Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 181 To the Sun

Yuger ultimately failed to get a rating.

By the time the craftsman who was keeping statistics on the results reacted, the Dawn had already reached the finish line - in a manner that was almost instantaneous!

Geniuses are born in Ophira in every era, and the test records set by their predecessors are constantly broken, just like Gray Lead, who is highly expected. When he surpassed the current leader of the Brotherhood, the craftsmen became excited at the same time. This emotion seemed to come from their blood, and it was the same source as the inspiration and knowledge that guided them.

They couldn't help but imagine what kind of amazing technology Gray Lead would create when he became the new leader of the Brotherhood.

However, at this moment, no one celebrated for Yuge.

His time might be 1 second or less, and they only saw a blue trail.

It was like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, but yet... it was so stable. According to the craftsmen's subconscious thoughts, this unreasonable speed should have brought about destruction and loss of control, but it just quietly stopped at the finish line.

Gray-Leeds is a genius.

And Yuge's "homework" is something that is disguised as a steam car, but cannot be understood or explained.

Flor, sitting on the rostrum, looked at the silent crowd, a strange look flashed across his eyes, and then his gaze fell on Ethan in the crowd.

Master craftsman Mr. Gelb put an end to the examination. He wanted Yug to meet him in the Craftsmen's Hall and summoned all the great craftsmen.

Obviously this was not homework that Yuge completed independently, he received some "extracurricular tutoring".

This was the first time that Yuge had been treated so solemnly in these days, although this kind of treatment was commonplace for his classmate Gray Lid. In the hall lit by the fire, all the famous craftsmen of Ophira gathered here, looking at him and... his attending physician, Ethan, with different expressions.

"So, your main job is Yuger's psychiatrist?"

Ethan's self-introduction once again made the atmosphere in the hall heavy. Translated, this sentence roughly means that he calls himself an amateur, and an amateur from the Empire at that.

They were no strangers to the Imperial Craftsmen's Guild. Even in the early days of the empire, the two sides had close contacts. The imperial craftsmen of the Golden Age always amazed them. However, since Henry III enhanced the authority of the church and no longer attached importance to craftsmen and technology, exchanges between them became less and less. Now, imperial craftsmen have become synonymous with backwardness and rigidity. They cannot even master the most basic steam technology.

Not to mention the amateurs from the Empire, even the experts from the Craftsmen's Guild could only do some apprentice work when they came to Ophira.

"There are some problems with Yug's eyes. I am actively looking for a treatment plan, so I need to accompany him." Ethan said, "Researching inventions is my hobby. I got some inspiration when discussing steam technology with Yug, and I couldn't help but put it into practice."

To be precise, this should be a hobby that was forced upon me.

He had never been exposed to the field of technological development in his previous life. His ideal life was to lie lazily in an air-conditioned room, watching videos and reading novels. For modern people who have experienced countless convenient facilities brought by high technology, the living standard of this era is nothing short of torture.

Ethan has only one wish.

He wanted to promote the development of science and technology of this era and let more and more geniuses come forward. He didn't care whether they used magic, steam technology or other energy sources. What he hoped was that one day he could just lie at home and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

These words immediately caused a lot of discussion among the master craftsmen.

Everyone was surprised and confused, with expressions of bewilderment.

Until the master craftsman Gelb confirmed to Ethan, "You mean, you got the 'inspiration' when you were discussing with Yug."

He deliberately emphasized his tone, and although it sounded unbelievable, it was precisely because Ethan, an amateur who came from afar, mentioned something that belonged to them that made it all seem more real.

The only confusing thing is why the great Lord of Tides would favor an outsider?
Even giving him more out of bias?

The craftsmen were very puzzled and a little disappointed.

Sharing the secrets of steam technology with an Imperial was never a wise move.

"Everyone, I have an idea."

Ethan's words made the hall quiet down. "I learned from my conversation with Yuge that the steam car exam is a traditional project that corresponds to the most basic knowledge. It is also the result of countless evolutions. Almost every master craftsman is produced through this kind of selection. It has never disappointed anyone."

In the process of evolution, the only thing that has not changed is the way of conducting statistics using "time" as the dimension.

For apprentices, no matter in which era, the final result of this exam is recorded in time. However, it is this seemingly simple, crude and full of loopholes exam result that rarely goes wrong.

The Western Continent does not believe in the principle that hard work can make up for one's shortcomings.

Once they are deemed to be untalented by craftsmen in the exam, no matter how hard they work throughout their lives, they will only end up proving that the exam assessment was correct.

As for those very few exceptions, most of them were like today's exam, where they were plotted against by others.

Even so, some individuals would stand out again within less than half a year of becoming apprentices, so the master craftsmen of Ophira also prepared a "resurrection match" for these people.

Ethan believed this. He glimpsed Gelb's true inner thoughts and gradually understood the power system of the people of the Western Continent. To them, "inspiration" is "magic". Even the most outstanding master craftsmen cannot explain the origin of "inspiration". It seems to have been there from the beginning, waiting to be found by them.

It's an amazing feeling.

It was as if someone was manipulating their bodies to complete those amazing creations.

"If the essence of 'inspiration' is actually the frequency of communication between humans and the Lord of Tides, and 'time' as the test score represents the efficiency of communication, then everything seems to make sense."

Ethan proposed a hypothesis.

But this still cannot explain the essence of "inspiration", just as he cannot summarize the essence of "magic" in systematic language.

The academy's predecessors believed that "magic" came from the understanding of this world, but that was ultimately a view that could not be confirmed.

"Are you trying to tell us that the Lord of Tide is still alive?"

Gelb looked at Ethan deeply. "Imperial people, there is no such belief in the Western Continent. We respect him and praise his greatness, but this does not mean that we will blindly believe that he has transcended time or become a god."

The powers that remain unknown come from their lack of knowledge.

The Lord of Tides never regarded himself as a god. He hoped that people could understand his knowledge, know this knowledge, and eventually master it.

Blind faith will destroy the cognitive process.

“No one can transcend time, but as the greatest craftsman, he must have a premonition of his own death, which means that he must prepare for his own death and record everything he knows in some way as much as possible.”

Ethan said, "Your 'inspiration' may come from some high-precision device, or something else."

Gelb fell silent.

His eyes flickered, as if he was immersed in Ethan's idea.

The same was true for all the craftsmen in the hall; in front of this amateur from the Empire, they all seemed to have become apprentices.

It seems that such a hypothesis has been proposed in the history of the Brotherhood. Outstanding craftsmen who want to understand "inspiration" and hold it in their hands have come one after another, but have failed without exception.

Since they cannot understand the nature of "inspiration", it is naturally impossible for them to carry out further research.

It is like the sun hanging above everyone's head, visible to everyone when they look up, guiding them from the first day they become craftsmen.

So dazzling, yet so out of reach.

And now, there was someone in front of them trying to understand the "Sun".

What a shameless statement.

Arrogant, blind and ignorant! Just...

"The device you are talking about may be the castle itself."

Gelb spoke out the true thoughts of all the craftsmen. They laughed at anyone who wanted to get close to the "sun", but they also hoped to become that kind of existence. "This castle was built by the Lord of Tides himself. It was here that he repelled the torrent and founded the Brotherhood of Craftsmen. If you want to verify your hypothesis, just give it a try."

Suppose,

He meant that assuming that the amateur's theory was correct, then he would be the closest to the Lord of Tides among all the craftsmen present.

What's more, there's no harm in trying. Countless craftsmen have chased the "Sun", but what remains are just a group of exhausted losers. They have been exhausted in the process of chasing and turned into broken shells.

Gelb's answer confirmed Ethan's guess that this mechanical castle was the last gift that the Lord of Tide left to the people of the Western Continent. Unlike those gods who were seeking eternal life, He seemed to have calmly accepted the result of dissipation and made preparations in time.

If someone could inherit the treasures he left behind, they could once again lead the people of the Western Continent to repel the flood.

That will be thousands of years after He disappears.

Then, there is only one ultimate question left.

How can he "communicate" with a cold mechanical fortress?
Then, Ethan suddenly thought of something. It was a hint from the witch. She had met Winter in the North after the war and vaguely mentioned the method of "looking directly" at the evil god. It was necessary to abandon sight, close the senses, and find another way of perception besides the five senses.

What a good teacher who is dedicated to his job.

Under the puzzled gaze of the craftsmen, Ethan slowly closed his eyes.

They saw arcs of electricity flashing in the air. It flashed across every corner of the hall in a flash. When his vision fell into darkness, Ethan sensed more. He seemed to be able to see everything in the castle clearly, observing everyone's expression in detail, and their inner thoughts were also exposed.

Of course, he also noticed Grey Lead, who was hiding at the entrance of the hall and secretly spying on them.

The black shadow accompanied Gray. The gloomy boy's eyes were full of jealousy and desire. The black shadow attached to him continued to spread, and without anyone noticing, it rushed into the craftsman's hall and extended towards Ethan.

The next moment, Ethan's consciousness mixed with a black shadow was thrown into the sky ten thousand meters high.

Everyone became incredibly small, and then the city, and even the entire continent.

His perspective continued to climb upwards, and in an instant he was above the stars. The world turned into a globe that seemed like it could be held in the palm of his hand.

There is silence above the starry sky.

Ethan's sight was immediately drawn to the dark throne. A tall figure was sitting on the throne. His body had long since disappeared, leaving only an empty suit of armor.

Also coming here was a dark shadow, and there seemed to be a faint light mixed in with the dark shadow.

That was a strong wave of emotion.

Its heart is filled with desire and the ecstasy of reaching the peak.

The black shadow took the lead and rushed straight towards the armor like an arrow.

Ethan just stood there quietly without making any move. Rather than the knowledge that the armor might contain, he was feeling the changes brought about by the upgrade of electric elements.

Without looking at the shadow, he saw everything that belonged to it.

Its hunger, its ideas, and... its future.

Therefore, he did not need to take any action, just waiting for the shadow to touch the armor on the throne, and he could not wait to get into the armor, absorbing as much endless knowledge and inspiration as possible.

“You cheated.”

Ethan listened to the cold judgment, and in an instant the surging black shadow was cut into countless pieces, and the tiny spot of light was grasped in the palm of the hand.

Then, he saw the shadow's fear, twisting and struggling in the cold palm.

But that couldn't stop its impending fate.

An irresistible force enveloped it, and the moment the fist was clenched, the faint light went out.

Almost at the same time, people in the craftsmen's hall heard a noise coming from the door. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw Grey Lead lying on the ground. There were no visible wounds on his body, but his body was twitching as if he was having an epileptic seizure.

Save people...

This most primitive reaction was abruptly interrupted by a certain sound.

This is what cheaters deserve.

It was a distant and majestic voice.

Ethan watched the armor on the throne stand up, with the empty head armor facing him. He gradually understood the nature of the armor. It seemed to be an emotionless invigilator who prevented the treasure from falling into the hands of "cheaters".

"You are the first and the last."

The cold and ruthless voice came from under the helmet again, "Now, accept your reward."

"That's not what I came for."

Ethan said that he had verified his theory and he seemed to see the essence of this knowledge. It pushed the Lord of Tides onto the throne and bound him there forever. It contained a strong will and an infinite sense of responsibility for the human beings of the Western Continent, and was waiting for another successor who was willing to sit on the throne.

But obviously, he did not intend to stay in the Western Continent.

The armor was a pre-programmed program. It could not understand Ethan's words and still stood there, waiting for the coronation ceremony to be completed.

However, he decided to help the Tide Lord fulfill a wish.

The trials in the mechanical fortress allowed him to further master the upgraded electrical elements, which could be considered a gift left to him by the Lord of Tide.

The arc crossed the plane and opened a portal behind him.

Return to the throne.

I will help you solve the historical problems left over from the Western Continent.

The electric arc penetrated the armor, and this time, the cold "invigilator" finally understood him.

It returned to the throne, returned to silence, and waited for the next candidate to arrive.

"What did you see?"

When Ethan opened his eyes in the hall, Gelb could hardly wait to ask.

All the craftsmen held their breath, waiting for the answer they had been dreaming of.

Is it...

This amateur from the Empire has inherited all the knowledge of the Lord of Tides?
"Good news, I found some treasure."

Ethan said, "The Lord of Tide left you a super cool power armor. The next person to arrive there will get it."

(End of this chapter)