New Blood

The transitional water chapter can be skipped.

The construction of the Mechanical City required a large steel mill, very complex blueprints, and skilled mechanics. Ordinary stone houses, on the other hand, could be built by anyone.

The Alkolon Mountain Range have an inexhaustible supply of high-quality stone.

Strength Extraordinary can carry several tons of stones at great speed; earth-type mages can create mud and concrete to solidify the ground; even ordinary people who have not yet awakened their Transcendent can participate in city construction by utilizing the powerful assistance provided by Mechanical Arm.

Shops in Black Dragon City sell many high-end Mechanical Arm; the city hall also offers Mechanical Arm for rent, specifically for moving heavy objects.

The municipal office issues numerous city construction tasks daily. Although it's hard work, the rewards are quite good. This is an excellent opportunity for lower-level Transcendent and ordinary residents to earn points, and everyone is scrambling to take on these tasks.

Residents don't need to know too much; they just need to go to the city hall to pick up their tasks and then complete them in their designated areas.

Those without technical skills simply move stones, drive piles, and transport excavated soil.

Skilled stonemasons, carpenters, gardeners, and builders were responsible for constructing houses, sculptures, and gardens.

Moreover, because the tax rate in the city is extremely low, the vast majority of people's income from their labor ends up in their own pockets, so everyone is highly motivated.

Millions of people worked together, clearing roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers.

Black Dragon City is changing every day.

Rein and Ymir went to the Oma Imperial Capital, and the round trip will only take two or three months.

But when they returned, they were also taken aback by the "leapfrog" development of their territory.

Just past the pass of the Alkolon Mountain Range, you can already see the two-lane road paved with stones.

Build roads first, then get rich.

This was a key project in the "first two-year plan" that Rein had planned before leaving, and it would run through the Alkolon Mountain Range. I didn't expect that a hundred kilometers of paved road would be built so quickly.

The concept of "highway" is not new in the Ice Ridge Wasteland, but it is rare.

Because other human settlements are all Mechanical City. And Mechanical City are mobile, capable of relocating at any time to search for resources.

Therefore, elsewhere, it is rare to see a lord going to great lengths to build roads whose lifespan is uncertain.

The main city of Black Dragon City is a stone city, and its geographical location determines that it will not lack resources for the next few decades or centuries.

The once rugged and dangerous mountain roads have become unobstructed thanks to the "highway," making it extremely convenient for both the transport of goods and the movement of people.

"That's 'Black Dragon City'? My God, there's such a magnificent city in such a remote place!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a big stone city! There are so many people in the city."

"Look, what kind of magical beasts are those? They look so fierce, but they're carrying things so obediently."

"That's a land-dwelling dragon, a close relative of the flying dragons in the sky. I've heard that only the Kolman people of Black Dragon City know the technology to tame this special magical beast."

"."

Those who came from the Oma Imperial Capital and were in the same group as Rein were all shocked as they gazed at the endless cluster of buildings at the end of their vision.

They came with a sense of unease and anxiety.

Because they had heard that Black Dragon City was a new territory built in a remote mountainous area, a veritable "poor and desolate place".

Upon closer inspection, I initially thought it was a trip to the countryside, but it turned out to be an opportunity to broaden my horizons.

Black Dragon City is in no way inferior to the Oma Imperial Capital in terms of scale, population, or prosperity.

Moreover, in many ways, it is even worse.

Professionals should handle professional matters.

The mechanics who had come with the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences were all drawn to the Mechanical Arm on the craftsmen building the outpost.

"Is that an improved Power Arm of the 'Hegel IV Light Power Arm'? My God, even the Mechanical Arm worn by ordinary craftsmen here are so advanced."

"Yes, it's unbelievable! In our college, this improved technology would at least get an A-level patent."

"Didn't you notice that all the artisans were using the same model of Mechanical Arm? This means that Black Dragon City already has the capability to mass-produce these Mechanical Arm. Moreover, they actually gave these tools to civilian artisans. You would never see this even in any of our Omar territories."

"."

Upon hearing this, the mechanics in the capital fell silent.

Politics being intertwined with academia has left many advanced pieces of equipment and blueprints gathering dust in laboratories.

This is one of the reasons for the slow development of Aoma Machinery Technology.

The nobles did not want commoners to have those advanced Mechanical Arm to assist them in their work; they believed that commoners should be used for manual labor.

Just seeing this, the mechanics from Omar realized that Black Dragon City was different.

"This is just the equipment of the most ordinary craftsmen. It's hard to imagine how amazing the high-end machinery in the city must be."

"I have a feeling that coming here will be the wisest decision I've ever made in my life."

"Let's go and see this 'city of miracles'."

When Rein and Ymir returned, all the officials of Black Dragon City came out of the city to greet them.

From a great distance, you could see the long red carpet.

The welcoming guards on both sides of the red carpet were the imposing "Mecha Tyrant Knight Legion".

These towering bipedal dragons, each over ten meters tall, are equipped with dark-style armor, miniature Steam Boilers, and cannons, creating a striking visual impact.

Then came the Wyvern Legion and the Mechanist Legion. They stood in neat rows on both sides of the red carpet, welcoming Rein's return.

Like a military parade, the welcoming procession showcased almost all of the Black Dragon City army's high-end machinery and combat units currently in service.

This is also a deliberate display of "fist".

Given the current situation, Black Dragon City has no reason to hide its strengths.

Only by putting these "deterrent forces" on the table will those who lurk in the city and want to cause trouble give up their ideas.

Seeing the unparalleled resources and achievements of Black Dragon City, the astonished expressions of the technical talents from Omar never subsided.

Everything here felt new to them, inspiring a sense of awe and confidence.

When Rein and his group arrived, hundreds of thousands of people at the city gate cheered in unison.

"Lord City Lord!"

"Lord City Lord!"

"."

Rein and Ymir got off the motorcycle and waved to the people with smiles.

Rein glanced at the crowd and, to his surprise, saw Ilubeck in the welcoming party.

Rein stepped forward and greeted him, "Teacher, what brings you here?"

Ilubeck smiled, not worried that he might misunderstand, and said half-jokingly, "Of course I'm not here to welcome you, kid."

"Oh?"

Rein raised an eyebrow and gave a meaningful smile; he naturally knew who the old man had come to greet.

Just then, before he could finish speaking, someone behind him called out, "Father."

Turning my head, I saw two middle-aged faces with tears welling up in their eyes.

They were, of course, the old man's two sons.

Behind them were the descendants of the Neto family.

Ilubeck's old face was filled with complex emotions as he said, "You've come."

Ten years have passed since we parted.

After Prince Fox's sudden death, Ilubeck was never able to set foot on Omar's soil again, nor did he ever see his family again.

He had no fixed abode for a long time, and eventually managed to find a place to live in the sewers of City of Radiance.

But that wasn't "home".

Now that Black Dragon City exists, the old man finally feels a sense of belonging to a "home".

Now, he has brought his family over.

"Father, this is your grandson, Pete Pete. Call him Grandpa."

"This is your granddaughter, Kaisa."

"."

Then came a timid "Grandpa".

Ten years have passed, and many new faces have appeared in the family.

Looking at those innocent little faces, their big, watery eyes filled with a mixture of unfamiliarity and curiosity, Ilubeck's eyes welled up with tears. He murmured excitedly, "It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here."

The old man's two sons not only brought members of their Neto family, but also a large amount of equipment and doctors. Together with their students, disciples, and family members, the group numbered in the thousands.

This would be enough to immediately add two large hospitals to Black Dragon City.

Reception is a huge undertaking.

However, Rein doesn't need to worry about the parliament's dedicated reception staff.

Once in the city, the old man led the group of medical personnel to the designated accommodations provided by the medical department.

As he was leaving, Ilubeck said to Rein, "Rein, I'm planning to host a family dinner at home later tomorrow. I'd like to invite you and Ymir over."

"Oh, teacher, you're even willing to cook a meal?"

Rein chuckled and made a joke.

It's quite strange that this old man, who spends all his time in the lab and practically lives on nutrient solutions, would actually think of inviting people out for a meal.

He laughed again and said, "Okay, I'll definitely come!"

Once they entered the city, the medical personnel from Omar left, leaving the population significantly reduced.

The group also included many teachers and students from the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences, who were heading to the "Black Dragon Academy".

As the city lord, Rein naturally had to personally escort these technical talents there.

The group took the city's rail train from the Sixth Ring Road to the "Black Dragon Academy" within the First Ring Road.

Even before they arrived, the academy's higher-ups had received news from the Omarans.

There was also a grand welcoming procession here.

"This Black Dragon Academy is built way too extravagantly."

"I've looked around and haven't seen any houses more beautiful than this one. Even the city lord's mansion and the city hall they mentioned aren't as well-built as Black Dragon Academy."

"This is unbelievable. The academy is even more luxurious than the 'Lord's Mansion'."

"."

The students of the Oma Academy were all astonished when they saw the "Black Dragon Academy" before them.

Elsewhere, the most magnificent building in a territory is undoubtedly the Lord's Mansion.

But here, it's an academy.

Seeing this, the mentors from the Aoma Academy of Sciences, though they didn't say anything, were deeply moved.

The architecture itself reveals the lord's emphasis on the "academy" and also reflects the overall structure of Black Dragon City.

A red carpet was laid out at the entrance of the academy, and a banner was hung at the school gate. "Warmly welcome the mechanics from the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences to join the Black Dragon Academy family!"

They paid great attention to the details.

Black Dragon Academy is still quite shallow in terms of its foundation. Apart from a few mentors who hold the fort, it mainly welcomes students with young and inexperienced faces.

Even so, these Omarai mechanics were flattered and overwhelmed.

After all, when it comes to mechanical technology alone, old man Tuster had completely crushed the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences in the capital city, in "Wussenbar".

They also spotted a familiar-looking old man with a big beard standing in the welcoming crowd.

"That's... Master Cavo?"

Cavo is the Black Dragon Academy Librarian and also the Dean of Black Dragon Magic Academy.

Not only Cavo, but also Habu, the "first warrior" of the Kolman Tribe, is the Dean of Combat Academy.

There are also various vice deans, professors, and mentors.

The only people the academy could spare were its students, who all participated in the welcoming ceremony.

This made the mechanics who had left their hometown of OMA feel a sense of familiarity.

But the shock was only just beginning.

Once they entered the campus, it was as if they had traveled through time, from a slave-feudal society to a democratic society.

"Do faculty members at the college receive housing and directly obtain permanent residency?"

"Does obtaining the 'Junior Mechanic' title entitle trainees to the same benefits?"

"There is no distinction between nobles and commoners here? All students obtain research resources based on their academic performance?"

"."

The mechanics from Omar experienced Rein ' "Talent Housing Plan" for the first time.

They then realized that Black Dragon City had taken care of everything for them to settle down.

If we really have to compare, the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences is more like a group of mechanical craftsmen kept by the nobility to serve them.

At the "Black Dragon Academy," they experienced freedom and felt technology embracing them.

As Tuster said in his speech at the Oma Academy, this place has the purest research environment!

With the last group of people around him finally settled, Rein breathed a sigh of relief.

He and Ymir arrived at the city hall.

I was away for a month or two, and too many things piled up.

"You mean, the Scavenger Gang has already located the 'Tomb Entrance'?"

"Yes, Lord City Lord. Half a month ago, the Iron Boots Scavenger Group discovered a High-tier Demonic Beast gathering area while clearing land in the west. There are many Fifth-tier Wyrm there. They are very powerful; the combat strength of the Lord-tier sub-dragons is no less than that of legendary Transcendent."

"How is the situation now?"

"Elder Wudo has gone to check the situation, but hasn't sent back any further information yet. However, the Perception Extraordinary beings have detected a mysterious creature with an aura far surpassing any Fifth-tier Magical Beast, dormant in that mountain range. We speculate that it could very well be that black dragon."

"Okay, I understand."

"."

Rein carefully examined the intelligence and then handed it to Ymir.

He said, "The Black Emperor's tomb may hold great secrets, but that black dragon is quite troublesome. Intelligence indicates that the black dragon's aura can instill fear even in fifth-tier Lord-tier sub-dragons, so its strength is definitely extremely high."

"Um."

Ymir nodded. "The legendary dragon is a whole rank stronger than other magical beasts of the same level, which means its combat power may have reached the Sixth-tier Extraordinary. Even if we have a numerical advantage, we may not be able to kill it. On the contrary, it may cause us unpredictable losses."

She stated her thoughts directly, saying, "The situation in Omar is very chaotic right now, and for a long time to come, Black Dragon City will be receiving many war refugees. This is a good opportunity for us to develop. If we concentrate our resources on developing the tomb now, there might be unforeseen troubles. Therefore, I think it's not suitable to focus our resources on developing the tomb now."

"Um."

Rein listened and nodded.

There's no need to panic about treasure hunting.

On the Ice Ridge Wasteland, if even Black Dragon City wasn't confident, no one else could possibly beat them to it.

On the contrary, the development of the city is of utmost importance.

Acting rashly could result in the loss of high-level combat power, which could very likely allow other forces that covet Black Dragon City to take advantage of the situation.

After thinking for a moment, Rein said, "There are still large unknown areas to the west of the basin. Let's wait until the Scavenger Gang has explored the surrounding area and cleared out some of the High-tier Demonic Beast before considering the tomb."

He paused, then added, "As for that black dragon, we'll only have a better chance of success once our airship is fully built. Then we'll think of a way to try."

Ymir: "Hmm."