Michael was a little bit surprised. Everyone he met, either in the Kings region or the Queens region, always prioritized the importance of Mithril Artifacts.
This was probably because people in this world knew the power of Mithril Artifacts. It was written in their history books about the immense strength of those weapons lost in the addages of time. So, when they find out that someone was able to recreate it, they would want to curry favor and ask one for themselves.
Michael thought differently. Although Mithril Artifacts were good, he thought that automobile vehicles had a lot more potential to change the current state of the world.
Mithril Artifacts could only strengthen the magic of one person and cannot be used by someone who wasn't talented in it. Meanwhile, automobiles could be used by anyone in the world!
Aside from Yuna, he was probably the only one who knew the potential that automobile vehicles could bring to this world.
But it seemed he was wrong. Duke Stelmane saw the advantages that gas-powered cars could bring him.
"You want automobiles?" he asked the Duke.
"Yes! I could hardly believe my eyes once I saw it. The fact that it makes no use of magic blows my mind even more."
"That is one of the advantages of cars," he said. "Almost everyone in the Kings region can use automobiles as long as they can afford it."
The Duke's eyes glinted as Michael revealed to him a piece of information that wasn't widely available to the general public.
"So it is true that you have conquered the Kings region. The automobile must have played a huge part in that," the Duke guessed with a sharp wit.
As Michael and the Duke talked with each other one on one, the rest of the guests couldn't help but talk amongst each other, speculating on future turn of events based on what they were seeing.
"Is the Duke planning on taking the Reborn company as the sponsor for Angora City?"
"I don't think so," one of the more political-savvy guests muttered. "The Reborn company is still unranked in the Golden 500. One of the requirements for that to happen is that they are at least on the rankings."
"But look at who he's with," a guy said, pointing to the men and women behind Michael. "That's the Tower Master, a renowned Knight, and a Montgomery! They could definitely influence something to happen."
Michael, of course, heard everything they were saying but just ignored them.
He focused on the Duke, who continued to gush about all the things he liked about the automobile.
"You have to tell me more about this automobile. It is a marvel of engineering if I've ever seen one."
"Would you like to see for yourself?" Michael asked.
The Duke's eyes lit up instantly. "Of course!"
Stelmane immediately walked out of the ballroom towards the stables, where the horses and carriages were parked under the moonlight.
All the guests followed behind the Duke and Michael, keeping their ears open to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Wow," the Duke muttered as he stared at his own reflection on the hood of the car. "Can I test it out?"
After seeing the excitement almost drip out of his mouth, Michael agreed.
The Duke entered the driver seat, while Michael guided his wife to the front seat.
Immediately, a resounding VRMMM echoed in the castle walls as the Duke revved up the engine. People could hear the sound of muffled cheers coming out of the car.
After teaching him the basics of driving, the Duke and his wife took the automobile for a test drive inside the castle walls, making some of the guests a little bit envious of the experience.
Meanwhile, as Michael watched the automobile almost crash into the walls, he suddenly felt a tug in his feet.
He looked down and saw Fudge underneath his shadow.
"What's wrong?" he asked the ninja slime.
"Master, my Shadow Orcs found out that the HammerStone company is preparing for something big. I even heard that the main leader of the group is coming there! He just arrived from a far away place in the Queens region."
Michael found it weird that the HammerStone company sent no representatives in the Duke's party. As it turned out, they were just making some preparations.
"What did you find out?"
"The Stone-Cold 5 are making their moves, Master. They all went out on their own missions, but I had a Shadow Orc follow them around. Do you want to see what they're up to?"
Michael nodded.
He then walked up to Yuna and whispered in her ears.
"Keep them company," he said.
Yuna didn't ask any more questions and showed Michael a confident smile. He could trust her.
She began tapping her feet, creating a rhythmic sound that echoed in the walls. After gesturing to the live band to start up the music, she began dancing under the moonlight with her red dress, enchanting everyone that looked her way.
While everyone was distracted by Yuna's dancing, Michael walked to a discreet corner of the stables. His shadow then latched onto the stone brick walls and morphed into a rectangular shape.
Within this screen, Michael could see what the Shadow Orcs could see.
This was a 3-star spell called [Shadow Imaging], which only the most skilled Orcs could accomplish.
"We are currently monitoring the moves of Stone-Cold 6 or code-named Six."
Michael saw surveillance-like footage of a hooded figure approaching a very familiar building in the distance. Upon closer look, it was actually the Reborn Department Store!
The hooded figure walked up to the door and started banging on the wood, creating a huge ruckus that almost woke up all the neighboring inhabitants.
"Come out, come out!" the hooded figure shouted.
It wasn't long before a middle-aged Dogfolk Rebornian peeked out of the door.
"What is it you want…sir? We are closed for the night!"
"I want to meet those demi-humans, those…what do you call them…Dragonborns! Tell them to come out here and face me!"
The Dogfolk Rebornian shuddered at the screaming. "They are currently away, sir. You can come tomorrow."
"No. I want to meet them now! Or don't tell me, are they afraid of facing me? Come on! Let us settle this once and for all. Who is the best smithing company in Angora City? We are!"
Michael knew immediately what the hooded figure was trying to do.
"He's trying to regain their public perception," he muttered. "By publicly challenging the Dragonborns, they can once again assert their dominance in the city."
"Kuku, does he really think he's that strong?" Fudge chuckled. "He doesn't even notice that Narito and Sasuki are right behind him!"
The hooded figure was none the wiser as two gigantic Orcs twice his size were just standing mere meters away from him. The two Chieftain Orcs stared at the hooded figure from behind, observing, waiting.
"Oh, Master. Those scaled meanies want to talk to you."
Fudge manipulated the rectangular shadows in front of Michael, showing three more screens coming from the Shadows Orcs accompanying the Rebornians.
One of the screens showed Jaku, who was stretching his arms lazily as he looked at the hooded figure in front of him.