Chapter 1461: Chapter 1459: The Gold Master’s Invitation
[Gold Lord]
The Supreme Commander of the Steam Knights, who single-handedly controls the economic lifeline of the Holy City,
and also serves as the designer and creator of Steam City, elevating the city’s steam technology to entirely new heights through his own efforts.
Due to the Gold Lord’s unique status, he has the privilege to attend various meetings via his substitute, while his actual body always remains in the [Treasury].
Even among the Steam Knights’ members, more than 80% have never seen the Gold Lord’s true form.
The mechanical surrogate that appeared during the Knight Assembly and extended an olive branch to Han Dong was merely one of the Gold Lord’s substitutes.
“Is the Gold Lord here today?”
“With the return of the Expeditionary Army, the [Great Reformation] is nearing its conclusion. Certain decisions require the Gold Lord to handle personally.
Currently, the Gold Lord is discussing ‘Dark Side Construction’ with the returning Great Demon, Death God, the Night Watch Leader Curran, and the Shadowless Jack Mason.
The meeting should be ending soon; just wait a little while.”
Led by Mr. Newton, they headed toward the intersection of the Holy Ring and the Steam Pillar.
“Is the conference room not within the Holy Ring?”
“The Holy Ring primarily oversees, drives, and integrates the overall operations of the Holy City.
The conference room reserved for leaders is located atop the Steam Pillar, within [a compartment of the Treasury], nearest to the Gold Lord’s living quarters for his convenience.”
“The Treasury?”
“That’s the Gold Lord’s residence. He’s not left it in decades.
It’s natural you haven’t been there, as even within the Knight Regiment, only personnel at or above Soldier Level are allowed to submit Treasury access applications. Entry still requires the Gold Lord’s personal approval.
The Treasury houses the precious treasures amassed since the founding of the Holy City, along with characteristic gold brought out from different Fate Spaces.
To the Gold Lord, treasures are everything.
Whether it’s basic necessities like food, clothing, housing, and transportation, or indulgences of the material and spiritual kind—it’s all inseparable from wealth.
When we head up, this token should make a good meeting gift. It’ll likely please the Gold Lord.”
Saying this,
Mr. Newton retrieved a darkly luminous golden coin from his chest pocket.
“Thank you, Mr. Newton.”
Via the internal lift of the Steam Pillar, they ascended to the top, a privilege only Mr. Newton, as the Deputy Leader, could directly activate.
As the elevator doors opened, they happened to encounter a group of leaders exiting the meeting.
Aside from the unfamiliar WindRider Knights’ Shadowless Jack Mason, the others were old acquaintances.
The Great Demon fixed his gaze on the two figures before him and asked out of concern for Han Dong:
“Newton, why are you bringing Nicholas here?”
“Nicholas has been quietly supporting our Steam Knights with biological technology. This recent [Reform Plan] affecting the civilian district largely stemmed from Nicholas’s technical assistance.
At present, there’s an important technical discussion that necessitates direct communication between Nicholas and the Gold Lord.”
“No funny business.”
“The Great Demon Leader indeed seems to distrust us… Let me remind you, Nicholas single-handedly executed a Mythic Body from a Foreign Domain during the Big Expedition. Even if I had plans, I wouldn’t dare implement them.”
Mr. Newton wrapped an arm around Han Dong’s shoulder and proceeded toward the Treasury.
The Great Demon discreetly left traces of Nether Essence on Han Dong, ready to intervene personally should anything go awry.
The events of the Big Expedition, coupled with private conversations with Dumps, had given him a clear understanding that “Han Dong” would undoubtedly be a pivotal figure in transforming the world, irreplaceable.
…
The solid gold Treasury doors towered six meters high.
Mr. Newton activated his Deputy Leader’s door-opening protocol, unique decoding stripes appearing along his arms as he pressed them against the door surface.
The stripes resonated with the door, prompting successive mechanical unlocking sounds from inside.
Finally, brute force was used to push the doors inward.
During this, Newton’s arms swelled with exaggerated muscle patterns, faintly revealing fine gear structures woven within his physique.
Seeing this, Han Dong recalled the rumors he’d once heard about the “Wise Men of the Holy City.”
These so-called ‘Wise Men’ were scattered across various districts of the Holy City, with the most renowned being Black White and Newton, whose traits were distinctly opposite.
Black White leaned toward shadowy subtlety and mystery, often solving problems within the confines of the Astrology Room.
Newton leaned toward raw power, earning the title ‘Physicist Wise Man.’ When faced with troublesome issues, he resorted to militant physical methods of resolution.
As Newton fully pushed open the Treasury doors,
the light emanating from the accumulated treasures momentarily blinded Han Dong.
Once his vision adjusted, the scene before him left him struggling for suitable words to describe.
‘Gold and Silver Mountain’ wouldn’t suffice to encapsulate this level of opulence; even the floor was composed of coins from varied eras and worlds, and treasures were scattered everywhere.
Moreover, Han Dong sensed that each coin and gem seemed imbued with a faint semblance of life.
“Be careful! All these treasures are tagged by the Gold Lord; if you touch them with inappropriate intentions, liquid gold will mark your body… and that’ll cause a lot of trouble.”
“Mm, I have no such intentions—this ability is simply fascinating.”
“The Gold Lord is truly unrivaled. Theoretically speaking, the greater the wealth he accrues, the stronger he becomes, with no apparent upper limit… Within the bounds of the Treasury, few in the Holy City could challenge him.
Follow me. Let’s not keep the old man waiting.”
Following Newton through the tangled corridors of the Treasury, they arrived at the conference room.
At his first glimpse of the Gold Lord’s true form, Han Dong immediately understood several things.
Why the Gold Lord was granted special privileges in meetings,
Why the conference room was built within his Treasury quarters,
The conference room spanned nearly 300 square meters and five meters in height.
An enormous being entirely draped in golden pendants ‘piled’ within, occupying roughly 1/4 of the space and almost touching the ceiling… it was the Gold Lord himself.
Utterly bloated, resembling a giant mound of sentient fat.
Clink clink clink~
Coins continuously poured from his facial features or navel every second, accompanied by faintly rhythmic mechanical piston sounds from within.
“Greetings, Gold Lord!”
Han Dong promptly offered the gold coin as a gift.
As the coin was exposed before the Gold Lord, it resonated and was instantly absorbed into his mouth.
After chewing, he swallowed it down.
A decrepit voice squeezed out from the depths of his fat: “Mm… quite a fine foreign coin. So, you’re the [Key Figure] Newton spoke of, Valen Nicholas.
This meeting is for forging a deeper partnership with you.
I’ll get straight to the point.
I hope you will simultaneously join the [Steam Knights] as the Technical Director and lead in biological steam engineering.
In return, all our internal technologies will be made available to you, and relevant engineers will be under your command, even to renovate your estate beyond city bounds.
Additionally, vast wealth, materials, and diverse energy sources will be at your disposal.
You’ll also gain the same conference privileges as the other leaders, participating in key meetings shaping the Holy City’s future with voting rights.”
Such a tempting offer would be hard to refuse for anyone. The younger Han Dong, once confined within the Holy City, might have accepted it on the spot.
Yet,
Han Dong was no longer the naïve youth tethered to the Holy City. His body and soul had long intertwined with the world beyond the city’s borders.
“Gold Lord, I must respectfully decline!”