The moment he saw Wendy Yushan, Lu Yin suddenly became much more clear-headed. He was not the master of the Great Yu Empire and was merely acting as such. Big Sis had used the blood of some Zishan family member to forge his identity whereas this woman in front of him was the true heir to the Great Yu Empire.
“How are you planning on handling those people?” Wendy Yushan calmly asked, sounding as if she was asking about some daily matter.
Lu Yin thought for a while before responding, “You decide.”
Wendy Yushan stared at the imperial palace with a complex expression. “All this time, I’ve always felt that the Great Yu Empire was too small, and I never had any thoughts of inheriting the throne. Even after Father and my royal brothers died, that thought never changed, especially since I’m not suitable for such a position. The one in control of the empire has always been you because you are someone from the Zishan bloodline. Long ago, Father promised that King Zishan’s bloodline would have the same right to inherit the throne as his own bloodline.
“Many people have told me that you’re behaving too tyrannically and that you are acting like a dictator. They say that the empire will collapse sooner or later if left in your hands. I didn’t pay any mind to any of that, as I was indifferent towards the Great Yu Empire’s continued existence. To me, it was merely a matter of fate. However, someone’s status may occasionally bring them trouble. Regardless of whether or not those people are sincere or hypocrites, they’ve been fighting for the Yushan bloodline all this time. Thus, I hope that you can release them this once.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Sure, as long as that’s what you want.”
Wendy Yushan stared at Lu Yin. “A Royal Regent is just a regent, and the name doesn’t have any proper justifications. I hope that you will actually inherit the throne and take true control of the Great Yu Empire.”
LL could tell that Wendy Yushan was being sincere, as this woman truly treated him as a relative, her last family member. She truly did not care about the Great Yu Empire, and she had no desire for a position of authority at all.
Still, despite all of that, could Lu Yin really inherit the throne? He did not know why, but he felt that if he did, he would become handicapped and that he would no longer be able to act as freely as he did presently, which was not something that he wanted.
What he wanted was an overpowering authority that would allow him to integrate the other weaves’ resources and protect his own position while also not being pulled down by the vortex of said authority or being caught up in the never-ending storm of politics like Undying Yushan had.
“I don’t have any such plans for now,” Lu Yin said.
Wendy Yushan averted her gaze and slowly left.
Although he could not inherit the throne of the Great Yu Empire, Lu Yin would definitely be the person whose words held the most weight in the Great Eastern Alliance that he was about to establish. Because of that, this new status was even more alluring than becoming the emperor of the Great Yu Empire.
After a few days, the people whose names were on the list were captured and then exiled one by one. It was already a great fortune for them that they had survived, but Lu Yin could not allow these people to continue holding positions of power. As for Logan, he died in prison. Lu Yin could not let such a person off, as his schemes ran deep; he had even managed to deceive Phantom Thorn. Someone like Logan was less troublesome dead than alive.
Although Lu Yin had not ordered that many people to be captured, all of the people who had been arrested were figures of authority. The Great Yu Empire had essentially just experienced a change in power. Since some people had stepped down, others were naturally able to step up.
Huan Sha was very busy these days, as she had to select people who were suitable to take over the vacated positions, and the Imperial Cabinet was also making similar selections.
In King Zishan’s palace, Lu Yin took out his yellow futon. Although he did not know the principles behind how this thing functioned, he believed that it was likely related to spiritual force. There was no obvious information that he could see, but Lu Yin knew that he still needed to wait at least half a month before he could reenter the Daosource Sect.
On that same day, the Twelfth Imperial Squadron’s captain, Ban Jiu, requested an audience with Lu Yin to deliver some good news.
“Have you successfully manufactured the androids?” Lu Yin was surprised.
“Yes, Your Highness. The results of the initial experiments are already out, and we’ve managed to manufacture a control core!” Ban Jiu was clearly excited.
Lu Yin did not quite mind the man’s behavior, as he had actually forgotten that he had given Ban Jiu the android blueprints all that time ago—it was even before the Innerverse and Outerverse’s separation. When he first received the plans, Ban Jiu had mentioned that they were the crystallization of the most advanced technology in the entire universe, which was a claim that Lu Yin still did not believe.
“How are the costs? And the power?” Lu Yin asked.
Ban Jiu opened up a screen that displayed a dense list of numbers, and Lu Yin felt his head starting to hurt. “I don’t understand this, so please just explain it to me in simple terms.”
“Your Highness, these androids are the result of the greatest imagination, and they also contain the most advanced technology. Even with this subject’s ability, we have only been able to develop the first type of android. However, due to the limitation of materials, the power of each one can only rival an ordinary Limiteer’s,” Ban Jiu answered awkwardly.
Lu Yin nodded. “That’s not bad, but what about the cost? And how long does it take to manufacture each one?”
Ban Jiu only mentioned approximate figures, but Lu Yin was already frowning. The costs were too exorbitant, and the manufacturing time was too long, which meant the project was not worthwhile.
As soon as he noticed Lu Yin’s lack of interest, Ban Jiu hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, these androids’ strongest aspect is that each one has a control core that can store energy. In theory, as long as the materials of the control core reach a certain standard, the androids’ strength can increase without limit.”
Lu Yin was astonished. “Increase without limit?”
“Yes. The control core must be able to completely secure all the stored energy so that it can then distribute the energy to the other various components that the android uses for battle. The most important part of the android is naturally the control core, and the best materials that our Great Yu Empire can acquire are only able to contain an amount of energy equivalent to a Limiteer’s. If we can get a hold of some materials that can contain an Explorer’s energy, then the androids will be able to display the power of an Explorer! If the core can contain a Cruiser’s energy, then the androids will have the power of a Cruiser! And so on and so forth,” Ban Jiu explained.
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. “If the core can contain an Enlighter’s energy, then would these androids have an Enlighter’s power?”
“Absolutely,” Ban Jiu reassured him.
Lu Yin was in disbelief. An android manufactured by humans that could display the power of an Enlighter sounded like a fantasy!
“Then what materials would you need to build a control core that can contain an Explorer’s energy?” Lu Yin asked.
“The universe has very clear metrics regarding material properties, and the crystal scale is used as the basic unit of measurement. This system is based on us cultivators’ power level. For basic materials, their highest crystal scale is defined as 100, so anything rated above 100 can withstand a cultivator’s attack. For example, a material with a crystal scale between 101 to 1,000, which matches up to a Seeker’s power level, can withstand a Seeker’s attacks. The sturdiest materials that the Great Yu Empire can produce at present only have 7,000 on the crystal scale,” Ban Jiu said.
“What’s the crystal scale of the materials that are used to manufacture radiant-grade Auroras?” Lu Yin asked.
“In theory, a radiant-grade Aurora can resist a Cruiser’s attacks, so its materials are at least graded over 50,000 on the crystal scale,” Ban Jiu replied.
“Our Great Yu Empire doesn’t have any such sturdy materials?” Lu Yin frowned.
Ban Jiu bitterly replied, “Even throughout the entire Frostwave Weave, the sturdiest material only reaches about 10,000 on the crystal scale, and they are extremely rare. We wouldn’t be able to manufacture very many Explorer grade androids, so it wouldn’t be worth it. The Grandtop Weave has materials that are rated above 30,000, but its quantities are similarly very low.”
“Aside from the material’s hardness, the upper limit of the control core’s energy is also determined by its toughness is also important. Thus, the ideal material is something like Spiritual Thread. The other components of the androids don’t have as extreme requirements, but they can’t be too low grade either. Otherwise, the androids wouldn’t be able to withstand any external forces. Also…” Ban Jiu gave a full speech. In a nutshell, his team needed materials and money.
Lu Yin was speechless. He needed money as well, so who should they approach for funding?
“What about polarium essence?” Lu Yin asked.
Ban Jiu quickly answered, “Polarium essence is not suitable for manufacturing control cores, but it can certainly be used to make android bodies. It’s precisely because of the polarium essence that your subject is confident in being able to manufacture androids that are stronger than Explorers. Anything else that we have access to is not capable of withstanding the necessary forces.
“Your Highness, if we gain the suitable materials, your subject is confident of building an undefeatable army of androids.”
Lu Yin considered this idea. “Give me a list of all the materials that you will need, but remove everything that Frostwave Weave or Grandtop Weave can provide. I will find a way to get you the rest.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Ban Jiu was delighted at this news.
Lu Yin muttered to himself, as he indeed needed to upgrade the Great Yu Empire’s strength. The stronger the empire became, the more resources it could obtain, which in turn would allow it to become stronger yet again. This was a virtuous cycle, and it was clear to Lu Yin that he had to invest in the Great Yu Empire during these early stages if he wanted to enjoy the fruits of his efforts in the future. He could not fight and roam his way about the universe by himself, as that would make him no different from an independent cultivator.
An unbeatable troop of androids was one such alluring possibility. He did not need too many androids—just enough Explorer grade androids so that he could replace all of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons. At that point, he would be able to maintain effortless control of the entire Great Yu Empire and then slowly spread out from there.
Lu Yin activated his gadget and contacted the tempting Madam Nalan, and she soon appeared on his screen. He saw that she was wrapped in a white bathrobe, revealing a figure that could cause most people to spit out blood. Most of her fair complexion and lovely skin was exposed, and she was illuminated by a soft radiance that came from beyond the scope of the screen. The sight nearly caused Lu Yin’s heart to skip a beat.
“Your Highness, what’s the matter?” She beamed at Lu Yin as she dried her hair.
Lu Yin felt embarrassed. “Did you just finish bathing? I’ll contact you later.”
“Haha, there’s no need. Please just speak your mind, Your Highness.” She smiled at him.
Lu Yin coughed and rubbed his nose. He sent Madam Nalan a list of the materials that Ban Jiu had given him. “Whatever you can find of these materials, I’ll buy from you.”
She glanced over the list. “We can obtain most of these materials, but some will be fairly difficult, especially the materials that are over 30,000 on the crystal scale. Our Nalan family doesn’t have many of those materials, nor of Spiritual Thread for that matter. That is not an average material, and it’s primarily used to protect sourceboxes. Thus, it can be considered as a controlled substance.”
“I won’t push the issue of the Spiritual Thread, but what about the other materials?” Lu Yin asked.
She answered, “Some aren’t too expensive, but they come from the western weaves. You must know that the west is currently a little hard to access.”
“Could you sort through this list and let me know which you can gather? We’ll think of some way to get the remaining materials after that.” Lu Yin kneaded his temples.
She replied, “Your Highness, you don’t have to buy materials that have a hardness exceeding 30,000 on the crystal scale. Lars Weave already has such materials, so you can just ask the Six-Fingered Tribe for them. After all, they are already your ally, and the integration of various resources is one of the purposes behind the alliance contract.”
Lu Yin grew pleased. “Lars Weave already has some? Awesome.”
She smiled and then ended the call.
Lu Yin shifted his gaze. The alliance was already starting to demonstrate certain benefits. The integration of resources was precisely to achieve this effect. If he could pool together all of the Outerverse’s resources, then he would be able to obtain whatever materials he needed and could stop worrying about such things.
The matter concerning the Lars Weave was handed over to En Ya while the Nalan family prepared to gather another part of the materials that Lu Yin required. Many of the remaining materials on the list that Ban Jiu had given Lu Yin were only available in the western weaves, but such materials were not too rare. The number of androids that they intended to produce was not very high, so they did not need too much. Lu Yin had investigated the uses of the required materials, and he found that they were mostly used to manufacture certain types of firearms.
Lu Yin ordered these sorts of firearms to be sent to King Zishan’s palace, as he wanted to disassemble them. According to his estimates, disassembling one batch of firearms would yield enough materials to manufacture about a hundred androids. He had some people send him several batches, and he soon tore apart nearly a fleet’s worth of firearms. In the end, he had acquired enough materials to manufacture 1,000 androids, and he only planned on stopping when he reached that amount.
