying so, the eldest princess would frown every time she drank a spoonful of soup or took a bite of bread, and the expression on her face seemed more and more hopeless, as if she was about to cry.

"It's just a way to supplement calories." Ivan, who was sitting opposite her, muttered expressionlessly, then crumpled the hard black bread, which had a slightly sour taste, into a ball and stuffed it into his mouth.

The black-haired boy didn't have to worry about his digestive ability at all. Not to mention some expired bread, he could even swallow the metal cutlery if he bit it off. Metal was even one of his essential nutrients.

For example, those pieces of inert magic metal, in addition to wanting to make some weapons, Alvin planned to use the remaining scraps as additional nutrition for his further growth and development after the ceremony.

In the past, he had asked his fellow guild members who designed the ritual whether consuming inert magic metals after the ritual would affect his spellcasting ability, but they had shaken their fingers and indicated the opposite.

Specially designed artificial bone reinforcement organs will control the metal particles absorbed by the stomach and precipitate them on the surface of the bones to form a coating, thus reducing the interference of the external environment on the internal environment, just like the insulation layer on the outside of the wire.

In this way, not only will it not affect one's own spellcasting ability, but it will also enhance the ability to concentrate on casting spells and resist interference, and improve the efficiency of magic accumulation in the mana pool, and even the character's overall magic resistance will increase accordingly.

But in addition to nutritional considerations, modern people's requirements for food taste are no less than those of the princes and nobles in the old times, so the time traveler himself actually cares a lot about this aspect.

Fortunately, neither of them was spoiled, and they would fill their stomachs with these inferior foods even if they frowned.

In order to divert his attention, Alvin tore the sturdy black bread as easily as tearing a piece of paper, while looking at the other passengers in the hall.

"Guess who they are?"

"Hmm? That's quite interesting." Afrediya rolled her eyes.

After observing for a moment, she seemed to have determined an answer, so she pointed the spoon in her hand at the bar in the middle of the hotel lobby.

"The fat man drinking light beer at the bar should be a businessman, but he is a small businessman with a limited wallet."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Alvin also noticed the man.

"He was wearing clothes and a hat suitable for traveling, but he had a glittering gold ring on his hand. It was obvious that his family was much better off than the average person. He was probably not a commoner who went out to work or study," Afrediya continued.

"But judging by the metallic sheen, you can tell it's not actually a gold ring. It's a cheap piece of jewelry made of brass. Ever since the alchemist Kabashu invented an efficient method for extracting copper ore in 1677, brass hasn't been considered a particularly expensive metal."

"Oh? Let me guess." Alvin smiled and pointed the bread in his hand at a young man sitting at another table.

"That's a poet."

"Huh? No way, he's wearing leather armor and carrying weapons. He must be a mercenary, right?" Afrediya said doubtfully.

"That's true on the surface, but look at the black ink on his fingers. Mercenaries don't often have the opportunity to read and write. Also, the purse that the man used to pay was embroidered with a poem. Judging from the color and style, it's obviously more like something a woman would use. It must be a gift from his, um, lover." Ivan's words made Afrediya blush slightly.

"The most important thing is." Alvin gestured to the princess to look at the bag at the man's feet.

"Judging from the outline, there should be a lute inside. Mercenaries wouldn't walk around with something like that."

"That can't be confirmed." Afrediya winked at Ivan and denied it cunningly.

"Simple." Alvin took out a silver shilling and snapped it towards the other party.

The young man reacted quickly and caught the silver shilling.

"Hey, buddy, can you play 'A Night on the Outskirts of Avonmore'?" Alvin asked familiarly.

"Of course." The young man raised his eyebrows and reached into his backpack to take out a lute.

After bowing to all around, he began to sing this popular ballad.

The atmosphere in the hotel quickly became more lively, and the passionate and unrestrained nature of the locals was immediately released. Some drunk people even pulled the waitresses to start dancing. People either sang along with the melody or stood up to dance, and the air in the room seemed to become warmer.

Instead, Alvin, the instigator, sat in the corner watching the scene with a smile on his face.

Until a figure stood in front of him.

"Hey." Afrediya first turned her head to look aside, then turned back to look directly at Ivan and stretched out her right hand in front of him.

"I don't say 'Hello'." Alvin was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He stood up and held Afrediya's hand. Although he had never danced in real life, thanks to the paranoid etiquette teacher in Lind's knight training class in the game, he was not completely inexperienced in this area.

However, even though the eldest princess has long legs and is over 1.7 meters tall, the huge height difference between the two still makes her dance look a little awkward.

Fortunately, Afrediya quickly thought of a solution. She stood on tiptoe on Ivan's feet and slowly turned along with his slightly unfamiliar dance steps. Even though it didn't look good, it was still fun.

"What's with that wound on your forehead?" After getting closer, Afrediya noticed that there was a vertical line between Ivan's eyebrows that looked like a scar.

"This is not a wound." As he said that, Alvin slightly mobilized his own magic power, and the vertical lines opened up, revealing an azure oval crystal, which then quickly closed and disappeared under the skin.

"It's probably some kind of magical organ that's produced by the advancement of core talent. It's probably just a prototype right now, and it's likely to continue to change."

"Eh? Could it be body tissue infected by magic? Or a crystallized, high-density existence? But you're only at the first level, right? How come you showed up so early!?" Afrediya said in surprise.

Although the strength of each profession in Palladio is not the same, there are still very obvious characteristic differences in each realm.

Most first-level disciple professionals emphasize physical training to adapt to the changes brought about by the promotion ceremony and to stimulate their own potential. Even spellcasters are no exception. They also need to do a certain degree of exercise after meditation to speed up their adaptation to physical changes.

The practice at this stage can basically be divided into three stages.

The Rough Stone Stage is the stage where one receives no training, only undergoes the promotion ritual to imbue one's characteristics and talents. The Forging Stage is the stage where one undergoes a certain amount of training and begins to become familiar with the changes in oneself. Finally, the Iron Stage is the stage where one fully adapts to the changes in oneself and fully develops the characteristics and talents of the profession.

Warriors who reach this level can often withstand attacks from ordinary people using ordinary iron weapons with their own skin. As long as spellcasters maintain their magic power, a layer of magic shield will appear on the surface of their skin, with very limited protection but long-lasting.

As for the recipients in the next stage, they no longer rely solely on physical fitness and professional talents to fight. The free magic power floating in the external environment will be absorbed and transformed by them, and a certain degree of obvious extraordinary changes will appear in their bodies.

The magic power of professionals themselves is stronger than that of individuals of the same race, and when the tissues in their bodies are infected by a large amount of external magic power, various adaptive evolutions will occur.

Usually it is clearer vision, more acute hearing or various enhancements to the original human organs.

The most special of these is crystallization, which is a complete transformation that occurs after absorbing excessive magic power or magic power with extremely special properties. It is also a precursor to something involving the perfect body and magic core of a fourth-level professional.

"Let me see!" The researcher's spirit in Afrediya's heart instantly ignited. She suddenly leaned close to Ivan, grabbed his collar and moved closer to him.

"Frei, don't be like this, there are too many people." Ivan looked extremely embarrassed. The azure crystals on his forehead were exposed again due to his emotional fluctuations, and flashed with panic.

"It's so beautiful." Looking at the gorgeous crystal that was so crystal clear that it could reflect her own figure, Afrediya couldn't help but express her sincere admiration.

Then, she suddenly realized that she was now almost completely pressed against Ivan. A blush spread from her fair neck all the way up, and soon the girl's entire face turned a beautiful rose color.

The atmosphere between the two became ambiguous.

But at this moment, the sound of the lute suddenly stopped.

The glass window suddenly shattered, and people quickly looked towards the broken window. Then, the waitress's scream resounded throughout the hotel.

"Ah ah!!!"

"Oh great god Odin! What the hell is that!"

"Block the windows!"

Outside the broken window, a bloody monster was roaring and trying to crawl into the hotel.

It has a general structure similar to that of a human, but the dagger stuck in its head and the rotten skin indicate that it is definitely not a living person, but a walking corpse created by some evil spell.

A zombie or a higher-level Yin corpse? There's no fear aura emanating from it, and no negative energy protection is visible, so it must be the former.

Ivan made a lightning-fast judgment in his mind. He pulled Afrediya behind him, then broke off a wooden table leg and held it in his hand. He stood with his legs apart, one in front of the other, and bent his waist and arms like a drawn longbow, throwing the table leg forward with force.

It was clearly just a wooden table leg, but under the influence of the black-haired boy's divine power that could wrestle with a dragon, it looked like a huge crossbow arrow fired from a city defense crossbow cart, causing a shrill scream in the air.

People didn't even have time to catch a glimpse of the fleeting trajectory before they saw the zombie screaming in the window as if it had been hit by a hammer. Its entire upper body exploded instantly, and the splattered flesh and blood left a fan-shaped spread on the wall. The flying broken bones were even deeply embedded in the wooden floor.

Even the undead creatures awakened by negative energy could not survive such a brutal oversaturation blow that shattered half of its body.

Although he killed the enemy with one blow, the expression on Ivan's face became more serious.

"Oops, I shouldn't have acted so quickly." He shook his head and looked a little annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Afrediya asked in confusion, sticking her head out from behind Ivan.

After seeing the enemy, Alvin's fighting instinct was almost subconscious. He didn't have time to think about why an ordinary hotel was attacked by the undead, and he immediately launched an attack.

But afterwards, he realized the inappropriateness of doing so.

His attack would inevitably draw the attention of the instigator. In fact, this was what the other party wanted from the beginning.

After all, even if ordinary people can deal with low-level undead like zombies, they can't do it as quickly and effectively as professionals.

"Get ready for battle, we are in trouble." Ivan held Afrediya's hand and said in a serious voice.

At the same time, in a public cemetery one kilometer away from the hotel.

Kelu Weijies was holding up a skull with green light emitting from its eye sockets, muttering to himself and concentrating on sensing the zombies he had just summoned.

Based on the information he obtained from Khayon, he did not continue to choose the stupid and inefficient net-casting search method that the other party had used to find the eldest princess Afrediya.

Instead, he rushed to the vicinity of several roads leading to Avonmore as quickly as possible, then sneaked into the public cemetery where a large number of civilian bodies were buried, and used necromancy to summon a small number of low-level undead to spread around.

In order to do this, he even secretly used some new type of necromancy that was still in the experimental stage.

Based on the speed and location at which the summoned zombies were destroyed, Kelu quickly identified several suspicious locations that needed to be explored.

These are places where professionals don't usually appear, but the undead are eliminated very quickly.

"Southeast, 1,200 meters, ordinary hotel. Huh? So soon?"

Kelu suddenly raised his head, and looked at a place in the darkness with his green eyes, muttering to himself:

"Another questionable target."

Chapter 25: Ugly People

"Oh, not at all." Koru Wejes sighed and sat back on someone's back with a helpless look on his face.

He was a fat businessman, who was kneeling on the ground with cold sweat on his forehead, using his body as a chair for the black-robed wizard who suddenly appeared.

The power derived from magic made him completely lose control of his body, and now there are only a few people left in his caravan.

The horrific sounds of flesh being torn and the shrill screams of dying humans kept coming to my ears. Most of the hired mercenaries and adventurers had now become food for the zombies.

Although these resurrected corpses have lost their lives, they can, under the control of necromancy, repair the damage caused by battle and enhance their own strength by devouring flesh and blood and the magic contained therein.

However, Kelu himself hadn't rested for some time, which gave him dark circles under his eyes and made him look like an overly tired scribe.

In the past two days, the Undead Faction's insider hidden among the Reformists has not reported any information about the whereabouts of Princess Afrediya.

This shows that the other party has realized that there is a traitor in their team, so they are not going to seek help from anyone or any force before confirming the identity of the traitor. Instead, they hide their identity and plan to quietly return to the capital, Avonmore.

That meant that Princess Afrediya wouldn't easily enter a temple or a large caravan, or anything like that where her identity could be easily exposed. She would likely disguise herself as an ordinary person and slowly make her way to Avonmore.

But it is impossible for the Undead faction to openly set up checkpoints on the road to check passers-by. Wouldn't that be equivalent to publicly exposing themselves as the real culprit of the failed assassination attempt on the eldest princess?