Log InRegister
    Read Free Web Novels Online
    Chapter Index

    “Grrrr…?”

    A large wyvern peered out from its mountain nest as something unfamiliar buzzed past. Its lizardlike eyes narrowed, and it unfolded the webbed wings that grew from its forelimbs. It was not the only one that noticed. Several other wyverns lifted their long necks to stare at the small intruder. The object was not made of flesh or blood, yet it released a strange mana signature that all of them disliked.

    “GRRRAH!”

    One of the beasts rose to its full height, wings spreading while its heavy claws dug into the stone beneath it. The hardened rock cracked under the pressure as the wyvern pushed itself forward and charged at the strange visitor. A sharp shriek echoed through the cliffs as it launched itself from the nest. Its jaws opened wide as it surged toward the metallic creature, moving with astonishing speed. Just before its fangs could snap shut around the one-eyed construct, the object reacted.

    A small panel slid open on the surface of the dodecahedron and revealed a narrow vent. The wyvern ignored it and continued its attack, but a sudden hissing sound filled the air. A thin stream of mist drifted into the creature’s open mouth, and only then did the wyvern realise its mistake.

    Its pupils shrank to pinpoints. Its wings folded tight as it tried to pull away in mid-flight, tumbling through the air as if struck by an unseen spell. It gagged and writhed, its elongated neck twisting as it attempted to escape the drifting fog now seeping from the floating construct.

    “GRAAA… kah… KRAAH!”

    The wyvern crashed into the cliffside, claws scraping for something to grip while its wings flailed. A heartbeat later, it threw itself out of the mist in a panic and abandoned its territory entirely. Several nearby wyverns recoiled as well, their nostrils flaring and their heads snapping back in alarm. The mist spread quickly, and the wind began to carry it toward the entire nest.

    “GRRRRREEEEE!”

    Every wyvern within sniffing distance screamed at once. Wings beat in panicked retreat. Some shot into the sky. Others scrambled across the cliff face like oversized lizards fleeing a rockslide. One hurled itself off the ledge and glided away without even opening its wings completely.

    The dodecahedron hovered in place as the last of the mist escaped from its shell. It was not alone. Several similar constructs drifted into view behind it, and each one circled around another piece of equipment. They carried a strange device that hung from them on metallic cords. It had a cylindrical body and a drill-shaped head pointed straight toward the sky.

    With the wyverns gone, the floating devices continued unperturbed. They continued to ascend far above the jagged cliffs and monsters’ nests that resided there. As they rose, they went through clouds to stop before solid rock, the false skydome of the dungeon. The cylindrical device was hoisted up and its drill connected with the rocky surface. Once there, the drill was activated, and soon a hole began to take shape.

    Mangled rocks and pebbles began to fall as the strange device pushed farther into the sky rock. It took a few moments, but eventually it embedded itself fully, leaving something that resembled a large screw bolt jutting outward. To complete the process, one of the floating devices drifted closer and slowly twisted itself onto the bolt, securing it tightly into the dungeon’s artificial sky.

    “It is in.”

    Roland said as he watched his golems force the monitoring device into the upper side of the dungeon. This was his main strategy for avoiding detection. His spider golems had to remain dormant at all times because adventurer patrols were becoming more frequent. To solve the problem, he placed everything where no one would think to look, directly above the patrols.

    “Maybe someday I will be able to make real spy satellites.”

    He chuckled to himself as the camera came into focus. The cylindrical bolt embedded in the ceiling was equipped with runic batteries that fed extra mana into the golem attached to its tip. It was simply a repurposed floating golem, but with the added energy, it could safely observe everything from above and even zoom in. Although the view would never be as clear as sensors placed on the ground, he could still use both sources.

    The system was simple. The devices fixed inside the sky dome would monitor everything at a steady pace. The ones he had buried and hidden on the ground would remain dormant until needed. When an event, object, or person of interest appeared, he could watch from above and then activate the ground sensors for additional information. With the upper cameras, he could determine where the safe region of detection lay, ensuring that no one would uncover his work.

    “As long as no mage close to tier four appears here, I should be safe.”

    Thanks to Rastix, he had also brought wyvern repellent. It worked quite well, although it was not something he had invented. He had simply recreated it and made it a little more potent. With it, placing his ceiling cameras even among the flying wyverns would be easy. For the rest of the night, while he and Agni cleared out another lake, his floating golems would continue attaching the devices without any disturbance.

    “Woof.”

    “Yes, I know, Agni. It is getting dangerous. We will need to lay low for a while after this.”

    He had gained several levels since arriving here, yet the other adventurers were steadily catching up. He knew that if he kept pushing his luck, someone would eventually discover him. There were rules in this place, and an unregistered adventurer who had never passed through the proper channels would be hunted down. The last thing he needed was a bounty on his head. He could probably handle most of the parties, but he had no desire to become a criminal and kill people just to gain a few more levels, especially while other options still remained.

    Soon, he was back in his workshop. The gate burst open, and a faint mechanical sound greeted him even before he stepped inside. The lights were dimmed to evening mode, and the room was covered in a muted amber glow. One that he liked to use to conserve his and others’ eyesight.

    “Welcome back, Master.”

    Sebastian’s voice echoed through the workshop. As Roland moved farther in, he saw a hovering sphere that looked more intricate than the usual golems. Beside it stood a humanoid golem that housed another instance of his AI assistant. Both forms were busy with their tasks.

    “How is it going?”

    “The absorption of today’s knowledge is at sixty-seven percent.”

    “Good. Keep at it. More books will arrive later.”

    “Yes, Master.”

    Sebastian returned to his work. The floating white orb scanned text after text while the humanoid golem flipped pages at impressive speed. This had become Roland’s way of bringing his supercomputer up to date with everything this world could offer, even material that most people would consider trivial.

    Roland himself could never hope to read every book on the continent. His AI, however, had the storage space and the time to do it. The results were not always perfect, since Sebastian had not yet developed the nuanced logic needed to sort all information properly. When asked to recreate what he had learned, he occasionally produced odd answers.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Even so, the progress was steady. As a search engine similar to the ones from Roland’s old world, Sebastian performed surprisingly well. Thanks to this, Roland no longer needed to dig through archaic texts himself. Sebastian could usually provide a clear summary or, when necessary, display the scanned words exactly as they appeared.

    “I wonder how people would react if I gave this technology away for free.”

    Coming from a modern world filled with search engines and countless innovations, he understood how much such a tool could improve lives. Halbrecht shared his enthusiasm, and together they were already working to install underground cables.

    Once the connection was established, he would be able to request scans and information instantly. The same system could eventually link to other magical academies. At first, the mages and the Kingdom would likely try to hoard or suppress the new resource, but given time, an age of free information might finally emerge.

    ‘Though that will not happen anytime soon…’

    There were many obstacles. The nobles preferred their people docile and uninformed. Foreign spies could potentially gain access to the new magical network he hoped to create, forcing the Kingdom to shut it down. He could only hope that the benefits of rapid communication would outweigh the dangers of information escaping beyond their intended borders.

    “Now then, how much time should I invest in this…”

    Roland picked up a stack of papers from his desk. On top were several images and short descriptions of different people. He recognized a few of them, since he had nearly been spotted by them inside the dungeon. This was the personal database he was compiling on adventurers he needed to avoid. It also included information supplied by the Guild Master. With the help of his golems, he had managed to capture a few snapshots of people of interest, although not everyone. The leader of the stronghold still remained hidden and had yet to make an appearance outside for reasons Roland did not understand.

    “I could go through the proper channels to establish my new identity, or I could ignore everything and save time.”

    After placing the papers aside, he picked up a small item beside them. It was something he already possessed, a platinum adventurer card. The guild had provided it, complete with a new identity that he intended to use if he was ever discovered. He still did not know how to approach the situation.

    Name :

    Siegfried L 235

    Classes

    0 chapter views

    0 Comments

    Note
    2 online