Chapter 252: Two Steam Cores Acquired!

Soulfire Rock District, Lamoer Long Street.

Tree‑heart Cavern Tavern.

"Wooo…"

It seemed as if the raging screech from the Shadow Realm seeped into the Realms.

Accompanied by a low, humming wail.

The shadowy outline in the corner swelled under the screech, quickly spreading and pressing into every nook of the tavern,

the tavern's lights and fireplace flames were swiftly suppressed, leaving only a small pocket of flame.

Even the furnace‑core flames and light outside the windows were heavily dampened.

The many patrons, quickly engulfed by shadow, felt as if dusk had suddenly fallen into night.

The entire tavern fell into silence.

The patrons each wore strange expressions, watching the shadow's intrusion into reality.

At that moment,

Feeling for the fate wheel beneath his wizard robe, Ta Ke silently nodded in response.

As a single wheel, this Shadow Spider Crystal contains far more rune power than a lone dragon scale.

"Absorbing a second Steam Core will allow another level‑up,"

it holds a small amount of earth and fire rune power.

Word is that it's a clash among lords, and many transcendants flashed envious and fearful glances.

The seal of the Demon Spider Nest remains very powerful.

"Probably only a Steam Sequence as strong as Xi Luoer's can join a boss‑level war,"

Ta Ke, his silhouette shrouded by his wizard robe, glanced at the lingering steam vortex opposite for a moment before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

Ta Ke silently nodded.

"Who else but that demon lord?"

After all, the blood clan and the spider crystals are already in hand; for the current forging master Bajins, forging will take only a day or two.

"Hmm!"

After Bevis Twain rose to leave,

he ordered a drink, then Bevis Twain settled his cup in front of Ta Ke.

"Looking for something? Looking for that demon lord?"

The tavern regained its bustle, patrons chattering wildly yet reaching no conclusion.

Lifting the oak‑and‑stone fruit wine cup before him, Ta Ke took a small sip and murmured,

Soon, as the Shadow Realm's raging screech faded, the shadow swiftly receded into the tavern's corner.

"Unclear."

Otherwise, it's just the Demon Spider Lord's notorious temper.

The shadow outline inside the tavern swelled quickly, but compared with last time it was far smaller, hardly hindering the patrons' bragging.

If someone else took the Shadow Spider Crystal, that untraceable thread would become a clue for the Shadow Demon Spider Lord's pursuit.

He lured the Shadow Demon Spider to a farther spot.

Someone, holding a wooden barrel cup, grumbled with a huff,

"The second kind is this Shadow Spider Crystal,"

Ta Ke currently possesses only two kinds.

Immediately, Bevis Twain composed his expression.

One demon, one demon wolf; two heroes battle Lu Bu, fighting while retreating.

"Such a lord‑level powerhouse, we'd better stay put here and not provoke that guy,"

"Seems… this Shadow Demon Spider Lord is looking for something!"

"Though you're not weak, the terror of forbidden seals often exceeds imagination,"

His gaze swept, landing on the solitary Ta Ke.

But this is Saint Land.

After a search, Ta Ke found three extremely rare, fist‑sized Shadow Spider Crystals brimming with potent shadow rune power.

"Not even a war among lords, let alone a boss‑level war, is something we can casually join,"

And that is why this Shadow Demon Spider Lord rages madly in the Shadow Realm.

The tavern's magical lantern light and fireplace flames then reclaimed most of the tavern's space.

"The Dark Sun Church seems to have deployed many powerful forbidden seals,"

Even the Dark Sun Evil God Church only dares to advance slowly, never to charge straight in.

"What's happening? Is that Shadow Lord going mad?"

Ta Ke quietly stands guard here, also to prevent that Demon Spider Lord from entering the Realms and causing trouble.

It will surely come to the Realms to vent.

Immediately, Bevis casually placed a transcendent storage bracelet before Ta Ke.

It truly cannot enter that peculiar sealed realm.

"This wave should raise us to about level 36,"

Just now, as the shadow expanded, the tavern fell silent.

"Unclear. When I arrived, I heard they said the Shadow Lord and the Demon Lord fought again," a newly arrived patron said, shaking his head.

Accompanied by another fierce screech from the Shadow Demon Spider Lord.

After the lights regained dominance, the tavern gradually became lively.

Thinking for a moment, Ta Ke replied, "I'm still considering."

"A war between lords!"

Ta Ke, feeling his way around the glass goblet, carefully sensed the movements of the Shadow Demon Spider Lord in the Shadow Realm.

It does not permit it to cross into the Real Realm.

Ta Ke waited a moment longer, then rose and left.

It contains a great amount of shadow rune power.

With a light tap on the table, the shadow veil dropped from all sides, enveloping the two.

Wearing a shadow wizard robe, a felt hat atop his head, half his face hidden beneath the brim, the calm and profound aura of the Shadow Steam Wizard Bei Wei Si·Tu Wen entered.

Not to mention this fourth‑tier Shadow Demon Spider Lord.

Ta Ke estimated that the senior strongmen of Sheng Lan De had probably warned the Shadow Demon Spider.

Beside a tavern table in the corner that had a fireplace.

"The screams of the Shadow Realm have already permeated into the Real Realm."

Then Ta Ke used his phase‑walking ability to enter the sealed, yet not solid, barrier layer.

It now appears that, though angry, the Spider Lord has not lost its reason.

"You can go out once and collect rent of just under a hundred thousand."

"Indeed!"

The tavern's half‑open door was pushed open.

"Is that the demon lord?"

"Squeak!"

"Unlike me, who goes out to fight hard, risking everything, and only manages to earn twenty‑to‑thirty thousand demon gold."

If one truly breaches Sheng Lan De, then… it's not just the spider crystal that's at stake.

Materials where this rune power perfectly merges with a lord's traits are top‑tier rune materials throughout the Transcendent Realm.

Regarding the upcoming second, extremely brutal ecological war.

"As for wars at the lord level… *tsk tsk*… I can't imagine!"

If Ta Ke's phase‑walking ability weren't strong enough.

"Understood!"

"Also, in a few days will be the second ecological war; be careful during this period."

Seeing the thought, Ta Ke also pushed the prepared Transcendent Storage Bracelet in front of Bei Wei Si·Tu Wen.

And at that moment.

"Huh! Finally got it."

Bei Wei Si·Tu Wen nodded.

"*tsk tsk*… I'm increasingly envious of your Refinement Master status!"

But whether it's dragon scale or the Shadow Spider Crystal Ta Ke obtained this time.

"Also… how about the three reward packages?"

The "rune material" that contains rune power.

"That Shadow Demon Spider Lord could only be looking for… naturally, me."

Ta Ke picked it up, glanced at it briefly, then let out a long sigh.

Ta Ke plans to wait until the Shadow Demon Spider settles, then go to Ba Jin Si to forge a wizard robe.

Ta Ke has already begun preparations in all aspects.

Inside the Transcendent Storage Bracelet, two steam cores, both robust and powerful, are clearly newly born steam cores, not the long‑stored type.

Not long ago, Ta Ke sent the fire demon He Ta La riding a shadow demon wolf to challenge the Shadow Demon Spider Lord.

Ta Ke, however, cut off all the veins of the Shadow Spider Crystal.

Preventing the Shadow Demon Spider Lord from tracing the crystal's traces.

Having finished probing the demon gold, Bei Wei Si·Tu Wen couldn't help but sigh lightly, his face showing obvious envy.

"However, I heard that the battle between those two lords has ended; the screams of the Shadow Demon Spider Lord in the Shadow Realm have seeped into the Real Realm, using its shadows as tentacles, blooming over large areas, and have already appeared widely in many places."

"Once you've decided, you don't need to tell me; just find Bishop Ma Sha·Ke La Ke. You have Bishop Ma Sha·Ke La Ke's magical fireplace, right?"

A patron sighed in admiration.

One is dragon scale!

Now that the long‑awaited second steam core is in hand, Ta Ke should properly settle the potential of his Steam Sequence.

This second Steam Sequence can greatly increase Ta Ke's Steam Wizard Sequence ecology's carrying capacity.

At the third‑tier level, Ta Ke may already master a Forbidden Spell.