Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 622 - 621 Great Migration

Several days later, the Zambla Ironwater Province.

This place was once one of the most prosperous mechanical cities in the southern part of the Mafa Empire, but because it was the site connecting to the deity plane's gateway, the great city was the first to fall in the Alchemy plane.

That mechanical city, which once housed millions, was now dead silent.

War had left its mark everywhere within the city, with collapsed skyscrapers, crater-like explosions scars, burned remnants... a sight full of devastation.

All signs of mechanics and alchemy within the city were destroyed, and the motorcycles and mechanical devices once seen everywhere on the streets had turned to scrap metal; even talking about them had become "taboo."

There was only one new structure, and that was the white stone statue of a god that stood hundreds of meters high in the city center square.

It was now early morning, and with a long toll of a bell, people in tattered clothing emerged from the ruins. They dropped everything they were holding and prayed devoutly to the statue.

These were not the mages of the deity plane but the original inhabitants of the Zambla Ironwater Province.

After the outbreak of war, not everyone could escape; the inconveniently moved elderly, women, and children were always the ones to be sacrificed.

They were trapped within the city walls.

The mages of the deity plane spread the faith of the outer gods among them, requiring them to pray every day.

Only in this way, could they survive.

Without external interference, it's likely that in a few years, the original inhabitants would completely bury the once-glorious mechanical alchemy civilization deep in their memory, thus becoming devout followers of the outer gods.

...

At this moment, on a hillside ten kilometers outside the city.

Two people were looking at everything within the city through a monocular telescope.

It was to the southwest of Zambla Ironwater, several kilometers into the mountains, where a blue pillar of light with a diameter of several kilometers projected from the sky to the ground. Like a massive pillar supporting heaven and earth.

Through the telescope, one could see the layered magical prohibitions surrounding the pillar, as well as the dense magic towers.

Seven layers, eight layers, nine layers, and even ten-layered magic towers.

The number of layers on a magic tower signifies the upper limit of the magic power fluctuations it can sustain.

A ten-layered magic tower is roughly equivalent to the magic power fluctuations of a demigod level.

Moreover, these magic towers are connected, clearly forming some sort of super-order magic circle.

The weight of the magic power fluctuations on the formation was visibly dense, giving an oppressive feeling of invincibility.

Seeing this, Su Lun put down his telescope and sighed slightly, "That place with the portal is the 'Alphat Magic Tower Array,' supposedly a super-order formation with the power of the gods. It's almost impossible to destroy it with brute force."

"..."

Mr. Jing, who was nearby, didn't seem surprised and remained silent.

Su Lun originally wanted to come and see if there was a chance to find an opportunity.

But now confirmed, there was no chance at all.

It was because he understood the magic system of the deity plane that he knew there was no opportunity whatsoever.

This kind of formation, integrated by magic towers, one wouldn't be likely to break through even if a hundred of him came.

The scale had become a qualitative change; these formations were also the heritage of the deity plane.

After a long contemplation, neither of them spoke.

Watching the suffering people in the city, Mr. Jing's eyes flickered with a different color, "This might be the Alchemy plane's last moment of peace. Later, when the planar gateway stabilizes, the cost for the strong to descend will be smaller and smaller. If a rank nine great descent occurs, our pressure will only increase. And according to the current situation, in at most a year or two, it might be able to handle the descent of gods."

With that, she paused, her gaze becoming deeper as she looked into the distance, "We don't have much time left..."

The common people were still immersed in the joy of the great victory of the past few days. But only the top powers of the Alchemy plane knew that the pressure relief was temporary. The real crisis would inevitably come in the not-too-distant future.

Su Lun, hearing this, also nodded.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, "Exactly. If we can't completely seal the issue of the planar gateway, the problem will always exist."

Mr. Jing's delicate brows slightly furrowed, also saying, "The structure of the planar gateway is too complex, it's not something the mortals can comprehend. Even at my father's level, he could only repair some cracks back in the day. To completely solve it, we might have to wait until we truly master the power of gods."

Su Lun shrugged his shoulders as he listened.

His second-level All-knowing Eye could understand some of it, but he was powerless to do anything.

These plane channels had been established during the most glorious era of the alchemy civilization.

Originally, those powerful alchemists had the strength to suppress the planes of various realms, and the channels were convenient for them. But the alchemy civilization had now declined, without even a demigod in existence, making it impossible to touch the plane channels, a domain of the gods.

The key to the channel had fallen into Su Lun's hands, but he was unable to close the plane channel on his own.

In the limited aspects that he could understand, Su Lun felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if he was trying to mend a raging river with a mere thread in his hands.

His spirit was willing, but his strength was far from sufficient.

Clearly, this problem could not be solved for the time being, and the two of them did not dwell on it too much.

Their purpose for coming here was not to solve any issues regarding plane channels.

They had other goals.

Su Lun changed the topic and said directly, "Now it seems, it would be not bad if the Heavenly plane could descend one ninth-order every month. The threat to us is not significant in the short term. The united fleet's intelligence has not been leaked... We should still be able to pull off several big moves."

He had previously stripped the memories of those three Sages of Law, and also learned much about the insider details of the descents.

Now, after checking the situation with the plane channels, it was really to estimate the approximate future scenario.

"Hmm."

Mr. Jing heard this and his brows relaxed slightly.

There was a flash of sharpness in her crystal eyes as she said softly, "The urgent task is to move as many people as possible from Mafa to Luying. Population is the foundation of civilization, and is also the most important link in the heritage. Now is our last chance..."

As they spoke, they had already disappeared from sight.

...

A little over half a month later.

Habitson City on the northwestern coastline of Mafa—the largest city here—it has the largest deep-water port in the north of Mafa.

Since the united fleet last time had destroyed the meager sea defenses that the Heavenly plane had barely established, the control of the seas had always been with the United Empire.

The once Habitson City stationed ten-thousand Mage battalion went without supplies and, after holding out for a few months, also pulled out.

Now, this city amidst ruins was one of the few gathering places for the resistance forces in Mafa.

It was just after the battle of Klaymington half a month ago that these people, still fighting in Mafa, received incredibly good news: the Empire had already dispatched a fleet to pick them up.

This gave everyone on the front line hope for survival.

In just over half a month, this port city had already seen tens of millions of people pour in from all directions.

The planar invasion had been too sudden, and with Mafa Empire having a huge population, it was impossible to evacuate everyone in a short time.

First to be moved were the mechanical engineers, essential construction personnel, and women and children.

A large number of troops and ordinary civilians were left in Mafa...

After the fall of the cities, they could only scatter to the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare.

Now that the opportunity had come, the United Empire immediately dispatched a large number of ships to pick up people.

Dusk fell.

The night sky was dotted with stars, the night allure enthralling.

At a camp about ten miles outside Habitson City, the bonfire was burning brightly.

A steam motorcycle came speeding from the outskirts.

Seeing the motorcycle approaching, the sentry on the high wall shouted from a distance, "This is the Habitson forward outpost. Friends ahead, please show your identities."

Su Lun stopped the motorcycle, and Mr. Jing, who was riding in the back, also took off her helmet. The two casually unveiled a section of their disguise, and the dozens of cautious eyes on the wall immediately subdued.

Seeing this, the sentry immediately said, "Alright, you may enter. Open the gate!"

The gates of the camp slowly opened.

This was to prevent the enemy from sneaking in.

But actually, the mages from the divine planes were easy to recognize. The mages had no mechanical modifications, nor did they have alchemical enhancements; their faith even kept them from touching any alchemical products.

So, from the moment the sentries saw Su Lun and the others riding the motorcycle, they had already identified them.

Besides, without the legions' mages, the threat wasn't significant.

Su Lun and the others rode into the camp.

This camp was home to a resistance alliance called "The Steel Knights' Covenant."

They were encamped here to provide defense for the civilians inside Habitson City.

Su Lun and Mr. Jing came this time because they had received reliable information that the mages of the divine planes would launch a surprise attack on Habitson when the fleet arrived tomorrow.

...

After parking their motorcycle, the two walked into the camp.

The camp had gathered a resistance force, around tens of thousands strong, from all corners over the half-month.

It was like a small war town, bustling with activity.

There were regular soldiers, adventurers, mecha modders... Pedestrians on the streets were armed with various mechanical weapons of all sorts and kinds.

The most common sights in the camp were mechanical modification shops and supply stores, with all sorts of firearms and ammunition casually displayed in front of the shops, piled up like mountains.

Next, there were a few shabby taverns in operation.

Even if the taverns were rudimentary, they were one of the few entertainments for the resistance fighters, filled with people.

Having nowhere particular to go, Su Lun and Mr. Jing casually entered a tavern and ordered some beer.

Given the situation, beer was a valuable commodity with a high price, and being able to drink it was a luxury indulgence.

The two sat in a corner, idle, and listened to the excited chatter of the people.

As Su Lun and Mr. Jing walked by, they unexpectedly discovered that the most conspicuous place on the bar counter of the tavern had a copy of the "Lyndon Daily News" from half a month ago.

No one knew where those guys got it from.

But the front-page photo of the members of the Dawn organization was especially prominent.

The people talked about the Dawn as if they had found a kind of spiritual solace, incessantly.

They had just sat down when they heard a loud-voiced Big Beard drinking beer and excitedly spreading the latest news he'd received, "Do you all know? The fleet sent by the United Empire, they said it's arriving tomorrow. I heard thousands of ships are coming to pick us up and take us to Luying!"

With that, the tavern erupted like a pot boiling over, and everyone immediately became excited.

"Oh, finally. I thought the Empire had abandoned us. Hahaha... I can finally see my little Jimmy again!"

"Hmph, who knows if it's true. It's been so long, and now they think of picking us up. How many can they take at once? Don't let it be like the first time, when the rich and the nobility all ran first, leaving us commoners to charge the front lines and die."

"Don't blame the Empire too much. If it wasn't for the royal family's decisive order to blow up the major shipyards, those mages from the divine planes would have probably already used our naval vessels to invade deep into Luying by now. If that were the case, our alchemical civilization really wouldn't have any chance of turning the tables. You might not know how bad the situation is in the occupied areas right now, those guys from the divine planes have destroyed all traces of the alchemical civilization, and even forced the living to worship those outer gods. Hmph! We alchemists' only faith is truth, machinery is power, how could we possibly believe in those false outer gods?"

"Yeah. Even if there were ships before, they didn't dare to come pick us up. What if the divine planes' mages snatched them away—then we'd lose our last haven of survival. Now the Empire has recovered, and aren't they coming to pick us up?"

"But... why would the Empire dare to pick us up now?"

"Hey, you must be new to the camp, huh?"

"Yeah. Our 'Red Baron Knights' were scattered by the mages, and the few of us that survived were driven to the northern mountains. We just came out of the mountains the day before yesterday."

"That explains it. Haven't you heard that 'Dawn' just killed three ninth-tier Sages of Law?"

"Ninth-tier Sages of Law? Were they killed by our people?"

"Yes! Our alchemical plane has top-tier powerhouses too! I heard they are ascetic. That leader of the Dawn organization, Mr. Jing, is said to be a direct descendant of Sir Isaac from a thousand years ago."

"Really?"

"Yes! Otherwise, how could those experts of Dawn slaughter ninth-tier Sages of Law like slaughtering dogs? See that newspaper on the wall? That's the Dawn!"

"..."

The more people talked, the more excited they became.

In the corner, Su Lun and Mr. Jing listened with expressions that were slightly odd.

The newspaper had already published some exaggerated descriptions for the sake of publicity.

Now as the stories reached this place, the members of the Dawn group, as described by the people here, seemed like each was a god-like master.

The two exchanged glances, finding themselves at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

But the atmosphere was lively, and people were getting more and more worked up as they talked.

Caught up in the excitement, Big Beard, who had brought the news earlier, called out to the entire tavern, "Cheers! To the empire's celebration, to the Dawn's celebration!"

The tavern instantly responded with excitement, "Cheers!"

Su Lun, too, got caught up in the moment and raised his mug, signaling to Mr. Jing across the way, "Senior sister, shall we toast?"

Mr. Jing's expression faltered slightly as if she was put in a tough spot. But a moment later, she gave a shallow smile, "Hmm, cheers."

As she spoke, she picked up her hefty oak mug and began drinking.

Su Lun gulped down his drink and then turned to see Mr. Jing tilting her slender neck back to drink. A few trickles of liquid escaped from the corner of her mouth and glided down her pale skin, glistening under the firelight.

It was then that Su Lun realized, wasn't this the first time he had seen his senior sister guzzling beer like this?

As ever, she was the picture of elegance.

After drinking for a while, the two casually pitched a tent in the camp and rested in meditation.

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The night passed quickly.

...

The next day.

Early in the dawn, the camp suddenly came to life.

"The ships have arrived! The empire's ships have come for us!"

"My god, there are at least a thousand ships, a dense crowd that stretches as far as the eye can see!"

"Hahaha... That's the Thunder Tiger flag of Marshal Meredith; our grand marshal has arrived!"

"Oh, are these the combined fleets that previously annihilated eight ten-thousand-man formations?"

"..."

Nobody knew who yelled first, but in an instant, tens of thousands of people in the camp were awakened.

People climbed up high towers and looked through telescopes towards the western sea.

When they saw the dense formation of ships approaching the port on the horizon, everyone was thrilled.

It wasn't just the few tens of thousands of sentries that were excited; the millions of people in the nearby Habitson City were also stirred up.

They were massive cruise ships, warships, gigantic cargo vessels... and they had the joint fleet and the Eternal Night escorting them.

For Su Lun and Mr. Jing, there was no surprise at all.

It was because the arrival date of the ships had been coordinated with them.

Only with their presence, would the united empire dare to send so many vessels to pick up people.

The two emerged from their meditation and stepped out of the tent.

Rather than looking out at the western sea, their faces turned east.

Through the communicator, the imperial military's intelligence organization had already reported the enemy's latest movements.

Su Lun raised his eyebrows, "Looks like the guys from the divine realm have made their move."

Mr. Jing said, "In this half month, at most two ninth-tier Sages of Law should descend. That's not a big problem."

Su Lun smiled slightly, "Tsk tsk, twelve ten-thousand-man formations, that's practically all the combat power those guys from the divine realm have in the northern part of Mafa. Taking them out this time, we'll have peace for a good long while."

Mr. Jing gazed into the distance, her eyes misty and far-reaching, "Yes. This time, we should be able to transport a large portion of the people to Luying."