Chapter 383: The Industrial Crown Belonging to the Queen

Perhaps the S-rank instance difficulty was too high, or perhaps the Universal Industrial Exposition was simply too important to Stellan, necessitating the presence of important figures from all over the world to bear witness.

Steam Phantom was the only instance Wu Chang had participated in where the main storyline did not accelerate to a conclusion once the prerequisite plot was completed.

Even though he had long since dealt with the Steam Council and the Tranquility Church, Olivia still maintained the original schedule, intending to open the Universal Industrial Exposition at the end of the month—the thirtieth day of survival stipulated in main quest one.

The official explanation for the Universal Industrial Exposition was that it was a grand event themed around international cooperation, aimed at promoting cultural and technological exchange and development.

In reality, the Universal Industrial Exposition was merely a way for Stellan to flex its muscles for the participating nations, telling the little brothers around them that they were no longer players on the same level, and that they should show some discernment when they met in the future.

As the Universal Industrial Exposition drew near, more and more foreigners arrived in Stellan to visit.

Entering Stellan were not only ordinary tourists, but inevitably, supernaturals and spies cultivated privately by various countries.

Thanks to these fellows, the Arcane Knights' journey through the instance gained a sense of participation.

Dealing with these guys not only allowed them to prove their worth and comfort themselves that they weren't just "carried" players, but also increased the instance completion rate, which made the players highly enthusiastic.

If they couldn't bully the Steam Council, couldn't they at least bully these foreign supernaturals?

Often, before the secret police under Zhu Li could even receive word, the foreign supernaturals who had slipped up were already captured by the players and sent to the Secret Security Department.

Taking advantage of this free time, the players originally wanted to take the opportunity to complete main quest three: investigating the assassination of the Prime Minister, which they hadn't had time to focus on before.

When Leng Shan and Jianxing approached Wu Chang, Wu Chang indicated he had other matters to attend to and did not participate.

Even being carried has its limits; he and Lei Wendun had been busy investigating the truth behind Luo En's assassination for a long time, and it was only by combining it with his unique intelligence that they had pieced together the complete truth.

If other players came to reap the rewards now, did they really think he was a philanthropist?

Leng Shan and the others guessed that Wu Chang already knew the answer; they did not press him further, but instead turned to find Lei Wendun, hoping to use the power of this native plane detective to conduct the investigation.

To Wu Chang's surprise, Lei Wendun also rejected their invitation, stating that it was now meaningless to investigate who had killed Prime Minister Luo En, and that the killer themselves might have already died in the various incidents.

Perhaps it was a detective's judgment that allowed Lei Wendun, even without sufficient evidence, to vaguely guess the truth of the case through intuition.

Being rebuffed twice in a row did not make Leng Shan and the others give up.

Unfortunately, they acted too late; as the crime scene, the Prime Minister's residence had long since been cleaned and renovated, leaving no clues behind.

The only clues they could rely on were the records left by the Police Department, and the result was predictable. After running around for four or five days without the slightest gain in the investigation, they finally gave up.

Speaking of the crime scene, the reason for the major cleanup of the Prime Minister's residence was to welcome the new Prime Minister, Randy Anderson.

During this time, by relying on a near-perfectly neutral stance, Randy gained a commanding lead in approval ratings and successfully won the election as the new Prime Minister of Stellan before the Industrial Exposition.

As supporters of Randy, all players belonging to the Arcane Knights received a notification that the side confrontation mission had been won, and it was precisely because of this that they could not complain a single word about the destruction of the crime scene.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the Universal Industrial Exposition arrived.

Westminster District, Crystal Palace.

As the venue for the Universal Industrial Exposition, the Crystal Palace covered an area of over twenty football fields and stood nearly fifty meters high; the building used steel as its skeleton, with all other construction materials being glass, making the entire structure look like a massive, completely transparent palace from the outside.

It was not only the largest building in the world at the time, but also the most magnificent and dreamlike.

Setting aside professional fields like steel frame structural mechanics and architectural functional design, the sheer production of the massive glass covering the entire Crystal Palace required sufficiently powerful industrial capabilities and enough wealth.

Whenever anyone saw the Crystal Palace for the first time, they couldn't help but cover their mouths, widen their eyes, and let out an exclamation.

No matter which country the visitors came from, or how confident and proud they were of their own nation, the moment they saw the Crystal Palace, their eyes would become clear and their attitudes would become humble.

Especially when the massive airship Queen Olivia flew across the sky, the shock in the visitors' eyes turned directly into terror.

Aboard the airship, Wu Chang's main body and Olivia stood on the observation deck, looking down at the Crystal Palace below.

Wu Chang held a champagne glass, made eye contact from afar with the tourists looking up from below, and asked:

"Your Majesty, is this the scene you wanted to see?"

Olivia made no attempt to hide it and said:

"This is the scene I want the whole world to see—the scene of the world's future."

Wu Chang gently swirled his glass and subconsciously said:

"Then, what is the price?"

Not far away, Zhu Li heard this and the corner of her eye twitched slightly; Olivia caught this and smiled as she responded to Wu Chang:

"Everything has a price."

"From the moment a person is born, they must pay a corresponding price for food, clothing, housing, transportation, speaking, and breathing."

"The price is unavoidable; what we must do is ensure that our gains are worth every price we pay."

As they spoke, the Queen Olivia slowly descended.

Olivia set her glass aside and said:

"Now, it is time for the harvest."

Olivia, accompanied by a group of Stellan's high-ranking officials, walked off the airship amidst the thunderous cheers of the people below.

Ever since Xavier's death and the fall of the Steam Council, the smog that had shrouded the skies over Grimlan had never appeared again; this city, known as the Fog City, had experienced a rare string of sunny days.

Under the sunlight, the Crystal Palace shone like a massive crystal, and combined with the cheers of the countless people in the background, it gave Wu Chang a sense of unreality.

The Grimlan he had seen before seemed to be an illusion; the Grimlan now displayed before the whole world was the capital of the greatest and most prosperous empire in the plane.

The group entered the Crystal Palace under the guard of an honor guard; before heading to the Industrial Exposition exhibition halls, they first entered a temporary reception area to meet the ambassadors and representatives sent by various countries.

The countries of the world attached great importance to this Universal Industrial Exposition.

Larger nations, such as Fran, Delu, and the New World, sent specialized diplomatic missions to participate, while smaller nations sent high-ranking government officials in person.

For Olivia, the Industrial Exposition was a stage to demonstrate national power and redefine the rules.

For other countries, this was also a rare opportunity to gauge Stellan's level.

After all, before this, extraordinary steam engines had been semi-confidential; regarding the progress of Stellan's extraordinary steam engines, other countries could only grasp vague intelligence through informants and had never had the chance to see the full picture.

The process of receiving representatives from various countries went quickly; as a mature and qualified monarch, Olivia's etiquette in receiving everyone was flawless, but Wu Chang always felt that Her Majesty the Queen's attitude was somewhat perfunctory.

Compared to these important "tools" before her who were about to witness the empire's power and spread the name of Stellan to the whole world, she seemed to care more about the extraordinary steam engines they brought.

Major powers like Fran and Delu did not come to the Industrial Exposition simply to visit; in order to regain some face and not lose dignity in front of Stellan, they brought exhibits representing their country's highest standards to compete on the same stage as Stellan.

For example, Fran brought the "Heart of the Land" that the Stellan Army had been longing for, while Delu brought ultra-high-pressure steam engines and extraordinary artillery machine tools.

The extraordinary steam engine technology in their hands originated from Stellan; in terms of comprehensive development, they certainly couldn't compare to Stellan, but in the specialized fields where each country excelled, they were not inferior and even held a slight lead.

After the reception ceremony, Olivia entered the Industrial Exposition exhibition hall and, under the escort of Wu Chang and Zhu Li, stood on the podium to deliver a brief opening address.

Subsequently, the Universal Industrial Exposition officially began.

At this Universal Industrial Exposition, over thirty types of extraordinary steam engines were exhibited, eighteen of which were provided by Stellan—more than the sum of all other countries in the world.

To ensure the effectiveness of the display, even the few extraordinary steam engine cores that Wu Chang had seized were borrowed by Olivia and placed on the exhibition stands.

Before the Industrial Exposition began, Wu Chang had joked with Leng Shan and the others that if any player had not yet completed main quest two, then the current Industrial Exposition was their last chance.

Of course, the prerequisite for taking this path was to deal with hundreds of secret police and the Arcane Knights led by Wu Chang.

The extraordinary steam engines exhibited at the Industrial Exposition covered all fields, attracting over 100,000 visitors from thirty-five countries.

The massive flow of people crowded every exhibition area.

At every booth, Olivia had assigned two to three students from the Grimlan University School of Mechanics to explain to everyone the uses and achievable effects of the extraordinary steam engines on display in actual practice.

The visitors might not understand the professional knowledge, but they could clearly hear how many times the efficiency had increased and how much money the daily output could be converted into.

Hearing these numerical comparisons, people's eyes shone with excitement, as if they were witnessing the arrival of the future.

Many reporters could no longer contain themselves and took out their notebooks on the spot to start writing their reports.

Overall, the first day of the exhibition went very smoothly, and everyone was immersed in the magic of the extraordinary steam engines, unable to extricate themselves.

As the first day of the exhibition was about to end, Olivia gave a brief speech before closing the hall.

"The emergence of the extraordinary steam engine has broadened the possibilities for industry and humanity; after a full day of visiting, I believe you all have a deep understanding of this." "But is this enough? I think not. To reach a more distant future and create a world that is peaceful, prosperous, and satisfying for all, these extraordinary steam engines alone are far from enough."

"So, at the end of today, I will show you a special machine that truly leads to the future."

Olivia's words instantly captured the attention of all the visitors.

Through what they had seen and heard on the first day of the Industrial Exposition, they had a basic understanding of extraordinary steam engines.

In their view, these extraordinary steam engines already represented the future, not just a path to it; they had not expected that in Olivia's eyes, they were still far from enough.

This made the visitors full of anticipation for the upcoming exhibit, wondering what kind of great machine could satisfy Olivia's ambition.

This anticipation, under the blessing of the First Law of Mysticism, transformed into special energy and injected into the instrument beside Olivia; the red liquid column in the instrument rose continuously as this power accumulated.

When the red liquid column reached the calibration line, a massive roar came from beneath the Crystal Palace.

The floor behind Olivia cracked open, and a massive, special steam engine rose from within.

To be precise, it was a part of some steam engine.

On the podium, Olivia pointed to the massive extraordinary steam engine behind her and said:

"It is called the Difference Engine; it possesses endless computing power, and all the problems that plague us are not worth mentioning before it."

"I often hear people say that the extraordinary steam engine is the pearl on the crown of industry; if that is true, then the Difference Engine is the crown of industry itself."

As soon as Olivia finished speaking, the entire Crystal Palace began to tremble slightly.

It was not the Crystal Palace itself that was trembling, but the extraordinary steam engines placed at various booths throughout the Crystal Palace.

These extraordinary steam engines vibrated at the same frequency as if in resonance; they started simultaneously, spewing thick steam.

Faced with the sudden turn of events, the visitors thought it was a scheduled program and spontaneously applauded the scene.

Contrary to the visitors, all the supernaturals present, especially the players who had come to complete main quest one, had no excitement in their eyes—only terror.

Under Olivia's actions, in just a few seconds, the once-vanished steam rules appeared again.

The returning steam rules were even more suppressive than the steam rules triggered by Xavier.

Under the steam rules, the players not only had their skills and attributes suppressed, but their mobility was also being rapidly stripped away.

Except for a few supernaturals who had mastered the power of the source and could barely maintain movement in the mist, the other players lost control of their bodies the moment they realized what was happening, standing frozen in place, unable to move.

The deprivation of the players' mobility was not a pure restriction on the physical body, but a form of mental control.

For example, Leng Shan and God's Tongue did not feel much restraint on their bodies, but a voice in their consciousness kept whispering to them:

"Give up thinking, do not struggle in vain, and follow the instructions of the superior."

If they wanted to act, they had to use their willpower to resist that voice.

Every step taken was a mental confrontation, leaving them drenched in sweat after only a few paces.

Unlike them, the Sword Heart talent possessed by Jianxing, combined with the tempering he received when his previous class transfer nearly failed, gave him a Will attribute significantly higher than the other two.

This meant that although Jianxing’s strength was inferior to theirs, he found it much easier to move within the Steam Rules than they did.

With Jianxing’s support, the three of them quickly found Wu Chang’s True Self.

The contrast with Leng Shan and God’s Tongue boosted Jianxing’s confidence; before seeing Wu Chang’s True Self, he had even thought about having a chance to help the True Self and pay back a favor.

Yet when he saw the True Self, he discovered that the True Self was completely unaffected by the Steam Rules and was moving with great speed to carry members of the Arcane Knights out of the Crystal Palace.

This caused the confidence Jianxing had just developed to be doused by a bucket of cold water before it could even warm up.

Is it really that hard to find a domain where one can win against peace?

Wu Chang did not notice Jianxing’s disappointment; he grabbed the three of them, brought them outside the Crystal Palace, and told them that something major was about to happen inside, instructing them to hide nearby.

Do not go too far, and do not get too close; how much truth they could discover next would depend entirely on themselves.

Inside the Crystal Palace, the applause stopped at some unknown moment, and the visitors who had been clapping, like the ordinary transcendents in the venue, all ceased their movements and lost control of their bodies.

Over one hundred thousand visitors stood like one hundred thousand stone statues, maintaining the posture they held at the final moment of applause.

Their gazes were fixed upon the Difference Engine, looking as if they were on a pilgrimage, which appeared exceptionally eerie.

The Steam Rules, having left and returned, not only appeared within the Crystal Palace, but the smog that had vanished for many days now once again shrouded the skies above Grimlund.

Under the shroud of the Steam Rules, Grimlund seemed to have been pressed with a pause button; all the city’s residents, like the visitors in the Crystal Palace, remained frozen in the posture of their final action.

Except for the Gray Church slums.

Just as it was with Xavier, the Steam Rules triggered by Olivia were likewise unable to invade Ailin’s Divine Kingdom.

The slums had effectively become an independent space; the residents inside went about their business as usual, completely unaffected, at most looking up at the sky and feeling regret over the disappearance of the sunlight.

In the temporary infirmary, Ailin, sensing the change in the plane, increased her energy output, using Light Magic to dispel the toxins in the young girl’s body on the hospital bed, then said to Thomas beside her:

"I have something to attend to and need to leave for a while; you go out and tell everyone to come back another day."

After speaking, without waiting for Thomas to respond, Ailin vanished from the temporary infirmary.

Inside the Crystal Palace, as thick steam filled the room, the transcendent steam engines stopped vibrating.

They rose into the air and, following the guidance of the Steam Rules, merged into the Difference Engine.

As the last exhibited transcendent steam engine entered the Difference Engine, a massive sound erupted from within, as if something astonishing was being manufactured inside.

Olivia gazed at the now-complete Difference Engine and said softly:

"Only the final step remains; I will soon be able to fulfill the promise between us."

Clap, clap, clap.

In the silent hall, the sound of thin applause came from behind Olivia.

Olivia turned around and discovered that the applause came from Wu Chang’s main body.

Wu Chang said: "The pearl of the industrial crown should indeed be inlaid upon the industrial crown."

Seeing that Wu Chang could maintain free movement, as if completely unaffected, Olivia said with surprise:

"Sir Xiao En, you are more outstanding than I imagined. I am very sorry that I doubted your abilities when you had just returned from the New World."

"To receive your recognition is my honor," Wu Chang replied with a gentleman’s bow.

Olivia narrowed her eyes, as if observing some new invention, and asked tentatively:

"You seem to have discovered my plan long ago."

Wu Chang shrugged and said: "I am different from the others; I would not dare to have the slightest bit of contempt for Your Majesty."

"If I am not mistaken, everything that has happened from the assassination of Prime Minister Luo En until now has been part of your design."

"Including rebuilding the Arcane Knights, having me find Lei Wendun, and through investigating the anomalies in Grimlund, discovering the existence of the Steam Council."

The relationship between the Steam Council and Prime Minister Luo En had already made him suspicious of Olivia.

After the destruction of the Steam Council, when he met Olivia again, the resentment belonging to a phantom that Olivia carried only confirmed his conjecture.

Olivia neither admitted nor denied it; she simply watched Wu Chang quietly with a smile, waiting for his next move.

Wu Chang continued:

"I am a person who sees things through to the end. Since I accepted your commission, I must investigate it to the very bottom."

"So there is one thing I would like to confirm with you, and I hope you can answer me."

Olivia asked: "What is it?"

Wu Chang looked into Olivia’s eyes and said: "Prime Minister Luo En’s death was not murder, but suicide, correct?"

(End of chapter)