Star Forge Titan

But now I can make decisions without hesitation, decisions that are at least recognized by my heart.

The five wizard kings are like a dam that blocks the torrent, forcing most people in this desert to live in a dark night without hope.

No matter what evil conspiracy they are behind, since they are now taking the strange action of destroying the dike themselves, don't blame me, a stranger with no ties, for making a fuss!

And so, the conversation in the conference room continued. The expressions on the faces of the two brothers, who were more than a dozen years apart in age, were surprisingly similar. It was a look of excitement mixed with determination, the look of a doer who was willing to roll up his sleeves and get to work, no matter how difficult the problem.

It's like the fearlessness of young people who don't know their place, but also a will as firm as steel.

After making a decision, Alvin suddenly mentioned the gladiator who had just been completely defeated by him.

"Shadow of Death, when you met him in the past, what kind of person did you feel he was?"

"That guy." Brad did not answer his junior brother's question immediately, and a glimmer of memory and thought appeared in his eyes.

"I'd like to say he's bloodthirsty and brutal, but in a sense I have to admit that the driving force behind his atrocities is actually..." With a long sigh, the well-traveled boxer also felt a complicated feeling.

"Mercy." Aiwen continued his brother's words:

"Yes, a surprising answer. A butcher gladiator whose blood is stained with victims' blood, actually harbors a strong sense of kindness in his heart."

Brad shook his head, feeling it was ridiculous, but he had to give an affirmative response to the above answer.

"Junior Brother, have you ever seen the various gladiatorial performances held in Shakara City?"

Ivan shook his head slowly.

"Have you ever seen a gladiatorial fight where a mother's slave woman risked her child's life? If she lost, the baby's cradle would fall directly into the beast's cage."

"A slave gladiator, a father, was forced to face a ferocious beast with metal weapons nailed into its body, along with his child, but in the end, only one person was allowed to walk out of the arena alive."

"Let two groups of slave gladiators from the same tribe fight each other. The winner will get all the property of the loser and, most importantly, the chance to continue living."

"That's nothing. What makes people most angry is actually something else." Brad's voice suddenly became extremely low, and it sounded like he was suppressing some extremely huge anger.

"In that place where all slave gladiators were forced to put their lives on the scales, there actually existed a supreme judge who could break all the rules of the game and decide who would live. Whoever lived would live, even with a sword at his throat."

"You know what I'm talking about? Hey, that's the damn thumbs up or down of the fifth Witch King, the bloodthirsty Hotep!!!" Brad shouted this sentence like an angry lion.

In an instant, the whole room fell into silence, and the only sound was the sudden and rapid breathing caused by excitement.

"Heh, so the mercy of the Shadow of Death is indeed mercy to the slave gladiators, to some extent."

"At least the dead will no longer suffer such inhuman pain."

Brad smiled at his young junior fellow apprentice, as if he was laughing at the other's youth, but there was no trace of laughter in his voice.

Ivan's expression turned colder as he described each word.

"Isn't it ironic? Taking someone's life can be considered merciful. In a sense, this damn thing is actually really merciful!" Brad clenched the second hand of the chair, his teeth creaking.

The extremely distorted external environment actually makes an individual's distorted behavior appear to have a certain rationality.

Behind this extremely ironic result is an extremely sad reality.

It's really hard to laugh at the fact that negatives equal positives...

"So, even if we fighters have nothing in our hands, we must..."

Staring into Ivan's eyes, 'Wrist Blade' Brad slowly raised his finger with an almost pious attitude, pointing it at the sky obscured by the ceiling.

"Break the day!"

Chapter 64: Bizarre

Shaye Palace, the residence of the Witch King.

In the center of this building complex stands a small pyramid-shaped palace covered entirely with glass.

Its name - the Glass House. It was a gift from another wizard king, Seened, to Menes during his lifetime. It has a history of nearly thirty years, but the whole building does not have a sense of age at all. Every piece of glass covering the outer layer of the palace has been wiped crystal clear by slaves, without leaving even the slightest stain.

You know, in the thirty years since the Glass House was built, there have been many careless slaves who were unable to see the sunrise the next morning because of leaving a fingerprint.

Many more cleaning slaves would slip and fall while cleaning the upper floors of the building, breaking legs and hands, or even losing their lives. They would eventually join the former, achieving a glory that ordinary slaves could never achieve in their entire lives: their bodies becoming part of the palace, the part that was lowered underground.

Although it appears "small" compared to other palaces, the area covered by the entire building is not small, and it is large enough to accommodate more than a thousand people standing inside without feeling crowded.

What makes this glass pavilion different from other buildings is that it is not a magnificently decorated palace, but an independent huge palace.

In this hall, which is completely surrounded by glass, various lush plants grow wildly, blocking all sights from the outside world, and nimble small animals run freely in the woods.

There is even a miniature stream in the center of the palace that is always flowing with fresh water, and a small lake formed by the water.

Most of the plants were delicate species that couldn't grow naturally in the desert, and the animals were sourced from all over the world of Palladia. Furthermore, upon entering, one would notice that the temperature within the palace was maintained at an optimal level, day and night. The air was devoid of any of the common forest odors, evidently demonstrating the effectiveness of its air purification system.

It is conceivable that maintaining such a building requires not only huge financial and human resources, but also excellent and sophisticated magical skills.

However, such a magnificent building is, most of the time, the residence of only one person.

She is the second Witch King - Menes.

“Ostovsübsheldse Rrondozüm (The night falls with the stars)…”

When Heidi walked into the empty and only huge hall of the Glass Pavilion, she heard an ethereal and even somewhat hollow singing voice.

A singer was singing an equally ancient ballad in an ancient language. Her voice was breathtakingly beautiful, like a gentle breeze through the woods, creating a breathtaking natural sound. Yet, there was no trace of emotion in it, leaving one with an inexplicable chill, as if gazing into a bottomless abyss or the boundless ocean.

The wizard's rich knowledge allowed Heidi to quickly identify that it was a sacrificial song used by the high elves in the last era.

To this day, the gods who received sacrifices have all disappeared in the long river of history. Only the oldest time recorder among the high elves still retains relevant records. It is said that she was a sweet god who brought laughter and love to people, a young girl messenger who brought happiness.

Heidi maintained her smile, but a hint of alertness flashed in her eyes. In her memory, the Witch King Menes always had an indifferent expression. Singing out loud like this was completely inconsistent with that expression. It was like he was a completely different person.

But as one of the few high-ranking merchants in Ismailia who was directly protected by the Witch King, she had no choice from the moment she was secretly summoned and had to come in person to answer the Witch King's questions.

Touching the ancient ring on her hand, although she could feel the magic running smoothly in it, Heidi knew that this was only psychological comfort at best. Facing the Second Wizard King who possessed powerful magic and spells, even rare magic items could only play a psychological role.

With some trepidation, the female mage walked through the lush woodland.

During this time, fireflies emitting faint fluorescence flew by from time to time, adding a bit of light to the already deep night and weakening the eerie atmosphere created by the dim environment.

After walking around an acacia tree that was so thick that it took three people to hug it, the scene in front of us suddenly became clear.

Without the shade of the trees, the moon and stars hanging in the cloudless desert night seemed particularly commanding. The quiet cold light of the moon and the shining starlight flowed along the transparent spire of the Glass Pavilion and fell onto a lake as smooth as a mirror.

The Witch King Menes, wearing a white gauze dress, sat on a strange tree root growing horizontally by the lake.

The beautiful elf woman closed her eyes slightly, and a wonderful song came out of her mouth. There was a circle of shivering little animals around her who stopped to listen.

Heidi paused twelve steps away, wondering why she had been summoned today. Could it be about the tribute of the Fragrance of Time? Because of the First Sorcerer King's power, the other four Sorcerer Kings were nominally required to pay tribute to him in the form of the Fragrance of Time.

And that also made the First Wizard King and his city-state even more powerful.

Some, however, were curious as to why the First Sorcerer King needed so much of the Incense of Time. However, the First Sorcerer King's power and majesty caused these faint voices of doubt to vanish before they could even reach him.

While she was thinking, the Second Wizard King Menes finished singing the entire song. Heidi then took hold of her skirt and simply saluted, saying:

"Lord of the South Desert, sister of the bright moon in the night sky, Hedy Lamarr comes to see you."

"...Yes, little Heidi." Menice said in a strange, childlike voice, tilting her head.

"Your Majesty, why do you summon me so late at night?" Heidi pretended not to care about the Witch King's strange behavior. There were so many similar behaviors that she was no longer surprised.

"Is the palace beautiful?" The Sorcerer King Menes asked without warning.

"It's magnificent, like a pearl in the desert. It's hard to imagine what kind of skilled craftsmen were able to design and build this magnificent palace." Heidi smiled and admired softly without sounding too flattering.

"It's not surprising. After all, he is a man of the earth who has been dealing with soil and minerals since birth." Menes tapped his lips lightly, his tone strangely ethereal and distant, as if he was recalling some long-ago stories that happened a hundred years ago.

The people of the earth are dwarves. Knowing this, Heidi immediately came to a conclusion.

Is it really as the rumors say, the work of the third wizard king, Sened?

Then, Menis suddenly changed his tone and sat up from the curved tree roots protruding from the ground.

"I am very happy today." As he said this, Menis walked indifferently to Heidi who was bowing, half-knelt down and looked at her at eye level.

Then, the elf woman with long platinum hair raised two fingers and curved her mouth into an arc as if she was smiling.

"The fight between boxers is really interesting."

"If they knew, they would be proud of it," Heidi replied carefully.

"When you're in a good mood, you should share it with others." Menis put down his fingers. Although he said that he was in a good mood, the smile that was forced on his face disappeared immediately as he put down his fingers.

Then, the smile that had to be pushed forward with fingers just now suddenly appeared on the face of the Witch King in a very normal way.

"But there is something else that is even more pleasing."

"..." Heidi raised her head with just the right amount of surprise on her face.

"The wind brings a familiar smell."

The Second Sorcerer King, Menes, spread his arms like a butterfly with its wings spread.

“So, I’m very happy!”

"It's been a long time."

"joy!"

Chapter 65: First Round

Contrary to his extremely cold attitude towards everything most of the time, the words spoken by the Second Wizard King Menis at this moment were filled with strong emotions that others could not understand.

But this did not make Heidi feel close to her. Instead, it was like being in close contact with a blazing and uncontrolled fire, emitting an undisguised strong threat.

At the same time, a chill that was completely different from the heat of the flames surged into her heart uncontrollably, making her feel as if she had returned to her hometown, the northern ice field that was forever covered in ice and snow.

Next, Menes danced by the lake as if no one was around, humming an unknown song.

At this moment, her movements were as graceful as those of an elf, but the magical pressure emanating from her body clearly demonstrated the power of a superior transcendent. Her singing was entirely in the ancient elven language that was difficult to pronounce and extremely obscure. Even an orthodox academic wizard like Heidi, who graduated from the City of a Thousand Towers, had great difficulty in distinguishing it.

I could only vaguely hear that it was a sad song to bid farewell to a lover.

However, despite singing a sad song of farewell to a lover, Menes's singing revealed incomparable joy, just like a girl who finally reunited with her lover who was far away after many years.

The next moment, the singing stopped abruptly. Menis bent forward slightly, supporting her knees with her hands. Her hanging platinum hair covered the upper half of her face, revealing only a strange smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Little Heidi, what do you think love is?"

“…” Heidi shook her head slowly.

Facing the moody and mad Witch King, she didn't know what to say now, but her long experience of getting along with him told her directly that perhaps nothing she said would be appropriate.

Damn it, I thought today we were just discussing a business plan for introducing magical machinery.

The female mage secretly gritted her teeth, complaining madly in frustration and helplessness.

Fortunately, Menes wasn't really trying to trick her. Perhaps all the noble Witch King needed was an insignificant tree hole, a sufficiently silent listener. As for why he chose the royal merchant he was familiar with, it didn't really matter.

“Love is a possession, a possession, something that cannot be shared.”

The Witch King slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of turbid eyes filled with gloom like the abyss.

“Just like eating.”

After licking his lips, the expression on Menis's face instantly disappeared.

She stood up and walked to the lake in the center of the Glass Pavilion with her back to Heidi.

"You've done a good job with the magical machinery. After the boxing match, we'll officially begin the introduction plan. In the first phase, I plan to build a railway connecting the five major city-states."

Heidi was stunned by the Witch King's sudden change of subject, but she soon noticed the irrationality in the plan.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, this is not an easy task. At the very least, shouldn't we discuss this with the rulers of the other city-states beforehand?"

"..." Hearing Heidi's question, Menice did not answer immediately. Instead, he narrowed his cloudy eyes into crescents full of smiles.

"Don't worry, they will agree. I will make them agree."

Heard this, Heidi couldn't help but feel choked. From the seemingly ordinary words, she heard a strong and undisguised malice.

No, perhaps it wasn't malice, but something that had become part of the nature of a monster like the Witch King.

That is greed! Endless greed!

Without further explanation, Menis waved his hand to signal Heidi to leave.

Seeing this, the female wizard said nothing more. She looked deeply at the Second Witch King who was humming the elven ballad again, and then quickly left the Glass House where the Witch King lived alone.

It was not until she walked out of the door of the Glass House that Heidi realized that the back of her clothes was completely wet with cold sweat, and the cloudless desert night made her feel colder than ever before.

Subconsciously hugging her arms, the female mage with dark black hair as dark as the night bit her lips hard, and the resulting stinging forced her to regain her composure.