Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 161 The Amazing Driver

"Using the Gospel Father to drive the motorcycle." Violet suddenly laughed out loud. "So that's what you've been planning all along. That's great!"

The sight of the once lofty shrine working amidst the steam was so beautiful that she couldn't wait to see it.

The two walked toward the work shed, with Violet brushing the snow off her clothes.

As they passed a unicorn whose tongue was stuck to a statue and which was whimpering and struggling, the two pretended not to see it.

But then the scholar seemed to realize something, and she said to Su Ming, "Longing doesn't belong to the dead; the Moon Prayer Masters are the professionals in that area." She pointed to Qi Luo.

"Moon Prayer Master?"

“A class within the Moon Goddess system. She used ‘Moon's Offering’ last time, didn’t she?” Violet replied. “You don’t really believe she’s just a vegetable grower, do you?”

"That's not the case."

"Su Ming, save me." Qi Luo bit her tongue, her voice muffled. "Hanster, you're so mean!"

Su Ming then poured a glass of warm water and poured it onto the little girl's tongue.

"Ptooey, ptooey!" Qi Luo, now free, rubbed her mouth and spat out saliva. "They tricked me into thinking God the Father is sweet, but he tastes like pickled vegetables!"

"All beings suffer!" said the Gospel Father in a compassionate voice.

Qiluo was so angry that she wanted to smash the statue, but was stopped by Zijin. The unicorn then turned around and went to cause trouble for Hanster.

"Wait, I need you to materialize the longing on the steam locomotive." Su Ming grabbed her ponytail and pulled Qi Luo back.

Qiluo's green hair, like vibrant spinach, stood out against the snowy landscape, and he had long wanted to grab it.

The unicorn looked up at the clear sky. "The moon has been quite nice these past few days. Since you saved me, I'll help you with that tonight."

Su Ming released his hand with satisfaction.

****
Zijin began to study the statue. The liquid oxygen production was insufficient and had been exhausted, causing the temperature inside the statue to rise again.

"What's the temperature?" she asked Su Ming.

"Two hundred degrees below zero."

“The operation of the spirit core does not depend on low temperature. I guess there is an alchemical mechanism that cuts off the supply of magic power to the Gospel when the temperature exceeds a certain level,” said Violet. “I need to find it and fix it so that the Gospel spirit can work at room temperature.”

Su Ming nodded; the two of them had the same idea. They didn't need the statue to perform a magic-free levitation act or release "holy water" or "holy mist" to fool people.

What is needed now is simply an automatic driving system for a steam locomotive.

When the temperature rose to -135 degrees Celsius, Zijin took off her right glove and placed her palm on the surface of the God of the Gospel, carefully feeling the magical flow inside the statue.

"Overheating, about to go into hibernation!" the statue proclaimed, its eyes beginning to glow with blue light. "The grace of God is with you forever!"

"It's going to stop," Su Ming said.

"Ah."

A white skeletal servant carrying a large hammer and a steel chisel came out and stood beside the two.

"Why do you want it to carry a hammer?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"Find the spot that reacts, and smash it open."

Su Ming was very surprised, "Won't doing this ruin God the Father's reputation?"

“I can repair the damage to the magic circuits,” Violet replied. “However, damage to the spirit core is indeed troublesome. At best, it can result in memory loss; at worst, it can turn the artifact spirit into an idiot.”

A question mark immediately appeared above Su Ming's head: "This works?"

“There are always risks,” Violet said calmly. “Analyzing and dissecting it bit by bit could take a month—do we have that time?”

Su thought for a moment and realized he really didn't have the time or energy. "Let's use a cutting machine," he suggested. "It's better than smashing it, right?"

"also."

Su Ming had the black skeleton bring out a large handheld cutting machine from the shed. The alloy saw blade, gleaming with a chilling sharpness, stood alongside the sledgehammer and chisel on the snow, before the statue.

The temperature reading continued to rise, and the statue's eyes blinked faster and faster. Violet's slender fingers were already icy cold. Su Ming wanted to cover her with something, but he knew that doing so would interfere with her senses, and even shield-type magic would be unusable.

The two hoped the light would go out quickly.

“The cold is God’s will,” the Gospel Father said again.

The two ignored it and waited for it to stop working. Although the statue's eyes were flashing wildly, they remained firmly lit, which reminded Su Ming of the lights on Ultraman's chest.

The temperature rose to -120 degrees Celsius, and Zijin could no longer bear it and let go of her hand. Her entire palm was numb with cold. Su Ming quickly took her right hand and rubbed it vigorously.

The girl looked at the statue with a hostile expression, then with a flick of her left hand, the large iron hammer stuck in the snow fell into her palm.

“God said, ‘Be kind!’” the gospel continued.

"That damn spirit has been playing dead the whole time!" Violet finally realized, "You gave it liquid oxygen, making it think it was activated when we returned to the temple—it wasn't a temperature-related mechanism at all!"

Su Ming couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I was tricked by a spirit!" The scholar stamped her foot in disbelief. "How could I be so stupid!"

"Even the wisest person can make a mistake," Su Ming reassured him, but his barely suppressed laughter made his words sound insincere.

Zijin glared at him and swung the sledgehammer at Fuyin, but Su Ming quickly pulled her back.

"No, it's useful!"

Zijin tugged at her own hand, but couldn't break free.

"This thing is so valuable!" Su Ming quickly held her tightly. "Smashing it will lower its value!"

It's not about the money at all; using such a valuable item for driving is a complete waste. If it gets even slightly damaged, those who know what happened later will be heartbroken!
Zijin bit her lip and finally reluctantly put down the hammer in her hand.

"It's lucky!"

She broke free from Su Ming's arm, turned to the statue and said fiercely, "If you dare to put me into hibernation again, I'll tear you to pieces!"

"God's servants, wait patiently forever!" The voice of the Gospel Father was as kind as ever.

Violet angrily smashed the hammer at the foot of the statue and went into the work shed to warm up.

****
At ten o'clock in the evening, Su Ming, Zi Jin, and Qi Luo dragged the statue to the two forward-moving steam locomotives. The pale pink moonlight gilded the snow with a beautiful rose gold, and the soft sound of their footsteps was crystal clear in the quiet night. The unicorn took off its coat and thermal underwear, stepped barefoot into the snow, and prepared to transform into its true form, completely unaware that Su Ming was right beside it.

“You can use illusion magic to put on an undergarment,” Violet reminded him. “This guy’s eyes are anything but gentlemanly.”

"Relax, relax." Qi Luo waved her hand and piled the clothes in Su Ming's hands. "I'm not human."

Su Ming protested, "I have no interest in non-human beings or young girls!"

“Humans are born naked,” the Gospel icon interjected. “With a pure heart, everything they see is beautiful.”

"See! Only those with impure hearts would think such nonsense!" Su Ming defended himself.

The little girl's eyes darted around, a glint of light flashing in them, and suddenly a tall, long-legged, and completely naked older sister appeared. She reached out and hooked Su Ming's chin, her silver eyes alluring, "Little brother, how about this!"

Su Ming was truly shocked. This was the first time he had ever faced a physical object. The soft, undulating surface and the sudden impact left his mind blank.

Zi Jin sighed, "Su Ming, this won't do. You can't just refuse to attack the enemy when they transform into naked bodies."

Su Ming snapped out of his daze and pushed Qi Luo's fingers away. "Let's get down to business!"

In her young lady form, Kira pouted and transformed into a unicorn. "You humans are so strange. I don't wear clothes in my original form either."

With a thud, her horns lit up. Moonlight gathered around her, solidified, and then flowed outwards like water. Tiny specks of light emerged from the motorcycle, multiplying until they danced like a swarm of fireflies.

"Such intense longing!" Violet exclaimed.

The light cast a hazy glow on the motorcycle's metal frame. The unicorn's eyes gleamed with silver light, and the phantom of the Moon Spirit appeared behind her.

My longing is like a woven tapestry!

Using moonlight as threads, Qiluo began to weave, and swarms of fluorescent light converged on her along the threads. Soon, the phantom of a miniature motorcycle made of moonlight and longing appeared before her.

“My turn.” Violet summoned the Divine Favor Scepter. Its power unfolded, and pure white light merged into the Moonlight Array, gently supporting the newly manifested form of thought.

The girl then gave the statue a fierce look, and the blue in its eyes immediately faded, turning into pure white light.

She reached out her hand, and countless alchemical runes appeared in the void surrounding the statue. Violet quickly scanned them, finally finding the entrance after a while. She then drew her motorcycle-themed consciousness over and brought it into contact with the statue.

Fusion!

With a clench of her outstretched hand, the alchemical runes instantly retracted into the statue, and her thoughts merged into it. The light in the statue's eyes flickered rapidly, then gradually dimmed until it disappeared completely.

The scholar remained calm and waited patiently for several dozen seconds. Then, the light from the statue's eyes reappeared, accompanied by the clanging sound of machinery that echoed across the snowfield.

"God said, 'Drive!'"

****
The day after the statue was successfully integrated, Violet placed the gospel in the cab of the first motorcycle.

The modification of the steam locomotive was completed first. Su Ming had Hanster and the unicorn drive the steam locomotive around the area to familiarize themselves with its operation. During this process, the Evangelist Spirit also integrated its newly acquired knowledge and adapted to the modifications made to the forward-type locomotive for driving on snow.

Su Ming and Zi Jin focused all their efforts on modifying the carriages. After each carriage was modified, it was mounted to the back of the locomotive, and they continuously tested it.

After three busy days, the driver and crew's driving skills finally achieved a leap forward—they combined the best of their steam locomotive experience, replacing everyone else. It operated with its skeleton servants, leaving no one else to do anything.

Of course, material arrangement and equipment inspection were still necessary. Yunier had been helping out the whole time, and although Su Ming repeatedly told the little girl to rest, she still persevered and did non-physical work.

After the last carriage completed its correction and braking system adjustments, the Youth Civilization Locomotive set off again. The Gospel Locomotive made a nimble heavy-load start, then smoothly corrected its course with a beautiful arc.

"That's a real veteran driver," Hansster exclaimed.

Not only were the drivers replaced with highly skilled ones, but the new system also showed significant improvement. The train's swaying on the snow was greatly reduced, allowing it to travel smoothly across the snowfield and increasing its speed considerably. The ride for passengers was also much smoother, a far cry from the initial "Youth Civilization" train.

Steam billows, and the terrain is gentle at the beginning of the ice field. Only by looking far inland can one see slightly undulating hills on the edge of the horizon.

"Where are we going?" Hanster asked, pointing to the map in the living quarters. With the Gospel, now only one of them needed to be on duty in the cockpit.

The reason wasn't even to assist in the Gospel, but to supervise this "captive" from the temple.

“To the Sang River,” Su Ming replied. “The riverbed downstream is frozen, so we’ll drive on the ice.”

The San River originates in the Dome Mountains, flows through three tiered mountain ranges, and empties into the sea across the entire ice sheet. At this time of year, the upper and middle reaches of the San River have dried up, but the lower reaches are completely frozen. The ice surface is very smooth, meaning the trains have excellent running conditions.

Hanster, however, was somewhat worried: "The villages along the San River are very densely packed; we're bound to be spotted."

This is a problem; if someone sees it, it could attract investigation. The huge tracks left by the train speeding across the snowfield are impossible to hide. This will further arouse attention, and sooner or later, its identity and whereabouts will be exposed.

Su Ming stirred the coffee in his cup and began to ponder. They had recently switched from tea to high-calorie drinks. Su Ming didn't actually like coffee, but there were no other beverages available for him.

“I have an idea,” Violet interjected. “We can disguise ourselves as a caravan of the Highland Bear People.”

She walked over and pointed to the map, explaining to everyone, "The Highland Bear People live on the inner side of the third step of the Ice Plains, and they usually have almost no contact with the humans on the Ice Plains. Their most valuable products are various rare materials and medicinal herbs, which need to be transported to places like Moon Bay City to be easily sold. Then they will purchase some daily necessities and transport them back across the Ice Plains."

Zijin took out a picture book, turned to a page, and saw a caravan of huge mammoths carrying heavy loads across the summer ice plains. The mammoths were tied up one by one with ropes, and a dozen burly bear-men drove them with long whips, trampling thick mud into the grass.

“The Highland Bearmen do have this custom, but this place is far from the trade routes, and the Bearmen only trade in the summer,” Hanster said.

“It doesn’t matter, we just want a plausible explanation,” Violet said. “Do you want the villagers to think, ‘There’s a strange bear-man caravan there, let’s not mess with them,’ or ‘There’s a long, gigantic monster there, let’s report to the lord immediately?’”

Hanster and Su Ming exchanged a glance and agreed that Zi Jin's words made a lot of sense.

"So we need to disguise the Youth Civilization Team as the Mammoth Team?" Su Ming asked.

"It just needs to look a little like a mammoth, with two tusks and two ears," Violet explained. "Our main purpose is not for people to see it up close, but for people to see it from a distance and think it looks somewhat like a mammoth. The real method is the sound; we imitate the sound of a mammoth and call out from time to time."

“The other one is footprints,” Violet continued. “We added mammoth and bear-man footprint plates to the last carriage.”

Su Ming also realized that if the villagers investigated and saw the footprints in the snow, and compared them with the shouts they heard, there would be an explanation.

The Youth Civilization Train is entirely white, making it difficult to see in detail from a distance.

"That's a good idea!" Su Ming agreed.

The footprints were easy to handle; he immediately began designing a pressure plate to hang at the rear of the train. The problem was the sound. Steam locomotives had whistles that could be used, but Su Ming had never heard the sound of a mammoth.

“I’ve heard the roar of a mammoth, and I also have some knowledge of vocal principles,” Hansster said. “Leave this to me.”

Su Ming nodded, and Hanster left.

“Zijin, you are really adept at handling situations where you need to conceal your whereabouts.”

"If you run away long enough, you'll naturally learn," Zijin said calmly.

(End of this chapter)