"Woo-woo!"
A whistle-like sound echoed as a steel ship passed by.
Although they were perhaps a kilometer apart, the whistle's blast was piercing.
As Alka and the others' Dawn Voice passed by, everyone on board was on the deck, looking out and chatting.
"Does this mean our destination is under the control of the Church of the Holy Machine?" Jason asked.
Alka shook his head. "According to intelligence, the name of this landmark island is Felemis. The locals and others call it the City of Power."
The primary faith in this area is the sages of the Church of the Holy Machine. You must have seen the spherical cannon and its operators in the Anti-Magic Fortress before, right?"
At Alka's words, everyone nodded.
The spherical cannon was a type of cannon they had seen long ago, which fired a type of scattering shell.
It would explode above the demon swarm, forming a dense rain of small bombs, inflicting widespread damage to weaker demons.
The only problem is the cooldown time and difficulty reloading.
The Power City also provides numerous elemental energy crystals.
When Alka constructed the elemental cards, he had used some materials from the Power City.
"This weapon was provided by the Power City, but it's not a major force, so it's primarily under the control of the Church of the Holy Machine."
Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to understand.
The Four Gods' churches each have their own spheres of influence.
Beyond their direct spheres of influence, numerous areas, due to differing beliefs among the various churches and their own lack of significant power within the vast sea, have declared themselves subordinate to the church.
However, the church will not interfere with them in any way; they still possess ample autonomy. The Church only exercises control over this power during major issues and crises.
This is essentially the unspoken rule of the Four Gods Church.
Each church has its own nuances, but this is generally true.
Furthermore, not just any power can be incorporated into the Church; these powers are typically founded by former members of a particular church.
The Church of the Holy Machine is also known as the City of Power, and the sight of numerous ironclad warships surrounding their approaching destination is enough to confirm the prevailing theme of this region.
This is also why the Four Gods Church enjoys such high prestige in the world.
Without the support of a true god, such immense power would have long been corrupted and abused. But when this world possesses a true god, the Church will forever uphold the divine rules.
They will become the most stable force in the world, until the deity they worship falls.
Even if these god-worshipping beings perish, they will find a way to raise their gods.
For example, the Flower Children.
Simon was watching the ironclad ships in the distance.
After a while, he came to the conclusion, "What a shame! These ships are likely only capable of transport operations around the Signpost Island and its island chain, and dare not leave this sea area at all."
This is quite normal.
Although they are ironclad ships, and boast a speed significantly greater than that of ordinary sailing warships,
But as the saying goes, if you want to freely navigate the vast ocean, it would be difficult for anything other than a ghost ship to resist.
Whether it's an ironclad ship, a sailing warship, or even a raft, you must adhere to this principle.
Otherwise, the mere occurrence of a freak shipwreck along the way would be enough to shatter an ordinary warship, or even a spell warship, into pieces.
However, the rapid transportation between island chains is enough to fully utilize the advantages of these ironclad ships.
Larger cargo capacity, better protection against common shipwrecks, and greater speed.
"This ship... is bound for the World Scar, right?" Sofia suddenly said, pointing to an ironclad ship in the distance.
The ironclad ship could sense the aura of the Abyss from above. Although very faint, it was too conspicuous for Alka and his companions.
And they could sense a ghost ship, resembling an ironclad in appearance. But the abyssal aura was only lingering on its hull.
This was normal for long-term transport between the World Scar and the outside world.
And judging by the flags and the overall design of the ship, it was clear that this wasn't just a ship transporting supplies to the World Scar, but also likely carrying a considerable number of troops.
And so, the Voice of Dawn sailed rapidly across the sea for the better part of a day.
Finally, they sighted the island in the distance.
As they drew closer,
The island's exterior unfolded before them.
It was an island with virtually no green vegetation.
It was almost completely covered by steel buildings. Even above it, one could see dark clouds, lightning, and thunder.
The most striking feature of the entire island was the dark cloud that hovered overhead, nearly covering the entire island.
"The elemental activity on this island is a bit too high," Alka sensed upon arriving.
The constant presence of dark clouds and the constant thunder and lightning were all signs of overactive elements.
And the most active of these elements was clearly the lightning element.
This was a steel city; one couldn't imagine how active the lightning element was within.
The steel buildings intertwined and filled the small island.
Even the harbor, extending outward, was covered in steel decks.
The arrival of Alka and his companions practically captured the attention of everyone in the harbor.
After all, after a quick look, Alka and his companions discovered that 80% of the ships were various types of ironclads.
Including some ghost ships, they all had the appearance of ironclads.
All those that weren't ironclads were almost certainly from elsewhere.
Of these, Alka and his companions' ship was the most captivating.
Alka and his companions' ship had expanded repeatedly due to the changes in the Voice of Dawn.
Even before, the mast had been removed, replaced by a massive tree and its canopy, shrouding the entire ship.
It looked like a ship holding an umbrella.
Furthermore, the ship's hull, being a living thing, would occasionally grow vines, flowers, and other plants, all at the pleasure of the Voice of Dawn.
Thus, it resembled a lush garden floating on the sea. Honestly, if anyone from the Seed of Life saw this ship, they'd definitely find a way to get on board and take a look around.
Julia was the one who paid the most attention to the appearance of the flowers and plants, often seen tending them with Matresa.
She even did some beautiful gardening.
With such an outrageous appearance, it was impossible not to attract attention.
Plus, its sheer size meant it was practically the most eye-catching ship wherever it went.
Some ships even moved aside slightly, making room for Alka and his crew to dock.
It slowly came to a stop at the harbor.
Before Alka and his crew even disembarked, a group of people appeared at the docking station.
They were a group of men wearing brown coats.
They wore fur-covered hats.
They were a guard of twelve men. Underneath their coats, one could see simple, easy-to-maneuver metal armor.
The officer in front wore a saber at his waist.
The soldiers behind him were armed with stone-shaking spears.
Looking at their attire,
Huanlu couldn't help but mutter to himself, "So winter has already arrived here?"
Due to their immense strength, they were hardly aware of any less extreme weather changes.
"Excuse me, are you from the Compass Eye Treasure Hunt?" the leading general asked.
He glanced at the insignia on their sides and the flagpole rising from the treetops.
Clearly, the people here knew them.
I wonder if it was because of the church, or if their reputation had spread here.
Or perhaps both.
"That's right."
"We are the Power City Harbor Guard, and we welcome you.
If your ship has automatic defense mechanisms, please restrain them slightly and avoid overly sensitive activation."
Although perplexed by this, Alka nodded.
"Thank you for your understanding, and have a pleasant journey."
With that, the team said goodbye and departed.
Alka stood there, bewildered.
But for such a rule to exist, it was clear that something similar had happened before.
And there's no docking fee?
"Is the Trial Tower here?" Jason asked.
Alka shook her head. "It's not here, but on a small island connected to the Power City. So we need to get a map first. We should go directly to the church and get it. We should have discussed it before.
We'll leave after we get the map. Or would you like to explore the area?"
The girls from Sofia nodded at Alka's question, and Simon and the others also expressed interest.
Although this island was devoid of vegetation, it was a steel city after all. Metal buildings filled the island. Honestly, they had never been to such a place before, so they were a little curious.
Seeing this, Alka nodded and said, "Let's meet again tomorrow."
With that, everyone separated.
Only Lucilia seemed unimpressed by the surroundings.
In her doll form, she sat on Alka's shoulders, swinging her legs.
Alka reached out naturally, nudging Lucilia's body slightly toward his ear. Steadying her, he jumped from the boat.
Then he walked toward the city.
As soon as he left the direction of the ship, he could clearly sense the city's difference.
He could see something resembling a small crane, rapidly transporting supplies, with slides running along the ground.
Although the port wasn't large, the volume of material transfer and transportation was significant, thanks to the extremely efficient mechanical devices.
Still, a slight sense of chaos was evident in the port.
This was unavoidable.
"The elemental activity here is still a bit chaotic," Alka said as they walked.
"It's a bit unsettling."
Hearing Lucilia's words, Alka nodded.
Indeed, it was.
Elemental disturbances can irritate the body. While not necessarily harmful, they can still be somewhat uncomfortable for Alka and his companions in this environment.
Furthermore, the more sensitive one is to their surroundings and the stronger one is, the more acutely aware they are of such disturbances.
After all, under normal circumstances, elemental disturbances signify a situation: either an enemy attack or something hidden.
It can involuntarily put one on high alert.
Alka looked at the residents around him.
It was clear that these residents rarely exposed their skin. Most wore masks covering their eyes and knitted hats.
Long pants, long sleeves, and even gloves.
Add to this the relatively cold surroundings, and the people here generally bundled up tightly.
This did help block some elemental disturbances, especially for ordinary people.
After all, the elemental disturbances caused by exposing skin directly to the air are more noticeable.
The stimulation of walking displeased Alka, and he instinctively reacted with caution.
He twirled his fingers slightly.
Then the elemental disturbances around them immediately calmed down.
"Much better now," Lucelia said, waving her hand through the air and feeling it.
Alka continued forward, soon entering the town.
Even the air in the town was slightly unpleasant, and Alka couldn't help but look up at the sky.
Dark clouds filled the sky overhead, and lightning struck sporadically.
The lightning element in the air was much more active than the other elements, causing a certain tingling sensation when breathing.
It made his nose and throat uncomfortable.
"This place... it's really hard to describe," Alka couldn't help but complain. "What's wrong?" Lucelia asked, somewhat puzzled.
Looking at her, Alka suddenly thought of something and patted his forehead. "Right, breathe."
Because of Alka and the others' previous construction, Lucelia had already become a divine being. Although she possessed a flesh and blood body, her body structure didn't necessarily require normal breathing.
Hearing Alka's words, Lucelia nodded and took a deep breath.
Then she immediately understood Alka's feelings.
She couldn't help but reach out and scratch her throat.
As Alka walked further in, he noticed that some people were wearing breathing masks.
They were somewhat similar to heavy masks, worn over the nose and mouth.
The construction was incredibly simple, and Alka saw through it at a glance.
An extremely simple metal structure with a certain elemental conductive structure.
It channeled the overactive lightning element from breathing through the metal attachments nearby. This will eliminate the tingling sensation during breathing.
And the person wearing this breathing mask, judging by their clothing, is someone of considerable wealth.
As soon as Alka entered, he spotted the church from afar.
A slender spire, roughly ten meters tall, stood out among the surrounding steel buildings, not to mention the gear symbol atop it.
That must be his destination.
"There are a lot of elemental materials here." Lucelia sat on Alka's shoulders, observing the surrounding shops.
Because it's located at the intersection of the city, it's essentially the only way for the port to enter the city.
Streets like these sell the city's specialties.
A large number of elemental materials.
Alka came to a stall and took a crystal from it in his hand to examine it.
These crystals were randomly stacked in a box, each about the size of a thumbnail.
The different colors revealed that they contained concentrated energy of a single element.
Useful, but mostly useless.
It can be used as a medium for energy.
Observing Alka turning the crystal over and over, the boss opened his mouth to scold but silently closed it.
A simple observation revealed that Alka was not someone to be trifled with, let alone the little figure sitting on his shoulder.
This very unique combination meant that a small business owner like him couldn't afford to offend. He silently suppressed his temper.
The boss put on a business smile and asked, "Would you like to buy one of these elemental batteries?"
"Elemental batteries? They're quite suitable."
"How do you get these batteries? Are there any with greater energy and more balanced power?"
"This must be your first time here. These elemental batteries are considered our specialty. They're constructed from excess energy from the central elemental pool.
Of course, there are even more powerful and potent ones, but you can only buy them in larger, more specialized stores."
The boss replied with a smile.
Hearing this question, Alka nodded and casually took a few. After asking the price and taking out a few silver snakes, he left.
It was like a fee for intelligence.
Walking through the streets, he could determine the location of the church, which was probably relatively inward of the city.
Observing the streets, Alka had roughly determined a few things.
The area where the church and some of the tall, magnificent buildings were located was considered a relatively valuable area.
The area near the port was the commercial district and where ordinary residents lived, though it certainly wasn't quite slum-like.
Further back was the wealthy area.
"Do you feel it? The streets in these areas actually have something that suppresses elemental activity.
Every one of these shops has it, which suppresses the overall elemental activity in this area to a level where living here isn't too uncomfortable."
Alka observed, chatting with Lucelia about his observations. Soon, the two arrived at the church area.
The church here was surprisingly composed of two towers, one tall and one short.
The towers were placed side by side, with a single room jutting out from below.
It looked strange and somewhat shabby, seemingly out of place among the magnificent surrounding buildings.