The Hub City Avalon was different from Hub City Evalion. Evalion was the home of Evotech's Headquarters, which also made it the technological capital of the world. As for Avalon, it had an equally domineering title. It was the world's industrial capital.
Anyone with talent in creation or construction-related fields, as well as researchers who preferred more mechanical experiments, would flock to Avalon, creating an environment of constant productivity and growth that allowed the city to pump out products at a frightening pace.
Of course, not everything in Avalon was moving fast. There were some projects far too large or complicated to match the flow of the rest of the city. But even a single percentage of growth in these projects was related to tens of hundreds of completed smaller products. Their values couldn't be prepared.
Currently, Damien stood in the streets of Avalon, casually wasting his time. He'd already been in the city for a few days already, and he was almost infected by the atmosphere.
When compared to Evalion which gave him a vibe similar to drug addicts itching for their next dose, Avalon was far better.
The only problem was…
"Hey, brat! If you aren't going to do anything productive, then get out of the street!" An old dwarf scoffed as he bumped into Damien. The old dwarf didn't even look up as he spoke, concentrating his entire attention on the trinket in his hands.
Damien smiled wryly and moved out of the way. This wasn't the first time he encountered a similar situation. The residents of Avalon were working almost to the extent of insanity.
But, when Damien scoured their bodies with his awareness, he didn't notice anything altering their minds or bodies. This atmosphere was entirely natural, which was the strangest part.
'What kind of person can cultivate this kind of place? For everyone present here to be united in their craft, it's truly an amazing sight to see.'
Avalon wasn't an attractive city. It had a somewhat steampunk aesthetic due to all the random inventions and metals littering the streets. But this made the city feel homey, which Damien enjoyed.
'Regardless, I need to start searching for leads. From what Eve said, there aren't any Demigods in Avalon, and the peak 4th class masters are mostly occupational rather than combative. I should be able to move freely most of the way.'
Damien's awareness spread to cover a large portion of the city, but it wasn't as helpful as he expected. With the mechanical ingenuity of Avalon inhabitants, creating workshops that blocked awareness wasn't hard at all.
In fact, it was necessary.
If someone's awareness penetrated a workshop at a critical point and disturbed the craftsman inside, it'd be calamitous. Thus, awareness-blocking buildings were customary.
Nevertheless, Damien wasn't attempting to peek into anyone's business. He simply wanted to locate the workshop mentioned in Lynn's report.
And with the detailed description he had of the place, it didn't take long for him to find the small workshop on the outer edge of the city. Compared to some of the other buildings, it was tiny and insignificant, but that was only for those who didn't know the secrets hiding within.
Damien's body flashed, appearing outside the workshop in an instant. He opened the door and walked in, immediately being assaulted with a rancid odor like rotting food.
But this odor actually originated from a man who sat at a counter in the middle of the workshop. Other than the man and the counter, there was nothing else present at all.
"What can I help you with?" The man asked noncommittally, obviously disregarding Damien's presence.
"I was told to come here by a certain woman. Perhaps you know her?"
Damien cut straight to the point. Word games and trickery weren't his style, and he was tired of having to play with people. If his brazen attitude caused problems, he'd deal with them as they came.
The rancid man's eyes finally opened somewhat as he glanced at Damien. "I don't know any woman. Women don't come near me."
Damien rolled his eyes. 'Of course they won't come near you if you stink like shit. What'd you expect?' He thought inwardly. But he maintained at least a minimum level of courtesy on the outside.
"Hmm, she should be going by the name Ashley Ruth when she visits this place. In reality, she's an Evotech researcher who—"
"Alright, alright!" The man sighed in defeat, erecting a soundproofing barrier around them before Damien could continue spouting confidential information like common bullshit.
"You're an annoying one, has anyone ever told you that?"
Damien smiled. "Of course not. Why would anyone find my charming self annoying?"
The rancid man rolled his eyes, not bothering to entertain Damien anymore. "What you seek is down below. Tch, if she told me the one she was sending would be like you, I would've asked for a replacement."
Damien's eyes widened, his mouth opening to question the rancid man's words, but it was already too late.
In the next instant, the rancid man's body dispersed into a smoke cloud that floated around the workshop, penetrating into the walls and floor. When the process was finally finished, the floor opened downward, revealing an elevator shaft that would take Damien to his destination.
There were no more words exchanged at all. Since the rancid man clearly wouldn't answer his questions, Damien didn't bother asking. Instead, he calmly descended the elevator shaft.
But in his mind, anticipation was budding. How could he not be curious? The machine he was currently heading to view…if it could truly do as Lynn said, it would become an integral piece of Damien's plans.
Only, he didn't know if he had the qualifications to claim it.
Damien soon reached the bottom of the elevator shaft and entered the massive underground research and development workshop. All around him, scientists and craftsmen moved busily in work.
To the left and right, many different smaller inventions were being built and tested. Damien even saw something similar to a gravity gun on one of the tables. But his main focus was in the direct center of the workshop.
Even with the workshop's enormous size, the central area was visible regardless of where one was.
There, floating peacefully in the air, was a glowing red cube roughly the size of a head. On its surface, strange runic patterns twisted and agglomerated, creating a profound scene that sucked one's soul from their body
Damien fiercely bit his lip. Even in that brief instant of looking at the cube, he found himself falling into a trance. If he wasn't able to extricate himself, he might've turned brain-dead on the spot.
Hissss!
Damien sucked in a cold breath. Reading about it in a report and seeing it in person were two completely different things.
'With this…'
It might be possible, Damien thought. There was something he wanted to achieve, something so insane that anyone who heard his plan would call it suicide.
But Damien had confidence that he'd be able to pull it off. Especially if this cube landed in his hands, he'd be able to do so flawlessly.
After all, this wasn't any ordinary cube.
The red cube floated in a large seemingly glass tube separated from the rest of the workshop. And on this tube sat a plaque that grandly proclaimed the cube's identity.
[World Core Fusion Reactor]
