The Cloud Valley Master’s servant grew embarrassed. “The Technocracy has always been at war with your Human Domain, and many times, they are the first to attack.”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Yin instantly understood.
Of the Fifth Mainland’s three domains, the Astral Beast Domain and the Human Domain were constantly at war with each other, and they had many conflicts. However, there was no reason for the Technocracy to fight against the Human Domain. Wars between the two did not make any sense. If it was about stealing materials or resources, then the Technocracy could not even enter the Human Domain. As for hatred between the two domains, there did not seem to be any real hatred. And yet, they were constantly fighting each other. Lu Yin had looked into the possible reasons behind this conflict, but he had not found any. After all, Hui Kong had stayed in the Technocracy for many years, and he had always been searching for the reason why the place had been established to no success.
The full name of the Technocracy was the Lost Science and Technology Domain, and it had been founded by Progenitor Hui. Progenitor Hui had been a human, so no one understood why his Technocracy was the Human Domain’s enemy.
Over the course of countless years, it seemed to have become normal for the Technocracy and the Human Domain to be at war, but no one had investigated the core reason behind this. At this moment, it had been revealed that the Sixth Mainland was the most likely culprit.
The Fifth Mainland had only guessed that half of the Master Brain’s authority had been usurped by the Sixth Mainland, but in truth, it was not a matter of control, but rather one of cooperation.
This was completely different.
Control indicated that the Technocracy carried out the will of the Sixth Mainland while cooperation meant that the Technocracy willingly took such actions itself. The fact that the domain was willingly cooperating with the Sixth Mainland showed that there was a desire within the Technocracy, and whatever it was that they wanted was important enough for them to cooperate with an enemy of the Human Domain.
This was actually worse than if half of the Technocracy was being controlled by the Sixth Mainland. Lu Yin would much rather have the Technocracy be under the Sixth Mainland’s control than have it be voluntarily hostile towards the Human Domain and willing to go to war.
“How many resources has your Sixth Mainland provided for First Edition City over the course of so many years? Are they really willing to cooperate with you just because of the resources that you provide them?” Lu Yin asked.
The Envoy nodded. “It’s just basic resources. The Technocracy is special, as each dominant consciousness is able to think and communicate on its own, but each one is only a mind. They need a vessel to inhabit, and each vessel requires resources. This is different from humans like us who can reproduce naturally and grow through eating food and absorbing nutrients. These dominant consciousnesses need raw materials, and an endless supply of them at that.”
First Edition City had managed to obtain massive amounts of resources by cooperating with the Sixth Mainland, which had allowed them to continue their simultaneous war against both the Human Domain and Sky Creation Academy.
In that case, what about Sky Creation Academy? Why had they continued their war against First Edition City? There was only one possibility: the Perennial World.
Lu Yin stared at a star chart of the Technocracy. In his eyes, both First Edition City and Sky Creation Academy were no different from two bottomless holes that devoured endless resources. The materials that they had gathered or been given had become countless androids and weapons, and this had continued on for many years. Battles were constantly fought, and each battle was an opportunity for resources to vanish, which was what Huan Sha had discovered.
Materials would disappear from each place after each battle and war, but where had these resources gone? Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly, the same thought that had flickered through his mind just outside of the Technocracy returned: ants. Those endless numbers of mechanical ants.
The scale of the war between First Edition City and Sky Creation Academy was massive, and after every single battle, a portion of materials would always disappear. After so many years, it added up to an astronomical amount of materials. It was impossible to claim that someone from inside the two forces had stolen so much over the course of so many years, and with the way that the Technocracy was structured, such a thing was not very likely. The greatest possibility was that all of those materials had been redirected to the manufacturing of endless mechanical ants.
Who had made those ants? If the materials used to create them were really the same ones that disappeared after each battle, it could not be just First Edition City or Sky Creation Academy behind the ants, but rather a combination of the two. The only possibility that Lu Yin could come up with was that this had something to do with the Master Brain.
The Sixth Mainland did not have the ability to control half of the Technocracy’s Master Brain, so did that mean that the Master Brain was still intact? If that was true, then why did First Edition City wage war on Sky Creation Academy? Was the Master Brain at war with itself?
Lu Yin could not figure this out, but he had another thought: the Master Brain might have never been split or divided. Rather, it was using this method to gather resources from both the Sixth Mainland and the Perennial World in order to secretly gather enough materials to produce the mechanical ants.
If that was true, then it would be a huge secret. What need was there for so many mechanical ants? Was this truly the will of the Master Brain, or was it someone else’s design?
Lu Yin thought about these possibilities for a long time even as the Cloud Valley Master’s servant left. Since the First Protector did not come looking for Lu Yin, he continued to quietly ponder the matter until the following day.
The Envoy from the Sixth Mainland was summoned back to a meeting, and he once again spoke with the vice city master who was using the bear android.
The meeting had the same conclusion as the previous day, but the Envoy reluctantly maintained his facade of being frustrated and determined. Still, no matter what, the vice city master would not budge.
First Edition City cooperated with the Sixth Mainland in exchange for resources, but since the Sixth Mainland had been overrun by Aeternus, it was no longer possible for the Sixth Mainland to provide the same amount of resources as before. Instead, the materials came from the Outerverse, and the drop in quantity was no longer sufficient to whet First Edition City’s appetite. This was the primary reason behind the city’s change in attitude.
The third day. The fourth day. The fifth day.
The vice city master sought out the Envoy from the Sixth Mainland each day, and he met with the human each day in the guise of a bear.
The Cloud Valley Master’s servant felt that it was almost time to leave. After this long, First Edition City would no longer suspect anything. However, even though the Envoy wanted to leave, Lu Yin refused.
Not only did Lu Yin refuse to leave, but he also became determined to sabotage the cooperation between First Edition City and the Sixth Mainland.
On the sixth day, Lu Yin followed the Envoy to his meeting with the vice city master. Starting on their third day in the city, the Cloud Valley Master’s servant had taken one person with him to each meeting, so the deputy city master had become used to it.
The negotiations failed during the meeting on the sixth day as well. The vice city master insisted that only a million androids and no more than a single one at the Envoy level could be sent to reinforce the Sixth Mainland. However, it was impossible for the Sixth Mainland’s representative to agree to such terms. The meeting did not last long before the deputy city master left.
“Master Sword Servant, his excellency Bluedome Elder was very clear: we need to get First Edition City to send at least five million androids to the Outerverse, at least three of which have the strength of an Envoy. Their attitude is terrible now, so please ask his excellency to step forward. His excellency already said that if First Edition City refuses to cooperate, the Four Empyreans will move together against the city and destroy it before forcing the Master Brain to fall under their control. After all, it’s impossible to ask the Progenitor of Combat to come out at this time,” Lu Yin spoke sharply.
The Sixth Mainland’s representative’s face twisted, but Lu Yin’s hand was on the Envoy’s shoulder, preventing him from speaking.
Off in the distance, the vice city master heard Lu Yin’s words, and the bear’s eyes started blazing. Do they want to take control of my First Edition City? The Sixth Mainland’s lost their roots, and they’re no longer able to provide with as many resources. The expected transaction is no longer possible, so they want to strong-arm us now. Hmph!
Lu Yin removed his hand, and the Envoy’s face grew pale. “Are you not afraid to mention the Progenitor of Combat? Are you trying to intimidate this place?”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Lu Yin replied coldly.
…
First Edition City was covered with pipes, and it was not a place that was suitable for human habitation. Still, there was one thing that was similar to human cities, which was the presence of plants.
The city was full of lush plants, and there were many gardens, some of which even had creatures living in them. They were rare oases of life within First Edition City.
When one wandered around the city, what they saw was only the tip of the iceberg. The dominant consciousnesses that lived in First Edition City needed ways to relax, and some of them would use vessels with a humanoid form, only to destroy the vessel later. There were others that used vessels to devour all kinds of metals. And there were still others who enjoyed the scenery of the verdant gardens.
At first, Lu Yin had no idea what the androids were doing, so he had looked through the provided gadget to learn more.
Humans had their own means of relaxing, and these dominant consciousnesses had their own as well, though their forms of pleasure were quite bizarre to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin visited a garden, from where the huge, glowing brain was only vaguely visible through the branches and leaves of the plants. There was more than one android in the garden, through most of them were sitting about in a daze. It was also in this place that Lu Yin saw Little R1O.
Little R1O was staring at a lake, looking quite stressed. Lu Yin wondered what Little R1O was thinking about.
Lu Yin walked over and commented, “It’s been a very exciting competition.”
Little R1O was startled, and he looked over at Lu Yin. “Thank you. Are you a human?”
Lu Yin nodded. “Can’t you tell?”
“Of course. I just need a glance to determine the make and model of any android, as well as their potential for future development,” R1O proudly stated.
Lu Yin was impressed. “That’s amazing! You deserve to be a semi-finalist.”
When Lu Yin said this, Little R1O dropped his head. “This is about as far as I can go.”
“Why? Are you not confident?” Lu Yin asked.
Little R1O shook his head. “I’m confident. I can easily see through the weapons and attack methods that powerhouses use, but I don’t have the necessary materials to deal with such weaponry. While my android is powerful, it’s not enough to withstand a bombardment from those weapons. That’s why I’ll eventually lose.”
“That’s not fair!” Lu Yin ranted.
Little R1O was surprised. “Not fair? Why?”
“Isn’t it unfair to lose because of your limited materials? I’ve heard that your opponent’s been famous for a long time, so the amount of resources that they’ve received far surpasses what you have,” Lu Yin said.
Little R1O hesitated for a moment. “Are you humans really that naïve?”
Lu Yin was stunned by his reaction. “Why do you say that?”
Little R1O explained, “Materials are the most valuable resources in our Technocracy, and they’re no different from your humans’ battle techniques. Some of you even have what you call secret techniques, but do you demand that all of your fights with other humans be fair in terms of battle techniques?”
After considering this perspective, Lu Yin felt that it had merit. He had forgotten that, for the residents of the Technocracy, materials were the most valuable resources. There was nothing fair in the universe. After many more years, Little R1O would manage to gain more fame and be pitted against other research teams. In such a situation, the materials that they could acquire were simply another type of advantage.
“That’s a pity. Your design’s really impressive,” Lu Yin said regretfully.
Little R1O glanced over, but he did not want to pay any further attention to the human. As far as Little R1O was concerned, how could any human understand the wonder of his android? This person was just bragging.
“As long as you give it the right materials, your android design can be instantly enhanced, which is completely different from other designs. Other androids are very difficult to upgrade, and that’s even when the upgrade succeeds. Also…” Lu Yin began to talk on and on. Even though he did not understand all the details in the designs that he had Pilfered, he could still remember what they were about.
Little R1O had developed the unique design himself, and Lu Yin was basically regurgitating Little R1O’s own ideas back to him. This surprised Little R1O, and he could not help himself from continuing the conversation with Lu Yin.
Given Lu Yin’s poor understanding of the technology, there was no way he was capable of keeping up with Little R1O, so Lu Yin quickly stopped talking. Instead, he just listened while making the occasional comment that built off of Little R1O’s own ideas. This surprised Little R1O even more than before. To use human terminology, Litter R1O felt like he had found a confidant.
Little R1O had never thought that he could have such a passionate discussion with a human. The more the conversation progressed, the more Little R1O realized that this human was highly intelligent. His ideas were so consistently aligned with Little R1O’s own that they felt identical. This human was a genius on the same level as himself!
OMA’s Thoughts
Translated By: OMA
Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox
TLC’ed By: OMA
