Continuation: In this chapter, Artem and friends arrived at the last stop in their voyage — The Lava Kingdom. Loud buzzing noises emerged from the distant lava and boulders responding to Dalmir's signal flares. A gigantic insect suited in plated armor arrives before them. It was their ride to the kingdom of cannons...
...
Artem originally didn't have any negative feelings towards these invertebrate annelids.
"They've noticed the flare. Look, that's the molten insect. It's here to bring us home."
A sense of joy and pride can be noticed in Dalmir's tone.
"Here for us? Another gigantic insect... there's too many bugs here."
The gigantic earthworm-like bug stood roughly 2 meters tall and
Artem was reluctant to board this worm and stood still.
"What's wrong, Artem? This is not as strange as the bugs back on the Spring Weald."
"Let's go, Artem."
Anna followed after Dalmir.
An old man was standing above the rings of muscle. He was holding a long pole in his hand. In his other hand... was an iron hook, holding onto something like a bridle. He jumped off the back of the giant bug with style. The old man spread out his arms and embraced Dalmir. It was clear that they weren't just acquaintances, but great buddies.
"Hey! Dalmir!"
"President Barbicane! You came to see me!"
"Hahahaha, surprised, are you? Quickly, introduce me to your adventure companions!"
"Hello, I'm Anna."
"Hello, Anna! I'm Barbicane. Hahaha, this girl is adorable!"
Barbicane, seeing that Artem hadn't moved, walked towards him, shouting at the top of his voice. "You, young lad over there! Come quickly. We are heading back to the Lava Kingdom!"
Artem, seeing the old man limping over to him and grabbing his hand, reluctantly followed.
"...Hello, I'm Artem."
...
After climbing on the huge molten insect, it was as Artem had feared. The metal armors on its back didn't fit well on the worm. There was nothing Artem could hold onto, except the arms of the seat. He clamped his legs tightly to keep himself from falling off this loose carapace. There was the sound of an electrode at the end of Barbicane's pole, as he looked back at the people seated behind him.
"Off we go!"
The giant worm squirmed with the shock from Barbicane's pole. With the rhythmic contractions and relaxation of the ringed muscles, the worm moved forward faster and faster. Sitting between Anna and Dalmir, Artem thought this was a marvelous way to travel. The distance between them changed slightly every time the worm's muscles relaxed and contracted.
Without a doubt, there were some unexpected advantages to this special mode of transportation.
The large worm and its armor can be compressed to a certain extent, allowing it to crawl through the tunnels. It can go around some smaller volcanic vents, and also climb on rock walls that others would have to circle. Barbicane used complex static signals to control the worm, and the worm made some delicate maneuvers of its own. The two of them were like parts in a well-oiled machine, achieving some impossible movements together
Artem also noticed the unique way the large worm dissipated heat. A sticky liquid would flow out from the small reticular holes in its armor. The burning sand would then fall off its carapace, while new clay and sand would stick to it from the fresh liquids, thus taking away the heat from the armor.
"How incredible..."
As the journey continued, Dalmir and Barbicane's conversation about the Lava Kingdom grew more interesting.
According to Dalmir, half of the adventurers in the Lava Kingdom loved building cannons, while the other half loved adventures. Barbicane is the president of the Lava Kingdom Cannon Development Committee, a fine example of how obsessed they are with cannon technology. The only thing they could boast about was the size of the cannon or its firing range.
"In our committee, people respect you based on the might of your cannon. Dalmir is only interested in making flintlocks. We're not interested in that, hahaha!"
"Hey! I'm a professional adventurer! Hahahaha!"
President Barbicane's boorish laugh gave everyone around him a sense of kinship. He was missing an eye, and one of his hands and one leg were replaced by metal prosthetics. It wasn't until he turned to talk to Dalmir that Artem noticed part of his skull was also made from some kind of silicon.
"What happened to my skull? I lost a chunk of it when the cannon blew up! But it didn't turn me into a slow thinker, haha!"
As Artem got used to the bumpy ride, he finally had time to enjoy the sights. There were many volcanoes of varying sizes all looking like they were about to burst. Lava and magna were everywhere, and Artem felt scorching hot just looking at them. Any normal human would think the environment was just too harsh. It wouldn't be completely inaccurate to say this place was hell on earth. The black volcanoes, smoke-filled skies, red lava spewing everywhere... Who would have imagined there'd be a country here focused on the scientific research of cannons?
"It's been a long time since any adventurers returned. I've asked our cook to prepare a celebration feast tonight!"
Artem was excited that there would be a celebration. Only Anna, who had been watching the volcano in the distance, seemed to be preoccupied with something.
...
The banquet hall was full of people from the Cannon Development Committee and the Explorers' Guild. President Barbicane's passionate introduction of the three of them was met with thunderous applause. Artem noticed something: everyone was missing a body part, whether it be an arm or a leg. Some of them even had a rubber chin or a platinum nose.
From Artem's perspective, it was a miracle that Dalmir's body was completely intact.
"For years now, our Cannon Committee has been planning the greatest cannon event, one that's worthy of our ancestors! Everyone is aware that the greatest volcanic activity in history is coming!"
"Viva the volcanoes!" The banquet hall filled up with loud cheers once more.
"We will bravely shoot ourselves into outer space, risking our lives for the greatest adventure the world has ever known!"
"Viva the outer space!" The whole banquet hall shook as if it would collapse at any moment.
"Positional observations from Dalmir's journey have allowed us to track the Satelleden. I am pleased to announce that we can now reach it with complete certainty using cannon!"
Many people were shocked at the announcement, evident by the sudden silence in the hall. Then, it was followed by cheering and applause that couldn't be suppressed, even if all the cannons in the banquet hall were fired at once.
Artem sneaked away from the crowd of people in the banquet hall. He saw Anna looking out of the window at the quiet volcano in the distance. Besides her, it was the sparkling wine they had brought from the Spring Weald.
"Anna..."
"Artem, don't say anything. Can you come here for a moment?"
During their adventures, Artem had witnessed Anna's extraordinary tenacity a thousand times. But now, her voice sounded like a distress signal, pleading to him for help. Her soft breathes seemed to be conveying a desire to make him stay. It made Artem want to embrace her from behind.
"What's wrong?"
"If you go to outer space, will you ever come back again...?"
"Perhaps, there probably won't be volcano cannons in the Satelleden."
"Artem..." Anna turned around and her face flushed as if she had cried. At that moment, the sounds from the banquet hall faded away and the whole world fell silent.
"I miss home. Will you come home with me?"
(To Be Continued)