Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 543 Battle on the Lake
The raging waves surged and overwhelmed everything, while Li Wei gripped the Staff of Nature, staring intently at the heart before him. At the same time, the vines wrapped around the heart suddenly tightened, accompanied by a mournful howl, and the raging waves formed from mithril scattered and fell back into the lake.

However, the next moment, a burly, imposing man stood up. His entire body was made of mithril, making him look like a liquid metal monster from a Terminator movie. In his hand, he held a hammer, but unlike the others, this hammer was not made of mithril; it was like an ordinary iron hammer, with flames burning on it.

"That hammer is..."

Upon seeing the iron hammer, the saintess paused for a moment, then hurriedly shouted loudly.

"Mr. Levi, watch out for that hammer!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the saintess's reminder, Li Wei quickly focused his attention on the hammer, while wondering to himself, "This thing is just a hammer, it doesn't generate electricity, after all, it's burning with flames... Is this thing meant to be used to smash people?"

Just as Li Wei was pondering how the BOSS would act, the BOSS finally made its move.

The burly man raised his hammer, pointed it at the two men, and then—a scene that surprised Li Wei appeared.

As the hammer was raised, the mithril lake surrounding the burly man suddenly began to tremble. Then, the mithril, which was originally in liquid form, gradually solidified and transformed into a greatsword that was fifty meters long, which slashed down at the two of them!

What the hell is this?!
Seeing this, Li Wei was also taken aback. He flashed and disappeared quickly, while the greatsword crashed heavily to the ground.

"I never expected to see this here..."

The saintess hurriedly dodged aside, muttering to herself as she spoke.

"What the hell is that?"

"I've only heard that it's called the Forging Hammer, the divine weapon of the God of Forging. I've heard that there are three Forging Hammers in total, and if you find all three, you can use them to create a weapon that can even kill a god. That's why the God of Forging hid the three Forging Hammers... Ah, speaking of which, in the legends, the God of Forging and the God of Rock were indeed friends."

"So one of the forging hammers is right here—whoa!"

Li Wei activated [Shadow Shift] again, dodging several swords flying towards him. At the same time, he flicked his right hand, throwing out a small item as a substitute for [Shadow Shift].

"What can this thing do?"

"As you've seen, the wielder of the Forging Hammer can transform any inorganic matter into the weapon they desire at will!"

"Then what's the point of fighting? Let's run!"

There is an abundance of mithril here. Fighting the enemy here would be suicide!
"But we can't escape."

"Well……………"

Upon hearing the saintess's reply, Li Wei subconsciously glanced behind him—indeed, the stone door had been blocked by the greatsword that had appeared earlier, making escape impossible.

Of course, Li Wei could run away if he wanted to, but he would only be able to leave the saintess behind to die.

His relationship with the saintess hadn't reached the point where he could simply abandon her and run away.

There's no other way, so let's fight!

"Can't you hit it again with the Staff of Nature?"

"I'm afraid it won't work. This guy doesn't seem to have much energy left."

Li Wei answered while dodging the weapons flying towards him. Through the Staff of Nature, Li Wei could sense that the heart, which was entangled by vines, was already half-dead, barely alive, and would probably die if touched any further.

The problem is, Li Wei can't kill it.

Judging from its reaction just now and the Night Goddess's warning, if this guy dies, something very bad might happen. And its current actions are clearly creating an atmosphere of "kill or be killed." In other words, Li Wei can no longer use the Staff of Nature to further damage it—otherwise, this guy might really die instantly.

Conversely, even in this state, the actions of a god sealed for thousands of years could bring him such danger—Li Wei dared not even imagine just how powerful a true god was.

But for now, let's deal with the enemy in front of us first!
Li Wei dodged the barrage of weapons that came flying at him once again, then raised the Persuader and pinned the class down on the enemy.

"Bang bang bang!"

Gunshots rang out, but the bullets only sparked when they hit the mithril before bouncing off.

"…………………"

Okay, this was expected. Now what do we do?
Now, Li Wei only had one solution in mind—to kill this guy. That way, the opponent would probably be powerless to launch another attack. Then he could retreat quickly and continue to imprison this half-dead god underground.

However, it was unexpected that even a mere wisp of a god's divine thought possessed such immense power. Fortunately, Li Wei, to be on the safe side, didn't take the mithril puppet, which meant this guy could only create this body using what was available. If Li Wei had taken the mithril puppet, and this guy had taken possession of it, Li Wei and the Holy Maiden would have been in grave danger.

Fortunately, it seems that this guy obviously doesn't have much detailed knowledge, and the humanoid figure he created is just an empty shell with only an outward appearance.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

At this moment, the other party seemed to be getting more and more impatient. He raised the iron hammer in his hand, and soon the mithril lake behind him also churned and rose up, turning into an even bigger iron hammer, which he smashed down on the ground in front of him!
Faced with this almost unavoidable attack, both Li Wei and the Holy Maiden used their respective skills.

"boom."

As the gunshot rang out, Li Wei's figure vanished instantly. The Saintess, sword and all, flew into the air, then swung her longsword forward, embedding it in the wall beside her. With a somersault, she landed steadily on the sword.

The giant hammer slammed down almost grazing their bodies before crashing into the ground.

"This won't do, Miss Saintess, help me distract this guy!"

It was obvious that the other side was planning to use a larger and more powerful weapon to attack the two of them. If it created a weapon that could cover the entire huge space and smash it down on them, then Li Wei would have no way to escape.

However, Li Wei was really curious: if Katie were here, could she catch this hammer, which was almost as tall as a building, with one hand?

Of course, there's no point in saying all this now.

"Okay, I understand!"

Hearing Li Wei's words, the saintess nodded, then she flipped over, drew her longsword, kicked the wall, and then rushed towards the man formed from mithril with lightning speed.

"roar---!"

Sensing the saintess's approach, the man roared again. At the same time, hundreds of spears appeared before him, forming an almost impenetrable defensive line. Then, the spears suddenly extended and thrust towards the saintess!

This guy... is he getting more and more skilled at handling weapons?
Seeing this, Li Wei frowned. Li Wei could see clearly that at first, the weapons this guy made only had "weapon-like shapes," but now, the weapons he made with mithril were becoming more and more like real weapons; the big hammer from before even had patterns on it.

Even the man himself, who was initially just a humanoid figure formed of mithril, gradually began to have pants, clothes, hair, a beard... becoming more and more clearly visible.

The situation is not good.

Although Li Wei didn't know exactly why things had turned out this way, he knew that the situation was not good.

Since that's the case...

Li Wei turned his gaze to the iron hammer in the man's hand.

That's the key point!
"Hey!"

However, the Holy Maiden lived up to her name. Although she and Li Wei were both puppeteers, unlike Li Wei, whose combat power plummeted without puppets and weapons, the Holy Maiden was clearly adept at close combat. Facing the forest of spears thrusting towards her, she gave a light shout, her longsword slashing at the incoming spears. Using the recoil, she leaped upwards, dodging the attack and quickly closing the distance with the man.

"Clang clang clang clang clang!"

The saintess had now entered close combat with the man, and she swung her longsword at him. Naturally, the longsword in her hand was just an ordinary one—in fact, the very one she had found in Francis's village after it was attacked by Krant, before she had even made up her mind.

This thing certainly couldn't cut that man.

However, the saintess, being a battle-hardened warrior, skillfully attacked her opponent's eyes and mouth—areas that, even if impervious to swords and spears, would still distract her.

Although the man was formed from mithril, he seemed to possess characteristics no different from humans. Under the saintess's attack, the man's attention became significantly distracted. Consequently, the weapon army that had been attacking Li Wei also developed an opening.

very good!

Seeing this scene, Li Wei raised his two guns.

"Boom!"

With two gunshots, two bullets were fired one after the other from the muzzle of the Persuader and Punisher guns in Li Wei's hands. They flew through the air, collided with each other, and then suddenly changed direction, rushing towards the man!
At the same time, Li Wei flicked his left hand forward, and a pitch-black coffin quietly appeared out of thin air.

At that moment, a chilling aura of death suddenly erupted, and Li Wei even felt the temperature around him drop significantly as a result.

Hmm? This thing wasn't like this before, was it?

Just as Li Wei was puzzled, the coffin opened, and a death puppet holding a scythe floated out. Its appearance was no different from before, and even the dragon blood on its body was still dripping down—wait, how long has it been? Why hasn't it dried yet?
Why don't you find some time to iron it yourself?

Lost in thought, Li Wei manipulated the Death Puppet, wielding its scythe, and slashed at the opponent. After all, this thing was a gift from the system, and although it wasn't very useful and Li Wei rarely used it, it was still useful when he had nothing else on hand.

It's better than charging in empty-handed.

"on!"

Li Wei certainly wouldn't let the Holy Maiden face the danger alone. Logically speaking, as a man, he should immediately go and help her.

Unfortunately, in terms of close combat ability, Levi is not as good as Katie, and naturally even less so as the Saintess.

But it's okay, it's just a token of affection. Even if it's not you who goes, it's still fine.
Thinking of this, Li Wei snapped his fingers.

The next instant, the Death Puppet vanished and reappeared behind the man. It then raised its scythe high and swung it down forcefully at the man's arm.

Whether it was an illusion or not, when the Death Puppet swung its scythe, Li Wei noticed a sudden surge of blood-red light emanating from the jet-black blade.

Then, something completely unexpected happened to Li Wei.

"Whoosh—!"

As the scythe fell, the man's right hand, which was holding the hammer, was severed! The hammer and his right hand flew into the air together, and the right hand holding the hammer began to melt.

what's the situation?
Seeing this, Li Wei was stunned. He had summoned the Death Puppet, intending only for it to distract the Holy Maiden. After all, that thing was made entirely of mithril, making it ineffective against ordinary weapons.

But this doll... actually cut off his arm?
Did it have this power before?
Not only Li Wei, but even the Holy Maiden was stunned by this unexpected development. However, at this moment, the Lake of Mithril suddenly began to react.

"Boom—!"

The surging waves suddenly erupted, roaring into the air and rushing towards the spinning iron hammer!
not good!

Seeing this, Li Wei immediately came to his senses. He knew that the iron hammer was the reason why this guy had such great strength. Now that the iron hammer had finally left the other party's side, if it were taken back, it would be even more difficult to fight! So Li Wei hurriedly raised his gun, aimed at the iron hammer, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

The moment the gunshot rang out, Li Wei's figure vanished, and then he quickly reappeared next to the iron hammer.

The hammer was still burning with faint flames, making it look like a weapon enchanted with fire.

Is it really safe to hold this thing? Won't it burn my hands?

With that thought in mind, Li Wei reached out and grabbed the hammer.

"—————————!"

The moment he grasped the hammer, Li Wei felt as if his brain had been struck by lightning, suddenly becoming clear.

Moreover, the machines he had previously memorized all surfaced in Li Wei's mind, revealing their original designs. For example, the enormous robots he had seen in movies, the terrifying aircraft with artificial intelligence, and the mechs used by humanity in the apocalyptic war—images that had only appeared on screen or in games and were etched into his memory—were now completely disintegrated and shattered. Li Wei clearly saw their internal power structures, the workings of their joints and gears.

Just like the 3D model breakdown diagrams that appear in some videos, it unfolded in his mind.

Moreover, Li Wei even sensed a completely new power!

"boom-------!"

At the same time, the raging torrent of mithril rushed towards Li Wei.

However, Li Wei's figure quickly disappeared, leaving the raging torrent empty-handed.

Immediately afterwards, Li Wei appeared on the ground on the other side. He gripped the forging hammer tightly, and the mithril around him began to tremble incessantly, then suddenly erupted and engulfed Li Wei!
Subsequently, their forms began to change rapidly.

Countless mithril pieces transformed into gears, structures, transmission systems, and the mech's outer shell. Under some invisible force, they rapidly combined and assembled. In an instant, a mech exactly like the Night Raven that had been shattered appeared out of thin air and then leaped into the air.

At the same time, the square box on the mecha's shoulder opened instantly, pointing at the human face that was rolling around on the lake.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom—!"

Dozens of missiles flew from the launcher, relentlessly bombarding the face on the lake's surface. The violent explosions shattered the face into pieces, and it let out an angry howl, but even that cry was swallowed by the continuous explosions and quickly vanished without a trace.

When the mech landed again, the entire Mithril Lake had returned to calm. The greatsword that the Mithril man had created to block the entrance had melted away and disappeared.

"Quickly, let's get out of here right now!"

Li Wei leaped out of the mech and shouted. Hearing his shout, the Holy Maiden reacted quickly and followed Li Wei as they opened the stone door and left the underground prison.

"Boom!"

Li Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief when the stone door closed again and he heard the system notification in his ear.

"Phew...that was close, I was almost done for."

Muttering to himself, Li Wei looked at the iron hammer in his hand.

The power of this hammer—was even greater than Levi had imagined.

Thinking of this, Li Wei raised his head and looked at the system notification in front of him.

[Quest "River of Mithril" Completed]

[Time consumed: s]

Survey efficiency: S

[Impact/Effect: S]

Overall Rating: SSS

[Bonus lifespan +2000, additional +1000]

Wow, this is a windfall!

Li Wei was stunned by the system notification. He hadn't even attacked a god, but rather a wisp of a god's consciousness, yet it had directly granted him three thousand days of lifespan.

If he really killed a god, wouldn't his lifespan be tens of thousands?
[Attack against Divinity +5%]

I knew it; there would definitely be this special attack against divinity, although Li Wei hasn't yet figured out what use this attribute is.

[Special Skill +1]

Needless to say, the next step is to continue improving the [Witcher].

[Acquire ownership of the Forging Hammer]

Ok?
Is this considered a reward?

It has to be said that Li Wei was stunned when he saw the last reward.

At this moment, the saintess also walked over, and seeing the forging hammer in Li Wei's hand, she couldn't help but sigh.

"I never expected that you could gain the approval of the artifact. I was quite startled when I saw you touch it just now."

"What, shouldn't I have touched it?"

"Of course, gods are one thing, but mortals can't just touch divine artifacts. If you don't have their approval, the moment you grasp the forging hammer, you'll be completely burned to ashes by the flames on it."

"Uh... is that exaggerated?"

Upon hearing the saintess's reply, Li Wei looked at the forging hammer in his hand with lingering fear. The flames on it were still burning, but Li Wei did not feel any burning pain.

"Most divine artifacts are like this; those who are not qualified to wield them will either die quickly or be destroyed by the artifact itself if they force their way in. To be honest, I was already surprised that you could wield the Staff of Nature, but I never expected that you could also use the Forging Hammer... Are you really just an ordinary person?"

"At least I'm definitely not a god..."

Upon hearing the saintess's words, Li Wei recalled the first time he tried using the Staff of Nature; in just a few seconds, his lifespan plummeted.

and many more!

Thinking of this, Li Wei suddenly remembered something and subconsciously looked at the ruby ​​ring on his hand.

If he remembered correctly, the last time the system notified him that he had acquired ownership of a certain piece of equipment, it was this one, right?
Indeed, the ring seemed quite difficult to obtain at the time. Both Levi and the vampire girl coveted it, but neither of them considered buying it. It wasn't until later, when Levi defeated the vampire, that the ring became part of his mission reward.

Then Li Wei went to the store and got the ring.

In other words... this ring is on the same level as the Staff of Nature and the Forging Hammer?

Li Wei frowned, staring intently at the ring on his finger. He only knew that it sometimes absorbed some bright red soul fragments, but other than that, the ring didn't seem to exhibit any special power.

What is the purpose of this ring?

Forget about that now.

Li Wei shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

Thanks to this hammer, he has already received an even better reward!
Leaving the underground chamber, the two returned to the throne room, and Li Wei summoned back the Death Doll, examining it closely.

"By the way, Mr. Li Wei, what exactly is this?"

"Hmm? This is my doll, but it may have undergone a slight change..."

"change?"

"Yes."

Li Wei offered a brief explanation to the saint.

"I once used this puppet to fight a dragon. It was covered in dragon blood, and maybe that's why the puppet became a bit... strange. By the way, can dragon blood really make someone invulnerable?"

"How could that be?"

The saintess rolled her eyes.

"If such a good thing existed, we would have just raised a bunch of dragons and bled them every day so that the soldiers could bathe in them."

"…………………"

Listen to this, listen to this, no wonder they came from that era, what kind of talk are they saying.

"But this thing... I sense a special aura about it..."

The saintess said something casually, then looked at the death doll in front of her with a puzzled expression.

"Is there?"

"I only had a slight feeling just now, like the aura of death... Hmm... The craftsmanship used to create this doll is also very strange..."

As she spoke, the saintess reached out her hand, seemingly wanting to examine the doll's internal structure.

However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Faced with the saintess's outstretched hand, the Death Puppet swung its left hand, which was not holding a scythe, forward.

"Snapped."

He just slapped the saintess's hand away like that.

"……………………???"

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything."

Faced with the saintess's questioning gaze, Li Wei hurriedly raised his hands to indicate his innocence. At the same time, he looked at the Death Doll in surprise… This thing was just a reward item; logically, it shouldn't have anything special about it, right?

What's happening here?
　This chapter has six thousand words, that's impressive!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)