Chapter 112: Under the Same Starry Sky

The Machine Clan, it is said, is an ancient race buried within history.

Unlike their outward appearance as mecha-humans, they are essentially not machines, but alchemical creations similar to Kusla.

Or to put it another way, most are magical constructs, magic puppets, or silicon-based beings created by divine power or magic.

They once possessed a brilliant civilization and were not entirely extinct; most survivors simply fled to the Mechanical Realm, an outer plane largely controlled by metal lifeforms.

"She should still be alive, at least her soul flame is burning. If the Hall of Heroic Souls wakes her after she's been stored too long, it's hard to say."

Ancient races have withdrawn from the stage of history; some have gone to so-called otherworlds, while others remained, or returned to the Prime Material Plane for various reasons.

The Underworld is a gathering place for various remnant races; hiding underground might be a good way to avoid the hunting and revenge of dominant races. There are indeed many remnant races and returnees.

It is only natural that evil species like Mind Flayers and Liches exist in the Underworld; it is not that they enjoy living there, but their reputation is so foul that appearing on the surface is tantamount to declaring war.

They come to the Prime Material Plane from the Outer Planes or the Death Plane; the Underworld is safer.

Judging from Kuk's feedback, this member of the Machine Clan is likely not a returnee but a remnant, and should have already entered the race's unique "Dormancy Mode."

Mortal lives are not immortal; she can remain dormant for a long time inside the "refrigerator," but once taken out, she will rot quickly if left unattended. The one beginning to awaken will likely face true death very soon.

"Probably, at this location! Hmm, yes! Here." Kuk pondered and pointed out a coordinate on the map. This was an area outside the city of Mosdylkar, seemingly a rocky cave.

Leaving the city? This undoubtedly gave the temporary team a headache.

Right now, a huge crowd is still staring outside the inn; it's hard even to get out of this street, let alone leave the city.

It's not that we can't break through by force, but we have urgent matters to handle on our side. Breaking out is easy; returning will be difficult.

"I can teleport people here. There is no mana fluctuation; most barriers cannot defend against it." Many large cities have similar anti-teleportation barriers, and "Snake's" ability can penetrate them directly.

The smiling Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei pointed to a corner outside the city.

"My 'Return Spell' can locate at most five coordinates. Indeed, leaving coordinates along the way is a good habit."

A seasoned veteran adventurer truly surprises people everywhere.

With the travel target confirmed, it was time to confirm the personnel. Li En and Kuk were naturally going, and Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei was also very interested; perhaps that would be enough.

"Can I go too?" The one who suddenly spoke was Nocturna, whom no one had expected.

She was also a supernatural being, but her combat power was negligible.

"Such an opportunity is rare." She looked at her older sister, seemingly seeking support.

Larry pondered for a moment and nodded. "If Senior Li En is going, I will go too. I will protect Nona."

Well, truly an answer that left no room for surprise.

With the personnel roughly confirmed, Miss Shaliman looked around left and right, suddenly feeling that following along might be safer.

"I'll come along too." The Ambassador simply gave up, choosing to go out and seek treasure.

But now, the temporary embassy was truly left only with the remaining personnel.

At this moment, Li En saw Kuk's cheerful demeanor as he hummed a little tune and fell into thought.

Kuk was clearly impatient; he took out a miner's helmet and a pickaxe, and even found a pair of tattered overalls.

His eager appearance, as if he wanted to set off immediately, seemed less like going to find someone and more like going to dig for treasure.

"No, it might actually be treasure hunting..." Li En finally realized.

There was no reason for the ancient Machine Clan to be suddenly buried here; that place might well be an ancient battlefield or ruin, and such places are where treasures are most likely to appear.

His expression towards Nocturna became somewhat subtle; truly a professional merchant, her reaction was just that fast.

With just a few words, she sensed this was an opportunity and followed without hesitation. Even if she couldn't gain any benefits, getting closer to the "Magical Girl Big Shot" by treasure hunting together would be worth it.

He looked at Larry again; how could such a smart family produce such a simpleton?

"Senior? Do you have something to instruct me?" Noticing Li En's gaze, Larry immediately rushed over like a puppy summoned by its master.

"... Protect your sister." What else could Li En say? Encourage her.

Ten minutes later, accompanied by a hissing sound of incantations, the inn's guests simply vanished by nearly half.

Twenty minutes later, all factions in Mosdylkar paying attention to this matter received the news.

"... These dirty surface-dwellers, they indeed have a backup plan." Someone cursed angrily and stopped the assassins they were about to dispatch.

"Is this a statement that they can leave at any time?" Upon receiving the news, the city lord, Verna Tarabar, nodded in satisfaction.

At least for now, both sides who did not wish to go to war stood on the same footing.

These allies who could not be placed on the table; having them be slightly stronger was a good thing. Not obstructing the actions of certain families was actually some of her own probing.

There were some things she could not easily intervene in; she even expected Li En and the others to go on a killing spree.

"Perhaps we can create an opportunity for them. After establishing their authority, there will be fewer troubles, and it will be easier for them to move within the city..." The city lord, the Countess, seemed to be thinking about escalating the conflict.

She had long wanted to use this chance to change some things.

When Li En and his group happily embarked on their treasure-hunting journey, the second batch of candidates also fell into confusion and busyness.

Amidst the initial chaos, they quickly confirmed the truth; the knowledge stuffed into their brains was an undeniable reality.

They naturally began to act on their own; some verified the gains from last night and began a happy process of self-study.

Others, following the contact methods left previously, began private networking.

While Li En set off on his journey, a private gathering of candidates was also taking place within Mosdylkar.

"I never thought 'Poison Blade' would be the alias you use. Is it because your sister is Black Blade?"

Alchemist Vitoria V. Yuniel, the dark elf with the codename "Hand of the Sage," watched the person entering the private room of the tavern with great surprise.

She truly never expected that this noble lady would be the one entering the agreed-upon private room.

After all, in the entire city, no one failed to recognize the beautiful woman before her.

"I also never expected that the one summoning me would be a Yuniel. If anyone knew a Tarabar and a Yuniel were meeting in private, I'm afraid various conspiracy theories would fill the sky by tomorrow." "Poison Blade" Arachne Tarabar took off her cloak and sighed.

She also never expected that the agreed-upon "companion" would come from a rival family.

"Don't you know? I have already been abandoned by my family."

"Ha, what a coincidence, so have I."

Two disheartened souls came together, exchanging bitter smiles, but in truth, neither took it seriously.

Dark Elves are likely the creatures in the entire world most skilled in political maneuvering and conspiracy; even though the intensity of internal strife in this era has slightly diminished following the fall of Lolth, the weak still cannot survive within a family.

Indeed, both were marginal figures in their respective families, but they were absolutely not weaklings.

And they could indeed sigh at the malicious whims of fate, after all, the families they belonged to, Yunier and Tarabar, were the leaders of the Hawk Faction and the Dove Faction respectively!

"Poison Blade" Alekne Tarabar was, furthermore, the twin older sister of the city lord, Verna Tarabar—older sister, not younger.

She should have been the leader of Tarabar; the name derived from the Spider God represented the family's regard for her.

But fate played a grand trick here; due to the awakening of her younger sister who possessed divine blood, she, the designated city lord, directly became a marginal figure in the family.

If Li En were here, he would be surprised that despite their similar appearances, the two possessed completely different temperaments.

Black Blade was an unbreakable knife, yet the woman who called herself "Poison Blade" was weak and quiet, her temperament nothing like that of a Dark Elf.

They were twin sisters, yet one was a favored child of heaven, standing at the endpoint of most lives from birth.

The other had spent most of her time under house arrest, her actions and life both unfree.

Due to the mystical significance of twins, in a certain sense, she was regarded as her younger sister's weakness.

Had it not been for her younger sister's will, she would likely have already been executed.

Suddenly, Vitoria felt this meeting was a bit too hasty.

"It's getting a bit boring."

Unlike herself, who felt the family was a shackle and was striving to break free from it, the woman before her, though beautiful and of special status, held little value.

She might even be an unexploded bomb that would attract great trouble.

Even though she despised the Dark Elf way of life and had long planned to "run away from home," Vitoria still subconsciously thought and judged in the Dark Elf manner.

She regretted such a rash meeting.

A doll under strict guard was even worse than a puppet; there was so little she could do, and her intelligence should not be leaked here.

Unless something unexpected happened, the conversation would end here (Dark Elves, due to the prevalence of poison, generally do not drink tea or alcohol during private meetings).

Cooperation and alliances require equal strength on both sides, but at this moment, Alekne gritted her teeth and revealed some secrets.

"I know the true forms of those terrestrial candidates; they are also in this city." Having special status had its benefits; she had seen the files on Sha Li Man's group and had located them through certain means.

"Oh, then we can discuss cooperation. What do you want?" This intelligence was indeed quite valuable; Vitoria smiled.

"Help me break free from my family; I want freedom." The noble lady stated her ultimate goal.

"Hehe. Alright." Though she smiled, there was no sincerity.

This agreement was fundamentally unequal; helping the "weakness" of the descendant of the gods escape surveillance and house arrest? Vitoria did not want to die so stupidly.

"Help me acquire power, the power to control my own future."

"What a coincidence, so am I. Perhaps we can cooperate further." It was only natural for two seekers of power and change to be chosen by the Hall of Heroes.

They established an alliance, becoming partners to one another.

Under the same starry sky, beneath the same rock caves, all the candidates began to act.

The second batch of candidates had grown accustomed to the cruel underground world; hesitation meant waiting for death, yet one among them was even more special.

He, or rather it, had long received the teacher's (Kuku) request and, carrying explosives, the labor force of his clan, and large mushroom beasts for digging pits, had begun his own journey.

Gu Gu (Glow-glo) was a young mushroom, yet he also longed for adventure and the blue sky.

Behind him were also Zong Zong, Bao Bao, Hui Hui, and other colorless mushrooms (Mushroom People's language often transmits through vibrations, containing many repeated syllables and humming onomatopoeia, leading to many shared names).

Mushroom People have no secrets; if there is a good opportunity or chance, naturally everyone shares it.

"The teacher said that we Mushroom People will also have a bright future; I, Gu Gu, might also become a strong one and a traveler!"

Meanwhile, in some underground ruin, a one-eyed, half-bodied machine person was struggling to crawl, striving for the chance to break free from the rubble.

But this ruin buried deep underground did not contain only her; certain "rejects" kicked out by Li En were also living and exploring within it!

(End of this chapter)