Set sail

Mason tried to wake the vest for the thirty-second time, but he fell unconscious as soon as he regained consciousness. He gave up the plan helplessly and stood up in front of the window.

"Where on earth did the portal take Oreius?"

He muttered in his heart. Yes, the portal turned back because he gave the order through Gloria. But he didn't expect the portal to be so loyal that it would rather be damaged than take Oleus away. Now that he can neither control the vest nor contact the portal, he can only feel that there is an incomparable distance between the vest and the main body.

Never mind, as long as he won't die. Judging from the bloody appearance of the other party before he left, whoever touches Aurelius will be in trouble.

Mason rubbed his forehead and decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

After flying away from the City of Insects, he used Gloria to send the Dragon Squad back to the camp, and then escorted the camp back to the western border, and is still on the way.

Canaan's attack attracted the attention of the Monster Lord, and the density of the black fog in that area increased by at least ten points. However, under the guidance of the lantern belt, the Dragonborn were able to pass through various monster territories safely, which was a small compensation for Mason.

As I was thinking, the door creaked open. Fayrel stood at the door with a tea tray in his hand: "Would you like some snacks?"

"Thank you."

Mason's stomach growled at the sweet smell. He looked at Fayrel expectantly as he put down the tea tray. Today's snack was round and round milk balls. This snack is a Western dessert. The milk is repeatedly boiled and beaten, and finally becomes a white elastic rice cake-like substance. When it is scooped up and wrapped with various fillings, it becomes a sweet and chewy milk ball. Paired with steaming tea, it is a very good snack.

Mason took a bite of the milk ball with great satisfaction, and took a sip of tea. All the fatigue in his body was swept away, and he felt so happy that he wanted to faint. Fayelle smiled softly and looked at him lovingly: "Eat slowly, there are still a lot of them, all yours."

"Mom, don't you want to eat something?"

"I ate with Abner before I came here. Sit down. I have something I want to talk to you about."

It must be no small matter to make Phailer say that. Mason's expression was frightened, and at this moment he had even thought of what kind of new vest to open. Phailer was not surprised and sat on his left. He first asked about the saltiness of the snacks, and then said in a warm voice: "Our friends in Partington sent us some news about the election of the president of the parliament."

"Elect the Speaker of the Parliament?"

"Although the president of the parliament is missing, the association cannot be without a president forever. The longer the time goes, the less likely he is to come back. The current president of the parliament is the strongest of all time, so we are waiting for his return. In the end, people still have hope in their hearts."

Mason hesitated for a moment while holding his teacup, and whispered, "...Mom, the Speaker of the House may not come back. He has joined the Black Mist followers."

He was nervous, not knowing whether the other party would believe it. This was indeed a bit exciting for the people of the Dark Mist Era. After all, they were able to wait for so long after the sudden disappearance of the Speaker of the Parliament. Faile was not as radical as he imagined. He frowned slightly and asked, "Where did this news come from? Are you sure?"

"The people of the Land of Stars told me. They saw it with their own eyes."

"I see. Then we have to think long-term."

"Do you believe what I say?"

"Actually, I felt something was wrong after you asked the Speaker of the House last time. You never ask about irrelevant matters, and you must have received intelligence if you were testing me like that. But I didn't expect the Speaker of the House to defect to the Black Mist believers. Don't tell anyone else about this except Abner and me. Belief is one thing, but it would be bad if it hurts you."

Mason felt a warm feeling in his heart and nodded vigorously. Fayrel continued, "This is a serious matter. Do you have any evidence?"

Evidence? That's hard to find.

The chairman of the council is now renamed the Gravekeeper, and is the leader of the Black Mist followers. Except for a few people, it is estimated that few people can meet him. In the City of Insects, even if there is a fight, a fog will be summoned in advance to block the line of sight and prevent others from seeing him. If it weren't for Faile's belief in him, Mason would not have convinced me.

Should I bring equipment like a photo stone next time?

But that kind of thing will be destroyed before it is finished because of the fierce battle.

Mason was thinking hard, and suddenly his forehead felt cold. When he came to his senses, Fayrel smoothed the wrinkles on his brow and said softly, "Don't frown. No matter what happens, B and I will stand by you."

"mother--"

Mason was moved more and more, and he took a sip of tea to suppress the bitterness in his voice. It felt so good to get a response even though he had no hope. Just as he was thinking this, he heard Faile suddenly ask.

"Mason, do you want to be Speaker of the Council?"

"puff--"

The tea that had not been swallowed was successfully contributed to the snacks in front of him.

"Mom, I'm just a count. Are you thinking too far ahead?"

Faile took care of the tray of snacks and gave him a reproachful look: "Not far. Since you want to make the Speaker's affairs public, you must stand in the same position as him. Becoming the Speaker is just the first step. It doesn't matter if you become the Speaker or your people become the Speaker."

"But you are right. You are only a count now. You don't need to think too much. Just take the present path well and think about how to become a duke."

Mason couldn't drink the tea he had just poured. He looked at the teacup deeply and put it back on the table silently.

"Mom, I'm already the fastest-rising earl. The Mechanic, Oleus, and Canaan are not in the Mechanical City now. Do you want me to ask the Land of Stars for help and summon new people to fight back against the Black Mist?"

It's not impossible, but Mason thinks that the vest is more valuable than the number. He hasn't finished writing and spreading the stories of the vests he has, so it's not a big deal to summon new ones. Besides, the monster lord knows that he has the ability to summon vests, and it's a bit creepy to lead his territory deep into the black fog.

"Promoting to the rank of Duke by expanding territory is indeed the most common method, which is called real power promotion. But this is not the only way. There is another way, called honor promotion. The latter is specifically given to families with extraordinary contributions, such as the Brainworm family. They do not have vast territories, but due to the special nature of their bloodline, they have made numerous military exploits and thus became one of the twelve round table families."

Mason's eyes lit up when he heard this. This sounded much more reliable: "How can I achieve an honorary promotion?"

"It is extremely difficult to be promoted by honor. First, you must be recognized by the twelve families. Second, you need to get the support of at least one side in the southeast, northwest, and central regions. If you can become a duke, you must be either from one of the twelve families or one of their subordinates. There are no exceptions."

Faierel's mouth was dry after speaking, so he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Opening up Black Mist is an achievement, but it is not enough to receive this honor. It just so happens that one of the twelve round table families is now missing, and the election of the new speaker of the parliament will inevitably require the promotion of a new round table family. You can give up on this aspect, the Cross family will definitely not be able to catch up with this wave, I can contact the families that have the opportunity to be promoted."

"As for Cross Territory in the south and Guixiang City in the west, you must build them into the best territories in the human domain and gain recognition from the people and even all the nobles nearby. Only in this way can you have a chance of being promoted."

"Everyone will help you. But the current progress is definitely not enough. You should think of a solution."

Mason's brain glows.

Before he traveled through time, he was just an ordinary liberal arts student, how could he know so many things? If he had known earlier, he would have read some necessary books about time travel in advance, so he wouldn't be completely in the dark now.

I really regret that I was just laughing at the time and didn't let the knowledge enter my brain at all.

After seeing off Fayrel, Mason began to recall.

"According to Faile, if you want to be promoted to Duke as quickly as possible, you must rely on your territory and your contributions. If I can run my territory into the best city, I will naturally be sought after by people. To do this, I must improve the self-protection ability of the people in the territory. The things I brought back this time are very good, and the craftsmen have researched some things. If the replicas can be distributed on a large scale, ordinary people can also deal with low-level monsters."

"Black fog pollution must also be taken seriously. If this problem can be solved, it will definitely be a huge achievement. First, a large amount of white crystal is needed, and second, a large number of manpower is needed, such as artificial humans..."

Mason rubbed his forehead and made a decision.

"Mechanical City, it's you who's chosen!"

As the saying goes, the boss says one word and the people below him get busy. There is also a saying that professional matters require professional people.

After Mason made his decision, Ham was the one who was busy. It just so happened that the Mechanical City was just outside the Guixiang City, so it was very convenient to find Ham.

During this period, Ham had a very comfortable life. He could easily be said to have a group of people following him with just a flick of his finger, and his one or two words of advice would be regarded as treasures. And that damn puzzle, the first thing he did when he came back was to force all researchers to forget the puzzle that had been handed down for generations, erasing a big piece of black history.

After a long period of comfortable life, he became a little bored. Just then, his (self-proclaimed) little disciple came to visit him. Master Ham was immediately delighted, thinking that the other party still had some feelings for him.

It was not until he heard the other party's intention that he realized what he had just thought was bullshit.

"Boy, do you really think that androids grow out of the soil? Let alone the material preparation work and the precision requirements of the parts, it is not easy to select mechanics. For a large-scale construction like you said, the entire mechanical city will need at least a year to prepare."

The latter glanced at the young disciple speechlessly, wanting to travel back in time and slap the black fog train that brought them back.

I told you not to look at the people you brought back. Now the city is empty, the artificial people are gone, and even I have been called here to work.

Mason shook his head and said, "I can't wait a year."

Ham blew his beard and glared: "You can't even wait a year? There's no hope. Look somewhere else."

Having said that, he still thought about a solution. He knew the boy's character well, and if he didn't have to, he wouldn't have come to him. After thinking about it, Ham could only come up with a solution: "If you really want to do it, it's not impossible, but you have to keep the mechanic. Without her help, the Mechanical City will never be able to complete this task."

There is always a solution, Mason readily agreed: "No problem!"

"There is one more thing. Guixiang City is too far away. Mechanical City must return to the east, where the largest storage warehouse is. This means that in the next six months, even if there is a monster attack, Mechanical City will no longer be able to support Guixiang City."

Mason agreed. All of this was within his expectations. Ham explained several questions one by one, and basically nothing exceeded Mason's expectations. Seeing that the young man had made up his mind, Ham sighed secretly, and without asking why he was so anxious, he patted Mason on the shoulder and said, "Be careful, don't do anything dangerous. If you really can't do it, come to the Mechanical City, and the teacher will protect you."

The boy smiled and nodded, his expression softening a little: "Of course, you have to take care of yourself too. If there is anything, let the mechanic do it. She will definitely be happy to do it."

"Go away, how can you call him by his name? You should call him Miracle! All those researchers out there worship him, but you are the only one who acts disrespectfully all day long."

Ham rolled his eyes. It was impossible for him not to be tempted. With the ability to operate machinery with one hand, he had never seen anyone as amazing as the mechanic in his life. Thinking of this, the middle-aged man coughed and asked in a low voice: "You can really do anything?"

"That's right, just don't forget about me and remember to do this with the artificial human you created..."

The two leaders had cordial exchanges on relevant issues, each achieved the desired results, and successfully completed this meeting. This is truly gratifying and worth celebrating.

After several months, the Mechanical City started its engine again.

The blue light spread out in circles, blowing away the thick black fog and revealing the sky above. On a rare sunny day in the West, this iron city set out to the east. People in Guixiang City looked up, enjoying the sunshine and marveling at the scene.

The strong wind at high altitude is enough to break bones. Even with a shield, ordinary people will not stand on the edge.

At this time, only Ham and the mechanic stood here, looking at the gradually shrinking Guixiang City.

Ham suddenly asked, "Have you all said goodbye?"

The woman with the pink and purple ponytail lazily lowered her eyes, her tired voice unchanged from before: "There's nothing to say goodbye to, I'll be back."

"Thank you for your hard work this time. I hope that using your ability for a long time won't have any negative effects on you."

"Yes, I would like a vacation."

"Hahaha! Yes, yes. Once this is over, I'll ask that kid Mason for it for you!"

Hammer laughed and looked at the mechanic with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes: "Your personality is very compatible with Lilith. She has always wanted to have a sister. If she were here, you two would probably be good friends."

For researchers, mechanical creations are like their children. And in Ham's life, Lilith is undoubtedly the most perfect masterpiece.

Although Lilith is a mechanical creation, she has perfect emotions far beyond those of humans and is the most powerful artificial human. At that time, everyone in the Mechanical City thought Lilith was a miracle. As the main creator, she is also Ham's dream.

"If she were still alive, I would say hello for you."

"Hahaha, thank you so much. Please write to me when you see her."

As the two chatted and laughed, the Eternal City disappeared on the horizon.