Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 612: BloodIron City

CH612 BloodIron City

***

"What is your plan for this plane now, Master?" Udara asked. "We arrived here by accident... yet now you’re saying this might have been part of some grand design by a Supreme Law of the universe? Do you truly believe that?"

Alex’s expression turned solemn.

"I don’t know," he admitted, much to the ladies’ surprise. "Hearing it from One Heaven was... unexpected. And frankly, it’s a bit too complex to fully grasp right now."

He exhaled lightly.

"So I’ve decided to approach it from a simpler perspective."

"Our immediate goal remains the same— to return to Pangea," Alex continued. "But to achieve that, we need to secure a strong foothold here and gather the necessary resources."

He looked at the women.

They nodded in understanding.

"But once we return," he went on, "what then?"

"This is, at the very least, a Class 6 plane. That means it undoubtedly possesses resources that are highly valuable— even in Pangea."

His eyes sharpened slightly.

"There’s no way I —or the Fury family— can afford to ignore that. We will have to establish our presence here."

"And what better way to do that," he added, "than with an empire at our beck and call?"

"So our interests... and the needs of this plane align?" Udara asked.

"Arguably," Alex nodded. "That’s one of the main reasons I accepted One Heaven’s proposal. We were going to develop territory here regardless— so we might as well accept the advantage that makes it easier."

He paused briefly before adding,

"Of course, I made it clear to him— I have no intention of living and dying for this plane."

"Even if I become an Emperor... or the Legatee of this plane’s Heaven and Earth— my priority will always remain my holdings in Pangea."

His voice was steady.

"That is my true domain."

For all the allure that came with becoming the Legatee of Heaven and Earth, Alex hadn’t lost sight of himself.

His goal was simple—

To live a better life than he had in his previous one.

And one of the measures he intended to use was how far he could climb on the path of power.

The ceiling was relatively lower in Verdantis... Barely Class 8.

And even that was questionable— since only one individual, One Heaven himself, had ever reached that level through orthodox cultivation.

In contrast, Alex was certain that Pangea housed beings beyond Class 8.

There was his master— the Ancient Dragon, Uthvaazgol.

And Zora’s Frost family ancestor— likely an Ice Phoenix of comparable standing.

He also doubted that the empires within their Hegemony lacked powerful figures hidden in the shadows of their royal families.

At the very least, Class 8.

Possibly even Class 9.

It was clear that if he truly wished to stand at the pinnacle of power, Pangea had to remain his primary focus.

To put it bluntly, Verdantis was nothing more than a resource hub— a stepping stone toward a far greater stage.

"Understood," Udara replied.

—

As he had explained to his wives, despite regaining full functionality of his Rune-Tech platform —and the immense gains from the Heaven-Earth Concordance trials— the party continued their journey toward BloodIron City as originally planned.

The journey was anything but uneventful.

They encountered migrating berserk beasts... Fought off berserk humans... And even forced several large bandit groups to retreat without engaging.

Although Alex kept his composure, inwardly, he was deeply appreciative of the team’s recent advancements.

Without their newfound strength, the journey would have been significantly more dangerous.

After several weeks of travel, the group finally arrived at the infamous heart of the Hollowcrest Wildlands... The blood jewel of the wasteland—

BloodIron City.

Unlike Dragonstone Oasis —which could barely qualify as a large town— BloodIron City was on an entirely different scale.

To the Fortuna party’s surprise, not only was it a true city, It even rivalled capital cities— even by Pangean standards.

Even the Fury family’s capital —the City of Ashes— fell short in comparison.

’It’s as if all development across the Wildlands was concentrated into this single location,’ Alex mused as his gaze swept over the city.

The walls, however, were peculiar.

They were relatively short and oddly structured.

"These walls are strange," Kavakan remarked.

"That’s because they aren’t designed to defend against human armies," Havel replied. "They’re built specifically to counter beasts."

"They’ve committed entirely to resisting beast tides," he continued, "but against a coordinated, intelligent assault— they’d fall quickly."

He gestured toward the walls.

"At roughly ten metres high, they’re just tall enough to prevent most beasts from leaping over. Unlike humans, beasts can’t use ladders after all."

"I’m certain the surface has also been treated— making it difficult to climb."

"As for the irregular structure..." his eyes sharpened slightly. "It’s designed to break momentum. To disperse charges and more importantly, to funnel the beasts into controlled choke points."

"Once there, archers and long-range combatants can eliminate them efficiently."

"It makes defending against a beast tide far more manageable."

Alex found himself nodding as Havel dissected the construction philosophy behind the city walls.

Inwardly, he was mildly surprised by Havel’s grasp of the military doctrine employed by the city’s leadership.

But what surprised him even more—

’Havel has been talking more than usual,’ Alex mused. ’Did the trial change something in him?’

Beyond the walls, there was also a strong military presence.

Guards patrolled both the perimeter and the surrounding outer areas in organised rotations.

’As the core settlement of the Wildlands, I expected chaos...’ Alex thought as the group joined the queue at the entrance. ’But it seems I was mistaken.’

’From what we know, the city is governed by a council made up of the dominant factions— likely including forces backed by empires, temples, and major organisations like the Adventurers’ and Mercenaries’ Associations.’

The queue moved surprisingly quickly.

Within thirty minutes, the Fortuna party reached the front.

’As expected of a "free trade city" I guess,’ Alex noted inwardly. ’To merchants, every minute lost is worth its weight in gold— or rather, berserk stones.’

A guard captain signalled for them to step forward.

Alex reached for a pouch of berserk stones, preparing to pay the entry toll—

But before he could, a voice cut in.

"They’re with me."

The guard captain immediately straightened.

"Understood, sir."

He stepped aside without hesitation.

Alex turned toward the speaker.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

The man chuckled.

"And why can’t I be?"

He leaned slightly closer, his expression turning meaningful.

"Are you sure this is the place for that discussion?"

Alex frowned... then gave a slight nod.

"Good," the man said. "Come along. The bald dwarf has already arranged accommodations for you."

Then, as if recalling something, he added—

"Oh, and you’ve got a guest. Someone from afar who’s been very eager to meet you."

Alex’s brows furrowed deeper, but he said nothing.

Instead, he led his party to follow.

Before long, they arrived at a mansion large enough to house the entire group comfortably.

The moment they stepped inside—

Alex spoke.

"You have a lot to explain, Raven Horn."

Indeed—

The man was none other than the drunken rogue Alex had met at the Dragonstone Oasis Adventurers’ Association, introduced through Branch Master Wayne Achard.

Just then, another figure emerged from within the inner chambers.

"Oh? You’ve finally arrived," the man said casually. "You took longer than I expected."

Alex’s eyes flashed with surprise.

"Kron Belloc?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

***