Chapter 4: Battlefield Gathering

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Battlefield Gathering

Chen Shang suppressed the excitement in his heart; it turned out that Great Knights possessed trait fragments.

But he had seen Great Knights before. Why hadn’t his Golden Finger triggered back then?

He thought for a moment. The only explanation was that Great Knights weren’t considered super-tier Energy lifeforms, and the trait fragments on them were too broken to activate the Golden Finger.

However, during this seven-day journey, he had to seize every opportunity. There were still several Great Knights in the cabin!

Thus, for the next few days, Chen Shang lived a very regular routine: eating, sleeping, and strolling around the base, conveniently "bumping into" other Great Knights.

The results did not disappoint him.

On the second day, he ran into a red-haired Great Knight at the entrance of the cafeteria, triggering [Iron Skin·Fragment].

In the afternoon, he came across a few Great Knights chatting and managed to remotely snatch another [Iron Skin·Fragment] and a [Fighting Qi Fullness·Fragment].

On the third day, he encountered another Great Knight on his way to the restroom. By standing nearby and pretending to wait for someone, he snagged yet another [Iron Skin·Fragment].

...

On the sixth day, Chen Shang looked at the panel in his mind.

[Iron Skin·Fragment] × 6

[Fighting Qi Fullness·Fragment] × 2

Next to the gray "Iron Skin," a new "Fuse" button had appeared.

He couldn’t wait to open the system’s fusion interface.

[Five identical trait fragments (Iron Skin·Fragment) detected. Fuse them into the white trait [Iron Skin]?]

Fuse!

With a single thought, five gray motes of light emerged from the depths of his mind. They slowly spun and gathered together until a flash of white light erupted.

[Trait acquired: Iron Skin (White)]

[Iron Skin (White): A passive Defense Ability. Significantly increases skin hardness, allowing it to withstand ordinary sword and saber slashes. The effect is equivalent to a Great Knight’s base Defense. Upgradeable.]

Chen Shang opened his eyes, picked up his dagger, and lightly dragged it across his arm. His skin yielded slightly under the pressure, acting like a thin layer of tough leather, but it wasn’t cut!

Satisfied, he sheathed the dagger. The base Defense of a Great Knight! Although he was still a Third Level Knight, with this trait, he could already rival a Great Knight in sheer physical toughness.

He then looked at the two [Fighting Qi Fullness·Fragment]s. Their effect was to "slightly increase Fighting Spirit recovery speed." If he could gather three more and successfully fuse them, it might just help him break through his current realm!

With no one left to provide trait fragments, Chen Shang stayed peacefully in his dormitory.

On the seventh day, the airship landed.

As the cabin doors opened, a strange smell rushed into his nose. Chen Shang followed the crowd out of the cabin, but the sight before him made him pause in his tracks.

It was a massive base, larger than any city he had ever seen.

In the distance stood rows of alloy buildings. Countless spider-like contraptions scurried between them, while flying machines hovered in the air—all creations made entirely of metal and gears.

They moved back and forth, carrying giant crates, while others hovered in mid-air on patrol.

Occasionally, robed figures appeared in his line of sight. They all bore the same strange emblem on their chests as Velen—they were all Wizard Apprentices.

They stood on high vantage points or sat on moving platforms, directing the Mechanical creations.

Suddenly, Chen Shang spotted a passing blue-robed figure, and his heart skipped a beat.

He quietly moved two steps closer, and sure enough, the trait was triggered!

[Collectable trait fragments detected in the vicinity.]

[Target: Second Level Wizard Apprentice — Extractable Traits: Perception Enhancement (White), Fire Element Affinity (White)]

[Extract?]

Two traits? Suppressing his excitement, Chen Shang silently commanded the extraction.

[Extraction successful. Trait acquired: Perception Enhancement (White)]

[Extraction successful. Trait acquired: Fire Element Affinity (White)]

Chen Shang looked down at his panel.

Both were white. Perception Enhancement and Fire Element Affinity—these were things a Knight would absolutely never come into contact with!

If he could meet a Wizard... perhaps he could extract talents related to Spiritual Power. Then, he might just have a chance to enter the Wizard System himself.

He took a deep breath, closed the panel, and followed the crowd forward.

Over a thousand Knights were led to a massive platform. On the platform stood a curtain of milky-white light, extending from the ground all the way into mid-air, like a glowing wall.

A Wizard Apprentice stepped up to the light curtain, turned around, and swept his gaze over everyone.

"Next, you will pass through this gate." He pointed to the light curtain behind him. "The other side of this gate is your mission location. Once you get there, someone will receive you. Remember, no matter what you see, don’t panic. Do exactly as you are assigned. Finish your work, take your pay, and go home."

The Knights exchanged nervous glances before the people at the front began to shuffle forward. One by one, they stepped into the light curtain and vanished from sight.

When it was Chen Shang’s turn, he stood before the light curtain, took a deep breath, and stepped through. As the white light faded, his feet landed on solid ground.

Before him was a colossal metal base. The ceiling was incredibly high, crisscrossed with a dense network of support beams. A faint, omnipresent pressure enveloped him from all sides. A Third Level Knight’s body could withstand it, but an Ordinary person probably wouldn’t even be able to stand steady.

No wonder they had to conscript Knights.

He looked around. Through the edges of the base, he could see a faint Blue Energy dome outside, shaped like a giant inverted bowl, protecting the entire facility within.

Beyond the dome, the world was a hazy, mist-shrouded gray. The silhouettes of towering trees could be faintly seen, their canopies vanishing into the fog, making it impossible to tell how tall they were.

The ground was carpeted with bizarre, misshapen plants, some of which were moving.

It looked like a primeval forest, yet clearly not an Ordinary one. The omnipresent pressure, the eerie plants, and the low, distant roars that occasionally echoed all reminded Chen Shang that he was already in another world!

Chen Shang withdrew his gaze and followed the crowd forward into a sprawling open clearing, which was already packed with people.

Surrounding the clearing were rows of low metal buildings. Some had their doors open, revealing moving silhouettes inside as all sorts of oddly-shaped Demon Puppets transported goods.

An Apprentice stood on a raised platform at the front of the clearing, holding a scroll and distributing assignments.

"One hundred and twenty of you, report to Warehouse Seven! Two hundred of you, to the Dispatch Area! Seventy to the Wounded Area..."

The crowd began to split up.

Chen Shang pricked up his ears. His [Concentration] allowed him to catch critical information even amidst the clamor.

"You fifty, come with me!" a voice rang out right in front of him. A blue-robed young man was addressing their group, trailed by two Demon Puppets.

They had metal skeletons with no skin. Gears were exposed at their joints, and their eyes were made of two red crystals.

The selected men immediately followed. After weaving through several rows of metal buildings, the young man led them to a massive warehouse.

Its doors were wide open, and the interior was piled high with metal devices of all sizes. Several Demon Puppets were busy inside, using their Mechanical arms to lift the devices and stack them on rows of shelves.

"Your task is very simple," the young man said, turning around. "Move these items to their designated locations according to their serial numbers. Red tags go to the East District, Blue tags to the West District, and yellow tags stay here. Once a batch is sorted, someone will come and collect it. Understood?"

"Understood!"

The young man nodded and continued, "You will work for six hours a day. Three meals are provided, and you’ll sleep in the row of sheds out back."

Seeing that no one had any objections, the young man turned and left.

A notification sounded in Chen Shang’s mind again.

[Collectable trait fragments detected in the vicinity.]

[Target: Demon Puppet — Extractable Trait: Mechanical Perception·Fragment (Gray)]

[Target: Third Level Apprentice — Extractable Trait: Spiritual Talent (White)]