Today, they too are going to their deaths.

The mechanical horse's four metal legs thrashed about uncontrollably, and the rhythm of its steam emissions became rapid and chaotic, like some kind of mad beast.

Although the mounted policeman's attention was focused on Baron Lawrence, he still sensed that something was amiss.

His body tensed instinctively, and his fingers subconsciously tried to tighten the reins to steady his mount, but the mechanical horse only intensified the jolting, nearly throwing the mounted policeman off.

Seeing this, the other mounted police officers pulled on their reins, causing their mounts to move back to give their out-of-control companions space. No one had ever seen anything like this before, and they didn't know what was wrong with the mechanical horse, but it was the best course of action.

However, it was clear that the mechanical horse, interfered with by an abnormal force, was beyond the control of the mounted police.

"Huff! Huff!" The mechanical horse let out a fierce breathing sound, its head lit up with a light that flickered, and its chest flashed a bright red as if it had been burned through.

The next instant, the stirrups welded to its body abruptly broke off.

The mounted police officer only had time to let out a cry of surprise before he was violently thrown off and landed in a snowdrift by the roadside, unable to get up for a while.

Then, the mechanical horse stomped the ground with fierce force, propelling itself to full speed ahead.

Its iron hooves slammed into the ground, sparks flying, and steam billowed from its ribs, leaving a white trail behind it.

In front of it were Baron Lawrence and the workers.

The baron was unaware of the danger; he was turned to the side and speaking to someone in the line of workers.

A confident smile still lingered on his lips, as he reveled in the sense of accomplishment from his eloquent speech.

The workers saw the out-of-control mechanical horse. Their pupils contracted sharply, and they wanted to shout, but those who could see the mechanical horse clearly were unable to utter any coherent words in the face of such a steel beast coming towards them. They could only manage to let out a short, breathy sound.

The sound of iron hooves pounding the road was so loud it hurt your ears.

If the mechanical horses are allowed to continue moving forward, the Baron will be killed, several workers will be knocked over or trampled to death, the entire protest will collapse, and the scattered crowd will cause an even more horrific stampede.

The conflict between nobles and workers will be even more difficult to resolve, and Cui Xun's efforts and plans will all come to naught.

Cui Xun would not allow such an outcome.

He threw down the toolbox in his hand, and with a sudden burst of strength from his legs, he leaped to the second floor like a cannonball.

Then, with his powerful arms, he grabbed a street lamp and swung forward, passing through the entire procession in the air, skimming over people's heads, and landing at the very front of the crowd, facing the menacing warhorses.

Cui Xun slightly parted his legs, lowered his center of gravity, leaned his upper body forward, and spread his arms, assuming a defensive posture.

At this moment, his figure appeared exceptionally tall in people's eyes, like a city wall, an insurmountable barrier.

The mechanical horse stands 1.6 meters tall at the shoulder, is 2.5 meters long, and has a shoulder width of 0.8 meters. Its construction far surpasses the limits of natural horse-like creatures, and it is made entirely of steel, powered by a special steam technology from this world.

It is the culmination of the wisdom of the Royal Academy of Sciences, proof of their usurpation of the Creator's authority, and a powerful weapon that completely eliminates the old warhorse.

If such a monster, weighing over 2 tons and with a burst speed exceeding 80 kilometers per hour, were to charge at you, any human would tremble and find it difficult to control their instinct to dodge.

But for Cui Xun, who had truly faced monsters...

In the end, it was just a horse.

Cui Xun stared directly at his advancing figure, calmly calculating his speed and anticipating the best moment to strike.

Until the mechanical horse charged up in front of him, raising its iron hooves high, ready to crush him.

Cui Xun made a move.

He shifted his body to the right, dodging the mechanical horse's strongest frontal impact. At the same time, his left hand gripped the horse's neck, while his right hand pressed firmly against the horse's shoulder.

Then, he turned the direction.

The two-ton steel behemoth drew a spark-filled arc across the road, and the ear-piercing screeching sound made one's teeth ache.

Then, Cui Xun suddenly exerted his strength.

The mechanical horse suddenly lost its balance and crashed to the ground, emitting a shrill scream as its gears spun under the excessive load.

Every joint of its body was constantly swaying, trying to break free from Cui Xun's control.

Cui Xun continued to suppress the mechanical horse, while taking a deep breath and clenching his right fist.

The muscles in his arms tensed inch by inch, almost tearing his clothes apart to reveal the rock-like muscles beneath. His willpower instinctively surged into his flesh and blood, carrying out his commands along with his body.

kill!

An incredibly heavy punch landed on the mechanical horse's head.

The steel plate caved inward, and the sound of metal deformation followed. The mechanical horse's limbs, which had been lurching, suddenly straightened.

But Cui Xun was not reassured, so he threw a second punch.

This punch was harder, heavier, and faster than the last one.

The mechanical horse's head exploded, and its numerous precision structures—indicator lights, gears, levers, drive shafts, etc.—were reduced to unrecognizable junk in the face of pure violence.

A few drops of scalding engine oil splattered onto Cui Xun's face like blood, but his expression remained unchanged as he silently stared at the mechanical horse's body.

It has completely ceased activity.

Cui Xun also loosened his fists and slowly stood up.

Fresh blood slowly dripped down his right arm.

His knuckles were scraped, his right arm muscles were injured, and there were even a few small fragments embedded in his body.

He was, after all, made of flesh and blood; he shouldn't have rashly confronted steel.

But in just a few seconds, Cui Xun's wounds began to heal, and the metal fragments were pushed out by his body and fell to the ground.

His skin, bones, and muscles actually became stronger because of this injury, and were able to withstand even greater impacts.

A few seconds of silence followed as people stared blankly at the man who had defeated the mechanical horse with his bare hands.

This scene was so surreal that their brains simply couldn't process it.

Then, the sound erupted.

The workers bypassed the Baron and surged toward Cui Xun like a tide, surrounding him, pushing, jostling, and shouting, raising their hands high and uttering chaotic tones that they themselves could not understand. Only a few managed to utter what they truly wanted to say.

"hero!"

Yes, he is a hero!

Whether it's defeating steel beasts that are beyond human strength, resolutely standing in front of people, or that indescribable aura, they all seem like heroes from mythology.

Cheers echoed through the streets and even further afield, repeating the same word over and over at an ear-piercing volume.

"Hero!" "Hero!" "Hero!"

People's lives are too oppressive; their days are filled with repetitive, tedious, and endless labor.

Working like a cog in a machine on an assembly line, repeating the same tasks, they had almost forgotten the meaning of life. Now, to see such a heroic man, they were all incredibly excited.

The patrolmen couldn't help but take a few steps back. They lowered their shields, put down their iron bars, and their eyes were filled with fear and hesitation.

The mounted police gripped the reins tightly, pursed their lips, and put their pistols back into their holsters. They knew better than the patrol officers what it meant to destroy a mechanical horse with bare hands.

Only a well-coordinated special operations team, a steam behemoth focused on flexible combat, and a powerful opponent of equal caliber can stop such a being.

Cui Xun turned his head and looked directly at the crowd that had gathered around him.

He raised his right hand, palm down, and slowly pressed it down, making a gesture to quiet down.

Then everyone fell silent.

Baron Lawrence stood there, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide open, only just realizing that he had narrowly escaped death.

The workers' faces were full of excitement. They looked up at Cui Xun with an almost humble posture, as if they were praying that the hero could take them away from their suffering.

However, the mysterious "spellcaster" that Cui Xun was truly looking for was nowhere to be found.

However, Cui Xun remembered the man's scent, and as long as he could escape from there, he would have a way to start the hunt.

But Cui Xun didn't know how to face so many expectations.

Everyone here seemed reluctant to let him go. They wanted him to say something, anything at all, as long as it could free them from the suffering of the world and allow them a brief immersion in a fantasy story.

Just as Cui Xun was troubled, he noticed that Baron Lawrence seemed to recognize him.

Being able to defeat a mechanical horse with bare hands seems to be a remarkable achievement in this world. Very few people can do such a thing, and such a person must have a status that matches their strength.

Now, Baron Lawrence, who was educated by the masked royal agents yesterday and decided to make appropriate compromises with the workers today, is rescued by an exceptionally strong person when he is attacked. It is hard for him not to connect the two identities.

To prevent the Baron from revealing any information, Cui Xun made a decisive decision.

He cannot be the kind of hero who is detached from the crowd, in which case people will elevate him to a high position and overlook their own strength; nor can he be the sharp blade of royalty or nobility, in which people will fantasize that there are good people among the bad guys, fantasize that they can be saved, and thus lose their determination to fight.

He needs to stand with the people.

So he shouted to the workers, "I am a worker too."

As soon as he finished speaking, the police, the workers, and the baron all looked at Cui Xun with disbelief.

Is this the kind of power a worker can possess? Do you think that just because you're wearing work clothes, people will actually treat you like a worker? Do you really think we're blind?

But Cui Xun didn't care anymore; he decided to place all his hopes of getting away with it on the trickster's trait.

My tongue, in this desperate situation, please show your full potential!

Willpower burned on Cui Xun's tongue, making every word he spoke as powerful as his punch, deeply moving people's hearts.

"We are workers."

"We forge steel as we forge our own will and body; we manipulate fire to rewrite the nature of matter; we do what alchemists have done, but we are stronger and more powerful, we are the ones who change the world."

"I am no different from you, except that I swallow that knowledge, chew it with my own will, and draw deeper power from it."

As people listened to these words that seemed to point directly to some key path, they felt their nerves throbbing, their hearts burning like in a furnace, and a powerful desire welled up within them, making them yearn to hear more.

Cui Xun sensed something was amiss, but he dismissed it as mere curiosity and continued to spout nonsense without restraint.

"The highest alchemy seeks to turn stone into gold, which is not just about turning stones into gold, but about giving immortality to the decaying human soul."

"It sounds far away from us, but it's actually very close to us."

"Our bodies are the furnace, and our souls are the raw materials."

"Ignite the fire of desire, pour our energy into it, nurture our souls with knowledge, forge our bodies with action, and enjoy tranquility when we need rest, and we can transform ourselves into something stronger."

"To delve deeper into craftsmanship and seek the possibility of continuous improvement; to share knowledge with one's compatriots and ignite the flame of wisdom; to tame the anger within, allowing it to ignite when necessary and to gather strength when needed..."

"By practicing these simple principles, you will have the opportunity to become like me."

Cui Xun felt that he had only said some very ordinary things, except that his tone was somewhat profound.

These are essentially just words about exercising well, resting well, studying diligently, sharing knowledge, helping each other, and controlling emotions. There shouldn't be anything special about them, right?

But the reactions at the scene told him that this was not the case at all.

An unusual atmosphere permeated the place, and the infatuated crowd wore smiles, as if they had fallen into a dream from which they could not wake up.

They whispered, laughed, or swung their bodies wildly, or tried to depict things that only existed in their hallucinations.

A certain heat spread as a result, even melting the snow that had not yet been swept away from the sides of the street.

Faced with such a chaotic scene, Cui Xun found it hard to admit that he had only said a few words casually.

The trickster's effectiveness, combined with his own power, is truly remarkable? Or did he genuinely touch upon the extraordinary essence of this world with just a few casual words?

Cui Xun couldn't be sure of the truth, but he understood that now was the best time for him to leave, as everyone present seemed to have completely forgotten about him.

He followed the scent of the spellcaster and went after him.

Shortly after Cui Xun left, a knight clad in full armor, with his face hidden under his helmet, arrived at the scene.

She conducted a brief investigation and made a judgment.

"It was a tactic of the Serpent Cult. A low-level cultist cast a spell here, causing the mechanical horse to go out of control. Then a bishop intervened, defeated the mechanical horse, and then used some kind of special magic to influence the minds of everyone present."

"As expected, the ordinary people present will lose their memory of the incident after regaining consciousness. Apart from what happened before the mechanical horse went out of control, they will at most retain a general impression of other things, remembering that someone stopped the mechanical horse, but they will not remember the bishop's face."

"It's another internal struggle within the Serpent Cult; those annoying guys are as arrogant as ever."

But there's something strange about it.

The knight knelt beside the mechanical horse, studying the blood that was as hot as molten lava, which quickly became inactive or even vanished into thin air after its master left. Her expression, hidden under her helmet, became extremely serious.

"Is this the power of the royal oath? Or the blood of the Evergreen after its second molt? It can't possibly be the blood of the legendary, vanished Dragonborn, can it?"

"The people involved this time may not just be bishops, but something more terrifying, closer to the core of the Serpent Cult."

"Grey must be evacuated as soon as possible."