Translator: CinderTL
Though Roland had known Durga for only a short time, their shared experiences were enough for him to trust the Gray Dwarf Leader's judgment implicitly.
Besides, Durga's primary mission was to find the legendary "Realm of Forged Fire" of his people. He had absolutely no reason to fabricate an excuse to remain stranded on this ominous Aetheron Continent.
Therefore, while Roland's heart sank at Durga's conclusion that their space was sealed, he did not doubt it.
Dwellling on a problem they couldn't immediately solve was futile.
As the saying goes: Since we are here, we must make the best of it.
Finding a way to leave this sealed continent could be discussed later. The immediate priority was...
Roland scanned their surroundings.
According to Hagrid's fragmented account, the Aetheron Continent now seemed to be shrouded in some inexplicable "curse."
The bodies of all the indigenous people living here were slowly undergoing uncontrollable mutations—Hagrid's own appearance was a living example.
More terrifyingly, the demonic beasts on this land had also mutated. And unlike the humanoid races, who were weakened by these changes, the demonic beasts had grown more ferocious, powerful, and bizarre.
Leaving the massive shell ship and everyone exposed on this wide-open ground without any cover would undoubtedly turn them into a conspicuous target in the eyes of potential predators.
Finding a relatively safe stronghold where they could temporarily rest and discuss their next move had become an urgent priority.
With this in mind, Roland crouched down, his gaze falling once again on Hagrid, who lay on the ground with a contorted face and faint breathing. He asked in a low, stern voice.
"Is there anywhere nearby where we can temporarily set up camp?"
Hagrid gasped for breath with difficulty, his two remaining arms trembling slightly from the pain. He lifted his cloudy eyes, looked in a certain direction, and spoke in a hoarse, fragmented voice.
"That... that way... about half a day's journey... You'll see a place... built from scrap metal and stone... We call it... 'Rust Town'..."
After confirming the destination, Roland quickly discussed his plan with Durga and the others. Everyone agreed without objection, and the party set out immediately.
Fortunately, although Durga could not perform interplanar travel, the shell ship itself could still fly at low altitude in this stagnant mana environment by relying on its adjusted rune circuits.
The massive hull rose slowly into the air with a dull hum, steering toward "Rust Town" in the direction Hagrid had pointed.
The name "Rust Town" alone, even without Hagrid's explicit confirmation, was enough for Roland to guess that it was likely the lair of the Rust Knight Order.
To avoid the risk of sailing such a conspicuous shell ship directly into a potential enemy camp, Roland decided to go ahead and scout the area first.
With his swift speed, it took him less than half a day before the outline of a vast settlement—a chaotic heap of twisted metal, shattered stone, and various debris—appeared on the horizon.
As he drew closer, Roland crept forward with increasing caution.
However, the heavily guarded scene he had anticipated, with knights patrolling, never materialized.
The main gate to Rust Town stood wide open, even slightly askew, as if it had been hastily smashed open and left unrepaired.
The town was eerily empty and...
Silent.
Only a few emaciated, ragged commoners moved numbly among the ruins.
Upon seeing Roland's unfamiliar face, they merely cast a brief, vacant glance his way before returning to their meager chores, as if they had lost all interest and vigilance toward any outsider.
Suspicion gnawed at Roland. He stopped an old man who was struggling to pry screws from a metal plate and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, sir. What about the Rust Knights?"
The old man raised his cloudy eyes, glanced blankly at Roland, and then replied in a hoarse voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used in ages.
"Gone... all gone... Lord Donde took them, all gone..."
"Gone? Where did they go?"
The old man shook his head, his face a mask of detached numbness.
"Don't know... no one knows. They took everything they could carry—food, supplies, those big smoking things... Judging by the way they left, they don't plan on coming back."
Roland's heart stirred. He questioned several more people, receiving answers all more or less the same.
The Rust Knight Order, led by their chief Donde, had carried out an extremely hurried and thorough evacuation, stripping away almost all valuable supplies. Their destination remained a mystery.
To confirm this information, Roland carefully slipped deeper into the town, eventually arriving before the most prominent building: the Gear Hall.
The hall's doors stood wide open, its interior a scene of utter chaos. Only the bulkiest, most cumbersome, or already broken items had been left behind, abandoned like the remains of a pillaged site.
Roland stepped into the vast, dimly lit hall, his footsteps echoing softly on the metal floor.
His gaze swept over the discarded junk, finally settling on a strange device in the center of the hall, seamlessly integrated into the building's main structure.
The apparatus stood about a person's height. Its base seemed to be made of a dull, neither-metal-nor-stone material that merged perfectly with the floor. The upper portion featured a curved panel, tilted and embedded with countless tiny, clouded crystal shards. Surrounding the panel were metal scale rings, long since dimmed, and several frozen pointers.
Lusterless energy conduits trailed from the back of the device like withered vines.
The entire apparatus was both ancient and precise, possessing a technological feel from a distant era that clashed jarringly with this dilapidated town.
Roland could faintly sense a trace of extremely weak energy fluctuating within the device—a power that seemed to share the same source as its surroundings, yet was far more concentrated.
But its exact purpose and how to operate it remained a complete mystery.
At dusk, the silence of the Gear Hall was shattered by a chaotic scramble of footsteps and the characteristically coarse voices of grey dwarves.
Durga and his party entered the cavernous building, bringing with them Hagrid, who was under heavy guard. The grey dwarf leader's gaze immediately fell upon the central apparatus Roland had been studying.
He strode forward, stroking his braided beard with a rough palm, his crimson eyes gleaming with the discerning light of a master craftsman.
"This thing..." he murmured, seemingly searching his memory for the corresponding knowledge. "Judging by its structure and materials, it looks like..."
"It's a Magic Net Disturbance Detector! Or at least, an ancient magic device with a similar function!" an excited voice interrupted.
Bronson had practically thrown himself beside the instrument. The usual weariness on his face had vanished, replaced by the fervent glow of one who had discovered a priceless treasure. He circled the device, his fingers hovering just above it, afraid to touch it as if he might disturb a sleeping ancient soul. His voice trembled with excitement as he spoke rapidly.
"According to descriptions I've read in some ancient texts, this device isn't meant for directly observing the stars or physical space. Instead, it's used to detect and visualize the flow, distribution density, and anomalous disturbances of mana within a specific area—usually an incredibly vast one! These crystal wafers..."
The scholar pointed to the curved, slanted panel.
"...should be able to react to subtle changes in the ambient mana and present them in some form!"
After listening to Bronson's explanation, a flash of understanding crossed Roland's eyes. He looked at Durga and Bronson.
"So, do you know how to start it?"
Durga snorted, stepping forward with dwarven confidence.
"The principle doesn't sound too complicated—just energy channeling and rune mapping. Give me some time."
With that, he and Bronson huddled together, their heads nearly touching.
One relied on an intuitive understanding of energy circuits and rune structures, while the other used his vast knowledge of antiquity to verify and supplement. They began to tinker with the silent device, discussing in low voices.
Before long, they removed a rusted cover plate from the side of the device, revealing the complex but mostly damaged internal wiring.
Durga grumbled and cursed as he cleared away the grime and rust, while Bronson carefully deciphered the meanings of the ancient runes on several key nodes.
After a series of breathtaking attempts and adjustments—
Hummm!
A low, ancient-sounding hum vibrated from within the device.
Immediately after, countless tiny crystal wafers on the dust-covered, curved panel began to light up one by one, emitting a faint, pulsating, ghostly blue glow.
The light grew stronger, eventually converging at the top of the panel into a soft pillar of light that shot upward.
On the ceiling of the Gear Hall, it spread out to form a massive, slowly swirling screen of ghostly blue light.
Across the screen, countless tiny points of light were scattered like stars.
Some were sparse and dim, floating in isolation.
Others clustered together, rotating slowly like nebulae, their light relatively bright and steady.
There were also regions where the points of light glowed with an ominous crimson, flashing violently as if representing extreme energy chaos or danger.
"It worked! Haha!"
Durga slapped his thigh in excitement, looking up at the massive energy map.
"I never thought this old relic could still run! With the energy flow and node distribution displayed here, combined with the shell ship's navigation magic formation, I can reverse-engineer the data... We might be able to find the pattern of the interference, or even pinpoint the hidden coordinates and anchors!"
With that, he immediately pulled Bronson—who was equally thrilled—to his side, and the two began a heated discussion, pointing at different areas on the light screen.
Watching their focused figures, Roland's taut nerves finally relaxed a little, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Durga's original goal had been to find the "Realm of Forged Fire." Now, being trapped here was largely because he was escorting him. Seeing a glimmer of hope and a potential breakthrough in escaping this sealed continent, the guilt in Roland's heart also eased considerably.
Since this matter finally has a lead and has been handed over to the professionals... Roland thought.
Then I should go deal with my own business.
With this thought, he turned and walked toward Hagrid, who was imprisoned in a corner.
"Hagrid."
Roland's voice awakened the figure curled up on the ground.
"Tell me everything you know about that ancient ruin in 'The Great Sinkhole'."
However, Hagrid's answer was disappointing.
He struggled to lift his head, his two remaining arms dangling weakly. "The... The Great Sinkhole... I... I never went down there with Donde... I only know... it's far to the northwest... That place... is very sinister..."
A flicker of lingering terror crossed his eyes.
"The parties that go down there to explore... every time they return... their numbers are severely depleted... They say down there... it's not just ruins... there's... 'living' darkness, and... moving metal... as if it has... a will of its own..."
(End of the Chapter)
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