NOVPUBAlex knew that what he was seeing had to have something to do with Eternal Forge city. It couldn't be a coincidence that President Kovac had pointed him in this direction to reach the elusive place, and to have such a mesmerising mountain shaped like an anvil coincidentally blocking his path there.
No, it was highly likely that Eternal Forge city was located around, or perhaps even on, the mountain itself.
President Kovac hadn't Given Alex any details as to what the city looked like or even any small things like the population, size, or what to expect when he had arrived – as the old man hadn't been there himself.
But deep inside, Alex could feel that he was getting closer to achieving his goal – finding Mikhail's forge.
He didn't know exactly how much more powerful he was expecting Virtue's Edge to become after he had 'completed it', like the mysterious figure in his vision had asked, but it had to be something completely out of his expectations, this world even…
If Alex was being optimistic, perhaps even something on the same level as Brontes…
'Nahh, that's just a pipe dream. No way will I just receive a Divine class upgrade to my sword just like that.'
Besides, even if the end reward was something like a Divine class upgrade, Alex knew for a fact that you could never actually expect free things to actually be 'free' in this universe.
…For him to receive something like a Divine class upgrade, he didn't even want to imagine what kind of horrors he would have to go through to obtain it.
Just thinking about it gave him the shudders.
Even with his abnormal strength, he couldn't hold a candle to Brontes' full, unsealed power.
'...Who knows, that might change when I eventually upgrade Virtue's Edge to its full potential though.'
It was safe to say that his expectations were as high as it could get for his elusive and mysterious sword.
***
After a few more hours of travel, Alex soon neared the ethereal visage of the anvil shaped mountain, and just as he had expected, it seemed to be the place he was looking for.
It wasn't as noticeable during the day, but now that the sun had set and darkness had taken over the Primordial Expanse, the whole place looked… breathtaking!
All over the lower half of the huge anvil, small blotted lights were littered around the place as far as the eye could see, even for someone with eyesight like Alex.
And as he drew even closer, the lights began to take shape, revealing a sprawling city carved directly into the massive rock. The architecture was a seamless blend of natural stone and expertly forged metal, as if the entire city had been shaped by the collective hands of master smiths over countless generations. This might have explained why Alex wasn't able to make out the city upon first sighting it from so far away – it blended in with the mountain itself.
If it weren't for the darkness of night descending, drawing out the artificial lights of the place, he still might not have noticed even now, so close to the place!
On the opposite side to Alex, which he could now view through his spatial perception, a massive bridge, seemingly suspended in the air, connected the base of the anvil shaped mountain to the outer rim of what Alex assumed was the main city entrance.
The bridge itself was an architectural wonder, lined with glowing runes and casted from various Alloy unrecognisable to an untrained eye like Alex's.
He had no doubt in his mind that some Primordial Expanse magic and trickery was used to build such a marvel of engineering.
But then again, he wasn't too surprised about such a thing – smithing and engineering had alot of crossover knowledge and skills, so it was only natural that they were able to achieve such a feat.
Soon, Alex approached, and as he did, he noticed a group of armoured individuals stationed at the entrance. Unlike the guards he had encountered in other cities, these warriors were equipped with beautifully crafted weapons and armour. Even without scanning their auras, Alex could tell that these were not ordinary guards simply due to the enhancements their equipment provided them alone.
In fact, he could even hazard a guess that they might be blacksmiths of their own right, likely carrying weapons and armour they had forged themselves.
"Halt, traveller."
One of the guards spoke, seeming much more nonchalant and worry-free than other city guards Alex had encountered before.
Though, this time Alex had stored Brontes away into his taming space long before they had entered the perception of the city, so that might have had something to do with his first impression.
The approaching guard's voice was deep and authoritative, but there was no hostility in his time. He likely knew that no sane person would be stupid enough to attack the one place in the Primordial Expanse that could supply such high quality equipment all across the mysterious realm.
"You stand before the gates of Eternal Forge city. State your business."
Alex exhaled and adjusted his clothes before responding in kind.
"I'm just a newbie blacksmith. I heard that this city was the best in all the Primordial Expanse when it comes to smithing, so I had to see it for myself!"
The guard studied him with a little interest at the mention of Alex being somewhat of a smith himself, even taking a glance at his hands quite closely.
'Perhaps he has a way of determining the truth through inspecting my hands? Or something along those lines…'
Alex was a little confused by the man's actions, but a little curious at the same time.
It wasn't often that he encountered something new and unexplored in his adventures, so he was always keen to take in any new information.
"I can see a history of smithing on your hands indeed, brief as it is, but your words still hold true. Very well, you may enter. Just know that if you cause any disruptions to public order, you will be punished accordingly."
'It seems like getting into this place is easier than expected if you're a blacksmith…'
Alex honestly hadn't expected to get in so smoothly.
It seemed his act of trying his hand at smithing had come in handy already.
