Chapter 8 - Initial Showing of Force (2)

Chapter 8: Initial Showing of Force (2)

Translator: Ma Shaoyi and Pan Junqian

Proofread by Peter Gong

After a moment’s hesitation, Rowen reaches over and presses the button.

There is a slight jolt with a low roaring, and Rowen feels a surge of excitement as the mecha finally kicks off.

“Then what to do?” asks Rowen hastily.

“The control lever on the right side of the console can be used to speed up and change directions…” The iron armored beast answers. But before he finishes, Rowen is already on the move.

In fact, Rowen only hears the first half of the sentence when he realizes that the metal bar is the lever. He grabs it and pushes it forward.

Rowen throws himself back and the huge mecha immediately speeds out, with its speed becoming faster and faster. It’s so fast that Rowen feels suffocated.

“Warning, warning, your speed is exceeding the limit, slow down, slow down!” There is a sudden rush of sound.

“How to slow down?” Rowen asks. In fact, he also finds that this iron armored beast named mecha is running likes an uncontrolled horse which is completely out of his control.

“Please pull the lever please.” The iron armored beast replies.

Rowen jerks the lever toward him. However, he finds that in his present state, his body seems completely out of his control, and his hands are a little awkward. He tries to pull the lever back, but unexpected he pulls it to the left.

The mecha veers sharply to the left, and instead of slowing down, it seems to be speeding up a bit. And from that screen, he can clearly see that the mecha is heading for a house, and it is his house!

The distance of a few hundred meters is short. In a twinkling of an eye, Rowen is about to crash his house. Rowen tries to pull the lever again, only to discover that the lever he thinks so flexible is now completely immobile. Seeing that the mecha is about to crash into his house, he feels anxious.

“I can’t slow down. What should I do?” says Rowen hastily. At this point, he finds he has to resort to the strange iron armored beast only.

“Please turn off the power system.” The iron armored beast answers.

“You can just tell me where to press!” “Says Rowen a little anxiously. He doesn’t know what is the power system, much less how to shut it down.

“Please press the start button!” This time the iron armored beast’s answer makes it clear to Rowen, who pushes hard at the start button.

The slight roaring stops suddenly, and the machine seems to have slowed down a little, but it is not enough to save his house, and at that moment the machine hits the wall badly.

Bang!

The house collapses in a moment, and the dust is flying, but the mecha is still rushing forward. It has gone nearly a hundred meters farther before it stops, and by now, half of Rowen’s house lies in ruins, but the mecha is still intact.

Watching the state of his house from the screen, Rowen feels a mixture of joy and sadness as his house, which has been his companion for nearly sixteen years, comes close to being completely destroyed. He is sad, of course, but he cannot help feeling a little pleased at the strength of the mecha. By this time, he is sure that his summoning beast is unusually powerful.

“Ah…” Rowen is awakened by a sound of a voice. Seeing from the screen he can see a familiar figure. Then his face changes slightly.

“How do I get out?” Rowen tries to leave the mecha, but he cannot find the door through which he can enter, so he goes on asking.

Rowen presses the button without hesitation, and the next second, he sees that the scene has changed. He is standing on the ground in front of the ruins of the house, but the iron armored beast has vanished without a trace.

“Does it return to calling space itself?” Rowen can’t help thinking. However, when he looks into the calling space, there is nothing in it.

A feeling of unease arises within Rowen. Has the iron armored beast simply disappeared?

At this moment, Rowen, who has always been calm, is unconsciously flurried. He has just learned that his summoning beast has a powerful ability, but his summoning beast disappears immediately. This feeling is like falling from heaven to hell at once. Even though he is psychologically strong, he can’t stay calm at the moment.

At that moment, Rowen feels a cool sensation on his left wrist making him feel a little different. When he looks up, he sees a metal bracelet on his wrist. It looks plain, but the metal of the bracelet has a familiar feeling for Rowen. This metal is not found on the Cang Yun Continent, but it feels the same as the body of an iron armored beast. It should be the same metal.

On closer inspection, Rowen notices that there is a tiny button on the bracelet. He gives it a push, and then, to his surprise, he finds himself back inside the mecha while the bracelet is now missing from his hand.

He presses the red button again. The mecha disappears again and the bracelet reappears on the hand. Now Rowen is relieved, though he cannot understand how this happens, he realizes that the bracelet should be transformed from the iron armored beast. What puzzles him most is how the huge iron armored beast can be transformed into such a small bracelet.

“Rowen! Rowen!” A panicked voice sounds.

Amid the dust, which has not yet completely cleared, comes running a slim girl towards Rowen through the ruins of the house. She soon comes up to Rowen and looks at him with a concerned face, “Rowen, are you ok?”

This is a petite girl wearing a skirt of sky blue and a pair of leather boots. Her dress seems no difference from other ordinary girls, but a close and careful look can find that her dress is made of exquisite materials and quality workmanship, which is not affordable for ordinary people.

She is a beauty with a small and gorgeous face that has very delicate facial features and her black hair drifts about her shoulder. She is now a little bit short of breath after running for a short distance, that means she is not of good health. In fact, viewed from the standpoint of a man, she doesn’t have a good figure because there’re no bumps on her chest and no obvious curves can be found on her body.

But this petite girl has a special temperament that people can’t help having pity for her and wanting to protect her when they see the girl.

However, this young girl who looks as if she needs protection is now concerned about Rowen. A look of panic on her face and her heartfelt concern in her eyes show that she really worries about him.

But Rowen turns an indifferent face on her when he sees the young girl. He says to her in a cold tone, “What are you doing here?”

“I come here for you!” It seems that the girl doesn’t mind his indifference at all, but she still asks in a hurry, “What happened? What’s that tall and big iron stuff? And, are you sure you are OK? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine!” said Rowen impatiently, “It’s not your business, and I’ve told you many times, don’t come here for me again!”

“But I have something to tell you!” The girl looks little aggrieved, “I will soon get sixteen years old, and my father decides to give me a coming-of-age ceremony on that day. You must come to my ceremony!”

“I won’t go!” Rowen frowned.

“I’ve already sent the invitation card to Grandpa Brain!” The young girl grins with a sly look on her face. “Grandpa Brain says you have to come to my ceremony.”

“Then what else are you doing here?” says Rowen crossly.

“I want to see you!” Since the girl has known that Rowen hasn’t been involved in any accidents, she seems to be more relaxed. Then she says with pleasure, “Oh, that big guy you have just summoned, is it your summoning beast? I heard that you’ve already got a summoning beast.”

“You should go back now.” Said Rowen in an indifferent voice.

“Rowen, your house is falling apart, where are you going to sleep tonight?” The young girl is still smiling at Rowen, as though she doesn’t hear him at all.

“Do you want me to get you out of my house?” Rowen looks at the girl in anger.

“Well, I’ll go!” The girl pouts and wrinkles her nose, saying to Rowen in a slightly unsatisfactory way, “You stingy!”

The girl finally turns around and walks away. Before she has covered only a few meters away, she turns around and shouts, “Rowen, do come to my coming-of-age ceremony!”

The girl goes on her way again when she has uttered all these words. She runs out of the Manor and her little body looks like a dancing elf.

Rowen is absent-minded as he watches the girl getting out of his sight.

“Rowen.” He doesn’t know how much time goes by before the voice of Patriarch Brain’s voice brings him back from meditation.

Looking at the ruins and pieces of debris lying in front of him, Patriarch Brain frowns and asks, “What happened?”

“Sir, that’s what my summoning beast did.” Hesitating for a while, Rowen says.

“Your summoning beast?” Patriarch Brain first feels shocked and then an expression of ecstasy lights up his face, “You mean, your summoning beast has the ability to attack?”

“Yes, it does have the ability to attack, but seems that it can’t attack on its own. And, Sir, this summoning beast is strange and I don’t know what’s going on with it. Could I tell you all later after I figure it out?” Rowen feels embarrassed but actually he doesn’t mind telling Patriarch Brain the truth. However, he doesn’t know how to tell him about the summoning beast whose name is Mecha because there are so many weird things on it.

Patriarch Brain shakes his head, “Rowen, you don’t have to tell me everything, you just handle it on your own.”

Patriarch pauses for a while, says, “Since your house has fallen down, you can move in my house from now on.”

“Sir, the house is just half fallen down, it’s OK, I can still live in there.” Rowen shakes his head, I’ve got used to living in my own house.”

“All right, I’ll get someone to fix it up for you.” Patriarch Brain nods to agree, and he doesn’t want to force him to do so. In fact, what Rowen says is right, the house which has fallen down happens to be the house where Rowen’s parents have lived before. What’s more, Rowen’s room is still in safe condition so it is okay for him to live in.

“Thank you, Sir,” Rowen nods.

Patriarch Brain ponders for a while, and asks Rowen again, “Has Caroline come for you?”

“Yes,” Rowen nods.

“You’d better go to her coming-of-age ceremony.” says Patriarch Brain slowly, “The invitation card is sent in the name of her father, and if you won’t go, it will put the whole family at a disadvantaging situation. Besides, Caroline has always been kind to you and what her family has done has nothing to do with her.”

“Yes, Sir.” Rowen nods, “I will go.”

“It is said that Ibis and Karen will return before Caroline’s ceremony with guests from the Imperial City. Crewson has always opposed Caroline to see you, but this time, he invites you to her ceremony beyond your expectation, and also asks Caroline to send you the invitation card. Apparently, he has other aims. “Be careful when you are there,” Patriarch Brain warns in a low voice.