Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1044: Section 603: Trip to Central South (Part 3)_2

Chapter 1044: Section 603: Trip to Central South (Part 3)_2

By the time the tenth column was assembled, his troops were already wavering—understandably so, given the common perception these days of skeletal gunmen as bare-bones skeletons wielding a dilapidated one-meter-long spear.

However, Ails’ skeletal gunmen donned heavy armor, and their exposed bones, thickened by growth, were covered in intricate engravings, with pure white soul fire burning in their eye sockets.

When approximately two thousand of these bone gunmen, utterly beyond comprehension, marched forth, the Bone Gate paused for several seconds. Bishop Zhang scratched his shiny bald head: "Although this lich’s army is impressive, if this is all there is, it won’t be enough to defeat the Chaos."

· Of course, I wouldn’t rely solely on this force to defeat the Chaos.

As soon as Ails spoke, skeletal archers clad in breastplates and leather skirts made a dazzling entrance.

"What a flaunting display of opulence," grumbled Miss Meng Quyi, standing with arms akimbo beside Malin.

Ails chuckled mischievously.

· Miss Meng, how can you say that? These firearms, you see, I spent a hefty sum to buy them from Sir Malin himself. This is a huge business venture!

The archer regiments, arranged in columns of ten troopers each, stretched into the horizon even after thirty columns appeared. Unable to contain his curiosity, the Sage’s disciple walked over to Malin: "Sir, what the lich mentioned earlier—are these new-style firearms indeed sold by you?"

"Yes." At that moment, Malin smiled and nonchalantly took out a comb to tidy nonexistent flyaway strands.

"Can we purchase production licenses from you?" The Sage’s disciple looked at Malin. "We have artisans and an artisan guild, not to mention master dwarven craftsmen—they’re the finest in the trade."

"No problem, I can even teach them how to manufacture firearms. By the way, do you have lathes?" Malin asked.

"We do, but very few. They’re treasures from before the Great Destruction, usable only by Machine Souls." At this point, the disciple sighed. "The sacrifices required by Machine Souls are increasingly hard to come by; sometimes we overturn an old city entirely but can’t gather enough material for a single production cycle."

"Seems your colleague has quite the appetite," quipped Sostak No. 3, turning his head to face Jason. Jason rolled his eyes: "Don’t let me see that guy—otherwise, I’ll dismantle his core from the storage compartment."

The conversation reached this point when the Sage’s disciple turned to these two AIs, tilting his head in confusion as he looked at Malin.

"They’re Machine Souls," Malin had to explain the identities of No. 3 and Jason.

This caught even Bishop Zhang’s attention, interrupting his tally of archers from the Bone Gate. He stared at the two AIs, then back at Malin with the envious gaze one reserves for a man of legendary wealth.

"If they’re Machine Souls, what would it cost to activate them, Sir Malin?" the disciple asked curiously.

Jason and No. 3 burst into laughter. Had they tears to shed, they’d surely be crying from hilarity.

After laughing to their hearts’ content, No. 3 waved dismissively: "There’s no such thing as sacrifices; we have our energy factories. The Machine Soul you mentioned is troubled because it lacks mechanical startup energy—don’t worry, I’ll help resolve that."

With this reassurance, the disciple stopped paying attention to the heavy skeletal knights emerging from the Bone Gate. Instead, he gestured for Malin to follow him.

"Where are we headed?" Malin asked after bidding farewell to Ails and joining the disciple.

Getting ahead, Bishop Zhang cleared a path for the disciple, seemingly numb to the ever-growing size of Ails’ army. Malin figured Zhang must have realized one thing: anyone who could buddy up with Malin was, without exception, a formidable character—aside from Logan.

Logan was a lost cause; even at his peak, he was merely a werewolf shackled by domestic violence. Why? He managed to secure a short-sequence transformation to become a werewolf warrior...

...but utterly failed to best Miriam, tragically embodying the miserable reality that only domestic abuse is eternal.

"I can hardly wait to send you to Thainan proper. As a Sage’s disciple, I cannot accompany you, but I can entrust Miss Meng with the task. Your fleet will receive priority supplies, letting you reach the factory districts sooner for Thainan to obtain new-style firearms earlier. As for safety here, don’t worry; we’ll safeguard ourselves, and your lich ally can form a contract to hunt Chaos in the jungles and assist in defending the city during attacks from Chaos forces."

"Looks like you’ve placed your trust in Ails," Malin said with a smile.

"Rather than trust this lich, Ails, I trust you, Sir Malin—a lich capable of wielding Holy Energy, unheard of until this day. This lich is indeed extraordinary," said the disciple before turning to Malin again. "Now I have one more question, Sir Malin: what would you require from me in return?"

"What price?" Malin paused, puzzled.

"Yes, everything in this world has a price tag. Machine Souls demand sacrifices; food requires money. The only priceless treasures are life and love. Your assistance could save countless lives, so I want to know—what price do you ask, and whether I can afford it."

This disciple’s words moved Malin—what wisdom and awareness from Thainan’s youth, truly befitting a student of the Sages.

"Young man, don’t sell yourself short; you are priceless to us too," Bishop Zhang said, halting and looking with urgency at the child before them.

"No, Bishop Zhang. My mentor has taught me that any price is worth paying to drive out the Chaos. Not only us—even the Sages could sacrifice their lives. In this world, only love and life are priceless." Rebuking Zhang’s interruption, the child turned to Malin. "I am willing to offer my greatest cost: my freedom, my love, and my life."

"Why would I want your love? You’re a boy." Malin rolled his eyes.

He then noticed Meng Quyi shaking her head at him.

Sensing something, Malin turned his gaze downward to the disciple.

The latter smiled bitterly and sighed: "It seems Sir Malin misunderstood me."

"Uh, no, no misunderstanding. I’m married, and developing new friendships or relationships isn’t in my interest," Malin quickly clarified. "Besides, I’m helping you not for a price; frankly, you couldn’t afford it, nor would I want my fellow humans, fighting tooth and nail against Chaos, to pay any sort of cost." Malin hurriedly resorted to appeasing words—he wasn’t some collector, after all.

The Sage’s disciple seemed moved by Malin’s sincerity but remained logical to the end: "Sir Malin, receiving such assistance without any cost could lead to serious future problems. We cannot let the idea of unearned rewards take root in this land."

"Well then, does Thainan have gold coins? Can you show me one?" Malin reluctantly set a price.

"Yes, but I don’t have any on me. Bishop Zhang?" The disciple turned to the bald bishop.

Zhang looked embarrassed: "I’m wearing a martial monk’s robe, carrying no money."

The disciple redirected their gaze to Meng Quyi. Malin watched as the little miser rooted through her pouch and produced an oval-shaped gold coin.

"Is this a gold coin? One of these will suffice," Malin said, taking the coin.

"One? How is this fair? This isn’t equal exchange!" The disciple was distressed, shaking their head in protest.

Malin had a different view: "Indeed, my price isn’t just this single coin. However, all the warriors who sacrificed and swore to prevent civilization’s downfall have already paid the price for your future."

With that, Malin tossed the coin back to Meng Quyi: "Consider this pocket change—keep it safe, Miss Meng."

Having done so, he extended his hand. "Sage’s disciple, please lead the way."

The girl finally smiled for the first time. "My name is Chengshan—Chao Chengshan. Thank you for your help. This way, please, Sir Malin."