Chapter 370: Chapter 370: The Irresistible Reward
Gnomes, in the ancient times, were referred to as mechanical gnomes. They were not actually creatures of flesh and blood.
Seeing the world of the Ancient Gods, the Titans beheld the havoc wrought by the Faceless Ones and Elemental Beings created by the ancient deities. The land was desolate, and so they decided to reshape this world.
The Titans created rune stone creatures and giant dragons to fight against the armies of the Elemental Beings and Faceless Ones, while the Titans themselves drove out or sealed the ancient gods and the Elemental Lords.
Once the Titans had wrested control of the Ancient God World, they thoroughly transformed it.
The Titans devised their blueprint for transformation based on the geography of the Ancient God World. This blueprint depicted an idyllic world, often referred to as the Emerald Dream, an enormous sub-space, as vast as the Ancient God World but dependent upon it for its existence.
To better facilitate the transformation of the world, the ancient gods constructed numerous functional Titan buildings throughout the Ancient God World.
To assist with the management and modifications of these functional buildings, they created the mechanical gnomes.
At first, these mechanical gnomes had limited intelligence and simply followed the commands of the Titans.
When the Titans had finished reshaping the Ancient God World, they granted the Dragon Clan the power to safeguard it, and thus they came to be known as the Guardians. The Five Dragon Kings led their respective tribes in their assigned duties.
By the time the Titans were leaving the world, their functional buildings had outlived their usefulness, and so they sealed these cities and sent them underground.
Meanwhile, the rune stone creatures and mechanical gnomes were also sealed in the eternal darkness of the subterranean world.
Coveting the energy source the Titans had produced for this world, the Demon Army from the Twisted Void invaded, leading to catastrophic devastation that shattered the world into several continents.
With the shattering of the Eternal Well of Energy Source, the seals that the Titans had established began to dissolve slowly as the energy ceased to exist.
Seizing this opportunity, the sealed Ancient Gods managed to pry open a crack in their prison, stirring up chaos in the world, and triggering the world-altering Curse of Flesh.
Many areas affected by the weakening of the seals saw the emergence of a feeble Human Race, born from the influence on the Vrykul giants.
Similarly influenced, the rune stone beings evolved into the Dwarf Race, and some mechanical gnomes affected by the Curse of Flesh turned into gnomes.
Emerging from the sealed underground Titan City, they began to establish their own civilizations.
However, not all mechanical gnomes were affected by the Curse of Flesh, as not all underground city seals had been weakened.
Take this relic, for example, which the gnomes discovered. Realizing that it contained technology they did not possess, they began to explore.
It can be said that the gnomes had integrated science into their marrow, and no gnome could resist the allure of exploring the ruins of a Titan city.
And so, Li Yao stated: “Naturally, I’m keen to check underground. But take a good look at me, I’m just a mid-level engineer, not very strong. Going down there is likely suicide,”
Miller nodded and said: “Master is right, I will not hide it from Master. We’ve sent many people to explore this relic, but most never return. Many members of our clan have become unconscious mechanical bodies, a part of the guardians of the relics.”
Li Yao’s expression changed. Even though they, too, were descended from mechanical bodies, nobody wished to revert to their mechanical state after generations of procreation and growth.
Quickly, Miller said: “Master, don’t worry, let me finish. Out of desperation, we intentionally leaked the news. In reality, many from the Dark Camp, particularly the goblins, are also exploring this location. After widespread exploration, we reached a surprising conclusion.”
Despite knowing the answer, Li Yao feigned curiosity and asked: “What’s the conclusion?”
Miller whispered: “We discovered that around the outskirts of the ruins, only those below the second level can come and go freely. If one exceeds the second level, no matter the race of the individual, if the God-forbidden areas are touched, they will inevitably be turned to stone and become mechanical. So, both our explorations and those of the goblins have not progressed much.”
“I see, what about the central area?” Li Yao asked curiously, because he did not know much about these ruins; the central area was always sealed.
“Central area, according to the Great Craftsman guess, you need the accomplishment of a Grandmaster to have a little exploration. But our own clan is currently caught in external troubles and internal strife, we simply can’t spare any resources.” Miller sighed.
Li Yao also showed a sad expression. The gnome’s main city had been infected by biochemical substances. Thirty percent of their clan met with brutal deaths, and another thirty percent mutated, capturing the main city. The gnomes were currently gathering in the dwarf’s main city and dealing with the main city’s issues was the main task at hand. Naturally, they wouldn’t pull out their strong forces to explore the ruins.
“Fortunately, Master appeared. You are not of the second level, but your engineering accomplishment is high, making you the best choice to explore these ruins. With your skills, you should be able to tackle a lot of mechanisms in the Titan’s ruins.”
Eagerly, Miller said: “Master, I ask you to take a journey into the ruins. Whatever you find, you can keep it. But if you find the chip, just let us have a copy.”
“Well…” Li Yao’s heart was jubilant, knowing that if Miller were to invite him in, he would undoubtedly give him some top-secret information, which would save him from taking many detours.
“Master, I am really out of options, but the relic is exceedingly important. Therefore, I ask you to please aid us in this mission for the sake of our clan.” After thinking, Miller said: “If Master agrees, I can open my personal collection and let you choose any three items. I heard that Master’s savings had been robbed, I can also give Master some money. And for the journey into the ruins, I have the best adventurers to protect Master.”
As he spoke, Miller clapped his hands, and shortly a small team appeared on the second floor.
“Look, this team, all achieved over fifty consecutive victories in the main arena and earned much glory. They survived several rounds of rigorous selection and triumphed in three difficult trials, their strength, although I dare not say, within the second level, is definitely at the peak.”
Li Yao was relieved. He thought the other party would send NPCs to escort him, which would be troublesome.
Now that he saw they were players, Li Yao could relax.
“What do you think, Master?” Miller was afraid that Li Yao might refuse. He had offered quite tempting conditions, since this matter could not be forced.
“I’ll do it,” said Li Yao, gritting his teeth as if making a life-or-death decision. In reality, he was overjoyed. Choosing three items from his collection was a fantastic deal and went beyond his expectations.
“Alright, since Master is so understanding, I will not be stingy. I see that Master does not have a mount. During the expedition to the ruins, please feel free to use my mount for safe travel.”
As Miller spoke, he took out a golden key and handed it to Li Yao.
Li Yao’s eyes widened at the sight of the key. It was well known that the so-called mounts of gnomes of Miller’s standing were not mechanical birds, but battle puppets….
PS: Although I slept till the afternoon, I feel much better, no itch or pain. Please show your support by voting for the monthly ticket. With the recovery of my strength, the updates will gradually increase. We will have a big push once I feel ready, which I estimate won’t be until the end of the month…