Chapter 131: The Well of Machinery (2/2)
Martha and Darwin were the ones floating in mid-air aboard a small aircraft, waving at Lynn in greeting.
As soon as Martha saw Lynn arriving, she raised an eyebrow and teased,
"You came, but why bring a 'gift'…? I don't use real human servants, and Darwin isn't at the age to play with women… What should we do with them?"
Martha's eyes widened as she noticed the maids behind Lynn.
Lynn chuckled softly and replied, "These aren't gifts for you. These are the 'criminal evidence' I brought along."
He paid no heed to the gazes of others and spoke directly to Martha in a calm, indifferent voice.
Hearing this, both Bethany and the four maids had different reactions in their hearts.
A trace of pity flickered through Bethany's eyes an emotion akin to "the fox mourning before the rabbit has died."
Meanwhile, the four maids' expressions drastically changed. They realized that Lord Lynn had already discovered their actions, and now it was time to settle the score.
Running away wasn't an option. Forget the fact that they were on the fifth level even if they were only on the third, trying to escape would mean certain death.
"Lord Lynn, I was forced! Someone threatened me to do this!"
"Yes, Lord Lynn, we were truly coerced!"
The four maids immediately started pleading, desperately trying to absolve themselves.
However, Lynn had no time to listen to their cries.
If not for the fact that he wanted to present these witnesses to Darwin and Martha, he would have simply slapped them to death back on the third level.
At this moment, Lynn directly cast Mind Daze, unleashing a powerful surge of mental energy that instantly knocked the four maids unconscious.
"What's going on? Did someone do something to you?"
Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Martha's playful demeanor vanished, and her expression darkened.
…
Martha's residence was also a three-story villa, but unlike the place Lynn had rented before, this one was a gift from the City of Machines.
Becoming a citizen of the City of Machines meant enjoying an array of extraordinary benefits, and a private residence was one of them.
For a mechanical wizard-like Martha, her home was naturally aligned with her field of expertise.
Although she had joked with Lynn earlier about not needing servants, the reality was exactly as she had claimed.
There were almost no traditional servants in her villa.
Instead, various robots, alchemical constructs, and puppets silently carried out household chores.
At this moment, the group was gathered in Martha's hall.
Cold lights flickered across the walls, and several small floating drones patrolled the air, sorting through Martha's documents.
In the center of the hall, an exquisitely crafted alchemical puppet was leisurely pouring her tea.
However, the atmosphere was no longer one of joyful reunion it was heavy and solemn.
Lynn placed the four maids, the mechanical bird, and the vial of poisoned blood on the table before concisely recounting the events of the past few days to Darwin and Martha.
"Here are the witnesses and the evidence. I brought them all."
Lynn's fingers lightly brushed across the tabletop, pointing at the evidence.
"From their memories, all I could extract was the poisoning scene. There were no other clues."
He paused, shifting his gaze toward Martha and Darwin. It was clear that finding a lead in these seemingly straightforward pieces of evidence would be difficult.
Martha and Lynn were both official wizards there was almost nothing the maids could hide from them.
Even if the maids had still been conscious, they wouldn't have been able to resist a soul-searching spell.
"That person is very cautious," Lynn said gravely.
"He hid extremely well not only did he never reveal himself, but even his interactions with Bethany were carried out through subtle suggestions rather than direct communication."
Lynn briefly explained Bethany's involvement to Martha and Darwin.
Hearing this, both of them turned their gazes toward Bethany with newfound curiosity.
She had been standing quietly by Lynn's side, her fair hands gently massaging his shoulders, exuding an air of serene composure.
But in reality, this obedient elf maid had made an incredibly wise decision at a critical moment.
"That's quite rare…"
Martha sighed. Having just read through the maids' memories, she was fully aware of the temptations the mastermind had planted.
What seemed like a simple, airheaded maid had instead demonstrated remarkable loyalty by informing Lynn of everything.
"But Lynn, you can rest assured no matter how well-hidden that person is, they won't escape the City of Machines' investigation! Darwin and I will report this. Anyone who dares to make a move within the City of Machines is simply courting death!"
Martha patted her chest, speaking with firm conviction, promising to help Lynn handle the matter.
However, just as she finished speaking, Darwin, who had been silently examining the mechanical bird, suddenly coughed twice, breaking the silence.
His voice was low and steady. "I believe I've found the person who targeted you, Lynn… But we can't do anything to him right now."
As soon as these words fell, both Lynn and Martha turned to him at the same time, their eyes locking onto the mechanical bird in his hands.
With a slight movement of his fingers, Darwin effortlessly disassembled the lifelike mechanical bird into a pile of scattered parts.
What was once an animated bird was now a lifeless heap, its components strewn across the table like the remains of a deceased creature.
Darwin's slender fingers picked up a few key parts and casually displayed them to Lynn and Martha.
"The techniques used in these key components only our teacher possesses them. Therefore, the culprit must be one of his students."
Though Darwin was usually lighthearted and playful, often appearing unserious, his tone at this moment was exceptionally grave.
"You mean the one behind this is a student of the Warhammer Master?"
Lynn's voice remained calm, and his expression didn't change, but his gaze became piercingly sharp.
A surge of killing intent formed in his heart as he immediately marked this person as an enemy.
It didn't matter who backed him even if they were in the City of Machines, and even if the Warhammer Master was one of its most powerful figures Lynn had already placed this student on his hit list.
Even if he couldn't act now, once he became stronger, that person would not escape.
Martha frowned slightly, her expression complex. "I suspect it was Marco."
She proceeded to explain to Lynn that the Warhammer Master had three students, including Darwin.
The eldest was already a Third-Level Grand Wizard, pursuing the path of a Morning Star Wizard, and was unlikely to have made a move against Lynn.
That left only two possibilities: Darwin and Marco. Based on Darwin's findings, Marco was the most likely suspect.
Lynn furrowed his brows. "But I don't even know Marco."
"I've never met him. Why would he see me as an enemy?"
However, Darwin and Martha exchanged a glance, as if they had already reached a mutual understanding. There was an unspoken agreement in their eyes.
"This matter… we need to start from the beginning," Martha said slowly, her voice steady.
Lynn looked at her in confusion and nodded. "Go ahead."
"Do you remember when we came looking for you a while ago?" Martha asked, her tone tinged with reminiscence.
Lynn nodded. He remembered that incident.
At that time, he was preparing to advance to a full-fledged wizard, so he had been in seclusion almost constantly and had no time to meet visitors.
It was Bethany who had received Martha and Darwin back then; he hadn't even seen the two of them himself.
By the time he emerged from seclusion, they had already left.
Martha let out a soft sigh as if preparing to sort through the past once more:
"The truth is, that day when we came to find you, it was to ask for your help in participating in a project called 'The Well of Machinery'..."
Lynn grew more and more confused as he listened, and upon seeing this, Martha could only exhale deeply and slowly explain everything from the beginning.
As it turned out, after Lynn parted ways with Darwin and Martha that day, he had gone straight to his rented room on the third level to train.
Meanwhile, Darwin and Martha had successfully made their way to the seventh level the highest level of the Mechanical City where they met the legendary master, Warhammer.
It was then that Darwin removed his armor for the first time, which shocked Martha completely, as she only then realized that Darwin was nothing more than an ordinary mortal!
A true mortal in every sense his physique and mental strength were completely average, without the slightest aptitude for wizardry.
Martha had even suspected that if not for the armor shielding him from a full-fledged wizard's radiation, Darwin might have been killed by the energy particles radiating from her own body...
Even Warhammer, the renowned master presiding over the Mechanical City, was astonished that a mere mortal like Darwin could repair his armor.
Then, after conducting some tests, Warhammer confirmed that although Darwin was just an ordinary human, he possessed an incredibly rare talent for mechanics perhaps even surpassing Warhammer himself!
As a result, not only did Warhammer not reject Darwin as his student, but he also took special care of him, showering him with all kinds of resources.
Warhammer outright broke the rules of the Mechanical City to grant Darwin citizenship and publicly announced that Darwin had a high chance of becoming his primary heir.
Naturally, these unexpected developments caused quite a stir among the upper echelons of the Mechanical City.
With Warhammer's favoritism and exceptional treatment of Darwin, he inevitably became a thorn in the side of his two fellow disciples.
The senior sister, already a Third-Level Grand Wizard pursuing the realm of the Morning Star Wizard, had long embarked on her path of cultivation.
To her, Darwin's presence was at most a mild annoyance something to complain about, but not a reason to take any real action against him.
However, the other disciple, the second senior brother Marco, was a different matter entirely.
Despite his age, Marco was only a First-Level Wizard, with disappointingly low wizardry talent. His only advantage lay in his skills in mechanics.
To maintain his status and livelihood, he relied heavily on the resources provided by Warhammer.
But Darwin's sudden rise changed everything, taking away what Marco could have used Warhammer's influence to obtain.
Thus, Marco's resentment toward Darwin only deepened.
"The Well of Machinery" became their first battleground.
Every three months, the Mechanical City held a "Well of Machinery" competition, where participants were ranked based on their mechanical skills. The higher the ranking, the greater the rewards.
To compete and secure a good ranking, participants needed to pair up with a First-Level Wizard.
At that time, Darwin and Martha thought that Lynn, being a First-Level Wizard, was the most suitable choice.
So, they specifically sought him out, hoping he would team up with them.
However, as Lynn now knew, he had been in seclusion at the time and never received the invitation completely unaware of the entire situation.
Now, Lynn finally pieced everything together. He spoke in a calm tone:
"So, Marco found out about me through you and assumed I was the First-Level Wizard you had chosen, which is why he targeted me?"
Martha and Darwin exchanged glances before silently nodding, feeling a pang of guilt toward Lynn.
After all, Lynn had been dragged into this mess entirely by accident it was truly a disaster he never saw coming.
However, Lynn's doubts were still not fully resolved:
"But I still have a question. This is just a competition held every three months. Darwin is a newcomer, so even if he doesn't perform well, it shouldn't be a big deal. Why would Marco take such drastic measures?"
Martha took a deep breath, her gaze turning heavier:
"Master Warhammer will be leaving the Mechanical City for a while. During his absence, if Darwin doesn't meet expectations, others might seize the opportunity to criticize him and undermine his position in Warhammer's eyes. For Marco, this is the perfect chance to weaken Darwin's influence that's what he truly wants."
Martha's voice carried a hint of helplessness. She understood that Marco's actions weren't solely out of personal hatred but were driven by his survival instincts.
Taking away someone's resources was like taking their lifeline; in Marco's eyes, Darwin was an existential threat. If not for the Mechanical City's restrictions, he would probably have tried to kill Darwin outright...
Lynn's eyes turned cold. If not for the damned laws of the Mechanical City, he would have already found a way to get rid of Marco!
Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Lynn had suffered because of this, and there was no way he would let it slide.
However, killing Warhammer's student in the Mechanical City would be no small feat...
Even with all the evidence they had gathered, proving Marco's involvement through legal means would be nearly impossible.
After all, Lynn was just a newly arrived First-Level Wizard, while Marco was an established student of Warhammer. Even if they presented everything, the outcome was predictable…
"Lynn, don't worry. There's less than half a month left until the Well of Machinery begins. By then, Marco should realize that we didn't choose you we picked another First-Level Wizard instead…"
However, before Martha could finish her sentence, her gaze landed on Lynn, and her eyes suddenly widened.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at him again, her face instantly filled with shock:
"Wait… Lynn! You… you've become a Second-Level Wizard?!"
Martha could hardly believe it, her voice brimming with astonishment and envy.
Previously, they had been too focused on discussing Marco to pay close attention.
It wasn't until she mentioned First-Level Wizards that she noticed the two layers of energy radiation surrounding Lynn.
That was the unmistakable hallmark of a Second-Level Wizard!
Her heart pounded in shock, and she whispered in awe.
A Second-Level Wizard could establish their faction in the outside world.
Even within the Mechanical City, Second-Level Wizards were granted privileges one of them being automatic citizenship!
Martha was almost drooling with envy as she exclaimed:
"Lynn, you can apply for citizenship in the Mechanical City! Once you become a citizen, even Marco wouldn't dare to touch you. If anything happens to a citizen, the entire Mechanical City will investigate it to the bitter end!"
"Besides, if you gain citizenship, you might even qualify for the Well of Machinery in half a month…"
Lynn pinched the bridge of his nose, about to explain that he hadn't actually broken through to Second-Level but was instead a Natural Wizard.
However, when he heard about the Well of Machinery, his eyes suddenly sharpened.
Could it be that citizenship alone was enough to qualify for the competition?
If so, then in half a month, he might just have the perfect opportunity to deal with Marco!
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 120+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader