The flame was indeed very small, even smaller than the one Adam had seen when he first arrived in Titania. "Is this all that's left?" asked Adam.
"Yes, the self-destruction was thorough. But having a spark left is a good thing. I'll take this back, place it with friendly energy and quality ores. In a few decades, a new Titan will be born."
Iron 27 wasn't sure if this tiny flame could fulfill its mission of reigniting. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned such a vague timeline of 'decades.' But that didn't matter because this flame represented the continuation of a friend's life, a symbol of hope.
The strong magnetic field made it convenient to contain energy. Iron 27 feared his own energy might disperse the spark, but this wasn't an issue for Adam. After carefully preserving the flame, they started flying towards Ironburg.
On their way back, they encountered no surprises. The Metal Eaters in the borderline area under Ironburg's jurisdiction were almost entirely wiped out, so they couldn't organize an effective counterattack against the two. Also, before setting off, Iron 27 had prepared by sending forces to restrain the surrounding borderline areas, ensuring no reinforcements could assist them during their battle.
A few days later, they returned to Ironburg. When Adam stepped on the walls of Ironburg, a puddle of silver liquid metal silently returned to its original form. This was Adam's last resort to preserve his life, and he was glad he hadn't used it.
The Flames of Lithium remained by Adam's side. Ironburg didn't have a suitable environment for it, so it needed to be taken inland for cultivation. Iron 27 entrusted this task to Adam, instructing him to head to the city of York after resting. There Adam would place the Flames in the Flame House.
Their success this time was of great strategic importance. It maintained the balance of power between two forces, postponing the Metal Eaters' ambitions for a second all-out war. It also cleared Ironburg's borders, expanding Titan's territory. The territories that seemed valueless for now would be restored by the Intelligent in the future. In a few decades, these places would return to their original state.
For completing the mission flawlessly, Adam received tens of thousands of Honors. His rank within the Titan civilization was also upgraded. Now, he could access more confidential documents and advanced knowledge on alloys and energy.
"The inland is very safe," Iron 27 said during maintenance with Adam. "Besides the ordinary Titans working in factories, there are universities established by the Intelligent, but not many Titans wish to stay there; almost all of them love to fight."
Various harsh sounds came from Iron 27. He was so rough that it required the maximum power of the machines to polish and reshape him.
Adam was different; he could maintain himself at any time. So, the machine merely performed routine maintenance, oiling him, and adding energy blocks.
"University?" Adam repeated curiously. He thought the knowledge receivers in the Titans' libraries were already very convenient, so he wondered why they needed higher education institutions.
Iron 27 replied, "Yes, universities are essentially research centers for the Intelligent. Besides conducting research, they also take on the responsibility of nurturing the next generation of Intelligent. You know, Intelligent and warriors are different. Warriors are born fighters, but Intelligents are not naturally thinkers. If you're willing, many universities would welcome you. But I think you don't need it; you already have the qualifications to establish a university yourself."
Iron 27 remembered the amazing abilities Adam displayed during the mission---even though they weren't very strong yet, he believed Adam would definitely do better as he grew.
"After delivering Lithium 15's spark to the Flame House, I hope you won't return to the frontline. You have far more important things to do than just killing a few Metal Eaters," Iron 27 continued, turning over. "The Metal Eaters have lost a nearly Royal and won't let this go easily. The kind of conflict you saw when you were born into is bound to recur, and the frontline is unsafe. You are still too weak. Of course, this is just my advice. The decision is all yours."
Adam had thought about this too. Going inland this time, he planned to strive for reaching level three. Then he would be capable of gathering more info, even venturing into Metal Eaters' territories.
He also wanted to use this chance to conduct some research. For example, the application of electromagnetic abilities in metal, which Adam was only scratching the surface of.
"Thank you for the advice. I will definitely give it some thought," Adam replied.
...
Adam stayed in Ironburg for a few days. He remembered the help he got from the Windflame 222's squad on his first mission. So, after improving his abilities, he decided to help them further purify their bodies. But since they were out on a mission and hadn't come back, Adam had to give up waiting and started his journey to York City alone.
The inland and the borderline looked roughly similar; what surprised Adam was the floating fortresses flying intermittently in the sky.
They were built to prevent powerful Metal Eaters from bypassing the borderlines and entering the inland. Each fortress was operated by a Titan of Warlord level or above to activate the weapons. Their regular flight routes were automatic, controlled by programs written by Intelligent.
Adam didn't hide his spark's fluctuation along the way, as it was his best form of identification.
Seven days later, Adam arrived at his destination, York City.
York City wasn't ringed with walls but was protected by an energy shield instead. The buildings inside had a grand style, like the other buildings on Titania.
When Adam touched the energy shield, his ID info was automatically saved. He stood still for a bit until a Titan flew over quickly from far away. This Titan spoke to him, "Newcomer from Ironburg, Mithril 99, come with me. I'll show you the way to the Flame House."
York City was more organized than Ironburg. When Titans flew, they had to stick to the rules; they couldn't just fly any way they wanted or too fast. The Titan guiding Adam seemed to have special permission because he flew straight there without any problems.
They got to the Flame House fast. From the outside, it looked like a library but it was see-through. Most of it was under the ground, and the entrance from outside looked really deep, like it had no bottom.
The Titan who brought Adam gave him a pat on the shoulder and then left. Another tall Titan came out from the Flame House and took over as Adam's guide. This Titan took Adam way down underground, thousands of kilometers, to where they keep sparks that need saving. Each spot there had pure metals and lots of top-quality energy blocks.
The energy from these blocks came together and almost looked like liquid. There were lots of dimly shining sparks being carefully looked after here, too many to count, which showed that a lot of Titans had been lost.
The Titan showed Adam to an empty spot. Adam let go of Lithium 15's spark there, watching it join with the metal and get wrapped up in energy. Then he heard someone say, "I'm Qi 31. Iron 27 has told me about you."
