Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1343: Eagerness

For another day, Rain and the group crossed the treacherous expanse of the machine gods’ junkyard undetected, their movements shrouded in secrecy as they carefully navigated through the debris and trash. Despite the looming threat of detection, they managed to evade the watchful eyes of their enemies. Following their successful passage through the junkyard, they embarked on a journey through a series of desolate worlds devoid of any signs of life.

One of them was a desolate planet cloaked in eerie silence, devoid of any living presence. The landscape was characterized by vast expanses of barren terrain dotted with crumbling ruins and shattered remnants of once-great civilizations.

Another was a barren wasteland of shifting sands and swirling dust storms, where nothing stirred, and no life could thrive. The landscape was dominated by endless dunes of fine sand, devoid of any vegetation or signs of habitation. The oppressive heat and relentless winds made it a harsh and inhospitable environment for any would-be travelers.

There was also a realm perpetually shrouded in shadow and twilight, where the boundaries between night and day blurred into obscurity. The landscape was bathed in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows across the desolate terrain.

"I guess the machine gods might have developed a world domination system or something," Rain thought. "It is quite impressive that all these places are under their control or have been conquered by them... people like me would never be able to pull that off. Even with the diligence path, I would find that too troublesome."

"That is the downside of being made of flesh and bones," Sakaki said. "You would find more value in other things than the material most of the time."

Rain couldn’t agree more. Time with his family couldn’t be compared to conquering a world or two... what would happen afterward? He would wish for more planets to conquer, he would make more enemies, and destroy more cultures and civilizations... all of that would eventually end once he died. No empire lasts forever... perhaps no human empire or no empire of beings made of flesh and bones.

"We are getting close," Sakaki said. "The level of stress of everyone is sky high as well, so they will probably fight like Vikings when we reach the enemy’s territory."

"Great, let’s give them codenames for this operation then," Rain said. "Hogni Heriolfsson, Vebrand Alfsson, Hallvard Birningsson, Ogmund Holmstæinsson, Assur Styrmirsson and Asvard Kormaksson. Pick the ones that you like the most."

"They are all the same to me," Elisabetha said.

"If we had internet right now, you would have been canceled by saying that kind of thing," Rain said.

In the end, Rain decided to focus on the task at hand and focus on resting before moving around. The gem was starting to absorb absurd amounts of mana from him, so soon it would be ready to use them against the enemies... hopefully, he would have enough to create a portal to Earth once the mission was done, and he would have some more to return to another planet in the area.

The next destination was only two stops away, so everyone began to get mentally ready for it... considering the signs of attacks that they saw and their own recent experiences dealing with the machine gods’ bases, it was safe to assume that they would have a couple of hours before they could do anything, after all.

Still, they were caught off guard when Rain used portal conjuration again and they arrived in the middle of a city... it was a bit too soon for them to find anything like that, but it made sense that the machine gods would have expanded their territory.

Rain almost turned around and left immediately, but soon he had an idea... he used his domain, the water mirror technique, and the light touch spell to completely erase traces of all of his presence and mana. He confirmed the results of it when he saw some vehicles in the sky in the shape of long boxes flying around and over him without noticing his presence.

Upon their arrival in the city, Rain found himself immersed in a landscape devoid of color, where everything was enveloped in shades of gray. The buildings, towering structures of metal, rose tall and rectangular, forming a monotonous skyline that stretched as far as the eye could see. The city bore a striking resemblance to the first giant mana cannon base they had encountered, with its uniformity and stark industrial aesthetic.

Everywhere Rain looked, he saw the same drab architecture, the same cold, metallic surfaces reflecting the dull light of the sky above. The streets below were eerily empty, devoid of any signs of life or activity as if the entire city lay in silent repose beneath a shroud of desolation.

Despite the familiarity of the surroundings, Rain couldn’t shake the sense of unease that washed over him. This city, like its predecessor, exuded an aura of oppressive uniformity and sterile efficiency, leaving no room for individuality or warmth.

"It looks like we weren’t found yet..." Sakaki whispered.

"Why are you whispering? Nothing leaves his domain," Elisabetha said.

"Just setting the mood..." Sakaki said.

"Why am I surrounded by morons when Nigel isn’t even here?" Elisabetha asked.

Rain kept looking around silently, but he didn’t find anyone... back then, the buildings were used to store the armies of the machine gods. Right now, Rain can wipe the floor with those underlings, but that didn’t mean that he should do that...

"We need to look for the central of command of this place," Sakaki said. "With your psychometry and my lightning magic, we can hack if and obtain as much information as we can... based on the amount of time and data available."

"All right... Sealyn, keep everyone ready to move," Rain said via Telepathy. "Iori will unleash all of you as soon as we are found or we obtain access to the command center."

"I can’t wait for it," Sealyn said.