Star Forge Titan

The urban area is divided into twelve areas similar to a clock face. Each area is equipped with a complete set of industrial equipment and is responsible for different industrial links, making the entire city almost like a huge heavy factory.

However, the core area of ​​the city center is not the location of the city's administrative departments, but a technology research and development center controlled by the Vulcan branch of the Linde Royal Society - the 'New Era Equipment Research Institute'.

In addition, the city center, named "City Zero", is home to many universities that focus on research in emerging disciplines such as magic engineering and engineering.

Students graduating from these universities rarely leave Vulkan, but immediately join different departments as technical talents. They are like freshly baked parts, allowing this huge factory city to continue to operate faster and better.

District No. 6, where the station is located, is located due south of the city, and is also facing the peculiar gap in the Bilius Mountains surrounding the Vulcan Basin. Because of its regular circular outline, it is also called the "Full Moon Canyon".

When the train arrived at the station, the passengers were greeted by a large group of reporters. As a newly industrialized city, Steel City Vulkan was developing faster than many of Linde's more historic cities. Consequently, even journalists, a new profession that had only emerged in Linde in recent decades, were more numerous.

At the same time, the advanced industrial technology here has made cameras made from magical engineering and alchemy more common than elsewhere. Furthermore, these cameras are not considered magical equipment, allowing even ordinary people without any knowledge of magic to use them directly.

However, the cameras produced by Linde now are far less compact than similar products of Ivan in his previous life.

Each complete camera is very heavy and even needs to be towed by a flatbed truck to accompany the reporter to the scene.

Vulkan's engineers devised a new solution. Unable to reduce the camera's size, they and their alchemists outfitted the machine with a complete mobile structure: a low-powered magic engine and six steampunk-style mechanical legs.

The mechanical legs, designed to imitate insects, are strong enough to support heavy cameras and can even allow the photographer himself to sit on them.

In this way, the photographer can control the machine forward, backward, left and right to adjust the angle while pressing the shutter to capture the news moment, and the camera also has the function of a personal vehicle.

Of course, the design idea of ​​imitating insects also makes their appearance a little scary. Coupled with the fast-acting flash powder used to increase the brightness of the environment during shooting, when Ka Yang saw this situation for the first time, he almost thought he was attacked by surprise.

A few minutes later, in the coffee shop on the first floor of the hotel, Alvin, who had put down his luggage, struggled to suppress his smile, while sitting in front of him was Ka Yang, who still had a gloomy face.

When getting off the car just now, the frightened necromancer even took out his duel wand. After a lot of explanation, he realized that the flashes were not magic, but fast-acting flash powder used to increase the brightness of the photos.

In Palladio, where there is no electric lighting technology, gas lamps and magic lamps are the main means of night lighting. The former cannot meet the high-brightness light source required for shooting, and the latter is unlikely to be widely popularized due to price reasons.

Therefore, alchemists, whose professions overlapped with those of Ivan's previous life as a chemist, invented fast-acting flash powder, a disposable alchemical tool that can release high-intensity light in a short period of time.

The specific usage of fast-acting flash powder is somewhat similar to the magnesium powder gunpowder in Ivan's historical knowledge. It also needs to be ignited and will also release bright flashes, but it will also be accompanied by the weak magic fluctuations normally produced when the alchemical props are activated.

Although this is not surprising, please try to imagine that the necromancer had just stepped off the steam train that had arrived at the station, and had previously experienced a low-probability train robbery, in which the robbers even included extraordinary people.

As a result, a bright light suddenly appeared before his eyes, accompanied by fluctuations of magical energy. Anyone would suddenly feel nervous, right? Let alone someone as sensitive as Ka Yang, who had been a traitor for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, Ivan stood at the car door and saw in shock that the necromancer with messy hair like a bird's nest suddenly jumped behind the pillar closest to the car door, and he was holding two duel wands in his hands, one on the left and one on the right.

It's conceivable that if the steam pistol hadn't been temporarily placed in the Magic Shadow Box (an involuntary gift from an unfortunate vampire count whose name I've forgotten) so that he could pass through station security, the guy might have drawn his gun at that moment.

After a lot of chaos, several people finally got rid of the reporters and left the station.

Then, because of the train robbery, he was taken to the Public Security Bureau in Vulcan, the Steel City, for questioning.

Because of their extraordinary identities, Ivan and the others did not encounter any difficulties. After completing the record, they were quickly allowed to leave the Public Security Bureau on their own. If there were any changes in the situation later, someone would come to contact them.

Afterwards, as participants in the 'New Century Excellent Magician Talent Training Program', also known as the 'Magician Training Program', they were temporarily arranged by the reception staff to stay in a high-end hotel in the Linghao District.

After all other participants in the program have arrived, dedicated personnel will lead them to the core 'New Era Equipment Research Institute' for training and development.

"To put it simply, we are temporarily on vacation now." Alvin spread his hands and repeated the information he learned from the receptionist to the two.

"So?" Khayon followed up his words and asked:

"Would you like to take a walk around the city?" Alvin said bluntly.

"Of course, this is the first time I've seen such a thing..." Ka Yang nodded, but after thinking about it, he seemed to have no choice but to find a suitable adjective.

"Strange." Diana, who had remained silent all the time, suddenly spoke up:

"Yes, such a strange city." Recalling his previous encounter, the Necromancer couldn't help but sigh:

Chapter 21 Familiarization with the Environment

"As a, uh, mage, you shouldn't be afraid of insects, right?" Ivan asked with a smile, picking up the coffee brought by the waiter.

"Damn, it's not the bugs." Recalling the previous scene, Khayang couldn't help but hold his forehead, holding a cup of coffee in his other hand.

Hearing the necromancer's feeble defense, even Diana, who had remained silent, could not help but curl the corners of her mouth slightly.

It was already noon, but the air outside Steel City Vulcan was still foggy, as if the sun had not yet risen.

The main reason is the air pollution caused by the large amount of exhaust gas emitted by industrial facilities around the city. In addition, the uplifted Bilius Mountains around the Vulcan Basin of the same name as the city block the flow of water vapor.

A combination of various factors results in the foggy and rainy weather in Vulcan, the steel city, all year round.

If the emergence of the Full Moon Canyon had not accelerated the air circulation in and outside the basin to a certain extent, the air quality in the Steel City of Vulcan might be worse than it is now, and the smog weather that threatens people's health would surely appear more frequently.

Of course, even if the Full Moon Canyon can bring some fresh outside air to the Vulcan Basin, it still cannot change the harsh surrounding environment of the heavy industrial city of Steel City.

After all, mining and metallurgy, both of which have a great impact on the environment.

But no matter how difficult it is to find a way out, humans will not stop moving forward. Therefore, even though the Steel City of Vulkan is like a steel monster puffing out clouds and mist, it occupies the basin, dyeing the surrounding land a faint black and gray color.

But this city still shows a vitality as complete as weeds.

But how long can this almost exhausting development last?

With such questions in mind, the three began to visit this city which was very unfamiliar to most of them (two-thirds).

Ivan and Kayon were mainly there to confirm the terrain conditions near the temporary base of the hotel. For them, the "Genoans" from Elrond, being familiar with the terrain was very necessary. After all, only by understanding the environment could they take the initiative when encountering emergencies, whether it was an attack or a strategic shift.

As for Diana, the short-haired girl's purpose was relatively pure. She really came out for a walk out of curiosity about the city.

The traffic roads planned in each district of Steel City Vulcan are very regular. They are basically centered around a main road and then extend equally to the blocks on both sides. People who are familiar with the rules can infer the general geographical situation through their own experience even if they enter an unfamiliar block for the first time.

Alvin, who had known this for a long time, quickly constructed a non-existent map projection in his mind. Although the current Steel City was quite different from the super industrial city in his memory that could mass-produce various magical vehicles more than ten years later, at least he would not get lost easily by relying on this map.

As for Khayang, this guy who was particularly good at certain things quickly found the gray area of ​​the city, said hello and disappeared into the alley.

Although he didn't understand what he planned to do specifically, Alvin believed that in the foreseeable future, a necromancer would probably rely on his sophisticated professional knowledge and skills to quickly become a guest of honor in gray or black organizations such as the Wanderer Guild and gang members, and those organizations would consciously or unconsciously obey his instructions, or at least be influenced by him.

It was similar to what they had done before in Lower Lutetia.

Although they are not very presentable rats, these small animals living in the dark often have a keener sense of danger than humans.

Furthermore, all kinds of information, true or false, often circulate first in the shadows of the city, where light can hardly reach. Occasionally, even those rumors and hearsay contain truly important intelligence.

After Khayon left, Ivan and Diana walked side by side on the slightly gray streets of the steel city of Vulcan.

Passersby wearing masks walked hurriedly. In this city with a strong industrial atmosphere, almost everyone was busy at work, and occasionally one or two coughs could be heard due to the bad air.

In the distance, huge chimneys stood like pillars supporting the sky and the earth. Puffs of smoke drifted upward obliquely with the breeze, like a layer of gray clouds, making the sunlight shining through the clouds even sparser and dimmer than usual.

It's not just the fog. The large amount of industrial cement and fired bricks used in the houses make it seem as if the entire city is made of steel, giving the city's overall appearance a grayish hue.

Or perhaps it is that the gray mist emitted from those tall chimneys will turn into rain and snow of the same color after drifting into the sky, falling again, covering the various colors that should have been in the city layer by layer, and finally leaving only a gray color that cannot be distinguished between black and white.

"This place reminds me of the lower town of Lutetia." Diana suddenly said:

"In fact, in terms of the harshness of the environment, this place may not be as good as there." Alvin shrugged and sounded a little helpless.

Industrialization will inevitably cause environmental pollution, but this does not mean that humans should stop developing. According to the knowledge he learned in his previous life and his personal experience, when productivity develops further, he will be able to in turn control the previously damaged environment.

Moreover, the world of Palladia also has technologies other than industry. Even the Central Empire of Linde, which has just started the magical industrial revolution, has been interested in contacting the druids in the Great Wild Forest, trying to find ways to avoid or alleviate environmental pollution and damage.

However, as a special country, the Great Wilderness Forest also has its share of uncontrolled radical elements, especially those with radical ideas. This radical thinking can make their behavior even more extreme, or even more likely to get out of control.

At this point, even if the 'Nine Elders', the highest level governing body in the Great Wilderness Forest, strictly forbid it, terrorist activities like lone wolves will still occur.

Especially in Steel City Vulkan, the leading heavy industrial city in Linde, the density of extremists is even higher than Alvin expected.

Didn’t the small building in front of him with the words ‘Environmental Control Bureau’ written on its doorplate explode right in front of him?

Chapter 22 The Environment Exploded

"For a purer green world!"

Accompanied by a heart-wrenching roar, Alvin was shocked to see a government building in front of him with the name "Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Bureau" (abbreviated as "Environmental Control Bureau") suddenly exploded from the inside.

Several thick branches suddenly stretched out like tentacles. The rapidly growing plants unleashed a terrifying destructive force that was no less than that of bombs and fire magic. The solid walls constructed of cement and bricks were broken into pieces by the expanding plants.

The buildings themselves were in such a state, let alone the human body, which was far more fragile than brick and stone. From time to time, amidst the madly expanding wooden trunks, one could see Environmental Control Bureau staff members screaming as they were caught in the act. They were like being thrown into a terrifying meat grinder, rapidly turning into lumps of unbearable pulp.

There were also some people who were not sure whether to be unlucky or lucky. Although they were not killed by the squeezing of the wildly growing plants, they fell directly from a great height through the cracks in the collapsed floor.

Judging from their reactions, most of these people were likely ordinary people, not extraordinary beings. Therefore, considering the acceleration of gravity, they would likely only survive a few seconds longer than their colleagues.

"Help!" Alvin shouted concisely, and at the same time he rushed out like an arrow.

His extremely strong dynamic vision made the falling human bodies and building debris in his eyes seem to be caught in slow motion, and he could clearly see every moment of the fall.

Dark golden magic light shone on his palm, but Alvin did not jump high to help the person who was falling from a high place, because there were not just one or two unlucky people like this, but a multitude of them, the total number far exceeding that of a single person.

Press the ground hard with one hand, and the core talent [Reshape the World] is activated!

The road surface held down by the black-haired boy rose rapidly, and the mixed bricks and soil formed a rough-looking big hand that caught those who fell from the high buildings in mid-air.

This time, Alvin did not just use the power to reshape the world in an ordinary way. He also used the [Elemental Shell], an extraordinary combat skill given to him by the second-generation giant Frost Permafrost Arcade, so he was able to create so many rough but flexible rock hands in a short period of time.

Although it is inevitable to get hurt when falling on the big rock hand, it is better than falling directly to the ground and being killed.

However, in a hurry, Alvin was unable to catch everyone, and a short figure who was the farthest away was about to fall to the ground. Fortunately, he had his companions by his side.

Magical power surged within Diana's body. Her innate strong intuition, combined with the agility afforded by her extraordinary class, 'Steel Soldier', allowed her to soar like a bird flapping its wings, stepping directly onto the falling rocks and leaping high.

In an extremely brief moment, Diana hugged the person that Ivan missed out of thin air, and forcibly converted the falling force into flying sideways. The two rolled on the ground several times in a row, and fortunately they landed safely.

The rescued woman looked younger, probably in her twenties, but she was much shorter than the tall Diana.

At this moment, she seemed to be completely frightened. She sat there in a daze for a long time and couldn't say a word.

After a long while, when the woman finally realized that she was not dead, she suddenly hugged Diana who was standing nearby and burst into tears.

Diana, who was still breathing rapidly, was at a loss for a moment. Finally, she reached out and patted the other person's head to comfort him, but this made the other person cry even louder.

"No way, why did those guys show up now?" Ivan's eyes showed some confusion as he put down a few people with the giant hand that controlled the temporary rock.

He has a good memory and of course he still remembers the slogan he just heard, and he can also use it to identify the extremist organization related to it.

Even in the timeline more than ten years later, those guys still exist, and it can even be said that they are a headache for most players.

After all, a madman who rushes up and fights at every turn is more difficult to deal with than an evil villain.

For example, the latter is probably similar to a highly toxic gas, which is dangerous but at least there are precautions. The former, on the other hand, is a highly explosive substance that is flammable, explosive, and almost completely out of control, and it may explode suddenly at any time.

A look or even a casual word, and they... they exploded.

It's like an explosive version of Schrödinger's cat torture.

As for the name of this organization, they later called themselves the 'Green Star of Palladia', with slogans like 'Make this world purer' and 'For a purer green world'.

This extremist organization, also known as "Green Star," has an action plan that focuses on limiting or even eliminating man-made cities, allowing natural forests to expand rapidly, and ultimately returning the entire world to a truly natural and pure state.

Anyone with normal thinking ability can tell that it is full of contradictions, errors and ignorance, making it difficult to understand why such a thing exists.

However, Alvin himself is not obsessed with such things.

Why try to understand the mad? Why not just lock them up or eliminate them?

He hadn't expected that those guys would become so rampant in Vulcan over a decade ago. It was hard not to wonder if there were other forces behind the scenes fanning the flames.

At this moment, the sound of rolling rubble suddenly came from the collapsed ruins.

Alvin immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw a slowly expanding magic shield struggling to push away the building debris above it.

However, the spellcaster who opened the shield was obviously not good at this technique, so he couldn't push it open completely after trying several times, and even maintaining the shield seemed very difficult.

Seeing this, Alvin hurried over and raised his hand to grab a piece of building wreckage weighing several tons.

Just as he was about to exert his strength, he suddenly recalled his alchemist persona. His lips twitched, and he used the power of [Reshape the World] combined with the technique of [Elemental Shell] to create a giant stone hand, pushing away the debris pressing against the magic shield.

After moving these heavy items away, Alvin saw a young wizard below, with several men and women around him.

It can be imagined that at the moment the accident happened just now, it was this extraordinary person who opened the shield in time, thus saving his own life and the lives of others around him.

"Thank you!" The young male mage pushed his glasses that had slipped down due to sweat. Although his face was very pale, he expressed his gratitude to Alvin at the first moment.

"It's just a piece of cake." Alvin nodded and extended his hand to the other party.

Although the magic shield protected several people, the place where they were was also pressed down. It would probably take some effort to climb out. It would be much easier if someone could help.

After the other party shook his hand, Ivan pulled him up and introduced himself:

"Ivan Elian, what is your name?"

"Joseph." The young mage breathed.

"Joseph Kerr"