Melusine, Become my Noble Phantasm!

Aslan hadn't brought many gifts—mostly just food and dry provisions. As for housing and such, he could build those with fairy writing magic. If he needed to stay somewhere long-term and no one was nearby, his dragon could travel faster than light to the nearest city and purchase what was needed.

"Let's move toward the volcano. If we find large Mecha God fragments here, we'll be living in this area for quite a while."

Though the environment looked harsh, it was nothing they couldn't endure. At worst, it was like Great Britain now—barren and drastically changed, having lost the blessings of the Age of Gods.

As for the flowing magma, Aslan could now forge temporary ice weapons that didn't last long but could rapidly chill the lava and form a path.

But first...

Aslan raised the holy spear and pointed its tip at the volcano's side. Magma continuously spilled from the crater, so the mountain's interior must be filled with molten lava. To explore inside, he planned to open a vent and let some magma escape.

Since this place was considered inaccessible, even if magma erupted from a new opening, no one would be harmed.

He thrust the silver holy spear forward. The magical silver energy struck the volcano's side, instantly drying and fracturing the rocks. The magma gushed out.

As the magma cooled, Aslan and Melusine climbed the volcano. The venting had lowered the temperature by a couple of degrees.

Looking into the crater, it was clear the volcano had formed from solidified magma layering bit by bit. With some magma drained, a vast hollow appeared. Inside, the shattered remains of a massive robot lay.

"Robot" wasn't quite right—it didn't have a humanoid form. Except for two giant hands used to place materials inside, it resembled a giant forge furnace. The furnace's core burned fiercely, turning this volcano into the so-called Furnace.

Though its appearance differed from the game's depiction, and despite missing large pieces including a broken arm, Aslan recognized the remains as belonging to Hephaestus—the god of fire and forging.

One of the twelve main gods! And the remains were surprisingly intact. Why this forging god's body ended up here was a mystery, but this haul was more valuable than any before.

He threw disposable ice weapons into the still-molten magma at the crater's bottom, trying to cool it and create solid ground. Then he hooked himself and descended from the volcano's rim toward the burning core, drawing a sickle-shaped weapon from his waist.

Infusing magic, the weapon rapidly transformed like a mechanical arm ready to enter the core. But as it neared the furnace, it began melting. Luckily, thanks to fairy text blessings, it melted slowly enough for Aslan to write magical runes before it disappeared.

His task now was to temporarily shut down the core. If shutting it down wasn't possible, at least seal it and lower the temperature. With the mechanical arm melting, he used it as a brush to paint fairy words.

The Mecha God had been "dead" long ago. Without independent consciousness, closing and sealing the core wasn't as difficult as imagined. After sacrificing his mechanical arm, the furnace's core gradually cooled.

Along with the disposable weapons, the whole volcano cooled. It wouldn't erupt again for at least ten years. Of course, this was a natural accident, but Aslan planned to reinforce the area.

From cranes to lift the giant Mecha God, to an assembly lab where he'd realize his dream, everything would be built here. Essentially, Aslan aimed to turn this place into a Gundam-style cave base—anyone sneaking in would surely be scared off.

Once cooled, Aslan landed on the solidified magma ground and approached the massive furnace. With magic fully charged, the furnace's scarred condition was laid bare.

Originally, he hoped to use this forge to craft needed parts. But the god's body had lost its function entirely and could only serve as raw material after study.

"Using a god's body to forge weapons... exciting. Just a shame Ares didn't find this first."

Ares was the god of war and the perfect Gundam pilot, but one shouldn't be too greedy. Something was better than nothing.

After scanning the surroundings, Aslan told Melusine to place warning devices around the mountain to deter intruders. Then he took out a forging hammer he hadn't used in ages and began hammering fairy words inside the mountain, reshaping its interior.

"Just wait, Merlin. When I get back to Great Britain, I'm chasing you in a Gundam! Hahaha!"

Meanwhile, farther east, a large cavalry force rapidly approached the Roman border.

-End Chapter-

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