Strangeness and the Thousand-Faced Moon

Evan put away the Sea Soul. The three Great Wizards rose into the air and flew together through the Brass Gate as it thundered open.

A blinding flash of gold light vanished in an instant.

When their vision returned, they found a vast sky stretching before them, while their group stood on a solid metal surface.

Hiss!

White steam curled up around them.

Deep beneath their feet came the faint, low roar of steam-powered machinery, yet not a trace of dirty smoke was released.

"This is..."

Evan looked into the distance. Before him lay a vast plain formed from countless enormous metal gears.

Its total area exceeded 1,200 square kilometers, at least four times larger than the expanded Sorcery Garden · Poseidia City after Evan had obtained the Seed of Space-Time.

The entire place formed a perfect circle. At its center stood a towering metal spire that pierced the clouds, like the incomparably intricate core of a clock.

Beneath a translucent indigo sky much like that of the Spirit World, the spire was divided into three sections.

Apart from the hundred-meter-tall base, both upper sections floated in midair, as though gravity had completely vanished from the skies of this Sorcery Garden.

Furthermore, there was no soil or vegetation anywhere in the Mechanical Realm. The strongest impression it gave was one of absolute cleanliness! Absolute smoothness! Absolute symmetry!

Though it consisted of an uncountable multitude of gears, they were fitted together seamlessly. Not a single component was superfluous, displaying an industrial beauty of extreme precision.

Evan slowly withdrew his gaze.

At this moment, a humanoid construct puppet with a round head set with a sapphire was already waiting beside them.

"Beep! Registered identities confirmed.

Greetings, Mister Garratt, Lady Sera, and Mister Snyder! I am Construct Puppet No. 8, assigned to serve