sbdcsierra Chapter 93 [Is this a miracle? One spear pierces the fortress!]
Chapter 93 [Is this a miracle? One spear pierces the fortress!]
Inside the Iron Fortress, the coldness of the mountain rocks and the scorching heat of the furnace coexist in a highly contradictory way.
This contradiction mirrors the feelings of the dwarf commander Brenner at this moment.
His thick fingers rubbed the handle of the battle axe at his waist, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Wang Xuan and the other three, and Mason behind them, who was fanatically shouting "Divine Messenger".
The power of the void and the divine mark.
Two opposing forces appeared simultaneously in these humans.
This in itself is the greatest desecration of the dwarfs' millennia-old belief system.
"A messenger of God?" Brenner asked, his voice tinged with skepticism. "A representative of God only brings order and glory."
He raised his chin slightly towards Wang Xuan.
"And you, you give me the same chaotic scent as those monsters from the South." Wang Xuan shrugged, showing no sign of tension as if he were being interrogated.
"So? You're going to shut God out, Commander?"
"Insolence!" A row of dwarf guards behind Brenner stepped forward in unison, their armor plates clashing with a tremendous force.
"Shut up and get out of here!" Brenner roared as he turned around.
He looked at the stone spear in Chen Kai's hand, which had returned to its ordinary state. The lingering sacred aura on the spearhead made him dare not make any rash moves.
Because of the decree of King Thoradin the Dwarfs.
"Since you claim to have brought the will of God," Brenner said in a deep voice, "then prove that your power is for creation, not destruction."
"Our No. 2 furnace was contaminated six months ago by a kind of 'living corrosion' that we cannot understand."
"It keeps 'eating' the metal walls of the furnace and is spreading like a plague; flames can't burn it, hammers can't break it, and even our best rune masters are helpless against it."
He pointed to a massive building deep within the fortress, its fire extinguished and sealed off by heavy iron chains.
"Solve it."
"Solve it, and I will believe in your worth and give you the respect you deserve." Brenner presented the test.
This is both a test and a transaction.
If they can solve this problem that even dwarves are helpless against, then their value is beyond question.
If not...
A cold glint flashed in Brenner's eyes.
Wang Xuan and Ai Jia exchanged a glance, both seeing the smile in each other's eyes.
The mission has arrived.
"make a deal."
……
Furnace No. 2 was abandoned, and its massive body was covered with a layer of wriggling, dark red, moss-like material.
That is what is known as "living corrosion".
When a dwarf craftsman tried to approach with a shovel, a crack "opened" in the rust, emitting a piercing, metallic screech.
"We've tried everything," Mason explained in a low voice. "High-temperature burning only makes it more active, and the scraped-off parts will grow back within minutes."
"A typical program bug," Wang Xuan concluded, stroking his chin.
"What?" Mason didn't understand.
"Its core logic is trapped in a vicious cycle," Ai Jia calmly analyzed. "[Feeding on metal] → [Energy conversion] → [Reproduction and expansion] The faster you physically clear it away, the faster it will reproduce in order to 'survive'."
"Using a hammer and flames is like fighting against the operating logic of a program; of course, you can't win."
Brenner and Mason were completely confused.
But they all understood one thing: these "divine messengers" seemed to completely disregard the fortress's persistent problems.
Wang Xuan looked at Ai Jia: "Plan A or Plan B?"
"Let's use Plan A first."
"We're not here to demolish houses, we're here to build trust."
"We need to... patch it."
The player team began their exorcism ritual.
Chen Kai, holding a stone spear, stood guard at the forefront, watching for any unusual movements.
Ai Jia and Wang Xuan then jointly grasped the [Seed of Chaos].
Li Yao stood behind them, stretched out her hands, and gently pressed them on the crystal, confining the chaotic power within a controllable range.
"In the first stage," Aija closed her eyes, "we'll introduce a completely new concept: [fullness]."
hum-
The Seed of Chaos flashed with a faint light.
Fluctuations enveloped the entire furnace.
The slowly creeping rust stopped gnawing at the metal of the furnace wall and emitted a satisfied, low hum.
It's full.
Brenner and Mason stared wide-eyed.
"The second stage," Wang Xuan said with a slight smile, "[Hibernation]."
The crystal lit up again.
The dark red sheen faded, and it returned to its dull rust color.
Life activity is gone.
Chen Kai stepped forward and poked at the rust with the tip of his spear.
This time, there were no screams or any counterattacks.
The rust peeled away, revealing the metal furnace wall beneath, which, though pitted and corroded, was no longer spreading.
The chronic problem that had plagued Blackrock Fortress for half a year was solved in less than a minute.
Brenner looked at the pile of harmless rust, then at the few composed humans, and felt his centuries-old worldview shatter in an instant.
"God... miracle..." Mason's fervor deepened.
This is what he sought—a realm beyond skill itself, belonging to "God"!
Brenner's body trembled slightly, and he suppressed all his doubts and vigilance.
He strode up to the four men, knelt on one knee, held his battle axe—a symbol of his commander's glory—across his chest, and lowered his proud head.
"Commander Brenner of Blackrock Fortress greets Your Excellency, the Divine Messenger."
Trust, once established, is unbreakable.
That same day, the four-person team gained access to the top-secret [Rune Workshop No. 3] of this border fortress.
Inside the workshop, the beauty of order and power is palpable.
The flowing lava surged through the rune-solidified channels, providing a continuous source of energy for the entire workshop.
On the walls and the ground, countless dwarven runes of stability, amplification, and focus are engraved.
"It's spectacular," Wang Xuan exclaimed sincerely.
[Asem Online Ver 0.1a Update Announcement]
[Dear Pioneers, congratulations on your first successful interaction between the 'Power of Chaos' and the existing laws of the world (Dwarven runes), marking the first upgrade to your power system.]
[New System: [Conceptual Armament] Players can use specific facilities such as the Rune Workshop to consume Spirit Power and "Concept Purity" to permanently or temporarily imbue equipment/items with a specified concept. Note: The more vague the concept definition, the more unpredictable the final effect.]
[New Legendary Quest (Unique): 'Imprisonment of Chaos'.]
[Mission Objective: Collect the specified materials to forge the [Rune-Bound Container], thereby completely stabilizing and controlling the power of the 'Seed of Chaos'.]
[Task Reward: ???]
[Recipe Unlocked: [Rune-Bound Container] (Legendary)]
【Required materials:】
【1. Obsidian Heart of the Abyss x1 (Core Base)】
2. Star Dragon's Breath Crystal x3 (Energy Circulation)
3. Pollen from the Everlasting Flower x7 (Stabilizing Medium)
[4. Remnants of the Hourglass of Time x1 (Logic Fixed)]
【5.……】
Looking at the long list of legendary materials shimmering with golden light, Wang Xuan felt a slight pain in his teeth.
"This game really doesn't give you any chance of survival."
"But at least we have a clear goal now." Ai Jia then pointed out the key point, "Moreover, our cheat is now an officially certified system function."
"Let's try it out first." Chen Kai looked at the most sophisticated forging table in the center of the workshop. "Use my stone spear to test it. We need a suitable weapon."
The proposal was unanimously agreed upon.
"What concept are you giving it?" Ai Jia asked.
"Let's start with the simplest one," Wang Xuan said confidently. "[Resilience]! I don't have high expectations; just make it as resilient as the dwarves' steel!"
The experiment begins.
Chen Kai placed the stone spear that had accompanied him all the way on the rune forging table.
Aija was responsible for defining the concept and introducing it into the Seed of Chaos.
Just like last time, Li Yao used her will to envelop the crystal, ensuring stable output.
Om-!
All the dwarven runes in the workshop lit up simultaneously, and then the dark light of the Seed of Chaos, representing chaos, was injected into them.
For the first time, order and chaos were combined within the framework of dwarven runes.
System detection begins.
Target: Stone spear.
Requirements: Resilience.
Logical completion: Achieving "absolute toughness" without changing the basic material "stone"...
The only solution: infinitely increase the density of matter inside it.
One minute later, the light faded.
The stone spear was plain and unadorned, showing no signs of change.
"Did it succeed?" Wang Xuan asked, somewhat uncertainly.
Chen Kai stepped forward, reached out and grasped the spear shaft, picked it up, and immediately sensed something was wrong.
The feeling was like... trying to shake an entire mountain range with one hand!
Despite using every ounce of strength, the stone spear remained motionless on the forging table, emitting only a "humming" sound.
"What's going on?" Wang Xuan also realized something was wrong.
Before he could even go forward to check, he heard a crisp "snap" sound.
The specially crafted forging table, made of black ironwood and runic steel plates, groaned under the weight, and a crack appeared on its surface.
"Boom!!!" With a loud bang, the sturdy forging table collapsed.
The seemingly ordinary stone spear smashed through the thick granite floor of the workshop, leaving a perfectly smooth circular hole, and fell straight down into the depths of the fortress.
Bottomless.
Wang Xuan, Ai Jia, Chen Kai, and Li Yao, along with several dwarf master craftsmen who were stunned by the sight, all stared dumbfounded at the dark cave entrance.