Star Forge Titan

Vice President Flamel glanced at the floor display, a mechanical gear mechanism beside the elevator door. The mechanism slowly rotated as the elevator moved, its gears of varying sizes rotating at varying speeds. Ultimately, these gears caused the number visible from the outside, displayed in the observation window, to change accurately.

"Libra, all the research projects related to the Living Dagger Project are arranged in that area. Most of the researchers there are senior alchemists, so they may not be very good at communication..." Speaking of this, Flamel's expression couldn't help but become a little strange.

But after a slight hesitation, he continued:

"I hope you can cooperate with them. If any difficult-to-resolve conflicts arise, it's best to come to me first to avoid further escalation. Most of the time, those guys don't have any malicious intent. They're just, well, stubborn in their areas of expertise."

For some reason, Alvin felt that the vice president of the Alchemist Association had suddenly aged several years, and his whole body turned gray, as if he was an innocent office worker who had worked overtime for 72 hours in a row. He just wanted to quit his job and run away, but he couldn't ignore the burden on his shoulders and really ran away.

Thinking of this, Ivan couldn't help but recall his impression of the Linde alchemists. At least during the catastrophic era of the Skeleton Tide, they were quite reliable. Although most of them would never step onto the battlefield and fight alongside others, they did work day and night to develop new equipment.

And the endless stream of new equipment played an extremely important role in the victory of the entire war.

"Okay, I'll try my best to cooperate with them." Ivan nodded and said:

"Phew, that's good. Don't worry, I can do it too..." Before Vice President Flamel could finish his words, the elevator had already reached the target floor.

With a soft 'ding' sound, the elevator doors slowly opened to the left and right.

At this moment, Alvin suddenly felt a slight pain between his eyebrows as if a flash of lightning had passed through. He immediately understood that it was a sign of crisis conveyed by his extraordinary talent [Sixth Sense].

At the same time, after undergoing the transformation of the Death Angel's secret ritual, the black-haired boy's nervous tissue and brain remained awake and alert at all times, allowing him to notice something that was approaching quickly at the first moment.

At this moment, Vice President Flamel, who was standing next to Ivan, was pulled aside by him before he could even trigger the emergency protection device he was carrying.

As he was on guard, a sharp sound of metal being pierced came from where the vice president had just stood.

But I saw a long spear deeply embedded in the metal side wall of the elevator. Even though it had stopped moving due to being nailed into the wall, the huge launching force still made the gun barrel made of the same metal vibrate.

Looking at the gun barrel that was shaking constantly in front of him, Vice President Flamel, who was also shaking constantly, felt his back soaked with cold sweat, and his anger burst out like a fountain from his forehead, where the hair was getting thinner and thinner, in the form of bulging blue veins.

Then...

"It's you again! Idiots from the weapons research and development department! Get out here, everyone!!!"

Chapter 29: New Body

"Watch out! Huh!?!"

In fact, just when the accident happened, the 'culprit' had already issued a warning anxiously.

But this guy's voice was obviously not fast enough, and the changes that happened afterwards made the man make another sound of surprise.

Because, when this "culprit" saw the people in the elevator, he actually took action before he sounded the alarm.

Vice President Flamel, whose expression didn't even have time to change, was pulled aside, while the spear shot out quickly by the machine passed through the hair hanging down by the other person's ear.

The opponent seemed to have anticipated this scene. He stood there calmly, and except for slightly tilting his head, he made almost no other movements. However, he avoided the attack accurately and without error.

"This is such an unexpected way to welcome you!" Looking back at Vice President Flamel, whose face turned extremely pale, Ivan said softly with a slightly teasing tone:

The next second, he saw the middle-aged alchemist next to him rush out with a speed that was completely unlike that of a middle-aged man, while also letting out an angry roar that seemed to echo throughout the entire floor.

"It's you again! Idiots from the weapons research and development department! Get out here, everyone!!!"

"How many times have I told you not to do experiments in the hallway? Have your brains been gnawed by ghouls? Or is your memory like a goldfish, only three minutes long!?!"

Ivan, looking nonchalant, shrugged and stood aside, watching with interest the furious vice president who was cursing non-stop in the corridor, just like a thousand firecrackers in his memory.

And those 'culprits' stood in a neat row against the wall like elementary school students who had made mistakes, lowering their heads and accepting the vice-president's continuous roar accompanied by spit flying.

What happened before was not actually a conspiracy to murder the vice president.

And that spear was actually not a spear, but a large arrow fired by some kind of crossbow.

Ultimately, it was just a few young researchers who were too lazy to travel so far to a dedicated weapons testing site, so they simply put the reduced-power prototype in the corridor for testing.

However, they obviously underestimated their abilities, or it could be said that they overestimated their abilities.

The former said that the shoulder-fired steam crossbow they built was far more powerful than expected, while the latter said that the protective magic these guys cast on the filing cabinet that served as a makeshift target was obviously not up to standard.

The combined effect of these two factors resulted in the filing cabinet being easily pierced by the large arrow fired from the steam crossbow. The large arrow, shaped like an all-metal spear, flew further towards the elevator entrance at the end of the corridor due to inertia.

Coincidentally, Vice President Flamel and Ivan arrived at this floor.

So, the previous scene happened.

But then again, the reason why Vice President Flamel was so angry was not entirely because he was almost nailed to the wall like an insect specimen. The accidental protection device he carried with him was completely capable of dealing with such "little things".

What really made the middle-aged alchemist so angry was that his subordinates did not abide by the laboratory safety regulations and acted recklessly, which was a stupid behavior that could cause a major accident.

If it weren't for this reason, he wouldn't have directly scolded the entire weapons research and development department.

"It's forgivable that young people are ignorant, but why do others just watch them mess around!?! Where is your minister? Huh!?! Get that idiot Nobel with half his brain blown off to get out of here. I'm going to carve the laboratory safety regulations into his skull with a knife!" Vice President Flamel stomped his feet and roared, almost spewing fire from his mouth.

Ivan was stunned, but considering that the other party had almost been shot in the head, it was completely understandable that he would lose his composure like this...

After a long while, a young researcher who had made a mistake finally raised his hand tremblingly.

"Um, um, Mr. Vice President, the Minister..."

"What's wrong with him? Tell me!"

"Minister Nobel was sent to the Healing Center this morning due to an experimental accident. Even if we ask the Bishop of the Temple of Light to perform divine treatment, he won't be able to return to work until the day after tomorrow." The young man said intermittently, looking almost in tears.

“…” The expression on Flamel’s face froze.

"That thing exploded again?" Although he asked a question, his tone was very certain, as if he already knew the answer without the other party answering.

"Yeah." The young man nodded.

"..." Flamel's expression was very complicated at this moment, as if he was told that there were worms in the apple after eating it.

"【Linde swore very quietly】" Flamel couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Then he waved his hand vigorously at the researchers who were still standing against the wall like elementary school students who had made a mistake.

"Pack these things up and get back to work! Remember to write a self-criticism and hand it in. It must be no less than 5,000 words!"

After dealing with this emergency, Vice President Flamel came to Ivan panting.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. Young people are ignorant. Don't worry, the alchemists in charge of the Living Dagger Project are experienced experts. They wouldn't cause such a problem."

"Yeah, I think so too." Ivan twitched his lips, suppressed his smile and replied:

After passing through another corridor, Vice President Flamel completed at least three tests using his palm prints and magic fluctuations. This showed that the Living Dagger Project was kept very secret.

After opening another door that required testing before passing, they finally arrived at the special research institute responsible for the Living Dagger Project.

This place is composed of many laboratories and offices, and the place where the two entered is the central public hall that is connected to many laboratories and offices.

Inside the hall, numerous researchers in white robes walked back and forth with serious expressions. Each of them looked as if they were in charge of matters related to world security, their faces filled with seriousness and a sacred sense of responsibility.

Even when the vice president came in person, they just saluted hurriedly and then ran off to deal with their work.

Seeing this scene, Flamel couldn't help but show a relieved expression.

That's right! This is what we Linde Alchemists should be like!

Ivan seemed to see a smile appear on Vice President Flamel's face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this moment——

boom! ! !

With a burst of dazzling sparks, the metal armored sealed door of a laboratory was cut into several pieces from the inside.

An orange-yellow figure rushed out like a gust of wind and thunder. It jumped onto the rolling mechanical clock high in the hall, raised its head and let out a loud howl.

"Aa ...

Chapter 30: Scorching Hound

Truth Rock Underground Headquarters - Libra Division.

The architectural structure here is just as its name suggests, with a central hall that connects to all directions as the dividing line, and the rest of the functional areas such as laboratories and offices are symmetrically distributed on the left and right sides.

Such a distribution will give people standing at the main entrance a very neat impression, especially the large mechanical clock installed at the center of the circle on the top floor of the central hall, which is like the center of the circle.

This mechanical clock, suspended in mid-air, exhibits perfect left-right symmetry.

Although the clock itself is heavy and large, it retains an artistic atmosphere. Its exterior is covered with intricate carvings in Linde's traditional artistic style, while its transparent crystal dial reveals the exquisite and complex industrial aesthetics inside.

Therefore, whether in terms of artistic value or high cost, this gorgeous wall clock named "Libra" is particularly shocking.

However, today is the Good Friday of Libra's clock.

The once clear and bright crystal dial was now covered in cracks. The gold hands melted and bent under the high temperature and extra weight. The brass gears clanged and fell, causing the screaming ordinary researchers to flee in panic.

The culprit behind all this is the strange thing clinging to the wall clock and howling constantly.

Let’s not talk about what this guy is that keeps barking like a northern sled dog.

Alvin soon discovered that although the guy looked orange-red on the outside, it was actually wrapped in blazing flames.

The raging fire dancing in the air was accompanied by a strong magical reaction. It was obviously not an ordinary flame emitted after the combustible materials in the laboratory were accidentally ignited.

"Burning armor? Who activated it? No, who installed it!?!" Flamel was stunned for a moment, and then cold sweat broke out on his forehead with deep wrinkles and the top of his head with sparse hair.

"What is that?" Ivan asked directly:

"I mentioned that Tower Spirit LQ84i has acquired a new body."

Flamel stared intently at the burning unknown entity. With the sound of his teeth grinding, he continued with a distorted expression:

"But those guys obviously didn't listen to my advice. Which was to temporarily only provide it with a mechanical body with basic mobility. Instead, they directly added a combat module on top."

"..." Recalling what happened in the Youth Magic Car Competition, Alvin couldn't help but show a look of understanding.

At that time, because the combat mode was forcibly activated remotely, the Tarling LQ-84i, who was the pilot of the Golden Thought at the time, lost a lot of advantages. If it had not later forcibly disarmed all combat devices on its own, it would probably have been completely thrown off by the Hope before breaking out of the canyon.

As an awakened tower spirit that already possesses partial self-awareness, it is not impossible that LQ-84i hates all physical modifications related to combat.

Simply put, this guy is probably... angry right now?

At this time, most of the flames enveloping the mechanical body had slowly died out, allowing Alvin to see the true appearance of the new body obtained by the awakened tower spirit.

The body is extremely streamlined from head to tail, and its overall shape is similar to that of a canine walking on four legs, but when moving it reveals the quiet and agile style of a cat. Perhaps it has the common characteristics of the two aforementioned wild animals with excellent hunting abilities.

In addition, most areas of the LQ-84i's new body are covered in jet black, with only a few wisps of cyan-gold light visible at the edge of the armor.

Through the fin-like cooling vents on either side of its chest and abdomen, one can glimpse the mechanical structure at work. Numerous gears mesh with each other, levers and cranks rotate endlessly, forming an extremely complex, flexible, and efficient motion system.

The LQ-84i's head, which is covered with geometric lines and as sharp as an arrow, is covered with a whole piece of red crystal. Although it looks very fragile, it is actually an extremely strong alchemical material.

The magical power and alchemical reaction transformed the once hard but easily cracked crystal into something as strong and resilient as steel, rendering it indestructible even from close range fire from a magical steam gun. Furthermore, the magic circle engraved on the crystal's interior made it difficult for most offensive magic to penetrate the defensive magic attached to it.

Such complete defensive armor is naturally used to protect the most important key parts.

At this moment, the data box storing the core data of LQ-84i, or in other words, the data box storing the soul of the awakened tower spirit, is properly placed under the cover of the crystal armor.

Dalian's metal stripes, as fine as circuit boards, are connected to the data box. The stripes are made of active magic-friendly metal with excellent magic conduction properties. From time to time, a flickering light flashes, just like the thoughts and ideas emitted by the soul.

In addition, the rich knowledge of materials science accumulated by Ivan as an old player also allows him to identify the metal used to cover the armor of the LQ-84i.

"Wind-eroded copper plus advanced fire enchantment, you guys are really willing to spend a fortune." The black-haired boy couldn't help but sigh.

Although the former is called wind-eroded copper, it is actually a magical erosion material produced in the mountains with extremely high concentrations of wind elements.

The originally ordinary metal copper ore was accidentally exposed to the strong wind at high altitude due to geological movement and various factors. Then, due to the erosion of the natural wind element in the atmosphere, it evolved into a magical material with properties different from ordinary copper ore.

This metal, which contains the power of the wind element, is not only extremely light in weight, but can also guide natural magic to transform into the power of the wind element.

In other words, if an alchemist who masters advanced alchemy enchants this material, he can incorporate the power of the wind element into the enchantment.

A common use is to attach fire magic, and then use the power of the wind element to add to the power of the fire element, transforming the common enchantment that originally ignited the flame into a powerful enchantment close to the advanced spell - Firestorm.

Not to mention, the enchantment on the LQ-84i armor is itself some kind of advanced fire enchantment. The resulting mixed elemental magic even has both offensive and defensive properties, and its own quality is also extremely high.

Coupled with the physical and magical resistance of the wind-eroded copper itself, it is obviously not easy to hurt this cold mechanical hound.

However, if Alvin could observe carefully up close, he would find that in addition to the two characteristics mentioned above, the enchantment on the LQ-84i's new body could also speed up its movement speed, just like a fast sailing ship that is always in a tailwind state.

But unfortunately, he didn't have the opportunity to calm down and carefully examine the enchantment on LQ-84i.

Because, the reason why this metal beast with a white appearance and a canine-like appearance stopped howling was that it found the opponent that attracted its attention the most.

"&@#...RRRRRru,zzzzz come again..." A chaotic sound came out from the built-in speaker of LQ-84i.

"Oh no! Could it be that installing the combat module has caused the Taling LQ-84i to fall into a data chaos state?" Flamel muttered subconsciously.

But his judgment did not seem to be entirely correct. The awakened mechanical tower spirit numbered LQ-84i, the only one at this stage, suddenly spoke a complete and clear sentence.

"Come on, let's have a race! Racer!"