Star Forge Titan

Chapter 23 After the Explosion (Part 1)

At the same time, the other side was also introducing themselves.

"Thank you very much for your help. My name is Mei...Meimei Mei." The female researcher introduced herself while sobbing. Her whole face was a mess of tears and her speech was stuttering.

"Don't worry, it's all right." Diana patted her shoulder and said briefly and firmly:

"Ah!" Meni let out a short scream.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?" Diana frowned and moved closer to observe the other person.

As a result, seeing that beautiful and heroic face getting closer to her, Meni couldn't help but blush, and immediately lowered her head, almost steam coming out of her forehead.

However, even though she was so shy that she was about to explode, she at least remembered to say her name politely.

"Menie Kaye, my name is Menie Kaye."

"My name is Diana, Diana Marilyn. Nice to meet you, Meny." Diana nodded slightly and patted Meny's shoulder.

Then she suddenly asked another question.

"Is this kind of thing common?"

"No, there have been almost no similar incidents here before." Meni shook his head in denial, and then continued:

"Steel City Vulkan isn't that close to the Great Wilderness Forest. Although I've heard of protests by extremist groups in the past few years, those were mostly just reports in the newspapers. To be honest, I didn't feel much of a sense of reality. But..."

Meni Kaye's voice gradually became lower. Obviously, when the terrorist attack really came to him, the suddenness was beyond everyone's imagination.

"Indeed, the chaos that originally only occurred in border cities suddenly happened in Vulkan. This is really surprising." A gentle and easy-going voice came from the side.

"Mr. Joseph!" Meni suddenly raised his head with a look of surprise.

"Are you okay too? That's really great!"

"I'm glad to see you're okay." Joseph made a relieved expression, looked into Meni's eyes and said seriously:

Then, he spread his hands with a relaxed look, and continued as if deliberately joking with the other party:

"After all, it's hard to find an excellent assistant like you."

"What? You're talking about someone else as if they're just a tool serving as an assistant."

"Huh? Isn't it?" Joseph looked surprised.

"Even if it was Mr. Joseph, I would be angry if he made such a joke!" Meny puffed up his cheeks and complained like a child:

"Sorry, sorry, I was just joking. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay." Joseph said with a smile:

"Yeah." Seeing his smile, Meni couldn't help but blush and lowered her head, answering in a voice as light and thin as a mosquito's buzz:

"Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Elian. Without his help, I might have to spend the night lying in the cold ground under the debris of the building." Joseph stepped aside and introduced the tall young man standing behind him to Meny.

"It's just a small favor, no need to be so polite." Alvin waved his hand with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Joseph Kerr, a name that he had no memory of associating with any famous character.

Of course, as a player who reads and writes about combat power, there are many famous people in Palladia that he doesn't know. Perhaps the combined number of Hell Demons and Demon Princes he knows is even greater than the former.

After all, the things written in the kill achievement list should be remembered carefully.

Moreover, he was deeply involved in the development of the real world of Palladia. So far, the butterfly wings had already caused two major world events to be blown away. The fact that Elrond had not fallen was enough to have a huge impact on the entire world.

Therefore, even as a time traveler, he couldn't be so naive as to continue to use the plot of his previous life's game to replace the current reality. Everyone, even those he already knew in the game, should be confirmed with his own eyes.

His first impression of the man named Joseph was quite good. At least he tried his best to protect others around him in times of crisis. This kind of moral excellence cannot be surpassed by money and power.

Of course, this is just a first impression.

While introducing themselves, several people talked about reports about extreme environmental terrorists.

From this, Alvin learned that Joseph and Meni were both full researchers and assistant researchers affiliated with the New Era Equipment Research Institute. He also gradually learned that the organization that later called itself the "Green Heart" had now developed to a point that could not be ignored.

However, compared with other organizations, there seems to be a relatively moderate faction among them. Most of them call on people to pay attention to environmental protection through newspapers or other public opinion means, and also publish popular science articles in newspapers about the threats of various environmental pollution to human health.

But this made Alvin even more vigilant.

A madman who knows how to disguise himself is more dangerous than an ordinary criminal who just rushes into the streets with two machetes and slashes around.

After all, the latter are often killed immediately when carrying out violent attacks, and no one knows where the former will appear. Maybe one of them can even climb to the position of the country's supreme ruler.

But even now, members of the Green Heart have exhibited some pretty extreme behavior.

"You mean, they eat..." Alvin looked at Joseph with disbelief.

"Yes." The young researcher nodded with a heavy expression.

"They would chop off their arms in public and eat their own flesh on the spot to show that humans are no different from animals and to urge others to choose a vegan lifestyle and stop killing other animals in such cruel ways."

As if recalling something, Maynie covered her mouth with her hands, her face pale, and made a nauseous sound. Diana patted her back and pursed her lips. Although the short-haired girl's face remained expressionless, her eyes showed a deep shock.

It has been several minutes since the attack, so the people from the Linde Security Bureau have already surrounded the scene. Several victims were taken to a flat ground for temporary placement, and many wounded people could be seen wailing nearby.

But compared to the victims whose bodies were mutilated in the ruins, their luck could be considered excellent.

Not long after, a fat official who was as fat as a pig and had greasy sweat on his face came running to see Joseph with difficulty.

The man claimed to be the director of the Environmental Control Bureau and expressed his gratitude to Joseph respectfully. Watching from the sidelines, Ivan noticed that the man was also one of the people Joseph had saved.

As a branch of the Royal Society, the 'New Era Equipment Research Institute' has a special status in the Steel City of Vulcan. Once scholars' research is successful, it will drive technological progress, and technological progress will bring huge benefits.

In addition, once a scholar's research project passes the review, it will itself involve a considerable amount of resources, and those who have the right to allocate resources will naturally have the right to speak.

Therefore, for the heavy industrial city of Steel City Vulkan, the "New Era Equipment Research Institute" even has a social status that exceeds that of ordinary government bureaucrats. Even ordinary researchers are like nobles in other places, not to mention formal researchers like Joseph who independently manage several research projects.

In addition, even if two people are complete strangers before, their relationship will naturally become good when one of them is saved by the other.

This is a matter of course.

Chapter 24: After the Explosion (Part 2)

Let’s talk about the Environmental Control Bureau and the Environmental Protection Agency.

These two official environmental protection departments under Linde were actually established very early.

The reason was simple. The druids of the Great Wild Forest had long since proven through research that the entire world's environment was interconnected. A butterfly thousands of miles away, flapping its wings, could potentially cause a local storm.

Simply put, the druids who possessed extraordinary powers had realized that the natural environment was a complex and sensitive system. Therefore, they certainly would not ignore the enormous impact of the magical industrial revolution in Linde on the surrounding environment.

Coupled with the druids' own influence on the top leaders of the Great Wilderness Forest, the protest issued in the name of the country naturally cannot be ignored.

Therefore, the Environmental Protection Agency and its subordinate Environmental Control Bureau were established under the emperor's order. The former was responsible for formulating overall environmental management regulations, while the latter was responsible for ensuring that these regulations were implemented.

However, establishing relevant institutions is one thing, but whether these institutions are willing to take charge is another.

"Oh, thank you so much this time, Mr. Joseph. Don't worry, I will fully support you on the project. When the time comes..."

Seeing the obese director of the Environmental Control Bureau, whose hands looked like pig trotters, chatting happily with Joseph, Ivan couldn't help but wonder if he was actually working, even though it's not a good idea to judge people by their appearance.

Or was his usual job to negotiate with factory managers? The kind of negotiations that took place at banquets...

Just as the black-haired boy began to wonder whether lifting the other person upside down and shaking him would cause a large amount of gold ecu to fall out, far exceeding his salary, the other two people had already finished their conversation.

The director of the Environmental Control Bureau left with many thanks, and the bright smile on his face made him look like he didn't care at all about the casualties of his subordinates in this attack.

"Huh, what a troublesome guy." Joseph sat down again, pushed his glasses and complained in a low voice:

Seeing his genuine look, Alvin couldn't help but smile.

"It seems you don't like these people either."

"There's no other way. The project requires this kind of communication in terms of human relations." Joseph sighed helplessly.

"Excuse me, what is your research project?"

“How to clean up a polluted environment.”

"Shouldn't a druid be in charge of this kind of project?" Ivan asked in confusion.

"Normally, that's true, but the requirements put forward by the initiator of this project are not normal." Joseph's expression became very strange, and Meni beside him also showed an embarrassed expression.

"He wanted to be able to make the damaged environment appear, from a distance, to have been cleansed back to its original state."

"Is there any difference?" Diana couldn't help asking:

"Ah, I think I understand a little bit." Ivan twitched his lips. He didn't expect that this kind of formalism had appeared in Palladia.

"So I guess your specialty is illusion spells?"

"Absolutely right." Joseph clapped his hands lightly in affirmative response.

"I just wanted to make a polluted environment, like a completely deforested hill, still appear completely covered in lush vegetation from a distance."

"Why...?" The confusion in Diana's eyes became more and more intense. She couldn't understand what the point of doing this was.

"I think this project itself should come from the Environmental Control Bureau?" There was a hint of undisguised sarcasm in Ivan's tone.

"No, actually. The project's initiator is a wealthy businessman who owns several mines. He will fully fund the project and has also pledged a substantial donation to the Researcher's Accident Fund. Of course, as to whether he has had any private communication with the gentleman mentioned earlier, I'm not aware of that."

Not paying attention to the sarcasm in the other party's words, Joseph still said in a calm tone:

"No, Mr. Joseph is not that kind of person. He actually intends to..."

"Menie!"

Meni tried to explain something in a panic, but was interrupted by Joseph in a stern tone.

Then, the researcher continued in his gentlemanly and calm tone:

"I have no choice. They've already provided ample funding and even helped contact the current director of the Vulcan Environmental Control Bureau. I have no choice but to dutifully fulfill their request. Actually, I'm here today to submit a written report on my achievements."

"Wait." Ivan, who noticed something strange in the conversation between the two, couldn't help but ask:

"Are you planning to suddenly dispel the illusion while the opponent is using it? For a mage skilled in this technique, this shouldn't be a problem at all."

"How is that possible? I'm not the kind of criminal who treats contracts as nothing." Joseph smiled and shook his head.

"However, if the other party makes a mistake while using the device, then no matter what happens, I have nothing to do with it and will not be held responsible."

Looking at the elegant and easy-going smile of the young man in front of him, Alvin couldn't help but recall a necromancer whose smile even revealed an evil aura.

In some ways, these two guys might have a lot in common.

"Is it really okay to tell others about this?" Ivan couldn't help but ask:

"What's the matter? Did I say anything? It was just a small talk." Joseph smiled. Although there was a ruin all around him, he acted like a perfect Linde gentleman.

"But then again, I'm a little surprised to see two members of the magician training program here."

"You know that?" Alvin raised his eyebrows, and his understanding of the researcher in front of him was renewed.

"I am a humble person, but I will soon be joining this project as an assistant researcher. I hope to have a pleasant cooperation with Mr. Elian. Oh, and Miss Marilyn as well," Joseph said politely.

"It seems that your status in the institute is higher than that of an ordinary formal researcher." Alvin pointed this out directly.

"The New Era Equipment Research Institute is a very realistic place, where technology is everything. As for other things, whether it's age or qualifications, they are just superfluous factors after 'technology'." Joseph pushed his glasses, and the lenses lit up and reflected light, making it impossible to see his current expression.

"It sounds like a place with a strong competitive atmosphere." Ivan smiled and said meaningfully:

"That's true, but it's also a place where outstanding talents can stand out." Joseph sighed with emotion.

"At least, there, no one will give away things that belong to you just because you are not of noble birth." The young researcher's calm words revealed deeply concealed emotions.

If it weren't for the shock of the accident that happened today, he might not have revealed this to outsiders.

"I'm starting to look forward to it." Ivan said slowly:

Joseph nodded in agreement with his words.

"Ah, that's certainly something to look forward to."

Chapter 25: Entering the Truth (Part 1)

The bombings, which were caused by Green Heart activists, did not lead to many changes in the city.

Although people discussed the topic enthusiastically in newspapers and some people could be seen discussing it with each other in cafes, in the final analysis, most people just regarded it as a news report that was gradually cooling down.

However, for the parties involved in the incident, it was an experience that was very difficult to forget.

"what!"

Meni, who had fallen asleep on the laboratory table due to overwork, suddenly screamed. Her face, which looked younger than her actual age, was pale. She looked around trembling as if she had encountered something extremely terrifying in her dream.

"what happened?"