Most of the kids that were kidnapped had been snatched from their families. The only orphan dragged along was Lando. From Marie's description, I easily spotted him among the others.
Before heading back to the inn where I had left Marie to rest, I guided the other kids to their families. They were all from the Mining City, which made things easier.
It seemed like the syndicate had been operating in the city's shadows. If I hadn't discovered them, they might have kidnapped more children. I often wondered why I bothered to save humans, knowing that many of them did terrible things to each other and other races. Yet, I aimed to save the world and humanity because, ultimately, I was human too.
Seeing the siblings reunited warmed my heart. Marie cried until she had no more tears left, while Lando kept apologizing. I left them in their room and took one for myself to rest.
The day had been exhausting. Creating frames for the Mecha, saving kids, and destroying a syndicate—it had been productive. I felt a sense of fulfillment.
The next day arrived quickly. I brought the kids to the inn's eatery.
"Thank you for what you've done for us, sir," Lando said, bowing to me. "If not for you, I would've been taken away from my sister and sold into slavery."
I shook my head and started eating the food served to us. His eyes shone with gratitude, which struck me deeply. I swallowed my food and chuckled.
"No worries. Just make sure you do your best for your sister." I reached for some extra money and slid it across the table. "Take this. It should buy you food for a few days."
"You've already done so much, sir. I cannot accept this."
I insisted. "No, I won't be getting that back. It's up to you if you'll waste it or if someone else will take it. Use this opportunity."
He fell silent, glancing at Marie. She was watching us with wide, innocent eyes, her face still puffy from crying all night.
"If you insist." He reluctantly took the money and put it away. Then, he pulled something from his pocket. "Please take this. My life is now priceless because you helped me and my sister. This ring won't matter if I sell it; I feel like I owe you a debt I can't repay."
What was this kid talking about? His words were heavy with maturity, far beyond his years. The harsh events and being independent might have forced him to grow up too fast.
I wanted to do more for them, but I felt like I had already done a lot. Yet, if my goal was to save, why shouldn't I do something that could change their lives?
"How about this? I will…" My words trailed off as I saw what Lando handed me. It was a ring with familiar intricate energy. "Where did you get this? This is an artifact."
Lando's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed he didn't know the true nature of the ring.
"I... I stole it from a noble. I was hoping to sell it, but then I got kidnapped. I thought it was the owner who took me, but it was the syndicate."
He stole it? I couldn't blame him for the desperate actions he took. He and his sister were parentless and had to survive somehow. But stealing from a noble was incredibly risky. If he'd been caught, he wouldn't be here now.
I quickly grabbed the artifact and hid it, worried someone might have seen it. I owed the siblings a favor for this.
"You'll stay with me for a while until this ring is paid off. I'll give you work with extra wages for the ring. How about it?" I suggested.
Lando didn't hesitate. He nodded eagerly, a wide smile spreading across his face. He cheered with Marie, who still seemed confused about our deal.
I brought the kids to my workshop and gave them the task of looking after the building and cleaning the entire area. I hadn't paid much attention to cleanliness, lacking both the time and focus.
As I sat at my worktable, the system greeted me, signaling a new discovery about my mysterious ability.
[I am back, Jaxon.]
'Good to have you back. You won't believe what I discovered.' I took out the ring from my pocket and put it on. 'An artifact. I don't know its ability yet, but I'll let you handle it.'
The ring slowly vanished from my finger, and a prompt notified me that the artifact was now stored in my mana core. I had five artifacts stored, and if I wanted to store more, I'd need to advance in my cultivation.
[This is Spell Buster. It can store spells, so… you won't need it.]
'But, the Mecha could use it, right?'
[I presume so. But tests are needed to make sure it will work through a gadget.]
'Alright.' I sighed. My project had taken another step forward. Now, I wondered what the system had discovered about my mysterious ability. I hoped it was something extraordinary. That would help me with my project and in fighting dragons.
[Great news, Jaxon. I extracted a new potential from your ability. It's called "Gadget Control." You can now register a gadget.]
I raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that already a function of the Assimilation System?
[You can now remotely control gadgets without holding them, as long as you know their name and they are registered.]
As soon as I heard this, I rushed out of the workshop to earn more money by hunting and selling.
The news motivated me to complete the frame for the Mecha and start its circuitry, aiming to turn it into a fully functional gadget that I could use as a weapon.
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[Assimilation System]
Spells: Calamity Bringer, Void Bringer, Wide Range Explosion, Undead Hands, and 7 more
Weapons: None
Gadgets: None
Artifacts: Cog of Eternity, Boots of Aurora, Mana Gather
Passive Abilities: Gadget Control
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A/N: The novel is about fighting dragons and huge monsters with Mechas, but first, the MC creates the first Mecha System. So far, it hasn't shown that the MC created it by his own hand, right? Well, that's because he still has an Assimilation System. Just go with the flow, ride along, and chill. You'll see the essence of the title, and I am excited about it!