How to leave

The air seemed to freeze at this moment. Only the light from the passage shone on the faces of the three people, blurring them into a flowing rainbow. Ham's face melted in the light and shadow, his eyes filled with confusion and surprise.

"What are you talking about? Are you crazy? Why would I lie to you?"

"When I was researching other taboos, I read about the Lost Kingdom. There are many high-level bloodline people who come here. If you could leave just by threatening them, the Lost Kingdom wouldn't be a forbidden place."

"Besides, although you said you would answer all our questions, you never said in the rules that Master Ham would not lie."

Aurelius added promptly, his eyes falling on Ham's face, as if he saw someone through him: "You are very smart, mixing lies and truth together, which is indeed difficult to distinguish. But your method has already been used by others."

Someone far away sneezed suddenly, and the person next to him looked over and asked, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"Nothing."

Amon replied coldly. The emerald-eyed young man didn't care. He smiled and continued the previous topic: "I brought a new companion to meet you. He should be here soon. I hope you can get along well."

companion?

Amon quickly put the inexplicable chill behind him. Hearing this, he thought involuntarily, "I hope the people who come this time can live a little longer."

The red-haired young man put away the dark emotions that came from thinking of someone. The middle-aged researcher in front of him frowned, as if he had suddenly seen a group of lunatics. He said helplessly and troubledly: "I don't know what you are talking about. This is the passage to the outside. I have fulfilled my promise. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

After saying this, Ham turned around and was about to leave, until he heard a calm voice behind him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're not from the Mechanical City."

The researcher's face was gloomy. "What the hell are you talking about? Anyone in this city can prove my identity. Do you have any other ideas?"

He said the two words heavily, clearly showing his impatience towards the two people. Even so, his feet that were about to leave seemed to be rooted and could not move. The linen-haired noble boy smiled lightly.

"If you really have done mechanical modification, you can read memories through machines. You don't need to be so nervous when Oleus took the brooch. At the beginning of this, you didn't have to take the brooch back at all."

Why was Ham so nervous when everything would be back to normal the next day? What he said didn't make any sense.

"I should thank you for that. It was you who reminded me of this. Everyone will be reset the next day, but the machines will not."

In the pre-Black Mist era, the most famous creation of the Mechanical City was not the mechanical transformation, but the self-aware androids. The origin of [Mechanical Disaster] was the army of androids created by the Mechanical City.

The air was silent for a moment. After a while, Ham suddenly hummed.

"Well, now that you've discovered that, you do have the right to see him."

The middle-aged man turned around, his face no longer showing any surprise, but instead becoming extremely calm. Rather than pretending, it was as if all emotions had been pulled away from him at this moment, as if they had never existed in the first place. Mason narrowed his eyes and confirmed his judgment.

"You are indeed a man-made person."

Man-made humans are naturally not affected by reincarnation and can retain their own memories. As a price, once they are damaged, they cannot be restored. This is the real reason why [Ham] is afraid.

"You guessed it right. In the past, the mechanical transformation faction was just a rat living in the gutter. The ideas of that group of lunatics were rejected by everyone, and only the intelligent faction could be called the truth. Machines also have souls, and metal parts can also create a new race. We are better than the mechanical transformation faction."

What a good way to pull up and step on the low, nakedly said that the current mechanical city is nothing but the remnants of the times. Mason's mouth twitched slightly, and he did not deny the dispute between the schools.

"The real Master Ham is probably hiding somewhere, watching us."

Ham clapped his hands, and the passage that was emitting brilliant light suddenly went out. Darkness engulfed the three people like a tide.

"To be precise, you have been under the master's watch since you stepped into this city." Ham corrected. "Recognizing my identity is only the first hurdle. What you need to do next is to find where the real Master Ham is. If you find him, you will get what you want. If you don't find him before dawn, you will have to stay here."

"There are still ten minutes until daybreak. The only clue I can give is that he has made the invitation behind the door."

The crystal street lights came back on, and the person in front of him had disappeared without a trace. Not only that, he didn't see anyone on his way back. It was as if everyone in the palace had disappeared at that moment, leaving only him and Oreius.

What does door mean?

They passed through the door that the fountain had transformed into and arrived at the king's palace. The door was like a passage to the city, linking two separate places. The passage was another false door, guiding them to the wrong destination. There must be another hidden door in this palace, and the real Ham was in the door.

Twenty minutes means this won't be a difficult puzzle, and the answer might be surprisingly simple.

Inspiration flashed through his mind, and Mason's steps became faster and faster. He returned to the guest room and pushed open the window that Ham had knocked on before from the inside.

The window in his hand turned into a heavy door embedded in the wall, and Oreius had to help push it open. The middle-aged researcher stood behind the door and saluted the two of them with his chest touched, not surprisingly.

"Please follow me. Master Ham is waiting for you."

The bet was right. Mason felt relieved.

Ham's hint was actually quite obvious. He emphasized the invitation, which was meant to remind and inquire. He mistook the window for a door and was standing behind it to actively invite Mason to come out.

After thinking this through, the puzzle was not difficult to solve. Ham led the two people forward along the huge bronze pipe. The complex pipes crisscrossed and woven into a dazzling spider web. The mechanical devices in front, behind, left and right were changing all the time, and millions of gears were spliced ​​together. High temperature and steam rose into the sky, and it was unknown where the end led to.

"We're here."

At the end of my sight, I saw a shocking sight. It was a huge structure made of pipes and machinery. It was a hundred meters tall, spewing streams of fire and gold. It transported energy to all directions through countless pipes, supporting the operation of the entire city.

The metal structure formed a huge face, and upon closer inspection, it looked exactly like the middle-aged man next to them. The metal giant looked down at the tiny human in front of him, with flames burning in his eye sockets. Sounds came from all directions, like the sound of wind coming from a chimney.

"Hello, outsiders. I am Ham, the kingdom's chief mechanic."

Ham walked up to it and bowed his head respectfully: "Master, I have brought them here."

"Well done, Number One."

Hearing the master's praise, Ham stood aside in joy. The metal face turned his gaze back to the two of them.

"Congratulations on passing the first level of the test. This is the core of the city. Before you, there were also people who saw through the disguise of Number One. These people eventually came to the core and learned from me how to leave."

"The first half of Number One's story is correct. After the citizens of the city killed each other, we chose the final winner. He was the country's only survivor. He couldn't accept the truth that his hands were stained with blood and his country was destroyed, so he gathered the power of the whole country and created reincarnation with this city as a template. The souls of the dead were mixed together and became the core material."

"His love for this country has become a chain that has trapped the entire city in a perpetual cycle. You must defeat him to leave. All previous outsiders have failed. If you want to leave, you must complete the unfinished mission."

Mason asked, "You mean the king?"

"Yes. He was the king of this country and the last to die. We do not blame him, but His Majesty imprisoned himself in despair. He was both the protector and the guard of this city."

"When I was alive, I was the highest-ranking researcher in the Mechanical City, advocating the Intelligent Faction. After the [Mechanical Disaster], the Intelligent Faction suffered a great blow, and I took the blame and left the Mechanical City and returned to my hometown. His Majesty the King and the citizens of the city welcomed me warmly, and I also developed many devices to fight against the black fog and monsters."

"In order to save people, I died when the chaos just happened. People who came after me remembered my contribution and placed their will on me, so I became the guardian of the key. The king represents the will of the city, and I represent the will of the people. If you want to leave here, you must get the approval of both parties."

"About this, I need to say sorry to you. You came here on the Black Mist Train, and you must leave on the Black Mist Train. Before the city was destroyed, the train collected everyone's wishes before they died, and was able to break through the obstacles and go to the outside world. It has a strange property that can carry passengers to where they want to go. Unfortunately, all those who wanted to leave here by train have died. Therefore, no matter how many times it has passed, the train will always come back here. This is why you are here."

Hearing this, Mason realized something: "When I boarded the train, I wished to go to a place without fog. Perhaps that is why the Fog Train brought us here."

"It seems you were attracted by the crystal."

The mechanical pipeline retreated to reveal a complete and sophisticated assembly line factory. The raw material came from a light white liquid that Mason had never seen before, which was refined into a mechanical sheet as thin as a cicada's wing. The golden red flame flowed in the grooves, printing bright patterns on it. Countless robots assembled, combined, tested, and plated it, and finally created a piece of clear and bright [crystal]. The finished product rolled farther along the conveyor belt, was packed and sealed for transportation.

"My country was destroyed by the black fog. Fortunately and unfortunately, I had endless time to study it. With everyone's help, I developed a device that can absorb and store pollution. That is, crystal. But this is far from enough. The stored pollution has not disappeared. If it continues to accumulate, it will definitely explode one day. This is also the goal I am researching."

The pipe on the other side retreated, revealing a bottomless hole. Inside was a mountain of black crystals, the amount of which was extremely shocking.

The metal-faced man explained, "The evil and good of a person can cancel each other out. I have already figured out how to extract the good from the soul. Next, I need to figure out how to purify the evil."

"Therefore, I need you to complete two things. First, help me complete the device to purify the pollution. Second, defeat the king and give us rest in peace."

"It seems that we can't leave unless we complete your commission?"

"Sorry, this is not something I can decide on my own."

The sound of the gears creaking and turning continued. The voice of the metal face sounded like a thousand or ten thousand people combined. The voice of an entire nation made a promise at the same time.

“Creating new works requires the collective wisdom of many people. I cannot complete my own works by my own strength. Therefore, I want a student, a smart student who can inherit my legacy.”

"As long as you can pass my test, I will send you out of this city."