Chapter 174: The Age of Adventure
The Evil God, Sha-Cha’s, judgment was quick.
Contrary to expectations, however, only 4000 out of Sha-Cha's army of 30,000 returned—not even half the number.
Based on the fact that Sha-Cha’s army possessed a relic that could turn freshwater into seawater, Sung-Woon had inferred that Sha-Cha's army consisted entirely of Deep Ones, and that their movement routes were limited.
"Since they came along the river, it's obvious they'll have to go back the same way."
Of course, Deep Ones were better swimmers than those opposing them, so their marching speed would be much faster. However, there were issues with going via rivers compared to a regular path.
"First, while on the ground, you can create a path and march. Rivers, on the other hand, have predetermined paths. And second..."
Sung-Woon looked down at the map.
"Rivers meander."
The Moving Castle moved slightly faster than a person's walking speed, and since it could still move without any rest or sleep, its average daily trekking distance was quite far. Additionally, because of the known path of the river, the Moving Castle could arrive first at the destination that Sha-Cha’s army was heading to.
Eventually, after the 30,000 Deep One forces diligently followed the river downstream, they encountered the Moving Castle, which had blocked and stayed in the riverway.
Gunfire poured upon the river, and Deep Ones emerged dead on the water. If they couldn’t avoid it, they had to fight.
Wisdom then asked about this.
"We do have the advantage, but is it really necessary to go out of our way and engage in a battle with the Deep Ones?"
"Yes. Even if we manage to weaken their forces this time, we’ll likely have to fight them again after some time. It might be better to focus on internal affairs sooner rather than engaging in such a small-scale battle."
"But why?"
Sung-Woon answered, “Sha-Cha’s main strength lies within the sea, and sea battles require further technological advancement. It would be difficult to settle things in a short time. The war will last long. Therefore, it might be a good idea to assess their capabilities now."
Wisdom agreed. And therefore, Sung-Woon was able to observe a battle commanded by Sha-Cha. Just as Sung-Woon had thought, Sha-Cha was a skilled player. The troops moved in a coordinated manner. There were troops climbing up the Moving Castle, but that was only a part of their strategy. The main force, who had the relics, moved out onto the ground to try and go around the Moving Castle. If Sung-Woon hadn't predicted this and positioned his forces accordingly, Sha-Cha would have successfully retreated even more forces than anticipated.
Just by Gordius leaping into the middle of the Deep One troops, dozens of soldiers were sent flying into the air. Then, Sha-Cha's creation was also revealed. Because it looked like a giant Deep One, Eldar called it Dagon.
Although it was a fact they would only learn about later, Sha-Cha seemed to believe the form was efficient and had modeled numerous creations after the particular Dagon. Sung-Woon and the other players were thus able to spot the Dagons easily.
However, the one that appeared first was miserably defeated in the battle against Gordius. As Dagon was bipedal and around 30 meters tall, it would seem comparable to Gordius in terms of physical prowess. However, it was weak against the breath spell inscribed on the Great Ashurada’s body, unlike Hekab, who had resistance to flames with a different physique.
Nonetheless, Sha-Cha achieved their desired outcome. The main forces that Sung-Woon had attacked, along with the relics they possessed, were actually fake. Sha-Cha had anticipated a low chance of success, so they lured Sung-Woon's forces with more troops and sent only a few with the real relics to escape through an alternate route to land.
Wisdom found this puzzling.
"But didn't the real commanders die? Or are they fake as well? It seems a bit excessive to summon creations to defend against this."
"It's likely the commanders were real. They probably wanted to save both sides, but in the end judged that they had to choose only one."
Still, victory was victory. On the other hand, Sha-Cha's Black Order was able to avoid a large-scale battle against Sung-Woon’s Pantheon.
Sung-Woon got the surrender of the Fabirang Union in the east, defeated the Black Order in the west, and the central Rakshasha tribes had divided, so he judged that there would be no external threats for the time being.
Then, AR1026 returned. Vasen exploring the interiors of the Moving Castle had satisfied the requirement of hardships for a god to be revived. So now, in the imperial city of the Golden Eye, which was subjugated by Black Scale, a festival was being held, and the highest priests of the Pantheon designated this day as a holiday.
Once revived inside the Pantheon, AR1026 appeared hostile toward Sung-Woon and seemed confused, but given that her consciousness was completely absent while being a vassal, it was a natural reaction. Upon hearing the explanation of the situation, AR1026 was able to join the alliance without significant opposition. Of course, her relationship with Lunda seemed difficult to mend, but Lunda appeared to accept her situation, thinking of it as karma.
However, events on the fourth continent were still far from over.
First, the area of the fourth continent that Black Scale had explored was only a small part of the northern region, leaving unexplored regions that were five to six times larger. And not only were they unexplored, but there could also exist other Dragons like the Great Ashurada.
Additionally, behind the surrendered RD was the forces of the first continent, and to the east, Sha-Cha's Black Order still retained strength.
Moreover, there were two more gods that Sung-Woon had decided to revive, but not enough hardships had been overcome yet. The adventure had to continue.
***
Sung-Woon decided to accept RD into the Pantheon.
RD seemed bewildered.
"Uh, um, why?”
In RD’s perspective, there was no need to make an alliance bigger after it was formed. The pantheon could have just taken RD’s resources and information and left them on their own. So RD, who had lost their main troops, thought Sung-Woon would do that and was somewhat prepared.
Sung-Woon said, “Can I be honest with you?”
"Sure. Honesty is better than just saying something nice to hear."
“We need a seawall to block those guys from the first continent.”
RD chuckled, and the round eyes of the rubber ducky turned into crescents.
Behind Sung-Woon, Lunda murmured to Eldar that RD was very cute. Sung-Woon ignored them.
“...If we just take things from you and leave you on your own, those people from the first continent will destroy you. Then they’ll, to some extent, absorb your foundations and technology.”
“That’s true. They’ve taken some of the base facilities from our mainland, so they would be developing it somewhat now…”
“Oh, we’re not worried about that. Just because they take the Fabirang Union’s technology, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to make something amazing.”
RD chuckled again.
Sung-Woon cleared his throat and continued to say, “On the other hand, there are points where things would become annoying if we were to face those from the first continent.”
"So you’re making the first move and coaxing me?”
"Yes."
RD got lost in thought. This couldn’t be considered a favorable condition. Even if they formed an alliance, what the Pantheon of the third continent wanted was for RD to block the attacks from the first continent, and they would get full access to their technology; RD would only be giving.
'No, that's not it.'
But didn't RD themself want the power to stand against the first continent? And considering Black Scale had built proper gunpowder weapons and successfully persuaded a Wizard, it seemed worth considering the synergy with Rubberpunks.
‘... This can work.’
RD said, "A…alright. What's the big deal, let's give it a shot."
Crampus didn’t like RD’s attitude, but the Fabirang Union still ended up joining the Black Scale Empire.
At the time, the attack from the first continent was imminent, but the Moving Castle was also at its peak. The alliance of the first continent made an effort, going to the length to even use Hierophany, but they lost to Gordius and had to hand over the 50 anchored ships to Black Scale.
After Black Scale blocked the first continent's initial attack, they turned the Fabirang Union’s city, Ullor, into a major port and began the full-scale exploration of the new continent—the main homeland of Black Scale, located on the peninsula, wasn’t the only players in the game; many imperial territories began to form independent adventuring groups.
Ullor merged with the nearby port to the west, Penn, and became a massive port city called Ullor-Penn. It welcomed numerous ships from the third continent and also gathered valuable relics, various rare animals found on the fourth continent, Doodooba rubber trees, and gear technicians of the Fabirang Union. Pangolins, Rakshasas, and other minor species who sought opportunities for success on the third continent, which was the new continent in their perspectives, also gathered in the city.
The ships that departed from Ullor-Penn traveled to numerous port cities on the third continent, including Maganen, picking up adventurers, traders, and priests from those destinations back to Ullor-Penn. It was truly an era of adventure.
The priests of the Pantheon, including Night Sky’s, built temples on the fourth continent and interacted with the deities there, as well as with the minority species that followed these deities.
In particular, the Pangolins played the bridgehead role of resolving conflicts between Black Scale and the native species. It was widely known that the Pangolin king, Margo, along with the deity Katuru, earned the title of arbitrator from the emperor of Black Scale for their success in that regard.
However, danger still existed. The western part of the continent was still under the influence of the Black Order. Only a few authorized merchant ships occasionally engaged in exchanges, while the minority species under the rule of the Deep Ones restricted entry beyond the land of the Black Order. Adventurers also set foot on the continent in search of many relics and treasures lying dormant in ancient ruins, but there were still some species that feared and attacked outsiders.
Vasen Lak Orazen, Theone Itimo, and Mazdari discovered the sacred land called Yobuen and killed another Dragon, Atneil. Surprisingly, in this battle, no assistance from any god was needed. Yobuen was a highland with steep cliffs, where the jungle ended. The vast green fields stretching beyond the horizon looked like the Prairie of Beginnings that Vasen’s younger brother, Shune, had seen.
By killing Atneil, who ruled over the spire of the prairie, the requirement for hardships was fulfilled, and the other gods, player Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos, were revived. Both Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos were even more bewildered than AR1026. However, firstly, there was a reason why all the players summoned them again and they needed to understand what it was, and secondly, since the territory of the Black Scale Empire continued to expand, there needed to be gods to manage it. These reasons alone were sufficient for them to accept the alliance.
Without letting Sung-Woon know, Eldar told the two of them that there might be a third reason as well.
Lim Chun-Sik asked, "A third reason?"
"You guys being vassals bothered him."
"Bothered? ...That doesn't seem like him."
"That’s just my thoughts. Games are meant to be enjoyed together. There's no need to be so harsh on each other."
"Hm."
Lim Chun-Sik rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, he'll probably deny it, so don't ask him directly."
Next to Yobuen’s spire, a city named Vaseniol was established, which was named after Vasen. Vaseniol became the next landmark for those who arrived on the new continent through Ullor-Penn, while at the same time it became a second home for adventurers.
The northern jungle was only a part of the fourth continent. There was a great influx of people exploring the other parts. In that, the players from the Pantheon had nothing to be worried about. The population was explosively increasing, and it would be nigh impossible for gods to pick out individuals with impressive abilities on their own. So these individuals had to prove themselves, to show that they were worthy of the attention of the gods.
As expected, those who were born with such qualifications accomplished great things. A new ancient ruin was discovered, Dragons were killed, and they also protected a threatened reclaimed land.
But occasionally, ordinary individuals also achieved great things. They reconciled two tribes who were fighting against each other, succeeded in taming Wyverns, and discovered new farming methods suitable for the different soil. They even built buildings on empty land, formed a militia in a city that had no public order, and bargained with divine beings to protect the city’s source of water supply.
Meanwhile, in the palace of Orazan, a remarkable discovery was made. A mechanical device made of iron was placed in the palace garden. This device was divided into a big part and a smaller part, and in between the two parts was a set of gears.
Someone with keen eyes might recognize that the larger part was a loom, since warp threads and wefts were hung between the parts. However, there was no seat for a person to sit and operate the device like a traditional loom. Additionally, the smaller part had coal piled next to it, giving it the appearance of a furnace at a glance.
Kyle Lak Orazen said, “Rumf, aren’t you a bit too nervous?”
“Pardon? Oh, haha, I suppose a little.”
"I don't think there's anything to worry about. This is the correct direction. It was just too heavy to put on a Helix Wing."
Rumf sighed. That was the model Kyle had initially proposed; they had spent so much time replicating Helix Wings with this technology and failed every attempt that Rumf was worried about this demonstration turning out to be another failure.
"...But you, Your Majesty, are right. The crucial point is whether it can move by itself."
"Among the gifts given by the Night Sky, there's silk as well. Silkworms move themselves to produce thread, and Night Sky also hopes we can imitate that. Do you understand?"
Rumf nodded.
"I will begin."
As Rumf signaled, the official of the technological department standing next to the machine lit a fire inside the small machine and began adding coal. The water inside the machine boiled, and as the coal inside the furnace burned, it emitted black smoke through the pipes.
Rumf murmured, "Please, please...!"
And slowly, the gears next to the small machine started turning, aligning with the gears of the larger machine connected to it.
The first spinning machine began to weave cotton.
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