Mechanical Heart, Elemental Lifeforms, Searching for the Mystery Boxes
"Barbabia Gabriella Gold Beard."
Ronan murmured the name, lost in thought.
This is clearly a dwarf's name, and the "Dordor Short Tail III" written on the previous plaque should refer to the name of the gray goat he is currently holding.
So, this metallic gray goat is the pet of a female dwarf named Barbabbia?
Ronan had read some documents about dwarf civilization.
Dwarves are an extremely rugged race. They are naturally strong, skilled in forging, and almost all of them are born master craftsmen.
Within the dwarf race, most dwarf surnames are named after their forging tools, such as "Steel Hammer," "Bronze Furnace," and "Silver Grindstone."
Those who can use their beard, which is the dwarf race's greatest pride, as their surname are generally nobles within the dwarf race.
Because dwarves value their beards too much.
Even the women of that race have thick, bushy beards. If two dwarves fall in love at first sight, it must be because they are attracted to each other's beards.
Ronan wasn't sure exactly how prestigious the surname "Gold Beard" was among the dwarves, but it was certainly a noble surname.
If we consider the "three generations" suffix in the name of the Grey Goat, it's possible that he might even be royalty.
Ronan gently stroked his smooth chin, looking at the unusually docile and obedient lame gray goat in his hands.
If it were an alchemical pet given to a beloved daughter by a dwarven royal family, then its extraordinary qualities would seem quite reasonable.
"Looks like... I still found a treasure."
Ronan thought for a moment and tried to slowly loosen his grip on the gray goat.
He was constantly on guard against the guy escaping.
To his surprise, after he pinched it a little harder, the previously slippery and cunning lame thing became incredibly docile.
Moreover, she developed a strange affinity for him, constantly moving closer to him and even sticking out her tongue to lick his ankle.
"Is she scared by me pressing her down?"
Ronan's eyes flickered slightly. "Is it because dwarves are born with superhuman strength? The dwarf Princess who was its former master used to pinch it as hard as I did when we played with it... This guy got used to being abused, so it mistook me for its former master?"
Whatever the reason, the Metal Puppet named "Short-tailed III" displayed a level of intelligence far exceeding Ronan's expectations.
The fact that a magical puppet could possess such a level of spirituality reminded him of the Dawn Rank Silver Staff he had encountered in the Mirror Garden secret realm, which had developed self-awareness.
Ronan took out several High-Level Magic Stones from his Space Ring and handed them to the goat, but the goat ignored them and stared longingly at his right hand, where activated Nightmare Tungsten Steel and Neumann Metal were attached.
"Does it feed on metal?"
Ronan's eyes flickered, and he took out a few spare metal pieces from his ring and tossed them to the gray goat. The goat immediately ate them up in a few bites, just like it was eating grass, and then looked at him with increasing affection.
"That's true."
Ronan was slightly surprised, so he tossed over a few more pieces of metal, and then casually put them into his ring while the other person was looking down at them.
At this moment, the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent arrived, and Ronan finally had a moment to examine the small pit that the Gray Goat Puppet had just dug out.
At the bottom of the pit, a black metal base was revealed. The base had a circular groove, more than a finger deep, and the bottom of the groove had rune-like indentations.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he took out the magic box he had been using as a guide. Before he could make a further move, the box, made of countless brass gears, suddenly disintegrated on its own, flowing like water into the circular groove with a "click-clack-clack—"
The continuous whirring of metal mechanisms made Ronan instinctively take a step back, and then he saw two metal cylinders, seemingly cast in brass, rapidly rise from the ground.
The pillars are engraved with intricate and beautiful patterns, resembling layers of intertwined black vines...
"Bite--"
Something flew out from between the metal cylinders, and Ronan caught it in his hand.
Opening my palm, I found a golden gear about the size of a thumbnail, which looked incredibly exquisite.
Before Ronan could examine it closely, a strong energy fluctuation emanated from his eyes. Streams of light rapidly intertwined between two brass metal cylinders, eventually transforming into a white vortex resembling an archway, from which a faint, mysterious, and ancient aura emanated.
"This saves me the trouble of finding the entrance."
Ronan surveyed the vortex archway before him, noticing wisps of gray smoke swirling like snakes around the vortex.
His eyes flickered slightly as he reached out and gently touched the gray smoke, watching it slip away like sand through his fingers. A faint sense of weariness emanated from his fingertips, a power akin to the Time Curse.
Only sufficiently ancient entrances to secret realms possess the power of the Time Curse, suggesting that the Mechanical Heart Ruins are indeed quite old.
Ronan spread his five fingers and tried several methods to intercept a portion of the power of the Time Curse, but all of them failed.
In the Wizard World, there are several schools of magic that are recognized as transcending ordinary elemental magic, possessing an unparalleled and exalted status. Once mastered, they will undoubtedly possess immense power that others cannot attain.
Time spells, Space Magic... are all included.
Especially time-based magic; Ronan searched through all the wizarding books but couldn't find any examples of anyone who had mastered the power of time.
To master time means to possess infinite lifespan, infinite wisdom, and infinite power. Even in ancient times, or even earlier, the power of time was a vague and unattainable legend.
Any spells that use the name "time" in popular usage are not true time-based spells. For example, the "Aging Aura" cast by the [Resurrection Society] Dark Head who died at Ronan's hands was merely a high-ranking Curse-Type Spell that forcibly stripped the opponent of their life force, thus achieving an effect similar to being rapidly aged by the passage of time. Ronan had just successfully integrated the power of space into his spell system, and his ambition had swelled. He was so greedy that he even had the idea of touching the Throne of Time.
As it turns out, this was nothing but wishful thinking.
Ronan shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic idea, and prepared to enter the vortex archway.
"Why are you so short?"
Found by the puppet gray goat "Shorttail III", the vortex archway that opened the Pandora's Box, after it was fully formed, only reached Ronan's chest in height.
Ronan had to bend over to get in, let alone the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent.
Considering the height of the dwarves, Ronan suddenly understood the height of the vortex archway, which only served to further confirm that it was indeed the correct entrance to the Mechanical Heart.
Ronan instructed the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent to guard the entrance, then lowered his head slightly and stepped gently into the vortex archway.
"Whoosh—"
"Clang! Thud—"
The thick, reddish-brown cloud struck the smooth, deep silver round shield with a metallic clang.
The deep silver shield was flung outwards with tremendous force, unleashing immense energy that shattered the thick clouds. Immediately afterward, a tall and slender figure appeared from the void.
With blue eyes, chestnut hair, and a handsome yet spirited face, Ronan had just entered the secret realm.
At this moment, Ronan frowned slightly as he looked at the magic shield in front of him, which was concave in the center and covered with large areas of rust.
He wasn't too surprised to be attacked as soon as he entered, since exploring any ancient secret realm always carries risks, and being "killed upon entry" is quite normal.
What truly surprised him was what attacked him.
The thick, reddish-brown cloud that he had forcibly dispersed with his magic was now gathering again not far away, and was vaguely transforming into a huge shape that resembled a beast or a rhinoceros.
Ronan squinted at the thick clouds before him. The Eye of Truth was woven between his brows, and with his mental power, he could detect that it was a kind of "Elemental Lifeform" naturally formed from a large number of metal particles and Metal Element energy particles.
The concentration of Metal Element free energy particles in this space is astonishingly high, so it's not surprising that such Metal Element Elemental Lifeform could emerge.
Judging from the intensity of the attack it just launched, this thing's strength is probably around the mid-stage of level two, and it is extremely aggressive. After being repelled by Ronan once, it immediately launched a second attack.
The enormous metallic Elemental Lifeform form roared towards Ronan, carrying a thick aura of rust.
Ronan remained calm as he extended his right hand toward the approaching rhinoceros-like Elemental Lifeform, countless mysterious energies belonging to the Extraordinary Magic Domain flowing rapidly from between his five fingers.
"Ding ding ding—"
Like the sound of iron swords breaking free from the weapon rack, the two metals, after being [[Space Silvering]], transformed into countless palm-length, handleless daggers, rushing towards the metal rhinoceros like a swarm of silver bees.
If you look closely, you'll find that each of these handleless daggers is very similar to a "Mirror Dagger".
"Whoosh—"
In the instant that countless short daggers flew out, the ground, the air, and countless streams of metallic energy particles were drawn out, also stained with silver, turning into streams of silver mist, like the dazzling tail flames of countless short daggers.
In an environment with an extremely high concentration of Metal Element energy particles, Ronan's Metal Element spells were greatly enhanced, and the power of his Extraordinary Magic Domain, [Living Steel], was pushed to an unprecedented level.
In an instant, the menacing rhinoceros-shaped metallic Elemental Lifeform was struck by countless short daggers, its forward momentum brought to a halt.
Countless streams of silver mist swirled around the "rhinoceros's" body. Although they were quickly stained reddish-brown by the corrosive power emanating from its body, a trace of spatial Stasis power emanated from each of the silver daggers.
"Bite--"
In an instant, the "red rhinoceros" was pinned to the ground in mid-air.
Ronan closed his outstretched fingers, and with a crisp "crack," the entire metallic Elemental Lifeform form shattered, turning into smooth, reddish-brown fragments that fell from the sky.
A streak of black and red broke free, trembling as it tried to fly away, but was held back by Ronan's mental power and captured in his palm.
Ronan's eyes flickered slightly as he swiftly retrieved a clump of gray powder and a bottle of black potion from his Space Ring.
He crushed and mixed the two materials, then used his left fingertips as a pen to quickly draw a complex and mysterious rune pattern in the void.
He flicked the semi-solidified rune toward his right hand, while at the same time, dense frost power gathered in his palm. Soon, the vibration stopped, and Ronan held a fist-sized block of dark blue ice in his hand.
Ronan studied over three thousand runes in the Silver Magic Ring Ascetic Loft. This was one of them, possessing a sealing effect. Combined with the sealing power inherent in Ice Magic, it was just right to suppress the trace of spirituality within the metal elemental core.
This Elemental Lifeform core, imbued with its own spirituality, is of great research value, especially for wizards who follow summoning or puppet-based playstyles.
Ronan could keep it for his own research or trade it with someone.
Through the sealed ice, Ronan saw that the so-called core of Elemental Lifeform was a rusty metal disc about half the size of his palm.
It was missing a corner, and its surface was covered with traces of rust.
One side is engraved with a rhinoceros, while the other side has several lines of small characters engraved on it. However, due to its age, the characters have been rusted and are now blurred. Only a few words written in the dwarven language, such as "Sha Ba...", can be barely made out.
Ronan glanced at it briefly, then put it into his Space Ring before finally having a chance to examine the ancient secret realm before him.
He was on a long street at the time.
The long street was extremely wide, and I estimate it could accommodate at least eight carriages side by side.
The entire long street is paved with metal, and traces of runes can be seen in many places. On both sides of the street are metal buildings of varying heights. The overall color scheme is mainly black and brass, giving people an exceptionally heavy and solid feeling.
These metal buildings are generally very tall and have a rugged design, but the doors are not tall, which is typical of dwarf architecture.
Whether it's the long street or the buildings, without the maintenance and protection of the Rune Array, they have become rusty and dilapidated after being eroded by time.
Many buildings bear the marks of being bombarded by magic, perhaps the work of wizards who came here to explore before.
Ronan turned the flight ring, and he slowly rose into the air, his field of vision expanding continuously.
As Ronan ascended to higher ground, he discovered that the Mechanical Heart Ruins were far larger than he had anticipated.
He estimated that he had flown up to a height of four or five hundred meters, but he still hadn't fully brought the Mechanical Heart into view.
All around, there were metal buildings standing side by side like building blocks, with wisps of reddish-brown, dark brown, and silvery-brown smoke rising and swaying, just like wisps of cooking smoke.
"The Mechanical Heart is like an immensely vast city-state."
Ronan looked down at everything below, imagining that thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago, a thriving dwarven civilization once flourished here.
Later, for reasons unknown, this civilization collapsed.
All the dwarves left, and the magnificent city-state was abandoned. Ronan thought to himself as he slowly took out the golden gear left behind by Schubert's Box of Wonders after he opened the entrance.
He had not forgotten why he had come here in the first place.
A tiny golden gear hovered in front of Ronan, rotating slightly at an extremely slow speed.
Kosti had told Ronan that Schubert's Marvelous Mystery Box had a special connection between its boxes, allowing one box to be found by another.
He attempted to move through the air, and his body began to descend, getting closer to the top of the buildings in the city-state below.
Meanwhile, his mental energy was constantly monitoring the rotation speed of the golden gear.
But Ronan soon discovered that although the gear did have a certain "guiding" function, like a compass, his method of searching was far too inefficient.
Or, to put it another way, the sensing range of the gears is too small.
Or perhaps, the distribution density of Schubert's Marvelous Mystery Box within the Mechanical Heart was too low.
"It's no less difficult than trying to find a needle in a haystack with a tiny magnet."
Ronan pursed his lips, continuing to follow the gears' guidance while pondering if there were any ways to improve efficiency.
He didn't deliberately avoid the metal Elemental Lifeform that roamed the city-states. He would suppress them whenever he encountered them. Along the way, he collected quite a few Elemental Lifeform form cores.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
It sounded as if something was constantly banging against the tightly closed door.
Ronan stopped, stroking his Space Ring with his right hand, his eyes flickering slightly as if he were deep in thought.
After a moment, he calmly turned the ring.
"Whoosh—"
A gray shadow darted out of the ring space.
Then, with lightning speed, it pounced on the golden gear that was suspended in mid-air.
"Snap!"
Dordor Short Tail III stretched his neck, staring longingly at the golden gear so close to his eyes, his pink tongue stretched to its limit, desperately trying to lick the edge of the gear.
Unfortunately, Ronan held its entire neck tightly with one hand, turning the few centimeters into an insurmountable chasm.
"Meow~~"
After repeated unsuccessful attempts, Dodor the Short-tailed III looked at Ronan with pitiful eyes, his eyes full of longing.
"You want to eat this?"
"Meow~"
Dodor Shorttail III nodded, Ronan's expression shifted slightly, as he gained a new understanding of the intelligence of the lame gray goat in his hand.
"This thing is very important to me."
The light in Dodor Shorttail III's eyes dimmed.
"But.."
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "If you can lead me to more boxes that contain this thing, I might consider giving it to you."
"Meow~"
Dodor Shorttail III responded, his little head immediately turning in one direction, his four short legs kicking vigorously in mid-air, as if he couldn't wait to take Ronan there.
"It actually works?"
Ronan blinked, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had only thought that this puppet gray goat had existed in the Mechanical Heart for who knows how long, making it a true native.
I might know where the Schubert's Amazing Box is hidden, so I thought I'd give it a try.
To his surprise, the other person actually acted as if they knew, which took him by surprise.
Ronan released his grip on Dodor Shorttail III, protecting the spinning golden gear in his palm, and then said calmly, "Let's go, lead the way."
Dodor Shorttail III gave Ronan's hand a longing look, then took off in a flash, his short legs carrying him away.
This creature feeds on metal, yet it disdains the metal scattered throughout the Mechanical Heart Ruins city-state.
Ronan guessed that it might be because the metal was rusted and rotten. This guy, as a "royal pet sheep," was used to being pampered and looked down on these "stale" metal fodder.
"Such strong spirituality is almost stronger than that of the Dawn Rank Silver Staff in the Mirror Garden secret realm."
As Ronan followed closely in Dodor Shorttail III's footsteps, his eyes gleamed, and he secretly planned that when he had time, he would definitely dissect this lame sheep and study it thoroughly, inside and out.
Even if this guy doesn't represent the pinnacle of the Metal Puppet forging technology of the Mechanical Heart Dwarf civilization, it must be at an extremely high level.
If he could figure out the dense Rune Array inside its body, he might be able to decipher a powerful Metal Puppet Spell Inheritance.
Soon, Dodor the Shorttail III led Ronan to a certain location.
Ronan followed behind him, watching as the guy crashed headfirst into a huge hemispherical black metal building with a "thud," as if he had just broken through a thin sheet of paper.
A few breaths later, it came running out, wagging its tail and carrying a dark, fuzzy thing in its mouth.
Something seemed to be following behind them; heavy footsteps echoed continuously, as if some enormous creature was rapidly approaching.
Ronan stood in front of the hemispherical black metal building, watching Dodor the Short-tailed King dart up behind him with a metal magic box in his mouth, and then cautiously peek his head out from between his legs.
He didn't bother to check if the magic box the man was talking about was the same one he was looking for; instead, he stared intently in the direction of the hole from which the heavy footsteps were coming from.