The Legendary Mechanic, page 272
“This is exactly why I hate Oracles.” Han Xiao felt a headache.
Despite knowing the powers of the Dragon Emperor’s teacher, this feeling of restraint and following the opponent’s plan unwillingly made Han Xiao very irritated.
Oracles were good at using their powers to plot. To Oracles who were strong enough, intelligence had no meaning. When someone dealing with an Oracle thought that they were being smart, what they did not know was that the Oracle had used their ‘smartness’ from the start. One never knew what the Oracle really wanted one to do.
Luckily, Han Xiao had his advantage. He knew the target’s powers and ability very clearly, so he could judge his mindset from an Oracle’s perspective. It would not guarantee that he would escape the target’s calculations, but it would at least ensure he would not get tricked unknowingly. Furthermore, from what he knew about the target, although the target had a bad character, he rarely meant harm.
This was a good piece of news. After all, although Oracles were not physically powerful, being their enemy would be something very, very, very troublesome!
“What’s next? Should we go where he said?” Herlous asked.
“Let’s see what game he is playing.”
Han Xiao snapped his fingers, creating a Mechanical Force spark. Amphiptere quickly turned into a compressed orb and attached itself to his necklace.
At the same time, Mechanical Forces spread out like electric currents, connecting the broken robot parts with each other. Suddenly, these parts levitated and gathered, then quickly assembled. Some distorted parts recovered to their original shape under the Mechanical Force. In the blink of an eye, the pile of waste parts turned back into the round robot body.
Basic Machinery Construction and Waste Modification!
The tiny round robot started moving again. Phillip waved its mechanical arms, slid beside Han Xiao’s feet, and reported, “Self-checking, hum… performance decreased by twenty-five percent, hum… storage data backed up, hum…”
Sylvia’s eyes were sparkling so brightly that stars almost jumped out. “Teacher, I want to learn this!”
“You want to run before you learned to walk?” Han Xiao glanced at her. He retrieved the mechanical flying bugs that he had discreetly sent out earlier to detect the inside of the villa, confirmed there was no one inside, and turned away. “There are no more clues here, let’s go.”
They left this rural street, leaving a group of wailing stone men behind.
…
At the same time, in a secret location in Noriosse City 4, many DarkStar members were gathered in a dark room. They often liked to host secret operations in dark places like that.
“According to our intel, the traitor appeared simultaneously at the center of City 7, northeast of City 6, and City 4’s train station. His ability is to have five doppelgangers. One of them is in our hands, the whereabouts of the other three have been exposed, and the last one has yet to be found. That should be his original body that he hid. His doppelgangers can’t be too far away from his original body, or they would vanish. The exact distance is unknown, but it won’t be further than a planet. Hence, he’s still on Noriosse,” a DarkStar warrior said.
In the corner of the room, a Godoran was tied tightly to a chair. This Godoran was covered in blood, and it was unknown how much suffering he had gone through. He looked exactly like Alvin, and he was sneering.
“What are you laughing at?” a DarkStar soldier yelled.
“Hehehe, you will never catch my real body.”
Alvin was indeed the traitor that DarkStar was tracking down. His Esper ability was creating doppelgangers, and the one that had been caught by DarkStar was one of the doppelgangers.
If Han Xiao was there, he would most likely be reminded of Black Spider, who was imprisoned in Bell of Death Island on Planet Aquamarine. Both of them had doppelganger-type Esper abilities, but the specific effects were different. Black Spider’s doppelgangers were puppets—he could only manipulate them to carry out simple tasks, and his consciousness could only exist in one puppet at a time but could be transferred. As long as one doppelganger lived, he would not die. He was very difficult to kill.
Alvin was different. Up to five doppelgangers could exist at one time, and every one of them could fight on their own. His consciousness was divided into five—these doppelgangers were all him, and one of them was his real body. As they shared senses, if the doppelganger was injured or died, the pain would be fed back to the consciousness in his real body, and his mind would be damaged. Furthermore, the doppelgangers would shatter if they were too far away from the real body, which was the same as dying and would also deal a certain amount of damage to the real body’s consciousness.
So as long as they had control of one doppelganger, they would be able to determine the approximate area that the real body was in—Alvin was still hidden on Noriosse.
“Captain Forsyth,” a soldier suddenly said, “the latest intel shows that the doppelganger in City 4 is taking the train to City 8. Lieutenant Sherman did not follow the plan and attack…”
“Okay,” Forsyth replied indifferently. He was a hybrid Godoran, a Grade B Super of DarkStar. He was also the captain of this team… on the outside.
Forsyth looked at the intel for a while more then walked out of the room. Outside was a long corridor. He turned two corners, walked into an empty room, and pressed a disguised button on the wall. The wall silently slid open, and behind the door was a secret room.
He went inside, and there were only two people there, Anur and Ember.
To pursue this traitor, not only did DarkStar dispatch a large number of elite soldiers consisting of seven Grade B Supers, they even dispatched Anur and Ember who were two Calamity Grades. This was a huge operation!
DarkStar abhorred this traitor. Alvin had leaked part of DarkStar’s information to Godora, leading to one Grade A member, Vivira, falling into a trap during mission, getting captured by Godora, and being imprisoned in Rainbow Prison. Moreover, Alvin had more information on his hands. If it was revealed, Godora would come to know even more about them. This was a huge hidden danger.
DarkStar would not allow traitors to live. Now that the team had trapped Alvin on Noriosse, it was a game of cat and mouse. Sooner or later, they would find him. Therefore, the information would not be leaked for the time being. If Alvin wanted to live, he could only rely on the rescue, and if he gave out all that he knew to Godora, he would have no value to Godora anymore. Hence, he could not say anything until Godora sent someone to save him.
DarkStar was also very clear on this point. Because of Noriosse’s specialness, neither DarkStar nor Godora would not dispatched battleships to surround the planet. This consortium had a very deeply rooted network and complex connections with several Star Cluster level Civilizations. If they wanted Alvin, they could only send their Super warriors to act on the planet.
“Your Excellencies.” Forsyth bowed respectfully and said, “We have new information. A doppelganger of the traitor took the train toward City 8. Sherman did not follow the plan of attack.”
“Why?” Anur asked with a deep voice.
“He accidentally met the Black Star mercenary group on the train!” Forsyth said. “Alvin sat down with them, and Sherman didn’t have the confidence to attack.”
“Black Star?” Anur frowned and looked at Ember on the side. He still remembered how obsessed Ember had been with Black Star. Anur said with a deep voice, “The task is more important. We’re hidden in the dark, so there’s no need to provoke him.”
When Ember heard this name, his face did not change at all. To him, this name seemed to have become meaningless. His emotions did not fluctuate at all, and his tone remained indifferent.
“Rest assured, he’s nothing to me now. The traitor is our goal; as long as the Black Star does not interfere with our affairs, he can live.”
“That’s right.” A sense of satisfaction flashed within Anur’s eyes and disappeared in a split second.
“Sherman’s decision is very correct,” Anur said. “Behind the Black star is the Dragon Emperor, so there’s no need to cause more problems. Alvin was lucky to have accidentally met this gang of mercenaries, but his luck will not keep going. Have Sherman continue to track him…
“Looking at the time, Godora’s reinforcements should be arriving very soon. Alvin’s doppelgangers share their senses, so all his doppelgangers know that you’re tracking him. Tell those acting outside to be cautious, don’t fall into his trap.”
Chapter 478 |
Han Xiao and the gang took the low altitude transport aircraft to the north of City 8, the popular commercial street that the stone mercenaries’ clue pointed to. It was crowded, noisy, and wide. In the middle of it was a fountain square, surrounded by shops of all kinds.
Following the address, they came to the door of a shop. This building was colorfully painted, and vibrant magic lanterns were installed on both sides of the open door.
Herlous looked up at the shop’s name, and his face twitched.
“Universal Love Bookstore… what kind of name is this?”
“Go in and see.”
The layout of the shop inside was surprisingly very simple. The floor was made from smooth, brown wood, and there were rows of glazed wood shelves filled with books. These books exuded a rich magic vibe; they seemed to be high-grade magic books. The store was filled with the fragrance of books. In a place like Noriosse, Mages were almost the only ones left still using books. This was clearly a bookstore for Mages.
According to the clue, there was a person there who knew the whereabouts of the target. Han Xiao looked around, but because there were so many bookshelves, he could not see if there was anyone inside. He patted Herlous on the shoulder, telling him to call for someone.
Herlous was about to open his mouth when he suddenly noticed a problem. “Wait a minute, why don’t you do this little thing yourself?”
“You have a great physique and a loud voice,” Han Xiao said with no expression on his face. “It’s mainly because I’m lazy.”
“…”
Herlous stared at him before letting out a thunderous shout. “Is—any—one—in!!”
Swoosh!
A sound came from deep within the bookshelves. The person inside was shocked and accidentally bumped the shelves, causing a pile of books to drop.
“On—one moment, I’m coming…”
A male human in a Mage’s robe walked out limping while still hissing from the pain on his foot caused by the books that had fallen. When he saw Han Xiao and the others, he put up a warm smile.
“I am the owner of this bookstore. Do you like single or multiple people? Beautiful or rough? What race do you like? Oh, you are all humanoid species. I have humanoid creatures of all skins tones here!”
They were confused, and Sylvia asked, “What are you talking about?”
The mage store owner blinked, then gave a look of understanding and said, “I see, we have hybrids too. Be it insects, beasts, machinery, or anything you can think of, I have it here. I’m sure it will suit your taste!”
The more Han Xiao heard him talk, the more he felt something was wrong. “Aren’t you selling books?”
At this time, Aroshia opened a book on the shelf, and the others looked over. The magic book was filled with illustrations, and the pictures were moving like they were alive. This was a kind of magic often used to make videos. Like movies in a book, every picture was a fragment.
It looked very high-end, but the content was…
“Ah!” Sylvia’s face suddenly turned red, and she hurriedly turned away, but she could not help but to peek at the book.
“Th—this…” Herlous was bewildered. His world view was impacted.
Aroshia was amused. “So, this is the material life reproduction process…”
“Unknown information discovered, hum… Ongoing data acquisition, hum… ” Philip’s mechanical eye was wildly flickering, capturing every frame of the picture.
The Volga three brothers took out a huge pile of books from the bookshelf extremely quickly, placed them on the counter, and asked, “How much? I’ll take all of them!”
“Stop it.” Han Xiao closed the book in Aroshia’s hands and threw it aside. He stared at the Mage owner and said with a deep voice, “I’m looking for a guy with foresight ability. He should’ve left you a message.”
The Mage shop owner’s smile suddenly turned stiff. He become disappointed and mumbled, “Not here to buy books again. I have already made the decoration so formal, how are there still no guests? Is it really necessary to be this afraid of letting others know about this kind of thing?”
The Mage glanced at Han Xiao and the others, adjusted his clothes, and stood straight. His temperament suddenly changed. Now he looked like how a Mage should look like. He said, “Let me introduce myself. You can call me Yi Xuan; I’m a Teleportation Mage. This bookstore is just a side job; my main business is operating a portal service.”
In some of the magic focused planets or advanced civilization planets, there were always Mages that ran teleportation businesses. They sent the customers to another location on the same planet, saving their time. The further the distance transported, the higher the consumption and difficulty was. Hence, most of it were same planet teleportations, rarely to other planets. If the coordinates were not set correctly, the customer would be thrown into space. Only Mages that were strong enough dared to do extremely long range teleportation.
Back then when Ames demolished the DarkStar mothership, she had used teleportation magic and arrived instantly from several Star Systems away. The caster was another Beyond Grade A individual who she fought with to kill time. That person had accurately located Floating Dragon Island from several Star Systems away with no deviation. Their magic power was unbelievable.
“You are a Teleportation Mage?” Han Xiao asked. “So, was the target that I want to find sent to another place in Noriosse by you?”
Yi Xuan shrugged and said, “He paid the fees, so I teleported him. It was a normal transaction.”
“Where did he go?”
“Ha, I will not give away clients’ privacy.” Yi Xuan chuckled. “By the way, he also left me a message to convey to anyone that wants to find him.”
“What did he say?” Han Xiao frowned.
“He said, he wants to play a game with you. As long as you steal the Heart of Crystal Fire, he will meet you.”
“Heart of Crystal Fire?” Han Xiao kicked Phillip lightly and said, “Search it.”
“Searching, hum… Found, hum…” Philip’s mechanical eye suddenly emitted light in the air to form a translucent projection screen. On it was information about the Heart of Crystal Fire.
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Heart of Crystal Fire: A ring made by a rare crystal born in lava, a very exquisite luxury. Legend says that it is immune to high temperature and burning. It was once sold for a high price of 7,930,000 Enas to the leader of the Noriosse financial group, Rockfess, for his wife. When Rockfess and his wife appeared in public, his wife is always wearing this ring.
_____________
“Sev—seven million and nine hundred thirty thousand!” Herlous spat blood. Spending so much money to buy a lousy ring just to please a woman‽
This could buy numerous battleships!
His world view was once again shaken.
Han Xiao’s expression also changed. “He wants me to steal a Super financial group’s leader’s wife’s price jewelry, huh? Is he trying to use us, or is he trying to make a fool out of us‽”
Stealing some precious jewelry from the wife of the leader of the financial group that controls Noriosse in Noriosse?
The Dragon Emperor’s teacher clearly wants to ridicule me!
“Don’t ask me, I just took the money and pass the message.” Yi Xuan shrugged. “Rockfess’ wife is in Noriosse, but don’t expect me to send you there directly; I don’t want to be as your accomplice.”
Squinting, Han Xiao said with a low voice, “I have no interest in completing this ridiculous request anyway. Where did you send him?”
“Haven’t I already told you?” Yi Xuan said impatiently. “I will not disclose the privacy of customers. Also, don’t think about bribing me, I have my professional ethics.”
“Then don’t blame me for beating you up.” With a ferocious expression, Herlous raised his huge fists and stepped forward. He planned to scare this Teleportation Mage.
His hand was just about to touch Yi Xuan’s collar when a change happened!
Hum!
A light door suddenly appeared right in the gap between the two of them. Herlous was shocked. His reaction was very fast, so he stopped his forward momentum immediately and was about to retreat. To his surprise, a red tentacle suddenly extended out quickly of the light door and wrapped around his body. A huge force blasted from the tentacle and pulled Herlous into the light door as Herlous disappeared.
Then, a whirlpool-like sound appeared in the air. The light door rotated around the center point, narrowed, and quickly disappeared without a trace.
“Herlous!” the oldest Volga exclaimed in shock.
The face of everyone suddenly changed.
The atmosphere was stiff for a moment.
Yi Xuan glanced at everyone proudly.
“What that person said was exactly right. When the people that are here find that they can’t get the information they need, they will threaten me. Humph, you didn’t expect this, did you? I’m prepared!”
Han Xiao was very calm, but he held his forehead in frustration. When Herlous acted, he was already aware that something was not right. He wanted to stop him, but before his mouth opened, Herlous was already caught. Pugilists being able to move too fast actually had its disadvantages!
