After the golem’s warning, the Regressor instinctively sprang out and stood atop the Cataphract, activating his Seven-Colored Eyes. With the sixth pupil, Ram'an (藍眼)—which allows him to see into the distance—he scanned the ridge and muttered,

“…I don’t see anything.”

Indeed, there wasn’t a trace of the enemy’s shadow anywhere along the Cataphract’s route. The communications golem, Dizzy, answered this unspoken question.

[They haven’t arrived yet, I believe!]

“I know. There’s nothing visible. Even with my own eyes, I don’t see anything, so what are we supposed to be preparing for? Besides, how did you know there would be an ambush?”

[We received a warning from another communications officer! An attack is expected to happen soon!]

The Regressor didn’t doubt the report for a second. That’s the strength of the communication network: complete transparency, leaving no room for suspicion. The golem, still gripping the steering wheel, muttered quietly.

[However, this warning came a bit too early by engagement protocols. According to the warning, they should’ve already shown up. Like with the bridge earlier, they seem incapable of accurately calculating their arrival times. Avi must really be terrible at driving.]

It even muttered complaints about Avi. Could this emotional response in the transmission be an influence from Avi?

No, it likely had the capacity for this all along, but it just hadn’t come out until now. Either way, it was a positive sign, so I responded casually.

“Well, mistakes can happen.”

[Why mistakes would happen with something this simple… It’s difficult, but I’ll try to understand…. Wait, alert received! They’re coming!]

The Regressor spotted them too. A cloud of brown dust rose from beyond the ridge, growing denser.

We didn’t have to wait long. First came the sound of hoofbeats pounding the ground, followed by a shout.

“Yahaa—! Found them!”

Their appearance was quite unique.

Every one of them wore clothes patched together in a chaotic fashion, with no sense of design or pattern. It was clear they’d added or mended pieces as needed over time, resulting in a complete lack of uniformity.

They shared only one trait: all of them were mounted on something.

“I told you! The supply convoy would be coming! All we had to do was wait and snatch it for a big score!”

A man riding a large two-wheeled vehicle shouted excitedly. The vehicle seemed unstable with just one wheel in front and one behind, but he skillfully maintained his balance with long steel rods extending sideways as he sped forward.

Behind him, a man spurred his horse, following closely.

“Look at all that wealth, just gift-wrapped and waiting! All we have to do is pick it up!”

“No need to add wheels! It’s already got big ones!”

“Hahaha! How much is all that worth? Just picking up pennies here and there is meaningless—go for the big one!”

“If I had been just a bit quicker, I’d be riding it myself!”

The Cataphract I was in was a strategic weapon of the military nation—a steel fortress weighing tens of tons. Whether they could capture it was one thing, but I doubted they could even carry it back. Not that it mattered to them.

After all, the weight itself was exactly what they wanted.

In the Alchemical Nations, the concept of “money” works a little differently.

Blessed by a king descended from five warlords, Gold Nation (金國) was once a country of unparalleled metallurgy and technology—until it was brought to ruin by a single human.

That human was Damo of the Golden Realm, a genius known as the “Monster of Insight.”

An absolute ruler who devastated Gold Nation and plunged the continent into chaos using gold itself.

Under the rule of the Golden Realm, gold lost its value in the Alchemical Nations. The proverb “View gold as mere stone” became common wisdom in the region—not as a moral lesson, but as a literal economic fact.

Because of this, the Alchemical Nations developed a unique economic system.

“That’s high-grade alchemical steel. Looks like it’s over tens of tons at least! That’s enough to live off for life!”

The people of the Alchemical Nations measure wealth by weight, unless the material is something exceedingly rare. Moving large amounts of weight is essential, turning the Alchemical Nations into a vast nomadic state.

Even though it’s the land of alchemy, alchemical goods lose their shine here, because the Golden Realm can even produce alchemical costs.

“Ugh. They’re really charging at us greedily, those Wolves…”

Despite their various mounts, every one of the Wolves raced toward us without a hint of hesitation, greed blazing in their eyes. The Cataphract wasn’t slow, but it wasn’t fast enough to outrun a pack of hungry wolves. I asked,

“What are you going to do? Are you going to let them get this close?”

The Regressor answered nonchalantly.

“Well, let them come for now. We need information.”

“Information? Those guys are stragglers sent deep into the military nation’s territory for rear disruptions. It’s unlikely they have any worthwhile information. Why don’t we just deal with them?”

“Then where will we get the intel?”

“Shay, did you forget what’s piloting this Cataphract? It’s a communications golem. How long are you going to keep relying on such primitive methods for gathering information? Let’s use something a bit more sophisticated.”

Agreeing, the Regressor drew Cheonaeng, pointing it at the enemies speeding toward us. On top of the Cataphract moving at full speed, the wind that had been blowing past us suddenly began to pull toward Cheonaeng, intensifying.

“Heavenly Sword Technique, Sail.”

With that, the Regressor thrust Cheonaeng forward. A vague distortion extended from the thrust’s trajectory, more like a rippling in space than an arrow or bullet. The distortion stretched toward the lead Wolf, who was abruptly pulled into the air as if snagged on a hook and then crashed to the ground.

The two-wheeled vehicle he had been riding toppled, its rider gone. The man, now fused with his vehicle, rolled across the ground.

The rest of the Wolves, charging close behind, collided with the obstruction, and one rider, startled, shouted out.

“Did anyone see that?”

“No, I didn’t!”

People who overestimate themselves never trust or acknowledge what they can’t see. If they had been ordinary fools, they might have thought he’d merely slipped and would have kept charging.

But the Wolves of the Alchemical Nations are different. Ambushes are their way of life, and they instantly sensed the level of danger in their opponent.

“No one saw the attack from this distance? That’s a monster!”

“He’s no mere underling!”

“Retreat!”

The Wolves immediately turned their mounts around. Wheels skidded across the dirt, horses reared, and they scrambled to flee the moment they sensed their opponent’s strength.

“Ah, wait! I need to grab this too!”

One of the last Wolves even took the time to grab his fallen comrade, tying him up with chains and dragging him away. Whether that counted as “saving” him was debatable, but they sped off, leaving the massive Cataphract behind.

Tir watched them retreat and murmured,

“They do not abandon their comrades. For all their appearance, there is a sense of camaraderie.”

“Camaraderie? Hardly. They’re probably hoping he’s dead,” I replied.

“And why would that be?”

“If he’s dead, they can sell him. Otherwise, he might run away on his own.”

The reason they collected their fallen comrade was the same as their reason for targeting the Cataphract—it was valuable, especially as a vehicle. The fact that it was one of their own didn’t change the weight on the scales.

“They’re all mounted like bandits… Now I see why the flowing earth can serve as a moat to keep them at bay.”

I nodded at Tir’s observation.

“Exactly. They raid, steal, and flee with their spoils. The Meta Conveyor Belt is a significant obstacle for them. Crossing it would require some pretty dangerous acrobatics, while the military nation can use it to move their forces swiftly.”

“Bandits obsessed with plunder… Quite the troublesome neighbors.”

“Yes. On a national level, their raiding parties are merely nuisances, but for rear disruptions, a mere nuisance is enough.”

In any case, the Alchemical Nations’ first assault had ended anticlimactically. With the Wolves’ raiding party outmatched, they were no serious threat.

Moreover, the Regressor’s Cheonaeng was versatile, able to cover both medium and long ranges, capable of wiping out the Wolves without them even seeing the attack.

Hilde, however, sighed at the sight of the retreating bandits.

“This is troublesome~. It hasn’t even been that long since the war started, and they’re already coming down here and snooping around? If they’re able to avoid crossing the Meta Conveyor Belt, some cities have probably already been plundered.”

Although her words were more like a mutter to herself, one term in her statement caught the Regressor’s attention. He asked,

“You mean the war has already started?”

Hilde replied as casually as if discussing her snack from last night.

“Yep~! Well, it’s more of a battle than a full-blown war, but it’s definitely begun!”

“When? How? Just a little while ago, the military nation’s forces were still on the Meta Conveyor Belt.”

“Aren’t you underestimating the military nation? Even if it’s vast, the system allows them to mobilize troops to the Abyss Plains in less than two days.”

“Yeah, just two days. But how could a war start that quickly?”

When I met with Uel, I was informed that sporadic skirmishes had already broken out. Since then, a day has passed, so it wouldn’t be surprising if war had erupted by now.

But for the Regressor, this was entirely new information.

“A war isn’t a children’s game—it’s a serious affair that decides the fate of a nation! How could a war break out so soon after the Abyss vanished?”

Logically, he was right.

But Regressor, you know, don’t you? Both the military nation and the Alchemical Nations are beyond conventional logic.

“The military nation wasn’t the only one to send forces to the Abyss Plains~.”

“What?”

“There’s always the option of asking the communications officer, but since they’re busy driving, I’ll explain for you. Ahem, listen carefully.”

Clearing her throat, Hilde prepared to deliver a lengthy explanation. Like an actor readying herself for a monologue, she steadied her breath and began to tell the heaviest of stories in the lightest of tones.

“When the vanguard reached the Abyss Plains, the Alchemical Nations were already attempting to seize Tantalos!”