Chapter 663 - 473: Black Stone Territory’s First Miracle Creation
Chapter 663: Chapter 473: Black Stone Territory’s First Miracle Creation
At the edge of the horizon, a black city with a distinct and burgeoning silhouette was faintly visible.
Dusk.
The last ray of golden sunlight gilded the peaks of the Black Stone Mountain Range with a warm glow and draped the newborn city, which seemed to rise from the earth itself, in a magnificent tapestry of twilight colors.
On the city walls, the soldiers on guard leaned against the cold stone battlements, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Suddenly.
THUD.
A deep, muffled thud abruptly broke the silence.
Soldiers who had been idly chatting fell silent. Those polishing their weapons froze in place.
They exchanged confused glances.
"What was that sound?"
"Sounded like... an earthquake?"
THUD!
There it was again, clearer and heavier this time.
Expressions of alarm and uncertainty appeared on everyone’s faces.
As one, they turned their gazes toward the direction of the sound—to the north, toward the rolling expanse of the Black Stone Mountain Range.
And then, they saw it—a sight they would never forget for as long as they lived.
On a distant mountain ridge, an immense black shadow was slowly rising into view.
The shadow’s silhouette was somewhat blurry against the backlighting of the setting sun, but the overwhelming, suffocating sense of pressure that washed over them was undeniably real.
"What... what the hell is that thing?!"
A young soldier on the wall cried out in alarm.
The soldiers scrambled to their posts. Archers, trembling, nocked arrows to their bowstrings, but their eyes remained glued to the approaching behemoth from the north.
It was too big. The thing was simply enormous.
As it drew closer, they finally saw its full form.
It was a walking behemoth made of steel!
It had eight thick, mechanical legs supporting an immense, cube-shaped body like a fortress.
Countless mysterious magical lights twinkled across its body, resembling a moving starry sky in the deepening twilight.
After a brief silence.
In the sky behind the steel behemoth, the figures of the Golden Dragon Sun and the Cloud Sea Giant Whale, which it had previously obscured, came into view.
Only then did the soldiers relax. Their Lord had returned.
Ed, having received a report from a Knight, flew over on the Thunderboltous Griffin King.
Upon seeing the scene, he issued a command.
"Relay my orders! Open the city gates! Clear the square!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a tremendous GROAN, the incredibly heavy city gates slowly swung inward, pushed by the combined might of dozens of soldiers.
In reality, opening the gates was just a formality.
The gates of Black Stone City were spacious, over ten meters wide, but they still looked confining for a steel behemoth several hundred meters in both length and width.
The steel behemoth lifted its eight giant legs, stepping effortlessly over the city walls and into Black Stone City.
Its steps became slower, lighter, and more careful, so as not to trample on the houses and the crowd of onlookers.
Countless citizens lined the streets, their heads tilted back, gazing up with a mixture of shock and excitement as the behemoth slowly strode past, looming over them.
Finally, the steel behemoth came to a halt in the center of the vast, newly-planned square before the Lord’s Mansion, a space large enough to accommodate an assembly of thousands.
It folded its eight mechanical legs, its massive body slowly descending until it settled securely onto the square.
At this moment, Raylo was inside the Mobile Alchemy Workshop, lost in thought.
This was a newly opened operations room.
It was located next to the main control room.
This operations room controlled the Mobile Workshop’s combat functions.
Master Barnaby had already inspected it and come to a conclusion.
’Raylo, my boy, to enable the combat functions, we need to reactivate an Energy Core.’
’One Tier Six Catastrophe Level Magic Core and twenty-four Tier Five Domain Level Magic Cores. That will activate its combat functions!’
’I estimate that once its combat functions are active, it will be able to contend with Catastrophe Level threats!’
Raylo was filled with anticipation.
’The number of Tier Five Magic Cores required is high, but my current inventory can cover it. A Tier Six Catastrophe Level Magic Core, however... getting one of those is a bit too difficult for me right now.’
Not dwelling on a problem he couldn’t solve for now, Raylo stepped out of the workshop.
Outside, Ed and his Knights were maintaining order in the square.
The square was crowded with over a thousand curious onlookers, making it noisy and chaotic.
Seeing Raylo emerge, Ed immediately came forward to greet him.
"Ed, relay my orders."
"From this day forward, the Moonlight Knight Order will be responsible for guarding this Alchemy Workshop."
"No unauthorized personnel are to approach without my permission."
"Yes, my Lord!"
Ed responded with conviction.
’He knew this mobile fortress would become the most critical strategic asset for Black Stone Territory. Its value was immeasurable.’
After giving his instructions, Raylo turned and looked up at the Lord’s Mansion not far away.
He saw two figures standing on the balcony of the Lord’s Mansion, gazing from afar at the behemoth in the square.
It was Mage Delin and Master Wendel.
「Night fell.」
The square of Black Stone City, however, was as bright as day.
Dozens of huge braziers had been placed around the Mobile Alchemy Workshop. Their blazing flames cast a magical interplay of light and shadow across its massive metal hull.
"Phillips... that madman, he actually succeeded..."
Master Wendel muttered to himself.
He reached out a hand, as if wanting to touch the cold metal shell across the vast distance.
"A ’Miracle Creation’... The ultimate Alchemy Fortress of legend, capable of self-propulsion, self-repair, and even self-evolution..."
A glimmer like starlight flickered in Mage Delin’s eyes.
The eyes of the two top Legendary Mages on the Continent shone with the purest thirst for knowledge.
Just then, the sound of unhurried footsteps came from behind them.
Raylo’s figure appeared on the balcony.
"Masters, I trust you’ve been well."
He spoke with a smile.
Delin and Wendel snapped back to their senses. They turned around almost simultaneously, and both pairs of eyes locked onto Raylo.
"Raylo, my boy!"
Master Wendel darted forward and grabbed Raylo by the shoulders.
"That... that thing! It’s Phillips’s ’Mobile Workshop’, isn’t it?!"
"You have a keen eye, Master."
Raylo nodded, not denying it.
"You dug it out of the Black Stone Mountain Range?"
"Yes."
"Heavens..."
Master Wendel let go of him and took two steps back, his expression shifting between ecstasy and regret.
"We... we missed it! To think we were studying some creature from another world and missed the chance to witness a ’miracle’ awakening with our own eyes!"
His tone was filled with bitter regret.
If he had known Raylo was going to bring back such a behemoth, he would have insisted on going to the Black Stone Mountain Range with him, no matter what.
Although Mage Delin hadn’t lost his composure like Wendel, the changing expression on his face also betrayed his inner turmoil.
Looking at the two Legendary Mages, Raylo chuckled to himself.
’He knew the time was right.’
"Masters, if you’re interested in it..."
Raylo turned to the side, making an inviting gesture, a perfectly sincere smile on his face.
"I would be greatly honored to invite you both for a tour inside."
"Of course! Of course we’re going!"
Master Wendel exclaimed, unable to wait. He even took a step forward, ready to jump straight off the balcony.
"Wendel, calm down."
Mage Delin pulled him back, then turned to Raylo and nodded slightly.
"In that case, we would be imposing."
Raylo personally led the way.
The three of them passed through the Lord’s Mansion and out into the square.
Seeing Raylo personally escorting his guests, the Knights on guard all saluted and cleared a path.
When Delin and Wendel finally stood at the foot of the steel behemoth, they were once again awestruck by its massive size and structure.
They tilted their heads back, staring at the metal hull that towered like a mountain range and at the Magic Runes that flowed with radiance in the night, rendered speechless for a long time.