Star Forge Titan

Alvin really wanted to complain loudly, but the smile on the girl's face was so dazzling that he felt like there was something stuck in his throat and couldn't say a word of refusal.

Moreover, before one crisis subsides, another arises. Diana, who remained silent behind him, also cast an expectant gaze. That gaze, almost condensed into a substance, constantly poked Ivan's spine. Despite being sent to an orphanage at birth, the silver-haired girl only longed for family and affection even more. If she could start a family with someone she loved and have a few more children, she would close her eyes and fly away peacefully without a single complaint.

Ivan felt the pressure of being stared at. "What's with that look? Do you want a dozen too?"

I'm not a wholesaler of eggs!

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The heavy anticipation makes one sweat profusely, and even a Titan feels the pressure.

"It's great to be young. Are you on a hunting tour? Haha, I did something similar more than 20 years ago, but unfortunately I didn't find an opportunity for a breakthrough." Uncle Beta, who was sitting on the ground, laughed and then talked about his experiences when he was young.

Clearly, the other party was trying to build closer ties by chatting about family matters. Furthermore, inviting foreign warriors to one's home was inherently a sign of trust. But Ivan noticed that Beta's attention was partially focused on Marian, or more precisely, on Marian's gleaming new prosthetic limb.

After the children jumped out of the tent, he suddenly bowed to Alvin.

"Thank you." Beta expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"Ah?" Alvin didn't react for a moment.

"The child is only ten years old, but he has to drag a heavy burden out. I am a useless adult. I can only make such a simple iron hand even if I try my best." Beta's voice was extremely low.

"I thought the Sunshattering War was brutal enough, but the world left behind after the war is even more cruel, so cruel that it makes me feel suffocated."

"Adults like me are prone to pessimism, but the child remains optimistic, which is worrying."

"Hmm?" Ivan narrowed his eyes slightly.

According to Marian, the Sunshattering War that led to the downfall of this world occurred eighty years ago. But listening to what Beta just said, it was as if he had personally experienced that war eighty years ago.

Judging from his appearance, Beta looked no more than forty or fifty. Considering the rapid aging of the wasteland, his actual age was probably just over thirty. He wasn't a powerful transcendent, and lower-level transcendents didn't typically extend their lifespans much.

So what little secret does he hold?

Although Ivan wouldn't pry into other people's secrets, he couldn't help but feel curious. While he was thinking, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"My love! Are you okay?!" A burly man who was over two meters tall and almost two and a half times as wide as Uncle Beta strode into the tent.

"How did our tribe become like this? I heard it was a gang? I'm going to tear those bastards apart alive!" The man hugged the middle-aged chief in front of him, and in the face of the other's embarrassed but polite smile, he expressed his concern in a loud voice like "Fire a cannon and blow him up!"

Later, the intruder noticed that there was someone else in the tent.

"Ah, there are guests. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" The man laughed heartily, but looked at Ivan with a serious look.

"Let me introduce you." Beta finally got out of the hug, forced a smile and took two steps forward.

"This is Kalimue, my wife." After a pause, he continued:

"He is also the tribe's most powerful warrior."

Chapter 206 From the Past

As a chief, Beta is not particularly tall or strong.

When he held the spear just now, the tip was much taller than him, giving him a very ordinary figure, even thinner than the other tribal warriors. Considering the Sumuabum tribe's tradition of collecting and inheriting ancient knowledge, in a sense, his position as chief is not unsuitable. At least this image fits the stereotype of an intellectual.

Uncle Beta's wife, Karimu, is the complete opposite. This great lady is over 225 cm tall. Her shoulders alone are taller than Beta's, and her arm circumference is comparable to Uncle Beta's waist circumference.

When she first came in, Mrs. Kalimue was wearing a closed protective helmet made of all-steel. The one-piece protective suit, which should have been tight-fitting, was stretched out with clear muscle contours, and was filled with bulletproof steel plates and ceramic pieces of various specifications. It was like she was wearing a scale armor made of bulletproof inserts.

Even if this lady was just standing there, she exuded an extremely powerful deterrent force from her whole body. She was simply a maxed-out warrior (female) who gained muscle and weight in middle age and then carried a strengthened +13 wooden wild staff.

As for how these two contrasting couples came together, it would probably be a very bizarre and interesting story.

"Traitor, there must be a traitor, otherwise how could he seize the opportunity so well!" He drank a whole glass of wheat juice heroically, slammed the oak barrel-sized wooden cup heavily on the table, and angrily clashed his fists together, making a sound comparable to the clashing of metal.

"We just went out with our warrior group to hunt the giant iron beast, and immediately after that, a gang of bandits attacked our tribe. Someone must have tipped us off."

"Well, we can't rule out the possibility that we've been targeted for a long time. As long as we send people to watch outside the tribe for a long time... No, that would be too easy to be discovered. Ordinary wastelands can't escape the eyes of the 'eagles' of the tribe." Beta shook his head and immediately denied this possibility.

After all, he just didn't want to see traitors in the tribe, but as a chief he had to look at the overall situation in the most rational and objective way.

Uncle Beta sighed and secretly reminded himself that this was not a beautiful country in peacetime. A cruel and bloodthirsty land like the Broken Sun Wasteland could not tolerate too much tenderness. If he wanted to protect more tribesmen and family, he had to harden his heart.

Being a wastelander...

Beilatotas, you are no longer the chief archivist of the Great Library! Now you are just a wastelander!

"We must find the traitor as soon as possible, otherwise the entire tribe will be in danger." Beta said very seriously.

"Ah, that's true. I'll leave the matter of finding someone to you, dear." Kalimue patted the former on the back, her tone full of trust.

After saying this in a relaxed tone, the chief's wife, whose arms seemed so strong that they could run horses, turned to look at Alvin and the other two.

"So, why don't you introduce these guests who shared salt and water with us?" Kalimue exerted a little force in her hand that was holding the oak barrel and laughing wine glass.

Although she was sitting cross-legged on a handmade carpet with a low table for food in front of her, she gave people the feeling of a tiger lurking in the mountains, ready to pounce at any time.

In truth, Kalimue was quite nervous. Even though she had heard from her fellow tribesmen that the other man was a formidable warrior, she felt nothing at all. Every muscle in her body was trembling with tension, as if she were standing under a building about to collapse, with hundreds of tons of weight threatening to fall from her head at any moment.

It was a feeling of being looked down upon by some powerful force...

Is it necessary to keep the super spirit outside all the time? 】

Afrediya, who was sitting next to him, didn't move her lips at all, but her voice reached Ivan's ears very clearly.

The answer is magic. The short-distance communication magic was activated silently, allowing His Majesty the Demon King to whisper to his lover in front of others.

The magic here is inert, so I need to prepare for any unexpected situations. Well, this is an unfamiliar area after all, so it's always better to be cautious.

So, you're going to keep something that could tear the earth apart with one blow hanging over your head 24 hours a day?

Afrediya's eyes conveyed this question in silence.

As he spoke, a super spirit modeled after the basic form of the Golden Knight floated quietly in mid-air over the roof of the tent, maintaining the same cross-legged posture as the original body at the moment.

Just as Alvin explained, the environmental magic power in the Broken Sun Wasteland is far less "vital" than that of the Palladia world. The same intensity of mental power can only leverage about one-tenth of the normal environmental magic power, which is undoubtedly bad news for spellcasters.

Fortunately, the three people who participated in this unexpected journey were not pure spellcasters.

Ivan's status as a Fist Fighter beyond the Grandmaster realm goes without saying. If anyone mistakenly approached Afredia for a mage, the ancient dragon's swift revelation would immediately inflict heavy damage. Even Diana, who relied heavily on external equipment, now had an eight-legged stone chewer as a makeshift vehicle.

However, someone still maintains the summoning of super spirits for a long time to avoid unexpected emergencies.

I think the reason why Kalimue seems so uneasy is probably because she has a very sharp perception or intuition. Even if the super spirit has weakened its presence to the extreme, she can still sense some traces.

So, this sturdy lady is quite pure as a warrior...

Just as he was thinking about it, Beta had already started to introduce the origins of Ivan and the other two.

"They are the guests brought back by Marian, and they plan to hire our little Marian as a guide. Oh, I almost forgot, I haven't asked you where you plan to cruise to?" The chief uncle who adopted Marian asked casually.

"Oh, it's not a remote place. It's the ruins near the horizon. It's called the Gate of God." Alvin didn't intend to hide it, so he told everyone the intended destination of his group.

As a result, Beta and Careemu both widened their eyes upon hearing this answer.

"Wait, I haven't heard that little Mary wants to take people to such a dangerous place!" Kalimue immediately expressed her disagreement.

"Young man, do you know what the Gate of Gods means? Although it was the original paradise for all the Amori people, it has now been overrun by out-of-control military automated puppets. Those aren't the so-called iron beasts you normally encounter. Each one possesses armor and firepower far exceeding that of a civilian magic machine. Deeper within the ruins of the Gate of Gods, there's even a legendary next-generation technology verification machine!"

Beta kept saying things that were difficult for others to understand, but his anxious expression could not be faked.

This shows that although Marianne is not their biological child, the actual situation is not what she secretly thinks. Instead of regarding her as a source of trouble, the adoptive parents attach great importance to her safety.

However, military automated puppets, magic machines, and next-generation technology verification...

Sir, as an authentic wastelander, do you know a little too much about pre-war technology?

Chapter 207: Wind of Fantasy

Looking at Beta who suddenly fell silent, Ivan's expression did not change, but he caught a glimpse of Afrediya's interested expression from the corner of his eye.

In a sense, this smile was very demonic, but she also didn't comment on Xiang Qian's remarks. As for Diana, she had little interest in history and instead began to study some of the furnishings in the chief's tent, such as the long-lasting light-emitting device made with magical engineering knowledge.

They smiled at each other, and Alvin took the initiative to speak.

"Respected Chief, we are truly interested in 'God's Gate - Babelon'."

"If you could, as an elder with extensive experience, could you please tell us young people stories about the past?"

Beta was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting the other party to make the request from this angle, but he finally smiled and shook his head.

"Really, young people are always fascinated by 'stories'."

"Ha, isn't this a matter of course? Back then, I beat you with a stick just because you were so good at telling stories..." Chief's wife Kalimue, who was stronger than a bear, slapped her thigh with a very happy and nostalgic expression, as if she wanted to say something.

But before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Uncle Beta with a loud cough.

"Ahem, then let me tell you a few interesting stories about 'God's Gate - Babelon'."

"It is said that the Gate of God is a relic of the giant civilization, but the Empire's research at the time showed that this huge sky city came from some even more ancient passers-by." Beta emphasized the word "passers-by" in a good voice with a strong tone.

"Why are they called passers-by?" Alvin asked the question appropriately.

"Good question." Beta immediately laughed.

"I've done some research on this. Those beings older than the giant civilization called them passers-by because they possessed unimaginable cutting-edge technology. The once-advanced giant civilization even worshipped them as gods."

"However, such a powerful and majestic existence has left no settlements!" Beta's voice gradually became excited, and his face was full of enthusiasm. Kalimue, who was holding her chin next to him, also smiled particularly brightly.

"I...the archaeologists who specialized in historical research in the empire spent a long time confirming this."

"Those 'passers-by' didn't build cities or towns, nor did they leave behind even a temporary camp."

"There are no settlements of any size left, as if they don't need to live together, form families, and cooperate in various civilized activities like a normal civilization."

"But this is obviously inconsistent with the other party's superb technical capabilities."

"So, I came to a conclusion." Beta took a deep breath.

"They aren't native to the Old World, but rather travelers who happened to pass through here from a distant land!"

Everyone looked at each other, most of them with thoughtful expressions, which made Beta quite satisfied, but he immediately heard a familiar voice shouting.

"It's not fun, Uncle Beta. This story is boring. Tell me a more interesting one!" Marian yelled and ran to Beta, shaking his arm and giving a different answer as a ten-year-old child.

Beta was speechless, but couldn't deny it.

Although this research result is quite novel for adults, it is very common or meaningless for children.

In desperation, Beta recounted the story of the ancient Amori people, who, after leaving the Gate of the Gods, Babylon, underwent immense hardships to establish a new settlement. It involved heroes, adventure, and a touch of romance, a classic, authentic tale that could be enjoyed by anyone from three to thirty.

Ivan also listened attentively. After Marian fell asleep, satisfied with her story, he followed Uncle Beta out of the chief's tent. Before leaving, Ivan winked at Afrediya and Diana.

Despite the Stonenet Wasteland's nature as a multi-level overpass, the lack of artificial light allowed one to gaze upon a dazzling sky filled with stars, dispelling much of the night's darkness. However, the moon hanging in the distant sky seemed slightly dim, like an underpowered desk lamp.

"Are you from the Old World?" Beta asked directly.

"Oh? It's obvious?" Alvin did not deny it and immediately agreed with the other party's guess.

"It is true." Beta breathed a sigh of relief, his face revealing a bit of joy and relief.

"Apart from the Old World, which inherited the Empire's technological legacy, I can't think of any other place that can cultivate superior transcendents."

"In other words, the so-called old world refers to Palladia." Alvin nodded slightly, confirming many of his guesses.