Chapter 326: Meaning Unknown, Major Accident

"Is that thing a meteorite?"

Wang Yu pointed toward the fireball plummeting through the distant sky, asking Zig, who stood beside him. This was the first time he had witnessed a meteorite since arriving in this world; he had never once seen one back on Earth.

"It should be. I have seen falling stars with my own eyes a few times, and I have seen them in recording crystals as well. Some were larger than this, some smaller, but that is generally what they look like."

Zig’s attention was also drawn to the falling fireball. He watched as it sheared off half a mountain peak, flames spreading incessantly through the forest below, and answered Wang Yu’s query.

"Are meteorites common? The material for the Broken Meteorite Blade seems to have been obtained from these, doesn't it?"

Drawing the Broken Meteorite Blade, Wang Yu turned the incredibly sturdy weapon over in his hands. He was quite curious if these meteorites brought something useful every time they fell.

"That might disappoint you. Meteorites are indeed quite common; news of them falling somewhere on the continent happens several times a month. However, in most cases, they contain nothing but ordinary minerals melted by the heat, which are of little use."

"As for those meteorites that contain 'Starlight Dew,' they were likely on the continent for a very long time and were only excavated later. In the last hundred years, I haven't heard of anyone obtaining anything from a meteorite that could be called a treasure."

Zig shook his head with a smile. He knew that Wang Yu, this outsider, held some unique—and often incorrect—views on certain matters. But the guy knew to ask when he didn't understand, and as long as he provided timely answers, there would be no issues.

"I see..."

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. It seemed meteoritic iron wasn't such a rare commodity in this world after all.

As Wang Yu and Zig ceased their conversation, they noticed a squadron of alchemical machines suddenly flying overhead. They came in various forms, a mix of numerous "worker bees" and alchemical golems with clearly defined roles in long-range and melee combat.

The swarm of alchemical machines blotted out the sun as they flew over the Sky Mechanical City, casting a vast shadow. The dense, dull roar of their engines lent an imposing air to this legion belonging to the city.

Curious about where these machines were headed and what they intended to do, Wang Yu and Zig paused to watch. Such a mass deployment of an alchemical legion was a rare sight indeed.

The cluster did not linger within the bounds of the Sky Mechanical City but flew rapidly toward the outside world, heading directly toward the meteorite’s impact site.

"Their target is the meteorite. Are they here to collect materials? No, aside from the worker bees, the rest are combat-oriented. There isn't a single specialized mining unit. This is clearly a military operation, not a mining expedition."

The destination was clear, and Wang Yu realized it at a glance, which only deepened his confusion. Was a meteorite of such little value worth such a massive mobilization?

"It is indeed a combat cluster. A legion of this scale is enough to surround and kill a Legend. It doesn't look like they intend to occupy the site by force either. Honestly, I don't understand what they are doing. We have time; let's watch."

Zig’s thoughts mirrored Wang Yu’s. Since they couldn't grasp the purpose of the legion’s movements, they would simply observe what these machines intended to do.

The legion flew through the air and soon arrived at the impact site. A massive number of worker bees descended like a swarm of insects, covering the crater created by the meteorite and extinguishing the surrounding flames in the process.

The worker bees crawled, the cluster covering the crater like a sea stirred by the wind, churning and undulating. After about two or three minutes, they rose again and rejoined the main legion in the sky.

The crater below had been cleared; the surface rock and soil were stripped away, revealing a pitted black sphere beneath—the core of the star that had fallen from the heavens.

Strangely, these alchemical machines did not touch the core, but simply returned to the Sky Mechanical City the way they came.

"So they really just went to take a look. They didn't collect anything, nor did they perform any further processing. There was no need to bring so many machines unless..."

Lost in thought, Wang Yu began to speculate on the motives of the alchemical legion. Could it be to prevent some potential threat—a threat unknown to the outside world, known only to the Sky Mechanical City?

"..."

Zig understood what Wang Yu left unsaid, and he remained silent as well.

"Hey! Astartes, what were you doing out there?"

Watching the returning legion fly overhead, Wang Yu suddenly shouted at the machines above.

There was no response. The legion flew silently over Wang Yu’s head, heading toward the Tower of Myriad Machines.

"Fair enough. We’re only acquaintances, after all; we aren't that close. It has no reason to tell me about what might be a classified matter."

Wang Yu shrugged, not finding it strange. He and the tower spirit, Astartes, could hardly even be called friends.

However, he was certain that one of the alchemical machines had paused unnaturally when he called out, which meant Astartes had definitely heard him.

"Let's go. We need to get this lich’s husk back early; its inherent aura of frost will make for an excellent cooling component."

Zig patted Wang Yu on the shoulder. The two stopped focusing on the fallen star and returned to their residence with the lich’s remains.

………

"So that's how it is. A knight’s physical growth isn't that simple. Becoming harder and stronger is just the surface. In reality, things that aren't easily quantified, like 'magic resistance' and 'void energy resistance,' also increase as one’s strength grows."

Wang Yu sat in the library of the Scholar’s Tower, flipping through books on knights, learning knowledge he hadn't encountered back in Alestler.

After returning from the Undead Plane, Wang Yu had spent some time passing the identity upgrade assessment, promoting his card to 'Scholar.' Now, he could freely enter the open library of the Scholar’s Tower.

The assessment was simpler than he had imagined. Without realizing it, his knowledge, fueled by his willingness to learn, could truly be described as "erudite."

The books on knights in the Scholar’s Tower were far more profound than what he had studied before, detailing many things that had previously been glossed over.

Much like the concept of a "Domain" described to him by the Silver Dragon Erielian, as a knight’s physical strength grows, it begins to implicitly influence the world around them. Abilities like "magic resistance" improve in tandem. The elevation of the body is truly comprehensive.

"Apprentice-level knights and mages are on equal footing; at the Novice stage, knights are significantly stronger in combat. Then, at the Official and Great Knight stages, they are clearly inferior to mages. But by the Legend stage, a knight’s comprehensive combat power begins to surpass the mage’s. This must be the reason."

Raising an eyebrow, Wang Yu now understood why there were fewer Legendary knights than Legendary mages.

Setting aside the Wizard class, which is mediocre at every stage, a knight must survive the Official and Great Knight stages—both fraught with weaknesses and deficiencies—before they can step into the Legendary realm.

And for a knight who must engage in close-quarters combat, every step is taken on the edge of life and death. Countless knights die in these two stages. Those who can truly reach the Legendary realm, gaining the power to shatter magic and sorcery with their bare strength, are inevitably formidable.

Closing the book, Wang Yu organized his findings in his mind. His understanding of the knight class had deepened. The "Domain"—a power with many similarities to his "Chariot Force"—intrigued him greatly.

As for the rest, just as Avia had said, the public library contained no knowledge of the Starry Sky or the Abyss, nor was there any mention of the "Lightless Secret Order" in the general history section.

However, he did find some interesting things in the general history. For instance, this world actually possessed something called the Holy Grail, which functioned by granting wishes after collecting a certain fee.

This thing was far more reliable than devils or the like. It was a true, clearly marked price list; you gave it what it wanted, and it would truly grant your wish. Aside from the fact that it demanded extremely bizarre items, one couldn't find any fault with it.

How bizarre were the demands? To pick one of the two wishes that had actually been fulfilled: a wizard wanted to significantly increase his mental resistance, and the Holy Grail demanded "an imagined color that had never been seen before."

Humans cannot imagine a color they haven't seen. That wizard was a genius; he caught a bunch of void creatures and shoved them into the Holy Grail, successfully achieving his goal.

The principle was that the consciousness of void creatures is completely chaotic and random; if it happened to randomize into something related to color, it counted as a success.

As for the other wish, someone wanted a piece of candy, and the Holy Grail demanded a lit alchemical bomb. The Legendary knight who shoved the bomb inside was blown up for his trouble.

All other wishes remained unfulfilled because the Holy Grail’s demands were too bizarre and harsh. This strange artifact was now held by the Winged Race, sealed in their old city, the Boundless Capital.

Wang Yu was actually quite interested in seeing this strange Grail. He wondered if it could grant a wish like "send me back to Earth."

But he had heard Icarus mention the old city of the Winged Race once; even the current Winged Race could barely find it anymore, so it was likely a lost cause.

Wang Yu, who had been digesting the new knowledge with his eyes closed, opened them as his identity card signaled an incoming message. It was a transmission from Avia, Zig, and Icarus.

He scanned the information quickly, and a flicker of shock appeared in his heart. The Truth Supervisory Council had suffered a massive accident during a super-magic research experiment. A large amount of equipment and a core researcher had been lost.

The message urged Wang Yu to return immediately. With his Chariot Force, he was to salvage as much data and equipment as possible from the ruins; the rest of the losses would simply have to be swallowed.

Sending a quick reply, Wang Yu hurried toward the Truth Supervisory Council.

Running at full speed, he arrived in little time. Only upon reaching his destination did he realize the true scale of this "major" accident.

At the headquarters of the Truth Supervisory Council, about a third of the building was gone. All that remained were fragments of debris and the twisted, mangled corpses of alchemical instruments that should have been incredibly sturdy.

The buildings that hadn't collapsed and the streets on both sides were riddled with craters and scars, looking as if they had been scoured by a high-frequency, dense barrage of attacks.

What on earth has transpired here...