"Boom—"
The hemispherical building was violently torn open from within, with a huge humanoid hole blasted into the thick metal walls. A massive, burly figure emerged from the darkness, striding forward with purpose.
It was a metal golem, towering at over ten meters high, with no head, only a rusted neck showing signs of corrosion. Its massive hands gripped a gigantic black hammer, almost as large as its own body.
It was clearly chasing after Mordor III, and after locking onto its position, it wasted no time, immediately swinging its hammer toward Ronan's head.
"Whoosh—crackling!"
The terrifying giant hammer compressed the air, emitting a series of sharp crackling sounds as it swung.
As the hammer was raised, runic markings quickly appeared on the body of the golem. Even before the hammer fell, a yellowish aura burst from its surface, enveloping Ronan and Mordor III in an instant.
Ronan felt his body grow heavy, as if he had suddenly sunk several inches into the ground. The solid, unyielding metal beneath his feet groaned under the pressure.
"A gravity field?!" Ronan exclaimed.
"Boom! Thud!"
The colossal hammer, nearly eight meters in diameter, smashed into the ground, causing a large section of the metal floor to explode. A massive cloud of metal debris flew into the air, followed by a violent tremor that shook the ground as though a mini earthquake was taking place.
Ronan's armored form appeared some distance away from where he had been, with Mordor III at his feet, faithfully following his lead.
Ronan's eyes gleamed beneath the intricate silver mask. The force of the hammer's strike just now was equivalent to the power of an advanced second-tier sorcerer's spell.
Combined with the gravity field aura attached to the hammer and the golem's brute strength, it would have been difficult for a typical second-tier sorcerer to counter such an attack.
And this was after the golem had been through the ravages of time within the Heart of the Machine, its body rusted and the internal runes weakened. In its prime, this golem might have rivaled a third-tier sorcerer, or even been more powerful.
"No wonder Kosti mentioned that all the metal golems of the southern region are derived from the ancient dwarven civilization of the Heart of the Machine. Their research into golem technology has reached a very high level, and coupled with their formidable forging skills, it's like a tiger with wings. I wonder if they received any guidance from Shibirte."
"And such a mighty mechanical civilization has fallen? What powerful existence in the south could possibly have caused the Heart of the Machine to tremble in fear?"
Ronan's thoughts drifted toward the ancient Mirror Court, wondering if the fall of these two great powers had been due to a shared cause.
These musings were short-lived as the enormous metal golem, after its hammer strike had failed, quickly reversed direction and began charging toward Ronan again.
The spot it had struck was now a large pit filled with cracks.
Ronan had no intention of engaging the golem in a prolonged fight. Instead, he met it head-on, sprinting directly toward the advancing foe.
Two metal figures, one large and one small, one silver-white and one black, quickly closed the gap. Just as the golem raised its hammer for another swing, Ronan vanished.
The next moment, he appeared behind the towering black golem and immediately dashed straight into the semi-spherical metal building that the golem had just emerged from.
"Whoosh—"
As Ronan entered the building, the first thing he saw was a massive forge, covered in dust, though one area appeared surprisingly clean—likely where the hammer, now held by the golem, had been placed.
A dwarf's home could be without a washroom, but it could never be without a forge.
Ronan's thoughts flashed back to something he had read in a sorcerer's book. He quickly scanned the room, sifting through piles of debris until he found a black, spherical object. As a sharp, piercing sound from behind drew closer, Ronan vanished from the spot with a flicker.
Wrapped in living silver armor, Ronan, with Mordor III in one hand and the object he had found in the other, swiftly moved between buildings, ghosting like a phantom.
Only when the heavy footsteps faded away did he finally stop.
He placed Mordor III down and casually tossed the spherical object to the ground.
"Clang!"
The black sphere, so rusted that its original shape was nearly unrecognizable, was most likely the head of the golem that had lost its own.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he stared at the golem's head. He muttered a few strange incantations under his breath, forming specific gestures with his hands. His mental energy surged, releasing a powerful magical pulse, and large swaths of metal energy particles began to coalesce around him.
"#￥!!@!"
As Ronan spoke the final syllable, the energy particles rushed toward the metal head on the ground, swirling into a dense black vortex that quickly enveloped the object.
Moments later, the vortex receded like smoke, and a humanoid black figure, roughly the same size as the previous golem, emerged from the black mass.
Unlike the golem that had attacked Ronan, this one had a rusted, unrecognizable head, and its body appeared semi-ethereal. It was also missing the iconic black hammer.
**[Mirror Soul] Spell!**
Using the spell medium's energy, Ronan could replicate the form of the object to a certain extent.
This was the first time Ronan had cast the spell since leaving his seclusion.
Ronan assessed the golem he had summoned using the [Mirror Soul] spell. After a moment, he made some adjustments, further refining the creature.
Raising his right hand, the surrounding metals from the streets and buildings detached and began to converge around the semi-ethereal golem. In a short time, a fully formed golem body began to take shape.
Even the golem's hammer was recreated, though the quality of the new one was far inferior. Still, it provided some additional offensive power.
"Boom!"
Ronan commanded the golem to strike. The golem swung its recreated hammer, smashing the ground and leaving a sizable crater.
It was roughly equivalent to the strength of an average second-tier sorcerer, which Ronan found satisfactory.
In the Heart of the Machine, with its high concentration of metal and metal-based energy particles, summoning a metal golem was undoubtedly the most fitting choice.
Although this golem's strength was relatively weak, its convenience in summoning made it invaluable. If it was destroyed, there was no need to mourn; the abundance of metal in the area made it easy to replace.
The [Mirror Soul] summon was a one-time-use spell, but as long as the medium wasn't fully expended, the summoned golem would remain.
Ronan briefly entertained the idea of forming a small army of golems within the Heart of the Machine, but quickly dismissed the notion. After all, even a small squad would be sufficient for his needs.
After ordering the golem to stand guard, Ronan took the opportunity to examine the metal box that Mordor III had found.
It resembled the magic box Kosti had given him, and after closely inspecting it, Ronan was almost certain that it was another **Shibirte's Magic Box**.
To his surprise, he had found one so quickly, and a flicker of anticipation filled him.
He carefully studied the box, remembering how Kosti had told him that it could be opened by unlocking the "lock" on it.
The lock wasn't difficult to open, but obtaining the box had been the true challenge.
Ronan stared at the spinning gears, then reached out, gently turning several of them.
"Click-click—"
With a series of mechanical sounds, all the gears in the black metal box stopped simultaneously. A faint white light emerged from within, and the box slowly unfolded, resembling a blooming flower.
Inside, there was a small crystal vial, about the size of a thumb, lying quietly in the box.
Ronan picked up the vial, inspecting it closely. Through the crystal-clear glass, he could clearly see his fingerprints on the surface.
"Empty?" Ronan frowned.
He shook the vial slightly, then realized that the liquid inside was almost invisible, so clear that it seemed like an empty bottle at first glance.
Ronan hesitated for a moment, then decided to open the vial.
He gently pressed the cap with his thumb, and when he tilted the vial slightly, a drop of liquid gathered on his fingertip.
As soon as the liquid touched his thumb, his thumb vanished.
"Invisibility potion?!"
Ronan blinked, and after a few more tests, confirmed that it was indeed a special invisibility potion. However, it was far more powerful than the usual ones, not only hiding one's form but also masking scent, body temperature, soul energy, and mental waves.
"Good stuff."
Ronan's eyes gleamed with excitement. This potion could come in handy at any time.
He estimated that the vial would allow him to use it two or three times, and if diluted, possibly more than ten uses.
As for how long it lasted… after analyzing the potion, he found that his thumb remained invisible, not yet reappearing.
"Here."
Ronan tossed the first golden gear to Mordor III, who eagerly devoured it with a joyful bleat, as though it were a tasty treat.
Ronan had examined the golden gear's material, and while it was relatively ordinary, even inferior to the magic steel tungsten and Neman alloys he possessed, it was imbued with a peculiar magical power that made it stand out.
It seemed like it had an effect similar to [Silverization].
It had some research value, but its intrinsic material wasn't particularly valuable. Since he had another magic box, Ronan didn't mind giving this gear to Mordor III.
Ronan fed the goat some more metal.
"Keep going."
Ronan
no longer needed to rely on the interaction between magic boxes, so he fully entrusted Mordor III to lead the way, like a search dog.
Mordor III was more than happy to comply, and after receiving the command, it dashed off eagerly.
Two days later…
"Click—"
The metal box slowly opened in front of Ronan, the white light fading, and a foul, dark green gas quickly erupted from inside.
"Boom!"
Ronan expanded his mental energy, compressing the air, and in an instant, he dispelled the gas, letting the wind blow away the odor.
Afterward, he saw that the box was now empty. It seemed that the box had originally contained nothing more than the foul-smelling gas.
Ronan remained calm as he casually tossed a golden gear and some metal pieces to Mordor III. He couldn't say if he was disappointed or not.
Over the last two days, with Mordor III's help, Ronan had located seven magic boxes. The full meaning behind the word "surprise" in their name was becoming clear.
Aside from the one with the invisibility potion, the others contained things like unknown creatures' dried waste, unknown insect-like monster specimens, and even completely empty boxes.
In comparison, the first box with the invisibility potion was the best find.
Then there were several low-tier runes, and a low-level divination spell called **[Secret Divination]**.
Ronan spent a day and a half learning the spell, which allowed him to condense the free-floating energy particles in the air into abstract symbols. So far, it hadn't shown any major effects, but perhaps as he improved, it would reveal more uses.
"These magic boxes… there's actually a difference in their tiers?"
Ronan didn't rush Mordor III to continue searching. Instead, he laid out all the opened boxes in front of him.
Carefully observing the appearance of the boxes, he noticed some subtle differences.
For example, the number of gears, the arrangement of the gears, and even the size of the boxes.
However, he still didn't have enough samples to draw any conclusions about their tiers.
Ronan pondered, then turned to Mordor III to give more detailed instructions.
"Big ones… try to find the most ornate and beautifully crafted ones."
Ronan wasn't sure if Mordor III could understand him, but this was his subjective attempt at tiering the boxes.
Mordor III, having been fed metal for several days, had become quite accustomed to Ronan.
After receiving the command, it gave a cheerful "Baa!" and darted off.
Ronan sighed and followed at a steady pace.
It seemed his communication with Mordor III had been effective. This time, the goat ran for a long distance without slowing down.
As the red-brown metallic fog dissipated, Ronan saw a massive silhouette ahead.
—
It was a colossal statue of a dwarf, over a thousand meters tall. Holding a hammer and an axe, the dwarf's thick beard cascaded down to its feet.
The statue appeared to be made entirely of gold, its shine dulled by time, yet still commanding awe and powerful visual impact.
Ronan stood still, captivated by the statue, momentarily forgetting to follow Mordor III.
Eventually, he decided to stop searching—after all, the goat would return once it found the box.
He glanced downward, spotting a massive metal plaza below the statue.
In the center, many metal obelisks stood tall, their surfaces etched with coarse dwarven drawings. Some depicted dwarves with long beards surrounding a crowned dwarf holding a scepter.
The plaza appeared to be some sort of sacrificial site.
Ronan observed several more obelisks, intrigued by their contents.
The drawings seemed to depict a ritual, one where the dwarves were gathered at their forges, crafting something together.
Then, one dwarf, crowned with a crown, placed the crafted items into a square metal box.
"That's it—the true purpose of the magic box!"
Ronan's eyes gleamed as he realized the shocking truth.
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