Chapter 252: The Morphine Crystal

Iron lay on his back, recovering his strength. The weakness and fatigue were slowly fading, and after a few minutes he got up from the grass and stood on his feet.

​"Lumon, are all my notes saved?" he asked quietly.

​"All scan data has been recorded and saved."

​Iron squared his shoulders and stretched his stiff neck before asking:

"Did you figure out why the Golem turned on?"

​"Before the 'Ssengnihton' magic nullified the object's existence, I managed to lock onto the power source."

​"Get to the point faster."

​"Beneath the Golem's carapace was a Morphine-type crystal. It is a rare type of accumulator capable of holding a massive energy reserve for decades."

​"Morphine? The painkiller?"

​"Incorrect. Morphine crystals form in different environments, depending on the infused element. In this case, the core was charged with the Electro element. Such crystals form on thunderstorm continents—in places with high rainfall and frequent lightning strikes."

​Iron chuckled thoughtfully, looking at the flattened grass:

​"But it couldn't have booted up from the dampness. Most likely, someone triggered it from the outside."

​"Incorrect," Lumon cut him off.

​Iron looked into the distance in surprise, but a second later it all clicked. He nodded in understanding:

​"The crystal ran on a universal motion sensor," Lumon confirmed.

​"Yeah, I already figured it out myself... Any displacement of air or footsteps in the passage. Alright, where can I find another crystal like that?"

​"Finding a Morphine-type crystal is incredibly difficult, as it is a unique..."

​"Yeah, yeah, you're repeating yourself," Iron interrupted him. "In simple words, where do I get them?"

​"In the Katogida Valley. However, the chance of finding a ready-made sample is no more than 0.01%. It is more rational to craft one yourself."

​"Then send me its structure."

​A detailed schematic instantly unfurled on his retina. It was a multifaceted dark blue crystal with a faint white gleam along its sharp edges. Iron carefully examined the projection, committing the layout of all the bonds to memory.

​"Got it. I think I should visit a couple more kingdoms..."

​Iron took a few steps forward, throwing a quick glance at the pit in the ground left from the recent battle. After that, he collapsed space and instantly vanished.

​In the next moment, Iron stood at the foot of massive stone walls. The main gates of the Eridan Kingdom loomed before him. Calmly walking up to the guards, he handed over the required pass, received a silent nod, and stepped inside the capital.

​Weisburg greeted him with its familiar noise. Townsfolk bustled around, wagons drove by with a clatter, and the air smelled of fresh bread and smoke from chimney stacks.

​Iron cast a glance over the lively street and couldn't help but chuckle:

​"Yeah, Weisburg hasn't changed a bit."

​He walked slowly down the main street, looking at the food stalls, armor shops, and the sign of the local hunters' guild along the way. In no rush, Iron stopped at the doors of a small weapon shop and pushed the wooden door.

​A wide variety of weapons hung in rows on racks and stands. The vendor behind the counter gave Iron a friendly nod without trying to pressure him.

​The engineer began to slowly stroll along the rows, eyeing the work of the local blacksmiths. On one of the stands hung a sword with a large red stone in the hilt and gold trim. A little further lay a blade cast from a dark blue metal, with edges that looked lethal. The next sword seemed the simplest and plainest, but upon closer inspection, its blade turned out to be very thin.

​Raising his gaze a bit higher, Iron's eyes caught a sword hanging right under the ceiling.

​Long, with a purple hilt and a purple blade, it had a distinct four-sided shape. Right above it hung a small tag with the price: 100 gold.

​Noticing where Iron was looking, the vendor asked:

​"Sir, are you interested in this blade? Want me to take it down so you can get a closer look?"

​Iron turned toward the exit and calmly answered:

​"No, it just looks rather unusual, that's all."

​Right on the threshold, he paused, turned around, and added with a smirk:

​"And by the way, listing this sword for a hundred gold is robbery."

​Leaving the weapon shop, Iron unhurriedly headed toward the royal castle. Life went on peacefully around him: people were smiling, talking animatedly about something, and going about their business. Everything looked quite peaceful and happy.

​Right in front of him, several children ran past, laughing loudly. One of the boys crashed right into Iron on the run, almost bouncing backward.

"Sorry!" the child yelled as he ran and rushed off laughing to catch up with his friends.

​Iron merely followed him with a brief glance and walked on. There were only a few hundred meters left to the castle itself when he slightly slowed his pace and stopped completely, looking down at his right palm.

​He slowly clenched and unclenched his fingers a few times, tracking the internal sensations.

​...The arm is starting to weaken, and it hasn't even been five days yet. I guess that's why it broke in the battle with the Golem...

​Iron looked up at the castle towering ahead, glanced over the massive walls, and quietly said under his breath:

"Not now."

​He turned around, but after taking a couple of steps, he paused and said in his mind:

​Ah, right... Lumon, how do I disable the dome?

​"Data unavailable," Lumon's voice calmly responded in his head. "Presumably, the deactivation algorithm is known only to the royal family."

​Iron threw another quick glance over his shoulder at the castle towers:

"Alright."

And, without lingering, he continued his way back down the street.

​Meanwhile, the Nellis Kingdom was livelier than ever.

​Noah walked into the hunters' guild, passed the noisy tables, and dumped the severed head of a Greed onto the wooden counter.

​Mary froze in place, looking at the monster's head in fear. A whisper immediately swept through the main hall—the hunters sitting at the tables exchanged surprised looks and pointed fingers toward the counter. Mary frantically shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts, and stammered out disjointedly:

​"Please wait, Sir Noah!"

​She quickly disappeared behind the massive door of the staff room. Three minutes later, she returned, dragging two bags of coins.

​"Here, please, take this!" she said with a smile, sliding the money over.

​Noah looked gloomily at the bags and shook his head:

​"I told you I don't need them."

​"What do you mean you don't need them?" Mary threw her hands up. "Believe me, you will really need coins!"

​Noah sighed to himself, repeating in his mind:

​You're repeating yourself...

​But he took the bags anyway, and then pulled out a new bounty flyer and placed it on the counter:

​"This is my next opponent."

​"Yes, alright, of course!" Mary nodded quickly.

​At that moment, three burly guys the girl had called came out of a side door. They carefully picked up the Greed's head and carried it further down the corridor to show it to the guild master.

​Noah turned around and was just about to head for the exit when the local hunters instantly crowded him from all sides. They completely blocked the passage, shouting over each other:

​"Can I go with you?"

​"Your name is Noah, right? Can I go with you?!"

​"Sir Noah, take me with you!"

​"I can be your porter! I'll carry all your stuff, just take me!"

​Noah, not wanting to waste time on chatter, blurred between the people at lightning speed and darted out onto the street. The crowd didn't even realize what had happened—a second ago he was standing in front of them, and the next moment the passage was already empty.

​One of the hunters left in the hall clicked his tongue in displeasure:

​"Thinks he's who knows what..."

​"You're telling me," a second one at the counter chimed in. "Guys like that make me sick."

Outside, Noah unfolded the flyer. Looking over the location on the flyer, he realized he had encountered this place before, tucked the paper away, and ran at top speed toward his new target.