Chapter 244: The Floating Stone Tower
"What is it?" Sylas West frowned, quickly releasing a Wizard's Eye as well.
Sure enough, the alchemy lab was right next to the botanical garden. A path paved with ivory stones led there—no more than a hundred or two meters at most...
It was a stone tower floating in midair.
Through the Wizard's Eye, Sylas could see clearly: the stone tower was at least two hundred meters above the ground, with no visible support—just floating above the four of them.
"Merlin, you..." Sylas glanced worriedly at Leon. Of the four present, two were Archmages and one a Title Archmage—each could use Levitation or Flight to reach the tower. But the last was only a Ninth-Rank Mage, and at that level, neither Levitation nor Flight was possible. Even with Elemental Avatar for Elemental Blink, it was impossible to cross two hundred meters in one leap...
"Getting up there isn't the problem..." Leon shook his head. Though he was only a Ninth-Rank Mage now, there were plenty of ways for him to reach the tower. What really bothered Leon was something else: "Do you hear a buzzing sound?"
"Hm?"
Sylas was momentarily stunned, then his brows furrowed as well...
Because Sylas could clearly see, up in the sky above their heads, eight alchemical golems were circling around the floating stone tower. The whir of their propellers made a buzzing sound that sent chills down one's spine...
"Flying alchemical golems!"
"And they're not exactly weak..." Leon rubbed his nose, gazing at the eight flying alchemical golems, unable to help but let out a bitter smile.
The eight flying alchemical golems kept circling the stone tower, blocking almost every route. Leon could tell at a glance—there were no shortcuts this time; they'd have to fight their way through.
"Two per person, then..." This time, Leon didn't dare take on too much. Before reaching the rank of Archmage, aerial combat had always been his weakness.
"Alright!" Sylas didn't argue. He took Fran with him, and together they cast Flight and Levitation, soaring skyward. As soon as they entered the fifty-meter range of the tower, five or six flying alchemical golems immediately swarmed to attack...
It was now clear just how formidable Sylas truly was—a Title Archmage in every sense. With Flight, he moved as if on solid ground, his spellcasting perfectly adapted to aerial combat. Every spell was precise and efficient, and he managed to hold off five or six flying alchemical golems without falling behind.
"Let's go too." Seeing Sylas establish a local advantage, Leon channeled mana into the Lava Dominator. This time, he activated its flight capability.
Almost as soon as Leon took to the sky, a shrill whistle rang out—the remaining three flying alchemical golems lunged at him all at once...
"Fast reflexes..." Leon twisted sharply in midair, barely dodging the three golems. At the same time, he raised his Soulbound Staff and cast a Frostfire Shield...
Sure enough, the moment Leon unleashed the Frostfire Shield, a barrage of wind blades tore through the air...
Amid the dense barrage of wind blades, the red and blue glow of the Frostfire Shield flickered rapidly. Countless blades crashed against the shield, ringing out with a constant metallic clatter. Even as Leon controlled the shield, he kept busy—gripping his Soulbound Staff, he unleashed a Fireball...
Next came a thunderous boom...
The Fireball struck a flying alchemical golem head-on, erupting in a burst of sparks like fireworks. The golem itself was blasted away by the spell's shockwave.
But even after the Fireball hit its mark, Leon's face showed no hint of satisfaction.
He could clearly see that the golem struck by the Fireball, after being blown dozens of meters away, wobbled to a stop. Its flight and combat systems were completely intact. That kind of defense was enough to chill anyone—Leon even thought that, compared to the golem from the Bone Plane, this one was probably even tougher...
"Impressive..." Realizing this, Leon grew even more vigilant, focusing most of his energy on maintaining the Frostfire Shield.
This was a fight with no shortcuts—no clever tricks, no fancy tactics. The environment forced them to rely on brute magical strength and sheer defensive power.
Here, rank made all the difference. A gap of a dozen levels was no joke. Sylas and Fran together held off five flying alchemical golems, shouldering two-thirds of the pressure. Thanks to Sylas, the newly advanced Title Archmage, they finished the battle before Leon and Salomon could.
In the end, Sylas even helped finish off the last flying alchemical golem.
When the final golem crashed to the ground with a resounding boom and exploded, the awkward battle that had plagued Leon finally came to an end.
"Wait..." Just as Sylas and the others were about to fly toward the tower, Leon suddenly stopped. Without consulting anyone, he veered off, heading straight for the only mostly intact golem wreckage...
As always, he didn't let any useful parts go to waste...
It took Leon a full minute to finish dismantling it. Only after stashing the last bearing in his spatial relic did he fly up to rejoin the others.
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"Merlin, aren't you a little too frugal..." Even Salomon couldn't help but comment this time.
The mysterious owner behind the Gilded Rose, a man who could spend tens of thousands of gold coins in a heartbeat, yet still scavenges golem scraps. If word got out, who knows how many people would die laughing...
"Hmph, we fought like hell to take out most of the enemies, and you just sneak off to pocket the best parts..." Fran had been humbled twice in the botanical garden, but after fighting side by side with Sylas and taking down six golems, the Grandmaster was feeling bold again.
"Enough..." Sylas, a Title Archmage, couldn't care less about a few spare parts. What really caught his attention was Leon's behavior: "Merlin, did you notice something?"
"A little, yes..." Leon nodded, pulling a power core from his spatial relic—the one he'd just salvaged from the golem. "Take a look at this, Sylas."
"What's wrong with it?" Sylas took it, puzzled, but after a long look, couldn't see anything unusual.
"It's been maintained too well."
"You're right..." Sylas was genuinely surprised. The power core was in such good condition, it hardly looked like it'd been idle for two thousand years.
Power cores are different from other parts. Most components can go years without maintenance, but power cores need regular care. Otherwise, they accumulate debris, causing malfunctions—or worse, total burnout.
"It's not just these flying golems. The three guardian alchemical golems we encountered in the botanical garden had the same issue. When I dismantled them, I found they'd been serviced recently—I'd guess about a week ago..."
"That's impossible!"
Leon’s words stunned not just Sylas, but Salomon and Fran too—they nearly jumped out of their skins.
How could the last maintenance have been just a week ago?
Vaughn's been dead for nearly two thousand years—who could be maintaining these golems? Ghosts?
"Whatever the case, this alchemist's lab is seriously strange..." Even Leon couldn't figure it out, and could only reach that conclusion after thinking it over.
In the end, the four could only fly slowly toward the stone tower, burdened by unanswered questions...
It was easy to see—the stone tower was covered in moss, thick dust, and cobwebs in every corner. It looked like no one had set foot here in ages...
The tower's main doors were ajar, two rotten wooden panels creaking in the wind. Guarding the entrance had been two alchemical golems, but their mana sources had long since dried up. Now they lay side by side, bodies caked in dust and rust—a stark contrast to the golems they'd fought before...
"Mage Slayer Model..." Leon glanced at them, relief in his voice. Both guardian golems were Mage Slayer Models—if their mana sources hadn't been depleted, it would have been another brutal fight for the group.
Thank goodness...
With that thought, the four pushed open the decaying doors and cautiously made their way down a long corridor. Soon, they reached a vast hall—about a hundred meters across, with six ornate chandeliers overhead and a floor paved with perfectly carved ivory tiles. Each tile was intricately patterned, radiating the Third Dynasty's signature opulence...
The only exit was on the far side—a corridor that vanished into darkness, like the gaping maw of a beast...
"Alright, it's time for another round of 'spot the oddity'..."