Chapter 1037 (1/2)

Randidly scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Tatiana was glaring daggers at him across the scattered papers that she had been sifting through when he walked into her office. “I must have misheard you. Because I almost thought for a second that you just told me that this city, Kharon, has no controls. That it moves on its own volition. But that’s impossible. Because you’ve seen the reports; you understand the logistical nightmare I’m wading through. You wouldn’t do something like this to me.”

“It’s not so bad as you think; it will not simply start and stop without any warning. It will use the Moss Golems to communicate its direction prior to any movement. And you have a fair amount of the moss spirits clinging to you, so you should be one of the first ones to know,” Randidly explained patiently. Not that he had intended for the Levelable Engraving he created to control the movement of Kharon, but when it had happened it made a certain amount of sense. Although the energy stemmed from the engine core, every leg was covered with the Engraving.

Those were the heart and soul of the movement. And the focus of the Skill within the Engraving.

“Trust it, Kharon will know better than even you when to move on to the next area,” Randidly added when Tatiana seemed to be completely unconvinced. For whatever reason, that didn’t seem to help her grim scowl at all. He cast his mind back to the notification he received when he had finished the Engraving.

Congratulations! You have created a great wonder! Kharon, the Bridge to Impossibility, has become a locus for images!

Kharon, the Bridge to Impossibility (Locus): A moving city created by Randidly Ghosthound’s yearning to protect a world from inevitability and Wendy’s genius innovations. While in the city, all residents will experience a small increase in Health Regeneration and Skill Level growth. If the city is attacked, defenders will experience +1000 Health. Protection of the Moss Spirits IV. Instinct of the Verdant Artery (Levelable).

Protection of the Moss Spirits IV: Due to the heavy influence of the World Tree’s image on the city, Kharon has become home to numerous Moss Spirits that will obey the will of the city. Can condense multiple Moss Golems with Stats equal to four hundred. As Kharon proceeds further down the Verdant Artery, the golems may grow more powerful.

Instinct of the Verdant Artery (Ru)(Levelable) Lvl 1: A powerful Skill that connects the will of the city to an natural instinct regarding threats and opportunities. By observing the flow of energies in the surrounding area, Kharon is able to approximate the correct route forward. The instinct is especially sensitive toward forces of the natural world. Effect grows with Skill Level. Range grows with Skill Level. Bonuses applied to Protection of the Moss Spirits grow with Skill Level.

Warning! As Kharon, the Bridge to Impossibility, is a locus of meaning, the spirit held within the city may begin to change the effects of the Skill as the image develops.

Currently, Kharon had lowered itself onto its thousands of miniature legs and was rumbling West by Southwest across the grasslands toward some of the revealed areas North of the new Zone. With the larger legs folded beneath it into a small recess, their speed was slightly reduced but also they didn’t leave large gashes in the ground that anyone with a single eye could follow.

In addition, Randidly had covered the miniature legs with stabilizing and gravity reduction Engravings to make signs of their passage relatively nonexistent. Well, only nonexistent when there isn’t any brush taller than a bush for us to steamroll… but luckily the vegetation here is pretty short. We should be able to disappear to the West.

“And if we are halfway through harvesting a mineral deposit when it decides it is time to move? Or the Order Ducis is still out clearing monsters in the surrounding area?” Tatiana asked sharply. “Is there any way to delay the departure until we’ve made sufficient preparations?”

“If those things happened, it means that Kharon knows moving is more important than remaining in that spot. Trust it, Tatiana.” Randidly shrugged. Then, rather than speaking aloud, Randidly sent Tatiana a message. Remember that the spirit of the city is growing and shaping itself as we speak. Think of it as a child. I know it is frustrating now that you don’t have any control over it, but your image of it moving forward will shape how it acts. Please keep that in mind.

From Tatiana’s bitter expression, it wasn’t an easy thing for her. But she nodded shortly and said aloud. “So… we will receive notice before it happens?”

“I believe so, yes.” Randidly chuckled.

After finishing a few more small matters that he had to arrange, Randidly stroud out into the sunlit street in front of the Erickson Steel headquarters and grinned up at the sun. For all that Tatiana didn’t take the news well, Randidly felt a tingling sense of anticipation. He had done it, the moving city was moving. Just that accomplishment alone was worthy of celebration.

Then he checked his Absolute Timing Skill. Four hours until the Judgment comes, huh…

Even with Randidly’s crazy drive toward training and pushing his limits, Randidly understood that it would be difficult to accomplish anything meaningful in four hours. So rather than training, Randidly simply produced a cloak a pulled up a hood to cover his face. Randidly considered wearing boots to hide his other distinguishing feature, but his toes flexed in aggravation at even the thought of being hemmed in.

So a cloaked Randidly shrugged and began to wander through Kharon. He had considered a party as a celebration, but he much preferred a return to anonymity. With wide-open eyes, he slipped into people’s lives and observed.

He saw two men haggling over the price of raw chicken as one pointed out that “now that they were mobile, who knew when the next batch of meat would come in”.