Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 514 - 10: Fairy Tale Steam Convention

Chang didn’t speak for a long time. Eventually, he said with difficulty, "Discrimination fills this city everywhere, northerners against southerners, Anglo-Saxons against Irish. Chinese people are no different—we can survive here as well. If the Irish can become citizens, so can we. With my knowledge and mind, we could live quite well here."

Yanzi stared at Chang Yu blankly, "Chang, you like it here, don’t you?"

"..."

Chang Yu lowered his head, "I, I don’t know."

"Then, have you thought about going back?"

Yanzi asked softly.

Chang Yu smiled dryly, "I’ve lived in San Francisco for so many years, and my braid has long been cut. Going back would mean losing my head."

"Chang, cutting off the braid from your head is easy." Yanzi looked at Chang Yu and said, "But cutting off the braid in your heart is much harder."

————————————————

A hundred and fifty years ago, ironclad trains appeared, and people used a massive amount of steam engines to extract groundwater, leaving large areas of the terrain hollow.

A hundred years ago, the first steam airship was invented, filling the blue sky with colorful airships and the pungent smell of sulfur dioxide everywhere.

Fifty years ago, there was still no sight of the ocean trains, and the heavy artillery ironclad ships of various countries flexed their power at sea, starting to set foot in various previously unknown waters as marine life was hunted in large numbers.

The creation of what’s called the "Steam Guard," after nearly two hundred years of development, had become an extremely complex field of study and even an art.

Adventurers could arm themselves with Steam Guards to kill dangerous beasts and explore hostile environments; nobility flaunted their wealth and dueled with expensive steam weapons; slave traders relied on steam armaments to slaughter rebellious tribes, and nations used Steam Guards to plunder lands and suppress revolutions.

But the Steam Guards from this land woven from fairy tales were nowhere as professional, refined, and fierce as those that came later.

"Fifty Marks! Fresh stock."

The weapons shop owner with a big belly stretched out five fingers.

Li Yan examined the riot net shooter, with an iron casing and a rosewood stock, capable of firing a net with a five-meter diameter,

This weapon, worth Fifty Marks, was nothing compared to the Crazy Shocker—it wasn’t even up to a child’s toy.

Regrettably, Li Yan couldn’t produce that shotgun now, otherwise he would definitely give this smug, short, and fat man a real eye-opener.

In "Giant Lake," Li Yan couldn’t bring out any item stored with his personal mark, but his own knowledge and skills remained unaffected.

Li Yan’s fingers gently touched the gun stock, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Let’s make a deal. I’ll fix your damaged Steam Guards, and you lend me this net shooter."

The weapons shop owner snorted disdainfully, "Come off it, lad. If you want to participate in the tournament, you need at least a set of semi-automatic steam-powered armor, and that price is not something a poor devil like you who can’t even afford a net shooter can cover."

After a pause, he added, "If you want to follow the champions of the steam tournament and fight the Cyclops, you can serve as a squire to the champions. You might even get a glimpse of the princess."

"Is that so? Then let’s change the terms. I’ll repair your damaged Steam Guards, and in exchange, you lend me a set of stock from your shop, even the cheapest steam-powered suit will do."

The weapons shop owner grumbled, "Liang, if it weren’t for knowing your old man Jack for some time, I would have kicked you out by now. What you’ve learned from the clock shop, you can’t even fix a steam pump."

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Yan had dismantled the net gun in his hand with his bare hands, scattering its parts across the table.

"You!"

The owner exploded in anger, ready to demand compensation from Li Yan. But then, Li Yan pinched a compression spring and presented it to the owner, with a clear crack visible on it.

"Such goods aren’t worth Fifty Marks, are they?"

No sooner had Li Yan spoken than the card in his pocket became scalding hot, and within moments, the words "Clumsy Steam Worker" vanished, leaving only "Steam Worker."

In this fairy tale, the actions of the characters can affect the identity determination of the cards, and even the most insignificant supporting role can leap to become the main character.

"..."

Looking at the spring in Li Yan’s hand, the shopkeeper’s expression was quite surprised. It took a long while before he reluctantly stepped out from behind the counter and waved to Li Yan, "Follow me."

The two went one after the other to the backyard, where the blacksmith pointed with his pudgy finger at a rusty armored suit with an engine in the courtyard.

"Normally, I use it to drive away the wild boars that nibble on the fences and fruits. Just fix a third of the damaged goods in the store, and this piece of solo armor is yours to borrow."

"That’s settled, then."

"But you’d better be quick; the Steam Convention is starting this afternoon."

Li Yan frowned, "That soon?"

As the sun set in the west, the scheduled Steam Convention was held as planned in the King’s combat arena.

St. Yves, dressed in steam-powered solo armor that resembled a giant diver, stood five meters tall, fully covered in armaments. He was equipped with four cannons, a harpoon, and a net shooter. This Hunter Tide model had seen action in the Hundred Years’ Punic Wars, battle-hardened and highly practical.

He was a noble knight who, without much effort, could get his hands on the most advanced steam-powered solo armor of the age.

Next to him stood the young and robust blacksmith, Michael, who relied on his superb craftsmanship to build a home-made "Enthusiasm." Nowadays, if one had enough capital and some skill, it was entirely possible to buy a Tri-Orb Device with personal identification from an arms dealer and assemble a semi-automatic steam-powered solo armor on their own.

Interestingly, St. Yves wore an arrogant expression, while Michael had the excited look of a bull about to charge, yet they did not exchange a single glance between them.

It seemed that they had forgotten their original identities and were honestly immersed in the world of fairy tales, fantasizing about making a name for themselves and marrying a beautiful princess.

"The rules of the Steam Convention are simple."

The court minister, dressed in a gorgeous robe, stood on the high platform, "In the arena, the one who destroys the engines or the core Tri-Orb Devices of all opponents’ steam-powered armors will be the ultimate victor."

His gaze swept over the varied steam-powered armors below the stage. "So, are you all ready?"

"Please wait a moment."

Following the source of the voice, the minister saw Li Yan wearing a suit of iron armor, with a cumbersome steam engine on his back and the core Tri-Orb Device exposed; he was holding a steam chainsaw that it was uncertain could even be turned on. The sight of him was shabby, bordering on comical.

The brave participants of the Steam Convention burst into laughter, and whistles filled the air. Some members of the public recognized it as the solo combat machine the weapon shop owner used to chase away wild boars, and the uproar grew even louder as they spread the word.

But there were others who whispered among themselves, believing that this man was surely doomed, and the King should not let him continue in the convention.

The minister was unperturbed and asked kindly, "Is there anyone else?"

After a long silence, the minister nodded, "Then, let the convention begin!"

Li Yan was frowning as he started up the chainsaw; wearing this contraption felt as uncomfortable as a sweater on backwards. But before he could adjust, several grenades were already upon him, with St. Yves and many others treating him like an easy target.

The gunpowder exploded, sending waves of flame rolling out.

A series of gasps rang out from the venue. Many were just covering their eyes when a dark shadow dashed out of the flames like lightning, twisting off the cumbersome steam chainsaw from his suit and chopping it down with the weight of Mount Tai upon one of his opponents. The three-meter-tall steam-powered solo responder crumpled. Li Yan grabbed the collar of the unfortunate, unconscious victim, about to haul him out when the court minister had already blown the shrill whistle.

He pointed at Li Yan’s single combat unit, now charred wreckage in the flames, "I’m sorry, young man, you’re eliminated."

Li Yan looked utterly puzzled, "Huh?"

Soon, he was escorted off by the guards amid exclamations of "He just jumped ten meters!" "Qigong!" from the crowd.

Almost the moment he left the field, a silver steam-powered solo armor, hardly two meters tall and seamlessly fitting the human form like a nimble cheetah, leapt into the fray within the combat arena.