Chapter 434: Weiss
After fully repairing the Sky Rank Golem, its strength may not reach the terrifying heights of the Sky Rank, but at the very least, it could easily handle a level thirty-seven or thirty-eight opponent...
If, in the Golem Plane, I can successfully find that particular item, Leon is confident he could elevate the alchemical golem's power to the level of Star Sage Joey.
What does reaching Joey's level really mean...
That's nearly the pinnacle of Title Archmage—a being that has touched a shred of transcendent power...
Throughout the history of the Northend World, only about twenty Sky Rank Golems have ever appeared. If Leon can get this alchemical golem's power close to Sky Rank, that would already be impressive.
Leon didn't idle around either. With practiced ease, he dismantled the parts—his speed at taking apart a Sky Rank Golem would leave any creator in awe. The quiet clinking continued for over ten minutes, as one precious component after another was removed. William Merlin and Dalson didn't notice his actions; they were busy exploring the vast workshop.
He removed another core component and was about to dismantle the power system when, suddenly, the Sky Rank Golem's body lying in the corner twitched...
Yes, it really moved.
Leon was startled.
What the hell is going on...
Then he remembered—the Sky Rank Golem's mana source was completely gone. No matter how bizarre things got, it couldn't possibly threaten him, especially since he'd already dismantled most of its parts.
Having survived the apocalypse, Leon knew all too well: whether it was a mana warship or an alchemical golem, without magical energy, it was nothing but a pile of scrap metal.
Suddenly, with a 'swish,' the Sky Rank Golem's eyes lit up. Seeing this, Leon seemed to remember something and turned to look at the opposite wall.
"This is..."
The moment he saw the scene, Leon was nearly dumbstruck. The image clearly depicted Emperor Charles leading a host of human champions to break through to the Throne of All Creation.
It was an unprecedented battle...
Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves together guarded the Throne of All Creation, launching a storm of counterattacks against Emperor Charles and his champions. For a moment, under the fierce assault, many of Charles's human warriors actually fell.
"The Merlin Ancestor! It's really the Merlin Ancestor..."
Standing behind Emperor Charles was a middle-aged man, and Leon recognized the badge on him—it was the Merlin Family crest. Leon had seen that very crest not long ago, back in the Apocalypse Plane, when his cousin William Merlin obtained it.
Leon stared at the crest in shock. The Merlin Family was clearly far more complicated than it appeared. If that man really was the Merlin Ancestor, then the family's history could be traced all the way back to the end of the Nesser Dynasty...
Then he noticed that those fighting in the battle weren't just Five-Colored Dragons, Pureblood Elves, and humans—behind Emperor Charles stood several Sky Rank Golems. One of them looked oddly familiar, almost like the one beside him now.
"Something's not right..."
A flood of questions rose in Leon's mind. Even though he'd only watched the battle for a few seconds, it was clear that Emperor Charles and his group were losing badly. Many powerful warriors had already fallen. At this rate, breaking through to the Throne of All Creation was out of the question—even escaping the siege of the Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves would be difficult.
But in the history of the Northend World, wasn't it Emperor Charles who broke through to the Throne of All Creation and founded the Third Dynasty...?
This didn't match what he knew at all...
Just then, the entire scene suddenly darkened. Leon saw an indescribable black hand stretch out from nowhere, covering the sky. The Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves reacted as if they'd seen a ghost, clearly terrified of its presence.
The black hand descended heavily, and Leon witnessed a sight he'd never forget: countless Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves were instantly obliterated, unable to resist at all.
The scene reflected on the wall abruptly ended...
Yet the image of that black hand falling lingered in Leon's mind, impossible to shake. His feelings at this moment went far beyond mere shock.
Just what kind of power was that...?
Even beings as mighty as the Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves were slaughtered in an instant—and not just one, but entire groups...
Does such power truly exist in this world?
This kind of terrifying strength was far beyond anything he could imagine.
After a while, the Sky Rank Golem remained motionless, lying quietly in the corner. Leon frowned—this golem had existed for ages and even participated in the battle for the Throne of All Creation. What puzzled him was how it ended up in the King of the Caucasus's mage tower.
And judging by its condition, it had clearly survived a brutal fight—many parts were damaged, and its mana source had been stolen.
Leon shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it. He crouched down and focused entirely on dismantling the parts. After about twenty minutes, he'd stripped every valuable component from the Sky Rank Golem...
Once finished, Leon finally stood up and glanced around, noticing that Dalson and the others were all busy with their own tasks.
This vast alchemical workshop was basically confirmed to be safe. Occasionally, a damaged alchemical golem would appear, but anyone in their group of ten could deal with it easily. So, after entering the workshop, they split up to search for the entrance to the next floor.
Leon released several Wizard's Eyes, carefully controlling them as he moved about, apparently searching for something in the alchemical workshop...
After a few minutes, Leon arrived at the spot he'd been searching for—a small room with a pile of deactivated alchemical golems at the entrance, and a thick layer of dust covering the floor.
Among this group, Leon was probably the only one who knew that workshops of this scale usually had a control room. And this was it—the control room for the entire alchemical workshop.
The control room was now in ruins, but there were still traces left of the alchemical arrays it once managed.
Standing in the cramped control room, Leon couldn't help but shake his head. He'd hoped to find some clues here, but now it seemed he'd been overly optimistic...
Just then, he turned to leave the control room and, not watching his step, seemed to kick something. Looking down, he saw a fist-sized object, pitch black all over...
What is this thing?
Leon frowned. The control room was supposed to be the core of the entire workshop—there shouldn't be random junk lying around. But that thing on the floor didn't seem special at all; just by its shape, it looked like a fragment of something.
After a brief pause, he reached out to pick it up. But the moment his hand touched the black object, he froze, standing there motionless...
This thing was way too strange...
In that instant, the magic emanating from the black object was unbelievably strong. It felt less like touching metal, and more like laying a hand on a Five-Colored Dragon.
Yes, that was exactly what it felt like.
Just what was this thing...?
Leon frowned deeply, gripping the black object in one hand. It gave him a constant sense of dread. He tried channeling mana into it, but nothing happened.
This thing was definitely not ordinary...
He slipped the black object into his pocket—no time to deal with it now. He'd study it when he had a chance.
When he left the control room, Dalson and the others were already waiting by the central furnace in the workshop.
"Any discoveries?"
"Archmage Merlin, we've found the passage to the ninth floor..." Dalson said excitedly. After the illusions on the eleventh floor, they'd expected the tenth to be dangerous too, but it turned out to be easy. Aside from the trouble with nearly a thousand alchemical golems, the tenth floor was almost risk-free.
Leon nodded, about to say something, when he suddenly sensed a powerful magical fluctuation. He immediately turned toward the massive furnace.
At the same time, everyone present felt the magical surge and turned to the furnace. Among them, Solan Monty suddenly paled, staring at the furnace in utter disbelief.