"We’re going to get thirty pounds just for this trip?"
"That’s where you’re clueless! Have you heard of the Jenny Machine? The thing we’re stealing this time is a blueprint for something similar!"
"But I’ve heard the yarn spun by the Jenny Machine is too coarse, and only we bumpkins can use it, right? Can that really be worth thirty pounds?"
"It’s worth that to us, in someone else’s hands it’s a different story."
On the pitch-black streets, a line of people trudged through the low hum of night, occasionally whispering amongst themselves about various things.
And as a member of this group, Ronald silently followed at the very end.
In fact, just under a minute ago,
he was standing in the grand hall of White Shore Castle, pondering how to explain his "summoned creature" to the surrounding casters. But Demon Rame had activated a spell in an instant, triggering a trial from a specific original tome within the castle and even expanded the affected area.
After being swept into the vast magic power of the original tome, Ronald shut down all his own tome spells to prevent any conflicts and then found himself in an entirely new environment.
If he wasn’t wrong, there were probably many others in the same situation as him now.
In the fastest scenario, all casters in White Shore Castle should have been swept into this sudden trial by the original tome. For an operation planned by the Secret Society of the Nine Commandments, this was truly a cruel move of high caliber.
Considering the usual chances of passing a trial by the original tome,
perhaps more than ninety percent of the casters would lose their lives in this sudden attack.
Remember, this gathering included powerful casters from around the world, including Grid. It was no exaggeration to say it was an unprecedented gathering.
If this mysterious side meeting ended in tragedy...
The Queen Dantrian would forget about declaring her dominance to the world.
This would be akin to a harsh slap to the face, with unavoidable real losses in both reputation and subordinate strength!
With this thought, Ronald couldn’t help but sigh:
"Ronald, what are you sighing for? After we pull this off, we’ll each get a few pounds. Won’t you be able to have fun with those girls in the East District again?"
Upon hearing Ronald’s sigh, another person walking in front of him immediately started a conversation with him. Under the illusory arrangement of the trial by the original tome, Ronald had also joined this group that clearly wasn’t up to any good.
Rapidly organizing his thoughts, Ronald did not lower his voice this time but instead spoke in a normal tone to probe:
"I... I just have a feeling that this trip might not go so smoothly."
"We’ve gotten too little information for this job, who knows what the outcome will be."
As soon as he said this, the person leading the way in the dark responded first.
"Ronald, don’t worry, we’re just going to steal the blueprint for a water-heating machine, it’s nothing serious. Those noble lords just like to fiddle with these useless contraptions, in reality, it’s very simple!"
Ronald heard the leader’s thoughts.
As the leader of this thieving venture, he didn’t want unease to cause disputes within the group, so he gave an explanation in a very positive manner.
And walking on the dark streets, hearing this response,
Ronald’s gaze suddenly became vacant.
Water-heating machines...
The spinning Jenny Machine...
Even the city streets without a single gas lamp...
He had just entered the trial, and the information he’d already gathered was explosive. And to think again about this team’s thieving objective and the rewards...
Struggling to control his emotions, Ronald continued,
"But isn’t the owner of this blueprint also not to be trifled with?"
"Matthew Bolton? Factory owners like him are a dime a dozen in Birmingham! We steal it and run, it’s not like he can chase us all the way back to London!"
This is going to be troublesome...
In the darkness, Ronald didn’t say another word.
The information the team leader revealed this time had fully confirmed his current situation. Although it was not like facing the threat of minotaurs when obtaining the "Wings of Icarus," this trial would definitely not be easy.
The name, at first glance, didn’t seem to pose any problems.
But if one connected it with the factory owner and the water-boiling machines, another name immediately came to mind—James Watt.
The inventor of the ’omnipotent prime mover’—the Watt steam engine.
A great inventor who had unavoidably left his mark on the history of human development, ushering in the era of steam for civilization!
According to the information Ronald knew,
In 1767, Matthew Bolton met with James Watt, and in 1772 they began some form of cooperation that lasted for more than twenty years.
This time, to steal the water-boiling machine blueprints from Matthew’s factory...
Ronald speaks frankly.
In this era, doing such a thing, I fear that in a few days, there will be a few more hanging from Birmingham’s gallows!
Each and every trial by the original texts.
The environment for those undergoing trials is indeed unfriendly to the extreme!
At this moment, Ronald had begun to ponder what to do.
From the perspective of survival, immediately leaving the team to flee was naturally the best choice; however, if the success of the trial was related to the Watt steam engine, then going on this journey could provide very important clues.
Continue on—take the risk to look for clues to pass the trial.
Turn back—gain more time to think and investigate.
It’s just unfortunate that the degree of unfriendliness of the original trials far exceeded Ronald’s time to think.
Before he had made a decision,
The leader at the forefront of the group gestured to stop everyone’s footsteps.
"Stop here, we’re almost at the place."
"Now, put these on your faces, and let’s proceed as usual."
This group of people seemed to be habitual offenders.
As soon as the leader’s words fell, they began passing props to each other with understanding, and even Ronald at the end of the team received a triangular scarf to cover his face within a few seconds.
Looking at the tattered black cloth in his hand, Ronald’s heart was filled with mixed feelings.
From entering the trial to this point, a total of only a few minutes had passed.
Even himself, a local who knew the background of the trial inside out, hadn’t managed to escape, let alone these people from another world who had no understanding of the situation at all.
The "Nine Ring Conclave" acting this time had probably specifically chosen an original trial with a high mortality rate, with the aim of causing as many deaths as possible in White Shore Castle.
Shaking his head with a soft sigh, Ronald then put the triangular scarf on his face.
This time, he would take the risk and give it a try.