"Have you ever seen a gun?"
"Have you ever fired a cannon?"
"Have you ever felt the shock of a single shot landing, bringing silence to everything?"
"Have you ever tried to silence everything with gunpowder smoke on a battlefield of blood and fire?"
Su Lin repeatedly posed these soul-searching questions to Aelita and the others.
His demeanor made Tashiniya quite worried that her Pope was going down a dark path.
Until Aelita spoke with a straight face.
"Didn't you and I experiment with the Redstone Tank a few days ago? Have you forgotten?"
This person really spoils the mood.
Su Lin felt a bit annoyed; his speech, "The Inheritance and Glorification of Hot Weapons," wasn't even finished yet.
"Unlike Redstone Cannons and such, I'm talking about handheld Shoulder Cannons. These are weapons from the calamity mod, possessing noble area-of-effect damage."
Although Su Lin used to think that sci-fi items like Shoulder Cannons didn't fit well with Cataclysm, a Western-style adventure mod.
But for the sake of their coolness and damage, there was no need to dwell on such details.
Whether it was the Wither Assault Shoulder Cannon or the Void Assault Shoulder Cannon, the damage was quite explosive.
Especially the Void Assault Shoulder Cannon; a single charged blast could turn someone wearing Netherite Alloy armor into ashes on the spot.
The Void's special property, in particular, would likely make even Lop hesitant to take it head-on in Aetheram Continent.
Su Lin felt this item was stronger than many super-tier spells in Aetheram Continent.
It also dealt considerable damage against BOSSes. Besides Shoulder Cannons, there was also the Laser Gatling, which Su Lin considered the equalizer among calamity mod weapons.
Although its damage wasn't high, its firing rate was very fast and it came with an ignite effect.
Most importantly, the Laser Gatling fulfilled the dual fantasy of hot weapons and MC weapons.
Infinite bullets and indestructible.
If the Dragon Rider Army were equipped with a batch of Laser Gatlings, flying in the sky and showering enemies with laser rain.
That scene would surely be spectacular.
Apart from these sci-fi weapons, the calamity mod also had many other special weapons.
While their single-target damage might not be outstanding compared to the ice and fire legend mod, many weapons and equipment were indestructible and mostly came with skills and weapon effects.
Their control and negative buff application effects were first-class.
This made them highly desirable.
What's more, from an aesthetic perspective, Cataclysm's weapons and equipment were also excellent items worth collecting for a full collection achievement.
In addition to these, Cataclysm also had various materials.
Although he wasn't sure about the effects of those materials in Aetheram Continent, Su Lin felt that he could completely trust the nightmarish BOSSes in the MC Dungeon calamity mod.
If their drops were below Legendary tier, Su Lin would wash his hair while standing on his head.
In any case, the value of the calamity mod far exceeded that of the Battou Sword.
But merely talking about it clearly wouldn't convey the true value of the fifth floor of the MC Dungeon.
"Therefore, we're heading straight to explore the fifth floor of the MC Dungeon."
With that, Su Lin looked at Lop.
"Gather the Dragon Rider Army, and also, bring good equipment. The danger of the calamity mod is much higher than ice and fire legend."
"Bring a lot more Totems of Undying as well. If nothing unexpected happens, we will use many, many Totems of Undying during the exploration of the fifth floor."
Not to mention top-tier overpowered BOSSes like the Netherite Alloy Behemoth, even the smaller BOSSes scattered throughout the world were quite dangerous creatures.
And the small monsters generated in various regions also dealt terrifying damage.
The Dragons from the ice and fire legend mod were relatively easier to deal with.
After all, the core of ice and fire legend itself was about slaying, taming, and raising Dragons.
The calamity mod was different; it was a mod that thoroughly embraced "combat thrill."
It was purely for torment.
The various BOSSes and monsters within it mostly focused on how to quickly kill life as their core skill points.
Each one was a killing machine.
If the calamity mod had appeared before the Raid Tower was built, Su Lin would have had to consider sitting in the rear and remotely directing others to develop it. Lop got up and left.
Although they always carried a good number of Totems of Undying on them—
At least a Shulker Box full was available.
But according to Su Lin's description of the fifth floor's development difficulty, this small amount of Totems of Undying might not even be enough to fight one BOSS.
He planned to directly draw all the production from three Raid Towers. For a long time to come, the Totems of Undying produced by these three Raid Towers would all be supplied for the development of the fifth floor of the MC Dungeon.
As for the other floors, the difficulty wasn't high, and the efficiency of the remaining few Raid Towers was sufficient.
"Pope, are you done talking?"
Seeing Lop leave, Tashiniya eagerly approached Su Lin.
"Can we go to the fifth floor?"
"Although we haven't fought a Dragon yet, we already know a lot about the MC Dungeon. As partners, it's only right that we adventure together, isn't it?"
Su Lin did not directly refuse.
The reason he called Tashiniya and the others over, besides letting them know about the opening of the fifth floor of the MC Dungeon, was indeed to take them along.
Tashiniya and the others had been in the MC Dungeon for over half a month.
With their talent, they were capable of mastering most of the MC Dungeon's characteristics.
Coupled with the fact that after clearing ice and fire legend some time ago, intelligence about the ice and fire legend floor had already been sent back to the first floor.
Veronika and Tashiniya and the others had learned a great deal.
Now, they merely lacked some actual practical experience in Dragon slaying and raising, but their equipment had all been pushed to the forefront with Su Lin and Hilulele's special training.
From an adventuring perspective, Su Lin supported Tashiniya and the others going to the fourth floor to explore, gain experience, and catch up.
But from a broader perspective—
Among this group of people, excluding the silly Tashiniya, everyone else was a top-tier expert with extremely high combat literacy.
Sending these experts to the fourth floor would be a waste of talent, as there wasn't much left to develop there, while the fifth floor desperately needed a large number of strong individuals to push forward.
Due to the special passive abilities of Cataclysm BOSSes, human wave tactics might not be effective on the fifth floor.
Damage caps, dynamic damage reduction, and invincibility frames—these headache-inducing passive abilities meant that the army's human wave tactics wouldn't be as smooth to develop in the short term as before.
When fighting, it would be good enough if the army could help clear out the surrounding small monsters.
To conquer BOSSes, it still had to be true combat experts like Lulu and the others.
"Yes."
After much thought, Su Lin nodded:
"You can also come along, but you can't run around at will. You must act with everyone, and—"
"And listen to commands! I know!"
Tashiniya patted her chest with a beaming smile.
"When we go to the fifth floor, Pope, I'll hit whoever you tell me to! If you tell me not to move, I absolutely won't move! I'll listen to everything you say, how about it?"
"...I hope so."
Tashiniya's words, on the contrary, made Su Lin a little worried.
However, with so many Totems of Undying, as long as they listened and didn't act recklessly, they wouldn't die.
Shaking his head, he looked at the quiet Veronika on the other side.
"Veronika, same for you."
"Can we go too?"
Veronika was a little surprised.
In her opinion, Tashiniya and the others were Su Lin's good companions; the rules about Dragon slaying or not didn't matter. But she didn't think she had any special relationship with Su Lin to be treated specially.
Su Lin's sudden invitation truly surprised her.
"Of course."
Su Lin smiled.
"Hilulele said that your combat talent, Veronika, is unmatched across the entire Aetheram Continent. The fifth floor just happens to need experts to conquer it, so you naturally must join."
Hilulele nodded sagely in agreement.
Although Veronika always considered her talent ordinary, honestly, anyone who could cultivate to Lv90 or above as a Crusader Knight, who among them was truly mediocre?
What's more, Veronika was the type who could rapidly learn and grow stronger in combat.
It was even said that she learned many super-tier knight battle techniques just by seeing them once.
It would be a great pity for an expert with such invincible learning ability and rich combat experience not to go to the fifth floor to fight BOSSes.
Meluti gazed at Veronika eagerly, practically winking furiously.
She was afraid that her Lord Commander would pursue the knightly spirit of abiding by rules, insisting on only going to the fifth floor after slaying a Dragon.
That would be fatal; the urgent task was to quickly catch up with Su Lin and their progress!
Moreover, if she stubbornly refused, what if Su Lin became displeased?
In that short time, Meluti had already started thinking about how to defend her Lord Commander.
Fortunately, this time Veronika didn't cling to the rule of Dragon slaying. She nodded gladly.
"Since Mr. Su Lin needs my combat abilities, I must not decline. I will go to the fifth floor with everyone. If there are any combat needs, please do not hesitate to assign them to me!"
Looking at Veronika, who practically had "I will fight to protect my companions" written on her face, Su Lin's mood was a bit complex.
So, why did Hilulele lack this trustworthy spirit and attitude of a Crusader Knight?
"I always feel like you're thinking something very presumptuous!"
As if by inspiration, Hilulele looked at Su Lin with a deep gaze.
"You're overthinking it."
Seeing Lop return, Su Lin stood up straight. "No more wasting time. Check the equipment; we're setting off!"
Lucania Capital.
In a white-tiled, pointed-roof mansion near the Lion Fang Knights headquarters.
A middle-aged man with a golden goatee and a square face sat behind a desk, quietly listening to the knight in front of him report on the Knight Order's recent battle reports.
Delico Marty, currently the Deputy Head of the Purging Department of the Lion Fang Knights.
"Three days ago, the Seventh Reconnaissance Group, which departed to clear monsters from the Emerald River, has safely returned. According to the Seventh Reconnaissance Group's report, the anomaly in the Emerald River originated from a Level 73 Kramer Water Monster."
"Traces of Death Worm activity have been discovered recently around the Rift Valley Corridor. Besides twenty-three knights being injured, there were no civilian casualties."
"Furthermore, the border guard reported that powerful Magic Beasts have been frequently agitated in the Magic Beast Mountain Range recently, with even High-Level Magic Beasts above Lv60 appearing in the outer regions."
"Border Guard Commander Reyloc suspects that the Demon Lord Army is making moves in the Magic Beast Mountain Range." Delico meticulously examined the documents on his desk, then sighed deeply after a long while.
"A season of troubles—I thought the situation in Lucania Kingdom would improve after Doragon was injured, but I didn't expect—"
Delico rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache.
"Have Lord Commander and Captain Meluti not returned from the Elven Kingdom yet?"
"Yes."
The knight replied formally:
"Two days ago, Captain Meluti sent word that she and Lord Commander were invited to temporarily stay in the Elven Kingdom to discuss new resource trade with the Elven Kingdom. Non-critical Knight Order affairs are to be handled collaboratively by the council."
Upon hearing this, Delico's brows furrowed.
"Is it those miraculous resources that have appeared in the Elven Kingdom recently?"
"Unclear. Captain Meluti's magic communication did not mention it."
Delico fell silent, perusing the intelligence in his hand.
After a long while, he said softly:
"Notify the Maned Lion Cavalry and the Moon Shadow Monastery to proceed to the Emerald River and Rift Valley Corridor, respectively, to clear out monsters."
"For the Magic Beast Mountain Range direction, report to the council and request the deployment of the Pastor's Gardeners to garrison."
"In recent days, all reconnaissance teams of the Purging Department should work overtime as much as possible. Report any monster gathering situations immediately."
The knight bowed slightly and left the study with light steps.
Delico looked through the intelligence on the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and the more he read, the more his head ached.
The last time high-level Magic Beasts from the Magic Beast Mountain Range surged into the outer regions was ten years ago—
At that time, the Demon Lord Army advanced into the Holy Law Emperor Country.
Ten years later, the Magic Beast Mountain Range was in turmoil again.
It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild—
Although the Demon Lord Army had not moved for ten years, the catastrophe it unleashed a decade ago still hung like an unmoving dark cloud over the hearts of everyone on the continent.
"Have the jackals just retreated, only for tigers and leopards to emerge?"
Delico sighed.
Suddenly, a wondrous magic communication drifted through the window, gracefully gathering into a golden parchment before Delico.
Delico's face darkened, so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it.
Vast magic power erupted from his body, sweeping through the entire study, isolating all magic while also making the study dim.
His eyes, fluctuating between bright and dark, stared at the characters slowly growing on the parchment.
This growth process seemed to be at its absolute slowest.
It wasn't until a long while later that Delico clearly saw the arrogant and wild script at the very top.
"To the Esteemed Marquis Marty—"