Chapter 22: Krestfall

After having a small talk with the adventurers as well as receiving plenty of praise, they left. They had only just crossed the border to the Harrien Kingdom and were planning on reaching another town that Vulcan had heard was known for its many mines. So they had to make haste if they planned on arriving before night.

Fighting the dire wolf pack earlier helped him assess his new rank 3 body better in a fight, and it had outperformed far beyond his expectations. Not only was he able to defeat a peak iron stage beast, but a spirit beast at that. Which was a beast by this worlds knowledge, a beast that was intelligent enough to be cunning, gather large groups of its kind, and always have a minimum cultivation strength of peak iron. To put it into perspective, the goblin chieftain of the goblin horde was also a spirit beast.

Thankfully for Vulcan and the adventurers they saved earlier, these two spirit beasts recently became a spirit beast so they had not gotten to their full potential. Once they reached their full potential as spirit beasts, the next step would be Calamity beasts. Beasts that had reached a minimum cultivation of peak silver and had the potential to reach past peak gold stage.

Entire kingdoms would gather their entire military power to crush these threats. As well as the adventurers guild who has branches in the entire continent would send their elite gold stage fighters to assist in the extermination of these beasts. For it wasn't just their power alone that terrified the kingdoms but the fact that they can lead not just beasts of their own kind but other beasts as well. Better known as a Calamity beast wave.

Entire kingdoms and smaller empires had fallen to these events due to carelessness. Which is why such beasts will always be taken seriously. Vulcan had taken such beasts into consideration in case he ever ran into more in the near future. Not until he had a rank 4 body at least. Then he would feel a lot more secure. Several rank 4 sentry bodies would be on par with the top brass of this kingdom. But something told him that still wouldn't be enough.

Just then Jess called out to him, "You surprised me back there. I never expected to run into a spirit beast again and for you to take it down so easily. That, and you didn't even use that new power you used back at the fortress. How come you didn't use it?" She asked as her bike got closer to his.

"No need, I could tell that thing was weaker than me. I don't know if it's part of my new body, but I can get a reading on how strong someone or any beast is," replied Vulcan.

"As long as you grow stronger, that just means the village has less to worry about, but tell me. Do you even feel fear like we do? I know that's a dumb question with you being, well, you know?." She asked, letting her curiosity take over. The thing had always acted way too human sometimes that it made her forget he was a golem.

Vulcan didn't look her way, "Fear," he said solemnly as he savored the word. "Fear is like an addiction, but just like an addiction, I don't think about it because if I do. It will take control of my very being. Fear is the mind killer, the destroyer of reason and logic. If you spend your time pondering on it too much, you might find yourself sinking to its depths. An abyss that you will never come back from ever again." The words he left Jess speechless. It sounded like he was speaking from true experience. What did Vulcan have to go through to feel such despair to be talking like that?

For the rest of the trip they rode in silence. Vulcan was aware his words left the atmosphere a little awkward but he was fine with it. He put his old feelings for his past life in the back of his mind. No longer was he the weak Henry in his past life, now he was Vulcan, a powerful metal entity that will keep growing until no one could threaten or hurt him ever again.

A few more hours passed by as well as a couple of more towns and villages they had skipped to make time to their destination.

Over the horizon, a large town could be seen, its walls built in a semi-circle fashion with a large castle against the mountainside. It reminded Vulcan of how he built his fortress against the mountain, albeit on a smaller scale. That didn't mean it was any less impressive than his. Other buildings were built against the mountainside, with a considerable amount of steam rising from the left side of town. They followed their routine, hiding their bikes from view as they got closer.

While walking, a group of four adventurers stepped aside for the Dark Sentry group. Not out of fear, but in awe of their impressive armor and appearance. Vulcan had designed a new armor set using tools from the Automaton factory. He fashioned himself a full set of black steel armor, fused to his metal body with a form of welding, along with a helmet featuring a black visor with wicked side horns and a flowing black cape. Jess had a similar outfit, but her helmet had an opening at the front to reveal her face. The rest of the sentries wore similar armor sets without the horns.

"Whoa, I've never seen them before, have you?" whispered one of the adventurers. "No, but they have to be iron rank. They look so cool," whispered another. The young adventurers stiffened when Vulcan turned around to look at them. Afterward, they arrived at the back of the line at the gate. Similar to the earlier adventurers, others in the line watched them and made murmuring comments, all of which Vulcan could hear with his enhanced listening. He didn't mind as long as no one decided to challenge him and his crew.

While waiting in line, Vulcan noticed that the large walls of the town were plated in dark metal, adding an extra layer of protection. This town was called Krestfall, unlike the Rodden Kingdom, which named its towns after the ruling noble family. This kingdom chose town and village names based on certain landmarks. In the distance, he could see the largest mountain in the range, its peak curling like an ocean wave—an unusual sight not found on Earth. That, along with the multiple moons and suns he saw in his first days here. He glanced upwards and spotted three moons and two suns in the sky. He was still getting used to such a sight.

As he pondered, it was finally their turn to be inspected by the guards. Not only were the walls far superior to those of Roriksten, but the guards were also much better equipped, and Vulcan could tell their strength far surpassed that of Roriksten's guards as well. "Evening, adventurers. Names and badges, please. Any weapons you have, place them on the table," ordered a guard with rugged good looks. They complied, placing their weapons on the table and undergoing the usual pat-down. The guard expressed mild surprise when he saw that Jess was of a much higher rank than the rest but refrained from asking why and allowed them to pass through without further inquiry.

"Welcome to Krestfall," he said as he let them through and continued with the next people in line. Walking down the main road was an experience in itself. Shops of various varieties lined both sides, and when they arrived at some sort of open courtyard, it was filled with small vendors offering different kinds of street foods and fruits. Vulcan recognized some fruits but was unfamiliar with others. Jess stopped at a fruit vendor stall and ordered a fruit that resembled a mango but was bright red. She joined him after receiving the fruit on a stick.

"I've missed these so much. You can only get them here," she said while biting into it. "What is it called? I've never seen anything like it before. It's kind of like a mango," Vulcan asked. Jess raised her eyebrows. "A mango? I don't know what that is either, but this is called a 'Wito.' It only grows every beginning of the year, and it is the sweetest thing," Jess said before devouring the fruit in seconds. Her satisfied expression revealed her happiness.

As they continued walking, they heard a loud horn sound in the air. Vulcan watched as a large vessel made of wood and metal, shaped like a long boat without sails, descended on the left side of town where the smoke emanated. "You've never seen an airship before?" Jess asked, noticing Vulcan's fascination. "No, but I didn't think this kingdom had such technology for one," Vulcan replied as the vessel finally landed and was obscured from view by the buildings.

Jess chuckled. "Yeah, Harrien is far more advanced in that regard than other kingdoms. But from what I hear, they only have a few of them due to the resources required to produce one. I thought you might have had some when you first showed me the bikes," she said, a hint of disappointment in her tone. Vulcan caught on. "It's not out of the realm of possibilities. Let's go," he said, surprising her. Airships were already marvels of technology; if Vulcan could acquire one, it would elevate him to the level of some of the top kingdoms in the continent.