"Destiny Red String! HAHAHAHAHA!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Before Galvis could explain, Avril cut in.

But the Elf Maiden only uttered the name before she could no longer contain herself, erupting into a bright peal of laughter.

Her shoulders shook with laughter, her mischievous gaze sweeping back and forth between Roland and Galvis.

"I never would have guessed, Galvis..."

Avril finally managed to stifle her laughter, gently wiping a tear from the corner of her eye with a fingertip.

"To think you’d use *that* kind of ability... on a man? Pfft-hahaha!"

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before she burst out laughing again.

"Dammit, I already told you..."

Galvis ran a hand through his hair in frustration. A surge of irritation welled up inside him, and he was about to raise his voice in protest.

However, the moment his eyes met the fleeting chill in Avril’s, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. His bravado instantly deflated.

He quickly adopted a placating tone and lowered his voice to plead his case.

"My esteemed Lady Avril, you’ve misunderstood. This so-called ’Destiny Red String’ is actually..."

Galvis took a deep breath, trying to regain some of a Minstrel’s composure, even though the red flush of embarrassment still lingered on his face.

His fingers unconsciously traced patterns in the air as if strumming an invisible lute, and his voice took on a hint of its usual dramatic, singing quality.

"A gift from Lady Shuni, it is by no means an entanglement of worldly sentiment! It does not sow love, it only anchors ’presence’! It is a ’Light Rope’ to guide the lost, a tether to the ’Life Echo’ on the other side!"

His words came faster as he rushed to clarify.

"Therefore, I can only sense Roland’s location and distance, and whether his Fire of Life still flickers in his chest! Life or death, strength or weakness—it’s all as clear as a beacon! That is all! I swear by Shuni, it has absolutely nothing to do with that kind of... uh..."

Galvis glanced over at Roland, who had quietly taken several steps back during his explanation, and a bitter smile touched his lips.

"...that kind of entanglement!"

The Minstrel spread his hands in a helpless gesture, emphasizing his point.

"’It’s purely a tool, used only to confirm that someone important is still alive! Believe me, Roland...’"

Galvis took a few steps forward, his expression earnest.

"Even if the object of my affections were a Giant, it would never be a man!"

"I understand, Galvis, I just didn’t expect..."

Even so, Roland still subconsciously backed away a few more steps, glancing at Teresa, who stood nearby.

"You’re also a Divine Favored One."

Before the words were out of his mouth, he quickly changed the subject.

"So, let’s rest in the barracks for the night. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll take the lift platform and get out of here. Any objections?"

No one objected to the proposal.

Roland then found Mason, Freddy, and Vanessa in the barracks and informed them of the plan.

Naturally, the three of them had no objections either.

And so, Roland spent his most peaceful night since entering the Land of Mist.

It would have been even better if not for the Beastman’s thunderous snores.

The next morning, Roland awoke on schedule.

As planned, once Avril finished handing off her duties, the group set off to the west, led by Galvis and Teresa.

The land, which had been all wetlands and swamps, now featured a crude road carved out by reinforcements Derek had sent.

Wooden stakes stood on both sides of the road, set every few paces. From them hung lamps that cast a faint, blue glow.

Seeing how the lamps dispelled the surrounding mist, Galvis began to explain before Roland could even ask.

"This is another one of the Dwarf Kingdom’s latest inventions."

"Is that so..."

Roland nodded slowly, his curiosity about the legendary Dwarf Kingdom growing. He even began to entertain the thought of...

...going to see it for himself.

Now that he had become an [Enchanter], his Forging Skills had reached their peak.

But while his technical skill was superb, his academic knowledge of smithing hadn’t kept pace.

’If I could master the knowledge of the Dwarf Kingdom,’ he thought, ’with my current skill, I could surely forge plenty of equipment to enhance my Power...’

As he was lost in thought, the silhouette of a towering mountain range grew clearer.

With it came a cacophony of noise.

Looking toward the sound, he saw a newly constructed barracks at the foot of the mountain, bustling with soldiers coming and going.

As his gaze traveled upward, he saw a massive steel structure embedded in the sheer cliff face.

It was no simple hanging basket, but a heavy metal platform suspended by thick steel cables. Lined with sturdy guardrails, it was docked securely on a rocky ledge extending from the base of the mountain.

The core mechanism in the center of the platform was the most striking feature.

Brass pipes and huge gears surrounded a cylinder tightly wrapped in metal.

A profound, pale blue light flowed along the intricate patterns on the cylinder’s surface, emitting powerful and stable waves of Energy.

"That’s its heart, the Magic Energy Core."

Galvis explained at just the right moment.

Roland, however, was staring intently at the Magic Energy Core.

With the aid of his [Material Synesthesia], he could clearly sense the immense Energy that was masterfully bound within it.

It was a perfect fusion of Magic and engineering.

"WHOOM!"

A low sound, like a steam whistle, rang out.

The core Runes flared to life, and the flow of light quickened.

Gears ground and clanked, and the steel cables groaned as they pulled taut.

The platform began to move.

With a power that felt as immense as a mountain, it began its slow, steady ascent up the near-vertical cliff face.

Roland watched in awe as the steel contraption rose steadily into the thin mist.

"Incredible."

Galvis tilted his head and asked with a grin.

"What do you think? Ready to experience the Dwarves’ ’Celestial Ladder,’ Roland?"

Roland let out a soft breath, nodded, and stepped forward.

The Guards at the entrance to the barracks came forward to question them, as was standard procedure.

Just then, Roland caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Master Reggie?"

Roland couldn’t help but cry out in pleasant surprise upon seeing the burly man.

A far cry from his usual robed appearance at the academy, he was now clad in heavy Armor.

"I’ll be damned. Didn’t think you’d actually make it all the way out here, kid."

Reggie reached out with a broad hand and clapped Galvis heavily on the shoulder.

"Looks like... you silver-tongued devil weren’t lying to me after all."

Knowing someone on the inside certainly made things easier.

After a brief conversation, Reggie arranged for Roland and his party to get spots on the next departing lift.

While they waited, Roland gave a detailed account of what had happened to Graham, along with all the intelligence he had gathered.

After listening to Roland’s account, Reggie was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Thanks for the intel, Roland. I’ll have someone report it to Sir Derek. As for your reward... I’m afraid that’ll have to wait until after the fighting is done."

"Understood, Master Reggie."

Just as the two were speaking, a sudden tremor ran through the ground.

This was nothing like the trembling from the lift platform starting up.

It was deeper, more primordial, as if some colossal entity were awakening in the depths of the earth.

The ground beneath their feet hummed like a drumskin, and the air filled with an indescribable mixture of dust and ancient Magic Power—a scent that was cold and heavy.

On the periphery, the vibration’s effect on them was minor—just a slight sway and a tingling in the soles of their boots.

But Roland’s head snapped up, his pupils contracting.

The distant horizon.

In the depths of the charred wasteland, long shrouded by mist and the stench of death, an earth-shattering transformation was taking place.

The earth was being torn apart and lifted as if by an invisible giant hand.

Massive, charred chunks of rock and earth, wreathed in an ominous, deep purple magical glow, heaved upward with a deafening ROAR, forming a series of ghastly ridges.

Then, from the center of this violently uplifted land, the silhouette of a colossal city—its grandeur and ruin both beyond description—began to burst forth from the ground with unstoppable force.

It was as if a skeleton that had slumbered for centuries was being violently dragged from its tomb.

Innumerable sharp, twisted, massive spires pierced the sky first, like the fangs of a mountain range.

They were made of an Obsidian-like substance, covered in dark-red rust and entwined with thick Chains and the petrified remains of dead thorns.

Shattered archways and the skeletons of broken bridges rose with them, sketching the grim silhouette of the city.

At the city’s heart, a pillar of deep purple light shot toward the heavens.

It was as thick as a pillar holding up the sky. At its core roiled a pure black vortex that radiated a cold pressure, as if it were sucking the very life from its surroundings.

Space itself even began to warp slowly around it.

The next moment, a massive, dark purple Energy Barrier spread out rapidly from the Demon Well at its center, then converged.

Blinding violet electricity crackled along the barrier’s edge, sealing off the entire region. It left behind only a blurry, menacing silhouette and an ominous purple glow.