Star Forge Titan

"The civil unrest that occurred in history has made the people of the land experience the feeling of losing their homes."

"That is an incredibly painful memory."

"so……"

After a pause, the proud and arrogant dwarf king suddenly knelt on one knee in front of Alvin.

"I hope, no, I beg you to lend a hand, please don't let the dwarves lose our home again!"

Chapter 67: Wandering Earth Veins

A person's most instinctive reaction is often the least deceptive. This is the scientific explanation for the saying that muscles don't lie.

The scene before him not only made many dwarves exclaim in surprise, but also surprised Ivan. Although it was only their first meeting, the struggle between them made him clearly aware of the character of the dwarf king before him.

As a notoriously conservative dwarf, he defied the many laws passed down by his ancestors and even questioned the ancient records of written texts passed down for millennia. Even the current dwarf king, Oriogol, didn't particularly respect his status as an Aven Titan. In contrast, he held the very act of keeping a promise in high esteem.

This shows just how proud Oriogo was. Perhaps it was precisely because of this almost paranoid stubbornness that allowed him to simultaneously serve as king and improve his own strength to the level of a fourth-tier crowned one.

Judging from this point alone, he is an extremely dwarf (adjective).

But such a proud and stubborn dwarf king knelt on one knee in front of Ivan and asked him for help in an extremely earnest tone, hoping that the dwarf tribe could survive the terrible disaster that threatened their entire homeland.

So, warrior Oriogo, I already know the kingly love in your heart for your people, your hometown, and your entire country!

Holding the dwarf king's arm tightly and lifting him up, Ivan didn't say a word, just nodded vigorously.

"Take me to the World Forge, now."

Hearing these short and powerful words, the dwarf king Oriogo's originally sad face suddenly showed an uncontrollable joy.

"I will obey your orders!" The Dwarf King pounded his fist and hit his chest where his heart was, then shouted in a voice that was almost a roar, his voice filled with the excitement that had been suppressed for a long time.

"Follow the imperial order!" Many dwarf guards and powerful cabinet ministers around also shouted loudly, and the whole palace seemed to be shaken by the sound waves again.

Before today, they might have only heard tales of the Earth-shaking Titan from bedtime stories and their fathers' mouths. But after witnessing the Dwarf King, Goldbeard Oriog, in a genuine arm wrestling match with the young Titan, a new legend must have emerged, one that will be passed down through the mouths of these dwarves for thousands of years to come.

This feeling of witnessing history made all the dwarves extremely excited, so much so that the rune blacksmiths and senior engineers who had just been summoned stared at their fellow tribesmen in astonishment, constantly wondering what had happened.

But they soon stopped dwelling on what had just happened, because the problem that had plagued the entire dwarf kingdom for nearly a hundred years was about to be solved.

"A newborn Titan? Do you swear on the anvil? Oh my goodness, the big one is coming!"

As such remarks continued, the Dwarf King led Ivan to the parking lot behind the Stone Palace. Yes, there was a parking lot behind the Dwarf King's palace. This was a transformation of the Dwarf King's court after the introduction of magical technology. The reason for choosing the rear parking lot was to minimize the impact of new construction on the Stone Palace's integrity and to facilitate the planning of new transportation routes.

Normally, this place is used to park various vehicles provided by the royal court, and ministers who come to pay homage to the emperor will also temporarily park their own cars here.

However, in addition to the common traditional dwarf goat carts, there is an astonishingly large special vehicle placed on the west side of the parking lot.

The thing looked like a giant hybrid of a locomotive and a tank that accidentally got drunk. Its size was so exaggerated that its height alone was several stories high, full of the unique sense of size and heaviness of the dwarven steam machinery technology.

The visible parts of the vehicle are made entirely of metal, and the heavily armored main body requires six pairs of road wheels to support it. It also uses a track structure that has better traction and off-road capabilities and disperses pressure by increasing the ground contact area.

At the front of the roof, three thick chimneys stand upright side by side, appearing to be three or four meters higher than the vehicle body. A short but large-caliber mortar is installed at the rear of the roof, and there is also a closed gun door structure on the side.

This is definitely not an ordinary vehicle, but a mobile tank fortress with artillery capabilities.

"The latest mobile refinery, also known as the Earth Vein Wandering Excavation Device, has the function of refining minerals inside the vehicle and can penetrate into various extreme environments." Oriogo pointed to the oversized vehicle, his tone inevitably carrying a hint of pride.

"Due to the continuous rise of the magma pool, the area outside the World Forging Furnace has become extremely extreme. Ordinary steel will even gradually soften due to exposure to the local high-temperature air." When it comes to this, even high-level warriors like Oriogo can't help but show a look of palpitations.

"Right now, only vehicles with extremely strong protection like this can approach there."

The next step was to select the accompanying personnel. Since the dwarves had already prepared a death squad composed of elite warriors and top scholars, and the runesmiths and engineers had also been summoned, the selection issue was quickly resolved.

At the same time, Oriogo went against the crowd's opinion and personally led the team and took over the driving rights of the mobile refinery, because in addition to being a powerful warrior and the current Dwarf King, he was also the fastest legend achiever in the Lonely Mountain Kingdom.

Looking around, apart from the rune blacksmiths and engineers who are skilled in technology, the entire team is composed of upper-level transcendents. The magical pressure emitted unconsciously is enough to make ordinary people fall into a coma.

However, seeing Afrediya holding Ivan's arm and preparing to board the mobile refinery, the Foreign Minister, one of the cabinet members, could not help but clasp his hands together and look worried.

"Your Majesty, are you also going to join this operation? Going to such a dangerous place will make it difficult for us to explain the whole matter to Elrond."

"Don't worry too much, Mr. Srepi. If it's just a high temperature environment, it won't pose much of a threat to me." Afrediya closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she revealed a pair of dragon eyes with brown whites and golden vertical pupils. The exposed skin was covered with golden-brown gradient dragon scales, and the true form of the wingless ancient dragon was faintly visible behind it.

"A direct descendant of the Yellow, Golden Earth Dragon. Oh my God, are the rumors true? The previous Demon King really married an ancient dragon. Hammer above, anvil below, it takes a very strong man to choose to marry an ancient dragon." The Foreign Minister exclaimed in a rare moment of loss of composure.

However, the dwarf's traditional loud voice soon became smaller and softer because Fleur's eyes were becoming more and more dangerous.

Fortunately, this embarrassing scene did not last long. As the members boarded the bus one after another, a loud shout came from the front of the bus.

"Full of fuel!"

"Let's go. Don't you want to see what the legendary World Forging Furnace looks like?" Alvin smiled and got into the car with Afrediya.

The whistle blew, and the huge mobile refinery turned on its tracks and embarked on the journey to the World Forging Furnace.

Chapter 68 Approaching the Furnace

"In the distance, the misty mountains stretch out, and we are standing on their summits."

"There's a glimmer of light in the distance, and the rocks of Lone Mountain are hot under the moon. I vow in silence: We will arrive. For my homeland, I sing a song over and over again. Those who seek me also know the tune..."

The machinery clanked and clattered, interspersed with the rough but rhythmic singing of the dwarves.

It's a ballad of praise for home. During the Great Disunity of the past, when civil strife led to war, the dwarves, forced to flee their homes, sang this song, hoping to one day return to their ancient homeland. Subsequent lyrics, such as "There are some things we will never forgive" and "Fight until death comes," fully demonstrate the dwarven nature of holding grudges.

However, the dwarves at that time probably never expected that the person who finally stopped the civil war and allowed the tribes to reunite and form a complete kingdom was not a warrior with a sharp axe, but a young red-bearded dwarf who was best at singing, writing poetry, drinking and making friends.

"Even in the worst times, people cannot live without music." Ivan smiled and listened to the dwarves' singing.

The large vehicle, written as "Mobile Refinery" but pronounced as "Wheeled Armed Mining Platform," has a space inside that is comparable to a small workshop. In addition to the area for ore smelting, it also has a rest area for people to stay for a long time.

The Lonely Mountain Kingdom attached great importance to this operation. Not only did the Dwarf King Oriogo lead the team personally, but two-thirds of the cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, worked directly on the train. The most skilled rune blacksmiths and dwarf engineers also participated. Even the "little workers" in the train who were responsible for shoveling coal and adding water to the steam engine were extraordinary warriors who came from the Iron Foot Guards.

It's conceivable that if something unexpected happened to this car, it would cause the Kingdom of Gushan no less turmoil than a coup.

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Afrediya's scream beside him.

"Evan, come and see."

Turning her head, she saw that the Demon King was lying next to the observation port without caring about his image. Since there was no one around, she twisted her body and looked outside curiously.

The observation port was carved into the side armor of the mobile refinery, leaving only a gap about the length of a lunch box for vision, and was covered with two layers of hardened glass. It would certainly be cramped for two people to view such a small object together, but for a couple in love, they would have preferred a smaller space.

Ivan moved closer out of curiosity and squeezed in with Frey's smooth oval face. He saw that the originally pitch-black underground scene was now illuminated by the red light reflected from the front.

The light was so bright that it was hard to imagine that this place was underground where the sun could not reach.

"The Lonely Mountain Industrial Zone, the one in front should be the Lonely Mountain Industrial Zone. It is said that the dwarves built the largest metal smelting plant in the entire Paladia there." Recalling his experience in the virtual Paladia, Alvin said with certainty.

"It's a little hard to see here. Can we go out and take a look?" Afrediya hugged the boy's arm and shook it from side to side, and asked in a sweet and innocent voice.

"Uh, okay, I mean it should be fine." Ivan nodded with a red face.

The two of them walked through a narrow corridor where most of the space was occupied by machines. Since it was originally designed for dwarves to use, they needed to bend over in many places.

When the heavy circular cover on the top was opened, a gust of hot air immediately hit them. However, neither Ivan nor Afrediya paid any attention to it. With their physical fitness, even if they swam backstroke, butterfly stroke, or freestyle in the lava, they would only get their skin red.

"Is that the World Forging Furnace!?!" Afrediya excitedly jumped onto Ivan's back, trying to look straight ahead at the place where the red light was the brightest.

Although located in an underground mining layer, the area where the mobile refinery is currently located is unexpectedly large, reminding Alvin of the large underground cavity he had seen in Linde.

A large number of dwarven-style mechanical creations and factory buildings can be seen around, and from time to time, stone statues carved into the image of our friend King Jix decorate the side walls.

But the most eye-catching thing is the huge steel structure that is clearly buried deep underground but runs through the entire lonely mountain - the World Forging Furnace!

This man-made wonder stands quietly in the center of the Gushan Industrial Zone, its structure integrated with the mountain and even the continent itself.

Steel is cast into a huge number of pipes, valves and various indescribable mechanical structures. Thousands of valves are constantly opening and closing, spewing out flames. The high-temperature hot rivers formed by the molten magma are like trickles at its feet. All of this together forms a metal mountain, exuding an unparalleled sense of presence.

"It's so huge..." Even though she had seen majestic creations like the 'Star Ring - Upper Plane' created by the Titans, Afrediya was still shocked.

"Incredible." Alvin also let out a sigh. At the same time, he noticed that the steel mills built by the surrounding dwarves were also connected to the World Forging Furnace itself.

A closer look revealed that the steel mills were actually utilizing the original heat dissipation structure of the Forge World Furnace, using the high-temperature molten rock flowing from it as a heat source, significantly improving the smelting industry. In other words, the foundation of this vast industrial zone was built on the reuse of the waste heat emitted by the Forge World Furnace.

Unlike the complex processes such as microscopic lattice arrangement and alloying that required a lot of effort to study in later times, the key to early metal smelting was high temperature. No wonder the dwarves were able to master the relevant technical skills faster than other races on the continent.

This uniquely advantageous area has indeed provided them with a lot of help, almost equivalent to a research bonus buff specifically for metal smelting technology.

But soon, Alvin noticed something unusual in this bustling (literally) venue.

"Look there." The young man whispered and pointed to the area closest to the central axis of the World Forging Furnace.

"The color... is wrong?" Afrediya said uncertainly, narrowing her eyes.

"It's dimmer than the rest of the surrounding area." Ivan also squinted his eyes. He saw that there was an area in the center of the World Forging Furnace that was obviously less bright than the surrounding area.

It was like the charcoal in a burning bonfire that was particularly conspicuous because of its black color. Not only could no valves breathing in or out flames be seen, but also no machinery in operation could be seen. It was like a piece of ice surrounded by many flames, extremely abrupt.

After staring at each other for a moment, Ivan and Afrediya returned to the car in silence. The strange sight of the World Forge cast a shadow over their originally relaxed, travel-like mood.

"See?"

Seeing the serious expressions of the two people in the cab, Oriogo asked directly.

"Ah, indeed, it's an obvious abnormality." Alvin frowned and thought, trying to combine the plot in the virtual Paladin to judge the current situation of the World Forging Furnace.

If he remembered correctly, a few years later, the Lonely Mountain Kingdom was struck by a sudden geological disaster, forcing several dwarf tribes to flee to surrounding countries. Due to the advanced technology they brought with them, most countries chose to accept these refugees, but the dwarves ultimately lost their homeland.

Even the political entity of the Kingdom of Lonely Mountain itself was reduced to a state of dissolution within just a few years.

"About thirty years ago, the heat emitted by the World Forging Furnace suddenly began to decrease year by year. At first, everyone thought it was just a small fluctuation caused by periodic environmental changes." Oriogo paused and sighed deeply.

"But later, the Runesmiths discovered that the World Forge had actually begun to slowly shut down. This allowed the geothermal heat gathered by the special structure underground in the Lonely Mountain Industrial Zone to continue to accumulate, causing the pressure in the deep magma chamber to rise year by year, and the surrounding environment was inevitably affected."

"So, the key lies in the World Forging Furnace itself." Alvin hit the heart of the problem directly.

"That's right." Oriogo said this, holding the joystick with a serious look.

"The only solution I can think of is..." The Dwarf King exerted force on the joystick, controlling the mobile refinery to draw a graceful arc with a lightness that did not match its heavy mass. It almost avoided the sharp turn of the lava tributary in front and continued to move towards the towering World Forging Furnace in front.

"Restart the furnace!"

Chapter 69 Ding

When in doubt, press restart...

Alvin looked at the World Forge that was getting closer and closer with mixed feelings, and the final plan that the Dwarf King had previously stated in a resolute tone was churning in his mind.

Although, the emotions are indeed quite on point, this solution sounds so familiar that the originally tragic and heroic atmosphere suddenly becomes very subtle.

Fortunately, at this moment, all the dwarves around were immersed in the tragic and heroic song of making a last-ditch effort. They felt that the young giant could empathize with Ivan's complicated expression and was almost shedding tears of emotion.

"... Let's do it all again. Why does this solution sound a bit like the way our professors at the academy deal with experimental problems?" Afrediya muttered in a voice that was inaudible to others.

You'd better not say it.

The corners of Ivan's mouth twitched, and he signaled to His Majesty the Demon King to keep quiet with his eyes. The latter immediately realized this, stuck out his tongue and retracted the strange expression on his face.

Speaking of which, when he had just gazed at the World Forge from afar, besides the simple difference in color, he had also noticed an abnormality in the magical fluctuations. The fluctuations emanating from the entire furnace were actually quite harmonious, without the sharp waveforms that would normally be seen when a magical device malfunctioned.

Therefore, a guess gradually arose in Alvin's mind that was inconsistent with the heavy atmosphere around him.

Is it possible that the World Forge wasn't actually faulty? Even after countless years of continuous operation, it was perfectly healthy, and its gradual shutdown was simply a normal, predictable reaction?

If this is the truth, it's a bit surprising. If I tell it now, regardless of whether others believe it or not, everyone will definitely feel very embarrassed.

Looking at the dwarves around him with solemn expressions, Alvin felt that he would not be able to come up with this guess in a short time.

No, even Afrediya became serious and quiet.

We'll take it one step at a time. There's no clear evidence to suggest this hypothesis is correct. Ivan muttered to himself, but outwardly maintained the same seriousness as everyone else. In a specific case, it's probably like the expression of a husky who discovers he's accidentally infiltrated a wolf pack.

The heavy and powerful mobile refinery continued to move forward, and everyone had now arrived in the central area of ​​the industrial zone.

It can be seen that the number of working dwarves has decreased dramatically. The steel mills on the periphery can still operate normally, but here they have to be abandoned due to environmental changes. This is because the temperature is too high. Even the dwarves who are naturally heat-resistant cannot stay for a long time. This is enough to prove how exaggerated the ambient temperature is in the inner part of the industrial zone.

You know, as descendants of the Earth People, the best among the dwarves can hold red-hot iron blocks with their bare hands and forge them. Even ordinary dwarves have a strong tolerance to high temperatures.

Because of this, even the environment inside the mobile refinery, which was protected by layers of defense, began to become unbearably hot, and many pointers on the dashboard began to move towards the red sector indicating danger.

"Spellcasters, step out. Three people form a shift. Two shifts will take turns on duty, and one shift will be on standby. Go to the engine room quickly to perform artificial cooling and make sure the steam engine operates normally." Oriogo gave the order calmly.

After hearing the words of the Dwarf King, the dwarves with the profession of spellcaster said nothing. Even the Prime Minister Docot personally stood up and led the team, leading several spellcasters to the rear engine room, and completed the shift arrangements quickly and orderly while moving.

Afrediya couldn't help but nod slightly in approval. Although the Lonely Mountain Kingdom was small and the only big city was the royal court, the unity shown by the dwarves in the face of disaster left a very deep impression on people.

After returning, perhaps I can try to strengthen trade and other ties with them, the Demon King thought silently.