Let MapleStory experience the Fourth Calamity

Chapter 127 Return to the Ruined Capital

The four players braved the sandstorm and left the warehouse.

The thunderous roar from the deep mine tunnels still seemed to linger in their ears, and no one was in a hurry to speak.

The little snail walked in front, as if it were thinking about something.

Once he had sorted out his thoughts, he slowed down.

"I finally understand."

The light rain, the lingering warmth, and the goose stopped and turned to look at him.

The little snail raised its index finger, organized its thoughts, and said, "When I came to change jobs, the martial arts instructor told me to go to the ruins and find an industrial gear."

He said that the rotation was already complete, and that if the gear wasn't found, there would be danger underground.

But I always felt that he was guiding me to the abandoned city; he had seen through it twenty years ago.

Even if he poured ninety percent of his flesh and blood into the fight, he still couldn't stop a beast tide of that scale. He had long since lost the will to revive the tribe.

The little snail licked its chapped lips and continued, "That mission was a desperate investment; it was testing us."

Let's see if we can reconnect the industries of the ruined capital to their broken defenses.

The goose didn't reply; his gaze went beyond the tent and landed on the entrance to the abyss at the edge of the camp.

That was the underground ruins that the little snail had explored when it underwent its job change trial.

Deep within those unfathomable strata, there lies a vast network of metal pipes.

The goose pulled a fragment from the ruins out of its pocket, rubbed off the rust, and revealed the metal underneath.

"This steel is of good quality; it contains powder with magic resistance."

This material was only suitable for building underground oil pipelines back then. If it were in our abandoned southern district, foreigners would probably be drooling with envy.

He flipped the fragment over and pointed to a smooth, mirror-like cut on the edge.

"Look at this cut surface. It doesn't look like it was torn off by a monster at all. It was clearly cut with high-precision equipment."

As he spoke, he tossed the metal fragment in his hand again.

"Back then, this underground site was a joint military industrial base of four parties."

The goose continued, "In order to build this defensive line, the Magic Forest provided enchanting technology, the Ruins provided blueprints, and the Warriors' Tribe provided ores and people."

But the core energy and machinery production is dominated by Edelstein, located far across the sea.

"That's right."

The little snail added the information it had learned.

"The martial arts coach told me that there was an accident down below, their engineer went missing, and Edelstein, who was in charge of the core energy and mechanical technology, withdrew."

To cut their losses, they unilaterally broke the agreement and withdrew all senior engineers.

The technology withdrawal led to a precipitous collapse of the technology tree, and the once prosperous joint base was reduced to a desolate desert that could only survive by forging iron and brute force.

It has to be said that the Warriors Tribe suffered a truly devastating defeat this time.

Yu Wen spat out a mouthful of murky saliva and came to a conclusion: "It's better to have your own than to have your own parents. The lifeline of this damn game industry must be entirely in our own hands."

Passing through the scattered tents, the three arrived at Sind and Smith's blacksmith shop.

The two blacksmiths, who had already reached an agreement with the players, were now packing their bags, preparing to set off.

"He who eats another's food is bound to him," so when he saw these outsiders come in, Sinde didn't put on airs of a master. Instead, his gaze was drawn to Yu Wen's fine steel short hammer tucked into his waistband.

Yu Wen readily removed the hammer and placed it on the anvil.

The old blacksmith stroked the hammerhead, scratched the metal surface with his fingernail, and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

He then turned around and pulled out a file from under the workbench, rubbed it hard on the edge of the hammer handle a couple of times, and carefully examined the metal powder that had been filed off.

Then he tapped the hammerhead a few times with his knuckles, listening to the echo inside the metal.

"It sounds like there are no impurities, and the carbon distribution is very uniform." Feeling that uniform density, the old blacksmith understood.

"It has a very high purity; it was smelted in a high-temperature converter."

Sind looked up. "Ordinary furnaces can't reach that melting point anymore. Where did you get the fuel?"

Big Goose stepped forward, supporting himself on the anvil with both hands: "We have a workshop in the ruins. The person I told you about before, he made some materials using saltpeter and refined oil that can raise the furnace temperature."

More importantly, we have a preliminary assembly line framework, and we have the policy backing of our leader, Lynn.

Everything is ready, except for top-notch design drawings and a master craftsman who can control the heat.

He looked directly into the eyes of the two indigenous blacksmiths: "When you arrive, you can use any of the blast furnaces in the southern district."

Moreover, you don't even need to hammer the iron blanks yourself; there are over a hundred people lined up outside to be apprentices. You just need to focus on controlling the core forging.

Upon hearing this, Smith got up and walked to a corner of the blacksmith's shop.

He pried open a floor tile and pulled out a moisture-proof cowhide roll sealed with sealing wax from a hidden compartment.

The blueprints were carefully laid out on the anvil, their edges severely carbonized, and bearing the blurred emblem of the early Joint Military Industry.

The blueprints were intricate, not only indicating the metal proportions but also depicting the energy circuits that etched magical powder into the weapon's health bars. This craftsmanship far surpassed the crude equipment currently in players' possession.

"Odin's Hand Axe - Crafting Materials", "Mechanical Power Armor - Fragments".

The little snail glanced at the densely packed list of crafting materials at the bottom of the blueprint: fifty high-purity refined iron ingots.

Twenty pairs of complete fangs from the Flame Hound, and special quenching fluid —

"Wow, they even have mechanical exoskeletons! Does that mean the mechanic profession will be unlocked in the future?"

"Awesome, the Pirate class hasn't even been unlocked yet, and clues about the Mechanic class that will follow have already come out."

This storyline proved to be very rewarding for the group.

Some people may not be interested in the backstory, but no player can resist new equipment and new classes.

However, building these devices was no easy task.

The required materials are definitely not something that a few small teams can handle. To gather these resources, the entire workforce of the entire faction needs to be squeezed out.

The four men exchanged a glance and quickly helped the two old blacksmiths pack up their tools.

The long journey throughout the afternoon was quite tiring for players without vehicles or mounts.

By the time they arrived at the abandoned city's southern industrial park, after escorting the two technicians through the deserted wasteland and the dilapidated outskirts of the city, it was already dark.

After settling the NPCs in, the four exhausted people didn't even bother to take off their equipment. They found an empty cubicle, leaned against the wall, and closed their eyes.

Consciousness gradually sank.

The little snail took off its VR glasses and opened its eyes.

He sat up, grabbed the half-empty bottle of mineral water from the bedside table, and gulped down a large mouthful.

He pulled out a chair, skillfully turned on the computer, and his fingers flew across the keyboard, logging directly into the game's official forum.

After searching for a while, he typed a few words in the title bar of the post.