Chapter 80.3: Tower of God: Gnome Ruins

When Du Ze and Xiu once again set foot on the street of the Gnome Ruins, it was already the third day of the gnome race’s trial. Whenever Du Ze saw any furry object, it was like looking at a landmine. Even when he saw a mechanical puppet that didn’t have any fur but smelled like oil, Du Ze would shed tears.

Xiu quickly dispatched the mechanical puppets that tried to attack them. The one to four star mechanical puppets were easily overcome and were reduced into their component parts whenever they fought the Moe Lord.

Du Ze looked at Xiu’s back and at the fallen mechanical puppets. He recalled the first time they met a mechanical puppet on the reverse side of the continent. At that time, even a one star mechanical puppet caused them a lot of trouble but now, Xiu can easily take down even the five star mechanical puppets.

They had traveled together for such a long time that he hadn’t realized until now that the Moe Lord had become so powerful.

Du Ze’s heart jumped a little and he felt a sweet yet bitter pain. This was like watching a child grow up. The child’s first stumbling steps have turned into a confident walk. He is proud and happy about it but he is in the same position as all guardians are – when the child is all grown up, it is then time to take their leave.

“These mechanical puppets are so annoying.”

Du Ze was abruptly grabbed by Xiu. He hurriedly held on to Xiu’s shoulder, only to hear the beastkin with the round lion ears happily say: “Hold on tight, we will go faster.”

“…!”

Du Ze didn’t have time to reply before a strong kinetic energy made his upper body stick to Xiu’s back. Their bodies crashed together with a “pa” sound. Xiu, carrying Du Ze, ran into a shadow. Whenever he saw a mechanical puppet, Xiu would use the terrain to jump and disappear before he was within the mechanical puppets’ range of action, making the puppets unable to gather information about them.

All Du Ze could see was Xiu’s floating tail as he was jolted. The beastkin’s speed and movement was more exciting than a rollercoaster. Just as he was about to faint, Xiu finally arrived at a circular plaza. Once they were at the plaza, the mechanical puppets no longer pursued them. Xiu put the dizzy Du Ze down, who staggered a bit before regaining his balance. Now that the world was no longer spinning, Du Ze recognized that this was the “Foundation” plaza.

Old John once told him that if there was a treasure in the Gnome Ruins that the people outside would covet, he was afraid that it would be the cache of materials in the “Foundation” plaza. The gnome race collected raw materials from the whole continent and put it in the “Foundation” plaza, grading them by their quality.

The gnomes could take materials based on their star rating, including many S quality materials which the outside world coveted.. Du Ze saw the material exchange machine in the middle of the plaza but it was obviously not functional since it was missing a piece. Du Ze stared at the gap in the machine. He ransacked his memories of machine parts and suddenly realized something.

Isn’t that the big machine part that you saw in the iron gnome’s hand a few days ago?!

In retrospect, Rachel said: “We had to gather mechanical parts to activate a plaza.”

The Tower of God’s requirement is easy to understand.

Xiu’s memory of that day was not clear but after Du Ze told him about it, he immediately went to fetch the machine part from the “Kingdom” plaza. Du Ze, who Xiu always equipped, was honored once again to sit on that roller coaster. Xiu got the missing piece and the dizzy Du Ze watched as Xiu placed it in its proper place in the “Foundation” plaza.

The machine was activated in a flash. It made a humming sound then the whole plaza seemed to come alive as the electric circuit pattern on the ground lit up. Du Ze walked slowly to Xiu’s side. He found the Moe Lord staring at the newly activated material exchange machine, deep in thought.

When he saw Du Ze come over to him, Xiu reached out and took his own silly, cute person in his arms, tangling him up with his tail, too. Leaning against Du Ze, he shifted his sight from the machine to the mechanical puppets wandering the streets then, finally, looked around at the entire Gnome Ruins.

“I suddenly had an idea.”

As Du Ze watched, Xiu’s smiling face changed.¹

“Let’s try it.”

A day later.²

A two-star mechanical puppet wandered aimlessly through the streets of the Gnome Ruins then suddenly encountered two figures that it scanned.

“Beep – lifeforms X2 discovered, analyzing race. Beep – gnome discovered!” The blue lights in the mechanical puppet’s eyes did not flicker. “Identifying individual. Beep – Xiu, six-star mechanic. Beep – Number XH33321 is ready to serve you, please give instructions.”

Du Ze could not help but praise the Tower of God for its professional behavior. The simulation was this precise – no, he should have expected it. When it comes to Xiu, the Tower of God is completely unprincipled, indulgent, and eccentric. The entire gnome trial is now like a walk in the park for gnome form Xiu!

Previously, the elf trial came to an abrupt halt when the Tree of Life revolted. This time, the Moe Lord just has to open his mouth and the mechanical puppets will carry out his every wish – the entire Gnome Ruins has completely become his domain!

Du Ze looked at the little Xiu who was giving orders to the giant mechanical puppets to help him carry things. He wanted to cover his face to hide his expression.

Although they have been separated from Rachel and the others, Du Ze thought it wouldn’t be a problem for Xiu to finish this trial even though the Moe Lord had to carry a noob with him. Right now they had reached the “Splendour” plaza where there was a star-level authentication machine. This was where gnomes go to get their star certifications. They simply had to bring their work with them and their star rating will be upgraded. As before, the machine lacked an important part.

The other tower climbers will have to find a six-star mechanical puppet and defeat it to get the needed part. However, for a gnome – do they even need to look for the part? They can just make it.

Xiu almost emptied the “Foundation” plaza of all its usable materials. A long line of mechanical puppets followed him, carrying the materials. He was like a queen who went shopping with his faithful housekeeper and servants carrying his shopping bags. In fact, Xiu can even order those six-star mechanical puppets to kill themselves so he can get the parts he needs but Xiu turned into his gnome form to make the parts to prepare for the Final BOSS fight.

Rachel said, “The whole city, the place where we stood… was an eight-star mechanical puppet.”

Du Ze looked at Xiu. The flaxen-haired gnome was holding a screwdriver in his slender and weak-looking hands, but those were hands that could overcome the eight-star mechanical puppet – with just a few small tricks, everything will be just right.

In less than half a day’s time, Xiu fixed the star-level authentication machine. After that, he was in no hurry to leave but instead made a small machine and raised his certification to seven stars.

A seven-star rating is the highest level. With it, a gnome can not only command any public mechanical puppets seven stars and below, but can also get any material he wants from the “Foundation” plaza. Du Ze and Xiu returned to the “Foundation” plaza and borrowed the most advanced materials. Xiu spent five days to make a seven-star, human-type mechanical puppet.

“The next time we see Old John,” said Xiu as he was debugging the mechanical puppet, “I can give him a new body.”

Du Ze nodded his head. During the beastkin trial, they were accidentally separated and Old John’s body had been halved. They did not know where Old John was now. Each checkpoint will close after the leader passes through so generally Xiu was the last to enter the portal or went together with everyone. At that time, they did not leave together so it’s possible that Old John and the others were trapped in the beastkin simulation and can only wait for the next group that passes the trial and that would be willing to take them along through the exit portal.

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