Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1055: Section 607: A Sudden Turn (Part Two)

Chapter 1055: Section 607: A Sudden Turn (Part Two)

The day before arriving in Bangkok, Malin sat at the stern of the ship, finished eating his grilled fish, and idly observed the constellations in the sky.

Sostak No.3 and Jason were trying to contact two AIs in the area, but chances were slim. According to Mr. Meng, they hadn’t encountered any mechanical life forms in the Bangkok region.

Malin took out his diary and wrote about today’s experiences—who knows what day it is today? Nightfall.

Honestly, after drifting across the sea and land for so long, Malin had completely forgotten what month it was. He only remembered it was still unbearably hot today. Everyone on the ship, young and old, wore shorts. Of course, Malin and Meng Quyi could always activate the temperature endurance spell formations daily, so at least they could still maintain decorum.

Thinking this through, Malin sighed and continued writing in his diary.

Today, I played mahjong with the ambassadors. They’ve been learning it for ages and finally built up the courage to challenge someone to a game, choosing me, presumably the "rookie."

Haha, as if these old dogs could have predicted that Malin, who seemed like a complete stranger to mahjong, was actually a calculating monster who could anticipate every possible outcome from the cards in their hands.

I wiped them out—it was three against one. Ambassador Lin nearly wagered his granddaughter on the game.

He thought I didn’t know the type of person his granddaughter was. Meng Quyi had already mentioned it. That young woman has arms thicker than my waist, goes berserk up to three meters tall, and is a purebred Thainan giant.

Though even during domestic violence, she wouldn’t stand a chance against me—still, I’m not the kind of man who likes hitting women.

Malin, you played mahjong again today. Tomorrow, no more mahjong! Do something meaningful, I beg you!

After finishing his diary entry, Malin stowed away the notebook and pen, then sprawled out on the soft mat beside his tent.

Feeling drowsy, Malin decided to take a nap, not having slept last night because he spent it playing mahjong.

What’s that? Find something meaningful to do? Like fishing?

Come on, I’m sick of eating fish already!

Wait a second, should I try cooking some stewed sea birds tomorrow for a change?

Not a bad idea. Let’s go with that.

......

Wake up, Malin.

A voice seemingly out of nowhere called out to Malin, making him open his eyes to see the starry sky and the firelight illuminating it. He instinctively sat up.

Then he realized that he, along with his mat, had appeared on the partially collapsed roof of a Bell Tower.

Standing up, Malin looked at the city engulfed in flames before him and the fleet of ships far out at sea, remaining silent.

Where is this place?

Turning his head, Malin saw a person riding atop a massive eagle-like creature flying from afar, with winged demons chasing after them and their companions.

From this vantage point, many buildings were visible, and judging by their architectural style, this was clearly a Thainan city.

With that in mind, Malin turned to look northward—this city was under siege, its walls already breached.

Activating the Eagle Eye Technique, Malin saw an innumerable Chaos Legion.

At that moment, someone flipped open the hatch of the Bell Tower. The man first glared angrily at the fallen large bell lying on the platform, cursing bitterly, before noticing Malin.

"Who are you?" he asked in Thainan.

"Malin, Malin Gaiate. Who are you? Where is this? What time is it now?" Malin retorted.

The man froze for a moment: "Westlander? Have any Westland ships passed through recently? I don’t know of any, but right now you’d better run for your life! Chaos has breached the city!"

Malin nodded, then checked the spiritual energy and spell formations within his body. Confirming everything was intact, he turned and ran toward the edge of the platform before leaping off.

In the next instant, the wind became Malin’s wings. Flying through the air, Malin drew out his Mana—the short bow fashioned from the World Tree Sapling—and using spiritual energy as the bowstring and the wind as the arrow, he released the shot towards the group of demons still chasing the giant eagle.

The arrow flew forth, then began splitting apart under Malin’s watchful gaze. Eventually, hundreds of energy arrows separated and collaborated, each targeting a specific demon, striking them down one by one.

The rider atop the War Eagle noticed Malin and, maneuvering closer with his animal companion, spotted Malin’s stature. He paused in shock, then awkwardly saluted: "Respectful greetings, are you from Westland?"

"To be honest, you could say that, but what I really want to know is—what year is it now?"

"Year 31 of the Xin’an era."

Year 31 of Xin’an?

Malin felt a bit perplexed, but it didn’t matter. Keeping the information in mind, Malin nodded: "Where is this?"

"It looks like you’ve arrived a bit out of the usual process, though now clearly isn’t the time to discuss that," the young man responded with a wry smile. "Regardless, Legendary one, you’ve witnessed the embarrassing side of the Thanan people."

"Not really, Westland periodically has its own tragicomedies like this. Is there anything I can help with in this city?" Malin asked.

To be honest, by now Malin had already figured out that he’d traveled deeper—unlike his previous encounters with descendants, this time it was undoubtedly a forward jump.

Year 31 of Xin’an, the slightly different attire, the Thainan port—where is this exactly?

"We’re doing our best to fend off the Chaos invasion, but as you can see, Chaos is everywhere in the city’s north. All we can do is make our best efforts to evacuate as many civilians as possible to the fleet," the young man said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself—I’m Chao Si Shui, a Sage’s disciple. I don’t yet know your name."

Your surname is Chao too?

Malin paused, then asked reflexively: "Is this... Bangkok?"