Star Forge Titan

The flames caused the factory to collapse quickly, but just before the large building was completely burned, a magical frost fell from the sky, and the extraordinary people belonging to the Linde Court finally arrived at the scene.

Because the industrial area is far away from the inner city, it took them a lot of time to get there.

The wizard who cast the freezing spell in mid-air actually rode in a magic car for most of the way here, and only flew over directly for the last part of the journey using a rare flying spell. This was to deal with emergencies and reduce the magic power consumption during the journey.

But when she arrived, she found that the only thing she could do seemed to be to put out fires, a job that competed with the fire department for business.

Soon, a light magic armored vehicle with a surface covered with 30 mm thick armor, large steering wheels in the front, and a trapezoidal track structure in the rear also arrived at the scene.

At this moment, the flames had been completely extinguished by magic, but when the Linde official extraordinary people who arrived at the scene entered the factory ruins with serious expressions and cautious movements, they were all completely shocked by the scene before them.

There was a huge pile of burning debris left on the ground. Just looking at the remaining skeletons, one could guess how terrifying and huge it originally looked.

Moreover, the special instruments carried by the nine sheriffs actually detected traces of chaotic power at the scene!

That is to say...

"It's actually a demon!" The young sheriff who was in charge of carrying the detection equipment shouted in disbelief.

"And the size has exceeded the regular size that ordinary cultists can summon. This, this is in Lutetia! How could anyone dare?" His partner in the same group was also shocked.

"Then... who killed it?" the young sheriff asked subconsciously.

This made the two of them stop talking and look at each other.

A feeling of uneasiness suddenly came over me.

Yes, such a terrifying and huge monster was destroyed so quickly and thoroughly.

So, what kind of person is the one who takes action?

"This matter must be reported to the higher-ups of the Public Security Bureau." The senior mage agent from Section 9, who had consumed a lot of energy from casting spells to put out the fire, said in a serious tone.

Then, when she saw the traces left on the ground, the expression on her face became more solemn.

"Perhaps, I must go and meet His Majesty in person!"

Chapter 39: The Cat and the Drill

In a sense, after arriving in Lutetia, the capital of Lind, Alvin felt more and more like he was letting go.

After all, he was much more familiar with the geographical environment and the relationships between the various people here than with Elrond in the northern demon kingdom, and he even knew some remote paths and secret passages like the back of his hand.

In addition, there are not as many surveillance cameras on the streets of Lutetia as in modern society, so Alvin can take advantage of the night and imitate the Bat Master to run around and enforce justice.

In short, when he and Diana returned to the orphanage very smoothly, they also pushed a bald hooligan who was drunk and making loud noises and disturbing others one night into the drainage ditch beside the street and drowned him half to death.

The Ninth Public Security Department, which had arrived at the Abagnon Textile Factory site to investigate and collect evidence, was overwhelmed by the items they had left behind. The agents had no choice but to report to their superiors overnight, even alerting the Temple of Light in the inner city and the Emperor, who was currently working on a new script.

"You mean, there are heretics who have infiltrated Lutetia?" Konrad Carl Drusus Carolingian yawned and sat listlessly in a high-backed chair.

In his arms, there was a cute cat with a strange appearance, orange and creamy white fur, and no tail behind it.

This is the Commander cat, beloved by successive members of the Carolingian royal family. They have a gentle, even canine-like loyalty, and are shorter and rounder than ordinary cats.

However, this tailless cat only lives on a small island called Commander. Their biggest feature is that the tail, which is an extension of the spine, has disappeared due to changes in their bloodline, or only a short part like a rabbit remains. Their walking posture is also similar to that of a rabbit, jumping and hopping, and they can easily jump to very high places.

Because of the special appearance of this tailless cat, which is different from other cats of the same kind, the Carolingian royal family has always regarded this rare cat as a symbol of luck and loyalty. In addition to their own families, they only gave it to a few noble families as a reward for their loyalty and allowed them to raise it.

However, in recent years, the Lifeline Theory, proposed by the Order of the Blood of Elrond, has gradually spread to Lind. This has led some scholars to believe that these cats may not be special at all, but rather have undergone a minor change in their Lifeline, and the sealed environment of the island has perfectly preserved this change, resulting in the relatively unusual appearance of tailless cats.

This completely unromantic statement was naturally strongly resisted by a large group of aristocrats, led by the emperor, who admired tailless cats.

Even the lifeline theory, which served as the theoretical basis, was forcibly denied by them on the grounds that it was a heresy from Elrond.

The reason for introducing this cat in such detail is that Ms. Scarlett, a senior agent of Section 9 and temporary section chief who came to report on related matters, had already frowned and noticed that His Majesty Emperor Conrad was obviously more concerned about the cute tailless cat in his arms than the Chaos Cult cultist she mentioned.

"In summary, considering that Lutetia is about to report the Youth Magic Car Competition, a large number of outsiders will pour in. I think it is necessary to raise the level of alert in the capital area." The female wizard with healthy wheat-colored skin, long gray hair, and good at using freezing magic said in an increasingly serious tone.

"Interesting. Why did you choose such an ordinary magic factory? The output is not large and the goods are not special. Hey, I'm sure Catherine will be very interested." Conrad asked with a smile, stroking the tailless cat lying quietly in his arms.

"What?" Agent Scarlett was stunned, not understanding the other party's meaning for a moment.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that my sister, Her Royal Highness Catherine, Duchess of Loire, will join your Ninth Public Security Department in the near future." His Majesty the Emperor said lightly.

"But, but we usually face dangerous supernatural criminals!" Agent Scarlett's expression changed drastically, as if someone was forced to hold a glass vase on her head.

"But even I can't persuade Her Royal Highness the Duchess, who is so nosy that she likes to join various departments to experience life." His Majesty the Emperor raised his hand to his forehead and shook his head, looking helpless.

"So I can only ask Ms. Scarlett to protect my dear sister carefully. For a high-level wizard like you, this is not a difficult task, right?" Then, Conrad said something as usual that gave his subordinates even more headaches.

Aren't you the emperor? Aren't you someone else's brother? Why don't you care about your sister? This is too much doting!? I'm just a third-tier mage, okay? While I'm considered high-tier, my class is just an ordinary mage. Compared to those true monsters, I'm nowhere near as powerful!

The complaints swirling in Scarlett's heart almost burst out, but her loyalty forced her to suppress the words at the last moment.

"Yes." The temporary section chief, who looked speechless and almost collapsed, answered helplessly.

At the same time, the blonde duchess with a strange drill hairstyle has arrived at the crime scene in person.

"Take the cloth away." Catherine pointed to the rain cloth covering the remains of the devil factory owner and ordered in a clear voice.

"Your Highness, I personally do not recommend you do this." A mature middle-aged sheriff said immediately.

"That thing is so disgusting that even an old guy like me would have nightmares after seeing it."

"No problem." Catherine waved her hand.

"take away."

“…” The other sheriffs at the scene looked at each other in confusion.

In the end, they could only obey the orders issued by Her Royal Highness the Duchess herself.

The tarp slowly pulled back, revealing the charred remains beneath. The acrid odor of burned flesh grew increasingly pronounced, and the sound of retching could be heard. The remains, blasted from the inside out, presented an extremely horrific appearance.

It looked like a beast that had been gutted, with most of its body torn apart, leaving only half of its bones and the mechanical debris integrated into it.

The moment she saw this scene, Catherine's face turned extremely pale, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth, obviously about to vomit.

But this blonde noble lady actually resisted the urge to vomit at the last moment.

Instead, she tried to cheer herself up, got closer and began to observe the incomplete remains.

"This monster seems to have integrated part of the steam engine's structure, and then due to some external force, the boiler integrated into its body exploded directly, causing it to become what it is now." The agent whispered about the situation.

The Duchess's performance impressed them, and they secretly thought of a rumor in their hearts.

While this princess is competitive, assertive, and prone to meddling, she possesses none of the aristocratic temperament she often exhibits when working, making her a relatively easygoing person. Furthermore, each time she joins a department, she diligently works as a regular member, striving to do her best. Her constant involvement in various departments stems from her desire to identify areas of improvement within the existing bureaucracy.

Ignoring what others said, Catherine examined the remains in front of her. Soon, her brows began to furrow.

"This is..." Looking at the clearly visible mark on the remaining limb, the Duchess's face suddenly showed a surprised expression.

"fist?"

Chapter 40: Many Hands Contribute

After returning to the orphanage, Diana was even more silent than usual.

Mother Teresa had arranged for several sick children to lie down and rest.

Because heavy metal poisoning requires a slow excretion process, the conditions of these children cannot improve quickly in the short term. They can only rely on long-term rest to gradually restore their ability to work.

Whether it is buying medicine or recuperating from illness, it is a devastating accident for every ordinary family in Lind, not to mention a charity like Marilyn Orphanage that is short of funds and located in the downtown area.

In other words, this will add more expenses to orphanages that are already struggling to make ends meet for a long time.

“…” After Diana silently helped Mother Theresa with her work, she went to the open space outside the door alone.

She sat on the steps, which were a little mottled due to time, and looked up at the stars in the sky that were becoming increasingly difficult to see.

In the girl's memory, the night sky she looked up at when she was a child was not like this. But after Linde began the magical industrial revolution, there were more and more artificial lights such as gas lamps and magic lamps, causing Lutetia to transform into a city that never sleeps at night, and at the same time, the stars in the night sky gradually disappeared.

Diana stared at the night sky in silence for a long time, then looked down at the crude magic car made of discarded parts not far away.

The car has an eye-catching silver exterior, but that's just because painting would have added costs, so the car was left in its natural metallic color without any other color added.

The overall shape of the car is not beautiful. The cylindrical body is narrow in the front and wide in the back, even a bit like an elongated dachshund. The four wheels are neatly distributed in pairs on the front and back sides.

There are two brass pipes bent into an L-shape standing high in front of the rear wheels. From a distance, they look like the hind legs of a grasshopper, thin and slender. These are the exhaust pipes used to discharge the residual exhaust gas after the combustion of the magic material.

Only the front half of the vehicle's skin is intact, and the magic engine installed at the rear is directly fixed in the supporting frame.

In a sense, this design is very convenient for heat dissipation, but it will also make it easier for the internal mechanical structure to be drawn into sand, dust and other debris, which will inevitably lead to an exponential increase in the probability of dangerous accidents while driving.

But she had no choice.

What else can I do besides driving the magic car?

Although underground racing is a job in the gray area, the teachings from Mother Teresa prevented Diana from falling into the trap of choosing darker professions to make money.

Without money, the orphanage cannot be maintained, and the children who have not yet grown up can only live on the streets. The older ones can do odd jobs, but those who are only three or four years old will all starve to death or freeze to death on the streets.

In this day and age, families that are able to adopt children are extremely rare. It is basically impossible for people from the upper city to come to the lower city to adopt children. Most ordinary families have already done their best just to feed their own children.

"Champion." Diana slowly uttered a short word.

At this moment, the light in the girl's eyes seemed more determined than ever before.

Behind me came the sound of extremely steady footsteps, as if they had been trained with a metronome, with each step taking almost the same interval.

"This is a great car." Alvin looked at the magic car in front of him with admiration.

He had just completed a basic examination of the strange steam engine wreckage, but aside from traces of cursed magic lingering on his hair, he hadn't found any useful information. He couldn't help but feel a sense of heaviness in his heart, so he decided to go for a walk to relax his somewhat stagnant mind.

However, after carefully observing Diana's magic car, Alvin showed a look of surprise.

Although most of the parts used are old, some are refurbished parts or assembled parts that are forcibly put together, and the technology used is also full of the unconventional style of "making do" and even "thinking".

But both the design concept and the overall structure reveal a new idea that is eye-catching.

To some extent, it is even more imaginative than the so-called advanced magic vehicles produced by the Magic Research Institute.

"Did you design it yourself?" the boy asked curiously.

Logically speaking, how could an orphan from the Lower City learn the relevant knowledge of magic engineering and independently design and build a magic car that can run smoothly?

To be honest, this is something he and many players are very curious about.

However, the official has been reluctant to release the personal story related to this White Knight and Valkyrie.

All we know is that after winning the Magic Car Competition, she successfully became a driver of a technology-verified experimental magic weapon, and then continued to make achievements, becoming a high-ranking military general from an ordinary person.

Even countless arrogant young nobles bowed to him and were willing to become ordinary soldiers who followed the White Knight to launch a decisive battle.

In the end, even the romantic Emperor Linde knelt on one knee and proposed to her.

It is difficult to say whether it is because of love, admiration, or simply political considerations. After all, the Happy King probably could not be happy when facing the natural disaster of skeletons.

As for why Diana agreed, there are many explanations in the game. For example, the situation was very critical at that time and all forces had to be united. The old land aristocracy represented by Emperor Lind and the emerging military aristocracy group where Diana was located were both the main forces. Marriage was naturally the fastest way to stabilize the relationship between them.

and……

The shortage of supplies during wartime is countless times more serious than in peacetime.

Looking at the orphanage behind him, Alvin seemed to have some guesses and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

At this time, Diana, who heard his previous question, also walked to the side of the magic car.

"This car is the result of everyone's joint efforts." Although the short-haired girl still had no expression on her face, her voice revealed a hint of warm smile.

"The magic throttle valves on both sides, as well as the most crucial incinerator of this magic engine, were all treasures that Betty, little Julian, and everyone from the orphanage dug out from that stinking garbage dump in the north of the city after traveling several kilometers back and forth every day for three days."

"These exhaust pipes are the leftover materials that Uncle Hans, a blacksmith in the lower city, secretly left behind to make chimneys for others. It took him a long time to gather enough materials to make them." The girl accurately described the origin of every part of the magic car as if it were her own treasure.

"As for the magical materials used as fuel, although Sister Theresa had always been against me participating in underground racing, she was an old friend of the Toguang Temple and helped me prepare some cheap magical materials."

Diana took a deep breath and continued with a very serious expression:

“My victory was achieved with the help of many people.”

"It's a victory for everyone."

Chapter 41: Gathering Hope

"This is really..." Alvin didn't know what to say, he just remembered the game he had seen before.

The advanced magic car handcrafted by the magic master was actually defeated by a handmade car assembled with an exhaust pipe haphazardly hammered out by a blacksmith in the downtown area and various parts picked up from the garbage dump.

Although in a sense both are purely handmade, the gap between them is huge!

"As for the knowledge of magical engineering, I haven't studied it systematically." When she said this, Diana suddenly seemed a little embarrassed.