Star Forge Titan

"At least there will be plenty of food and ale."

"Haha, if that's the case, then I'm not at a loss." Lilith, who finally relaxed, also laughed.

"...Now is not the time to talk about this." Alvin opened the diary in his hand with a helpless look.

One third of the diary was torn off, but that was because Lilim removed the blank part to make it easier to carry. The records that were actually filled with text were preserved intact.

Without looking at the scribbled handwriting at the back, Alvin turned the pages forward and began to read the experiences of the Third Witch King after he came to the Silent Desert.

The opening chapter wasn't much to say, just a diary-style account of the adventures of the Third Sorcerer-King, Hunedaman, in his youth. Though the paper was new, the writing style felt like something written in youth, revealing a sense of detachment and casualness, unlike the later sections, which were filled with the characteristic ramblings of an old man.

So, it's more like I started writing my memoirs and copied them into this notebook.

Gradually, the boy's eyes became focused.

In the diary-style memoirs, the young halfling wanderer, who was not called Hunidaman at that time, first experienced a period of adventure. After he began to adapt to the special environment of the Silent Desert, he was invited to join a brand new adventure team.

This incident itself was nothing worth noting, but the descriptions of his other teammates made Alvin immediately connect the identities of these people with those of the other Witch Kings.

A female elf mage who loves gardening...

The sunny and optimistic young magic swordsman captain...

A taciturn yet easily impulsive dwarf shield warrior...

A barbarian orc slave who had recently been liberated by the magic swordsman and had chosen to pledge allegiance to him...

A five-person team was formed during the adventure. They explored ruins, eliminated gangs, and occasionally hid their identities like knights-errant to punish profiteers and evil nobles, and they also got some nicknames that became popular.

But all this happened a hundred years ago, and it is now difficult to find any information related to it in the silent desert, just like the footprints left on the sand dunes were covered by the sand blown by the wind, leaving no trace.

In other words, the five wizard kings today were just ordinary adventurers in the past. It could even be said that they were among the group with relatively high moral standards in the adventurer profession.

So, what kind of item or power had transformed these once ordinary adventurers into powerful sorcerers capable of ruling the entire Silent Desert? What had transformed their lives and even their very essences, making them appear like completely different people from their former selves?

The answers to these questions may be found in the broken memoirs.

As expected, the text that appeared afterwards immediately excited Alvin.

"Oh, I'd bet my oldest grandmother's thumb that even among professional sandworm hunters, no one has ever seen such a huge sandworm! And no one would have thought that this sandworm contained an unheard-of ancient relic!"

There was no doubt that the sandworm mentioned in Hunidaman's text was the King of Sandworms, Herbert, whom Ivan had once seen. After all, a sandworm with a stomach large enough to hold an entire ruin would be hard to find even in the entire Silent Desert.

The following content is filled with large blank spaces. Judging from the remaining paper in the memoir, someone must have torn them off.

Lilim had no reason to do this, and it was even less likely that anyone else would have accessed the memoirs stored in the Sorcerer King's private study. Therefore, the person who tore out these contents was most likely the Third Sorcerer King, Hunedaman himself.

Why did he do this? Was it to cover up what happened in the ruins?

Combining what he had seen and heard within the Sandworm King Ruins, perhaps the seeds of change for the entire adventuring team had already been planted back then. And the root cause of this change might have been the so-called residual pure color poison that had been sealed within the ruins since the days of the Giant Kingdom.

Even if thousands of years have passed, is it enough for a group of extraordinary people to change from the bottom of their hearts?

This possibility sent a chill down Alvin's spine. Compared to the immense power of magic, this silent power that could alter people's hearts was even more terrifying and alarming.

Although the former can take a person's life and even completely destroy a person's body from a material level, the latter can completely "kill" a person from all levels, including social levels.

If at that time, I and other adventurers also go deeper into the ruins, will we encounter the same fate as this adventure team a hundred years ago?

When I think about it carefully, it really makes me sweat.

Alvin collected his thoughts and turned his gaze back to the notebook, starting to read the text again.

Unknown events had occurred, but the adventuring party from a hundred years earlier had left the sandworm Herbert. They seemed to have entered another ruin, but the information related to it was very incomplete. Only one sentence immediately focused his attention.

"The voice from the egg led us to this place, a ruin that had never been discovered before. Whether it was the steps as tall as walls or the ordinary houses as large as palaces, we couldn't take our eyes off them."

"I think only that powerful giant kingdom from a thousand years ago could have built such an extravagant ruin."

'...'

'...'

"...The fragments have been gathered, the stars have aligned, and we have finally opened the door to the ruins."

Chapter 80: Just Fight

Leading to the ruins?

The sound coming from the egg?

Alvin squinted his eyes and continued to examine, then noticed a word that was scribbled out forcefully - abyss.

Various known information in his mind complemented each other, and the golden radiation spreading in the black-haired boy's pupils expanded and contracted rhythmically like data flowing in a computer.

Combining the murals in the ruins of the Sandworm King and the information passed down by the elders of the Catworm Clan, plus the words conveyed by the Queen of the Swarm when she woke up, everything that the adventure team encountered a hundred years ago suddenly became extremely clear.

Just like what had happened to him, Lilim, and the others, the adventuring team a century ago had also stumbled upon the rare occurrence of the Sandworm King leaving the earth for a sunbath. Adhering to the tradition of adventurers seeking the most dangerous places, they too entered the giant ruins within the Sandworm King Herbert.

But at that time, the ancient pollution sealed in the body of the Sandworm King was obviously far more serious than a hundred years later, and the minds of everyone in the adventure team were inadvertently infected and distorted by that filthy power.

Similarly, the Zerg sealed in the body of the Sandworm King were also attacked by adventurers, resulting in the interruption of the automatic purification process set by the Giants thousands of years ago. They lost the new queen used to remove the pure-color legacy poison, and even the insect eggs that gave birth to the queen were likely to be further deeply contaminated and even become the host of the pure-color legacy poison itself.

This can be seen from the few words in the notes left by the third wizard king Hunidaman.

To put it in simpler terms, the whole thing is a fantasy version of a highly toxic pollutant leak. The difference is that the leaked pollutant itself might be capable of thinking, a mature and self-disciplined pollutant...

After roughly reading the memoirs of the third wizard king, Alvin handed the notebook to Brad and rubbed his forehead with a look of headache.

"This is getting difficult. Has the fighter monitoring the First Wizard King sent back any new information?"

Hearing this, Lilith, who was eating food with a spoonful, was stunned. She stared at Ivan in astonishment, and the spoon in her hand slowly slipped.

Is the Fist of Freedom so arrogant now? Directly monitoring the First Sorcerer King? What are you trying to do? He's the most powerful being in the entire Silent Desert!

Not noticing the strangeness of the halfling beside him, Brad sighed and began to flip through the memoirs in his hand.

"It's only been a short time. Even if we release a carrier pigeon, it won't be able to fly here in time... Huh?!?" Before he could finish his words, Brad looked unwell.

"What the hell!" Although he was already a member of the Fighter Council, after seeing the records clearly, this mature and self-disciplined middle-aged boxer couldn't help but exclaim.

"I suggest that the relevant information should not be spread any further. As for the First Witch King, we must take preemptive action before he launches his subsequent plans. I suspect that this old monster has long been prepared to deal with the conspiracy of the Fist of Freedom and is just waiting for things to develop step by step as he expects." As he spoke, Ivan took out three-fifths of the Gaia disc fragments from the lepton space and silently showed them to Brad.

His point was simple and clear. Since the entire Gaia Disc was needed to open the gate to the ruins, the First Sorcerer King, Horhara, would certainly not sit idly by and allow more than half of the disc to fall into the hands of the rebels. As the old monster who actually invented the boxing technique and secretly supported the formation of the rebels to weaken the power of the other Sorcerer Kings, how could he not have a plan for such a situation? After all, even Master Rigol himself was once a slave of the First Sorcerer King.

If it weren't for the old man risking his life, and if it weren't for the intruder Evan, it would be hard to say what the situation in the Silent Desert would be like at this moment.

"We don't know what changes will happen when the First Wizard King devours the Third Wizard King. Wouldn't it be too risky to launch an attack now?" Brad did not immediately agree to Ivan's plan. Instead, he mentioned this with some concern.

"Unlike the time we killed the Second Sorcerer King, we were present as external enemies of the First Sorcerer King back then, and he wasn't using his true form, so he allowed the Second Sorcerer King's beastly form to dissipate. Therefore, the First Sorcerer King's growth was foreseeable and inevitable. Otherwise, he would have simply killed him, why would he have gone through the trouble of devouring him completely?"

Despite saying this, Ivan's attitude remained calm, a composure that calmed both Brad and the stunned Lilim. Lilim herself found this absurd. He was the First Sorcerer King—Holghara the Sun, the unrivaled power in the Silent Desert for centuries.

Lilith never imagined that one day she would be able to discuss the topic of being an enemy of the First Witch King so calmly with the members of the resistance.

"To be honest, I'm not very good at conspiracies and tricks, and Heidi, who is good at this, is far away in the River City." Alvin spread his hands, his attitude very sincere.

"But at least one thing is certain." Having said this, the black-haired boy slowly raised an index finger.

"The First Sorcerer King didn't choose to attack us, who possessed more fragments. Instead, he prioritized killing the Third Sorcerer King and devouring him. This shows that he is no longer 100% confident of destroying the Fist of Freedom."

"So, this is an opportunity. Regardless of whether the other party has prepared any traps, this is a good opportunity to confront the First Wizard King head-on."

"At least, we need to confirm his strength before making the next decision."

"That's true, but as the main combat force, the risk you have to take is too great." Brad said with a frown.

"There's a possibility of choking while eating. There's no such thing as a 100% risk-free thing." Ivan smiled as he looked at his brother who became more and more nagging after the master's sacrifice. He didn't feel any dissatisfaction or impatience in his heart.

Brad fell silent, a wave of guilt welling up inside him. His junior fellow apprentice had nothing to do with this incident; he could have walked away without anyone blaming him. Even Master Rigor's previous guidance had already been repaid with the downfall of two wizard kings. Wasn't that enough?

As if he could see the confusion in Brad's heart, Ivan took the initiative to comfort him.

"Don't worry, I've just been promoted to a high level, and I'm only one level away from becoming a wizard king."

"...Why don't you say that you are only two levels away from becoming the legendary Perfect?" Hearing this strange remark, Brad couldn't help but roll his eyes, and even had the urge to roar.

"Indeed, I am now only two levels away from being a perfect person. Time flies so fast." Alvin tapped his palm lightly with an expression of sudden enlightenment, and then uttered an exclamation that sounded particularly Versailles.

Bang! Even Lilim, who was daydreaming next to them, couldn't stand listening to this. She put down the empty plate in her hand, rolled her eyes and walked out.

"I'm full. Is there a place I can sleep? If the First Wizard King attacks, please wake me up and run away."

"Yeah, sweet dreams." Ivan waved his hand and said nonchalantly:

"..." Brad looked at his junior brother speechlessly, then looked at the half-orc girl who walked away without caring about her relatives, and an inexplicable feeling arose in his heart.

Could it be that I'm the one who's wrong?

Chapter 81: Dreams of the Past

In the past, Alvin didn’t quite understand the reason behind the so-called internationalist spirit.

Why would someone travel thousands of miles to save a country they have no connection with? Why would someone, based on so-called ideals and beliefs, pay a high price, including their own life, for a distant foreign country?

There may be many reasons that prompted them to make this choice, but the essence ultimately comes down to the simple "I do".

Feeling the strong wind blowing from the front, Alvin looked down at the earth passing quickly beneath his feet. His extraordinary senses allowed him to clearly see the new houses being built on the ruins of the city even though he was high in the air.

It's like the new sprouts that grow back on a barren land after a wildfire. Even if they are rooted in ruins covered with residual heat and ashes, even if they look fragile and small at the moment, they always try their best to emit a small but bright ray of hope to the surroundings.

It's a bit embarrassing to say, perhaps because my ideological realm is not high enough. Although Alvin will lend a helping hand to those in need, it is based on "to the best of one's ability". Compared with those pioneers who truly have a spirit of dedication, there is still a long way to go.

Fortunately, the growth rate of his own strength always remains ahead, so the scope of his ability is expanding rapidly at every moment.

A Witch King, a tyrant, is now within Aven's range!

"Herod—"

The Black Horse Mountain King ridden by the young Titan descendant neighed. At this moment, it had revealed its true form, which was full of futuristic science fiction and mechanical textures in its shell. It galloped across the sky in a vehicle form different from its usual disguise as an ordinary horse.

To conserve his energy and reach the First Sorcerer King's city of Faiyum as quickly as possible, Ivan summoned the Black Horse Mountain King, with whom he had collaborated so well in the previous battle. This majestic steed, accidentally transformed within the Sandworm King's remains, becoming a mecha-like creature, had rediscovered some of its potential in the previous battle. Besides its fully mechanized combat form, it also gained the ability to fly, far faster than running.

At this moment, the jet engine that was revealed from the back of the calf and thigh was continuously spewing out narrow tongues of light blue flames from the end, and the completely mechanized body reflected a brilliant and bright metallic luster under the sunlight.

The clouds created by the high-speed flight wrapped around the Mountain King, making it look like a divine horse with flames all over its body and running on clouds, which was extremely handsome.

There was no sign of his usual alien-like strange personality and bad temper.

But Alvin will not be deceived by this appearance. Not long ago, this bad-tempered horse kicked a steel bull to death for some trivial matter.

"That's a rare prisoner after all. It would be a waste to kick him to death. Brad wanted to use him as a breeding bull before." Ivan raised his hand and hit the Mountain King's head with his fist. The latter stuck out his tongue, widened his eyes and pretended to be indifferent.

In the previous battle with the Fifth Witch King, he had used a sacrificial ritual to summon a group of demonic heavy cavalry. However, Ivan and the Mountain King teamed up to slaughter them, crushing the entire group of demonic heavy cavalry to the ground in less than ten rounds. However, one steel bull managed to survive.

This beast-shaped demon with an extremely bad temper would never be calm, but after witnessing the battle between Alvin, who turned into a golden fighter, and the Witch King, who turned into a monster, it became extremely honest, even a little dull and stupid. After the battle, it lay on the ground like a tamed livestock, waiting to be dealt with.

But just when Alvin went to get his mount today, that guy suddenly became extremely energetic, took the initiative to break the leash and rushed out of the cowshed, wanting to express his strong desire to serve this powerful warrior with the most practical actions.

Then, the jealous Mountain King kicked the Steel Bull back to the depths of hell with a single "Mount Kick".

At that time, Alvin felt like a wild horse passing by in front of him, and the steel bull that had just rushed out of the bullpen and was performing a difficult slide was forced to become unable to touch the bull's head, and the beef neck, beef shoulder, beef brisket, beef eye, top head, tenderloin, hind leg marbled beef and other parts of the cow were turned into ashes, and dissipated in the air with a particularly regrettable sigh.

"Puff puff puff!" Hearing Ivan's complaint, Shanwang immediately sprayed a series of magic missiles into the sky through his nostrils, obviously expressing his dissatisfaction in this way.

"Okay, okay, speed up, we have important things to do." While touching the horse mane that had transformed into the shape of ionic flames with one hand, Ivan clenched his other hand into a fist.

Feeling the surging fighting spirit in his master's heart, Shanwang snorted, and the thrusters behind his four legs spewed out even more intense flames, like a fire meteor that quickly streaked across the sky.

At this moment, a fist was clenched, and Horhara, who was about to be hit on the head by this iron fist, was in a quiet dream.

Although it was clearly a dream, the sensory stimulation that was not at all false made the First Wizard King feel particularly real.

He saw himself a hundred years ago and five other companions, guided by that voice, successfully entering the underground ruins that were beyond imagination in depth.

Even after a century, the current First Sorcerer King, Horhara, still marveled at the grandeur of the ruins in his memory. Beyond the crystal-like, transparent barrier, the magma, flowing endlessly like an ocean, emanated a bright, dark reddish-yellow light reminiscent of the setting sun. The strangely shaped four-sided pyramidal buildings resembled a mountain range, casting shadows as vast and heavy as the corpse of a fallen giant.

After a series of adventures, they discovered the lost technology of the ancient Giant Kingdom, which was a secret method to create a second body specifically for combat, and eventually qualified for promotion to the fourth level.

Everyone cheered, everyone celebrated, but the promotion didn't bring the expected joy, but rather a lingering hunger, an uncontrollable desire to devour everything in the world. It felt strange and terrifying, like a person being consumed by their own hunger. Despite exhausting every possible means, no one could completely dispel the feeling, and at best, they could only suppress it through their own various means.

However, this suppression is ultimately a futile struggle.

Only the First Wizard King, only Horhara, understood the source of his hunger and thirst, and understood his own nature, and thus found true peace and tranquility in the process of embracing his own desires.

There is no need to suppress it, it is just a part of me, the innate desire of life, and the instinct from the soul.

Its name, greed...

Its name, selfish...

Its name, pure source of power!

Wait... why are there five companions?!