Two humanoid Ingeniums tilted their necks, their behavior resembling zombies from a doomsday movie. Their bodies were on the smaller side, yet their hands were disproportionately large, with suction cups on each of their five fingers, and their ears were shaped like ice picks.
Artisan-Standard Ingeniums—auxiliary Ingeniums that only craftsmen of the Artisan rank or higher within the Artisanship Commission have the authority to equip. They are usually designed and crafted by the artisans themselves, so each one possesses its own unique work style.
Several hundred years ago, the Artisanship Commission added and modified a commission rule, permitting artisans to add certain combat modules when designing Artisan-Standard Ingeniums.
This was because some artisans enjoyed conducting certain dangerous experiments within their workshops—commonly known as 'courting death.'
In such times, combat-capable Artisan-Standard Ingeniums could save the artisan during experimental accidents involving explosions or collapses.
However, these measures designed to protect the artisans' lives in peacetime had turned into obstacles blocking their escape from the Artisanship Commission now that the Stellaron erosion had caused the Ingeniums to become Mara-struck.
Not only were they eroded by the Stellaron, but some Ingeniums that utilized Ambrosial Arbor branches as materials had also gained powerful regenerative abilities.
The two Mara-struck Artisan-Standard Ingeniums extended their plant-parasitized palms, lashing out with vines like long whips.
"Thunder Axis Rodent, dodge quickly!"
Some Xianzhou people's ages could be judged by their appearance and temperament; for instance, this 'Trainer' gave off the air of an old man.
A purple, mouse-like Ingenium beast leaped to the side under the old man's command, its speed extremely rapid.
"Iron-Armored Pangolin! Use Bulldoze!"
This Ingenium beast resembled a scaled animal, with a pale yellow shell, several huge spikes on its back, and a thick, sturdy tail ending in a multi-faced hammer.
Receiving the order, the Iron-Armored Pangolin leaped high into the air. Its bronze tail hammer smashed heavily onto the lashing vine whip, directly crushing the point of impact.
"Gong-Eight, Zheng-Nine!"
While fighting, the old man shouted at the top of his lungs, his tone filled with anxiety and heartache.
"What's wrong with you two! Wake up quickly! This old man taught and raised you like his own flesh and blood..."
"Thunder Axis Rodent, use Quick Attack!"
"Wake up!"
"Stop! This isn't what you want to do!"
"Iron-Armored Pangolin, use Slash!"
The old man commanded the two Ingenium beasts unaffected by the Stellaron to withstand the attacks, while simultaneously using a sincere tone to unleash his 'Talk no Jutsu,' which sounded exceptionally bizarre.
"Do you two still remember that time we worked overtime together for three days and three nights?"
This sentence seemed to touch upon something, causing the movements of the two Mara-struck Ingeniums to stiffen for a moment.
If this were on the set of Pokémon next door, the ensuing plot would likely involve the two Mara-struck Ingeniums entering a flashback sequence, relying on their strong bonds to break free from the Stellaron's influence.
In reality, it was about the same.
The two personality-less Ingeniums seemed to return to that night of overtime, and then...
They doubled the number of vines they lashed out!
The vines, which were tough but still within the realm of understanding, suddenly became as rigid and tough as steel cables.
Stelle and Caelus, who were seriously watching the 'Pokémon battle,' were dumbfounded.
"No, why are you talking about overtime at a time like this?!"
"Although Ash has zero EQ regarding women, he charms every Pokémon he meets without fail!"
Seeing this, the old man's expression also stiffened. Unable to fully block the frequency and intensity of the vine attacks, he hurriedly rolled into a pile of rubble to dodge.
Just then, the old man heard a crisp and dashing female voice ring out, full of imposing momentum.
"Thunder Axis Rodent, use Thunderbolt!"
The old man, lying on the ground after his roll, looked blank, two question marks practically popping out of his forehead.
Thunderbolt?
What move is that?
Does the Thunder Axis Rodent have that move?
But, you don't say, that move sounds pretty good! Maybe later he could install a high-voltage emission device onto the Thunder Axis Rodent.
The first question mark slowly dissipated.
Then came the second doubt.
Whose voice was that?
He had been in the Artisanship Commission for hundreds of years and knew almost every member, but he had never heard this young female voice before.
Could there be unrelated persons trapped in this core area near the Ambrosial Arbor's root system?
And why did she start by commanding the Thunder Axis Rodent?
As expected, and standing to reason, the Thunder Axis Rodent did not unleash 'Thunderbolt' in accordance with Stelle's command.
It didn't know how!
Even if it knew, it wouldn't fire it.
The Thunder Axis Rodent remained unmoved, hopping left and right to dodge the incoming vine whips.
"Sigh, sure enough, Pokémon won't listen to commands issued by anyone other than their master."
The old man heard the female voice let out a heartbroken sigh.
"Caelus-cub, do you think we should raise a Thunder Axis Rodent?"
"No. Ingenium beasts aren't yellow-skinned rats; they aren't soft and fluffy to hold. With all that metal and gold-wood parts, who knows how heavy they are. As for pets, I think having the Herta puppet is enough."
A lazy male youth's voice answered, then seemed to fall into thought.
"However, using Ingenium beasts to stage Pokémon battles is indeed a pretty good idea. It has a profitable future. By the way, Stelle-cub, do you know what a Pokémon is?"
"I don't know. When you mention it, a cute yellow mouse pops into my mind... is that the yellow-skinned rat you mentioned?"
The conversation between the young man and woman confused the old man even further.
Pokémon?
What is that?
A species he had never heard of?
After the confusion came annoyance. The young man clearly disdained Ingenium beasts and preferred soft, fluffy animals.
Master Gongshu could not accept this.
He wanted to speak for the Ingenium beasts!
Ingenium beasts—no, all Ingenium creations—were the best!
Once they got through the immediate crisis, he definitely had to have a good discussion with these two!
Master Gongshu looked at the vine whips lashing out again from the Mara-struck Ingeniums. He sighed deeply in his heart, preparing to let the Iron-Armored Pangolin block some of them while he rolled away to evade.
He knew that Ingeniums affected by the Stellaron could not be restored, but these two were Auxiliary Ingeniums he had crafted with his own hands. The emotional attachment was different, and he had wanted to try and awaken them.
Was it really impossible, as expected?
"Iron-Armored Pangolin..."
Master Gongshu opened his mouth to shout, but before he could finish his sentence...
He saw a forty-meter-long greatsword descend from the sky, chopping the two Mara-struck Ingeniums into minced meat as if slicing melons and vegetables.
"Huh?"
The sudden turn of events caught Master Gongshu off guard, his eyes widening.
He turned over slightly, lying on his back and looking up at the sky. The domineering, black-and-gold painted Sword King Ryujinmaru entered his vision.
"!?"
Master Gongshu's demeanor became disarrayed.
What the hell is this thing?
An Ingenium?
No!
It's a Mecha!
And...
It's so handsome!
"Yo, old brother, you must be Ah Wei and the others' teacher, right?"
Caelus greeted him with a light tone.
When they took the commission task, Ah Wei had shown them a photo of Master Gongshu—this very old man with a full beard.
As for the form of address... one couldn't judge age when interacting with Xianzhou people, otherwise Old Yang might have to call roadside children 'big brother' or 'big sister.'
It was all about the vibe; for strangers, he just chose between 'old brother' and 'little brother.'
Hearing Caelus's words, Master Gongshu finally recovered from the shock of seeing Sword King Ryujinmaru, but he didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he sighed with a heavy heart.
"If you're going to act, then act, but why did you chop these two Auxiliary Ingeniums, which this old man made with his own hands, into mush!"
If they were just broken, he might have been able to repair them later. But chopped up like this, they could only be melted down and remade.
"Hey, old uncle... no, old brother, we saved you, yet you're complaining first?"
Stelle had wanted to call him 'old uncle,' but thinking about it, if Caelus-cub called Master Gongshu 'old brother' and she called him 'old uncle,' wouldn't the generation gap be messed up?
"Cough, thank you, both of you."
Although he loved Ingeniums, Master Gongshu was not an unreasonable person. He climbed up from the ground, patted off the dust covering his body, and expressed his thanks.
Looking up at the majestic and domineering Sword King Ryujinmaru, Master Gongshu felt that the discussion about Pokémon and Ingeniums could be postponed. The business at hand was more important.
"Who are you two?"
"Ah Wei commissioned us to save you."
"Those disciples who fled from battle?"
Master Gongshu frowned, speaking with some anger:
"Even if they found someone to save me, it's useless. Their skills are all failing grades!"
"Failing! Failing!"
Stelle repeated it as if fanning the flames.
After all, the content of the commission was only to save Master Gongshu; it had nothing to do with passing or failing.
"?"
Master Gongshu was confused again. He asked doubtfully, "Those disappointing fellows were able to find you?"
He didn't know who Team Star Rail was, but how could guys capable of piloting this strange, massive mecha into the Artisanship Commission for a rescue be ordinary people?
"It was just incidental. We were entrusted by Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan to go to the Alchemy Commission. Passing through the Artisanship Commission, we lent a helping hand," Caelus explained.
"Oh~! So you are people sent by the General."
Master Gongshu suddenly realized.
"Old brother, are there any more tricky monsters nearby?"
Stelle rubbed the blade of the King's Sword, grinning.
Ordinary small mobs couldn't withstand a second strike from Sword King Ryujinmaru. She had chopped somewhat satisfyingly, but not completely satisfyingly.
"There are, there are!"
Hearing this, Master Gongshu immediately became excited:
"Near the root system of the Ambrosial Arbor, a powerful wood spirit evil abomination has appeared.
"It has occupied that place, and even the Commission's supreme treasure, the Creation Furnace, has been stolen by that wood demon."
Master Gongshu eagerly recounted the situation in detail.
"That monster is formidable! It can even make the Ingenium creations in the Commission suddenly revolve around it as if they had a will of their own. This old man thought that anyone who went up there would likely be throwing their life away for nothing!
"I thought about it over and over, but I couldn't just leave like this. I planned to gather the Ingeniums that hadn't been Mara-struck to give it a try, but I didn't expect to meet you two friends..."
The might of Sword King Ryujinmaru gave Master Gongshu some confidence. As a Master Artisan, his eyesight was not for show.
"A powerful wood demon?"
Stelle's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she hurriedly asked, "Where? Where?"
"In that direction, but the path is entangled with Ambrosial Arbor roots, and there are spatial rifts separating us."
Master Gongshu pointed deeper into the Grotto-Heaven.
The so-called spatial rifts.
The individual Grotto-Heavens of the Six Commissions were massive in area. If the Artisanship Commission's functions were placed in a nation in the real world, they could be split into a dozen or even dozens of departments.
Each department occupied a separate piece of land, with spatial rifts between them, utilizing Teleportation Screens for passage.
"But right now, the screens are all entangled by that wood spirit's branches."
"It doesn't matter. We have a way to get across." Caelus didn't think much of it.
In the real world, could mere roadblocks stop a Trailblazer?
"Ah Qi!"
Caelus shouted loudly inside Ryujinmaru's body.
"I'll come to help you!"
Both Caelus and Uncle Yang had shouted it, and Little March felt it was kinda handsome.
To Master Gongshu's shocked expression, the azure Bird God sped over from the distance, and Seele leaped down from Torijinmaru's head.
The previous experiment had been successful. After beating the Mara-struck body until self-healing was difficult and then merging the person back together, they instantly became healthy.
The treatment effect was excellent!
She came over to protect the 30 Crysta... cough, Master Gongshu's safety.
Torijinmaru opened its golden claws, grabbing Sword King Ryujinmaru by the shoulders.
"9527, 3737 has acquired the airdrop. Please advise on the drop location."
March 7th's playful voice came through.
"3737..."
Stelle played along very cooperatively.
Torijinmaru carried Ryujinmaru and flew toward the direction of the Ambrosial Arbor's roots.
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