The place turned out to be surprisingly refined. Allen grew so entranced by the music that he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Since the establishment also offered lodging, Allen decided to just stay the night.

[Detected: Host has come into contact with a new art form. Humanity +3%.]

[DSeek: This art form has a slight soothing and stimulating effect on the Sea of Spirit. Long-term exposure may help improve mental agility, but it carries a risk of addiction. It is recommended as a diversion, not an obsession.]

The next morning, Allen walked out of the small pink building feeling refreshed and clear-headed, as if his entire being had been cleansed.

’That music... it’s really potent.’

He followed the bartender’s directions from yesterday and boarded an intra-planar Teleportation Platform. ’Time is limited. I’ll have to explore more when I get the chance. Right now, reporting in is what’s important.’

In a flash of light, he appeared on a grand, wide commercial street.

The Ring City Alliance branch was easy to find. It was the most jarring building on the entire street.

It was a fortress made of black stone and metal, with massive gears and pipes exposed on its exterior. Two rows of guards in exoskeletal armor stood at the entrance, their expressions unreadable beneath cold metal masks.

It looked less like a branch office and more like a military barracks.

Carrying his large bag, Allen walked straight inside.

People were coming and going in the main hall, but it wasn’t as noisy as the street outside. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He walked up to the front desk, where a female staff member sat behind the counter. She wore a crisp uniform, her face devoid of any smile.

"For service, please take a number and wait in line. For commercial inquiries, please consult the public terminal to the side first."

"I’d like to ask about a plane," Allen said.

The woman glanced at him, then lowered her head to continue operating her light screen. "Which plane?"

"The Molten Iron Mountain Range."

The woman’s fingers paused on the light screen.

She looked up again, this time sizing Allen up more seriously.

"Private teleportation channels are not currently open to the public. Military channels require transfer orders issued by the War Department. If you wish to enter through trade channels, you must apply in advance."

Just then, Allen overheard two merchants conversing in hushed tones behind him.

"...Damn it, they’re rushing the orders from the Molten Iron Mountain Range again. The bigwigs on the front line doubled their order for Rune Boards! But they’re only willing to raise the price by five percent."

"Five percent? That’s not bad! They tried to haggle me down on my batch of magical materials! If it weren’t out of respect for His Excellency Mercer, the Lord of Forging Fire, who would even want to do business with those people?"

"Shh... keep your voice down. But speaking of which, His Excellency Mercer’s influence is truly immense. I heard that godforsaken War Plane isn’t even fully conquered, but its annual net profit is already catching up to that of a wealthy mid-tier plane."

"Isn’t that the truth. They get the meat, and we follow along to drink the broth. But even this broth is enough to support our entire families."

Listening in, Allen started to get the picture.

’It seems my mentor, Mercer Iron Star’s, name carries a lot of weight here.’

’The land he gave me is more valuable than I thought, too.’

’Of course, the risks are probably just as great.’

He took the letter Mercer had given him from inside his coat and placed it gently on the counter.

"I’m not here for business."

On the envelope, an intricate seal composed of flames and gears was emitting a faint fluctuation of Magic Power.

The professional coldness on the receptionist’s face vanished in an instant.

She carefully picked up the letter and scanned the seal with a special device.

"BEEP— Identity confirmed: Authorized seal of His Excellency Mercer Iron Star."

The instrument emitted a soft notification tone.

The woman immediately stood up and bowed slightly to Allen. "My apologies, Mr. Weisren. I did not know you were a disciple of His Excellency Mercer."

’So that’s how it is,’ Allen thought.

’My mentor didn’t use a terminal to send a message; he sent a physical letter. It wasn’t for the sake of ceremony; this letter is a pass and proof of identity all in one.’

"I need to go to the Molten Iron Mountain Range," Allen said as he retrieved the letter.

"Of course. Please come with me." The woman’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. She immediately called for another manager and personally led the way for Allen.

"I will immediately place you in the priority teleportation queue."

The people waiting in line in the hall saw this and shot curious glances their way. But when they noticed the woman’s deferential attitude toward Allen, they all tactfully averted their gazes.

Allen followed the woman through several heavily guarded metal doors and was then teleported to the branch’s core area.

It was an even larger and busier planar port.

Hundreds of massive Teleportation Star Gates were arranged in a giant circular array. Above each Star Gate, the codename for a War Plane was displayed.

In addition, a dozen humanoid Guardian Golems, each several dozen meters tall, were stationed around the plaza, radiating powerful waves of Magic Power.

Countless war supplies were piled up like mountains, constantly being fed into different gates.

In turn, a steady stream of biological materials from Magical Beasts and countless ores were transported out.

In the distance, a small Floating Battleship had just emerged from one of the gates. Half of its hull was scorched black, and several massive holes were still billowing black smoke as it was towed by a tractor beam toward a repair platform.

Allen even saw a group of cybernetic behemoths lining up like soldiers and marching into one of the gates.

This was the heart of a war machine, a colossal apparatus operating at full tilt, endlessly devouring resources and lives, only to spit out victory or death.

"Mr. Weisren, this way please."

The woman led Allen to a relatively secluded Star Gate.

The air around this Star Gate seemed to shimmer and distort, and he could faintly feel a scorching heat seeping through from the other side.

"This is a dedicated channel leading directly to the outskirts of Forged Fire Fortress, the frontline command post in the Molten Iron Mountain Range," she explained. "We’ve just contacted them. His Excellency Mercer already sent word ahead, so someone will be there to meet you when you arrive."

She handed Allen an identity plate. "This is your temporary pass. I wish you success in your endeavors."

Allen took the plate and nodded.

He glanced back one last time at the magnificent spectacle of steel, Magic, and order behind him.

Then, he turned, and carrying his large bag, stepped into the brilliant Light Gate.

The next moment, a wave of heat washed over him, almost suffocating him.

Underfoot was a small plaza carved from scorched, dark-red rock that was still scalding hot.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and smelted ore, acrid enough to make his eyes water.

Allen gazed into the distance.

As far as the eye could see, massive volcanoes spewed thick black smoke, dyeing the entire world a murky yellow.

[Warning! Trace amounts of sulfur-based toxins detected in the atmosphere!]

[Warning! Ambient temperature: 65 degrees Celsius! Extremely high concentration of fire elements!]

[Warning! Strong Magic Power radiation detected!]

His Insight Glasses immediately began collecting data as DSeek’s alarms blared nonstop in his mind.

Welcome to... the Molten Iron Mountain Range.