[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] took some supplies and then set off with the " Magnetic Rod " to leave Valhalla.
As a newly activated Machine Spirit, the Magnetic Rod showed great interest in its surroundings, as if it wanted to know about everything it saw.
The newly formed Machine Spirit haven't learned how to speak yet, and can only make the Blood Corpse in the engine room utter incoherent sounds.
If it can't even do anything with words, it's naturally impossible for the Magnetic Rod to drive completely autonomously. In fact, when this Machine Spirit sees something that interests it, it will even actively try to seize the steering wheel from [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ].
Overall, however, a tiny mobile fortress with an intelligent assistant is already considered high-end in this world, and along the way, [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] garnered a lot of envious glances from players and NPCs.
Yes, that's exactly the expression I wanted.
All that hard work and grinding for so long, wasn't it all just for this moment to show off?
Having left Valhalla, the tiny mobile fortress traveled south along the road.
Through the long-term construction efforts of players, criminals, and NPC laborers, a sizable road network has emerged throughout the Theocracy.
While it's not as extensive as the highways in another world, it can at least be a two-lane road in both directions.
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] was not the only one to accept special missions. On his way south, he also saw many familiar faces and new fortresses.
Players naturally put a lot of effort into naming their characters, striving to perfectly blend the elements of "a grand event" and " Vitality."
The first mobile fortress the " Magnetic Rod " encountered seemed to come from a fairy tale:
It has a paint job with very strong color contrast and high saturation, making it look like something from another world has fallen into this gray world.
The top and bottom of this fortress were painted wheat-colored, while the middle section featured light green, bright red, pure white, pale purple, and light brown, making it look like a palette that had been in service for a whole year.
It wasn't until they reached the side of the fortress that [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] finally saw the fortress's name—" Sandwich ".
Upon seeing the name, [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] paused for a moment, then immediately understood what all those colors represented.
Lettuce, tomatoes, salad dressing, onions, and bacon.
The wheat-colored hue on both sides is indeed closely related to wheat – that's the bread slices on either side of the Sandwich!
Wow, he's quite healthy.
After sounding its horn twice, several heads popped out of the " Sandwich," which was noticeably larger than the " Magnetic Rod."
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] immediately burst out laughing upon seeing it; wasn't this someone they knew?
The owners of this fortress are none other than [ Bread Knight ], [ Lettuce Priest ], [ Ham Warrior ], and [ Butter Archer ].
It really is the Sandwich Squad driving Sandwich!
Suppressing a laugh, [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] quickly struck up a conversation with the group.
Upon learning that the other party had also accepted the [ Frontline Transport ] mission, the two sides immediately exchanged mission information and, after confirming that they were about 80% on the same route, formed a temporary team.
The Machine Spirit of the Sandwich and the Machine Spirit of the Magnetic Rod quickly got to know each other and began to chat in a way unique to Machine Spirit. The former even began to teach the latter's newborn Machine Spirit, the language of humans.
The two teams formed an alliance and continued their journey, encountering a new fortress a few hours later.
This new companion wasn't initially seen, but rather heard.
From a distance, the sharp-eared [ Butter Archer ] said he seemed to have heard something.
Once they got closer, the others also said they heard some noises.
When the two fortresses turned again, and the hills were no longer blocking their way, everyone heard the melody this time.
The five exchanged glances and quickly confirmed that the music echoing through the mountains was indeed a classic tune from their hometown.
"I came from the mountains, bringing orchids and herbs."
The five people were stunned for a moment, and [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ]'s lips twitched:
"Where did this guy get such a kung fu skill...?"
[ Ham Warrior ] nodded in agreement:
I understand.
The two fortresses immediately accelerated, and after turning several corners, they finally encountered the culprit behind today's troubles.
But the fortress seemed quite different from what they had imagined, or rather, it was far too similar.
The slow driving speed, the classic white and green color scheme, the prominent warning signs, and the water mist constantly sprayed from below to both sides...
It really is a Sprinkler Truck!
As for the music they heard...
It sounded alright from a distance, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that the music was actually being sung by the Machine Spirit using fifty or sixty Blood Corpse together.
The closer they got, the more eerie " Orchid Grass " sounded; [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] was already getting goosebumps.
He tried honking his horn twice according to the etiquette of this other world, and the Sprinkler Truck actually turned and pulled over, even turning on its indicator light to show that he could overtake.
"This is so realistic!"
[ Butter Archer ] exclaimed in amazement:
"Apart from its enormous size, it's almost a complete replica."
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] nodded approvingly. He wanted to get to know the fortress's driver, so he honked the horn again.
Whether it was the fortress or the driver who misunderstood, a water pipe extended from behind the fortress and sprayed [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ]'s brand new car indiscriminately.
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ], who received a free car wash, was stunned and could only honk his horn three times.
This time, the driver may have realized something, as he quickly appeared on the platform atop the fortress.
After a few minutes of chatting, the Performance Artist Performance Artist the mobile fortress temporary squad.
That's right, this Soul Returner returning in the " Sprinkler Truck " game ID is [ Performance Artist ].
Upon learning this, everyone was utterly speechless, but considering the other person's previous performance art of cosplaying Sprinkler Truck, they couldn't find a more fitting ID.
The group continued onward, following Noya's navigation, along the longest and flattest road in the entire Theocracy, heading towards the empire to the south.
[ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ] recently created his own video account, originally intending to make a small fortune by leveraging his bizarre ID, which was personally modified by the platform, and his fame as the first person to buy a house.
Unexpectedly, the road trip vlog became more and more popular with each episode. The reason is that [ Noncompliant Nickname 1214 ]'s videos have become like cyber blind boxes, with each viewer wondering what kind of Thunder ID he will encounter today.