They stood on each side of the road, continually scanning every magical machine that walked past them. A spectrum of strange lights flashed from their compound eyes, and it seemed there wasn't just one type of scan that they were conducting.
Apart from these fixed sentries, a type of metal eyeball the size of a human head was also circling in the skies of the metal city. It had no wings, but it could fly with just as much freedom with a few jet ports blasting out a light-blue light.
They would occasionally and very abruptly stop above a building or magical machine before projecting a wide green beam from their mechanical abdomen. All metal in contact with the beam of light would instantly turn transparent, exposing everything inside to the metal eyeballs.
The city might be large, busy, and filled with plenty of giant machines, but strangely enough, there weren't too many grating noises. Moreover, the construction machines traveling through the city were all carrying something of value in their hands. They were either large metal boxes, a large pile of metal ingots, or some type of rare resource.
Arms looked all across the city, but couldn't find a single magical machine among the hundreds and thousands of machines that was slacking off or simply walking around. They seemed to be constantly working without end as if the concept of exhaustion was foreign to them.
More importantly, Arms felt a powerful mental force from these machines.
Indeed, ever since he had stepped into this metal city, Arms could very clearly feel the air, pieces of steel, and all the metal was permeated by this indescribable mental power. It was as if they were all being controlled and ruled by a single powerful consciousness and will.
It was that strange Third Grade brain!
Arms didn't need any explanation. He had been fully involved in the great battle at the Steel Capital in the Goblin's Plane. He instantly thought of that strange lifeform. That fellow had almost no physical combat ability, but its control of magic energy and mental powers was far beyond Arms abilities.
Who knew the brain would also survive that massive explosion?
While Arms was getting frustrated over his failure to exterminate the brain, the loud rumbling sound of a collision rang out from the thick metal wall behind him. A piercing alarm blasted throughout the metal city immediately after.
It seemed that irritable fire dragon girl had come back to siege the city!
This formerly peaceful metal city immediately transformed after the sounding of the alarms.
The construction machines that had been walking on the metal roads in an orderly fashion promptly stepped to each side. The few giant warehouses and forts near the metal walls immediately opened up. Squads of combat magical machines marched out of these buildings, accompanied by several goblin chariots of exaggerated size.
These magical machines and chariots quickly gathered near the metal wall and got into a formation as they silently waited for orders.
The blows being dealt to the metal gradually got more substantial and more frequent.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The muffled thuds echoed above the metal city, and some loose rocks and stone started to fall from its tall ceiling. However, this didn't deal too much damage to the city.
Many strange metal constructions were embedded on the inside of the metal wall, hundred meters above the ground. When the metal wall was being attacked from the outside, countless tiny cannon openings would open up on the metal wall. These constructions would then move forward and extend their black cannon barrels outward.
An immensely large surge of magic energy would then come up from under the metal city and extend toward the position of these strange metal structures along the metal wall. The magic energy cannons would vibrate silently as the amount of magic energy gathered increased in size. Terrifying energy beams with shocking intensity would then fire out of the barrels.
Arms had no means of knowing what the situation was on the outside.
However, the attacks on the metal had suddenly stopped with the continuous firing of the magic energy cannons. It was as if the enemy no longer had the energy to spare to keep up their attack. Instead, they had to turn their attention toward those fearsome energy attacks.
The short battle ended after no more than fifteen minutes.
Another brief moment later, several dozen metal gates opened in unison. Squads of magical machines and construction machines swarmed outside and launched a final charge at the remaining enemies in the distance.
Soon, the construction machines lifted, grabbed, and raised the bloodied and crippled dragonborn back into the city before locking them up in some unique prison cells.
Arms might not care for the strength of these magical machines, but he still watched the whole thing unfold with a pale expression.
This was Lance, the backyard of low and mid-grade dragon lords!
Arms heart was utterly shaken and in turmoil upon seeing all this happen.
Once upon a time, the dragons were the true masters of this plane, while the dragonborn were the worthy rulers of the land.
Now, much like how the dragonborn had easily slaughtered the native tribes, the metal city was also easily slaughtering the dragonborn in a planned and purposeful manner.
The hunter of the past had become the prey!
Such a turn of fates and upset of roles was truly too much for Arms to swallow.
While Arms was mourning for the dragonborn, a short yet sorrowful dragon's roar rang out within the metal city.
Arms turned to look and happened to see a large group of metal golems upon the tall metal platform. They were working together to move an utterly white dragon covered in semi-translucent white scales down from the flying ship.
The brief roar from earlier had come from this dragon, who had suddenly regained her consciousness.
Frost Dragon Aruntini!
Arms didn't need a closer look. He could tell who this frost dragon was just from seeing her beautiful and crystalline frost scales.
Second Grade Frost Dragon Aruntini was also a rare dragon beauty in Lance.
Sadly, given the circumstance, it seemed she had already fallen into the hands of the adepts.
Arms expression turned increasingly solemn!
Chapter 609 Faen Plane
"What is it? Lord Arms, you know this frost dragon?"
Greem, who was taking Arms on tour through the metal city asked curiously.
Arms hesitated for a moment before nodding his head reluctantly.
"Speaking of which, Lord Arms, how did you know we were here?"
Arms was now a tall man in beautiful blue armor after transforming into a human. He had a handsome face, good posture, and an indescribable aura of might accompanied his every move and action.
Arms rolled his eyes upon hearing Greem's questions. He put on an expression that seemed to be asking Greem 'how dare you even ask me that question?'
"Mmhmm. A good question! Since I've already given Zacha to you, you should know where my territory is located, don't you?"
"If we were to walk seventy thousand kilometers northeast of Stonetalon Mountains and pass through the territories of twelve dragon lords, we would be able to reach Lord Arms' Thunderbolt Cliff!" Greem replied without any hesitation as if he had put research into this matter a long time ago.
Arms expression froze on his face.
"I thought I could stop your footsteps after wiping away the plane coordinates from Zacha's mind. Sadly, I sensed a plane coordinate I had set up being triggered one month ago. That's when I knew something was wrong. In the end, you people still managed to get the specific coordinates of Lance from the Goblin Plane."
Arms' face was full of regret when he said this.
Invading the Goblin Plane was the first activity he had planned independently after becoming a Third Grade dragon lord. However, something as incredibly wrong as this had happened on his very first expedition. Of course he was going to be frustrated!
In all seriousness, it was the significant
mistakes he committed that allowed these adepts to invade Lance. If it weren't for his reckless actions, the young dragons of Lance would not need to be subjected to such calamity. They could still enjoy their comfortable and luxurious lives as dragon lords without any worries.
Greem was slightly relieved upon hearing Arms' explanation.
Thunder Dragon Arms had personally set the planar coordinate they had teleported to in the very first place. It was entirely normal for him to have left something behind in the coordinates. In all honesty, Greem was glad that this was the case.
If Arms had discovered Greem and his adepts through other means, didn't that mean that the actions of the adepts were completely exposed to higher dragons? Now that he had confirmed that Arms had only found them via the planar coordinates, it meant that the Crimson Clan's invasion had yet to be discovered by the higher dragons.
It was perfectly understandable!
The dragons had always been a long-lived species. Their understanding and attitude toward time were completely different from humans.
It had, at the very most, only been a month since the Crimson Clan had invaded Lance. This much time wasn't even enough for most dragon lords to take a brief nap. The existence of the metal fortress was also only slowly spreading through the few dragon lord territories near Stonetalon Mountains and the Swamp of Sorrows. Dragon lords who were slightly further away had no knowledge of their presence and had no interest in the matter either.
Much like their seven hundred kilometer trip to ambush Frost Dragon Aruntini, the dragons would not be prepared at all. At the very least, they were not prepared for these outsiders. That was why Greem and the others were able to capture the frost dragon alive in a mere fifteen minutes. They were pitting unprepared against prepared, and unaware against aware.
If the frost dragon had possessed even a slight idea of what was about to happen, she wouldn't have lost so decisively and so terribly.
Now she had fallen from a superior dragon lord to a future product to be evaluated and assessed on a stage by various adepts!
Third Grade Thunder Dragon Arms had signed an agreement of mutual battle aid with Greem, after all. Strictly speaking, the two of them should still be considered allies. Unfortunately, now that the fires of war had spread to Arms own home, their positions and relationship had also turned exceptionally awkward.
"Lord Arms, now that we have arrived here, we won't easily be leaving either. To better coordinate the relationship between the two of us, I feel like there's a need to understand your attitude," Greem went straight at the heart of the issue, "How do you intend to deal with our entrance into Lance?"
Greem's question was straightforward. He was basically forcing Arms to explain whether he was friend or foe.
After all, this Third Grade thunder dragon knew the true identities and strength of Greem and the Crimson Clan. Greem and the others would have to pay an alarming price to take him down if he chose to become the enemy of the clan.
Greem wasn't that stupid either.
The parts he had brought Arms on a tour of were only the uppermost buildings of the metal fortress. The core components and areas of the metal fortress were actually hidden in the mines over several hundred meters below. Moreover, there was Gazlowe the Third Grade brain monster. With the sustenance of the enhanced magic energy furnace and the home field advantage, Gazlowe would not be much inferior to Thunder Dragon Arms in a fight.
Furthermore, Greem also had the hidden chesspiece that was Dragon Devourer Oliven. It might not be a simple thing–even if he tossed her into the fray at a critical moment–but at the very least, it could intimidate this proud thunder dragon lord.
That was why Greem was able to face off against Arms the Third Grade dragon lord so calmly despite only being a Second Grade adept. He had cards in his hands.
Frustration; infinite frustration.
If Arms could, at this moment, trade half of his wealth in exchange for the adepts' retreat from Lance, he would agree without any hesitation. Sadly, it was virtually impossible to have the enemy retreat for such minor benefit after they had experienced their first taste of profit from Lance.
That was why even Thunder Dragon Arms himself, after much consideration, didn't know what to do!
The Arms of the past might have resorted to martial force if he failed in his negotiations. However, after the battle in the Goblin Plane, he already had a broad and cutting experience of the sinister, wicked, and cunning nature of these adepts. If he were to resort to force… Arms took a look at this 'meeting hall' with walls thick enough to contest a metal prison and once again sensed the great mental flux that was always around him.
In the end, Arms utterly gave up on the very idea of solving the issue with violence!
Since there was no way he could chase the adepts out of Lance, then he would have to compromise and strive for the next best option. Arms would try to ensure that the thunder dragons, at least, were not affected in any way by the adepts' actions.
Both parties engaged in a sincere and in-depth discussion over the following period.
Half a day later, Arms finally left the metal fortress in secrecy upon obtaining a satisfactory result.
…………
The World of Adepts, the Tower of Fate.
Alice's tall and slender figure was slowly revealed as the brilliant starlight radiating from the astrology platform gradually dispersed.
As she walked out of the magical array with a solemn expression, Helen, who had been watching over from aside, flew over as she spread pixie dust everywhere.
"How is it? How is it? Did you get any results this time?" Little Helen floated above Alice's shoulders, leaned by her ear, and softly asked.
"So what if I did? So what if I didn't?" Alice seemed dejected.
"There needs to be a result!" Little Helen anxiously flew about near Alice as she said, "You've already exhausted so much of your life. If you don't get a result still, you…"
Little Helen suddenly stopped speaking.
She could clearly see from her angle that her master, who was not even a hundred years old yet, was already experiencing the effects of aging. Her originally silky silver hair had now turned completely snow white. That made Alice's face seem all the paler. Her frail and weak body seemed even weaker as if a single gust of wind would blow her away.
Alice gave it some thought before shaking her head and putting on an ugly smile, "I'm very sorry, but it seems there are no results this time either!"
Little Helen flew in front of Alice. She placed her hands on her waist, pouted, and stared angrily at her master.
"Do you think we magic fairies are all idiots that you can fool as you like? I saw it very clearly. The past few times you divined, the magic array has responded to the powers of the star, and pronounced abnormalities have occurred. These are the telltale signs of successful divination. How long do you intend to lie to me?"
Alice straightened her body and sighed distantly, "So what if it succeeded, so what if it didn't? If Fate pointed out a path to you that cannot be passed through, then isn't it the same as having no path before you?"
"What exactly was Fate's hint to you? Weren't you asking about the direction of your Second Grade advancement? Why would Fate point you toward a dead end?" Little Helen asked curiously.
Alice stared at the starlight on the astrology platform that had yet to disperse completely, "I have divined three times in a row. Fate keeps hinting to me that my only chance at advancing to Second Grade will be the planar expedition three months later. That's the invasion of a mighty mid-sized plane. Do you think we of the Tower of Fate have the right to participate in such a massive invasion with our current prowess?"
Little Helen was also shocked upon hearing this.
She had also never expected her master Alice's opportunity of advancement to fall upon a different plane, much less one that possessed a powerful native civilization.
Alternate planes like that often had terrifying otherworld
ly deities guarding them. They were not like those small-sized planes, where people could enter and exit as they wished. Completely devouring such a plane would easily allow any adept organization to expand at a rapid rate.
However, in comparison, the difficulty of invasion would also increase by several dozen times or even several hundreds of times!
One could responsibly say that the invading adept organization would be very likely to be exterminated on these terrifying planes if they didn't have the necessary power. It wouldn't even be a matter of profits and benefits then, but a question of survival.
Alice had once offered up the planar coordinates of a large-sized plane during the Witch Council. According to tradition, the other Northern Witch branches had to offer up planes of equal quality that they held in their hands if they wanted to participate in any invasion activities related to that plane.
After some hesitation, all the leaders of the various witch branches could only announce the coordinates of a mid-sized plane that they held in their hands. They couldn't possibly be as powerful as the large-sized plane that Alice offered to the Council, but they also possessed many plants, animals, magical creatures, and all sorts of other resources.
The three consecutive divinations that Alice conducted this time pointed toward the mid-sized plane that the Pale Witches had shared with the rest– the Plane of Faen.
According to the rules, the Pale Witches would be opening a portal to Faen in three months.
When that happened, all the witch branches could freely send troops and forces to participate in the robbing of Faen. Moreover, everyone would be able to keep the spoils that they reaped in the war.
It sounded like a perfect and just operation for everyone, but an opportunity like this might as well be non-existent for the weak Witches of Fate.
The Witches of Fate would be seeking their own death if they were to go robbing a mid-sized plane with their current strength.
Thus, Alice hesitated. She was lost, and she was uncertain.
Chapter 610
"Don't you have that Greem person?"
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 381