Accompanied by the hiss of seals and the whine of servos, the plates of the Hunting Lord's armor locked into place, wrapping Nolan's tall body. The electro-fiber bundles and servo devices slowly contracted, the suit's weight settling onto his shoulders.
Immediately afterwards, David, the man of iron with a slightly stooped metal back, picked up the C'tan Phase Sword. Its giant blade began to glow with a faint, sickly green light and emit a low, dissonant hum. He started to hand it to Nolan, but Nolan raised a gauntleted hand, waving it away.
Nolan took a deep breath, the sound metallic inside the helmet, and rolled his tense neck. The armor's joints scraped quietly. He slightly raised his arms to twist the shoulders, testing the movement.
Then, Nolan, blinking his cyan wolf eyes, said seriously to David, "David, I know who he is, and I probably know who asked him to come. Wearing the Hunting Lord armor is just in case. There is no need to bring weapons that are too conspicuous. After all, we are not going to fight."
"My lord, after my search, I found that the other party's identity information has never appeared in the world's official population data. I'm afraid he is not an ordinary human being..."
David, who was still holding the humming C'tan Phase Sword, shook his metal head slightly. The blue light in his eye sockets fluctuated as he spoke cautiously to Nolan.
Nolan, who was looking down to check the fit of his explosive gauntlet, suddenly grinned.
"Of course he's not an ordinary person. They are considered psychics native to this earth, but mortals are used to calling them 'sorcerer."
The words just fell.
After checking the gauntlet's seals, Nolan nodded to David. Then, he turned and his armored boots clanked as he walked towards the underground passage.
David pondered for a moment, his blue optics fixed on the C'tan Phase Sword. His metal palm gently put down the glowing weapon, and he quickly stepped forward, his own metallic footsteps a lighter clack-clack following Nolan.
A few minutes later, Nolan, wearing the Hunting Lord armor, and David stood side by side in front of the massive metal gate that blocked the outside world.
Nolan squinted his eyes, staring at the one-foot-thick door in front of him. The thick metal protective door would be difficult to break through in a short time, even if attacked by a tank.
He turned to David and said, "Open the door, David. Don't keep the guest waiting."
"As you command, my lord."
Hearing Nolan's instructions, David, his eyes flashing with blue light, immediately raised his metal palm. One of his metal fingertips twitched.
The next moment, bursts of extremely harsh, grinding metal friction sounds quickly echoed inside and outside the passage. The metal protective door, which had not been opened for a long time, shuddered and began to rise slowly and steadily.
At the same time, a ray of bright, dusty light from the outside once again shone on the metal floor, reflecting a blurry halo.
At this moment, the middle-aged black man who had been standing outside the base door, wandering back and forth, subconsciously flinched and took a step back because of the deafening, scraping loud noise.
But the dignity of a sorcerer, and the calmness honed by training, quickly returned. He straightened his back, planted his feet, and adjusted his mentality, waiting for the metal door to open fully.
When the metal gate slammed completely into the top of the passage, the expressionless middle-aged black man quickly glanced at the scene behind the door.
He first glanced at Nolan, taking in the grey hair, the predatory cyan wolf eyes, and the strange, dark red armor. Then, his eyes moved rapidly, carefully looking at the inhuman, metal man beside him.
Then, the middle-aged black man seemed to take a deep, centering breath. He raised a palm, touched his chest lightly, and bowed slightly in Nolan's direction.
"Greetings, stranger. You may call me Mordo, a messenger from Kamar-Taj. On behalf of my teacher, the Guardian of the Earth, Lord of Kamar-Taj, the Sorcerer Supreme, Master Ancient One, I invite you to Kamar-Taj."
"Although I don't know why Master Ancient One is looking for me, since the invitation has been sent, I naturally want to go and have a look," Nolan, squinting his eyes, smiled slightly and said to Mordo. His voice was a calm, slightly metallic rumble from the armor's external speaker.
"Do you still need to prepare? If there is no need to prepare, then we will set off now?"
At this moment, Mordo blinked, surprised at the easy acceptance. He picked up a dark gold, two-fingered ring from the waist of his dark green clothes. He asked softly to Nolan.
"There's nothing to prepare. Let's go and come back early."
Nolan shook his head slightly, driving the Hunting Lord Armor forward with a heavy clank.
However, just when David also planned to follow, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Mordo's face. He hesitated for a moment, then said softly to Nolan, "Can this friend of yours stay? Master Ancient One only invited you. Kamar-Taj is not very welcoming of supernatural creatures."
"David, stay at the base. Don't worry, there won't be any danger on this trip."
Hearing Mordo's words, Nolan turned his head slightly. He raised a gauntlet towards David and flexed the fingers. The heavy glove undoubtedly proved that the explosive charges inside were fully loaded.
David looked at Mordo carefully, his blue optics staring, then nodded silently to Nolan. He took a few steps back and returned to the darkness of the passage.
The next moment, Mordo put the dark gold ring between the fingers of his left hand. As his other palm moved back and forth in a circle, a portal, with orange-red energy sparks sputtering from its edge, suddenly appeared in front of him. The air crackled.
"Please, Kamar-Taj's distinguished guest." Mordo lowered his palm and said to Nolan.
Nolan narrowed his eyes and let out a quiet breath. He quickly glanced at the unfamiliar, sunlit scenes and buildings behind the portal, then walked into it without looking back.
The heavy soles of the Hunting Lord's armor stepped onto an unfamiliar land with a solid thud.
Nolan did not feel any dizziness or discomfort. It seemed the mages of Kamar-Taj controlled the portal with a convenience and speed he hadn't imagined.
At this moment, Mordo also stepped through the door. As he arrived, the orange-red aperture of the portal shrank rapidly, snapping shut like an eye and dissipating into the air with a faint smell of ozone.
"Distinguished guest, please come this way. Master Ancient One is waiting for you."
With a polite smile on his face, Mordo lifted the sleeves of his robe and whispered to Nolan, who was looking at the surrounding scenery.
Nolan's nose twitched slightly. He smelled a faint, pleasant scent of spice from the moist, cool air.
Immediately afterwards, Mordo took steps and turned to lead the way.
Nolan also drove the Hunting Lord armor, his boots trampling on the thick stone slabs covered with moss, walking towards the huge building surrounded by faint clouds and mist above.
Mordo led Nolan up the winding stone stairs, passing through courtyards with weird, shifting architectural shapes and others bustling with people in robes.
Finally, Mordo led Nolan to the front of a palace located at the highest point of Kamar-Taj.
However, just when Mordo was about to push open the huge, heavy, and ancient wooden door in front of him, a soft-spoken voice, neither male nor female, came slowly from behind the wooden door.
"Mordo, you can leave. Just let our guest come in by himself."
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