Chapter 134: Isn't This Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper?

With Master Gongshu Liang, a guide intimately familiar with the terrain, and the crew of the Astral Express in tow—particularly with the formidable strength of a certain former Herrscher of Reason—their path to the heart of the Creation Furnace was fraught with obstacles, yet their advance was shockingly swift.

Just as Chen had predicted, Ms. Welt took it upon herself to handle nearly all the direct combat, clearing a path for the others. She faced down the Entranced Ingenia, their automated eyes glowing a malevolent red, corrupted by the encroaching power of the Ambrosial Arbor’s roots. She confronted the bizarre Wood-Flesh abominations that split directly from the twisting branches, a grotesque fusion of flora and fauna.

Through it all, her demeanor never wavered. She would simply push her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a calm, practiced motion, and the seemingly ordinary cane in her hand would tap lightly against the ground.

The next moment, an invisible field of crushing gravity would descend from nowhere. The charging automatons would be slammed to the floor, their metallic joints twisting with unbearable, screeching cracks. On other occasions, she would manifest phantom cannons from the void, their spectral forms unleashing a single, devastating volley that reduced entire sections of the corridor to smoldering ruins.

She walked with the unhurried grace of someone strolling through a garden. A trail of wreckage and chaos followed in her wake, a proof of her shocking efficiency.

“Kill! Kill! Kill! Ms. Welt is magnificent! All of you, just die already!” Chen shouted from a safe distance, his blood pumping with vicarious excitement. He cheered with wild abandon, as if his combat effectiveness was measured solely in decibels.

March 7th, while methodically picking off stray enemies with his ice arrows, couldn’t resist firing a barb at Chen. “Hey! Chen! You’re shouting yourself hoarse back there, why don’t you actually do something? What kind of hero just cheers from the sidelines?”

“What do you know!” Chen shot back, his voice thick with self-righteousness. “This is moral support! The core of our tactical doctrine! Haven’t you noticed how Ms. Welt’s combat power has skyrocketed under my encouragement? Besides, I’m conserving my strength and giving the younger generation a chance to shine! Precious Qiong, go! You’ve got a leaker on the left!”

Qiong, however, needed no such prompting. He had already darted forward, his baseball bat whistling through the air in a clean, decisive arc. With a sickening crunch, he smashed a Wood-Flesh creature that had been attempting to ambush Master Gongshu Liang from the side.

Master Gongshu Liang, clutching a large wrench, could only watch the overwhelming speed of their advance. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, words failing her, until finally, she could only mutter in a daze, “The people the General sent… are truly extraordinary…”

She had initially been deeply concerned that these outsiders wouldn’t be able to handle the Department of Craftsmanship’s automated defenses, let alone the bizarre monstrosities spawned by the Arbor. It now seemed her worries had been entirely unfounded.

Thanks to their incredible efficiency, they soon broke through the numerous obstacles of the outer sectors and arrived at the true heart of the Department of Craftsmanship—the grand casting workshop that housed the Creation Furnace.

In the center of the enormous, circular chamber stood a colossal furnace of ancient design. Even in its current state of disruption, it radiated a scorching heat and an aura of majestic power. This was the prized treasure of the Artisans, the Creation Furnace.

The sight of it now, however, was enough to make one’s heart stop.

Countless thick, sinister roots of a dark, ominous gold—the tendrils of the Ambrosial Arbor—were coiled around the furnace’s outer walls like giant pythons. Even more alarmingly, a dense mass of these roots had tangled and woven together directly above the furnace, forming a massive, nest-like wooden sphere. This sphere completely sealed off the furnace’s upper core.

Intense light and violent pulses of energy leaked from within the wooden cocoon, as if something was gestating inside.

“The furnace’s top control core and its main energy convergence point are sealed by those roots!” Master Gongshu Liang pointed, her voice tight with anxiety. “We have to destroy that thing and sever the roots’ connection! They’re eroding the core and siphoning its energy!”

Chen narrowed his eyes, studying the giant wooden ball. He vaguely recalled this part from the game… wasn’t there supposed to be a boss-level elite monster here?

‘Perfect,’he thought.’A good chance to see how much I’ve grown.’

“Master Gongshu, Mr. Tingyun,” Chen said, stepping forward. The playful smirk had vanished from his face, replaced by a rare seriousness. “It looks like what’s ahead is the last and toughest nut to crack. You two aren’t combatants, so please wait for us back at the entrance where it’s safe. That way, if we can’t handle this, we’ll still have a clear path to retreat.”

Master Gongshu Liang looked at Chen, then at the placid Ms. Welt and the determined expressions on Qiong and March 7th’s faces. Realizing she would only be a liability, she nodded grimly. “All of you, please be extremely careful! Those roots… they’re incredibly malevolent!”

Mr. Tingyun also inclined his head in agreement. “I shall wait here. If there are any changes, I will inform you immediately. Please, exercise caution.”

With the arrangements made, Ms. Welt took the lead. Chen, Qiong, and March 7th followed closely behind her. The four of them cautiously approached the root-choked core of the furnace.

The closer they drew, the more potent the cloying scent of the Abundance became. The surrounding roots seemed to sense their intrusion, beginning to writhe and squirm with an unsettling energy. They even began to split, birthing more of the small Wood-Flesh creatures in an attempt to block their path.

But against the absolute power of Ms. Welt, it was as futile as an ant trying to stop a carriage.

Finally, they stood directly beneath the giant wooden sphere. Up close, the eerie, corrupted vitality it contained was even more pronounced.

Just as they were about to discuss how best to destroy the wooden mass, a sudden change occurred.

The surface of the sphere began to swell and pulse violently, as if something inside was struggling to break free. Then, accompanied by a long, resonant cry like that of a deer and a deafening crack of splintering wood, the sphere exploded from within!

Amidst a storm of flying wood chips and turbulent energy, a massive, almost divine figure stepped through the blinding light and slowly descended.

It had the form of a great deer, but its body was crafted from a translucent, wood-like substance that shimmered like a fusion of jade and glass. Its antlers were as complex and sprawling as the crown of an ancient tree, glowing with the warm, majestic light of life. Veins of golden energy pulsed visibly beneath its crystalline hide.

Its eyes, however, were hollow pools of radiant gold, utterly devoid of spirit or intelligence. Where its four hooves touched the metal floor, delicate golden grasses and vines instantly sprouted.

The Abundant Ebon Deer. A powerful being birthed from the Ambrosial Arbor’s stolen power, and its fiercest guardian.

Ms. Welt’s expression turned solemn as she raised her cane, readying herself for battle. Qiong tightened his grip on his bat, and March 7th drew his bow, nocking an arrow.

As for Chen, he stared at the flashy, imposing giant deer, and his mind immediately flashed to a certain famous deer-shaped adeptus from another world. A wide, mischievous grin spread across his face.

He blurted out, “Well, well! Look who it is! Isn’t this Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper? Haven’t seen you in a few days, and you’ve gotten so flashy! Did you come all the way here just to be a watchdog for the Ambrosial Arbor?”

His nonsensical shout shattered the tense atmosphere, causing it to freeze over in an instant.

Ms. Welt: “…”

‘This boy is at it again,’ she thought with a silent, weary sigh.

March 7th: “???”

Moon Carver what? Who was that?

Qiong: “…”

He silently adjusted his grip on his bat, preparing to rush in at a moment’s notice to rescue Chen, who was almost certainly about to get kicked by a deer for running his mouth.

The Abundant Ebon Deer itself seemed momentarily stunned by the sudden, bizarre name-calling. Its hollow, golden eyes swiveled toward the source of the voice—the black-haired youth who looked the weakest but was clearly the loudest.

“ROAR—!!!”

The response Chen received was a sky-shaking bellow filled with pure, offended rage. It was followed by a brilliant beam of golden energy that tore through the air, aimed directly at his face.

“Holy crap! It’s coming for me first?!”

Chen yelped, but his reflexes were sharp. He executed a clumsy but effective “lazy donkey roll,” narrowly dodging the blast. The metal floor where he had been standing was instantly overgrown with a thicket of wildly growing golden thorns, which then rapidly carbonized and turned to ash under the furnace’s residual heat.

“Seems this Perfected Lord has quite the temper!” Chen scrambled to his feet, patting the dust off his clothes. An even more excited smile lit up his face. “Perfect! Let’s test my skills! Ms. Welt, Precious Qiong, Little March! Let’s go beat it up!”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]