"Babaria Gabriela Goldenbeard."
Ronan softly murmured the name, deep in thought.
This was clearly a dwarf name, and the inscription on the plaque reading "Mordor III, Short-tail" was likely referring to the mechanical gray goat he was currently holding.
So, this mechanical gray goat was a pet belonging to a female dwarf named Babaria?
Ronan recalled some literature he had read about dwarf civilization.
Dwarves were a very rugged race, naturally strong, and skilled in forging. Nearly all dwarves were born as master craftsmen. In their society, most dwarven surnames were based on their forging tools, such as "Steelhammer," "Copperforge," and "Silvergrinder."
Those who bore the surname "Goldenbeard" were likely of noble lineage within the dwarf race, as the dwarves took great pride in their beards. Even females grew thick, coarse beards, and if two dwarves fell in love, it was undoubtedly due to their admiration for each other's beard.
Ronan wasn't sure exactly how prestigious the surname "Goldenbeard" was among the dwarves, but it was certainly noble.
Considering the "Third Generation" suffix in the gray goat's name, it was possible that this creature belonged to the royal family.
Ronan gently stroked his chin as he gazed at the surprisingly docile crippled gray goat in his hands.
If it was an alchemical pet gifted to a beloved daughter of a dwarf royal family, its remarkable behavior seemed entirely reasonable.
"Looks like I've found a treasure here…"
Ronan thought to himself and slowly loosened his grip on the goat.
He remained cautious, always prepared for it to try escaping.
However, to his surprise, ever since he gently "gripped" the goat, it had become extraordinarily docile. The previously slippery and elusive creature now appeared very tame, even nudging him repeatedly, licking his ankle with its tongue.
"Has it been scared by me?"
Ronan's eyes flickered slightly. "Or is it because, as a dwarf, the former owner—a dwarf princess—probably handled it just as I did, with a similar amount of force... maybe it's so accustomed to being treated this way that it now sees me as its former owner?"
Regardless of the reason, the "Third Generation" mechanical puppet goat was displaying intelligence beyond Ronan's expectations.
The level of sentience displayed by an alchemical golem like this made him think of the self-aware Dawn-tier silver wand artifact he had encountered in the Mirror Court.
Ronan took a few high-grade magic stones from his space ring and offered them to the goat. However, it looked at him with indifference, instead staring eagerly at his right hand, where the activated magic steel tungsten and Neman metal were attached.
"Does it feed on metal?" Ronan mused, his eyes flashing with curiosity. He took a few pieces of metal from his ring and tossed them to the gray goat, which quickly devoured them with a few crunches, then looked up at him more affectionately.
"Seems like it."
Ronan was somewhat surprised and threw a few more metal pieces, swiftly pocketing the goat when it lowered its head to chew.
Just then, the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent arrived, and Ronan took the opportunity to examine the small dirt mound the goat had just dug up.
At the base of the mound, a black metal base was exposed, with a circular indentation about an inch deep, and rune-like grooves at the bottom.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he took out the magic box, and before he could make a move, the brass gears of the box suddenly fell apart, flowing like liquid into the round indentation.
"Click—click—"
The dense, continuous sound of metal mechanisms turning made Ronan instinctively take a step back. Soon after, two metal columns, seemingly cast from brass, rose quickly from the ground.
The columns were adorned with intricate patterns, resembling tightly coiled black vines…
"Ding—"
Something flew out from between the metal columns, and Ronan caught it in his hand.
Opening his palm, he found a golden gear about the size of a thumb, exquisitely crafted.
Before Ronan could inspect it closely, a powerful energy pulse emanated from it, and light streaked between the two metal columns, forming a white whirlpool resembling an arch. A faint ancient, mysterious aura radiated from within.
"Well, this saves me the trouble of finding an entrance."
Ronan observed the swirling arch, noting the wisps of gray smoke slithering around it like snakes.
His eyes flickered as he reached out to gently touch the gray smoke. It slipped through his fingers like sand, and a faint wave of weariness spread from his fingertips.
Time Curse power.
Only the most ancient of secret realms had such a curse, and it seemed that the Heart of the Machine ruins were indeed quite old.
Ronan spread his fingers, attempting several methods to intercept some of the time curse power, but every attempt failed.
There were certain magical schools considered to be beyond ordinary elemental spells, holding unparalleled prestige in the sorcerer world. Once mastered, they granted unimaginable power that others could not attain.
Time magic, space magic… all of them were among these.
Especially time magic. Ronan had never found any examples of time-based powers in the sorcerer books he had studied.
To control time meant having infinite lifespan, infinite wisdom, and boundless strength. Even in ancient times, and long before that, time magic was a myth, an unattainable legend.
Any time-based spells that existed today were not truly time magic, such as the "Aging Aura" cast by the Dark Leader of the Resurrection Society, which was merely a high-level curse that forced the victim's vitality to be drained, simulating accelerated aging.
Ronan had just begun to integrate spatial power into his magic system and was ambitious, even fantasizing about reaching for the "Throne of Time."
But that was just a fantasy.
Ronan shook his head, casting aside unrealistic thoughts, and prepared to enter the swirling arch.
"Why is it so short?"
The portal created by the gray goat and the opened magic box was only about chest height after fully forming.
Ronan had to bend slightly to pass through, and the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent wouldn't fit at all.
Considering the dwarves' average height, Ronan quickly understood that the height of the portal made sense and confirmed it was indeed the correct entrance to the Heart of the Machine.
He instructed the Ice Crystal Magic Serpent to guard the entrance, then lowered his head and stepped through the portal.
"Whoosh—"
"Clang! Boom—"
A heavy, reddish cloud collided with the deep silver circular shield with a resounding clang, the metallic impact reverberating.
The deep silver shield was violently pushed away, releasing an immense energy pressure that dispersed the cloud. Moments later, a tall figure appeared in the air.
With blue eyes, chestnut hair, and a handsome yet heroic appearance, it was none other than Ronan.
Ronan frowned slightly as he stared at the dented, rusted magic shield in front of him.
It wasn't surprising to be attacked immediately upon entering—after all, exploring ancient secret realms always carried risks, and "entrance attacks" were common.
What did surprise him was what had attacked him.
The reddish cloud he had just forced away was now coalescing into a large form, resembling a cross between a baboon and a rhino.
Ronan narrowed his eyes and observed the cloud. With the [Eye of Truth] and his mental power, he could discern that it was an elemental life form made from numerous metal particles and metal-based energy.
The concentration of free-floating metal energy particles in this space was extremely high, so the existence of this metal-based elemental life wasn't unexpected.
From the intensity of its earlier attack, Ronan estimated that this creature was likely at the mid-level of second-tier power, extremely aggressive. After being repelled once, it immediately launched a second attack.
The large metallic elemental life, now resembling a rhino, charged toward Ronan with a fierce roar, carrying a powerful rusting aura.
Ronan remained calm as he raised his hand toward the oncoming rhino-like elemental life. Countless mysterious energies, belonging to the domain of the extraordinary, flowed from his fingers.
"Cling! Cling! Cling—"
It sounded as if iron blades were tearing free from their racks. The two metals, after being activated by the [Space Silver] rune, turned into countless small, hiltless daggers, like a silver swarm, charging at the metallic rhino.
If one looked closely, they would see that these daggers closely resembled the "Mirror Dagger."
"Whoosh—"
In an instant, the ground, the air, and the metal energy flows in the environment were all drawn into the silver mist that emanated from the daggers, creating a trail of silver flames.
In this high-concentration metallic energy environment, Ronan's metal magic power was greatly amplified, and the [Living Steel] power in his extraordinary domain reached unprecedented heights.
In the blink of an eye, the charging metal rhino was struck by the swarm of daggers, halting its momentum.
The silver mist wrapped around its body. Though the rusting force emanating from it quickly turned the mist reddish-brown, the daggers were imbued with a slight spatial stasis power.
"Clang—"
The "red rhino" was pinned in mid-air.
Ronan closed his fingers, and with a crisp "crack," the entire elemental life form shattered, falling into a heap of smooth reddish-brown fragments.
A black-red piece struggled to break free, trembling as it attempted to escape but was restrained by Ronan's mental power, which drew it into his palm.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he quickly retrieved a bundle of gray powder and a vial of black liquid from his space ring.
After smashing and mixing the two materials, he quickly drew a complex and arcane rune pattern in the air with his fingertip.
He then directed the semi-solidified rune into his right hand, and as the powerful frost energy gathered in his palm, the vibrations ceased. Soon, Ronan held a large, deep-blue ice block.
This was a sealing rune he had studied during his time in the Silver Ring's Loft, designed to suppress the core of the elemental life's sentience. It worked perfectly.
The sealed ice block revealed the elemental life core, a rusted metal round plate the size of a palm.
One corner was missing, and the metal was covered in corrosion marks.
On one side was an engraving of a rhino, and the other side had some ancient text, though much of it was too corroded to read. However, a few words could be barely made out: "Shaba…"
Ronan glanced at it briefly before storing it in his space ring and finally turned his attention to the ancient secret realm before him.
At that moment, he found himself standing on a long street.
The street was extremely wide, capable of fitting at least eight horse-drawn carriages side by side.
The entire street was paved with metal, and many parts had traces of runes etched into them. On either side were tall, metal buildings, mostly in black and brass colors, giving off a solid, heavy feeling.
These buildings were generally tall and rugged, though the doorways were low, typical of dwarven architecture.
Both the street and the buildings were rusty and worn from the passage of time, with many showing signs of magical bombardment—likely from previous sorcerer explorers.
Ronan activated his flying ring and slowly ascended, his view expanding as he rose higher.
The further he flew, the more immense the Heart of the Machine ruins appeared, far surpassing his expectations.
He estimated he had flown over four or five hundred meters, but still couldn't see the entirety of the ruins.
All around him were metal structures, stacked like building blocks. Wisps of reddish-brown, black-brown, and silver-brown smoke rose into the air like curling smoke from chimneys.
"The Heart of the Machine seems like an incredibly vast city-state…"
Ronan gazed down at everything, imagining that thousands, or even tens of thousands of years ago, this place had been the thriving center of a prosperous dwarf civilization.
Then, for some unknown reason, the civilization fell, and the magnificent city-state was abandoned.
As Ronan continued to think, he took out the golden gear from the magic box, remembering the purpose of his journey.
The small golden gear hovered in front of him, spinning slowly.
Kosti had told him that there was a special connection between the magic boxes, which allowed one to locate another.
He began to move in the air, descending toward the rooftops of the city-state below.
His mental power stayed closely focused on the gear's movements.
But soon, Ronan realized that, although the gear did guide him somewhat like a compass, the process was slow and inefficient.
Either the range of the gear's sensing ability was too small, or the distribution of the magic boxes within the Heart of the Machine was too sparse.
"It's like trying to fish out a needle from the ocean with a small magnet…"
Ronan pursed his lips, continuing to move along, still considering ways to improve his efficiency.
He didn't deliberately avoid the roaming metallic elemental life forms along the way, occasionally suppressing them. By the end of his journey, he had collected quite a few elemental life cores.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A loud banging sound echoed, as though something was continuously striking a heavy door.
Ronan stopped, his hand gently tracing circles on his space ring. His expression flickered as though he was thinking.
After a moment, he calmly turned the ring.
"Whoosh—"
A gray blur shot from the ring and quickly darted toward the golden gear floating in the air.
"Click!"
Mordor III, Short-tail, stretched its neck, eagerly eyeing the golden gear just inches away, its pink tongue extending toward it in an attempt to lick the edge.
Unfortunately, its entire neck was firmly grasped by Ronan's hand, preventing it from reaching the gear.
"Baa~~"
After several failed attempts, the goat looked up at Ronan with longing in its eyes.
"You want this?"
"Baa~"
Mordor III nodded, and Ronan's expression shifted as he gained a new understanding of the goat's sentience.
"This is important to me."
Mordor III's gaze dimmed.
"However…"
Ronan thought for a moment before speaking, "If you can take me to find more boxes like this one, I might consider giving it to you."
"Baa~"
Mordor III responded, its small head turning toward a specific direction, its little legs kicking in the air, as if eager to lead Ronan there.
"Really?"
Ronan blinked in surprise.
He hadn't expected the puppet goat to act as though it knew where to find more magic boxes.
It seemed that it had been in the Heart of the Machine for so long that it was effectively a native to this place, perhaps aware of where these boxes were hidden.
Ronan released his grip on Mordor III, keeping the golden gear in his palm, and calmly said, "Lead the way."
Mordor III cast one last longing look at Ronan's hand before scampering off in the direction it had indicated.
It didn't seem to care about the rusted metals scattered around the city-state; perhaps it had grown too accustomed to a life of luxury as a royal pet and found these "stale" metals beneath it.
"A sentience so strong, almost stronger than the silver wand with its own awareness from the Mirror Court…"
Ronan's eyes flickered as he followed the goat, silently planning to dissect this crippled goat and study its intricate inner workings once he had the chance.
This creature, even if it wasn't the pinnacle of the mechanical golem technology from the Heart of the Machine, was certainly of a high standard.
If he could decipher the dense network of runes and magical formations inside, he might be able to unlock a powerful golem magic inheritance.
Soon, Mordor III led Ronan to a location.
Ronan followed, watching as the goat headbutted its way through what seemed like a thin barrier, crashing into a massive hemispherical black metal structure.
After a few breaths, it trotted back out, proudly carrying a black object in its mouth.
Behind it, something heavy seemed to be following, and the ground trembled with the sound of heavy footsteps, as if a colossal creature was rapidly approaching.
Ronan stood before the hemispherical
black structure, watching Mordor III, carrying the metal magic box, dash past him before carefully peering between his legs.
Ronan didn't check the box to see if it was the one he was searching for; instead, he kept his eyes trained on the approaching heavy footsteps.
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