Chapter 36: The Roar of Steel
Hearing Joshua's words, Claire's body paused slightly. She blinked her large green eyes, then said with some surprise: "Indeed it is..."
Before being reminded, she hadn't noticed, but now, she felt her breathing was much smoother than before, and her body had become somewhat lighter. This sensation was as if a shackle had been placed upon her when she arrived in this world, and only now had that restraint been lifted.
Hearing her reply, Joshua nodded and said seriously: "I speculate that the Steel Crystals have temporarily absorbed the toxins and negative factors pervading this world. While we're still in good condition, we need to move forward quickly."
As he spoke, he looked around. With the gray mist gone and all suspended particles in the air settled, visibility was exceptionally clear. He felt he could see the scenery at the edge of the horizon.
Withdrawing his gaze, Joshua turned and continued to the others: "In any case, staying put is useless. We came to this world through a one-way teleportation channel, and now, through normal means, we cannot return to the Mycroft Continent. Since that's the case, we might as well search for any anomalies around us and look for possible existing space-time gates."
He added a reminder: "Although all known space-time gates in the Northern Lands are sealed, who's to say there isn't one, like the teleportation channel in the Black Forest of Moldova, that's deeply hidden and undiscovered by anyone?"
Joshua's words were indeed correct. Both Moria and Claire nodded in agreement. Whether it was the reason for their transmigration or their current predicament, everything was shrouded in mystery. Staying put was indeed meaningless. They should indeed search everywhere for anomalies. Perhaps behind those anomalies lay some hidden space-time gate.
"Never thought that we, who are dedicated to sealing space-time gates, would end up searching for possible hidden teleportation channels..."
Moria shook his head, feeling this was somewhat ironic.
Beside them, Rin's condition looked a bit strange.
The golden-eyed, black-haired boy looked around with some confusion. His left hand pressed against his heart, and he seemed to be feeling somewhat unwell.
Joshua naturally noticed this. He walked up to Rin, bent down, and looked directly into the boy's eyes, asking: "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Rin furrowed his brows slightly, leaned close to the warrior's ear, and whispered: "Master, although it's a bit vague, I seem to sense the presence of my kind... faintly, like an illusion."
"I see."
Joshua thought for a moment, showing no unusual expression.
Sensing the presence of Divine Mechanisms was not strange. After all, this world was the origin of Divine Mechanisms and the final battlefield where civilization fought the great decisive battle against Chaos Monsters. Beneath this land, the remnants of Divine Mechanisms were countless. It was no surprise that Rin could sense their presence; at most, it proved his perception was relatively strong.
"Alright, it's nothing major. Don't worry."
He ruffled the boy's hair, finding the smooth texture unexpectedly pleasant, then ruffled it again. Smiling, he said to Rin: "With me here, you just need to wait for battle... Let's go."
Standing aside, Moria and Claire watched Joshua's calm, fearless expression and couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
Such a fearless attitude was indeed rare in the world. How dangerous was their current situation? They had transmigrated to another world. Even a mage specializing in space-time studies wouldn't dare claim they could definitely return. The two of them relied on over a hundred years of accumulated mental fortitude and courage to remain calm and composed in the face of their current predicament. How old was Joshua now? When they were his age, encountering such a situation, they would probably have been scared out of their wits, unable to be so relaxed.
"Truly a born warrior and adventurer. With this temperament, being a lord is somewhat of a waste on him. It really doesn't suit him."
Muttering softly, Moria's gaze grew distant. He seemed to recall, from the distant past, the members of the Radcliffe Family he had known. Then the old dwarf couldn't help but chuckle: "Come to think of it, aren't all those guys like this? Not one of them looks like a good lord."
"Master Moria, come help me put on my armor."
Beside him, Joshua had already picked up the armor that had somehow crossed over with him. This full-body armor, custom-made by the dwarf master for him, was incredibly thick, weighing nearly three hundred kilograms. It would leave a deep pit even on the dusty plains, but the warrior lifted it as easily as a piece of paper.
Joshua had already completed the final charging and imprinting steps during his earlier discussion with Moria about future Mana Armor designs. Perhaps that was why this armor had crossed over with him? But regardless of the reason, wearing it now would at least enhance his combat power.
With Moria's help, Joshua quickly put on the armor. Before the auto-wear enchantment command was written, putting on a full-body armor required someone else's assistance.
Now, the man clad in heavy full-body armor stood on the dusty plains. Every move he made stirred up a large cloud of flying dust. The seamless heavy armor, made of layered scales, looked imposing. Covered in iron, his hands, like demonic claws, clenched and unclenched like iron pincers, producing a forceful grinding sound.
Two golden emblems of a hand holding a sword were stamped on the left and right shoulders of the armor, exuding a heavy authority. Behind the helmet, which had dragon-shaped double horns, two red dots flickered behind the transparent V-shaped steel crystals.
"Feels good."
Nodding, Joshua's satisfied voice came from behind the helmet.
"...At today's banquet, I didn't bring any weapons. I only have a hammer on me." Looking at Joshua's current image, Moria couldn't help but sigh. He began to miss the warhammer and armor in his bedroom. "It's convenient for Divine Mechanism users. Their weapons walk on their own."
As he spoke, he glanced at Rin. The black-haired, golden-eyed boy blinked, completely unaware that he had been described as a 'walking weapon.'
In a sense, that wasn't wrong.
Claire, standing opposite Moria, examined her staff. As a Druid, she originally had no need for weapons or armor. Her emerald green robe, staff, and some magical jewelry were all the equipment this elf had. But now, with the disappearance of Nature's Force and the lack of beasts and forests in this world, her combat power had greatly diminished.
"By the way, Claire."
Joshua's voice suddenly sounded beside Claire. The armored warrior had Rin take out a red ring from the shrinking pouch he had removed.
Joshua handed the Ring of the Twin Fire Serpents to the elf. Under her emerald green eyes, the warrior's voice, muffled through the armor, said: "Your combat power has dropped too much now. If there's a fight later, the situation will be dangerous. I'll lend you this ring for self-defense."
'Finally got rid of this women's ring,' he thought to himself. Regardless, this Gold-rank Transcendent magical equipment, which he couldn't use, had finally found some use.
Claire stared deeply at Joshua for a moment, then hesitantly took the ring. Although she couldn't see Joshua's expression, based on her observations over the past few days, she was sure he had no ulterior motives—this guy's mind probably had nothing to do with romance. He was lending her the ring simply because he happened to have one.
"Does he even know what giving a ring to an elf... no, to a woman means?"
The elf thought to herself, but then confirmed: "Clearly, he doesn't."
Everyone was ready. Joshua, clad in armor, shouted with full vigor: "Let's move."
For him, this was a rare opportunity for adventure and exploration since the transmigration.
After determining the direction and target, the group began to move forward.
Time passed in silence. After walking for about half a day, the crystal rain gradually thinned. The black-red Steel Crystals on the ground began to slowly melt. Gray-black mist rose, red eerie flashes returned to the atmosphere, and the rolling sky above, as Chaos Force gathered, recondensed into an impenetrable darkness.
Joshua noticed that the two states—Mana Drain and the Fireless World—had returned to him. Moria and Claire also showed signs of fatigue. He could see that the flames of life flickering on them had dimmed somewhat.
"So this is what it means to pay soul value to maintain one's existence light... Although the effect seems minor, prolonged exposure leads to all-around weakness, which is very dangerous."
Muttering to himself, Joshua found that he hadn't experienced this condition. Both his mind and body were full of energy, with no sense of fatigue.
After all, he was walking in a set of extremely heavy armor. How could he be more relaxed than them? A Gold-rank warrior's stamina was indeed long-lasting, but this was a Fireless and Mana Drain world.
"Could this be the effect of the so-called Soulflame King?" he wondered. "Soul Abyss... what was that voice talking about? In my past life's game, I never heard these terms."
The Continent of Strife in his past life was, after all, just a game. No matter how real it seemed, it was still a game. Everyone focused on interpersonal relationships and conflicts. Only truly fervent lore enthusiasts would delve so deeply into the game world's background. Joshua, as a not-so-enthusiastic fan, preferred to stand outside other guilds' gates to duel, snatch boss kills, and the like. He really didn't know such in-depth world-building information.
Gradually, the gray mist filled the world again. The group continued walking on the barren dusty plains. If they were ordinary people, they would have long been lost in this directionless land without realizing it. Only Joshua could rely on his system and experience to roughly determine their position and target.
"Alright. Let's take a short break."
Seeing the dwarf and elf beside him showing obvious signs of fatigue, Joshua could only raise his hand and signal everyone to stop. "Rest your spirits, everyone. Pay attention to slowing down the rate of energy loss in your bodies. If there's a fight later, you might run out of stamina halfway."
"Phew."
Letting out a long breath, Moria sat down on the ground without hesitation. He did look somewhat tired. The old dwarf shook his head and sighed: "Old age. Such a short distance, and I'm already feeling tired..."
Beside him, the elf Druid also closed her eyes, sitting on the ground to meditate and rest.
After confirming there were no anomalies around, Joshua and Rin, who weren't feeling very tired, stood aside, both looking toward the peaks and hills in the distance.
"A Fireless world... what does that mean?"
The warrior looked at the black stone mountain, where not a trace of grass existed, only gray-black rocks. He muttered to himself.
Joshua knew that this world's origin was based on fire and born from steel. Fire and steel created the entire Multiverse. But a Fireless world... did it refer to a world without life, unable to sustain souls?
When information was insufficient, pondering such questions yielded no results. Joshua quickly ended this pointless contemplation. He also sat on the ground to rest and recover his strength. The warrior needed to keep his power at its peak to deal with various potential dangers.
Thus, the group fell into silence.
But not long after, a strange sound echoed across the sky and earth.
"Woo—woo—"
A massive steam whistle, as if tearing through eardrums, sounded. The roar of steel operation broke the silence among them. Moria looked up in confusion, while Claire narrowed her eyes and looked around.
Behind the closed helmet, Joshua's eyes widened. He immediately turned his head toward the direction of the sound.
"This sound... it's exactly the same as the steam whistle I heard in my dream!"
(To be continued.)