The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 92

The smell of smoke carried a hint of freshness, but Burlow didn't want to linger on it. After the operation in Ende Town, Lloyd had shared many useful pieces of information, such as the usage of wind tobacco. Out of curiosity, Burlow had tried it once himself. There were no horrifying scenes, but he was left in a state of lethargy for a long time afterward.

Lloyd stood as still as a statue, his head bowed in contemplation. The cigarette burned between his fingers, and the rising smoke formed various shapes. It was oppressive and sweltering. Lloyd felt as if he were trapped in an oven, each step a monumental effort. The high-pitched whir of gears turning at high speed filled his ears, making him feel as though he were carrying a mountain on his back.

Oddly, there was no pressure—no pressure from the demon. Lloyd had never worn the old-century god armor, but his experience as a demon hunter had made him acutely aware of what it felt like to come into contact with weapons made from demons. For instance, he himself was a weapon forged from a demon, with the power of the secret blood coursing through his veins and his body protected and constrained by holy silver bones.

His mind remained undisturbed until the next moment when the woman appeared before him. Countless faces flickered across hers until it settled into the one most familiar to Lloyd. She laughed softly, using the wind tobacco to deepen the connection with the darkness. Once again, she stood before Lloyd, mimicking the shape of a gun with her hand, and trembled slightly.

It was as if a scorching sun pierced through Lloyd, his flesh searing and charring instantly before turning to ashes. The red-hot god armor cracked and twisted, the flames never ceasing, obliterating his fragile body like a spear of light.

Sweat dripped in large drops from his nose as Lloyd clutched his chest, struggling to stay upright. One hand pressed against the ground to maintain his balance and prevent collapse.

Burlow was clearly startled by Lloyd's sudden change, his expression grave.

"What did you see?"

But Lloyd did not answer. After a long while, he seemed to recover somewhat and lifted his head, his expression complex.

"Burlow, have you ever considered something?"

Lloyd's breathing gradually steadied as he glimpsed a possibility, something revealed through his spiritual sight.

"Would a god armor, combined with demons, really be so easily shattered?"

One of the most notable traits of demons was their tenacious vitality. Even Eld, who had been thoroughly infused with holy silver, could survive for a long time with the support of secret blood. Let alone the prototype of the old-century god armor.

Burlow fell silent as well, realizing he had not considered this point. He had encountered the old-century god armor twice—once during Galahad's outburst and again during the operation in Ende Town when he piloted a second-generation god armor.

Even under the impact of demons and high temperatures, and during Galahad's outburst, when a smoothbore cannon fired directly, these had not been able to completely destroy the god armor. Yet, the remnants of the god armor before them had been killed in one strike.

According to the design principles of the old-century god armor, demons not only provided power but their bizarre flesh served as a connection between metals. Its extraordinary regenerative capability and flexibility made it resistant to high temperatures and incredibly resilient. In some ways, this connecting flesh could be seen as a mechanical material.

If the armor broke, the rampant flesh would tightly hold it together, not shatter at once.

"Are you referring to the weapon that killed it?" Burlow was taken aback. If this were the case, then the weapon that destroyed the god armor must be incredibly powerful. But upon reflection, it made sense. The god armor technology originated from Far Eastern Jiu Xia. Just as the demon hunter order developed the silver binding bolt to control demon hunters, they should possess weapons capable of destroying the god armor when it went out of control.

If it could destroy this god armor, it could likely destroy the old-century god armor as well.

Burlow thought deeply, deciding to report this idea. Despite the cooperative relationship between Ingelveg and Far Eastern Jiu Xia, they still needed to remain vigilant.

Lloyd shook his head, dismissing Burlow's idea.

"You've fallen into a trap. Long-term dealings with demons have conditioned you to think of them in any situation."

"What do you mean?" Burlow didn't understand, and Lloyd's expression grew serious.

"Look, isn't it too cumbersome for a god armor powered by demons? The connections between the plates are mechanical structures, not biological tissues like those of demons. And then there's the massive wound on its back. Think differently: what if something pierced the god armor and caused a secondary explosion?"

Thinking in reverse, Lloyd pointed to the huge wound on the back. Countless connected mechanisms were also broken along with the wound, filled with cracks.

"Burlow, don't you think this space is just the right size to hold a steam engine?"

Burlow's pupils contracted, his expression full of shock as he looked at Lloyd in disbelief.

"Are you saying this thing is... purely mechanical?"

Lloyd nodded firmly.

"I think so. This explains why it has no pollution. Combined with its enormous size and complex machinery..."

"You understand what this means, don't you?"

Lloyd began to grasp what Arthur had said in the church. This world was advancing rapidly—not just in technology but also in military capability. Such mechanical god armor would be useless against demons, but it would be the most dangerous weapon against humans.

This was a military god armor. After many years of research, Far Eastern Jiu Xia had finally taken a crucial step in mass-producing god armor.

But they had only possessed steam technology for a few decades. The current progress was astonishingly rapid.

"It looks like you have your work cut out for you."

This was explosive news. Whether Lloyd's reasoning was correct or not, it would be reported as a dangerous possibility.

Burlow's face showed fear. After a long pause, he spoke slowly.

"Sometimes I can't tell if you're the source of trouble or if you just happen to be ahead of it."

"You should thank me for giving you a heads-up on the danger... you know my bank account, right?" Lloyd joked, but there was no joy in his heart. Arthur's words were coming true step by step—the outbreak of war seemed inevitable.

Burlow had no desire to continue the meeting. Halfway through, the guards surrounded the venue, apologizing and forcibly escorting everyone out. Sailu found Lloyd in the crowd. Although Lloyd hid his expression well, the keen girl saw through him instantly.

"Did you do something in there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shortly after you went in, the exhibit ended. You must have done something."

Lloyd awkwardly covered his face.

"Why would you think that? Do I seem that unreliable to you?"

"I just think you have a knack for causing strange things to happen," Sailu replied calmly.

"Well... the exhibit is over. Do you want me to take you home, or should I get you some of that damned candy?"

"Mr. Holmes, even though the exhibit ended early, my 'exhibit' still has plenty of time left. Don't think you can avoid it that easily."

Her clear eyes stared straight at Lloyd, leaving him nowhere to hide.

"You've become a boring adult, Sailu. It breaks my heart."

To Lloyd, growing older just meant increasing the cost of problems.

Sailu nodded seriously.

"That's true. I'll be an adult in a month."