There are many gears here, larger than a room, hundreds or even thousands of gears of different sizes intertwined, relying on a power system to ensure the operation of the entire city. The Gnomes's design is indeed ingenious, but it also has a fatal flaw.
"The power system is too simplistic!" Xiao Feng commented in Jiang Jie's mind, dismissing it with disdain.
Jiang Jie nodded to himself, confirming his suspicions.
The reason the Gnomes were forced to retreat step by step without any resistance during the Rockjaw Trogg invasion was because the Hall of Gears was occupied by the Rockjaw Trogg in the first instance, many gears were destroyed, and the operation of the entire Gnomeregan was greatly affected.
If each area of Gnomeregan operates independently, then even if Rockjaw Trogg invades one area, the other areas can immediately activate defensive measures to minimize the damage.
Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness of potential crises.
Gnomeregan has virtually no defensive capabilities.
Yes, it is well-hidden in itself, with only one surface entrance and exit, but how can we not consider threats from underground?
It was in the Hall of Gears that Jiang Jie met the Mech Marines.
There were more than thirty Arcane Nullifier in total, and then there were several Gnomes riding mechanical Hawkstrider, wearing glasses that shimmered with dark green light, looking very stylish.
Of course, even riding mechanical Hawkstrider, they could only look at Jiang Jie at eye level, not down; height determined everything.
At this very moment, they are fighting, or rather, defending, a group of Rockjaw Trogg.
Although their Arcane Nullifier had clearly been modified, with a much larger launch net and two powerful mechanical arms and claws, it lacked flexibility. Therefore, it could only defend itself in a nearby passage and had no chance of counterattacking.
" Amy! Holy Light God! You're alive and back? I thought you'd been killed by the Rockjaw Trogg!" A Gnomes's eyes lit up when he saw Amy: "We almost lost you!"
"I've brought reinforcements, Murd Doc!" Amy shouted back, then introduced, " Prince Brann of Ironforge and Marquis Nicholas of Lordaeron!"
"A prince? A marquis? Two important figures?" Murd Doc was clearly excited, shouting, "Your Highness! Your Excellency! Murd Doc has heard of your great names! If you need anything, come to Murd Doc anytime! Murd Doc is the captain of the first squadron of the Mech Marines! We will meet all your demands, as long as you can afford it! Of course, you certainly can afford it!"
Jiang Jie was taken aback. They're already advertising? What's going on?
" Marquis Nicholas, the Mech Marines... they're not an official force of Gnomeregan, but... a private organization." Amy explained somewhat awkwardly, "You know, Gnomeregan is ruled by the Tinkers' Court, but in reality, this rule is quite loose, so..."
Jiang Jie understood.
No one in Gnomeregan has absolute authority, High Tinker Mekkatorque is no exception. It is relatively "democratic," somewhat similar to Dalaran.
There are advantages, and of course, there are disadvantages as well.
Gnomeregan lacked a sufficiently strong official army, and thus proved easily defeated when faced with an attack from the Rockjaw Trogg.
However, various organizations subsequently began research and development to address the dangers, and then accepted employment from the Tinkers' Court to participate in the war to defend Gnomeregan. The Mech Marines were one of them, and they were probably one of the more powerful ones.
"Of course! We will cooperate, Captain Murd Doc!"
Jiang Jie figured the Mech Marines would be useful in many situations in the future, so he nodded his thanks and then laughed loudly, "Now, we'll help you take care of these Rockjaw Trogg. How much are you prepared to pay us?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Jie waved his hand, and the Earthen swarmed forward. As for the Arcane Nullifier, Jiang Jie had tampered with its permissions, inputting the modified commands, and obeying Jiang Jie's voice commands to launch an attack on the Rockjaw Trogg.
At the same time, Jiang Jie drew his bow and fired one magical arrow after another, accurately hitting the vital points of the Rockjaw Trogg —either their eyes or their throats.
It even pierced through the abdomen and reached the heart! After all, the Rockjaw Trogg had degenerated into a flesh and blood creature, no longer possessing its original rock body, and its defensive capabilities were not very strong, even weaker than Dwarves. Meanwhile, the power of the orange bow Thori'dal had also increased considerably, almost killing one with a single arrow.
Arrows flew, Earthen swarmed, nets flew, and mechanical claws danced. In less than a minute, more than two hundred of the Rockjaw Trogg, forcing the Mech Marines to only be able to defend passively, were wiped out. The rest quickly fled, leaving behind a pile of corpses.
"This, this..." Murd Doc was clearly shocked by the fighting power of Jiang Jie and the Earthen. This was completely beyond the Gnomes's imagination. The fighting power of the Mech Marines was worthless in front of the Earthen. Even if it was just Jiang Jie alone, he could wipe out all the members of the Mech Marines here in three minutes!
"At worst, I'll give you half of this reward!" Murd Doc gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding.
"Haha, no need! I'll ask Mekkatorque for the reward this time!" Jiang Jie had basically understood the current situation.
In Jiang Jie's memory, Gnomeregan ultimately fell into the hands of the leper Gnomes and the Rockjaw Trogg not only because of internal traitors and the accidental release of poison gas, but also mainly because the Gnomes were unprepared and too weak in combat.
If it weren't for the fact that other Alliance nations were also under threat from the Scourge and lacked the resources, Ironforge could have driven away the Rockjaw Trogg and gradually reclaimed Gnomeregan simply by sending two thousand Dwarves guards, along with the Gnomes' own defensive capabilities.
It's not difficult; the key is just two words: time.
As time went on, the number of Rockjaw Trogg increased, causing greater damage to Gnomeregan. The power system gradually collapsed, and the Gnomes ' power weakened, eventually losing control of Gnomeregan. Ultimately, they were forced to use poison gas, taking a risky gamble that led to irreversible consequences.
Now that Jiang Jie has arrived, the Earthen have arrived, and the Rockjaw Trogg invasion has only lasted for half a year, the situation in Gnomeregan has not deteriorated to the point where poison gas must be used. So everything can be salvaged, and nothing is a problem.
The crisis in Gnomeregan has been resolved!
"Let's begin!" Jiang Jie chuckled and announced loudly, "First step: Conquer the Hall of Gears!"
The Hall of Gears is of paramount importance in Gnomeregan, but it has now been taken over by Rockjaw Trogg.
There are many passages leading to the Hall of Gears. What they need to do now is to seal all the passages, then kill all the Rockjaw Trogg in the Hall of Gears. Next, the Gnomes technicians will repair the Hall of Gears.
Once the Hall of Gears is repaired, the entire Gnomeregan will be able to regain its power, and many of the defenses that have stopped functioning can be restored, making it much easier to deal with the Rockjaw Trogg.
The Hall of Gears is very large, about the same size as the central Great Forge in Ironforge. Rockjaw Trogg Rockjaw Trogg everywhere, and they can even climb on some of the larger gears.
There were at least five hundred Rockjaw Trogg here, of course two hundred have already been killed, and the rest are not a threat.
Their current location is actually on a high circular platform, overlooking the area below the Hall of Gears, which is where the Rockjaw Trogg are most numerous.
It's too high, and the Earthen wouldn't be willing to jump down like that; it would shatter. So, we must first clear out other areas and then enter the Hall of Gears through the long passage.
Jiang Jie led the way, and the others quickly followed.
"I say, shouldn't we go find a few mechanics first?" Murd Doc patted the mechanical Hawkstrider's rear, but no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't catch up with Jiang Jie, so he had to run to Amy's side and look down at her. " Amy, I remember you're a demolition expert, not a mechanic?"
"It's alright, Nicholas is the best mechanic. He once repaired the Arcane Nullifier!" Amy said confidently, jogging after him and leaving Murd Doc with a neat back of her head.
"Really... that amazing?" Murd Doc blinked, then shouted, " Mech Marines, move out!"
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