Conversion and Declaration of War

Clack, clack, clack—

Amid the rattling of complex drive shafts and mechanical limbs moving swiftly through deep, winding passages, chains of Glow Oil Vehicles loaded with supplies made sharp ninety-degree turns without obstruction and easily crossed the uneven depressions in the ground.

That was because these so-called "vehicles" did not have a single tire. They moved entirely on supporting mechanical arms resembling the limbs of a many-legged centipede.

The reason for this design was simple.

Neither the ice fields of the Surface World nor the complex tunnels of the Underground World could be traversed normally by traditional wheeled vehicles.

The former caused severe skidding, while the latter could trap or overturn vehicles due to their complex terrain and steep, narrow passages.

Only such slim, elongated, highly maneuverable vehicles could move quickly and freely through them.

The complex mechanical limbs could not only break through ice to prevent skidding, but also brace themselves against the walls of Underground World tunnels to cross obstacles such as deep pits and underground rivers.

If they had not seen it and experienced it firsthand for several consecutive days, the expedition members would never have believed that a journey which had originally required over half a month, or even a full month, could be completed in barely more than twenty hours.

They did not even have to worry about attacks from Monsters, beasts, or raiders lurking in the darkness along the way.

If anything dared approach, the sharp-tipped mechanical limbs would mercilessly impale it, often cutting a person in half with a single strike.

"This was simply the easiest, most comfortable, and safest Surface World expedition I've ever experienced. With these vehicles, we could even try establishing contact and trade with other nearby settlements and cities."

The leader gently stroked the fully automated operating system and