Chapter 960: Clues
Leon seized the moment when the Four Elemental Rules manifested together, their powers converging to quell the chaos within the Demi-plane. He observed the shifting of the four elements, the evolution of the rules, and the fusion and transformation occurring between the Four Elemental Rules...
Gradually, the Demi-plane returned to normal, though its edges had become utterly barren except for the central region.
Leon closed his eyes, quietly contemplating the changes he had sensed—the surging of the four elements, the fusion and evolution of the Four Elemental Rules...
Opening his eyes, Leon again manipulated the four elements of the Demi-plane, decisively destabilizing the already stabilized Four Elemental Rules...
After repeating this process over a dozen times, Leon finally stopped...
This method, which risked the total collapse of a natural Demi-plane, truly made the Four Elemental Rules manifest directly. As Leon's connection to the Demi-plane deepened, these changes became as vivid as if they were etched in his mind.
His understanding of the Four Elemental Rules soared, but the cost was a shrinking of the Demi-plane's landmass—hundreds of square miles lost. Except for the center, the edge regions spanning over a hundred kilometers became desolate, with all plants and mineral veins utterly destroyed, making it indistinguishable from a freshly born Demi-plane...
Leaving the Demi-plane, Leon began to ponder how to advance his rank...
His insights into the Four Elemental Rules were now sufficient, but to reach the Seventh-Rank Title Archmage, he needed to fuse two foundational rules and embark on the path of rule fusion.
Once all four rules were fused, the opportunity to ascend to Sky Rank would present itself.
Fusing two of the Four Elemental Rules—Earth, Fire, Water, Wind—was not something that could be achieved through contemplation alone; it required practice, or a stroke of luck...
While Leon was contemplating the Four Elemental Rules within the Demi-plane, strange changes began to unfold on the Four Seasons Plain...
Near the Gray Orc Fortress, space would occasionally ripple, and primitive-looking Alchemical Golems would suddenly materialize on the land.
These Alchemical Golems, each with crystal eyes of different colors, wandered aimlessly across the land—some even making their way toward the Gray Orc Fortress.
Scattered Alchemical Golems were almost instantly dismantled by the patrolling golems outside the fortress.
Alternatively, they were spotted by the patrolling Battalion Mages, who destroyed them without mercy.
No one paid these incidents any mind—Alchemical Golems frequently appeared near the Gray Orc Fortress. With magical beasts long since eradicated, the only threat here was the Alchemical Golems.
Thus, these scattered low-level Alchemical Golems were ignored, and once dismantled, their parts were collected by others.
These wild Alchemical Golems were a primary source of parts for the Gray Orcs, and some of their designs even provided inspiration.
Nearly every Gray Orc in the fortress has their own Alchemical Golem, but the parts for these golems are far from cheap—especially the critical systems.
Magic reactors, weapon systems, control systems—these are all extremely expensive. Not every Gray Orc can find rare materials to craft them by hand.
That’s why these wild Alchemical Golems have become a crucial resource for the Gray Orc tribe.
No one paid much attention to the appearance of these wild Alchemical Golems, and after Leon emerged, he received no reports about them.
What no one realized was that the frequency of spatial fluctuations outside the fortress was rising. Each time, not just one golem would appear, but two or three...
In some places, four or five golems would appear at once. The golems themselves had changed—from the initial rusted, low-level models to ones at level twenty or even twenty-four or twenty-five, with noticeably less rust and stronger weapon systems.
For four or five days straight, the number of Alchemical Golems outside the Gray Orc Fortress kept growing. More and more were hunted, yet still, no one seemed to notice.
It wasn’t until one night that over a thousand Alchemical Golems surged like a tide, charging toward the Gray Orc Fortress.
On the fortress walls, the automated weapon systems powered by Alchemical Golem technology sprang into action repeatedly throughout the night.
Huge fireballs exploded outside the city, and rays of energy rained down like a fiery storm beyond the walls...
The battle erupted, and only then did everyone snap awake.
Defensive metal plates along the walls lit up one after another, and the massive patrol army of Alchemical Golems joined the fight immediately.
The gates swung open, and hundreds of Bladewalker Alchemical Golems surged forth like a metallic tide, plunging into the golem horde outside...
With a single charge, those mismatched Alchemical Golems were torn apart, reduced to heaps of spare parts.
The battle was over in less than three minutes; every Alchemical Golem that attacked the Gray Orc Fortress was dismantled and brought back as parts.
After the fight, Leon arrived at the gate, watching squads of Alchemical Golems hauling in piles of parts. He frowned slightly.
The parts were a chaotic mess—some brand new, others heavily rusted.
There was even a humanoid Alchemical Golem whose exterior remained intact. Leon recognized it instantly—it was from the Plane of Golems.
Only Alchemical Golems from the Plane of Golems have such rusted, mismatched parts. Each golem is cobbled together from random components, some of which don’t even fit properly.
This is the hallmark of low-level Alchemical Golems from the Plane of Golems.
The Plane Path to the Plane of Golems has gone awry!
In that instant, the thought flashed through Leon’s mind.
Leon could no longer sit still. Despite having ordered a search for the Plane Path of the Plane of Golems, there had been no results. Even knowing the path was near the Gray Orc Fortress, it remained undiscovered.
The Four Seasons Plain is no small place. Without a precise destination, finding a Plane Path is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Moreover, for a high-level plane like the Plane of Golems, an uncontrolled Plane Path—even unopened—can radiate over a vast area, possibly dozens of kilometers.
That means Alchemical Golems sneaking through the Plane Path’s cracks could appear dozens of kilometers away from the path itself.
The sudden surge of Alchemical Golems is highly abnormal. It might mean the Plane Path is expanding...
If the Plane Path keeps enlarging and actually opens...
The Blazeforge Realm will be utterly conquered by Alchemical Golems from the Plane of Golems—without the slightest suspense.
If even a single high-level Sky Rank Alchemical Golem arrives, the fall of Blazeforge Realm will only be a matter of time...
Leon summoned Dunas.
"Lord Merlin, you’re here about those Alchemical Golems, aren’t you?"
As soon as he entered, Dunas seemed to know exactly what Leon wanted to ask.
"Do you know anything about the Plane of Golems? Any clues about the exact location of the Plane Path?" Leon asked.
Dunas shook his head.
"Lord Merlin, honestly, there’s no need to worry. A sudden surge of Alchemical Golems attacking the fortress is normal. Every ten years, there’s a golem frenzy, and the number of Alchemical Golems on the Four Seasons Plain increases sharply.
When their numbers reach a certain point, they attack the fortress.
And every hundred years, there’s a major Alchemical Golem frenzy. It’s expected that our fortress will be attacked.
But don’t worry—the Alchemical Golems can’t break through our defenses. We’ve fought countless battles with them over the centuries.
If we prepare in advance, the golem frenzy is actually a time of great harvest for us. The parts from those golems are a fortune, and sometimes we find rare and unique components.
Some of Lord Krovitz’s designs were inspired by these Alchemical Golems.
This year marks the centennial—so a major Alchemical Golem frenzy is to be expected. Rest assured, Lord Merlin, our defenses won’t be breached. In fact, it’s a once-in-a-century harvest...
Dunas was brimming with confidence, his eyes shining as if he saw a mountain of gold. It was clear he’d been waiting for this day for a long time.
"Lord Merlin, could you allow the Gray Orcs to go hunting? You know, this is a rare chance..."
Leon nodded absentmindedly, but he was far less optimistic than Dunas.
"Do you have any clues about the Plane Path to the Plane of Golems?" Leon pressed.
Dunas looked troubled, forcing a bitter smile and shaking his head.
"Lord Merlin, I honestly don’t know. The Gray Orcs have no idea what the Plane Path is, nor where it’s located.
Our ancestors passed down an alchemy array. With the fortress’s massive magic reactor and the cooperation of hundreds of Alchemical Golems, we can tear open space and summon golems from the unknown.
The greater the power provided, the stronger the summoned golems—and possibly more numerous. But it’s not something we can control.
For centuries, whenever we faced powerful enemies, we summoned Alchemical Golems to aid us. After the battle, they would simply vanish.
Oh, right—Lord Merlin, if you’re looking for clues, Lord Krovitz surely knows more than I do..."
Leon frowned and waved Dunas away.
"Lord Merlin, about hunting those Alchemical Golems, what do you think...?"
"Go ahead. Just don’t leave the protection of the fortress."
Leon agreed offhandedly, and Dunas left, his face full of joy, beginning to organize the Gray Orcs for the once-in-a-century harvest.
Though Dunas spoke lightly, Leon grew more uneasy with each passing thought.
The thick-skinned Gray Orcs sensed nothing amiss—because they didn’t understand just how terrifying the Plane of Golems truly was.
Even a peak Sky Rank powerhouse like George coveted the Plane Path, but needed to make full preparations in the Blazeforge Realm before entering the Plane of Golems...
As a high-level plane, the Plane of Golems is every bit as dangerous as the Plane of Undead.