Steel steam and flame

In the center of the steel spider in the sky hangs a ferocious and huge dark iron pillar. It is the most important steam drill bit of the mining machinery, driven entirely by the simple and rough power of steam. Even from such a long distance, the rough spiral lines on it can be clearly seen. The drill bit is made up of countless large parts. After decades, the abandoned steel monster has not been able to escape the erosion of time. The red copper-colored rust is like a colony, covering its surface in large and small sizes. On the body.

"Was the empire already so powerful decades ago? The world I see in my eyes is still too small." This is not only Cassia's sigh, but also the arms smuggling businessmen who are still hiding in the darkness. We, as well as the student body, have a common voice in their hearts at this moment.

"Mr. Cassia, the statement that 'the empire was so powerful decades ago' is actually wrong. This time can be pushed forward for another hundred years." Li also raised his head and looked at the twinkling sky above his head with interest. , corrected him after hearing what Cassia said. "The industrial base of the empire has actually stopped developing for about two hundred years. As early as around 840 in the Holy Calendar, the empire pushed its industrial power to its peak. The reason was of course the credit of Avalon during the same period. At that time, Avalon The Wallonian Institution had a strong interest in the development of the steel industry, so with the efforts of that group of scientists, relying on industrial power, steam power, and other emerging energy sources, the empire's production experienced tremendous development and development at that time. Leap forward progress has led to the situation and state we see now.”

Cassia nodded, these are things that have not been recorded in the book. Perhaps these histories were something that he, as a civilian, did not yet have the identity and strength to get in touch with and understand.

"Avalon is a holy land in the hearts of many people." Gustin also said from the side, "But since the industrial revolution two hundred years ago, Avalon's focus has completely shifted to steel-related things. foundation and production. Their current focus is entirely on technological research that represents the most advanced specifications on the Later Phase Continent. Especially their research on biotechnology, as well as on the various climates on this road, on the surrounding The study of the endless ocean around us is something they are increasingly interested in."

"If Avalon continues to provide technical support to the empire's industry, maybe the mining machinery now displayed in front of us will have another unique appearance." Gustin guessed and stood up at the same time. Dusted himself off. The words that should be sighed have been spoken, and the opening ceremony that should be appreciated has been quietly enjoyed in the seats. Next, it is time that should be given to actors from all walks of life. They are about to take the stage and perform an opera of sparks and explosions according to the script.

Kara and the others stood up at the same time, and the figure hidden in the darkness walked farther and farther in the seemingly endless black air.

"Do they know how to get up there?" A sentence suddenly came out of the darkness.

"This is really a thoughtless question, Mr. Cassia." Leigh said in the darkness. "Those arms dealers are not short of eyes. I think they should be able to see those huge support pillars."

Just as Li answered Cassia's words, those people who gathered in the center of the mining area also discovered the huge steel support pillars after witnessing the grand opening ceremony. They are so eye-catching that it is impossible for anyone to miss them. The number is consistent with the number of spider legs. They are eight pillars with a diameter of more than 100 meters. Each one is in the center of a spider leg. They fall vertically from the sky of several thousand meters. It feels like this space is filled with supported by these pillars. Their position is not arranged in a standard circle. If they are connected by lines, it may be more appropriate to view them as an ellipse.

These cylindrical steel buildings not only support the starry scene in the sky, but also serve as the simplest elevator to enter that world. They were distributed around the central mining area, but Nolida, who was thoughtful and thoughtful, had already arrived before them. Like a mining machine that covered the sky with a giant black cloth, these pillars had also been disguised as huge rocks by him with rocks and soil. Pillars are the most common type found in mine tunnel cavities.

When the empire was building these most basic supporting buildings, they relied on these natural rock pillars to build them. This could reduce a lot of work time and provide them with a good platform for construction, which could be used in a large range. This ensures the stable performance of the steel support columns. Therefore, Nolida's camouflage work was to simply wrap some bare and exposed parts with rocks and soil, just like wrapping a sword with black cloth.

In the darkness outside the mining area, the arms smugglers and student groups who came here also gathered into eight torrents, heading towards the eight supporting pillars in the central lighting system of the mining area. But before they reached half the distance, these torrents started fighting with the men of Nolida and Flos who had long been ambushed on the low ridge and other locations in front.

Snipers from various forces have become the most important combat force at this time, and the central mining area has completely become their battlefield. The effective range of ordinary muskets, pistols, and heavy-fire firearms has no way to deal with the snipers hiding in the darkness.

The powerful bullets of the sniper rifle shot out in the air with a dazzling trajectory of hot light, and the clear sound produced by the friction never stopped when they stepped into the dim light. However, the number of these arms smugglers gathered was too large, and the numbers on Nolida and Flos' side had no advantage at all. The threat of snipers was indeed huge, but it still could not stop the team from advancing towards the support pillar. Like stones thrown into a torrent, their only effect was to stir up a splash of water, and they were completely submerged by the crazy current. Even delaying for a little time became their delusion.

Cassia and the others disguised themselves as mercenaries, and those camouflage clothes could be used if they were torn off the corpses everywhere. Following a merged team, everyone has restrained their emotions for the time being. It is not the time for them to start internal strife yet. At this moment, we should make a concerted effort to defeat Nolida and the abominable Flos first, and then slowly resolve the rest of the matter. They are in the building above us, and they may still be watching us with telescopes, but they must not let them see their own jokes at this time. This is what everyone thinks.

With the help of Carla, an excellent sniper in the team, the team was much faster than the other seven teams in clearing obstacles and relying on firepower to open the road.

After nearly an hour and a half, they first came to a support pillar wrapped in rocks. Dozens of bright lights were shining on it, but they couldn't see the whole thing, which was nearly a hundred meters in diameter. At this moment, a fire lit up next to it, and it was as bright as the sun. Several pieces of powerful solid fuel were ignited and thrown aside, causing the vague darkness around them to be completely dispelled, leaving only a group of shaking shadows on the rock wall.

Without the protection of darkness, Nolida's rough disguise was quickly discovered. The arms dealers' men picked up firecrackers or set up a heavy machine gun. The muzzle of the gun sprayed out red light, and the bullets hit the camouflaged rock wall. Things that were just bonded with cement and some adhesives began to piece by piece. It fell off, revealing the rusty steel skin inside, as well as the twisted copper steam pipes. Not long after, several welded iron doors also appeared in the eyes of the crowd surrounding them. There, is the door leading to the lift inside the support column.