Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Mechanical Witch: Fox Girl

However, the train was about to pull into the station, and the Legend had already taken hold. What was done was done; there was nothing he could do.

Still, Lance was frantically sending messages to Bazzer in White River City through the Red Dragon Ring’s bronze communication network.

All he could do now was pray that he could still stop the collaboration on those Alchemy Toys.

The moment he saw the Legend begin to spread, Lance had already guessed who the culprits were. It had to be the Foreigners.

After all, the accounts of his deeds that he had recently sent to Bazzer were all automatically reviewed by the Foreigners.

He also remembered that ability that increased the speed of dissemination. He figured it was this ability’s fault that the stories he published in *Midnight Rose* had become so distorted and had blown up to such a ridiculous degree in such a short time.

That would also explain why, in just a single month, a merchant guild had come knocking, asking for a co-branded product line.

He couldn’t be bothered with how freakishly fast the Foreigners spread information right now. His only hope was to stop the Alchemy Toys collaboration before the merchant guild began mass production. Otherwise, he might just die from embarrassment.

Just thinking about it made Lance’s toes curl so hard he felt he could tear right through the floor of the train.

’I can’t become a Legendary Powerhouse decades from now only to have some bored historian dig up this embarrassing past, can I?’

He couldn’t bear the thought of his statue standing in the Royal Capital one day, only for people to point at it and say:

"Look, that’s the invincible Lord Lance. I hear that when he was young, he even endorsed Alchemy Toys. Not only that, but rumor has it he even gave live demonstrations on how to use them."

Just imagining such a ruinous scene made the corners of Lance’s mouth twitch uncontrollably.

He hoped he could stop it, but many days had already passed since he had agreed to the collaboration. And when he thought about that increased dissemination speed...

’Damn it!’

Lance was already slamming a fist on a table in his mind.

He had a sinking feeling that contacting Bazzer now would be too late. The production molds for the first batch of co-branded products had probably already been manufactured overnight.

"Sigh."

Lance let out a sigh.

Accompanied by his helpless sigh, the Magic Energy Steam Train finally pulled into Ostrara’s passenger station with a long, melodious whistle.

As soon as the doors opened, Necros took the lead.

The culture and atmosphere of the East Coast Province were completely different from those of White River Province.

As a major trade hub with an open and inclusive atmosphere, all sorts of Sub-human Species could be seen walking the streets.

The environment here was a stark contrast to White River Province, where one couldn’t find a single trace of canine Sub-human Species. The level of racial tolerance here was extremely high.

As a result, Ella no longer had to use her cloak to hide her tail and ears.

Before awakening her bloodline powers, Ella had been indistinguishable from any other member of the Werewolf Species.

Today, the Wolf Girl wore a white cotton tank top paired with brown shorts.

The light, summery outfit fully showcased the wild beauty and toned figure characteristic of the Werewolf Species.

However, the passenger station was enormous, and all sorts of travelers milled about. Faced with such a strange and crowded environment, Ella felt instinctively wary.

Her tail drooped uneasily behind her, and she subconsciously pressed closer to Lance.

But because she was so close, and her tank top was quite thin, Lance could clearly feel the surprising softness and bounce of her body against his arm as they navigated the crowd.

After paying the steep City Entry Tax of one Silver Coin at the station, they made their way to Necros’s house.

This was part of their plan.

After all, according to the Kingdom’s current laws, the Northern Territory was in a state of turmoil, so legal merchant ships were forbidden from traveling there. If they wanted to get Ella home, their only option was to take a smuggler’s ship.

And since they were dealing with smugglers, the sailing schedules were never fixed; there certainly wouldn’t be a ship every day.

So, Lance planned to have Ella stay at the old guild president’s home for a while. They would first inquire about the situation and sailing times before making any further decisions.

Necros’s house here was located at 42 Hai Feng Street in the Sunset Coast District of the city’s Fifth Ring.

According to what the old guild president mentioned in a casual chat on the train, after he had distinguished himself with his relief efforts during the great Demon Tide...

...the current ruler of the East Coast Province, the Blue Dragon Duke, had wanted to grant him a manor in the Second Ring Line as a reward, but he had refused.

He had only asked for a two-story red brick house facing the sea to use as a local residence.

Lance now followed the old guild president out of the station.

To Lance’s great surprise, this City of Trade had already developed a public transit system akin to a light rail!

After spending fifteen Copper Coins on three tickets, the group boarded the city light rail that ran between the Third and Seventh Rings.

Sitting by the window, Lance carefully observed the city.

If Gray Rock Town was still in the early industrialization period of Europe, and White River Province was at the stage of the First Industrial Revolution—albeit with modern conveniences in certain fields of Alchemy...

...then the city of Ostrara before him was a place mostly in its Second Industrial Revolution, but with certain applications of Magical Engineering that had given rise to products surpassing the technology of his past life.

Lance could even see a housewife on the balcony of a nearby high-rise apartment operating a small, domestic Alchemy Equipment to rapidly dry her washed bedsheets.

This alone showed how advanced the application of Alchemy was in this city.

However, just as the light rail passed a station on the Fourth Ring Line, accompanied by the HISS of the air brakes, Lance suddenly noticed a large group of young people in matching school uniforms flooding aboard.

In an instant, his gaze was captured by a Sub-human girl among them.

It wasn’t that she was the most beautiful person in the group, but that she was a Fox Girl!

She wore a dark, short cape over a ruffled blouse and a pleated miniskirt, complete with over-the-knee socks, giving her a very youthful and vibrant look.

Furthermore, between the hem of her skirt and the top of her socks, she wore a garter strap from which several small pieces of Alchemy Equipment were clearly hanging.

The Fox Girl’s tail rested quietly by her leg. She didn’t have the cunning Lance associated with the Fox Species; instead, she seemed reserved and shy.

The Fox Girl’s Perception Attribute was clearly quite high, as she soon noticed Lance’s stare.

However, she only glanced at him for a moment before looking away, not daring to meet his gaze as she nervously clutched the hem of her skirt.

The longer Lance stared, the redder her face became.

’Why is he still looking at me?’

Meanwhile, beside Lance, Ella, who had been kneeling on her seat to look out the window, also noticed his stare.

For some reason, seeing Lance staring so intently at another girl annoyed her. She whipped her tail right into his face, snapping him out of his reverie.

Just then, the train car stopped. The Fox Girl, perhaps unable to bear Lance’s stare any longer, hastily disembarked.

Lance glanced at the name of the stop where she got off.

The Seventh Ring Line.

"Hmph. She’s already gone, and you’re still looking."

Ella said, annoyed.

Necros watched the interaction between Ella and Lance and chuckled. "Judging by their uniforms, they must be students from Wanxiang Truth Academy."

That school is very famous in Ostrara. It’s an academy that specializes in training Alchemists, focusing on Material Alchemy and Magical Engineering.

The status of Alchemists in Ostrara is quite high.

Lance just smiled, offering no explanation.

He hadn’t actually been captivated by the Fox Girl’s beauty. Rather, the moment he saw her, his panel had suddenly updated.

[Illustrated Guide: Sub-human Species · Witch (Nightmare, Mechanical)]

[Current Research Progress: Level 1 (575/10,000)]

The last time he had ’partied up’ with Yvette in the real world, he had been stunned.

The difficulty of researching Witches was astounding, which suggested they were a very special category among the Sub-human Species.

This time, he had been staring because he saw that the Fox Girl was also a Witch.

’Does this mean if I research her, I can advance my Research Progress for two Sub-human Species at once?’

A flicker of curiosity sparked within Lance, but he quickly reined in his thoughts. After all, in a city this big, it wasn’t as if he could run into her again just by wanting to.

The light rail was incredibly fast, giving Lance an even more direct appreciation for the city’s Magical Engineering.

In less than half an hour, Necros had led them to their destination.

It was a small red brick house facing the sea, complete with a sizable garden.

However, because it had been uninhabited for years, the plants had grown wild and unruly, with weeds even creeping over the small, stone-paved path.

As Necros entered the garden and squatted down to retrieve something from a crack in the stone, his body swayed, and he nearly fell over.

Lance, walking beside him, reacted quickly, his hand immediately steadying the old guild president’s arm.

"Thank you."

Necros used the support from Lance’s arm to regain his balance.

In that instant, Lance felt the withered muscles beneath the man’s sleeve.

He felt it keenly then: the old guild president before him had truly aged. He was no longer the powerhouse who could single-handedly hold back a Demon Tide of thousands during an Underground City stampede.

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